#joshua p hill

[liberalsarecool]

Republicans will enable fascism and antisemitism at every level.

[insteading]

You can read the whole thing at the link if you want, but our beloathed CEO David Zaslav made it into Joshua P. Hill's column "New Means" today:

On Wednesday David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said the quiet part out loud. Asked about the coming election, he was honest, very honest. The millionaire media CEO said the result didn’t really matter, as long as the next president is friendly to business. He went on, “We just need an opportunity for deregulation, so companies can consolidate and do what we need to be even better.” ... And when it comes to being “even better” the board and shareholders that a man like David Zaslav is accountable to probably do want the company to improve. Because, despite Mr. CEO receiving $50 million in compensation last year, and being worth about $400 million now, Warner Bros. Discovery lost $3 billion last year. So he might be concerned that unless some massive deregulation allows him to screw over customers in a new way, he could lose his cushy seat at the top. Fascinatingly, it doesn’t occur to the man who said he was worried his company might be “overpaying” writers not long after the Hollywood strikes concluded last year that there might be a path other than exploitation and corporate greed, and that it might even be beneficial to his industry.

Anyway. I wish him a very happy firing by his board of directors, followed by a speedy retreat from public life in order to step on a lego first thing every morning.

[thatstormygeek]

Legitimizing the right’s vile anti-immigrant views by trying to co-opt their positions enables the far-right vilification of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. Failing to present a strong alternative to the right’s violent vision of deportations and destabilization ushers in their perspective as the dominant narrative. And that dehumanizing viewpoint has consequences. We’re seeing it in the UK, and we’re seeing it in America. Fascism has risen and has been legitimized in the eyes of far, far too many people. And the process I’m describing here has been instrumental to that far-right ascendence. This is not limited to the way the right, and center, speak and think and act on immigration. Take homelessness. One month ago the Supreme Court legalized the criminalization of homelessness in their Grants Pass ruling. California’s Governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, has already signed an executive order using the ruling to enable mass homeless sweeps across the state. San Francisco mayor London Breed says that she plans to launch a “very aggressive” crackdown on homeless encampments in the city this month. “The problem is not going to be solved by building more housing,” she added as she made her announcement, “Thank goodness for the Supreme Court decision.” Here is the problem distilled down to its essence. What would solve the homelessness crisis? Housing, of course. Both a reduction in the cost of housing and simply providing housing for those in need. It’s both the ethical and the cost-effective solution, rather than paying for expensive sweeps accompanied by police, which then happen again and again because the people displaced from homeless encampments don’t, of course, have anywhere to go. So they set up another encampment. And now, in the wake of this Supreme Court ruling, we’re likely to see more legal fees and the sky-high cost of jailing and imprisoning people who cannot pay those fees, and so on and so forth. But instead of solutions we’re seeing the systemic criminalization of, and attack on, homeless people in the United States. This approach would not be possible without rhetoric and logic that supports treating struggling human beings as failures, as less than, as disposable. That logic currently proliferates on the right, but it is also widespread in the center, where far too many people would rather have homeless people removed from their line of sight than have the underlying problem of people living without housing removed from the world. This sort of thinking, this idea that humans can and should be disposed of, enables the fascist movement. It’s the same line of thinking that underpins white supremacy, misogyny, transphobia and supremecist thinking of all forms.

So the profit motive in the housing market can’t be blamed; the person who got fired or had a health emergency must be to blame for losing their housing. The center has ceded all of this to the right, if it was ever contested, and so homeless people are “swept,” meaning violently moved around as their belongings are repeatedly destroyed. Meanwhile, two numbers go up and up: the number of homeless people and the profits of rental companies and developers. Similarly, migrants are to blame for seeking a better life, according to the right and center. The destabilization of their home countries must be ignored, the neoliberal economics that devastate job markets and wreck the ecosystems of entire countries can’t be questioned. International economic policy in this late capitalist period must be taken for granted, and even ignored, because the decisions that individual people make to migrate in search of a better life might start to make sense within context. So here we are, with the price of rent and the cost of buying a home rising and rising. Here we are, with laws that make existing in public more and more difficult. Public space is being eaten up and commodified, and new laws that criminalize homelessness are already being weaponized even against people with homes, because how can cops or mall security tell if you’re unhoused or just engaged in the devious behavior of hanging out in public space? In the UK race riots continue as lynch mobs look for anyone who could be ‘foreign’ to attack, while the people actually driving up the cost of living and ruining communities sit back and relax, and, in fact, fund the scapegoating of oppressed groups.

