#oligarchs are ruining our lives

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

We are going to pay more for everything and hundreds of thousands will lose their jobs.

[corporationsarepeople]

In times like these, listen to the historians:

In the logic of destruction, there is no need to rebuild afterwards. In this chaos, the oligarchs will tell us that there is no choice but to have a strong man in charge. It can be a befuddled Trump signing ever larger pieces of paper for the cameras, or a conniving Vance who, unlike Trump, has always known the plot. Or someone else.

After we are all poor and isolated, the logic goes, we will be consoled by the thought that there is at least a human being to whom we can appeal. We will settle for a kind of anthropological minimum, wishful contact with the strong man. As in Russia, pathetic video selfies sent to the Leader will be the extent of politics.

For the men currently pillaging the federal government, the data from those video selfies is more important than the people who will make them. The new world they imagine is not just anti-American but anti-human. The people are just data, means to the end of accumulating wealth.

They see themselves as the servants of the freedom of the chosen few, but in fact they are possessed, like millennia of tyrants before them, of fantastic dreams: they will live forever, they will go to Mars. None of that will happen; they will die here on Earth, with the rest of us, their only legacy, if we let it happen, one of ruins. They are god-level brainrotted.

The attempt by the oligarchs to destroy our government is illegal, unconstitutional, and more than a little mad. The people in charge, though, are very intelligent politically, and have a plan. I describe it not because it must succeed but because it must be described so that we can make it fail. This will require clarity, and speed, and coalitions. I try to capture the mood in my little book On Tyranny. Here are a few ideas.

—

Please read the rest.

[thingstrumperssay]

I understand why Epstein would want a ton of different celebrities and politicians to be on one of his lists, but doesn't having Hawking on the list of people who used his planes kind of defeat the purpose of using his "lists" for blackmail?

Think about it- if he wanted to get some of the most powerful people in America blackmail material and used his plane flights to do so, having somebody who's dick didn't work would've probably made people wonder how many of the people on that list actually partook in the pedophilia and how many of them were just using his plane and were completely unaware of the pedophile sex ring.

I just thought of this while people are wondering why the details of Epstein's death weren't leaked even though MLK, JFK and RFK's details were.

Not that it really matters. The reasons for the three is to distract people away from the fact that oligarchs are ruining our lives in our damn face all in a matter of a few days. I just wanted to get this one quick thought out there that if and when more comes out about Epstein there will almost definitely be people on the flight logs that had nothing to do with the sex trafficking ring itself and to not be too surprised.

[3kockeleda]

America is Dead, Long live the Oligarchy!

Oh, I can already hear the chorus of outraged patriots clutching their flags and gasping for air, wondering how on earth I have the audacity to say it out loud. But let’s be honest here—America died a very public, very embarrassing death, and we all watched it happen. It was sentenced to death at 1 AM on November 5th, 2024, beheaded at noon on January 20th, 2025, and, in a spectacle fitting for the end of a grand empire, the victors danced around its lifeless corpse on January 21st, mocking it in perfect synchrony.

Now, before you start shaking your head at the “insanity” or “cynicism” of that statement, take a nice, long look around. Everything we once believed in—democracy, freedom, the pursuit of happiness—has been carted off to the highest bidder. Billionaires decided that profit was worth more than human life, and somehow, the rest of us naïve peasants stood around and let them do it. Isn’t that just adorable?

I’ll spare you the poetic eulogies and patriotic tears because, quite frankly, they’re wasted on a corpse that’s no longer even warm. The world we cared for, the world we tried to save for our children, has been neatly packaged and sold off to the oligarchs who’ve gleefully hung a “Welcome to our Empire” banner on the front door. We’re living in a reality where democracy is now a quaint idea you might reminisce about in your next social media post—assuming you haven’t already had your account banned for daring to be “disruptive.”

But don’t worry, it’s not just America that got the axe; the entire world’s on this same unsteady track. Everywhere you look, the crumbling veneer of “for the people” has chipped away, revealing the real puppet masters tugging at our strings. They exploit our hopes, our fears, our addictions—whatever it takes to keep us clicking, swiping, and spending, until we’re all too exhausted to care.

And the best part? When we finally figure out that the people no longer hold the power—that we’re essentially serfs in a digital feudal system—maybe then we’ll realize there’s no profit when there are no longer people. Imagine that: you spend all this time building an empire, only to discover your empire is worthless without the very consumers you’ve systematically drained of resources.

