#let the govt be in check!!!

[earningbournvilles]

yogendra yadav putting india today "journalists" in their place is so beautiful, please watch if you haven't already. also joining him in the hope that bjp being set back by cbn and nitish kumar sets the mainstream media free to actually question the government and amplify opposition voices!!!

[skin-slave]

That's what blows my mind. You can straight up show the math, the comparisons to other countries who are kicking our ass, and it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter bc the belief that we can't possibly do any better (while simultaneously being awesome af, the best country, everyone is saying it) isn't based on evidence. It's blind faith and fear.

[kitsunabi]

I’m done with 11months of rewriting past invoices for well over 100 students I’m so tired OTL

[orjizzy]

doing massive amounts of research on the happenings of springfield ohio so when i introduce my haitian man to my parents my senile stepdad doesnt explode into a burst of conspiracy, misinformation, and racism

[spookeyzesty]

i find it insane that social media can just,, ask for a fucking govt id and not let you continue if you refuse.. when did we allow that to happen thats so fkcn weird

[so-i-did-this-thing]

I hope you dont mind me asking, what kind if stuff do you do for a job?

Do you work in a safe environment for trans people?

I work in civic technology, which is the concept of using tech to make the government kinder and more efficient for the citizens it serves. I have been a Service Designer, Product Owner, and Product Manager. These are all "real" jobs you can Google to learn more about.

Right now, I do this at the US federal level. (I am not a fed, but I work for them as a contractor.) While my company is generally safe & affirming, because of the current regime, I am doubtful I will ever get a "public trust clearance" again (this is not security clearance, but it is the govt's way to decide if you are trustworthy/honorable enough to serve) due to being trans. I can NOT be stealth here, due to all the background checks and interviewing that goes on (your family and friends get calls).

So, once my current gig with the agency I'm assigned to expires, I am likely done with fed stuff. It is clear my company, as affirming as they are internally, will not push back if I mysteriously get denied clearance. Or retain me if my presence as key personnel on a contract puts winning it at risk. I literally lectured my CEO about my risk landscape the other week. 🙃

I previously came from the municipal level (I worked for a well-known city) and again, everyone was very affirming and respectful. I involved trans people in my research and did a lot of good work, from improving emergency operations to launching food pantry home delivery, to getting potholes filled faster. I even got a multi-stall gender-neutral bathroom installed at City Hall, in the state of Florida, no less (alas, it had to be closed down when the state governor went on his transphobic rampage, and luckily I had already left by then).

Civic tech is interesting and fulfilling work, but you need a strong personality to cut through bullshit -- I frequently would be at odds with fire chiefs, commissioners, and crusty old accountants and had to either persuade or bully them to affect any sort of progress. Luckily, folks tell me I am both a charismatic and intimidating man. 😅

Again, it was impossible to truly be stealth because of background checks. When I had to take a polygraph, I was asked (by an ex-CIA guy to boot) if anything about me would "embarass" the city. I said I was trans and that my credit score (at the time) was in the shitter. The dude said, "as long as you're working on the latter, you're fine, and no one gives a crap about the former."

I did not have to be publicly trans, but I chose to. I even let the city do a TDOV feature on me on social media, which was a bit scary because that put a target on my back, even in 2019.

Did I still get the stink eye from some employees? Yup. I even had to sic HR on one. But overall, your average civil servant (maybe not federal anymore) tends to lean left, and civic tech itself is a very, VERY queer-friendly field. (Again, not so much federal anymore. I would suggest folks interested here stick to state & municipal work.)

I hope that helps. If you are interested in tech, as long as you are in fields where the purpose is *helping* people, you are bound to find a lot of trans people and allies.

[sweetfirebird]

Me, talking to everyone I know irl and not just all you: get all your vaccines. Even ask about the ones you think you might not be eligible for yet like shingles. RFK jr wants to be rid of them. Also go to Experian and freeze your credit--and while there, check to make sure you have no outstanding debts or flags or anything. The govt is trying to justify deportations based on parking tickets ffs. Oh and hey, go get your REAL ID or, if you can, your passport. Get those for your kids too. Do you need a ride to the DMV or the post office for that? Let me know. I will help. Fuck these fuckers. We take care of each other.

[singinginthecar]

i really need ppl to know that healthcare in india is insanely accessible. and i wish we'd appreciate it more as indians. like... you don't need to pay anything for a ride on an ambulance. we have ambulance services here that are paid for by the govt (taxpayer money but still). govt/public hospitals may not have the best care because of the large patient flow but my god, if you're having an emergency your best bet is the local public hospital. wait times exist but they're not insane. or if it's not an emergency and you need an appointment with a doctor, you can see a specialist directly. having tummy aches? go to your local gastroenterologist directly. no you don't need to wait weeks for an appointment. you can get one on the same day. wanna take a CT or an MRI? govt hospitals have crazy wait times but only because they're free. you can get them at private hospitals or independent scan centers if you wanna avoid the wait time but the tests will not bankrupt you. you'll get your report within a day and you can see the specialist the NEXT day. yeah. it's that easy. healthcare is insanely accessible in india and i feel like ppl here do NOT understand how lucky we are to have that. also buying insulin will not bankrupt you. you don't need insurance to buy insulin. really. you can pay for it out of pocket. it's affordable. the government is so particular in reaching the public to treat non communicable diseases like diabetes & hypertension that healthcare professionals routinely go into rural villages - home to home - knocking on ppl's doors and taking blood tests and checking their blood pressure and most importantly, GIVING these ppl the medications they need... FOR FREE. i'm not saying the healthcare industry is perfect. we have way too many people and way too little healthcare professionals to treat them. the doctors to general public ratio is terrible. some of the private hospitals do scam innocent patients into paying for unnecessary tests. care in public hospitals aren't the best and that's a systemic failure on the govt's part. but when it comes down to it, for the most part this country will not let you die just because you have no money.