[thoughtportal]

I always want to be persuasive, and I know that persuasion typically involves meeting people where they’re at. But my arms no longer feel long enough to reach across to those who refuse to even call for a ceasefire. They don’t feel long enough to reach out to those who see schools and hospitals being bombed and say “Oh there must have been terrorists in there.” Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip with “no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed” and told the world “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu called Palestinains “children of darkness” and said they abide by “the law of the jungle” in a since deleted tweet. Genocidal language, followed by genocidal actions.

[bunnyhugs22]

[cherryblossomshadow]

Trump shooting sparks fascist blood-lust

Quotes:

The first thing that multiple major conservative social media accounts and talking heads did in response to an attack on their leader was lie about the shooter

Before the dust had settled at the Pennsylvania Trump rally, MAGA accounts with over a million followers were spreading the disinformation that the person who fired the shots was someone named Mark Violets who was apparently “Antifa” and had already been arrested by local police. Never mind that the shooter had been killed immediately by the Secret Service, or that the photo they had attached to this conspiracy theory was a fairly prominent Italian football fan named Marco Violi, who unfortunately will almost certainly receive threats and harassment because of this fictitious right-wing hack mill.

.

Lauren Bobert went on TV not long after the shooting to say, “Joe Biden is responsible for the shooting.” Donald Trump Jr. issued a statement about his father which included the line, “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him.” And JD Vance, GOP Senator from Ohio, possible Trump VP pick, and manipulative fascist, tweeted the following:

.

the far-right has committed over 5x as many ideologically motivated homicides as the left since 1990

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[readingsquotes]

I say this both to highlight the disconnect between the public and elected officials and to say that the focus of the protest wave and the discourse in 2020 was police killing thousands of people across this country without repercussions. And politicians responded by giving them millions and millions of dollars. They chose to fund unaccountable police departments, and now they choose to fund an unaccountable and immensely violent nation that is killing civilians by the thousands. The leaders of Israel are not hiding their intentions. They speak openly about driving Palestinians out of the West Bank, and Gaza. And their actions speak even louder. They bomb ambulances. They bomb refugee camps. They bomb Southern Gaza and change its label from “safe zone” to “safer zone.” They are not hiding their goals. So people in the U.S. are left to wonder, what are the red lines for our elected officials? As I wrote earlier this week some, like Lindsey Graham, have none; no amount of civilian death would cause him to change his tune. ...Perhaps even more significantly, this issue does not exist in a vacuum. People are seeing this in the larger context of politicians being disconnected from the people, immense economic difficulty as billions are spent on war, and a general disregard for the working class and what the people of this country want. So they’re organizing for radical, systemic change. They’re organizing fighting unions. They’re organizing in their neighborhoods. -The Palestine Realignment

[whisperhillforo]

[hwy95eh]

[14-09-2023]

** This link to something of some locals' interests was found & shared with 95EH.CA by Jeremy / @HI54LOFI (after finding the link on Twitter… or are we actually calling it 'X' now?). Please feel free to get in touch with 'hey @95eh.ca' if you also know of a link (or something else that can be shared online) that might be of interest to someone living in a mountain town like the small mountown area where these #LOCALLYSOURCEDLINKS get signal boosted from (which is around Kimberley, BC, FYI) 👍

[aclowntiny]

Carnival Dates With Seventeen!

Gender neutral reader! Bro at the slightest provocation I will write one shots for this because going to the carnival??? Way too cute 🥲

S.Coups

♡ ‘So, what do you want to do first?’ A simple question, yet the care with which he asks it & the fondness of his expression as he does have your heart beating a bit faster.

♡ He’s willing to follow your lead all day, but you guys get a good alternation of activities going, following the bustle of your atmosphere well.

