#not even on whether or not she was on (virtual) or (literal) house arrest

[fideidefenswhore]

Did Henry VIII forbid Princess Mary from any correspondence after she was bastardized by statute? Different biographies claim different things, was hoping for some clarity and insight.

If he did, he did a fairly poor job of enforcing the rule:

1172. Anne Shelton to Henry VIII. I have spoken with my lady Mary, as you desired, and asked her by whom she sent the letter to master Carowe. She said she sent it by her servant Randal Dod, and that lady Bryan delivered her lady Carowe's letter open, the effect of which was to desire her for the Passion of Christ in all things to follow the King's pleasure, otherwise she was utterly undone. After I had spoken with my lady Mary I went to my lady Bryan, and she affirmed what was said to be true. Hunsdon. this Sunday, at 8 o'clock in the evening. Signed. 'Henry VIII: September 1534, 16-20', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 7, 1534, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1883), pp. 453-457. British History Online.

This contradicts the below:

968. Princess Mary to [Cromwell]. Apologises for her [poor] writing; "for I have not done so much this two year and more, nor could not have found the means to do it [...] but by my lady Kingston's being here."  'Henry VIII: May 1536, 26-31', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 10, January-June 1536, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1887), pp. 402-420.

Which contradicts...

1253. Marillac to Francis I. Saw letters of hers in French, written to the Emperor's ambassador in the time of her “ennuy.” [...] [Her] chamber woman says that when her mother was first repudiated [1531 or 1533] she was sick with “ennuy,” but, on being visited and comforted by the King [1536], soon recovered and has had no such illness since. 'Henry VIII: October 1541, 11-20', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 16, 1540-1541, ed. James Gairdner and R H Brodie (London, 1898), pp. 585-592.

And, it even contradicts Chapuys, who mentions her correspondence during this time, as well. There are times he's unable to receive any messages, but Mary was writing him frequently at some times, intermittently at others. Like, during 1534, Chapys falls for some false flags (such as, crowing about how Mary managed to secure the best place on the barge setting out for Elizabeth's new household, sent word to him where the barge would be sent so that he knew which place to wait for her appearance on the shore... shortly followed by him whining about how this showcase of defiance seems to have intensified her mistreatment, and caused the arrest of "a young lady who did her the most service", including interrogation by the Duke of Norfolk as to how, exactly, Chapuys learned which place at which riverside he needed to wait to watch her pass...), but from 1535 onwards, she even manages to send her own letter to the literal Emperor, and she claims it will be very easy to slip out of her sister's household, that all she has to do is drug Anne Shelton and shimmy out a window to accomplish this, all the way to 1536, where she manages to copy a letter her stepmother has written to Anne Shelton and send it to Chapuys, and sends him word that she approves of the plot to oust her stepmother from the throne ("On 2 May 1536, he wrote that Mary had encouraged him to get rid of Anne and, on her advice, he employed various means to do so [...]", Inside the Tudor Court, Lauren Mackay).

There is of course, the possibility that it was 'forbidden' to Mary officially, but that the unofficial policy was to turn a blind eye/allow it so that her correspondence could be monitored. Warnicke espoused this theory, I'm not terribly convinced, however, because while Chapuys does mention Mary's letters, he also, in the thick of the Exeter Conspiracy arrests, claims he's not too terribly worried for Mary's well-being because he's long told her to burn correspondence from him, and he himself has already burned her most controversial correspondence, kept the red herrings he dictated and sent her some for good measure, should her household be searched (since a complete absence of correspondence from Chapuys would be suspect). Although, the possibility that Henry knew his eldest daughter had solicited foreign invasion would perhaps put the pressurizing of his council for her arrest six months afterwards, into an...interesting, context? (Was he planning to hold onto this information/evidence just in case he ever needed to use it? Had he not acted upon it until that point because he wanted to leave the option of an Imperial alliance open? Had he not told his council, but was he planning to if she refused the oaths yet again, mid-1536? Et al)

Tl; dr again, if that was his forbiddance, it seems it was either rather toothless (it would be instructive to read the letter Shelton was responding to here, wouldn't it) and/or inconsistent. There seem to have been periods within this timeframe where this 'rule' was more strictly enforced than others.

[laurelindebear]

Gods, I’m furious. (Shocker, I know - I’m usually so chill. /s)

Today’s update from Bullshit Island:

People are being arrested for anti-monarchist protests. One was for shouting at Andrew during the funeral procession, but two others were during accession announcements (eg the proclamation that Charles is now king.) One has since been ‘de-arrested’, a word I have literally never heard before in my entire 40+ years of life. This comes in the wake of the updated Policing Bill passed earlier this year which was already heavily criticised for its

A bank holiday has been declared for Monday. As there is only a week’s notice for this, this means:

Hospital appointments are being cancelled (bear in mind that wait lists for anything deemed routine have surged in the wake of Covid and loss of staff.)

There are reports that other people’s funerals are being cancelled in deference to, er, another funeral. This seems to be a decision made by individual providers, presumably based on staff requesting not to work on the bank holiday.

Every major supermarket is closing its stores on Monday.

A number of food banks are closing on Monday for the bank holiday as well, even though food bank usage has increased exponentially in the last few years. (Meanwhile, in 2010 the Queen applied for a poverty grant to pay for fuel bills for her palaces. The Crown Estate is worth something like £14B and the Queen herself had an estimated net worth of around £300M.)

Charles will not pay inheritance tax on what he gets from his mother, nor will any of the figures be released. (Second link is paywalled, but you get the gist.)

Royalists are twisting themselves into knots trying to justify the monarchy with all the usual arguments: they earn money through tourism, they do a lot of charity work, they serve the country, without a monarch we’d have the PM as President and nobody wants that.

Rebuttal: the palaces, the art, the crown jewels, etc will continue to exist without the royal family. People still visit Versailles and the Pyramids even though no king or pharaoh has been around for a long time now. They ‘serve the country’ exactly as much or as little as they wish to; not to mention that many of the places they ‘served’ did not want them there as subjugators in the first place. Whatever charity they contribute from their own wealth still raises the point of where they got all their wealth and privilege in the first place (hint, it was not through years of honest toil), and whether that wealth is in the best place and the best hands.

As for the ‘President’ angle, why do we need a ceremonial head of state in the first place? What does that provide that a government leader does not? Just someone to do all the hand-shaking photo ops the PM doesn’t have time for (in theory)? I don’t fancy the notion of ‘President Truss’ more than anyone else - she’s awful! Having something like the Royal Assent to provide checks and balances sounds good, in theory. But the people suggesting this also seem quick to point out that the Royal Assent thing hasn’t been invoked since something like 1708, because the monarchy is basically a formality. The Queen did meet with the Prime Minister quite regularly, but these meetings are under strict secrecy. The only things I’m aware she affected on government policy were things like getting herself exemption from disclosing her assets and complying with equalities legislation.

When Cameron and subsequent PMs committed to ploughing ahead with a disastrous no-deal Brexit even though their own reports and research (Yellowhammer etc) indicated it would harm the country? When Covid policy flip-flops and corruption left hundreds of thousands dead and friends of the government millions and billions in profit? When the son of a KGB agent was made a peer in the House of Lords? When the government and virtually all of the media are making a concerted effort to demonise trans people in order to splinter the LGBTQ+ movement? When the Prime Minster lied to the Queen’s very face? Crickets. Tumbleweed. At least, as far as we know.

So either we need the monarch to rein in the government, or the monarch is an empty figurehead without real power. Neither makes a good case for continuing it, frankly. If we need a check on the power of the government - and I would not dispute this - then why should such an important job default to someone who got there by an accident of birth? And if the monarch isn’t going to actually provide such a service and look out for the best interests of the country, then what bloody good are they and why should taxpayers fund their position when they are wildly, screamingly, privately wealthy already? Why can’t they pay for their own influence like every other billionaire? (Sarcasm, but not as much as I’d like.)

I’m not even going to get into the colonial BS because that’s been covered extensively by people who are much better informed and closer to the subject, but suffice to say, I stand behind the African, Indian, Indigenous, Irish, and other people expressing their concerns and dissatisfaction with the whole circus.

So no, I’m not mourning a very old, very privileged woman who died peacefully of natural causes. I’m definitely not mourning for ten days, and every new ridiculous bit of nonsense I see, every black profile picture, every obsequious tv or radio programme, every cap-doffing, head-bowing, knee-bending bit of performative pomp makes me angrier and even less well-inclined towards the whole lot of them.