[triptychgrip]

A non-exhaustive list of things Yuuri and Viktor would write fanfiction about

Viktor would write a “fix-it” fic* to make up for his “Oops! Watch the nosebleed!” failure to catch Yuuri at the Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu regionals. He’d do so not only because of his own guilt around prioritizing his designer suit (which he’d throw away in shame), but also b/c Yuuri’s fans would never let him live that moment down, lol. I think Phichit would create a calendar appt set to repeat every September 25th (until the end of time), to remind Viktor of how he heartlessly let Yuuri fall to the floor, complete w/ exaggerated GIFs and memes. Kenjirou would probably join in

Because he is just as extra as his fiance (and feels bad for not remembering it), Yuuri would get Christophe/Yurio/Mila’s help to write a fic in which he DID remember the Sochi banquet. In this iteration, not only does he thrash Yurio in a dance-off and sweep Viktor off of his feet, but he — very shyly and very awkwardly — knocks on Viktor’s hotel room door the next morning, carrying an assortment of Japanese hangover remedies

After about a month goes by with no word from Yuuri post-Sochi, Viktor would take any breaks he can afford when not training for Europeans or Worlds to write the most extremely fanciful fanfic as an outlet for his pining/heartbreak, because…well, duh. Each of these stories would include extremely plausible reasons for why Yuuri just couldn’t contact him (none of which, obviously, involve the fact that he was trashed beyond belief). His favorite one includes the fact that Yuuri is actually a highly trained assassin working for the Japanese govt, who decides not to get in contact with Viktor because he doesn’t want his enemies to put a target on Viktor’s back. Oh, the gallantry!

As Viktor approaches his 30th birthday, Yuuri would note his increasing reluctance to acknowledge the milestone. Taking Georgi’s predictably dramatic advice, he’d surprise Viktor with a time travel fanfic*, one that is admittedly a bit trite in its “I’ll love you no matter what age you are, Vitya” theme, but that delights Viktor, nonetheless…especially when he notes that Yuuri only has eyes for him, even though his younger, 18 year old self is outrageously flirty with his fiancé. (Georgi, failing to note that this isn’t supposed to be an angst fic, would beg Yuuri to up the ante on the crying)

When Viktor tears his meniscus during the 2011 off-season, Yuuri writes a fic in which they meet by way of Viktor being sent to a famed healing/rehabilitation clinic in Fukuoka. In this fic, Yuuri actually would decide to go home to Hasetsu in the off-season, meaning he would not only get to know Viktor, but also reunite with his sweet poodle 😭

Seeing how anxious Yuuri is during the planning of their wedding, Viktor — in a very sweet but misguided way — decides to write him a crack-y fanfic in which just about everything that can go wrong on the day of, does go wrong. This is sort of meant to be a “see, Yuuri?! Even with all of that terrible stuff happening, the day still turned out perfect, because I got to marry you!” kind of thing, and even though Yuuri nearly has a panic attack while reading it, he ultimately does derive comfort from it (and he also triple checks that Otabek as their DJ does not actually intend to play any risqué music at the reception that will send his elderly relatives into states of catatonic shock, as happens in the fic)

Bonus: After losing some kind of drunken bet, Yurio writes a fic that he then forces Yuuri and Viktor to role-play. In it, all of Viktor’s hair falls off the day after Onsen on Ice. Ashamed to be seen like this by Yuuri, Viktor hightails it back to St. Petersburg and grovels at Yurio’s feet for forgiveness

If you’ve read my “fic-ception” series in which Yuuri and Viktor jointly write (and publish) a sappy/smutty friends-to-lovers and role-reversal story starring their fictional selves, you probably aren’t surprised to hear that this very meta concept has completely taken over my brain.

While writing Put It In Reverse For Thirst, I couldn’t help but ideate around the kinds of things Yuuri and Viktor might explore in the wondrous world of fanfiction, both before they got together, and afterwards.

Above are just a few of the ideas that came to mind…I’ll probably make a part 2! What else do you think they’d write fanfic about? I think the possibilities are endless.

*these are ideas I have in the works for potential stories. My WIPs folder is a disaster

[saiintvalentiine]

okay but what if this ask was a blanket permission slip to talk about the end of the new wifies video. you wanna so bad you wanna talk about it sooooooooo bad

ohhh noooo i feel sooooooooo compelled to talk abt this...............

sorry for the delay in answering this, i was eating dinner LOL anyway why i think this is a ben2fr arc for my beloved mr wiffles, under the read more so i dont spoil anyone <3

also note ive only watched the video thru once, so ill likely be forgetting things </3

it is ofc entirely possible that this is a real game and all. it has all the hallmarks of a fresh one! A youtube account made on december 1st of 2024, all the videos posted around then, and then dormancy. and wokesheeple was made in nov of 2024. if you take the url and run it through a citation generator like scribbr, it'll pull up the real date of the site since it digs thru the metadata. you can always backdate posts on wordpress. there's probably an easier way to check that but i dont know it tbh! but anyway i have some doubts

first, alex's account doesnt exist. at least its not findable on namemc or mcprofile lookup. in fact, if you look up xALEXTHEDESTROYERx, how it shows up in crafty's videos and at the end when wifies finds him, namemc will tell you that the username is too long for minecraft. this is correct— mc has a 16 character limit for usernames, and all old account with too long usernames were unceremoniously reduced. very few 16+ usernames survive to this day. xALEXTHEDESTROYERx has 18 characters.

