#justice for ukranians

[madintersexmermaid]

(trigger warning: discussions of genocide and ethnic cleansing)

Acknowledging that Israel has done wrong and is doing wrong is not hate. It's honesty.

Once Israel embraced zionism, it indeed embraced colonialism, colonial imperialism, white supremacy, fascism and racism and strayed from the foundation God meant for Israel to stay on.

Israel has been friends with Turkey, and the Turks committed genocide on the Armenians (and Israel has also been helping Turkey put out propaganda that pushes ahistorical and revisionist Armenian genocide denialism too).

Israel is friends with Russia, who's committing genocide and ethnic cleansing on Ukranians.

Israel supported the apartheid system of South Africa and the racism and colonialism that fueled it.

Israel has an extremist government with the Netanyahu administration that's continuing the 76 year Nakba and acts of colonial imperialist terrorism, ethnic cleansing and genocide on the Palestinian people.

Right wing conservatives and gentile evangelical zionists try to present a hijacked and distorted narrative that commodifies the historical intersectionality of Christian and Jewish faiths and communities just to promote zionism but then these right wing conservatives and gentile zionists won't even acknowledge the Nakba which showed that Christians and Jews were persecuted, martyed, genocided and massacred by zionists alongside the Palestinians. Ironic given that conservatives and zionists constantly claim to care about Christians and Jews.

(Heck, with zionism being a blatant colonialist and white supremacist project, zionism was tailor made by bigoted gentiles and for bigoted gentiles. It was never meant to help or empower Jews.)

Israel prides itself off of treating Ethiopian Jews like tokens to collect, rescue and bring back home (that notion in and of itself being insulting and offensive as it paints Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people as some sort of empty primitive barren wasteland of wandering people instead of an advanced and flourishing country with its own rich, vibrant, thriving culture and community as well as a vibrant and thriving Ethiopian Jewish community and culture) but then Israel allows and fuels antiblackness, racism, police brutality and discrimination towards Ethiopian Jews and Eritrean Jews along with Israeli governmental officials admitting to sterilizing Ethiopian Jews via giving them contraception/birth control shots without their knowledge or consent, banning Ugandan Jews from applying for citizenship, etc.

I repeat this again: acknowledging that Israel has done wrong and is doing wrong is not hate. It's honesty.

And I wanna send this message to both fellow Jews and other believers in Christ: it's time to wake up and start getting honest. It's time to let go of and depogram from zionism and conservatism, stop rubbing elbows with right wing conservative rhetoric and groups that further profit off of and feed into zionism, stop enabling the conservative eurowesternized commodification, desecration, exploitation, appropriation and watering down of Christian and Jewish faith and values and stop turning a blind eye to Israel's actions, and instead start acknowledging them, educating ourselves on + showing care, concern, compassion and solidarity to Palestine and Palestinian people (from a biblical standpoint and a historical one), get back to adhering to and living by Christian and Jewish values the right way and, more than anything, pray that God will bring Israel to repentance.

[coulsonlives]

can i

umm

what the actual fuck is wrong with people

[legilimensims]

tomorrow is election day 🇺🇸.

i've been dreading this moment for 4 years. i'm gonna hurt some feefees with this i just know it. truth hurts.

it shouldn't have to be said but if you're planning on not voting, or voting the orange criminal, or voting third party - jill stein specifically - well...you are a stupid idiot.

i would be 100% sure that kamala harris has the victory in her bag, hands down...if it weren't for the free palestine crowd. like i know you guys are ready to throw democracy, women's rights, and the lives of ukranians away - not to mention the worldwide far-right is gonna be empowered by a trump win - in the name of a perceived moral superiority but trust me this is not the time for your performative activism, because that's what a "protest vote" is. sadly from what i saw on twitter/x some are too far gone and already wasted their vote.

get harris-walz elected and pressure *them* for a cease fire - i know you think trump is gonna be easier to leverage but that's the guy who's been meeting with netanyahu behind biden's back to sabotage peace plans. he wants gaza leveled. he wants ukraine destroyed.

jill stein may want a free palestine but she is a russian operative, she loves putin, and you can't be pro palestine and pro ukraine at the same time if you vote for her, i'm sorry. she has 0 chances of being elected, if you vote for her you are only aiding the return of bozo in the white house.

don't make the same mistake of 2016, you know hillary clinton was right about everything. the candidates are not the same, one is definitely worse the other. one wants justice and equality, the other wants revenge and chaos.

your democracy is literally on the line, do you really want a rapi*t as president? do you want fecking MAGA(turds) to turn your country into a christofascist theocracy? do you want women to die because of denied abortions? do you really want a handmaid's tale type of reality? come on.

time to wake tf up. the choice is clear.