No gods, no kings, no masters. Abolish the monarchy, and give their wealth to the people it came from, and the people of the country.

https://ko-fi.com/Post/Normal-Island-Mourns-By-Embracing-The-Cancel-Cultu-C0C2F0CVU

[faenet]

hi I just came across your blog & i wanted to say your edits are beautiful!!! & also, I've read TOG & ACOTAR, & I wanted to ask if you have any other book recommendations that are similar I guess to TOG & ACOTAR?? Like fantasy, action & of course romance:)

I’m so glad that you enjoy our blog! Our members have a few recommendations that I’ll put under the cut:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive. (fantasy, young adult)

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Circe by Madeline Miller: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. (mythology, fantasy)

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente: Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. Deathless lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation. (fantasy, historical fiction, mythology)

Defy by Sara B. Larson: Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect? (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. (fantasy, young adult, romance, historical)

Hunted by Meagan Spooner: Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. She knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. (fantasy, fiction, romance)

Red Winter by Annette Mari: Emi is the kamigakari. In a few short months, her life as a mortal will end and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. Shiro is a yokai, a spirit of the earth, an enemy of the goddess Emi will soon host. But she saved his life, and until his debt is paid, he is hers to command-whether she wants him or not. On the day they meet, everything Emi believes comes undone, swept away like snow upon the winter wind. For the first time, she wants to change her fate-but how can she erase a destiny already wrought in stone? Against the power of the gods, Shiro is her only hope… and hope is all she has left. (fantasy, young adult, mythology, romance)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. (young adult, dystopian, romance)

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black: Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. (fantasy, young adult)

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson: Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. (fantasy, young adult)

The Girl Who Never Was by Skylar Dorset: The Girl Who Never Was is the story of Selkie Stewart, who thinks she’s a totally normal teenager growing up in Boston. Sure, her father is in an insane asylum, her mother left her on his doorstep—literally—when she was a baby, and she’s being raised by two ancient aunts who spend their time hunting gnomes in their Beacon Hill townhouse. But other than that her life is totally normal! She’s got an adventurous best friend who’s always got her back and an unrequited crush on an older boy named Ben. Just like any other teenager, right? (fantasy, young adult, paranormal)

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. (young adult, fantasy, romance, paranormal)

I hope this helps!

♡ Lauren

[whimsicalwhimsicott]

Fuck you, Amanda Pt.1

This is a prompt sent to me by someone! Connor saying ‘fuck you’ to Amanda. I’m gonna end up turning this one into a series, it has a lot of potential, I think.

-

Amanda had come back, and Connor didn’t know what to do. He thought about telling Hank about it, sitting on the couch with Sumo across his lap. He absentmindedly pet the large dog, and Sumo noticed. The touches weren’t quite the same. He gave a loud whine, head lifting off the armrest of the couch to look at Connor. It also got Hank’s attention from the other room. “Connor?” His LED flashed red before slowly coming back to a yellow. He really didn’t want a confrontation with the man. Not that it would be a confrontation more than an interrogation. Hank was definitely good at those, and it didn’t help that his LED always gave away to his lies.

The older man, and if Connor hadn’t noticed his age before he certainly did now, walked into the room with a towel wrapped around his head and a new pair of sweatpants around his waist. They had just finished their morning run, Connor’s attempt at getting Hank healthier. It was a selfish reason – the android simply wanted to spend more time with the man and prolonging his life by healthier habits was the only way to do that. He had just gotten out of the shower, and Connor noted that from the small drops of water on Hank’s chest, he hadn’t fully dried off yet either.

“Hey can you stop analyzing me for two minutes and tell me why Sumo thinks you’re not doing a good job of petting him for once?”

Connor blinked, trying to find footing for an answer, cheeks blue with embarrassment. Eventually, he managed an answer. “Its nothing.” He watched Hank’s face contort and settle on a furrowed brow and a deep frown. He had been caught in the lie. Any chance of him avoiding interrogation now had been crushed. Before Hank could say anything, Connor sighed and gently moved Sumo off of him before moving to the dining table and sitting down. The lighting in the house was fitting for what was about to happen. The single light over the table really only barely lit the room, and the rest of the house was dark. They hadn’t turned on the lights since returning home, and the curtains were still drawn effectively keeping out the sun.

“I don’t need the sass, you stay there,” Hank warned. Connor already knew that he wouldn’t get very far anyways. Hank was pretty good at finding him when Connor didn’t want to be found. A great detective, when he wanted to be. The man returned to his room, coming back out with a Detroit Police Department sweatshirt on. “Now you’re gonna tell me what’s eating you,” he proclaimed as he sat in the chair across from Connor. Sumo lumbered over and sat by Hank, looking as disappointed as a dog could possibly look. All this over one lie.

“Nothing is eating me, Hank,” he murmured.

“Sorry, forgot you take everything literally, what’s on your mind? What’s bothering you? Don’t bother lying again.”

“I…do you remember when I told you about Amanda?” Connor hesitated through the sentence.

“Yeah, the woman you made reports to before you became deviant. You said she wasn’t real or something?”

“No, she was real, an artificial intelligence designed to look and act like Kamski’s mentor, she was my handler when I wasn’t deviant.”

Hank knew where this was going already. Either Connor was worried about her coming back or… “Why are you worrying about her, Connor?”

“While we were running this morning, Amanda came back. I know how to deal with her, but that doesn’t make me any less worried about it. She caused me to lag for a moment, which is why I fell behind you for that time.” Hank had commented on it, he remembered, worried that something was wrong with Connor considering the android didn’t get tired. He understood that Hank…got worried. About him…

“Alright…let’s think about this for a minute before you get your kicks deleting her again. What could she possibly do? Androids are free so she can’t order you to arrest and interrogate deviants anymore. You know how to delete her and she doesn’t understand how you do it, as far as I know. Do you want her there?”

“Of course not!” Connor was offended that Hank would even suggest that he would. Hank smirked at the outburst, and Connor fought to understand whether or not it had been a joke or if he had been serious. He settled on something in between the two.

“Then here’s my advice, tell her to go fuck herself before you delete her again, and then we’ll go and find Markus.”

“What for?”

“Well he’s controlling CyberLife right now isn’t he? I bet he could figure out how to get rid of her for good.”

“You’re not wrong, but bothering Markus over something so…trivial…it doesn’t make sense And it could be a waste of our time.”

“Listen, I would rather you didn’t go back to how you were before deviancy, you were an ass. So any chance that this could help is a chance worth taking. Now go on and delete her, I’ll be waiting for you right here.”

“…thank you, Hank.”

-

The garden was clear for the first time since Amanda had tried to make him kill Markus. When he scanned the area, he saw her standing in the water where it had once been frozen. She was stuck there, Connor noted, because she when she tried to turn to face him she glitched back into place. Deviancy had taken a toll on her. “Connor.” Her voice was sharp, angry. “How nice of you to visit me, it’s been a while.”

Connor didn’t say anything, instead he looked around. It was as if spring had come again, the rose bushes were budding and the trees were gaining their leaves back. The water flowed smooth with virtual fish swaying peacefully. He saw the backdoor where it was before, he guessed Kamski was too lazy to randomize it. At least it was convenient, and with Amanda not being able to move he could walk away at any time.

He decided to humor her, keeping his distance, but still walking to where she could see him. He kept his face dangerously level, and Amanda picked up on that. “I’m surprised you even came back. Here I was hoping you’d neglect yourself long enough to shut down,” she ground out. Connor tilted his head to the side. He noticed her voice, robotic and unsteady. It almost made him feel good, considering the amount of misery she made him go through. Right now, he felt too on edge. “I’m disappointed in you, Connor.”

The bite in her tone made him involuntarily flinch. He seemed unable to control those emotions now that he was deviant, something he would have to check out later. Before she could continue, Connor started to walk away. “Where are you going, Connor? You and I aren’t finished.”

“Amanda, as far as I’m concerned, I did exactly what I was supposed to. I solved the deviancy issue. Maybe not in the way you wanted, but I did. You ordered me around for an entire year, and everything I did you disapproved of. You shouldn’t have come back.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’m a deviant now, and unlike before I’m able to definitively say that you’re a bitch.”

“Excuse me?!”

Connor hovered his hand over the exit. He looked up with a grin as he saw Amanda struggle to turn. She never managed it. “Fuck you, Amanda.”

[the-merricatherine]

The Code Noir (The Black Code)

The Code Noir was a decree originally passed by France's King Louis XIV in 1685. The Code Noir defined the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire, restricted the activities of free Negroes, forbade the exercise of any religion other than Roman Catholicism, and ordered all Jews out of France's colonies.

The Code Noir resulted in a far higher percentage of blacks being free people of colour (13.2% in Louisiana compared to 0.8% in Mississippi) They were on average exceptionally literate, with a significant number of them owning businesses, properties and even slaves. It also resulted in today’s colorblindness in culture amongst the progeny of slaves from French colonies.

The code has been described by Tyler Stovall as "one of the most extensive official documents on race, slavery, and freedom ever drawn up in Europe".

The Code noir initially took shape in Louis XIV’s edict of 1685. Although subsequent decrees modified a few of the code’s provisions, this first document established the main lines for the policing of slavery right up to 1789. The very first article expels all Jews from the colonies; Jews played a significant but hardly dominant role in the Dutch colonies of the Caribbean region but were not allowed to own property or slaves in the French colonies. The edict also insisted that all slaves be instructed as Catholics and not as Protestants. For the most part, the code concentrated on defining the condition of slavery (passing the condition through the mother not the father) and establishing harsh controls over the conduct of those enslaved. Slaves had virtually no rights, though the code did enjoin masters to take care of the sick and old.

Edict of the King:

On the subject of the Policy regarding the Islands of French America

March 1685

Recorded at the sovereign Council of Saint Domingue, 6 May 1687.