So here we are, rummaging through the ruins of a once-idealized nation, a once-idealized world, trying to piece together some shred of dignity. Frankly, it’s laughable—if it weren’t so tragic. Our leaders have effectively sold our future for pocket change, and we’re left with rigged systems and hollow speeches. It’s as though we’re the star attraction in an absurd play where the final act is a funeral dirge for the idea of freedom itself.

But please, don’t get sentimental. There’s no room for nostalgia when the victors are busy dancing on the corpse, flinging confetti made of shredded constitutions and worthless promises. They’re having a grand old time, and who can blame them? They got exactly what they wanted: unchecked power, obscene wealth, and a global stage to flaunt it on.

In a world that has been murdered for profit, I suppose the only solace we can take is that maybe, just maybe, when everything collapses, the oligarchs won’t have anyone left to exploit. But hey, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that day to come—these folks are terrifyingly resourceful when it comes to sustaining their blood-sucking empires.

So, rest in pieces, America. I’m sure the oligarchs will give you a lovely eulogy at your unceremonious funeral—if they can pause their celebratory jig long enough to deliver it. As for the rest of us? Well, we’ll be here, wondering what could have been, had we not welcomed the power-hungry elite with open arms. Maybe in the next world, we’ll do better. Or maybe we’ll just dance along, too. Who knows? After all, it’s much easier to join the mocking victors than to stand against them.

[theplumenthusiast]

How to: Impeach a Fascist President in America

Step 1: go to https://www.house.gov/

Step 2: scroll down a little, enter your zip code here

Step 3: enter your information

Step 4: copy the text below

Dear Rep. [NAME],

In light of the freezing of federal funds, attempt to end birthright citizenship, dismissal of inspectors general, the challenging of birthright citizenship, and more, there is no longer any excuse for delaying impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Trump is a convicted felon. He is not only clearly guilty of multiple acts to obstruct justice; he has repeatedly and arrogantly defied the right and duty of Congress. He is seeking to usurp power and institute a fascist-like and oligarchic regime.

Aside from what is exposed in the Mueller Report, Trump is a pathological liar and entangled in extreme corruption and depravity that are affronts to all decent Americans. He is a disgrace to our country—outrageously racist, xenophobic, and misogynist, and totally unfit to hold office.

Trump and the right-wing extremist forces behind him will only take failure to act against him as a sign of weakness and encourage their continued attacks on our living standards and democratic rights.

The American people urgently demand leadership to confront growing crises on many fronts. If Congress fails to act to impeach Trump, lives will be ruined and lost in beyond devastating numbers, they already have. 

Enough is enough! Please urge to begin impeachment proceedings now.

Sincerely,

Your constituent

Step 5: paste the text into the box, make edits where you see fit

Submit.

[talkingpointsusa]

Charlie Kirk tells British anti-immigrant extremist Tommy Robinson that he "loves his work" and gives him an uncritical platform to spread white nationalist disinformation

I mentioned to you guys that I might be doing a blog post on the recent anti-immigrant riots in the UK. Well, here we are. I didn't really want to do another Charlie Kirk post so soon after the last one but since islamophobia and right-wing extremism seem to be the theme of the week on the blog, given my most recent post on alt-right provocateur Laura Loomer, I figured that this interview that Charlie Kirk did on his August 8th show was something that I just couldn't ignore.

Charlie Kirk decided that in the wake of violent anti-immigrant riots in Britain it would be a great idea to provide an uncritical platform to one of the far-right extremists that led to the whole thing starting in the first place, Tommy Robinson. This booking is an absolutely shameful display on the part of Charlie Kirk and deserves to be held up for what it is: providing an extremist a platform to stoke a major scale crisis. I'll explain in greater detail as we go along but for now lets start the interview.

01:37:02, Charlie Kirk: "Joining us now is Tommy Robinson who can talk all about what's happening in the UK. Tommy, welcome to the program. Tommy, I've been following you for years, for whatever reason the oligarchs of western society tell me I'm supposed to hate you but I've followed you for years, I think you do great work, introduce yourself to our American audience."

I'm not an "oligarch" but I can tell you all about how much of a piece of shit Tommy Robinson is and how Charlie Kirk endorsing him is a damning indictment of everything that Kirk stands for.

Tommy Robinson, born Steven Yaxley-Lennon, is an anti-immigrant propagandist and pathological liar with a history of violence who's currently hiding out in Athens after he violated a court order that barred him from repeating false allegations against a teenage refugee named Jamal Hijazi. Robinson falsely claimed that Hijazi was assaulting girls at his school, he wasn't and this was a clear cut example of a teenager getting put on blast by a bigot to further a narrative. Hijazi sued Robinson for libel after he was assaulted outside of his school and the court barred Robinson from repeating the false allegations.