[rinadragomir]

A bit about the Palestinian/Israel situation from a Russian person who went through the deaths of my Russian relatives AND Ukranian relatives which I loved deeply and which loved me. Even though it's obviously not the same, JUST LISTEN—

You can say anything about the conflict, you can be on any side and support any of these countries, BUT IF YOU'RE LITERALLY CHEERING ON KIDS RAPE AND TORTURE THERE'S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOU.

I'd very much like to see people who killed my 76yo grandmother in Ukraine (this woman never even raised her voice) suffer. I want to see people who killed my 26yo cousin Andrey (a guy who loved to send me stupid glittery gifs on holidays, his family didn't even get his body back, he was a civilian and his only crime was stealing my good jokes) suffer. BUT I DON'T WANT TO SEE KIDS OF THOSE TERRIBLE PEOPLE BEING TORTURED?! WHO THE FUCK WOULD WANT IT BECAUSE IT WOULD MEAN "JUSTICE"?! What justice? Is this justice in this room with us right now, darling? Is it talking to you?

There's a fucking difference between wanting your country to win/support one country for your personal reasons AND ADDING LAUGHING REACTION PICS UNDER VIDEOS WHERE A PERSON CUTS OFF CIVILIAN'S HEAD AND A KID BEING THROWN UP FROM A HIGH BUILDING?!?! I'm talking about both countries rn, Palestine AND Israel.

Supporting basic needed violence ≠ supporting and laughing at the most cruel torture you can literally imagine that is happening with citizens who just lived their life, making memes about it

(I opened one telegram channel and I didn't fucking believe what I just saw. Yes, these videos exist and people who laugh at them are not human beings, not even animals, because animals don't do such shit).

[oldguardleatherdog]

Today, Justice Sotomayor said it: Same-sex marriage is in SCOTUS' crosshairs.

https://newrepublic.com/post/182960/supreme-court-sotomayor-non-citizens-marriage-munoz-obergefell

Project 2025.

7 Mountains Dominionism.

Christian Nationalism.

New Apostolic Reformation.

Obergefell in SCOTUS' Crosshairs - that's Sotomayor, *today*.

We are in very real danger, and no one is coming to save us.

Update your passports - remember, emigration is difficult-

They are coming for us. They are not bluffing.

This has been obvious for the past three years, but no one really believes it. Neither did the Ukranians, until the moment the first bombs dropped.

They are preparing to sabotage the vote, before and during and after Election Day.

"Do you have a plan?"

Right now, no, and I won't until all these whirling circumstances start forming a picture.

How will I know?

I'm watching, listening, reading, arming myself with information, scoping out the exits, exploring resistance and survival strategies, ready to make the best available choice when there's no other choice to make.

DON'T LOOK AWAY.

I know this is hard.

It's unpleasant and tedious and anxiety-making and it makes my brain hurt from working overtime.

But looking at it, all of it that I can take on any given day, helps me sleep at night, gives me agency, even hope that when the time comes, I can be strong and clear and will know what to do.

I wish I could be more helpful, that I could say "here's a step by step solution", that I could promise you that everything will be okay.

I can't, of course. No one can.

But I can promise you that I will not quit, I will not stop, I will keep watching and listening and posting and tell you what I hear and see and find out, and we'll take what we know and we'll figure this out together when the time comes.

Together. That's the key.

Stay close.

[aristotels]

I'm sorry for letting my train of thoughts out like a machinegun out of nowhere but these days, between two atrocious wars, people have really shown their brain worms on this platform. Specifically i see people full supporting ukraine and saying russia is terrorist but at the same time being blind of what israel is doing to palestinians, or the contrary people being shit to ukranians. Frankly i' m not here to discuss politics, has already been done countless times, i just want to say that really is it difficult to have basic human empathy for both ukraine and israel, acknowledging the fact that there is no lesser genocide than another, just two nations bathing in blood for their right to be alive and what they are? In conclusion i really hope better times can come, maybe it was me who had a really positive tumblr experience before, but these days i have the feelings it has become like a second twitter.

Love to you all and i wish peace and justice upon the oppressed and massacred.

ukraine and palestine are as two different situations as they can be and arent comparable even in the wildest dreams and ukraine supports israel and ukraine war has nothing to do w their right to exist but i agree w the love and peace and justice message

[mariacallous]

Its just been. Really hard. I dont want us to abandon ukraine - i desperately, desperately want us as a country be able to do the right thing here and give aid where it's needed. But every time i post abt it people start coming into my notes and asks being like "you're racist for wanting ukranians to live and palestinians to die" "why aren't you posting about palestine YOU ZIONIST" and i dont know how to even begin to engage with these people. In my mind they're young but even late teens and college-aged people are capable of more thought surely. I want ukranians to live!! I want syrians and eritreans and sudanese and palestinians and congolese and rohingya and kurish and and and and and i want us all!!!!! To live!!!!!!!!! I want palestinians in gaza to recieve aid too. But i dont like playing this game. No life is worth more or less to me. But this is about an opportunity for just action. How can you be against that if you're a person who loves justice? Ok rant over sorry im so disheartened by this site. Lol

That's why I just keep posting and focusing on getting information and advocating and supporting what and where I can. I feel the same way (since I'm not Jewish I don't get the same level of vitriol and it is something I've definitely noticed) and I remain consistent to my beliefs, one of which is most relevantly "genocide and ethnic cleansing is bad, period" and "killing and harming civilians is bad, period".