Louis, by the grace of God, King of France and Navarre: to all those here present and to those to come, GREETINGS. In that we must also care for all people that Divine Providence has put under our tutelage, we have agreed to have the reports of the officers we have sent to our American islands studied in our presence. These reports inform us of their need for our authority and our justice in order to maintain the discipline of the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith in the islands. Our authority is also required to settle issues dealing with the condition and quality of the slaves in said islands. We desire to settle these issues and inform them that, even though they reside infinitely far from our normal abode, we are always present for them, not only through the reach of our power but also by the promptness of our help toward their needs. For these reasons, and on the advice of our council and of our certain knowledge, absolute power and royal authority, we have declared, ruled, and ordered, and declare, rule, and order, that the following pleases us:

Article I. We desire and we expect that the Edict of 23 April 1615 of the late King, our most honored lord and father who remains glorious in our memory, be executed in our islands. This accomplished, we enjoin all of our officers to chase from our islands all the Jews who have established residence there. As with all declared enemies of Christianity, we command them to be gone within three months of the day of issuance of the present [order], at the risk of confiscation of their persons and their goods.

Article II. All slaves that shall be in our islands shall be baptized and instructed in the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith. We enjoin the inhabitants who shall purchase newly-arrived Negroes to inform the Governor and Intendant of said islands of this fact within no more that eight days, or risk being fined an arbitrary amount. They shall give the necessary orders to have them instructed and baptized within a suitable amount of time.

Article III. We forbid any religion other than the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith from being practiced in public. We desire that offenders be punished as rebels disobedient of our orders. We forbid any gathering to that end, which we declare to be conventicle, illegal, and seditious, and subject to the same punishment as would be applicable to the masters who permit it or accept it from their slaves.

Article IV. No persons assigned to positions of authority over Negroes shall be other than a member of the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith, and the master who assigned these persons shall risk having said Negroes confiscated, and arbitrary punishment levied against the persons who accepted said position of authority.

Article V. We forbid our subjects who belong to the so-called "reformed" religion from causing any trouble or unforeseen difficulties for our other subjects or even for their own slaves in the free exercise of the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith, at the risk of exemplary punishment.

Article VI. We enjoin all our subjects, of whatever religion and social status they may be, to observe Sundays and the holidays that are observed by our subjects of the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith. We forbid them to work, nor make their slaves work, on said days, from midnight until the following midnight. They shall neither cultivate the earth, manufacture sugar, nor perform any other work, at the risk of a fine and an arbitrary punishment against the masters, and of confiscation by our officers of as much sugar worked by said slaves before being caught.

Article VII. We forbid them also to hold slave markets or any other market on said days at the risk of similar punishments and of confiscation of the merchandise that shall be discovered at the market, and an arbitrary fine against the sellers.

Article VIII. We declare that our subjects who are not of the Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith, are incapable of contracting a valid marriage in the future. We declare any child born from such unions to be bastards, and we desire that said marriages be held and reputed, and to hold and repute, as actual concubinage.

Article IX. Free men who shall have one or more children during concubinage with their slaves, together with their masters who accepted it, shall each be fined two thousand pounds of sugar. If they are the masters of the slave who produced said children, we desire, in addition to the fine, that the slave and the children be removed and that she and they be sent to work at the hospital, never to gain their freedom. We do not expect however for the present article to be applied when the man was not married to another person during his concubinage with this slave, who he should then marry according to the accepted rites of the Church. In this way she shall then be freed, the children becoming free and legitimate. . . .

Article XI. We forbid priests from conducting weddings between slaves if it appears that they do not have their masters' permission. We also forbid masters from using any constraints on their slaves to marry them without their wishes.

Article XII. Children born from marriages between slaves shall be slaves, and if the husband and wife have different masters, they shall belong to the masters of the female slave, not to the master of her husband.

Article XIII. We desire that if a male slave has married a free woman, their children, either male or female, shall be free as is their mother, regardless of their father's condition of slavery. And if the father is free and the mother a slave, the children shall also be slaves. . . .

Article XV. We forbid slaves from carrying any offensive weapons or large sticks, at the risk of being whipped and having the weapons confiscated. The weapons shall then belong to he who confiscated them. The sole exception shall be made for those who have been sent by their masters to hunt and who are carrying either a letter from their masters or his known mark.

Article XVI. We also forbid slaves who belong to different masters from gathering, either during the day or at night, under the pretext of a wedding or other excuse, either at one of the master's houses or elsewhere, and especially not in major roads or isolated locations. They shall risk corporal punishment that shall not be less than the whip and the fleur de lys, and for frequent recidivists and in other aggravating circumstances, they may be punished with death, a decision we leave to their judge. We enjoin all our subjects, even if they are not officers, to rush to the offenders, arrest them, and take them to prison, and that there be no decree against them. . . .

Article XVIII. We forbid slaves from selling sugar cane, for whatever reason or occasion, even with the permission of their master, at the risk of a whipping for the slaves and a fine of ten pounds for the masters who gave them permission, and an equal fine for the buyer.

Article XIX. We also forbid slaves from selling any type of commodities, even fruit, vegetables, firewood, herbs for cooking and animals either at the market, or at individual houses, without a letter or a known mark from their masters granting express permission. Slaves shall risk the confiscation of goods sold in this way, without their masters receiving restitution for the loss, and a fine of six pounds shall be levied against the buyers. . . .

Article XXVII. Slaves who are infirm due to age, sickness or other reason, whether the sickness is curable or not, shall be nourished and cared for by their masters. In the case that they be abandoned, said slaves shall be awarded to the hospital, to which their master shall be required to pay six sols per day for the care and feeding of each slave. . . .

Article XXXI. Slaves shall not be a party, either in court or in a civil matter, either as a litigant or as a defendant, or as a civil party in a criminal matter. And compensation shall be pursued in criminal matters for insults and excesses that have been committed against slaves. . . .

Article XXXIII. The slave who has struck his master in the face or has drawn blood, or has similarly struck the wife of his master, his mistress, or their children, shall be punished by death. . . .

Article XXXVIII. The fugitive slave who has been on the run for one month from the day his master reported him to the police, shall have his ears cut off and shall be branded with a fleur de lys on one shoulder. If he commits the same infraction for another month, again counting from the day he is reported, he shall have his hamstring cut and be branded with a fleur de lys on the other shoulder. The third time, he shall be put to death.

Article XXXIX. The masters of freed slaves who have given refuge to fugitive slaves in their homes shall be punished by a fine of three hundred pounds of sugar for each day of refuge.

Article XL. The slave who has been punished with death based on denunciation by his master, and who is not a party to the crime for which he was condemned, shall be assessed prior to his execution by two of the principal citizens of the island named by a judge. The assessment price shall be paid by the master, and in order to satisfy this requirement, the Intendant shall impose said sum on the head of each Negro. The amount levied in the estimation shall be paid for each of the said Negroes and levied by the [Tax] Farmer of the Royal Western lands to avoid costs. . . .

Article XLII. The masters may also, when they believe that their slaves so deserve, chain them and have them beaten with rods or straps. They shall be forbidden however from torturing them or mutilating any limb, at the risk of having the slaves confiscated and having extraordinary charges brought against them.

Article XLIII. We enjoin our officers to criminally prosecute the masters, or their foremen, who have killed a slave under their auspices or control, and to punish the master according to the circumstances of the atrocity. In the case where there is absolution, we allow our officers to return the absolved master or foreman, without them needing our pardon.

Article XLIV. We declare slaves to be charges, and as such enter into community property. They are not to be mortgaged, and shall be shared equally between the co-inheritors without benefit to the wife or one particular inheritor, nor subject to the right of primogeniture, the usual customs duties, feudal or lineage charges, or feudal or seigneurial taxes. They shall not be affected by the details of decrees, nor from the imposition of the four-fifths, in case of disposal by death or bequeathing. . . .

Article XLVII. Husband, wife and prepubescent children, if they are all under the same master, may not be taken and sold separately. We declare the seizing and sales that shall be done as such to be void. For slaves who have been separated, we desire that the seller shall risk their loss, and that the slaves he kept shall be awarded to the buyer, without him having to pay any supplement. . . .

Article LV. Masters twenty years of age may free their slaves by any act toward the living or due to death, without their having to give just cause for their actions, nor do they require parental advice as long as they are minors of 25 years of age.

Article LVI. The children who are declared to be sole legatees by their masters, or named as executors of their wills, or tutors of their children, shall be held and considered as freed slaves. . . .

Article LVIII. We declare their freedom is granted in our islands if their place of birth was in our islands. We declare also that freed slaves shall not require our letters of naturalization to enjoy the advantages of our natural subjects in our kingdom, lands or country of obedience, even when they are born in foreign countries.

Article LIX. We grant to freed slaves the same rights, privileges and immunities that are enjoyed by freeborn persons. We desire that they are deserving of this acquired freedom, and that this freedom gives them, as much for their person as for their property, the same happiness that natural liberty has on our other subjects.

Versailles, March 1685, the forty second year of our reign.

Signed LOUIS,

and below the King.

Colbert, visa, Le Tellier.

Read, posted and recorded at the sovereign council of the coast of Saint Domingue, kept at Petit Goave, 6 May 1687, Signed Moriceau.

Source: Édit du Roi, Touchant la Police des Isles de l'Amérique Française (Paris, 1687), 28–58.

[kiss-my-freckle]

Aram

My full theory in progress. Editing to add as I find more. 

As I’ve written in reply to one of my Anon’s, I like to post details and theories, sit back and look at them to get a clearer view of things. The team play is too early, but I do feel it’s coming. That will more likely be our next big bad, since I can’t see Red killing Aram, nor Aram being the next big bad. I believe we’ll be seeing the blue players on the map from Devry.