alex isnt real. like, yes, hes not real bc its an ARG and this is (not) a game, but hes not even real in his own continuity. so thats something. also, crafty's username is also unserachable but it's at the right # of characters so thats probably on me.

second thing is: its weird that it's an active game in the way that its active. its been a while, i admit, since i played anything, but the level of game in this is kind of unique for a modern minecraft ARG. the fact theres places to email that will respond, possibly not automatically generated, is veryyyy unique. usually, ARGs have public codebreaking, since its kinda hard to respond to a lot of people privately (though EMH did it pretty well back in the day, so its not impossible!). it's just unusual feeling, though i wonder if i email them, if they'll let me play along :') i remember the trials of habit, the butterfly chats, i would loooooooove to play some actual game again!

Third: yeah? a govt covert operation regarding machines interfacing with humans? ok robot clone man. no comment. slash silly.

that aside, fourth: this happened in january. when the DMS email him, they say the breach happened on january 8th. they tell wifies his life is not his own. and then almost exactly two weeks later on january 21st, he's killed off by the director on UU. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

it just feels— set up. not in a bad way, but it feels like set up. it feels like it may be his own run of an ARG that hes solving himself, the way PANDORA.rar is set up. crafty is his own ben, and he is his own archie. or maybe it's more like bedrock.zip. alex is his veil, he's zee, and now we wait on his own version of sticks to swoop in and "debunk" him. though he found his veil in this, unlike zee lol

anyway sorgy for my insane ramblings thank u for letting me by unhinged for a bit.

[city-flag-tournament]

In advance of the nominations closing in about 48 hours and needing to get the flag information together for the tournament, I'm going through the entries more in depth, checking for inconsistencies and such. I may run into information that I'm unsure on how to proceed on and will ask for clarifying information on this post here.

In the event the person who submitted it sees one of these asks, please reach out so we can figure out what the best information is to proceed! Otherwise I will try to correct the information to be as close to what I can confirm is accurate and as similar to the submitted information as possible.

I recognize that some of these were submitted over 6 months ago, so the chances of everyone seeing everything is a little low, but I'd like to do right by your submission!

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - I can't figure out where the light blue flag comes from. Though it's the one given on the city's page on Wikipedia, digging through the city's website (though the images only go back a few years), I'm only able to find images of the dark blue version with gold outlines on a white figure in use. (You can see it in the background here.) I've been trying to determine if the submitted version is an official version or historical version of the flag so I know what to put it down as, but I haven't had any luck. Even the FOTW version appears to potentially be an interpretation of a written description (though it does note that a dark blue variant with colors on the garuda appears on government websites in 2008). (As a note, the Mongolian description of the flag FOTW refers to uses the word "хөх" which, according to Wiktionary, is exclusively for dark blue.) I'm...not sure how to proceed with this. I guess the options are 1) use the dark blue/gold/white one (current official flag) 2) use the dark blue colored flag (variant of the current flag) 3) use the light blue flag (variant but of ambiguous legitimacy).

RESOLVED

Brocēni, Latvia - The submitted flag does not seem to match what Wikipedia claims is the current version of the flag. This was changed on Wikipedia back on 30 July 2023. The white version of the flag was not explained nor can I find any information myself. If you happen to know if it was an old version of the flag or if you'd prefer for me to use the current flag please let me know!

Tifariti, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic - It seems like this is not an official flag, and one of (many, unfortunately) proposed flags made and uploaded by Wikipedia users without being associated with the region or labeled as such. At least, I have not seen any evidence to prove that it's real... If the person who submitted it happens to know more than this, please let me know! [For reference, the flag was crossposted to Reddit before it was deleted.] (If evidence is not provided I'll have to remove it, which is a pity 😔)

San Francisco, Antioquia, Colombia - The Wikipedia upload was provided for this flag. The comical bird faces prompted me to dig a little deeper, especially because FOTW provided a different design. While the official San Francisco govt website does use the Wikipedia image here, it does seem in practice that they use the design FOTW provides, evidenced here and here and here. To the submitter, if you see this -- would you be okay with me switching to the actual proper design? I'll vectorize it myself so the quality isn't poor. That being said, there is a somewhat silly but technically defensible argument that the presence of the wiki version on the govt website is enough to justify using that version, so while it's not my personal preference, it is up to you. (If an opinion is not provided, I will switch to the more official version.)

Santa Cruz, California, USA - I'm not sure if this is notification or a request for response, but Wikipedia is not very clear on the usage of the Santa Cruz [County] flag. FOTW confirms that it's for the county only and not the city, and provides this page for the city itself. (For me, images on the page won't load, but they linked the image of the new 2020 flag on the city's website.) I can't find evidence for historical use of the county flag for the city, otherwise I would simply just include it as a past flag... Unfortunately I think Santa Cruz County itself is a bit too large to qualify for this. My current plan is to omit it. Please let me know if you'd like me to do anything else!

[unitedwestand2025]

What we need to do once we get past this constitutional crisis.