[she-is-ovarit]

The assertions of, "If you are not posting just as much about X group as you are Y group, then you aren't coming from a feminist perspective" is an inappropriate form of controlling behavior and simply not coming from a feminist angle, period.

Anyone is welcome to post about as much or as little about a conflict, topic, group, etc. as they please. We can only be accountable for what we shed awareness on or what captures our interest and how often we discuss a topic. You are not responsible for what people do or do not post, or how frequently they post about it.

Creating a culture and climate on a social media platform filled with teenagers already subjected to social pressure from peer groups in which everybody needs to be meticulous about posting the exact same amount on the harms done to one group of people as well as the other is unhealthy and rooted in social cout. It shifts the intention from genuine care about an issue or learning more about a subject to a bunch of teenagers and young adults feeling about how often they do or don't post shit and is a performitive form of social justice.

And it's both a form of fallacy and an impossible standard to hold people to. Why are you all not focusing on the mass genocide and rape of Ughigur Muslim women in China going on right now? They are being paired with Chinese men by the Chinese government to be raped. Do you not care? Are they not as important to you as Israeli and Palestinian women? And what about the Ukranian women? You are not currently posting about them as much as you are about the Israeli and/or Palestinian victims despite the Russian invasion still occurring.

When a certain issue, event, or conflict captures our focus it does not mean we lose compassion for other populations. When I see a woman posting frequently about male violence done to Israeli women, this information tells me she is currently holding Israeli women in her mind and that the violence this group of women are experiencing has piqued her focus—it does not tell me she hates Palestinian women or does not care for them. I feel the same when I see users posting about the violence done to Palestinian women and not as much about Israeli women. I do not hold it against them for electing to not concentrate on Israeli women too.

For those of you who are attempting to practice a female-centered perspective, defending one group of males as either better adjusted or more oppressed than the other is not coming from a female-centric place. IDF soldiers have done horrible forms of sexual violence to Israeli women and the Israel state has sterilized female Jewish immigrants. Palestinian men are driving Palestinian women to sucide—the Palestinian women are stating they aren't able to wait around for liberation. Source. The female-centric perspective is that women and children experience horribly depraved forms of violence by men, especially during times of war when rules are off the table.

[countriesgame]

I have to say. I don't mean to be rude, but I feel like some of these polls need some research from your part. Obviously, the fun of the game is having people submit what they associate with any given country, but a lot of the stuff people have been submitting is... a tad off.

I don't expect the average Tumblr user to know the intricacies of, say, Bulgaria or Kyrgyzstan, but I feel that's where a bit of better research from your part would go a long way. Like I know it's frustrating that there's not a lot of prompt submissions, but that's where you'd fill in, instead of doing stuff like associating entire countries with stuff like Harry Potter.

I also don't really understand what counts and doesn't count as a morbid topic, either? Some countries' polls were cool in that you deliberately avoided having terrorism and war be one of the possible prompts (I was the anon that thanked you for not including a cartel option for Mexico, once again many thanks for that), but then other countries are seemingly unable to shake that off, like Kuwait for example. It's also bizarre that you exclude Israel on account of current affairs but had no problem adding in Russia, despite the fact the Russo-Ukranian War is still ongoing and it has been confirmed they've enacted genocides in certain Ukranian cities.

It's also a little weird that the US poll was so negative when the other two comparable powers, Russia and China, got more positive choices. I get that English-speaking Tumblr is mostly American, but I'm going to be entirely real with you guys, as someone who isn't, the mindset of portraying yourselves as the world's devil is a facet of American exceptionalism. It doesn't magically stop applying to your ideology just because you think of yourselves as Satan as opposed to God. You should either commit to portraying imperialist countries negatively or treat yourselves like any other.

Sorry for the long post and for the scolding at the end, I just want to see this fun blog bloom into the best possible version of what it can be.

Believe it or not, I do actually do research, but you do understand that "doing research" for a blog, that is pretty much not important, is just... googling stuff. Yes, I could have added other stuff that wasn't HP related in the Bulgaria one, I chose it because I didn't see it as offensive per se, not like horrible associations people had for other countries, and it was the most mentioned thing by far.