That didn't stop Robinson from screening his "documentary" Silenced in Trafalgar Square which repeated the lie about Mr Hijazi. The court ruled Tommy's behavior as an injunction because, well, it was. Before his hearing, Robinson fled to a five star resort in Cyprus like the lionhearted manly man that he is. However, Tommy did leave the resort after the press found his location leading to him recording a video in Athens where he whinged that journalists ruined his little holiday by revealing his location.

This guy has incited violence against innocent people and is currently inciting riots in the UK but heaven forbid that we infringe on his little vacation/attempt to flee from the consequences of his actions. Tommy's the real victim here, he claims. Just ignore the lives of the people in vulnerable communities that are being ruined by the violence that he incites against them.

Robinson also had a huge hand in the current anti-immigrant riots that we're currently seeing in Britain due to him spreading lies about the identity of the person who carried out the recent tragic stabbing in Southport. Initially the police concealed the identity of the stabber since he was seventeen years old, legally a minor in the United Kingdom, however that didn't stop Tommy from falsely claiming that the stabber was an "undocumented immigrant". This is false, the stabbers identity was later revealed to be Axel Rudakubana, who was born to Rwandan parents in Whales. Disinformation like this eventually led to violent anti-immigrant riots across the UK and that's where we are right now.

Tommy Robinson is a truly vile individual and if we got into all of the monstrous things that he's done we'd be here all day. Charlie endorsing him like this gives up the game about his own extreme belief system and he should be ashamed that he's giving Robinson a platform to spread this crap.

01:37:21, Tommy Robinson: "The names Tommy Robinson, I'm a journalist and author from the UK. I tell the stories that the government don't want you to see."

Those stories are false, that's why the "mainstream media" doesn't cover them. Because they actually fact-check what they're saying instead of just going "Muslim bad" and inciting violence against vulnerable communities.

Robinsons lies are well documented online for everyone to see and for him to get up here and claim that he's some kind of journalist is an insult to actual journalists. In case you can't tell, I really do not like this Tommy Robinson guy.

01:37:26, Tommy Robinson: "The problems with mass immigration, with open boarders, I'm from a town thirty miles north of London. When I was born there was one mosque, there's now forty five. I've seen the attack on freedom, I've seen the cultural change, right now in Great Britain we are fighting for our survival."

As you can see here, Tommy's rhetoric is steeped in white nationalist fear-mongering and paranoia against the Islamic community. His entire schtick is basically saying "Us whites are going to take back Britain" without saying that explicitly.

Also, there aren't forty-five mosques in Luton (where Tommy was born). Not even close. Luton has 25 mosques and 47 churches. In short, it's basically the opposite of what Tommy's saying but that doesn't really matter to Charlie and Tommy. For them, even one mosque is a sign of their culture being "attacked".

01:37:54, Tommy Robinson: "I face two years in prison for creating a film."

That contained a claim that you knew was defamatory but you repeated anyway yes. It’s pretty clear that Tommy aired that documentary because he knew that he would be violating his contempt order and now he gets to pretend that he’s the persecuted journalist on shows like Charlie Kirk and Alex Stein while he parades around luxury resorts in the Mediterranean.

Speaking of defamatory claims, here's Tommy trotting out a particularly disgusting one.

01:38:05, Tommy Robinson: "An entire generation of British daughters were raped at the hands of Muslim gangs. It was something the UK calls grooming, they give it a pretty name. I think in India they call it love jihad. In Holland they call it loverboys. What that is is groups of predominantly Pakistani Muslim men torturing, raping, and murdering young English girls."

The "grooming gangs" myth is something that's been pushed by British white nationalists to fearmonger about Islamic immigrants for ages. The problem of course is that it's a lie.

According to data from the Home Office of the UK, group based child sexual exploitation based on the limited data available is predominantly carried out by white offenders. Furthermore, according to the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse 89% of child sex offenders in the UK are white.

This exploitation of the very real problem of child sexual abuse to demonize minorities is a very common move in the white nationalist playbook and it's one of the most disgusting ones out there. Things like this not only dilute the response to real cases of sexual abuse by reducing it to a racial issue but also incite violence against innocent minorities by priming people to believe that they are inherently predisposed to sexually abusing minors.