We need to take money out of politics because this is how Heritage Foundation Alt Right / White supremacies / Tech Bro money all want a dictatorship. So over decades Leonard Leo groomed alt right judges, Mitch McConnell helped place many of them. Then slowly bought off most of the Republican party. Lets face it if less than 5% fought taking away money from feeding kids so they could put our grandchildren in debt giving oligarchs money…they are bought off bitches. Then we have the Supreme Court who VIOLATED the constitution by saying Colorado court insurrection was immune worthy. They said all future actions were immune too. THIS is a KING NOT a president. This VIOLATES our constitution. Roberts and those judges that voted for this are NOT worthy of wearing any robes or respect. They need to reverse immunity.

The reason we are on this platform is because oligarchs CENSOR our 1st amendment right to speech on Instagram and FB.

Every April 15 we need to pay $3 (maybe you tier this so above $250k, 1 million, 100 million pay more). $1.50 goes to the 3 pollical parties for the state split 3 ways Rep/Dem/Indep for 3 state elections (Gov/Lt gov, Senate, House of Rep) then $1 goes to Federal elections (President/VP, House. Senate) and .50 goes to local newspapers.

Barring NPR, PBS giving equal time for 3 races NO other political money is allowed. .50 cents goes to help fund a few public state newspapers and this money can not be touched by the president. The President in the FUTURE can not threaten to take away broadcasting licenses if people are broadcasting the truth. However for those repeatedly putting out blatant lies they can be fined.

The Supreme Court and congress will have to take an oath of office with a code of conduct including NOT taking kickback bribes or they can be fired. The court will have a 10 year term limit and congress will have a 4 term limit where when they retire they can get 4 years healthcare but after that they get whatever the 99% get. The ONLY stock trading they can do is bonds, public index funds, public REITS. No indiv stock purchases.

Background checks are a requirement to work for any government job in the WH. FBI investigation requirement of all Supreme court justices before confirmation and these must be made public. No one that is in the cabinet, the president, judges or congressmen may be felons. This will preclude them from holding any of these offices. NO ONE is IMMUNE from their actions as we have no kings, the max we may have is war time actions with parameters on what that is and is not.

Congress holds the purse so the President may not declare war or tariffs without the majority vote of Congress.

Before shareholders get profits they must give 20% of profits to employees. 15% to those at Director or below and 5% to above this level. NON-educational institutions CEOs can only make 9x what the lowest employees make like in Japan. Universities Heads and Hedge fund managers can only make 5x what the lowest employees make (supplemented with tax dollars) all employees must be given at least a NON-profit healthcare insurance option.

Encourage & educate companies about NON-profit healthcare insurance companies as they spend 90% of profits on keeping people healthy and NON-denying claims vs FOR profit denying claims and un-aliving thousands of people every year.

Business owners must pay a minimum of 20% taxes up front to govt after that the taxes they owe may be offset with debt to reinvest in the company or trusts, etc.

Monopolies of more than 15% market share will be broken up along with those that have overlapping goals. ie you can’t own trains, cars b/c vested interest in making one go under so the other can thrive. Media is NOT to be overlapping either NO one should have access to control more than 15% newspaper, magazine, social sharing apps platforms. If you own these platforms you can NOT CENSOR 1st amendment speech that is NON-violent. Owners who do this will be forced to sell to other owners NOT blocking free speech. Or we will have an amendment like Mexico fining those that engage in disinformation propaganda.

Many changes need to be made if we get past this constitutional crisis that has many culprits like Alt right/tech bros stoking fear and anger with misinformation for decades and a supreme court that is lead by someone who is violating the constitution by giving immunity to Jan 6. If you can overturn Roe you can reverse immunity. Once we get through this we also need an equal rights amendment that men and women are both have rights to their own bodies without need to ask permission from anyone about getting birth control or healthcare. Denying healthcare that costs the life of the woman is MURDER. NEITHER women nor men can be denied equal access to voting which means a marriage certificate is proof of identity when added to divers license, birth certificate, SS or passport. (voter suppression is illegal). It will be illegal to marry before the age of 18 preventing child brides. Unelected officials can not dismantle government entities.

[milfygerard]

How can I help disabled people in my local community? got any advice?

hm, well it depends on your personal abilities but heres some options

get involved locally in general. Go to town meetings, if you have a kid go to school meetings, stay in contact with local electives. These are the people who lead the charge on change with disability advocacy and accessibility good or bad. When youre there take note of what's missing. Safe wheelchair ramps, available seating, accessible facilities, safety plans, if its a school theres questions of how disability support is both funded and supported, how those kids are treated by their teachers and aids, if the school has safe and easily accessible areas to go to for kids who are overstimulated or melting down, if teachers accommodate for kids with learning disabilities or neurodivergencies (take 504s seriously!) and how faculty approaches concerns and critiques that come from disabled people and their carers.

Find a local disability advocacy group! This will likely be easier if you live in a more highly populated area like a city or surrounding town. It can be a general disability support group, but there are also specific ones for autism and other neurodivergencies, wheelchair bound people, chronically ill people, amputees etc. as well as groups that focus on intersections, like LGBT disability advocacy or groups centered around supporting POC. See what they need with volunteer support or donations, talk about these groups with others, if you have connections locally bring these groups in for fairs or markets to table, involve them if you are having issues with disability advocacy at a school or business, make friends and keep contacts!

on an even smaller level, look within your own group or home. Do you have friends who struggle with fatigue or are unable to leave the house? If you havent, try talking about ways you can support them on a literal level. helping with buying or bringing groceries, making emergency plans if they need urgent medical support, helping to make things more accessible around their home and/or your home, maybe even just let them vent a bit.