♡ Seungcheol tries the test your strength game where you hit the target with the hammer, trying to ring the bell, & of course he does 😌 & looks over at you immediately with a big eager smile like ‘was that cool?’ PLEASE HYPE HIM UP

♡ Your date gets a little interrupted as you guys find a lost little girl wandering tearfully between the cotton candy & churro stands, Seungcheol kneeling down to ask her if she can remember what her mom was wearing. ‘P-purple,’ the little girl, who couldn’t have been more than three or four, sobs. ‘Well that’s easy! I’ll find her soon, I promise.’ You guys tag team, you buying her a small plushie to return her smile & Seungcheol finding a woman in a purple dress who happily runs to her daughter, thanking you profusely. Afterward, your boyfriend begins to apologize for the interruption, but quickly stops when he sees your shining eyes. ‘Don’t be.’ ‘We make a pretty good team, don’t we?’

♡ The whole encounter leaves him feeling extra soft & affectionate, wanting to spend some time just strolling under the lights holding your arm & pulling you closer until his head is practically resting over yours. You feel him place a kiss to the crown of your head, smiling & turning upward for a second one ☺️

Jeonghan

♡ All the games the carnival has to offer turn immediately into a betting ground for Jeonghan, who leans up close to you, batting his eyelashes & saying if you beat him he’ll give you a kiss 👀

♡ You lose, naturally, but he gives you a kiss anyway for your good efforts. Pinches your cheeks as he gives you the prizes he’s won 😊

♡ 'We have to go on the bumper cars, (y/n)!' You take him up on the challenge, leaving a bunch of other patrons confused as they casually putter through the rink why there's two people driving as fast as humanly possible, very aggressively turning & bumping only into each other. Eh, they're laughing though, everyone thinks, so they just let you have your fun.

♡ Oh, boy, do NOT say anything at the accessory & knickknack stalls is cute unless you want Jeonghan to try buying it for you. You have a generous boyfriend ok???

♡ All the running around makes him tired though...if only there was a ride that you could sit on for a long time & relax.... Jeonghan keeps trying to get you to slow down, selling the idea more & more until you realize... he's trying to get you to suggest going on the Tunnel of Love ride because he wants to hear you say it. Finally you relent, rolling your eyes as he immediately teases you about how you must really be in love with him then. You may agree or tease him back, but either way it's too late, you've got a giddy Jeonghan on your hands. Plus he's right, like who doesn't want to sit & smooch in some air conditioning after a long crowded day??? 👀

Joshua

♡ Before the two of y’all go anyyyyywheeeerrrrree, Joshua is making sure you have sunscreen on. Nothing is happening to you on his watch, not even a little sunburn!

♡ Anything you might need gets thrown in his bag in fact; it’s so adorable you can’t even bring yourself to tease him for bringing a bag just to a carnival day.

♡ Once you’re situated, though, that’s when Josh can let his crazy side out a little 😌 he’s taking you on a roller coaster just so you guys can yell funny stuff at the top of the hill & practically giving you a heart attack sneaking up behind you in the hall of mirrors. But he makes up for it by falling into you & turning the scare into a back hug!

♡ Joshua is the type to want to experience it all with you, not a single stone unturned. You guys will manage to cram in every ride, but it won’t feel overwhelming because he’s efficient about it 😌

♡ You guys end the night in the Tunnel of Love where he takes your hand & asks if he can kiss you 🥰

Jun

♡ He gets so excited, taking your hand & interlocking your fingers before running through all the stands & rides 🥺

♡ ‘Let’s get ice cream!’ ‘Maybe we should get the tilt-a-whirl out of the way first?’ ‘Good point. Let’s go on the tilt-a-whirl.’ *Jun proceeds to slightly regret going on the tilt-a-whirl*

♡ You jokingly put an ear headband from one of the accessory stalls on his head, but he wears it proudly, doing a matching pose that you think is so cute you end up taking a ton of selfies together. Jun ends up buying them & wearing them with you for the rest of the day! Every time he looks over at you on a ride with a big wide sunshiney grin on your face, he can't help but boop your nose!

♡ Ok, rides over, ice cream time! The person making the sundaes can't help but laugh as Jun excitedly adds more & more to your shared treat with wide, childlike eyes.