Doing these polls take a lot of time. If I were to do more research, I would have to slow down the polls... a lot. And I think it's naive to think I could possibly do a good research for every single country. A lot of history is very intricate and deep and it would take me a lot of time to study... and then what? To determine myself what is important and what is not? As a foreign reading stuff in a language that is not even their own - because i can only read in three languages. I started doing this because I accepted that it was going to be imperfect. I do not have the time or the energy to do justice for every country, which was why from the very beginning I made it clear that it would be based on people's association and I would only censor what I thought was very bad. And guess what, I'm actually doing more than that. Many countries didn't have enough submissions to say 11 different things and I had to google, and choose - from what I personally think it looks more important from random websites like the country's wikipedia page or tourism information to what to visit in this country.

I do think the Israel situation is different then China and Russia, which is why I included it. It's not a "israel is evil, other countries are good" thing. I do not believe in "evil" powers. There are good people and good things everywhere, there are many horrible governments. I already explained part of my thought of not including it and I'm not going to go around discussing this again, because it was a decision I made, with what i was comfortable with. As I said, it was more of a solidarity gesture with Palestine than anything.

Lastly, please stop assuming I'm usamerican, I'm not and I've said it on this blog many times, so I don't enjoy your use of "you" to refer to me as I was was usamerican. I was not born in that country and have never lived there. When I started doing this, my point was that it would be nice to learn about other countries and share about their cultures. The US does not need this.

Other countries may be imperialists, yes, but in western culture the US dominates media in a way no other country does. I do not know if people in Asia, for exemple, feel the same way. I'm speaking for myself and, considering everyone who shares polls here is on tumblr, I'm going to assume everyone is used to a very US-centric view. This means we do NOT need to know about their culture, their cities, their monuments. God, we know about it already. So my choice to include negative options in the US was not "imperialism is bad", is the US doesn't need this.

I don't think, in a western view - that dominates tumblr - projecting Russia or China as "evil imperialists" is actually uh groudbreaking. That is literally what we hear the most. I did include things like imperialism in Russia, did not really include it in China because it was NOT as mentioned in the associations.

I'm sorry for this long ass answer, but doing this is very tiring. I am doing research and I am thinking of every single option and whether it is offensive or is it just a history fact, and is that a fun fact or is that even true, and hey that country doesn't have stuff let's see each of the single submitions stuff and see which one seems more famous or more adequate, and finding people who are from that country and talking to them and seeing if it is ok. And I do that because I care and I think learning about other cultures is very important and if at least one person is learning something about a different country is at least worth it. And maybe a lot of times that person is just going to be me doing the polls but that's okay too. And still every country I do there is someone in the tags angry at me because i either didn't include an specific thing or included something they didn't like it, even when it's knowingly what their country is most known for. If I try to care and worry about all of that, i am going to explode.

The very first week I started doing that, I was almost giving up because I felt it wasn't worth it. And my therapist said I should try to see it as an exercise to see people criticizing and being angry at me so I would get dessensitized in time (hey, can you guess that's a issue for me from this or what) and that would be good for me in other areas of my life. Clearly, I'm still not great at just listening and not being affected by that.

TL;DR: I am trying. I'm trying very fucking hard. But I am a human with a real life out of this, I don't have enough time. And I'm always trying to make decisions fast here so I won't just stop doing it. It's not always the best, but it's what I can do.

[ursbearhug]

I think I'm gonna start pulling the twitter keyboard social justice warrior move when bitches go 'east european' cuisine.

Bitch, this didn't even stand next to the cuisine of east europe what the fucking fuck are you smoking? I'm not even ukranian and I'm offended. You didn't even go 'east european inspired' to avoid the hate, and thus, I am evolving into gatekeeper and hater.

"Haha, just add some sauerkraut and sausage, that east european right?". Kill yourself. You didn't even add it right, how fucking pathetic you have to be. Don't forget the lack of spice! Bitch.

[poolsidescientist]

Amidst the political madness my mom now was asking me how bad things are in academia and if I want to change my (obviously Jewish) last name. I told her I was fine so long as I avoid the "social justice" vortex and the political people/DEI crowd. She says I can tell people I am a) Ukranian (her family is) and b) a Christian (I am) but I had to remind her that vortex is not normal about those things either. I dislike the right wingers but they're not in my face. I think academia is entirely divorced from reality. We need a better intellectual environment because academia is not reaching anyone in a meaningful way.

[nityarawal]

Sent to legal:

Aloha! Happy Presidents day! I spoke to my handyman about bullying from my landlord Daniel Hall for his lazy sauna bedroom bill. He and my other 7 handman feel he's giving men a bad name smearing our best moms as a gay man. His X Cougar gf Melody Gray lured me here to testify against her nurse IEHP mom in medical malpractice lawsuit with Dr Natalya. They treated me for Tick, lymes, and a brain cyst then coldly blocked me from any follow up since and try to mentally abuse me. Melody caught her mom on this phone number listed above smearing her and I. She's failed to procure screen shots she promised in June! Darlene worked at Dr. Browning office & Idyllwild Health Center with Ukranian Dr. Natalya murdering thousands of colleagues and clients since covid. My atty was Ken Carlsson but he's been found guilty of committing foul play with brokers & courts too for murder. America First Legal is handling refunds from Elon Musk now. I cc'd them. We just need all your testimony for Dr Adam Cash- he wrote "Psychology For Dummies." Thankyou.