Wear a mask when you go out, and encourage others to as well! We're entering an extremely dangerous time for public health with real life supervillain rfk leading the charge on making sure everyone gets as sick as possible, and last winter was an absolute nightmare for viruses. If you take public transit or go grocery shopping, keep a mask on. Same for big group events like movie theaters or concerts. If you're involved with the planning of an event, try and make it mask required and make sure to budget for and bring along N95s to hand out for anyone without masks. Fight against anti-mask mandates on a state and local level, and dont make it weird if someone does choose to mask, and dont let other people make it weird either.

If you have the money, donate! To organizations or to proven gofundmes and fundraising campaigns. And this isnt just local, the genocide right now in Gaza has cause a mass disabling event and theres so many people who could use the support.

keep an eye out for anti-disability laws and bills being pushed through the govt system because they are abound. send phone calls and emails and if protesting is an option look for and go to protests. Push against these as much as possible.

this is all just off the top of my head, and mostly focused on NDs and physical disabilities/illnesses. If anyone following has more to add please do!

If you want to find more info and discussion of support for psychosis and schitzoaffective disorders go check out @psychotic-gerard (and toss a little money their way too if you have any on hand)

I hope this was helpful in some way, and youre able to show more support for your local disability community <3

[yourreddancer]

Today in Politics, Bulletin 63. 2/3/25

Ron Filipkowski

Feb 4

∙

Paid

… Elon Musk locked USAID staffers out of their building this morning. AP reported that the entrance had yellow police tape with officers blocking entry to the lobby. Musk went on an X spaces in the wee hours of the morning to announce that he was shutting it down: “It became apparent that it’s not just an apple with a worm it in. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”

… Musk claimed that he checked with Trump first and got his approval: “I checked with him a few times. ‘Are you sure?’ Yes, we’re shutting it down. He agreed we should shut it down.”

… USAID’s website was down this morning with no explanation, and staffers told AP they were locked out of the agency’s computer systems.

… A USAID official to NBC: “No one feels safe to go anywhere near the Ronald Reagan building. We just had Elon Musk call us a criminal organization. Our security chief was escorted out. We know we are being surveilled by DOGE.”

… Trump was then asked this morning whether it would take an act of Congress to disband USAID. Trump: “I don't know, I don’t think so. Not when it comes to fraud. These people are lunatics and if it comes to fraud, you wouldn't have to have an act of Congress.”

… Elon Musk’s fans in Russia loved the move. Former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: “Smart move by Elon Musk trying to plug USAID's Deep Throat. Let's hope notorious Deep State doesn't swallow him whole.”

… Michael McFaul: “In 2012, when I was the US ambassador to Russia, Putin shut down USAID inside Russia. Why? Because their work supported free markets, democracy, human rights —ie causes that threatened Putins dictatorship. Shutting down USAID is exactly what autocrats all over the world want.”

… Independent Ukrainian journalist Jay in Kviv: “Putin never dreamed he could ever dismantle USAID. Musk did it for him in a few days.”

… NBC reports that Musk is seeking to access USAID systems that include personnel files and security systems — including on classified systems beyond the security level of at least some of the DOGE employees. The systems also included security clearance information for agency employees.

… Congressional Democrats immediately called a press conference in front of the USAID building where they angrily denounced that Musk was doing:

… Rep. Jamie Raskin: “This is about termination and obliteration of the major foreign aid programs of the US, all of which together total less than $40 billion. We have a Pentagon budget of $900 billion. The Pentagon budget is where the defense contractor Elon Musk, who became the richest man in the world off of our money, collects his payments from, and now he is trying to shut down USAID. We are not going to allow this to happen. It will not stand.”

… Rep. John Olszewski: “Prison guards overseeing thousands of ISIS combatants in Syria walked off the job after their pay was frozen until a waiver was thrown together after the fact. Let me say that again, prison guards overseeing thousands of ISIS combatants walked off the job.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy: "Let's not pull any punches about why this is happening. Elon Musk makes billions off of his business with China. And China is cheering at this action today. There is no question that the billionaire class trying to take over our govt right now is doing it based on self-interest.”

… Sen. Andy Kim: “As Trump and Musk gut USAID today, I think back to my first day ever working for the US gov at USAID. Shame on them for demonizing Americans who are serving our nation, often in difficult and dangerous places. I worked in USAID/Africa bureau where we helped rehabilitate former child soldiers in Uganda, helped with an emerging famine in Malawi. Trump complains about China’s growing influence in Africa but then shuts down one of our best tools to fight this.”

… More Kim: “USAID helps strengthen our nation’s reputation, showcasing our power and our values. Trump admin is now doing extraordinary damage to our reputation not just in trying to stop USAID’s work but by denigrating the mission of humanitarian and development assistance as a whole. These actions by Trump/Musk show America as a nation trampling the rule of law.

… Kim said it is illegal: “Trump/Musk cannot unilaterally close USAID or transfer under State. USAID is codified by the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, 22 U.S.C. 6501. Any action to shut USAID down would need to go through Congress, and we will fight this. This is all self-inflicted damage. We face real national security threats, and right now our adversaries/competitors are loving what they see — America at war with itself.”

… AOC - “If you want to start with waste, start with Elon’s defense contracts at the Pentagon. In fact, we should start with transparency around defense contracts in general, which take up an enormous sum of public funds. But they won’t do that, will they?”