01:38:27, Tommy Robinson: "Ninety percent of the convictions for assault crime in the UK are by Muslim men. 30 percent of the men convicted are named Muhammad."

The only source for those numbers that I could find was Tommy Robinson who pushes them a lot. In reality, Muslim men in the UK don't commit a lot of crime seeing as how the arrest rates for predominantly Muslim groups such as Arabs (who have an arrest rate of 4.8%) is actually quite low. The rate for hate crimes against Muslim's in the UK however is extremely high with 3,400 hate crimes against Muslim's being reported in 2022 and 2024, the highest of any religious group in the country with Jewish people coming in at second with 1,510 reported hate crimes. But yeah, Tommy's the one fighting for his life while cruising around five star resorts in Cyprus.

Tommy sucks as you probably figured out but lest we forget that Charlie Kirk also really really sucks.

01:40:53, Charlie Kirk: "Everything you said I have no disagreement, in fact I have total agreement with and the only difference between what I do and what you do is in my country my government can't put me in jail for making a movie."

Oh piss off Charlie.

As I've stated before and I will keep stating every time it gets brought up, Tommy wasn't charged with "making a movie", he was charged with defaming a teenager which led to the kid getting violently assaulted. Tommy knew exactly what he was doing when he aired that documentary in Trafalgar Square and now the right-wing media is embracing his narrative as gospel.

Nobody forced Tommy Robinson to make a film that repeated a defamatory claim about a teenager that he knew was a lie and yet he did and is now facing the consequences. I have zero sympathy for him whatsoever.

01:41:40, Tommy Robinson: "Charlie, the head of prosecution just came out today and they said they will prosecute and convict people who share footage of the riots if the footage they share may incite racial hatred."

Lying again. The prosecutor wasn't talking about "sharing footage of the riots", he was talking about messages and posts that incite racial violence. Obviously you can post videos from the riots as dozens of people have but when you start inciting dangerous racial violence that's when you might get charged.

In fact, Tommy's whole schtick is proof that this narrative is a lie if you're paying attention. Tommy only got charged when he intentionally defamed a teenager, his incitation otherwise has gone relatively unchecked. We're literally looking at him being interviewed on one of the largest right-wing media outlets in the country for heavens sake.

Charlie proceeds to build on Tommy's narratives and push his own form of white nationalism because these guys suck so hard.

01:42:42, Charlie Kirk: "So, I wanna get to this because I think it's very important. You talk about the mass Muhammad invasion of the United Kingdom and the lack of rebellion against that or response against that. Help me understand why that happened cause it's so obviously self-destructive, it's self-evidently suicidal."

"The mass Muhammed invasion". When I said in my last post that there's very little separating alt-right figures like Laura Loomer and more mainstream figures like Charlie Kirk in terms of rhetoric these days I wasn't joking. This is a prime example of that. That quote wouldn't be out of place on Laura Loomer, Stew Peters, or Alex Jones and it's pretty disturbing to watch.

01:43:20, Tommy Robinson: "It effects us, the working class and the UK is a very classist country."

Nothing helps solve classism quite like going on a conservative radio show. Tommy's so working class that he can afford to hobnob around the Mediterranean in luxury resorts and live in a million pound home, give me a break.

01:43:32, Tommy Robinson: "It's our towns and our communities that were effected where all these migrants were brought in. And they were brought in originally by the labor party which is democrat party to rub the rights nose in and basically to replace the working with lower voters because the working class decided to vote conservative."

And there it is, the great replacement theory. By the way, in the UK the population is 82% white so this "replacement" is truly something that only exists inside Tommy's bigoted little imagination.

So, these two tools go to radio break and then complain about Muslim "no go zones" which have been debunked so many times that I'm shocked that they can mention them with a straight face. Whatever, it's just more dumb crap that's derivative of the same rhetoric that they've been pushing throughout the interview.

Conclusion:

I cannot stress enough how dangerous and disgusting this is. Considering that Tommy's rhetoric literally started riots in the UK, you'd think that Charlie and the right-wing media ecosystem would be just a *smidge* more careful about booking him so that he can continue to pour fuel on the fire and incite further violence.

These riots in the UK have exposed how key anti-immigrant bigotry and the white nationalist great replacement theory are to the right-wing media machine in the United States. Instead of pausing and thinking "Hey wait a minute, maybe our rhetoric may be causing real world violence and we should cut it out before somebody gets hurt" the right-wing media has broadly responded by doubling down like they always do. It is the responsibility of progressives everywhere to push back against this dangerous rhetoric in whatever way we can before another teenager gets assaulted or the hate crime number increases to 4,000 because the Tommy Robinson's and Charlie Kirk's of the world will not stop and people in the real world are getting hurt in the process.