This is the culmination of my work. Integrity. Lol A new president and my kids are coming home today to play with puppies. Make that happen. Melody also busted PNC Bank for harvesting clients with Pfizer and BBVA AI scams. She filmed pnc Pfizer executive office on record- caught them lying etc. Could y'all hurry and send in your testimonies so I can close out? Truth is I need heat and Daniel has been a selfish substandard landlord. I was soaking wet cold all winter and he kept unplugging electric because he's having bi-bolar, manic, schizophrenic episodes at all the tenants. Melody claims he violently broke her leg. I work on comission as a journalist for justice & housing rights as a realtor of 25 years. Melody took a bribe from her Idaho sugar daddy big pharma pimp and got a black Mercedes over Christmas- tampering with Elon Musk cybertruck give away for distressed moms. Melody also claims her step dad molested her and her 3 daughters. He's 10 years younger than Darlene and she's sold out to pedophilia agenda. Melody also said Daniel's step-dad Martin tried to molest a tenant. Could you explain what happens to men that molested children Dennis. I'll send the country club murder article about Adrian Denada so we're crystal clear what happens and please advise Martin not to come back to California. Robert Dreyfuss's dad was murdered from Aguanga on that addiction too. They'll put the gun in Daniel's hand and force him to pull the trigger. Only a 2.5 year charge for the child victims in self defense. Does that play book work for step-dad? It seems Sheriff Parsons is circling our home to set the groundwork? We'd rather Vegas handle charges humanely.

Thanks for cleaning up the hill. Please don't hurt Daniel or his pets & dogs or my x! Just get our kids. Melody has a 15yo Anjali molested by Darlenes pimp too.

All Love,

Nitya xo

[fictionandescapism]

As a non immigrant person of color, I'd always known since I was a child that racism existed but I'd always had this idea that there were these people who were just assholes, that they were violent people in general and saw people of color in western countries as easy targets for hate crimes. But honestly, now with the genocide happening in Palestine I've come to realise just how deep their racism is. These are people who genuinely think that poc are subhuman, the same people who were at the forefront demanding justice for the Ukranians are either silent or actively supporting Israel. It's not that they're incapable of empathy, it's just that they're incapable of empathy for people of color, especially Muslim people. The amount of propaganda that is being pushed is so vile. There are videos out there of people saying shit like 'use more force', there are videos of Israeli people actually watching the bombing and laughing. And there are people who genuinely wholeheartedly believe that Israel has the right to commit genocide just because the victims are people of color and not white people that they are actually capable of feeling sorry for. It's just so disgusting and inhumane and honestly fuck everyone who thinks it's okay to support the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, there is no nuance here, bombing innocent civilians is a war crime and anyone who supports it is a despicable human being.

[fluorescentpipedream]

Ares - The God of War needed a new picture, I found this the other day and really liked it from Voltaire’s Insta. Ares -has- been exiled due to the “game” he and Loki have been playing for well over a millennia that was shattered by Sara and her travels through time. He’s up to something, though I can’t figure out exactly what is going on. But if I’ve learned anything about my characters, when they want an update, something's brewing. 

Xavier Medici - I finally managed to settle on a good picture for Xavier, though it’s not mine, I found it somewhere and I’m pretty sure it’s actually a painting. But...it works! Xavier has been one of the ones behind the scenes of Section for most of its inception, bringing in Justice Malone to work with him and Jurgen Uri in order to wrangle in some of the supernatural forces existing under the normal world. 

Jón Kristiansen - 38-ish years old, former performer for Cirque Du Soleil, classically and modernly trained ballet dancer, recently divorced and looking to do something more contemporary with his talents. His nickname is JJ, I think because his middle name starts with a J too, but it’s got a complicated spelling so he doesn’t typically use it. “Icelandic heritage, go figure” More recently he’s done choreography for several blockbuster films including La La Land and the unfortunate Cats remake. He doesn’t like to claim that one, who can blame him?

He is recently divorced, after 10yrs with his husband he was accused of cheating with a younger musician, which he was not doing. The 20-something was a friend, nothing else. His ex got most things in their settlement so he’s looking to pick up the pieces and do something new

Wizarding World characters!

Firstly, I changed Orion Marcone to someone else, and I know the robe looks weird but I’m kind of proud of it. Orion is the grandson of Newt Scamander and is just like him. A little autistic, a little hyper and obsessed with the care and treatment of magical creatures (and he likes a lot of Muggle things too, he’s got a small collection of miscellaneous muggle items like marbles and some other things he’s found interesting). Orion works closely with Hagrid down in the Magical Menagerie, an offshoot greenhouse type building made especially for his grandfather’s creatures. Inside there’s a Niffler, a Demiguise and a wider variety of magical beasts for the students to learn about, understand and know how to identify and protect. 