… Former USAID official Atul Gawande to Fox: “They have turned into a shell overnight from an organization that reaches 100s of millions of people around the world. Our health programs added 6 extra years of life to children by eradicating diseases. That is all being decimated with spurious charges of corruption and mismanagement. It is a playbook coming to an agency near you. This is a gift to our enemies and competitors.”

… Gawande: “We have 21 serious outbreaks worldwide. Three are serious now: an Ebola outbreak in the capital of Uganda. Bird flu has broken out in 49 countries. Our efforts to contain them have all been shut down. We were on the verge of ending HIV, TB, and malaria. We were funding de-mining operations in Vietnam to allow farmers to get back to their fields so people can farm. The insanity and cruelty to break this independent agency. They even took down the USAID Memorial Wall which honored employees killed in the line of duty overseas. Their Memorial torn down.”

… But then Sec of State Marco Rubio gave a press conference later in the morning and announced that the decision had been reversed and USAID was not going to be shut down after all, it was just doing to be put under supervision of the State Department - in other words, him. Rubio said he “delegated the authority” to run it to someone else. He did not say who that person was: “It’s supposed to respond to policy directives of the State Department, and it refuses to do so.”

… Rubio took a different position about it than Musk: “There are things that USAID, that we do through USAID, that we should continue to do, and we will continue to do. But everything they do has to be in alignment with the national interest and the foreign policy of the United States.”

… More chaos caused by Musk, the Trump Admin has to scramble and try to put out the ensuing firestorm, then they walk it all back but come up with a BS excuse to justify their incompetence.

… Another example of that played out today with tariffs, but this one was all Trump.

… Today was Trump Tariff Theater Day as he announced tariffs over the weekend, causing the markets to take a nose dive and Republican Senators to beg and plead for exemptions. With panic setting in, Trump caves but has to save face. So then he miraculously lifts the tariffs for 30 days after Mexico and Canada agreed to basically do the same things they have been doing for years.

… Then Trump declares victory despite looking like a fool to the entire world. All very predicable. The most common MAGA cultist post I saw on social media today: “Art of the Deal!”

… Canada PM Justin Trudeau: “Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.”

… Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum: “We reached a series of agreements: 1. Mexico will immediately reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the US, particularly fentanyl. 2. The US is committed to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico. 3. Our teams will begin working today on two fronts: security and trade.”

… But on April 12, 2021, Mexico also announced that it was sending 10,000 members of the National Guard to the border at the request of the Biden Administration. They didn’t have to go through all the tariff drama to make that happen either.

… One Trump fan on X complained that he folded: “I don't like this at all. It shows no commitment or backbone from our President. It shows he can be manipulated, and they called his bluff. Why not demand results first and then we remove the tariffs? Now the whole world knows he's bluffing. Nothing will change. SAD DAY.”

… Rep. Claudia Tenney was panicking on Fox before Trump backed down: “One of the concerns I have with upstate NY is that one of my cities, the copper city from NY, we produce a lot of the copper. And the commodities and the ability of our country, and particularly our state and a lot of our long time manufacturing companies, many for over 100 years, to be able to react to this. I worry a little bit about some of the carnage with some of the small businesses in upstate NY who are going to have to react because Canada is our greatest trading partner.”

… Sen. Chuck Grassley: “I plead with President Trump to exempt potash from the tariff because family farmers in Iowa get most of our potash from Canada.”

… Sen. Ron Johnson to Newsmax: "Tariffs are a tax. When you tax something, you get less of it, so we'll probably get fewer imports, but then with retaliation, fewer experts. Smoot-Hawley was not particularly successful and helped sparked the Depression, so I share the markets' concern."

… Sen. Mitch McConnell to CBS: “It will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it will be paid for by American consumers. I mean, why would you want to get in a fight with your allies over this?”

… Rep. Nancy Mace: “Quite frankly, as an American, I don’t care what Justin Trudeau and Canada has to say about this. If this is the tool that Trump says that he believes is going to work, then we have to try it. This is short term pain for long term gain. They made their bed and now they can lie in it. We have to play hardball with these countries who know where the meth labs are.”

… Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) also wasn’t worried: “We have plenty of lumber here. We have wonderful energy products here. Trump is a negotiator - and he is going to take care of us just as he promised to do.”

… CNN Contributor Bakari Sellers: “Understanding Musk’s fascination with USAID also requires you to recall its role in dissembling apartheid South Africa.”

… Trump added South Africa to our enemies’ list: “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The US won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”

… Musk deleted a post and suspended the account of a user on X who listed the names of the 6 people working for his DOGE office. Before nuking them, he responded to them: “You have committed a crime.” WIRED reported they are all between ages of 19-24. Musk reposted this comment from one of his fans about the incident: 

… Trump’s US Attorney for DC Ed Martin told Musk that he is ready to take action: “I recognized that some of the staff at DOGE has been targeted publicly. I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting DOGE work and DOGE workers. Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws. Let me assure you of this: we will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work.”

… CNN reports that DOGE official Edward Coristine requested and is being granted “access to all Small Business Administration systems, which includes HR, contract and payment systems.”

… Musk also made it clear that if they even suspect someone in the government is talking to the media, they will be fired: “With regard to leakers: If in doubt, they are out.”