Cheers and I'll see you in the next one.

Original Video:

“Reagan” + the Truth about Britain + AMA | Dennis Quaid, Whatley, Robinson | 8.8.24.” Rumble, 8 Aug. 2024.

Sources Cited:

“Tommy Robinson Moans Luxury Cyprus Holiday Ruined after Stoking Riots from Abroad.” The Independent, 9 Aug. 2024.

Specia, Megan. “How Disinformation Fed a Far-Right Riot after a Deadly Stabbing in England.” The New York Times, 31 July 2024.

Waterson, Jim. “Braverman’s Claim about Ethnicity of Grooming Gangs Was False, Regulator Rules.” The Guardian, 28 Sept. 2023.

Karsna, Kairika. Child Sexual Abuse in 2020/21: Trends in Official Data. 2022.

“Repost Hateful Messages about Disorder Online and You Could End up in Court.”” The Independent, 7 Aug. 2024

GOV.UK. “Ethnicity Facts and Figures.” Www.ethnicity-Facts-Figures.service.gov.uk, 2021

“Religious Hate Crimes in England and Wales 2023, by Religion.” Statista.

GOV.UK. “Arrests.” Www.ethnicity-Facts-Figures.service.gov.uk, 24 Oct. 2023.

[hadesoftheladies]

the greatest social contagion of our time (other than misogyny ofc) is capitalism. human “progress” is dictated and regulated by capital. “why are we going to war?” capital. “why are women’s rights regressing?” capital. “why are gay people suddenly in every tv show despite homophobia being rampant?” capital. “why is there a push for men to wear makeup and transpeople to get surgery?” it’s not progress, it’s capital. BBLs, “shave with this feminist razor,” boy clothes or girl clothes, for him/for her, “you deserve the perfect wedding,” girl dinner, “celebrate your melanin skin with this bronzer for $199,” “here’s a funny ad making fun of vegans from a meat factory, isn’t it funny?” “take our free quiz to find out your aesthetic/if you’re neurodivergent,” “10 signs you could have psycho personality disorder” . . . it’s been marketing from the start.

it doesn’t matter if it’s crazy, untrue or evil—it makes bank. human rights don’t matter if they don’t make capital. human lives don’t matter if they don’t have capital. you are not an agent in your life or country without capital. merchant class and consumer class is how the world is sliced. 99.9% of every piece of entertainment is marketing. it is marketing beliefs and ideas for the sake of capital with no regard to human quality of life. that’s why you can have an influx of movies and songs about, idk, black lives mattering, but if the exploitation of black people makes more bank than their liberation, the oligarchs and emperors will do whatever they need to do to get the extra buck. they’ll find a charity, and starve sweatshop workers. maybe even fund a dictator’s army to keep the nation destabilized.

like literally every facet of human life has become capitalistic. be it religion, academia, clothing, etc. it’s everywhere in everything. we used to be able to just like what we liked, but now every like of ours is a data point that is used to market and constrain our own natural, evolving self-expression into a strict niche. companies offer more products than services. like who would we be if we allowed ourselves to be contradicted? if we stopped reading tabloid experts? if we just IGNORED social media campaigns or trends? if we just stopped trying to keep up in a race that never finishes?

most people don’t even realize how much their identities are shaped by what they consume. how the doctrine of consumption has ruined their relationships. there is no loneliness bug or depression virus going around. we just talk and behave and see ourselves and each other as assets because we’re used to being treated as customers or products. that’s why we’re so sick and isolated! humanity is so so sick because of this thing like from the skin to the roots! none of it is sustainable!

it’s also not immutable. companies are effective in telling us what we want, but we have always been able to make demands. is this how you want the world to run? no? it’s time to switch up then. I’m talking unsubscribing, deleting apps, buying a house with friends instead of marrying, creating demand for services. consumers are literally the driving force of economy. being mindful of this matters.

[gordontheengineswifenirmal]

My mum would b thrilled that Kamala Harris is running for president, because she’s female. I like her not simply because she’s half Indian, but because she’s strong, she’s classy. She’s intelligent. She’s a mature woman - she doesn’t show off or seek attention. She shows great potential.

I also have to laugh at jd Vance’s comment.

"We are effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too," Vance said.