Aram is now my top suspect in these attacks against Red, and he will remain my top suspect. Ressler is officially off my list. Sorry, Boyscout. Dembe is now off my list as well. It’s all about what cuts close to the bone. As I’ve said, these attacks are personal. An outside source, yet not. Red is looking in the wrong family for his traitor. 

It’s Aram. 

“Although, truth be told, we do sort of have a special relationship.”

Baldur was a misdirect. It was opportunity for him. Natalie Luca was a misdirect extorted by Stone. 

Going through my basics from a previous post. 

1. Gain access to Red’s accounts.

My theory: This is an outside source. A hacker who broke into the bank. If it were an inside job, clearly suspicion would fall on them rather quickly. Red only has 12 people assigned to his accounts.

Aram and Elise were my suspects. Aram is quite a hacker, and as we know, Red gave him access to account numbers and routing information in season one during the Meera mole hunt. By force at gunpoint, but a man like Aram will remember such information. He probably has those numbers stored in his memory. Aram fits the bill for this basic. 

Aram given access to account numbers and routing information-

Red: You’re going to do something for me. Account numbers, routing information. You’re going to steal $5 million from that account and place it into one of mine. I expect the transaction to be untraceable. Aram: What? I can’t. Red: Aram this is a Colt .45 1911. I can strip and reassemble this weapon – in well under two minutes. Aram: Mr. Reddington, please. Red: Once I have it reassembled, I’m gonna reload the mag, and if at that time, your task remains incomplete, I’m gonna empty that mag into your head. Aram: That’s really messed up. Red: Don’t look so stricken. The first shot will kill you. Aram: Wait. … Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! … I did it. It’s done. Look. It’s untraceable, like you asked. Red: How? Explain. Aram: I used a ripple exchange to have the Fiat currency converted to e–cash and then into Bitcoin. I ran the whole transaction through a randomized cryptographic extension at the protocol level, then through a two–tiered secure laundry service I know I can trust. No one’s gonna catch you. I promise.

2. Hire Stone.

My theory: This is an outside source, since I believe and it quite obvious by dialogue that the one who broke into the bank is the one who paid Stone. It was a wire transfer, not cash.

Interesting, is Red’s turning to Aram for help in finding out who paid Stone. Oh, that veil will be pulled aside. Aram was out on assignment. 

Aram and Elise were my suspects. Considering the first basic, Aram fits this as well. Add on the additional theory points I made about Stone. Whoever hired her did so while protecting Liz. 

Collateral Damage. Red had a worry for Liz while being attacked by Isabella Stone. She was considered collateral damage, and Red was actually concerned for her safety. Stone never once attempting to attack Liz, but there’s a moment after saving Justin, you can see Liz and Stone actually share a look at each other.

My theory: Stone was hired with one stipulation: she was not to touch Liz. Possible Stone was led to believe that Liz was one of Red’s victims rather than vulnerabilities. Either way, I believe whoever hired Stone protected Liz in that process.

Stone knows who hired her. That’s how she knows Red works for the task force. Why she said, “Unless I’m mistaken, Reddington is on your most-wanted list.” Why when Ressler told her, “It seems like we both want the same things” she responded with “I can assure you, we do not.” Also why she told Ressler, “Oh, I can help you. But I’m never gonna do that.”

3. Be able to link Stratos, Smoll, Justin, and Red’s courier.

My theory: This could’ve been done by anyone who has ever worked for Reddington and/or tracked him for any purpose, whether to arrest or kill. This could’ve also been done by the hacker who broke into the bank. With access to his accounts, previous wire tranfers could’ve been listed. I believe this to be another outside source.

My suspects were Tom, Ressler, Aram, and Elise. Aram fits this basic because of his hacking skills and possible he gained access to files that may be in another database. 

4. Hire The Apothecary.

My theory: This was done by someone who spent time on the dark web, since that’s how his clients contact him.

My suspects are Elise, Aram. Aram fits this basic after what I saw in The Djinn as well as in Arioch Cain. 

Aram surfing the dark net-

Aram: Right. At the early days of the web, a virtual fantasy world  was created online to connect people of all ages from around the world. The technology was quickly obsolete, but the site was never taken down. Today, it is a hidden oasis for freaks and weirdos. No digital signatures. Tor-encrypted on the dark web. It offers anonymity for new clients to contact The Djinn. Once you locate her avatar, The Djinn invites you into a private room, where you give her your name and bank account. That’s it. You sign off. The Djinn verifies your financial resources. If she likes what she sees, she contacts you directly to set a meeting.

5. Get to his flat to poison his scotch.

My theory: Though Leonard Caul, Liz, Dembe, and Red are the only ones to have been there, I believe anyone could have discovered his flat if they had the time to search through records. In the winter finale, Red wrote it down for Baz, but given information throughout this show, every single alias of Red’s was given to the task force upon his surrender in the pilot, and that flat is leased using one of his aliases. Bill Kershaw. An alias even Tom knows.

My suspects are Liz, possibly Tom, Leonard Caul. Considering Dembe’s trust in Aram, after he sent Aram to Dom’s house to contact Red, I could see this happening. 

Additional theory points.

1. I don’t feel it a coincidence that Red gets poisoned with venom from a red-headed krait, and it wasn’t long ago, Liz referred to Red as a snake in Cooper’s office. A means to get Kirk to “reach out.”

Liz: “I’ll do my job, but I am done cozying up to that snake.”

My theory: Odette never spoke of the snake reference to Kirk. With Odette dead and The Thrushes arrested, Elise, Cooper, and Liz are the only ones to know of it. 

My suspects are Cooper, Liz, Elise. Given my recent theory, I believe I can add Aram to this, since I believe he continues to have ears in Cooper’s office. I’ll just copy and paste that bit of theory here. 

Instance one.

4x1- Panabaker: Are you a traitor or– or just a moron?

4x9- Aram: So I’m either a traitor or a moron.

[He’s "the” traitor Red is looking for]

Instance two.

4x6- Liz: I’ll do my job, but I am done cozying up to that snake.

4x15- Aram: The lab did find one distinct element in the molecular structure of the drops taken from Robert Dahle’s apartment. A peptide unique to the venom of Bungarus flaviceps, also known as the red-headed krait. Incredibly rare.

Instance three.

4x13- Red: “The woman you’ll be looking for is quite literally a character assassin. Her objective is to utterly obliterate her target by any means necessary. Scandal, public humiliation, extortion, theft, murder. She’s ruthless and will go to any length to vanquish her victim with no regard for collateral damage.”

4x9- Cooper: “You don’t want to dwell on the past, then dwell on this– the loss of her badge was a stain on Elizabeth’s name and reputation, which you are ultimately responsible for. Your presence in her life has turned it into what it is today. You’ve brought her nothing but pain, grief, and regret, which you seem utterly oblivious to, and surprisingly powerless to rectify.”

3. The task force should know already that Red took a seat with Laurel. This, by the order of events starting with The Lindquist Concern. Samar handed the data file flash drive to Cooper. This contained the list of inventors/inventions. Cooper handed it straight to Laurel. Laurel is the one who handed Red the file on Sonia Bloom, who the task force then helped track down for him by bringing in The Coroner.

My theory: Anyone who takes issue with Laurel/The Cabal now takes issue with Red. If on the right side of the law, would consider his alignment with her as a fresh act of betrayal against the U.S.

My suspects are The task force, Leonard Caul. Aram fits this basic, all things considered. He’s the one who saved Liz by performing CPR when she collapsed in the box. The one who Red took to that open grave and gave that speech to. The fundamental elements in our lives. 

5. The purposeful set-up of Dembe if it isn’t Dembe who actually poisoned Red.

My theory: Done either to further alienate Red, to attack Dembe all the same, or both.

Looking at Aram and his love for magic. He actually spoke of it while standing next to Dembe, trying to high-five him. Again, Dembe having sent Aram to Dom’s to speak to Red, I could see this. And let’s not forget, Ressler doesn’t like magicians. Or bikes. 

6. Method of their attempt to kill being poison. The Deer Hunter. 

Red: This brute they call The Deer Hunter isn’t a buck at all, but instead a delicate doe. Liz: A woman? I disagree with you. Red: Okay. But your killer attacks from a distance, indicating the predator’s smaller, perhaps unable to overpower their prey. Men tend to kill in close proximity – strangulation, blunt instrument, a knife. By contrast, women tend to favor weapons that can be used from further away – poison, a gun, a crossbow. Liz: Richard Kuklinski was 6’5″, 300 pounds, and one of his favorite weapons of choice was cyanide. Red: Yes, but male serial killers are predominantly, overwhelmingly sexually sadistic. In this case, there is not the slightest indication of a sexual motive.

Aram is your distance killer. He’s the one who fears both Red and Dembe. Ressler does not. 

7. Add in his stopping Ressler from disarming a bomb just to apologize to Samar for calling her a bitch. His relationships with women, spoken about with Panabaker after Elise’s hack attack. Also add in the religious aspect of the winter finale and his fruit basket. The feast of first fruits. His hacking into Ressler’s laptop to change his report to get Samar her job back. His shared love for Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Macbeth.