♡ Any excuse to be corny, Jun takes it. 'You've got some chocolate syrup there.' 'Where?' *smooch* right there 😏

Hoshi

♡ Fair warning: he is going to want to drag you onto every huge roller coaster, so hope you like those rides or are willing to wait for him on them 🎢

♡ He also becomes DEAD SET on winning you a plushie, but not just any plushie, a tiger one of course 😌 before he gives it to you, he holds it up to face him & gives it a stern talking to about how it should protect you…but also not steal all your cuddles because those are his 😤🥺

♡ There’s a live band going by the food area, so once you’re done with your meal he takes your hand, leading you onto a patch of open grass to dance. He spins you so fast, you joke that you don’t need to go on the teacups anymore!

♡ Y’all two goofballs joke about doing the Lady & the Tramp scene with a churro, but then of course you actually try it. You can’t even get halfway through because you’re laughing too hard, just splitting the churro like normal people.

♡ Besides, he wanted to save the kiss for the top of the roller coaster anyway >:( that way it’s nice & dramatic at that highest-hill pause, you guys feeling up with the clouds & a bunch of tension you need to release. It’s so worth your priceless expression of shock & the way your smile widens into a shout of laughter, your hand reaching to squeeze Soonyoung’s as you make the next tight turn.

Wonwoo

♡ Wonwoo manages to put a unique twist on such a timeless classic of an experience, spreading out a blanket in between some of the grody plastic tables in the eating area so you guys can sit on the grass instead, all your little dishes of street food suddenly becoming a picnic.

♡ There’s a stall where you can paint a little keepsake sign, so you guys stop there to have something you made together as a memento for the day ☺️

♡ You did a combo of both of your favorite colors, unaware but pleasantly surprised how complimentary they are. ‘One last thing, don’t forget,’ Wonwoo tells you. ‘What’s that?’ ‘The date, so we’ll never forget when this was.’ Simple words, but they tug in your heart nonetheless.

♡ I hope you weren’t expecting Wonwoo to let you win any carnival games…he does not 😔 he can’t help himself being good at games & watching you pout when you lose is just too cute. Somehow, you can’t stay mad at his mischievous little smile. Maybe you aren’t the only adorable one in the relationship!

♡ The only time you get to win a game is when you distract him with a kiss & Wonwoo.exe stops working 😌😌😌

Woozi

♡ There's just something magical about Jihoon that makes even the noise, lights, & bustle of a busy carnival draped in every color of the rainbow feel intimate.

♡ Maybe it's the way he tries to ignore the crowds, looking almost pointedly at you & only you. Maybe it's the way he prepares your funnel cake for you exactly how you like it, pouring your drink for you as if it were wine at a fancy restaurant.

♡ He even lets you bring him onto the merry-go-round, just shaking his head with exasperation at the things he gets into because of you. Besides, he gets to take some cute pictures of you smiling back at him & reaching for his hand 🥰

♡ Y’all have tons of fun on the teacups, your boyfriend receiving relentless teasing about how strong he is when he turns the wheel so fast. He gets so flustered your spinning slows down & you have to pick up some slack 🥺

♡ At the end of the night, you guys take a series of selfies under a light up sign shaped like a heart, one where Jihoon has his arm around you, one where your hands are making a heart, & one where you pull him in for a surprise kiss, pleased smile just starting to form on his face 😉

DK

♡ He will go on ANY ride you really want to, but warning: may squeeze your hand super duper tight & scream a lot.

♡ 'Should we get our faces painted?' 'Do you want to risk what would happen with a stage if you can't rinse it off?' 'Alright, that's actually a great point. You're so smart 🥺'

♡ Suddenly Seokmin gasps, all but startling you as he yanks you forward towards some stall or another. '(y/n), look!' WIN A GOLDFISH, the big sign reads. 'You want one?' You giggle. 'Yes, look at the little black one, he's so cute!' What can you say, your boyfriend's joy is infectious.

♡ He makes the most hilarious overly serious expression before a simple ring toss that that alone has you in stitches, but he's actually a great shot; his second throw is perfect, winning him the fish of his dreams. 'What should we name him?' 'Lee Seokmin The Second.' 'Do we look alike?' *holds up bag to his head & does fish lips*

♡ Logistics of a goldfish joining your date were not considered, thus Seokmin Junior requires a bit of juggling, getting set down on tables numerous times when your boyfriend decides it's time for an impromptu carnival music dance or to gently place a headband he found on you to see how cute it looks. He actually apologizes out loud to the fish before setting him down to cup your face & kiss you, leaving you smiling into it.