… Right-wing podcast and attorney Tom Renz: “I like what DOGE is doing but am not convinced it’s legal and hate the precedent. What happens when we have the next Democrat presidency and they invite George Soros and Bill Gates in to do what DOGE is doing? Why aren’t conservatives concerned about the precedent? What’s the plan to keep this from being misused in the future?”

 NPR identified dozens of J6 defendants that Trump pardoned who had prior convictions or pending charges for rape, sexual abuse of a minor, domestic violence,manslaughter, production of child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking.

… Marge Greene then announced she is launching on investigation of NPR and PBS with her DOGE Committee: “PBS and NPR receive the tax dollars of hard-working Americans to stay on the air. Their coverage should serve every single American, not just a narrow slice of like-minded individuals and ideological interest groups. Notably, NPR refused to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story in an attempt to protect then-candidate Joe Biden leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

… Greene: “PBS falsely implied that Elon Musk made a fascist salute at the President’s inaugural rally. This kind of one-sided reporting, which attacks over half the country to protect and promote its own political interests, doesn’t deserve a single cent of American taxpayers’ money. I look forward to bringing the president of each of these so-called ‘media’ outlets before my brand-new DOGE Subcommittee to explain to me—and to the American people—why they deserve to continue receiving public funding.”

… The Trump administration hyped the arrest of 8,000 immigrants since he took office, which is still a slower pace than the Biden Admin deportations. But NBC reports that many of those have already been released back into the US on an ankle or wrist monitor program that has been used for over a decade. This is something Trump criticized Biden for constantly.

… ICE Spokesperson to NBC: “The agency’s federal law enforcement officers do everything they can to keep our communities safe. In some cases, ICE is required to release certain arrested aliens from custody.”

… Politico reported that nearly 100 employees of the Department of Education could be placed on administrative leave for previously attending a diversity training. They attended a voluntary two day training called, “Diversity Change Agents,” and were trained to serve as role models to educate and train the workforce on diversity and inclusion. Trump’s own former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recommended the program to them.

… NYT reports that the Trump administration sent an email to 1,100 Environmental Protection Agency employees who work on climate change, reducing air pollution, enforcing environmental laws and other programs that they could be fired at any time.

… Michelle Roos, Executive Director of Environmental Protection Network told DNYUZ: “EPA is at the center of the bullseye for Trump’s vindictive purge of public servants. This is the most chaotic and vindictive transition in the history of the Environmental Protection Agency.”

… Trump signed an executive order to start the process of creating an American Sovereign Wealth Fund. A small handful of countries who typically run budget surpluses like Norway and Saudi Arabia invest their excess revenue in long-term investment funds. But the US has a massive deficit. So, I’m not exactly sure what the deal is here - are we going borrow more money and then invest it? Who decides where this money is going to go?

… Trump at his press conference with his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick: “The Saudi Arabia fund is on the large side but eventually we'll catch it." Lutnick: "I think Scott and I will create an amazing sovereign wealth fund for you, sir."

… “For you”. Interesting choice of words.

… Norman said the $500 billion proposal in cuts is “laughable,” and said conservatives were “shocked it was that low.” He wants a budget which cuts spending $2-5 trillion: “We’ve got a math problem. We’ve got to get a resolution we need which has a number which can get through committee and get through the floor.”

… Speaker Mike Johnson is complaining that NY Gov. Kathy Hochul has been dragging her feet on setting a special election to fill Elise Stefanik's seat, which is keeping their majority very slim: “This is open political corruption by state officials in NY. This seat should be filled within 90 days of Stefanik moving over to be UN Ambassador. But they're trying to delay this maybe to late Summer, maybe even to Fall. It's just it's corruption on open display. It's unconscionable.”

… The Senate Intelligence Committee will vote tomorrow at 2:00 ET in closed session on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination. Gabbard must get the vote of every single Republican since they only have a one seat majority on the Committee. Todd Young and Susan Collins were considered the big question marks, but Collins told CNN that she will vote to confirm Gabbard. Musk threatened Young yesterday and said he locked down his vote. She will likely be voted out of committee now, but still has a floor vote to overcome.

… Semafor reports that right-wing white nationalist Darren Beattie is being appointed as a senior Spokesperson for the State Department under Rubio. Beattie is the first one who launched conspiracies that the FBI instigated J6 and claimed that Kamala Harris was somehow involved with the pipe bomber. Here are some of Beattie’s posts on X:

“Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work. Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.”

“Remember when the US allied with Ukranian neo-Nazis to destabilize Russian interests in Ukraine?”

“Imagine the whining from the Globalist American Empire if Putin ‘invades’ Ukraine. I love it when our national security bureaucrats fail!”

“Taiwan will inevitably belong to China, it’s not worth expending any capital to prevent.”

… Beattie also made several posts suggesting that Tom Cotton, Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham are gay. “They all have something in common …” And then: “For people like Graham and Cotton, foreign policy is one big leather clad BDSM fantasy.” I’m not arguing with him on this particular point, I’m just noting that Trump appointed him despite the fact that he said all this. Maybe because of it.

… Nancy Mace selling ‘Gulf of America’ gear now.

… Rep. Andy Biggs just introduced a bill to abolish OSHA, which would completely eliminate workplace safety protections for tens of millions of Americans.

… AZ AG Kris Mayes said she is looking to hire DOJ officials fired by Trump: “My message to all FBI agents and federal prosecutors who are being wrongfully fired by Trump: come see me about a job. We are hiring at the AZ Attorney General’s office and we actually support law enforcement.”