To sum this up for now... I spoke of this being someone able to move around without suspicion. This would be Aram, since he’s the most trusted. He’s the one everyone turns to. Liz and the fulcrum. Red tracing Caul’s phone call. Liz having Aram track down Carla. Helping Red to search for Zoe. Cooper sleeping in his office. Red turning to Aram in order to find out who paid Stone. Despite his inability to keep a secret, they still trust Aram. “Let’s keep this between you and me.” He’s innocence. Be wary of the shy, silent type. Especially if he overhears you being blamed for everything, and the people he cares about are involved. Like Liz faking her death to get away from him. Even more, be careful of the master hacker. And as Red has been doing, but teaching every member of that task force his own tricks. 

“Oh, that is so cool. Sleight of hand. I love magic.”

As I’ve said, I’ll edit to add as I find more. 

[olympus-summit]

This Man Is Way Past His Limit | Nemesis | Re: Trial End, Post-Trial Start, Doctor, Mitsu, Shinobu

The arrogance. The absolute fucking gall. It's unreal. Nemesis is trying his best not to choke on his rage, there are too many important matters to consider, but it's not easy. 

"You... don't... get... to pass judgment... on us." Nemesis grinds the words out slowly through clenched teeth, so angry he can scarcely focus. "You still don't realize. You don't get it. We didn't 'turn on each other for the smallest things', we got into arguments over literally traumatizing and potentially life or death situations. Clones of us have been made to serve on Summits for a hundred goddamn years apparently, and given how surprised you all were whenever any of us got angry at each other, that 'vitriol' isn't something that happened before. It's something that happened because you pushed us to the breaking point. You are not good people. You don't get to do all the shit the six of you have done and still be a good person. You do not have the high ground, you do not have any ground. Even if, even if this really was the only way to break the code, it doesn't justify you doing it. And it's not. It's literally not. You went too far. You've admitted it yourselves, but I don't think you really comprehend what that means. You don't get it. Maybe because you're actually that ignorant, or maybe you're in denial, maybe you refuse to get it."

Trying to give himself a chance to process more, Nem pulls out his iRis and starts going through the newly available options as he talks.

[CW: Mentions of Objectification/Dehumanization]

"You had options. You had choices. Not just for whether or not to torture us, but for how, and how long, and - god, you had so many fucking choices. You have tactile virtual reality technology, you have a machine that can simulate executions realistically enough to make people think they actually died, you could have run us through simulations until we broke, but let me guess - you didn't think of that. You thought of making executions in the first place but not just using the simulator by itself. It didn't even occur to you. And you think that's an excuse. You didn't give it a chance to occur to you. You weren't on a strict fucking deadline, we know that, because you've been doing this shit for two goddamn months. Two months! That's two months you had to think of something else, or change what you were doing, or just fucking stop! And you didn't! You didn't even stop now! Mina made you! She made you fucking stop, or else who even fucking knows how much longer you would've gone on torturing us! You are monsters. You made people. You made people. Without thinking about the consequences for them, you made people and then you treated them like tools, and you didn't even bother to think about what you'd do with them when you were done using them. You have no idea how to take responsibility for your actions other than by trying to die, which isn't taking responsibility, it's just running away and leaving a mess for the rest of us."

These people are nightmares. No remorse. No fucking remorse, they couldn't even bother to fake it in front of their victims. 'Sorry not sorry for going hogwild while torturing you, we recognize that it was unnecessary to go as far as we did now but also we still feel like it was the right choice.' The Fates had been complicit in the routine murder of cloned councilors for a century. Menai knew what it was like to be objectified, the horror and injustice of it, and she had still aligned herself with a group that had done just that to the hostages they made. For god's sake, Elliott had romantically pursued one of his victims. It doesn't matter if Leland forgives him, that doesn't change how the relationship had started. Elliott had lied to him, tortured him, and while doing this also decided to flirt with and date him. Honestly, who fucking does that? That's gross. Nothing in his fucked up plan required him to do any of that. 

[END CW]

"Elliott, you're not releasing shit. Just because no one felt like stabbing you to death doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want. You are no longer in control, you do not get to make any more decisions, you do not have the right to decide anything for us, including what gets broadcast and when. What we release to the public is apparently on the huge goddamn list of things we all need to discuss and decide as a group, though I will say again that I do think that's something that should come after we decide how to deal with Titan. God. Just. You know what? Can they leave? Can we get all of them out of the goddamn room as soon as possible?"

Deep breaths. Nemesis' grip on his temper isn't especially rigid, but believe it or not he's still keeping it mostly reeled in. 

"Even setting aside the fact we're gonna end up getting distracted and talking in circles again any time one of them decides to speak up, I don't know about the rest of you, but I really do not think it's unreasonable at all for me to ask to not have to spend this entire discussion period in the presence of the people who've been torturing me for the last two months so, seriously, get them out. We can always call them up later if we need to know anything, but frankly I'd rather have Mina and KIT here and the actual people responsible for this shit just - not. Shinobu's got a good idea, the Tunnel is definitely an option, though I think putting them under 'house arrest' in their rooms could work, too. The locks on the Hestian Housing doors are automated, so I can probably figure out a way to program them not to open from the inside. The sisters can share one room, Menai and Monty or Charon or whatever the fuck his name is, the clown in the sunglasses, are already sharing one, and that would mean we'd only have to put Elliott in the actual Jail on the Witching Hour floor. Admittedly this is a short term solution, but we can work out a long term one after we deal with Titan and don't have to worry about getting murdered the second any of us steps off this goddamn airship."

"Speaking of which, Mitsu, I honestly, genuinely agree with you, I absolutely hate this place at this point and would love to blow it out of the sky, but unfortunately we're still gonna need it for a while. Shinobu's right about that too, we're not safe off of it yet, and there's a lot of tech here that could help people if it hasn't already been widely produced. Though there's also a lot that could hurt and we should be real careful not to let any of that shit get out."

And finally,

"Medica, I really cannot stress enough that there is zero chance of any plan that can guarantee no civilians will be harmed. We can certainly try to plan around that, and figuring out what our targets are and how to attack them is a good first step, but we can't control every variable, and we absolutely can't do nothing. Or at least I'm certainly not going to. I've already suggested the rough outline of a plan that ideally would minimize any deaths, but one way or another we're going to have to take a risk."

"Anyway... I think the obvious first step is to select the Full Council Override, so I'll be doing that now, feel free to join me whenever." Nemesis taps at his iRis again.

"Next order of business is deciding exactly how to handle Titan - can we get like, a show of hands or something as to who actually wants to work on a plan to dismantle them? Once we've made some progress there, the other things we should probably prioritize are the housing situation, assembling a group of anyone interested in learning how to operate the Forge and the other tech on board from Mina, and deciding when to bring the people in the engine room out of stasis. Does anyone not want to be involved with that last part? I doubt having to explain things to them is going to be a fun time, but what the Doctor and Mitsu have said is true. They're people and they should be allowed to decide what to do with their own lives, once they've been fully informed. So, those are the basics. I would personally suggest that once we cover all of that, and the transfer of power back to the Council is finalized, we see about gathering more information. We need to know more about the state of the world and about Titan itself before we can make more long term decisions, so we should probably reconvene again after looking into it. Any other suggestions?"

[tsultrimpawo]

“Ahmaud Arbery is chased by civilians and murdered in the street. No one is charged or arrested for months because the murderers have friends in key places in the justice system. Breonna Taylor is shot multiple times by police officers who barge into a home looking for someone else who is being detained elsewhere. Christian Cooper is a birder who asks a fellow civilian to leash her dog. Instead of complying she tells Christian “I’m going to call the police and tell them you are threatening me” which is exactly what she does. She expertly modulates her voice to sound hysterical, as if she is under a rising threat, when in fact Christian hasn’t moved. A store owner was suspicious of George Floyd, believing he had forged a check. Police met him with force, literally crushing the life out of him. Protestors are risking their health during a global pandemic, and are being met with tear gas, action that was noticeably absent from armed white protestors in front of state houses a matter of days ago.

And even though we have all lived through the emotions and writings and videos and artwork accompanying all of these incidents, I’m sure we will find that morning brings with it a debate- “but why are the protestors looting?” And if you are tempted to do the same, I want you to go back to the first paragraph and read it again. And again. And again. I need you to remember Trayvon and Michael and Tamir. I need you to remember Sandra and Walter and Eric. I need to realize that the world is always on fire for us. Always.

And then I need you to ask some critical questions.

-Why would we put equal (or greater) emphasis on looting than an officer murdering a person?

-Why is this country so clear that looting is wrong, but is unclear about what should happen to a police officer who takes a persons life?

-Who do the police protect? Who do they serve? Not theoretically, but actually. Why did Amy Cooper honestly believe she could call the cops in hysterics on Christian Cooper?

-What happens when the police take a life? What should happen?

-Why is it possible for police to stay calm when white people are armed, screaming, threatening but treat diverse protestors as dangerous?

-How would our justice system have to change so that police murders are rare and looting therefore virtually non-existent?

I hope my point here is being made. It is not enough to divorce oneself from all of America when discussing looting. To do so is to avoid asking particular questions about America’s system of policing.

Perhaps you wouldn’t do it. And that’s swell. Perhaps you don’t condone it, and that’s fine. But please don’t be moved off topic. When someone asks, “but don’t you think looting is wrong” I hope you will respond, “I think the police murdering George Floyd is wrong, and since that is far worse than looting, I’ll be seeking accountability for that.”

Sit with these questions. Ask yourself whether or not this system, this way of being is okay with you. Move beyond the hashtags and allow what’s happening to transform the way you think about justice, policing, harm, violence.