Mingyu

♡ Insists on trying the test your strength game part 2. Slams the hammer so quickly you have to jump back, chuckling at your giant puppy of a boyfriend's eagerness.

♡ The bell rings, of course, earning Mingyu his pick of a whole slew of plushies. He chooses the one that's your favorite color with a grin.

♡ After that the pair of you try an assortment of the finger foods from a few different stalls, Mingyu feeding you from his own dish. As he watches your eyes turn upward in pleasure at the amazing taste, he vows to find the recipe for all your favorite things & make them for you at home!

♡ Please don't try to make him go on all the scary rides :(((( just no loop-de-loops or drop towers ok? In fact, just enjoy the comedy of all his reactions to simply watching other people get sent down the drop tower.

♡ But it's ok, he decides to try out the swing ride, which is a little nerve-wracking with the heights, but not too bad when he gets to reach across & hold your hand. Benefits of being tall 😌 the moment you get off the ride he pretends like he thought he wasn't going to see you again so he can put on a whole dramatic act & kiss you like a movie hero hehe

The8

♡ You guys beeline for the caricature stand because what better way to remember the day by? 😌 the artist is really nice & respectful too, not one of the ones that makes an insulting ‘joke’ picture, just a cute cartoon of you & Minghao!

♡ Passing by some of the games, you see one of those semi-creepy mannequin fortune teller guys seated in his little glass prison. ‘He’s kind of scary, isn’t he?’ Minghao comments. ‘Yeah,’ you agree, shudder melting into a grin, ‘let’s try it!’ ‘I don’t believe it’s accurate or anything.’ ‘Neither do I, but just for fun!’

♡ 'True love eternal will find its way to you soon.'

The paper spat out by the box reads. 'You know what?' The corners of your mouth turn upward as Minghao takes the paper from your hand, fingers brushing yours with every bit of electricity as the first time. 'I think I do believe it.'

♡ Next stop: the hall of mirrors! You go in fully expecting to just laugh at how silly & distorted you & Minghao look, but your boyfriend utilizes the blur to take some actually legitimately cool pictures, too, like the artist he is 🤩

♡ The picture he takes in a spot that casts endless repeated reflections is his favorite, the frame filled with the image of him & the person he loves most joined in a kiss reminding him of the way you occupy his mind.

Seungkwan

♡ He makes friends with a baby the lady in front of you in line is holding, playing with him the entire time you two are waiting for the spinning cups. He’s actually lowkey sad when they get separated 🥺

♡ You guys laugh your heads off on the teacup ride though, you insisting on spinning it as fast as humanly possible as he tries to keep up, totally contrasting the way he shouts warnings to stop.

♡ As you stroll through the show of lights & colors, Seungkwan glances down shyly; you notice, the smile you give him encouraging enough for him to muster his courage & take your hand, fingers intertwining perfectly with yours.

♡ He keeps putting off going in the ferris wheel until suddenly the stars are out & it’s all he wants to do. He was saving it for one special moment, something he’s always dreamed of doing.

♡ You lean closer into him, for though the night’s not so cold, as you reach the top the breeze chills slightly. Stealing a glance reveals a look of soft, joyous admiration on Seungkwan’s face, & you matching it is all it takes for him to close the gap between you two, his lips meeting yours as you reach the highest point, closest to the stars.

Vernon

♡ ‘How’d they manage to deep-fry those?’ ‘I don’t know, but I dare you to try one.’ ‘Only if you do!’ ‘You’re on.’

♡ You guys load up on way too much carnival food to do any roller coasters right away, so instead you decide to chill for a while in the petting zoo. Sure, you & Vernon are the only adults beside one dad, but you don't care. All that matters is petting an alpaca, which you get to do 😌

♡ Spending time there also grants you the opportunity to get the most adorable pictures of your boyfriend ranging from him surrounded & almost getting knocked over by a slew of baby goats that realized he had food or one of him holding a sweet fluffy little white lamb 🥺

♡ Y’all also go in the haunted house, AKA the perfect place to see Vernon’s hilarious reactions to the jumpscares. Beyond that, he’s actually pretty calm, so you guys sort of just end up admiring what they’ve done with the place DHCGXVSGXDHSRDVY

♡ Once you finally do go on a roller coaster, his hair gets all messed up from the wind & you tease him about it, but reach your hands up to fix it. He just looks at you with heart eyes until you’re done, your hands slowly dropping until he catches them. When you look up, that’s when he leans in to connect your lips.