Oh for fecks sake. He acts as though ALL mothers are automatically happy being so. Even if u became a mum through rape or had kids n realised it wasn’t as great as u thought. Or whatever. Ok, me life does suck, but it’s NOT because I don’t have kids.

He wants you to think that ONLY childless cat people have mental health issues, and that tradwife lifestyles don’t. There’s a silent oppression and delusion thought process that goes with that lifestyle. It often feels cultish, and can easily entertain abuse. No thanks. Mothers can be just as miserable as what he assumes ALL childless women are. Some childless women do wish they had kids, n that’s valid. Many of us are quite happy that we don’t. We are equally valid. Sometimes, by NOT having kids, we r saving prospective offspring from more health concerns or possible abuse. It’s actually incredibly responsible, and that energy can be better spent elsewhere that’s more productive for the individual.

In fact, if I would have had kids, it would have been worse. I was never emotionally cut out for children, and they’d bring out the worst of me temper. I know this and accept this about me. I would be the best them/make the afraid of me to love me sort. I’m also extremely sensitive to stress, and get overstimulated easily. This leads to me getting rather bitchy. I’m also sensitive to pain. Pregnancy and especially labour often cause intense pain. Kids are loud, they smell, they are full of shite, piss, n puke. Frequently. I’m not worried about ruining the figure, lol. That’s already been gone, n there r far more serious concerns to worry about.

Besides, a lot of parents think they are doing well by their kids by spoiling them. They create entitle, privileged brats who are unable to properly acclimate to society’s challenges. Struggle is a natural part of life, and these folks can’t cope as easily. They also treat others as tho they can walk all over them. These parents teach their kids that they don’t need to move aside for others, it doesn’t matter if their kids run smock n knock into you. They don’t need to apologise. You are at THEIR mercy. They can’t mouth off to u, n that’s fine. Its selfish. Its delusional. It’s vile.

Also, mental and physical health issues run thick in the family. Aside from that, I’m just barely making it meself. I have tried to keep jobs, and ptsd n anxiety (as well as other issues) have led to me quitting or being fired. I’ve applied for well paying jobs, got me degrees, n don’t even get looked at - unless it’s a scam. I don’t even have my own place. The struggle is so real, i rebt a room.

In fact, the therapist and shrink seem to think that me ptsd doesbt affect it, just bdcause to them i can live in roomd. The thing they dont realise is that its either a room, or im homeless. I dont have a choice. Thus doesnt mean that its not without issue. I have to internalise a lot, since no one either acknowkedges the issues, or dont really care. Or both. And when youre in such a position, u put urself more at risk of neing kicked out. Its a battle of ‘whats the bigger evil?’ I often battle depression over frustration in private. The internalising also leads to depression. Tbe everyday stress of cohabitation add more triggers. It literally feeks like im at war, trying to durvive every day. N wbrn a hoysemate has a paramour over, the intense lsnic attacks strike. These r quickly exhuasting.

With all that being said, being childless, and being around cats makes things slightly better. Cats are soft, delicate. They allow me to experience a temporary patience I’m unable to have with people. They make sweet sounds, they cuddle with me, they look at me with soft, sweet faces. They don’t talk back, they don’t insult or abuse you.

Nah, I’ll never regret being a childless cat lady. I’m doing society a favour.

[existennialmemes]

I have decided that I will no longer fear what I cannot understand.

Because there's lots of stuff that I do understand to be afraid of instead. Like prion diseases, environmental ruin, and having our quality of life depend on the whims of oligarchs.

And so I would like to offer a formal apology to the Sea Monsters that definitely live in the Oceans for my mean-spirited fear mongering.

[thebirdygrace]

Revenge

I want retribution, I want vengeance… I want revenge.

I find myself overwhelmed by a feverish, all consuming, rage. Blinded by it’s fury, controlled on all ends by its unrelenting pursuit. I once fought, but now, I am succumb to it, comforted by, befriended by it.

Why should I suffer at the hands of evil and the principalities of this world that go unchecked? The very systems that seek to persecute me have turned their face from the proclivities of the profoundly wicked, and cast their ire upon me.

Why should their actions go unchallenged in the face of undeniable evidence of atrocities both gross and malicious? While I, who committed no sins, am crucified on the hill of their broken morals?

I want retribution, I want vengeance… I want revenge.

I do not seek forgiveness or reconciliation, there is no hope left, no space to be made in my heart for peace or understanding. No consolation prize of weak witted apologies will suffice to temper my flames.

I once so naïvely believe in righteousness and goodness, the invisible connection of love shared by humanity, but now I stare at the world in unblinking clarity.