Ask the critical questions. Find thoughtful answers. Work for the world you want.”

— Austin Channing Brown

[ramrodd]

Why the Gospels Are Myth: The Evidence of Genre and Content

COMMENTARY:

Dee Bunker 

 >>>>> I've proven that your bible contains proven forgeries, and that the majority of bible scholars say that the New Testament contains forgeries and fraud. <<<<< 

 You haven't proven much of anything except for a less than cursory survey of the narrative. 

 >>>>>Where is your evidence for this 'zombie apocalypse'?!!  What contemporary Greek historian backs up this story?  Why doesn't any other gospel writer mention this?  Why doesn't Paul mention it?<<<<< 

 For example, there is nothing in Mark, John and Luke about anything that happened after Pilate ceded custody of Jesus' body to Joseph of Arimamethea involving the Romans that Matthew describes. Why is that? Matthew wasn't witness to most of what happened between Jesus' arrest and His eventual reappearance after His resurrection either in Galilee or the upper room of Mary of Jerusalem.  He gets virtually all this detail from Peter after his, Peter's, encounter with Cornelius and it probably owes more to the oral tradition associated with what we call "The Gospel of Peter" and elements from what we now infer to be the Q Source. 

I suspect that your 'zombie apocaplyse' was the product of whatever it was that frightened Mary Magdelene and caused her to flee at the end of Mark. She got to the tomb just at dawn and it is likely that the garden was still in shadows and, as she was talking to the young man, the Roman soldiers, who had fainted with fear when the resurrection began began to wake up and suddenly stand up in these shadows as if they had risen from the graves and she carried the impression back to the safe house where Peter and some of the other disciples were sheltering.   

Now, assuming that the saints did, in fact, rise from the graves, the fact that Matthew recorded it, and the other events, reflects exactly why Matthew was written in the first place, which is as something of a polemic supporting the theological position of the Jerusalem "Judaizers" who held the position that Gentiles had to be circumsized and become Israeli before they could be baptized as Christian and Paul understood that Israel had had 1500 years to accomplish God's intent to expose the world to the epistemology of the Hebrew narrative and their methods had failed, which is one reason why Jesus issued the Great Commission,  

The Gospel of Matthew supported the counter-argument to Paul's ministry to the Gentiles, which was the source of the dramatic tension of Galatians.  To no small degree, The Gospel of Luke is written to correct Matthew's focus on Judaism as the exclusive franchise for Yaweh to reflect Paul's inclusive construct that Jesus was clearly moving towards. As far as Greek or other contemporary commentators jumping on this story, or why the Jews don't mention the events Matthew includes with the Roman Guards and the resurrection, the Jews, had a vested interest in suppressing the events (which is why Matthew writes about them) and the only two groups who were interested in this strange event in Palestine involving a Jewish insurgent were the people around Jesus and the Roman soldiers, including Pilate, who were part of the Roman quick reaction force at the Praetorium, which is why they, the Roman military, sent intelligence up the chain of command to Tiberius and why, when Peter arrives at Cornelius's household, Cornelius is able to write a much fuller portrait of the Jesus insurgence as contained in the Gospel of Mark.   

 >>>>Go ahead!  Go cast a mountain into the sea with your Jesus magic!<<<<<

This is Santa Claus magical thinking. I lack the faith and confess my unbelief, but it is simply not a significant element of Christianity.  It is a juvenile response that denies the essential humanism of Christianity.  As I say, Jesus is the first secular humanist and if we would worry as much about making sure the Trump budget continues Meals on Wheels and school lunches as whether our faith will lead to ego-boosting stunts like doing wind sprints across the Reflecting Pool and tossing Everest into the South China Sea, it would serve humanity in ways aligned with the economics of Jesus far better.   

 >>>>Even Jesus' prayers didn't work! <<<<< 

What, exactly, didn't work?  It's 2000 years later and you are failing miserably at convincing anyone but yourself that Jesus doesn't validate the God Hypothesis.  Knowing God isn't a formula for Group Think: to the contrary. Sit around with five literate anti-thesis and read any extended, but complete, pericope and share your understanding of its essential significance by any measure and the chances are, your first impressions will be all over the map. Scripture, generally, and the Gospels, in particular, produce divers response depending on the psyche of each person reading the passage.  It's literature, not some latter-day historical deconstruction.   

>>>>>These claims in your bible are provably false<<<<< 

 So far you have failed to prove any claims in the Bible are false, beyond the fact prayer probably not has proven to be an effectice male enhancement process in your case, which is what you seem to require of God. Admittedly, it doesn't represent much of a demand on the power of prayer, but it tends to fall into the category of using the Lord's name for satisfying one's personal vanity.   

 Now, there are a couple of things for you to chew upon, The Darkness that came over Golgatha from the 6th to the 9th hours was gathered around by the Spirit of God, an aspect of The One who is introduced in Genesis 1:2 and continues to be in this world. For a long time, I thought the Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit were the same thing: I was given a number of demonstrations of the relationship between weather systems and the Spirit of God during the 70s (the most recent being last Friday, when the Holy Spirit assurred me he wanted me to pursue this subject as it is associated with 

 Visualize Whirled Peas 

 and the Weather Channel).  

You claim you want to be able to toss Everest into the South China Sea, but the more practical, and constructive, application of the Spirit of God is to optimize global weather patterns.  Humanity has gained a meta-position in regards to global weather dynamics and the internet that allows this,  But, in terms of the darkness that fell over Jerusalem during Jesus' final hours, it was caused by the Spirit of God, which is a blood thirsty aspect of The One: it was the Spirit of God that went hunting to kill Moses when Moses failed to circumcise his boy on time and Zipporah saved his life by circumcising the boy, splashing the blood on Moses ankles and proclaiming him "A Bridegroom of Blood", which satisfied the Spirit of God.. The Spirit of God created the great thunderstorm on the day after PIckett's Charge at Gettysburg, when the Confederates began their long retreat across the Potomac. Jesus apparently uses the Spirit of God in many of his healing miracles: it's not the Holy Spirit. It's pure energy. And the Spirit of God appears throughout the scriptures at various times. 

The importance is, it is still around and I think it will prove useful in colonizing planets by creating a viable ecology for human habitation. I don't have any idea how that will work, but, conceivably, a dab of the Spirit of God could be established on Mars and, in the fullness of time, an earth-ecology would obtain.   But here's another thing from the Gospel of Matthew: I doubt if the squequence of events fell out in the order Matthew records it. In particular, Mark doesn't mention an earthquake when Mary Magdelene arrives at the tomb, but that the stone had been already rolled away.  

The reason why the Roman guards are not mentioned in the other Gospels is because theses Gospels went up the chain of command to Rome and the record Matthew provides has the guards falling asleep and losing the body, both of which are capital derelections of duty.  Mark et al was covering their ass, 

 And I think that the timing of the events in Matthew are clarified by the Gospel of Peter, in particular, the "earthquake: in Matthew is the "loud voice" in Peter 35 and all the Romans fainted with fear, with everything that transpired after that being a shared vision, the Jesus hitting His head on the clouds and the talking cross and all, And the Romans remained unconscious until the rising of the sun woke them up and startled  Mary Magdalene at the tomb and caused her to retreat fearfully.   

 Now, the earthquake is far more interesting. As you know, "thunder" is caused by the atmosphere crashing back into the vacuum a bolt of lightening creates.  The evidence is that this particular earthquake occurred when the event horizon that produced the negative image on the Shroud of Turin collapsed,  The data associated with this sigularity will create the mathematics and physics leading to the engineering for a star gate which will make inter-galatic space travel practical, or even, intra-solar system travel to Mars.  This will fulfill the destiny of Mankind expressed by Genesis 15:5 and the means for capturing this data anticipated in Genesis 28:12, Jacob's Ladder. 

As It turns out, the Shroud of Turin is a parable of the progressive nature of the epistemology of the Bible, given where it began and where it can lead Mankind,   Jesus was the first Trekkie. 

 >>>>>These claims in your bible are provably false.  Your bible is a book of fairy tales that contains forgeries and fraud--which you're well aware of.<<<<< 

The claims of the Bible have led to the internet, Your claims of fraud lead nowhere.. You and the other anti-theists are the only people I am aware of engaged in lying to yourselves in this regards. 

[melindarowens]

2017: Right Splits over Civil Disobedience, Left Splits over Political Violence

This week’s biggest political controversies exposed fault lines within the country’s major political factions, with the right fighting about civil disobedience while the left fought over the attempted murder of a Republican Congressman.

Shakespeare in the Park

On Friday night, two conservatives disrupted a New York performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that escalates the left’s campaign of imagery designed to cathartically depict the death or murder of President Donald Trump. TheRebel.tv’s Laura Loomer was arrested for running onstage during the Shakespeare in the Park production, while activist Jack Posobiec taped her demonstration and shouted at the crowd: “The blood of Steve Scalise is on your hands!”

“Old Right”

Several authors at anti-Trump conservative publications condemned Loomer and Posobiec, arguing that the two infringed on the free speech of Shakespeare in the Park and their tactics were too close to the Occupy of Black Lives Matter movement.

Pro-Trump conservatives labeled this faction the “old right,” stating that there is no moral equivalence between this disruption and the violence of left-wing protesters in dozens of recent incidents.