Dino

♡ Wants to play allllll of the games! So of course you guys have some loving competition 😌 the bet is that whoever wins more games gets to direct the rest of the evening, so if there's anything that seems scary, well there's some incentive!

♡ Oh? What's that? Scary you say??? That's right, Chan challenges you to a walkthrough of the haunted house too. No bets, just to see who gets more scared. At least that's what he claims, but what he really wants is to 'protect' you & have an excuse to hold you.

♡ So even if you don't seem all that scared, he's draping an arm around your shoulders going 'You're so frightened, aren't you? Don't worry 😏' shhhh just let him have this.

♡ He didn't let you win any of the games anyway, nope, so he gets to control what you do! This advantage is used to force you to let him spoil you 😈 for example, when your feet start hurting he insists on carrying you. 'Nope, no buts, I'm the winner remember 😌'

♡ As you guys leave, you still clinging onto Chan, hands around his neck, he stops, pulling you into a nice little corner where the lights still barely reach, illuminating the lines of your boyfriend's face as he turns you around in his hold. Fireworks go off- literally- as you kiss, the carnival launching off bursts of color into the sky right as your lips meet.

[aliendes]

One More Day (S.Coups) - Teaser #2

Here is teaser #2 for One More Day with S.coups! warnings below the cut. This fic is a WHOPPING 33.3K words (almost 10k more than the original) with an added smut scene! One More Day is scheduled to be posted on Dec. 20 KST!

word count: 33.3k~ (final fic)

warnings (final fic): su*cide attempts and past mentions (DO NOT READ IF THIS TRIGGERS YOU), smoking cigarettes, drinking, cursing, asshole brother Joshua (it gets better I promise), hospitals, smut, p in v unprotected sex, fingering f receiving, oral f receiving, breeding kink (is it a des fic without it, really), creampie, cum play, low-key dirty sex but in a super romantic and loving way lol.

“Holy shit!” you gasped, nearly throwing your cigarette, when you saw a figure walk out from between the trees lining your property and the one next to it. It was a man you didn’t recognize. You squint your eyes slightly to try and see better in the dark. He stepped closer to your with both hands raised in front of him as a way to placate you.

“Sorry! I’m sorry! I -” he started, but trailed off almost like he forgot what he was going to say. You raised a brow at him, still unsure of the stranger. “I’m Choi Seungcheol, I live next door. I promise I’m not a creep or anything, I just noticed you standing out here for a while and wanted to make sure you weren’t locked out or something, I - I, yeah that sounded creepy. I’m sorry.” He rushed out the last words, looking almost sheepish. 

Cute.

You stood there for a second too long, and Seungcheol, as you now knew him, looked almost like he was about to bolt back in the direction he came. “I - I’m sorry, I’ll g-”

“No, it’s ok.” You let out a deep sigh and chuckled darkly, no humor to be found. “You just startled me, is all.” You said with what you hoped was a small smile. It wasn’t, Seungcheol noted, but he didn’t care, just glad you were responding at all.

Another beat passes, “... so are you alright - did you need help?” He drawled, unsure of where the conversation was headed. 

“No, no. This is my par- mine- my house. Well, not my permanent house, but you probably already knew that.” You stuttered. He must’ve realized the house next door to him was vacant 11 months out of the year, right?

 “Ah yeah, I kind of figured that out.” he took a hesitant step forward. When he saw you weren’t running for the hills, he slowly made his way into the illumination provided by the floodlights on the back porch. You took in his features now that you could see them better. He had bleach blonde hair that looked a little fried, but that suited him nicely, large, doe-like brown eyes, and plump, cherry-like lips that were more than a little distracting. Had you not been in a crippling depression, you may have thought he was pretty handsome, you may have shot your shot with this pretty neighbor. He ran his hand through his yellow  locks, “This house is usually empty, I only notice it occupied around this time of year. I’m assuming it’s your vacation house? You said it’s your parents place, right?” He took hesitant steps up to the deck.