Humanity is sick. Vile. Putrid. There is no future free from the disease they carry, that of hubris and pride. They will ruin this world. They already have.

I want retribution, I want vengeance… I want revenge.

While I sought hope, they fostered dispare. When I called for help, they laughed in mockery. Where I looked to find love, I found only hate.

I no longer seek what cannot be found. It is a futile endeavor of youth and a insidious distraction of the elite; the power hungry oligarchs who puppeteer our lives for pleasure. The villains who wage war from the opulent protection of shadows and wealth.

I will play this game no longer. I will believe your lies no longer. My hatred will fuel me, this plague which you cast upon me will be your downfall. Piece by piece, it will construct our caskets. Inch by inch, I will dig our graves.

I want retribution, I want vengeance… I want revenge.

-Birdy Grace

[donuttrymedebil]

Literally anyone defending this monster deserves to be exposed, humiliated, and harassed for the rest of their miserable lives, along with all the other tech oligarchs ruining our world.

Do not let them erase this. Do not let them tell you he meant "my heart goes out for you."

This man is the grandson of a Canadian Nazi sympathizer who moved to South Africa BECAUSE he thought the apartheid was just the coolest.

He has a gaggle of kids specifically because he believes his genes are superior and need to be spread to improve humanity.

He has thrown his support behind the neonazi party in Germany and the far right party in the UK, not to mention how far he's wormed up the ass of the Republican party.

He threw two sieg heil salutes back to back at the inauguration of the president of the United States and is trying to scrub the evidence off the internet.

Elon Reeve Musk is a fucking Nazi.

[mariacallous]

An eighth consecutive general election within a period of around three years in Bulgaria is now possible after coalition talks appeared to stall – on Wednesday, party leaders clashed and parliament could not reach a quorum to select a speaker after a sixth attempt to do so.

“When new elections only guarantee us a deepening state of the crisis, we should not play with this option so lightly. We must do our best to achieve solid results, that is our job and that is why we are there. But the price should not be the death of democracy in Bulgaria,” Yavor Bozhankov, of the We Continue the Change party, said after the latest round of unfruitful leadership talks.

The centre-right GERB party came out top in the most recent parliamentary polls but its leader, veteran politician Boyko Borissov, has declared that he will no longer chase the position of prime minister.

“I don’t want to deal with this ruined country anymore,” Borissov said on Tuesday, comparing himself to famous Bulgarian footballer Hristo Stoichkov, who quit the national team in 1999.

In a parliament full of opponents of GERB, Borissov had envisaged a cabinet that did not include the recently formed MRF – New Beginning, led by the oligarch Delyan Peevski, or the pro-Russian party Revival, but with representatives from both his reformist foes from We Continue the Change, WCC, and Democratic Bulgaria, DB – with himself as a prime minister. 

After the offer was refused by WCC and DB, Borissov’s “all-or-nothing” approach essentially drew him back to the sphere of influence of Peevski, who has long been accused of corruption and of putting pressure on media and the judicial system.

According to the constitution, if the election winners return the government-forming mandate to the president, it must go first to the second strongest political force at the elections, in this case We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria, and then to a party of the president’s choosing. 

Torturous new rounds of leadership talks are likely to take place before any new election date is set. Bulgaria is currently led by an interim government headed by temporary PM and former GERB member Dimitar Glavchev.

“I hope we will have a proper cabinet but so far we’re witnessing a complete blockage of all parliamentary processes,” acting PM Glavchev said on Monday. 

Three years of political turmoil

GERB was the ruling party from 2009-13 and 2014-21, and Borissov served as premier. But after 2021, amid widespread frustration over their governance, the party’s fortunes declined and a series of new political forces emerged – and a period of political turmoil that saw seven parliamentary elections.

There were two short-lived coalition governments under the mandates of reformists We Continue the Change, led by Prime Ministers Kiril Petkov (2021-22) and Nikolai Denkov (2023-24) – but both were brought down by GERB. 

The period also saw the rise of far-right parties, with the current parliament featuring the pro-Russian Revival, newcomers Moral, Unity, Honour, the Greatness party and the increasingly conservative There’s Such a People.

Another recent development on Bulgaria’s political scene was the unexpected split of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, which controlled the vote of the majority of the ethnic Turkish community. 

In the same time span, Bulgarians have also voted in presidential elections in 2021, in local elections in 2023 and in the European Parliament elections in 2024, making a total of seven in three years – with a possible eighth now on the horizon.