The old right losers who are upset about what Laura did don’t realize that unlike them, we fight – and that’s why our guy won. #FreeLaura

— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) June 17, 2017

Which is appropriate

She broke the law.

To fight an injustice

Just like #RosaParks https://t.co/VubPBkRbuH

— Google “CNN,175,Sue” (@NolteNC) June 17, 2017

They’re literally shooting at us and you want to play Marquis of Queensbury.

Cowardice.

Fight the enemy or fuck you.

— Google “CNN,175,Sue” (@NolteNC) June 17, 2017

Oh yeah, leftist students threatening conservatives with violence is the exact same as a 1 minute interruption of Shakespeare in the Park https://t.co/5oMTc5YIV0

— Scott Greer (@ScottMGreer) June 17, 2017

This is the mentality that has sat, patted itself on the back, and watched for decades as America has gone further and further Left https://t.co/pcEf3YbZ2C

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) June 17, 2017

We went to one play and accomplished more for the message than the millions donated to think tanks and handed to K Street. Let that sink in

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) June 17, 2017

Schlichter vs. Podhoretz

One archetypical exchange in the aftermath of the Julius Caesar demonstration saw Tablet editor and “Never Trump”-er John Podhoretz facing off with lawyer and author Kurt Schlichter.

I’d say I just learned tonight you’re a drooling, immoral, melodramatic idiot, but alas, I learned that long ago. https://t.co/2WuZPvp0Ux

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 17, 2017

you want affirmative action for being a moron because you wore our country’s uniform? Happy to oblige.

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 17, 2017

Cernovich vs. Shapiro

Even more heated was the war of words between independent author and White House reporter Mike Cernovich, responding to criticism from former Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large and “Never Trump”-er Ben Shapiro.

This obnoxious stupid snowflake crap is no better than the protesters who try to block college speeches. https://t.co/mDyOL6fO7J

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 17, 2017

He doesn’t matter. None of those guys matter anymore. They don’t break news or make news. Controlled opposition for media to abuse. https://t.co/NXMhrqtt2m

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 17, 2017

This is total, complete horse crap. She invaded a public performance to obstruct it. She has no right to the stage. https://t.co/YgcpKQrvPf

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 17, 2017

This is what a coward looks like. #FreeLaura https://t.co/EyiGZnR1a3

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 17, 2017

After trading a few intense personal insults, both men reiterated their arguments — but no longer directly to each other.

They took stage for 1 minute.

The left pulls fire alarms, uses pepper spray, hits people with bike locks.

It’s not even close.

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 17, 2017

Use free speech in ways that irritate the left. Do not impede other people’s freedom of speech. This is not difficult.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 18, 2017

At the same time, the left was infighting over a much more high-stakes topic: targeted political violence.

Steve Scalise

On Wednesday, a 66-year-old Illinois man opened fire on Republican lawmakers practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game, wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and putting him in critical condition through the weekend. The attacker — James Hodgkinson, who was killed by police returning fire — also shot Two Capitol Police officers, a congressional staffer, and a lobbyist. The Daily Caller has reported that investigators found a list of GOP lawmakers’ names on Hodgkinson’s body.

Instead of universal condemnation, Hodgkinson’s attack has brought about a tone-policing feud between the establishment left and the social justice left.

Impulse Control

Over the weekend, several Verified progressives of varying prominence — an L.A. Times blogger, the creator of #OscarsSoWhite, a rapper with 250 YouTube subscribers, an Uproxx editor, and TV actor George Takei — argued that sympathy for Rep. Scalise should not outweigh his sinful acts as a lawmaker. In most cases, more traditional liberals scolded their more radical peers for generating bad optics.

When will it be time to move Scalise’s opposition to gun control from the last graf of a story to the first? https://t.co/D3ZkHjFr2w

— Michael Hiltzik (@hiltzikm) June 18, 2017

You can despise Scalise’s politics and also despise the fact someone thought gun violence would somehow change his or anyone’s mind.

— John Haltiwanger (@jchaltiwanger) June 16, 2017

Wounded Congressman Scalise, who the GOP are so sad about, voted TWICE to not recognize the #MLK holiday. https://t.co/LKhFbJtIn9

— Iskandrah (@iskandrah) June 18, 2017

I ask you simply to look at Rep. Scalise’s record. Do you have sympathy for other white supremacists?

— Iskandrah (@iskandrah) June 15, 2017

Was Scalise a “human” when he voted against Marriage Equality and spoke at a white supremacy function? Or do only Dems need to be “human?” https://t.co/5lzMbfnKk0

— April (@ReignOfApril) June 16, 2017

and don’t tell me the man has a family and allat shit, because so do folk with their premiums traveling on a rocket to Mars

— SUPER SIZE (@GrandeMarshall) June 14, 2017

Made the mistake of looking up Steve Scalise voting record on women and LGBT rights. Time to break out Milkshake Duck.

— Donna Dickens (@MildlyAmused) June 14, 2017

I don’t have any tolerance for caveats on condemning political violence right now. You’re opening the door a crack. It needs to stay shut.

— jessicashortall (@jessicashortall) June 16, 2017

Cool – I guess enough time has passed since Scalise got shot that we can go back to attacking him as a homophobic bigot. Stay classy, Sulu. https://t.co/Pjkiai4yIN

— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) June 17, 2017

Why do we have to list Philando’s accolades? How come the headlines aren’t, “Steve Scalise, a bigot who is trying to kill you, got shot”?

— Brandi Geography B. (@ItsTheBrandi) June 17, 2017

Josh Barro, an editor at Business Insider, wrote a thread on how the dehumanization of the left’s political opponents is “bad for society.” Dozens of progressives rebuked Barro in the responses, calling him misguided, “insincere,” and “white boy.”

This feels like the wrong week to do an analysis of whether Steve Scalise is a good congressman.

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) June 18, 2017

On the other side of the argument, New Jersey Democratic strategist James Devine urged progressives to “hunt Republican Congressmen.”

Scarborough vs. Reid

On Saturday, MSNBC host Joy Reid called the situation “delicate” because, while “everybody is wishing the congressman well and hoping that he recovers” from an apparent assassination attempt, Reid lamented that “Scalise has a history that we’ve all been forced to sort of ignore on race.”

Joe Scarborough, one of Reid’s colleagues, appeared to attack this segment — without naming his target. CNN anchor Jake Tapper co-signed the condemnation.

Rep. #Scalise was shot by a white man with a violent background, and saved by a black lesbian police officer, and yet… #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/Qm96T90c6Y

— AM Joy w/Joy Reid (@amjoyshow) June 17, 2017

If you are attacking Steve Scalise’s voting record right now, do yourself a favor and just stop now. I can’t even believe what I’m seeing.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) June 17, 2017

Who would even think for one second that it is appropriate to attack a man who is fighting for his life after an assassination attempt?

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) June 17, 2017

Agreed. Unfathomable. https://t.co/nh4BbDH4OM

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 17, 2017

Pelosi vs. Pelosi

Septuagenarian Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s conflicting reactions to the Scalise shooting provided the clearest example of progressive id vs. progressive super-ego.

On the day of the shooting, she said — in direct contradiction to virtually every other statement she has made about President Trump and Republicans — that she prayed for unity in the wake of the attack.

On days like today, there are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans united in our thoughts for the wounded. https://t.co/HcsiRCcFiP

— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) June 14, 2017

Yet the very next day, in a seemingly unscripted moment, she returned to her default position of partisan blame:

Somewhere in the 1990s, Republicans decided on the politics of personal destruction as they went after the Clintons and that is the provenance of it and is what has continued. Again, I feel as if we’re having a family moment that is very, very serious and we’re talking about things that we can say, the discussion—save the discussion for another day. When you have a president that says, “I can shoot somebody on 5th Avenue and nobody would care,” when you have people saying, “beat them up and I’ll pay their legal fees,” when you have all the assaults that are made on Hillary Clinton, for them to be so sanctimonious is something.

The New Political Landscape

Two parties — Republicans and Democrats — still essentially rule American politics, but their constituencies are becoming more tribal and divided, even against their electoral allies. Trump voters hate Republican lawmakers, such as Sens. John McCain and Ben Sasse, for publicly attacking the president and his agenda during and after the 2016 election. Democrats are still picking up the pieces from a contentious DNC leadership race, where establishment-friendly Obama ally Evan Perez narrowly defeated far-left Rep. Keith Ellison.

These same divisions play out in cultural institutions, such as the social justice warriors purging classical liberal professor Bret Weinstein from the Evergreen State College campus or Fox News’ internal fight over the future of its programming style.

The arguments taking place now are over what are appropriate means to victory over the other side: for the right, whether to be polite or ruthless — and for the left, whether to be ruthless or violent.

Source link

source http://capitalisthq.com/2017-right-splits-over-civil-disobedience-left-splits-over-political-violence/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/06/2017-right-splits-over-civil.html

[everettwilkinson]

2017: Right Splits over Civil Disobedience, Left Splits over Political Violence

This week’s biggest political controversies exposed fault lines within the country’s major political factions, with the right fighting about civil disobedience while the left fought over the attempted murder of a Republican Congressman.

Shakespeare in the Park

On Friday night, two conservatives disrupted a New York performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that escalates the left’s campaign of imagery designed to cathartically depict the death or murder of President Donald Trump. TheRebel.tv’s Laura Loomer was arrested for running onstage during the Shakespeare in the Park production, while activist Jack Posobiec taped her demonstration and shouted at the crowd: “The blood of Steve Scalise is on your hands!”