Daegon Targaryen - Daegon is the middle brother of the Targaryen family and dangerous when provoked. He works for the Ministry as an Auror though he’s not so much about catching the Dark Wizards as he is doing what he can to keep certain ones from being found. He and his sister Seraphina (sp?) are a couple though when she turns to Barty Crouch Jr when he steps up as the Dark Lord. Daegon serves no one but his family and himself and has intention on taking over as the Minister of Magic once Barty’s vision is finally realized. (Barty will end up changing his name to Emeric Crouch shortly after taking over as the Dark Lord, there’s nothing less intimidating than Barty)

Geralt Targaryen - Geralt is the eldest of the family and in love with his youngest sister, Beatrice, whom he takes a very dominant position over. He has been traveling off and on throughout the magical world, I’m not sure what he does exactly but he’s been in Romania working with dragons since the family is known as the only remaining dragon riders in the world. He commands a massive Ukranian Ironbelly, and though he doesn’t like the Weasleys much, he will work with them. When his sister tells him that she’s taken up the right hand of the new Dark Lord it sparks a bit of confusion until he finds out what happened to Voldemort then commits the dragons of his brood to Barty (Emeric). 

Thom Lanier Crouch (Targaryen) - The only biological son of Barty Crouch and Seraphina Targaryen, Thom is a 5th year Slytherin who has some interesting abilities due to his family being dragon riders and almost always dark wizards. He has the ability to use a form of the Imperious Curse in his voice, without actually casting the spell directly in order to influence people to do what he wants. He starts out his time in Hogwarts being friends and later wanting to be more than friends with the muggle born Diana Vaughn though when things at home take a turn, he attempts to turn Kristy Summers to the Dark arts so her ancient magic can be used to help with the revolution his mother and father are planning. Tom’s heart isn’t really in it and after seeing what kind of damage the ancient magic can do, he turns his back on his family in order to help his friends and go back to Diana, if she’ll have him. 

Kadence “Kai” Hightower - Auror for the Ministry of Magic and MACUSA, he is also Percival Graves’ former brother in law. After his little brother turned dark on him and his husband, Kai sought a way to recover from the pull of the darkness himself. He and his brother had always been close. Kai was first introduced to Evelyn Monroe when she met Percy the first time to get her mark removed and start down her own path as an Auror. He fell in love with her quickly and they spent quite a bit of time together, but because she was in mourning of her lost son and the supposed death of her husband, Barty, he didn’t make a move too quickly to get into her favor, but rather set himself up as a friend and consort should she need a shoulder to fall on. When the darkness sets in over London as a new Dark Lord rises to power from the ashes of the last, Kai takes a transfer from MACUSA to the Ministry and is brought on as an extra hand at Hogwarts for the security of the students. 

[redheadgleek]

Quarter reads 2023

At the beginning of the year, I posted on facebook for book recommendations to read over the new year and had multiple friends comment with recommendations. So I’m reading books this year that I might not have otherwise.

January – The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness by Joel Ben Izzy. FB recommendation. I was really hesitant to read this book, as it sounded very much like “all things happen for a reason” and “God has a purpose for all suffering” which is one of the things that I left behind even before leaving my religion. I’m glad I read it, as it’s been one of my favorites of the year. Beautiful interweaving of story-telling and grief. – The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson. Friend recommendation. A story of a time in history that I knew little of (the last sultan in the Iberian peninsula). It started out so good – the first 3rd was fantastic, the second 3rd was mediocre, and the last 3rd painful. So disappointing. – The White Allies Handbook: 4 Weeks to Join the Racial Justice Fight for Black Women by Lecia Michelle. A finish up from last year. I was really hoping for an anti-racism 201 type book and this was not it. Still some good points. – Flying Solo by Linda Holmes. I saw this on a friend’s end of year list and thought it sounded good (plus I really love Linda Holmes’s writing for NPR). For being written by a happily single woman, there was a lot of emphasis placed on dating relationships. – Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. Friend recommendation. I have never read a book like this. Creepy and mind blowing in a philosophical way. It’s so very Russian (or rather Ukranian) and the whole thing felt foreign. I’m on the waiting list for the sequel. – Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis. Jane Austen meets pet dragons. Recommended in one of my fantasy groups as cozy fantasy. – A Charmed Christmas by Alison Cochrun. A short-story epilogue to The Charmed Offensive. I could have done without it. – Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr. Started reading this in November of 2022 for a book club that I couldn’t attend, so it kept getting bumped. It was a good thriller, but I didn’t buy the antagonist’s motivations. – Twitter Crush: A Gen-X Medical Romance by Em S A’Cor. I got this as an ARC from a physician writing group I’m part of. The writing was fine. There were several subplots that I had issues with, including the guy getting black out drunk on their first date, a “shrill” ex-wife, and a “romance” between the vixen chief fellow and the chair department, which was gross and lecherous and blamed entirely on the fellow. And while I really do appreciate writing from one’s own experiences, descriptions of vaginal dryness from menopause and impotence from antidepressants do not fit well with a romance novel. – I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston. Much better than One Last Stop. – The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis. I’ve read the LOTR trilogy countless times – but I will admit to being guilty to skimming over Books 3 and 5 and getting to Sam and Frodo climb to Mount Doom. So there was a part in the beginning of Book 5 that I had to listen to twice because I’m pretty sure I’ve never registered it before. Anyway, Andy’s voice was amazing as always and I almost want to listen to the whole thing again. (He’s recording the Silmarillion right now, so maybe I’ll be finally about to get through that book). – And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. My first Christie. It was a good murder mystery and I hadn’t quite figured it out by the end. – All Systems Red by Martha Wells. An enjoyable read, although I think I need to read the rest of the series in order to properly judge it. – They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Pretty much as it advertises on the tin. The premise gave me anxiety.

February – Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. Friend recommendation. Read this on my way back from a vacation in Hawai’i. Lovely story of perseverance and a good picture into old Hawaiian culture and the perfect cap to a wonderful vacation. – Healer and Witch by Nancy Werlin. A young healer tries to find a teach while navigating investigations by the Inquisition. Reminded me of T Kingfisher’s A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking. Not fond of romances between 15 and 24 year olds though. -* Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. Loved this one. Emily’s a professor in the study of fairies exploring a small village trying to figure out their secrets and she can’t get along with the villagers and her too charming colleague sweeps in. I can’t wait for the sequel. – I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. Audiobook. Friend recommendation. This one has been circulating my social groups because she was raised Mormon. That ended up making up very little of her memoir, rather it was more focused on her eating disorder and her relationship with her mom. It was an abrupt ending though and felt incomplete. An easy listen – each chapter was ~ 2-5 minutes. – Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Stanley Blair. Like everyone else, I was completely taken by her viral twitter thread about how men bear all of the responsibility of unwanted pregnancies. This was a meatier exploration and well worth the read.

March -* Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Book club read. A beautiful book exploring mother-daughter relationships, grief, and culture. One of my favorites that I’ve read so far this year. – Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again: Women and Desire in the Age of Consent by Katharine Angel. Book club read. It’s been a while since I read a book where “feminism” was flung around like a dirty word (and yet, I think if you asked the author, she would tell you that she’s a feminist). The last part, exploring vulnerability, was great, but there was absolutely no discussion about how it was as unrealistic in sex as consent culture, which she chided for pages. – Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. Friend recommendation. Two boys fall in love in a high school in Provo, UT – the setting was so perfectly Provo that I was transported back there, but there were inconsistencies in the depiction of Mormonism that I’m pretty sure other fans wouldn’t have picked up on. – Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Friend recommendation. Also my first King book read. There was so much that I loved about it – the world setting was fantastic. It started to drag and become formulaic towards the middle end. I did nearly throw the book in disgust at the ending, because we couldn’t possibly have a 17 year old boy go back to the Real World without losing his virginity to a random character he never interacted with, right? Bah. – This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley. Friend recommendation. I’m not sure that I am the right audience for this book as I no longer see myself as Christian or really believe in God or Christ at all anything, but, the storytelling was gorgeous and poetic, and some parts resonated deeply. It certainly is a brand of Christianity that I wish more would get behind. – The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Very much enjoyed this story. Had a lot of the same charm as The House in the Cerulean Sea. – The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper. I was expecting a weightier book, something like The Darkness Outside Us. It was okay for what it was. – The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian. I walked into the book thinking it was a sapphic romance – nope! A fun little gay highwayman romantic romp, but was left a little unfinished. – The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian. The sequel to above. The questions were mostly answered here and it was a good conclusion to the series. – The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older. A friend and I tried out the “Buddy Read” function on StoryGraph for this and it was like a virtual book club where we could make comment and respond to each other. The mystery sort of fell apart for me, but it was an enjoyable novella.

Currently reading: – The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Picked this one up in January and just haven’t gotten into it. – Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde. I’ve realized that I’ve read very little in terms of classic feminist works. It’s just a slog for me to get through nonfiction works. – Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark (audiobook). I started to read JS shortly after it was published but I didn’t get more than half way through before it was due back to the library. It’s a slooooooow going book. Over 32 hours. It’ll be my commute book for the next 2 months at least. – A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Book club read

Other friend recommendations for the year: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan What My Bones Knew: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo Frogs in A Pot by K.D. Kinz (written by a nurse I used to work with.) Scythe by Neal Shusterman Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zavin Anxious People by Fredrik Backman The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson Sweet Like Jasmine by Bonnie Gray Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelk (What would you all recommend? I’d like to round it out to 24 books).