So he caught that. Damn. “Was.” You stated simply. “It was my parents place. It’s mine now, I come here alone.” Seungcheol knew that. He’s lived next door for 8 years now, on and off. Every Christmas for the last few years, you’d been alone. He wasn’t a creeper, but he did notice you smoking those nasty cigarettes out on this very deck, alone, every single year. He remembers you used to come here with someone. A boyfriend maybe? It wasn’t his place to ask. 

He’s at the bottom of the steps that lead up to your deck, looking up at you with an unreadable expression. Pity? No, there’s no way he knows what’s going on in your mind. He hesitates a moment before - “Are you ok?” 

The question catches you off guard. Were you ok? You knew the answer was a big, fat no. But was that something you should share with him? A near stranger? Aside from the obvious questions you had, when was the last time someone asked you that? You couldn’t remember anyone caring enough about you in the last few years to even utter those words to you. The only people you interacted with were your coworkers, who didn’t give a shit about your personal life. All your boss cared about was that you got the job done, not about your emotions. You almost wanted to trust this man, share with him how you’re feeling, God knows you need it. You’ve been staring at him for too long, he must think you’re crazy now. You shake your head slightly to rid yourself of the thought. “Yeah. Yeah I’m good.” You mutter, looking anywhere but his eyes. 

[thatstormygeek]

The international rules-based order and international law have always been aspirational fictions. While these systems served the West, as evidenced by the ICC primarily going after leaders in the Global South, there was still a hope of something more, of a real international community that worked together to hold despots and perpetrators of the world’s great horrors to account. But then these international courts took their most recent steps. The ICJ has started ruling against Israel, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. And the U.S. responded not by adhering to these rulings, but by blowing up the shared fiction, by blowing up the very idea that we can have real and meaningful international law. It is as it ever was. As long as the U.S. is the most powerful entity on Earth there will be no force greater, no entity able to check this country or its allies. No matter the crime, if it aligns with U.S. interests no law can punish it. Or at least that’s the world the United States aims for.

So we find ourselves on the edge of a new world order, a new international system where the interests of the U.S. do not dominate. We’re not quite there, but the insistence on protecting Israel from any consequences for its genocidal actions is accelerating the arrival of that day. In the process we are getting the breakdown of the shared fiction of international law. That fiction was never what it could be, what we should aim for, which is the real ability to hold war criminals to account and stop rogue nations hellbent on slaughter, but the fact that it is now able to deal powerful symbolic blows to U.S. imperial interests has doomed it to having the reality of its weakness exposed before the world, as the U.S. empire accelerates its own downfall rather than halting the genocide of its junior partner. As expert Trita Parsi says, “When the Biden administration is talking about a 'rules-based order', it is talking about an order in which the US rules; not an order based on rules.” In many ways it appears that this is the order which is now coming to an end. And on the gravestone of this era may well be written “Sacrificed it all to defend a genocide.” Or, at the least, the note will be etched on one of the nails in the coffin.

[politijohn]

tired of seeing unsympathetic news sources on the genocide in palestine. what news sources do you use?

Try to stick with primary sources - or those who share primary sources - whenever possible. These are people on the ground or facing the current situation first-hand. In 2023, you can often find these people using social media. This article links young Palestinian journalists and content creators who are documenting their experience. I like Joshua P Hill who amplifies timely news coming out of Gaza.

When primary sources are difficult to verify or track down, always look for sources linked in news articles so you can verify and review for potential bias. A story is also better when it can be verified by multiple accounts.

Others, feel free to add to this!

[bunnyhugs22]

[rebelyells]

Joshua Crews was the son of Isham Crews and Elizabeth Bryant. Joshua's Father was a soldier from the South Carolina Militia in the War of 1812. Isham located his family in Polk County, Florida after receiving a soldier's Land Grant. Joshua was captured July 2nd, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg and he died in a Gettysburg hospital on July 25, 1863. Joshua died at 19 years old with no wife or children.

From the tablet on Emmitsburg Road at Gettysburg:

Army of Northern Virginia

Hill’s Corps Anderson’s Division

Perry’s Brigade

2nd 5th 8th Florida Infantry

July 2. Formed line in forenoon in the western border of these woods. Advanced at 6 P. M. and assisted in driving back the Union lines on Emmitsburg Road and by rapid pursuit compelled the temporary abandonment of several guns. At the foot of the slope met Union infantry and the line on the right retiring also fell back. The color bearer of the 8th Florida fell and its flag was lost.