“Old Right”

Several authors at anti-Trump conservative publications condemned Loomer and Posobiec, arguing that the two infringed on the free speech of Shakespeare in the Park and their tactics were too close to the Occupy of Black Lives Matter movement.

Pro-Trump conservatives labeled this faction the “old right,” stating that there is no moral equivalence between this disruption and the violence of left-wing protesters in dozens of recent incidents.

The old right losers who are upset about what Laura did don’t realize that unlike them, we fight – and that’s why our guy won. #FreeLaura

— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) June 17, 2017

Which is appropriate

She broke the law.

To fight an injustice

Just like #RosaParks https://t.co/VubPBkRbuH

— Google “CNN,175,Sue” (@NolteNC) June 17, 2017

They’re literally shooting at us and you want to play Marquis of Queensbury.

Cowardice.

Fight the enemy or fuck you.

— Google “CNN,175,Sue” (@NolteNC) June 17, 2017

Oh yeah, leftist students threatening conservatives with violence is the exact same as a 1 minute interruption of Shakespeare in the Park https://t.co/5oMTc5YIV0

— Scott Greer (@ScottMGreer) June 17, 2017

This is the mentality that has sat, patted itself on the back, and watched for decades as America has gone further and further Left https://t.co/pcEf3YbZ2C

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) June 17, 2017

We went to one play and accomplished more for the message than the millions donated to think tanks and handed to K Street. Let that sink in

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) June 17, 2017

Schlichter vs. Podhoretz

One archetypical exchange in the aftermath of the Julius Caesar demonstration saw Tablet editor and “Never Trump”-er John Podhoretz facing off with lawyer and author Kurt Schlichter.

I’d say I just learned tonight you’re a drooling, immoral, melodramatic idiot, but alas, I learned that long ago. https://t.co/2WuZPvp0Ux

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 17, 2017

you want affirmative action for being a moron because you wore our country’s uniform? Happy to oblige.

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 17, 2017

Cernovich vs. Shapiro

Even more heated was the war of words between independent author and White House reporter Mike Cernovich, responding to criticism from former Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large and “Never Trump”-er Ben Shapiro.

This obnoxious stupid snowflake crap is no better than the protesters who try to block college speeches. https://t.co/mDyOL6fO7J

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 17, 2017

He doesn’t matter. None of those guys matter anymore. They don’t break news or make news. Controlled opposition for media to abuse. https://t.co/NXMhrqtt2m

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 17, 2017

This is total, complete horse crap. She invaded a public performance to obstruct it. She has no right to the stage. https://t.co/YgcpKQrvPf

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 17, 2017

This is what a coward looks like. #FreeLaura https://t.co/EyiGZnR1a3

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 17, 2017

After trading a few intense personal insults, both men reiterated their arguments — but no longer directly to each other.

They took stage for 1 minute.

The left pulls fire alarms, uses pepper spray, hits people with bike locks.

It’s not even close.

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 17, 2017

Use free speech in ways that irritate the left. Do not impede other people’s freedom of speech. This is not difficult.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 18, 2017

At the same time, the left was infighting over a much more high-stakes topic: targeted political violence.

Steve Scalise

On Wednesday, a 66-year-old Illinois man opened fire on Republican lawmakers practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game, wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and putting him in critical condition through the weekend. The attacker — James Hodgkinson, who was killed by police returning fire — also shot Two Capitol Police officers, a congressional staffer, and a lobbyist. The Daily Caller has reported that investigators found a list of GOP lawmakers’ names on Hodgkinson’s body.

Instead of universal condemnation, Hodgkinson’s attack has brought about a tone-policing feud between the establishment left and the social justice left.

Impulse Control

Over the weekend, several Verified progressives of varying prominence — an L.A. Times blogger, the creator of #OscarsSoWhite, a rapper with 250 YouTube subscribers, an Uproxx editor, and TV actor George Takei — argued that sympathy for Rep. Scalise should not outweigh his sinful acts as a lawmaker. In most cases, more traditional liberals scolded their more radical peers for generating bad optics.

When will it be time to move Scalise’s opposition to gun control from the last graf of a story to the first? https://t.co/D3ZkHjFr2w

— Michael Hiltzik (@hiltzikm) June 18, 2017

You can despise Scalise’s politics and also despise the fact someone thought gun violence would somehow change his or anyone’s mind.

— John Haltiwanger (@jchaltiwanger) June 16, 2017

Wounded Congressman Scalise, who the GOP are so sad about, voted TWICE to not recognize the #MLK holiday. https://t.co/LKhFbJtIn9

— Iskandrah (@iskandrah) June 18, 2017

I ask you simply to look at Rep. Scalise’s record. Do you have sympathy for other white supremacists?

— Iskandrah (@iskandrah) June 15, 2017

Was Scalise a “human” when he voted against Marriage Equality and spoke at a white supremacy function? Or do only Dems need to be “human?” https://t.co/5lzMbfnKk0

— April (@ReignOfApril) June 16, 2017

and don’t tell me the man has a family and allat shit, because so do folk with their premiums traveling on a rocket to Mars

— SUPER SIZE (@GrandeMarshall) June 14, 2017

Made the mistake of looking up Steve Scalise voting record on women and LGBT rights. Time to break out Milkshake Duck.

— Donna Dickens (@MildlyAmused) June 14, 2017

I don’t have any tolerance for caveats on condemning political violence right now. You’re opening the door a crack. It needs to stay shut.

— jessicashortall (@jessicashortall) June 16, 2017

Cool – I guess enough time has passed since Scalise got shot that we can go back to attacking him as a homophobic bigot. Stay classy, Sulu. https://t.co/Pjkiai4yIN

— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) June 17, 2017

Why do we have to list Philando’s accolades? How come the headlines aren’t, “Steve Scalise, a bigot who is trying to kill you, got shot”?

— Brandi Geography B. (@ItsTheBrandi) June 17, 2017

Josh Barro, an editor at Business Insider, wrote a thread on how the dehumanization of the left’s political opponents is “bad for society.” Dozens of progressives rebuked Barro in the responses, calling him misguided, “insincere,” and “white boy.”

This feels like the wrong week to do an analysis of whether Steve Scalise is a good congressman.

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) June 18, 2017

On the other side of the argument, New Jersey Democratic strategist James Devine urged progressives to “hunt Republican Congressmen.”

Scarborough vs. Reid

On Saturday, MSNBC host Joy Reid called the situation “delicate” because, while “everybody is wishing the congressman well and hoping that he recovers” from an apparent assassination attempt, Reid lamented that “Scalise has a history that we’ve all been forced to sort of ignore on race.”

Joe Scarborough, one of Reid’s colleagues, appeared to attack this segment — without naming his target. CNN anchor Jake Tapper co-signed the condemnation.

Rep. #Scalise was shot by a white man with a violent background, and saved by a black lesbian police officer, and yet… #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/Qm96T90c6Y

— AM Joy w/Joy Reid (@amjoyshow) June 17, 2017

If you are attacking Steve Scalise’s voting record right now, do yourself a favor and just stop now. I can’t even believe what I’m seeing.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) June 17, 2017

Who would even think for one second that it is appropriate to attack a man who is fighting for his life after an assassination attempt?

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) June 17, 2017

Agreed. Unfathomable. https://t.co/nh4BbDH4OM

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 17, 2017

Pelosi vs. Pelosi

Septuagenarian Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s conflicting reactions to the Scalise shooting provided the clearest example of progressive id vs. progressive super-ego.

On the day of the shooting, she said — in direct contradiction to virtually every other statement she has made about President Trump and Republicans — that she prayed for unity in the wake of the attack.

On days like today, there are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans united in our thoughts for the wounded. https://t.co/HcsiRCcFiP

— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) June 14, 2017

Yet the very next day, in a seemingly unscripted moment, she returned to her default position of partisan blame:

Somewhere in the 1990s, Republicans decided on the politics of personal destruction as they went after the Clintons and that is the provenance of it and is what has continued. Again, I feel as if we’re having a family moment that is very, very serious and we’re talking about things that we can say, the discussion—save the discussion for another day. When you have a president that says, “I can shoot somebody on 5th Avenue and nobody would care,” when you have people saying, “beat them up and I’ll pay their legal fees,” when you have all the assaults that are made on Hillary Clinton, for them to be so sanctimonious is something.

The New Political Landscape

Two parties — Republicans and Democrats — still essentially rule American politics, but their constituencies are becoming more tribal and divided, even against their electoral allies. Trump voters hate Republican lawmakers, such as Sens. John McCain and Ben Sasse, for publicly attacking the president and his agenda during and after the 2016 election. Democrats are still picking up the pieces from a contentious DNC leadership race, where establishment-friendly Obama ally Evan Perez narrowly defeated far-left Rep. Keith Ellison.

These same divisions play out in cultural institutions, such as the social justice warriors purging classical liberal professor Bret Weinstein from the Evergreen State College campus or Fox News’ internal fight over the future of its programming style.

The arguments taking place now are over what are appropriate means to victory over the other side: for the right, whether to be polite or ruthless — and for the left, whether to be ruthless or violent.

Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com http://capitalisthq.com/2017-right-splits-over-civil-disobedience-left-splits-over-political-violence/