Books picked up from the library: Glitterland by Alexis Hall, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, The Rose That Grew From Concrete: a collection of poetry by Tupac Shakur.

[lawbyrhys]

DOJ Indictment: Alleged Russian Funding of Right-Wing Media, Unwitting Commentators

The Justice Department has released a major indictment alleging that top right-wing media personalities have been among the unwitting victims of a Russian operation to influence the 2024 election. Talk about a bombshell case!

Let's break down this major must-know news.

The news comes as court documents reveal that Russian state media has given over $10M USD to Tennessee-based conservative online media entity, Tenet Media. Although unnamed and not directly accused in the indictment, among Tenet's talent roster are Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Tayler Hansen, Lauren Southern, and Matt Christiansen. An A-list lineup as far as online conservatives are concerned, they collectively pull millions of viewers across various social media channels—their influence is widespread.

Two Russian state media employees have been charged with violating FARA, or the Foreign Agent Registrations Act, along with money laundering. Heavy charges for heavy crimes.

With these payments, Russian state media has been effectively able to get American voices to promote Russian interests as their own values. It's a scary realization as many people, namely the youth in the country, turn to online spaces for their news and information as opposed to the more traditional television and radio media that are more popular with older consumers.

Tenet Media as an entity launched in 2023 and compiles six top US right-wing media personalities to promote their ideology to millions of viewers across the Internet. These commentators, many of whom worked in mainstream media roles before making the switch to the conservative online space, have been tapped by Tener with explicit purpose to join and grow their audiences, thus spreading their far-right views to even larger masses. On its face, that's fine—this is America, and we have explicit protected freedoms to do so. What we don't have the right to do, though, is take illegal payments and follow directions from our adversaries to parrot their ideology as our own via disinformation channels to deceive millions.

That's exactly what this indictment alleges, though. According to the DOJ, Russian state media giant RT paid for and directed the cast over at Tenet Media to platform and promote their own ideology in order to benefit Russian interests. Among the narratives pushed by Tenet's lineup of commentators were that of Donald J. Trump and his presidential candidacy, anti-Ukranian sentiments in the West, and largely anti-LGBTQ standpoints. According to the indictment, the DOJ says these divisive views and narratives act "to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests, such as its ongoing war in Ukraine."

It's important to note that, while these media personalities and their followers already largely buy into views that align with those of the Russian state, these dealings only act to aid in the ensured platforming and promoting of these ideals in order to ensure they spread as far and wide as possible during this crucial election cycle. The commentators have gone to great lengths to spread these false narratives in order to further Russian ideology's roots in our own political thinking, such as promoting our ally Ukraine as "the enemy," and saying the conflict is on them and "is funded by the Democrats."

As for their stances on the LGBTQ community, Tenet and their talent promote those therein as groomers and predators deserving of hate and oppression. Tim Pool had the following to say about the 2022 attack at LGBTQ+ bar Club Q:

"Club Q had a grooming event. How do prevent the violence and stop the grooming?"

I won't go too much farther into the details here, as it's not necessarily relevant to further spread the ideology, but it's public knowledge, so you can read their hateful thoughts if you want to.

The point is, they are the mouthpiece for Russia.

Interestingly, though, the commentators had no idea that their paychecks and Tenet's overall funding were all being cut by Russian checks. Tenet even lied to at least one of its personalities that a European investor Eduard Grigoriann was, in fact, the one paying everybody's bills. The indictment clarifies this falsehood, though, going on to state that, "in truth and fact, Grigoriann was a fictional persona."

Since the indictment came to light, the media personalities have maintained they knew nothing about the funding or pushed narratives. At least three have been contacted by the FBI for voluntary interviews as victims of a crime, with Pool going on to share the following to X:

"Never at any point did anyone other than I have full editorial control of the show and the contents of the show are often apolitical."

Aside from everything above, the indictment goes on to mention other various "overt shilling" techniques employed by Russian state media on the American people by way of conservative mouthpieces and the impact they have. Further, the indictment discusses in detail the role social media has historically played in the widespread disinformation campaigns led by foreign powers like Russia. Russia, in particular, has a record of employing media personalities, social media bots, and other various techniques in order to infiltrate American movements on both the right and left; the 2016 election is a shining example.

All of that being said, though, it looks like Tenet's reign of terror has come to an end in a way. Tayler Hansen took to X to share the following:

"TENET Media has ended after the DOJ indictment."

Of course, that doesn't mean any of this is over, but it does mean that Tenet itself will no longer be platforming these ideals. Their far-right star commentators, though, likely will continue at it. The rest will have to be shaken out in court.

What do you think of this case? Let me know!