… Fox WH Correspondent Jennifer Griffin: “President Trump again said he ‘turned the water on’ in CA and that water could have been used to fight the wildfires. A few facts: The water released by the Army Corps of Engineers from 2 dams in Central CA has no way to reach Southern CA. The sudden rush alarmed local farmers whose land was nearly flooded. The water is usually kept in reserve to help farmers in Central CA during summer drought months. There are no crops that need the water right now. They are dormant.”

… Trump was asked about Rubio’s trip to the Panama Canal: “We’re gonna take it back, or something very powerful is going to happen.”

… Despite all this madness, we can rest easy tonight knowing that Kristi Noem was keeping us all safe today down on the southern border.

[incorrectmahabharatquotes]

hey. i rarely go political in here because it's a space for me to truly chill, hence i am going on here as anon.

the work you're doing is phenomenal. it's affecting a small part of the majority, but it's good work nonetheless. it's tiring to continuously see people hype up the current govt. and not criticise them and their actions — our democracy is falling at a rapid place and all indians are on about is hindu muslim mandir masjid.

no one talks about manipur, no one talks about how almost half the opposition was suspended, no one talks about continous ED summons to anyone who raises a voice. the media channels are puppets, nothing else.

it's tiring to see criticisms of the current govt. actions been met with "what congress did" and no actual replies, only deflections. they are in charge of our nation today, it's important to talk about the present and the future— it's our job as citizens of a democracy to keep the government in check, be aware of their actions and question them when necessary.

unfortunately, people have failed to understand this.

i am a hindu too, and seeing the state of india truly dissapoints me to no end. we are beyond a party, a leader. being a critic of the current govt. doesn't make us anti-hindu. it's so stupid. istfg.

anyways, will forever be a supporter of you guys.

jai hind.

We usually don't post about politics on this blog either. We typically do it on our own personal blogs. That's not to say that we kept any and all opinions away from the page either. People that have been following us for a while know that we have occasionally posted something if we felt it pertinent at the time.

I posted something this time because I saw posts circling around with some objectionable content in them and it surprised me because I recognised the usernames. It's a little silly but I typically do remember the usernames of our followers, it's pretty hard not to. You have to imagine the shock and hurt I felt that these were the same people engaging with our posts and enjoying them. Did these people felt like we shared their opinions? Had we somehow fucked up and cultivated that sort of a community? My first instinct was to delete this entire blog, I will not lie to you. The thought that something I was involved in making and curating was somehow fueling followers of Hindutva? I honestly couldn't stand it. After it calmed down, I made a post and a clarification reblog. I expected those users to just unfollow us, maybe send us a curse or two over anon and that would be it.

I'm glad I didn't delete the blog after so many people have confirmed that the community here isn't all like that.

The state of India's politics honestly leaves a lot, A LOT, to be desired. It was exhausting seeing all the fuss about an unfinished mandir when we have so many other important things to talk about. Any sort of criticism or opposition has been completely wiped off the board by the current government and they expect me to care about the mandir? The leader of the nation won't even do an open interview, let alone a press conference. Falling prey to the religious angle of their politics is a folly. People are being coddled and distracted as their own houses burn down. How much longer will this go on? How much worse will this get? These questions haunt me.

Having a silly meme blog was supposed to be a fun activity to break the monotony and mundanity of existence. Turns out, now I have to make sure that this silly thing doesn't get infected by the horrors too.

Life is transiently long and fighting the horrors is a herculean task. I'm grateful for every voice of support because it makes me feel like I'm not alone out here.

-Mod S

[possessesnightshift]

absolutely hilarious to me that people assign moral weight to the us election.

"oh no if i vote for joe biden im a BAD PERSON :( :("

its like if i went to a restaurant when i was starving, and the waiter tells me the only two possible options are poisonous pufferfish and literal arsenic

"what the fuck? is there not a third choice? can i request a lasagna or something?"

"oh certainly we can do that, that'll just be an extra $20,000 charge"

"what? i can't afford that! fuck ok just give me the pufferfish"

and then i eat the poison i was offered, immediately get sick and regret it and then somehow come to the conclusion

'fuck man why did i decide to eat a poisonous fish. what a bad call. why didn't i just starve myself or spend $20,000? what was i thinking?'

the fact that our democratic system is (get this) not actually all that democratic is not because you're a bad leftist. this is a structural problem that has been around far longer than you and will be here long after you're gone.

i'm sorry oct 7 revealed that democrats and republicans have the same corrupt values when it comes to foreign policy. im sorry the illusion of some semblance of an anti-imperialist faction of govt has been shattered. but the truth is the elections of 2008, 2012, and 2016 all featured democrats addicted to drone striking the middle east. do you think anyone would have taken you seriously if you said you were voting for trump in 2016 to STOP CLINTON'S FASCIST POLICIES?? people would think you'd lost your mind.

i know im screaming into the void, and i know people who are convinced that not voting for biden = support for gaza won't ever let go of the one sliver of control they feel they have in regards to this crucial issue. but like...

remember the people who work every day to keep society structured this way. we can recognize that taking individual responsibility for the climate crisis too strongly benefits bp and exxon mobil by shifting the blame away from them and implying the individual consumers are responsible. so why can't we apply the same concept to this election?

i'm warning you all. if we fuck this up again in 2024, the dnc will assume biden lost because he WASN'T FASCIST enough. and this will inform the political direction of each new democrat until they slip further to the right than trump is RIGHT NOW.

We've got about 5 months to get this right. Don't check out until we're past the finish line...