[wide-eyedbrowns]

will actually never forget when i asked my relatives why the hell were they even voting for a dictator's son as president and they cornered me while asking, why would they choose anyone else?

when the popular vote for my age demographic was a woman who had to align herself with the political party of a rivalling political dynasty. i told them it was just an alignment of political values, liberalism/democracy, and she wasn't even an actual member of the family nor has she even participated in the actions of them. i told them i'd rather choose the woman who would prioritize my status as a student of the public school system, that i'd choose the woman who personally handled stranded citizens in the middle of storms, that i would choose the woman who is a humanitarian through and through.

they told me, she was part of an oligarch, she shouldn't be voted for. you know those moments when someone says something so dumb you can't even reply? i couldn't even reply to what they said and they took silence as an answer. you wouldn't vote for someone who worked with oligarchs but you would vote for the son, who endorses and enables the actions of his father, of a dictator who killed hundreds if not thousands of working class lives? you wouldn't vote for someone who grew up in the working class, who was the wife of a politician she loved so much she decided to put herself in his shoes when he died?

i, to this day, genuinely couldn't believe it. they were voting for someone who would ruin the economy, the government funds, the education system, etc. I still can't look them in the eye, knowing that they live outside the country while they left the rest of our family to handle what they voted for. god i was 17 when all that happened.

[aurianneor]

Restricting individual wealth

The Gracchi brothers brothers, Gaius and Tiberius, were tribunes, the equivalent of our deputies, and they wanted to tackle the problems of the time. The rich were few in number but owned almost all the land. As they produced all the cereals, they agreed among themselves to set a high price and brought in foreigners to work for very low wages that Roman citizens would not accept. By 133 B.C., Rome was plunged into widespread poverty, which tormented the city. The Gracchus brothers passed a law called property, which stated that property had a limit in quantity, beyond which it was toxic for society, and a limit in use, according to which just because it’s mine doesn’t mean I can do what I want with it. The Gracchi brothers were seized by the rich and their henchmen and thrown into the Tribe. What followed was 100 years of civil war between the plebs and the rich, before Emperor Augustus established the laws of the Gracchus brothers, taking advantage of the turmoil caused by the death of Julius Caesar (who had won the civil war by fighting the ultra-rich). Four hundred years of peace and prosperity followed.

In 1930, in France, judges created the public water utility, nationalizing the sources. This showed that private property is not sacred. They expropriated the owners, and that was normal. Léon Blum was harassed and left office.

Labour’s 1945 victory in the UK led to the expropriation of mine owners. Ownership is not absolute. Owners became less wealthy and this drove them below the toxic limit.

Franklin D. Roosevelt led major campaigns to nationalize energy, raw materials, armaments and roads, and introduced public granaries (the state buys food to guarantee prices). The group prevailed over private property. If ownership went against the group’s interests, nationalization could be considered. He took the assets appropriated by the ultra-rich and redistributed the gains for the general good. The New Deal brought prosperity to America for 40 years. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only American president to have been elected four times, and he died in office. He had strong public support. The United States is reputed to be capitalist by nature, but this is a myth. When presented with a very socialist program, the people embrace it. Michael Moore in Fahrenheit 11/9 used polls to prove that Americans’ aspirations are not capitalist. 70% are for health insurance, 62% are for unions, 58% are against supporting banks, 61% for raising the minimum wage, etc. (cf. American people’s choice).

Franklin D. Roosevelt – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt

New Deal – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal

On November 24, 2013, a law was passed in Switzerland limiting wages to 250 times the minimum wage. This means that for the highest wages to rise, the lowest wages must be increased. The rich are very happy in Switzerland. By way of comparison, in France in 2019, CAC40 bosses earned 1128 times the salary of their most modest employees.

In Ukraine in 2022, President Zelensky took advantage of exceptional war powers to nationalize the banks, TV channels and industries owned by the oligarchs. The oligarchs were so wealthy that they decided everything in the country, while the Ukrainian coffers were empty.

When Elon Musk intervenes in the war in Ukraine, it’s too much. When Mark Zuckerberg promotes Trump’s election to enrich himself, it’s too much. When someone is rich enough to have their own space program or has more money than a country, it’s too much. When your decisions can ruin the lives of millions of people even though you weren’t elected, it’s too much. When the richest 1% of humanity emit 100 times more greenhouse gases than the other 99%, it’s too much.

These people deserve to be rich, but not that rich. They have never given back to society what society gave them in the first place. They offer philanthropy in return, but it’s selective solidarity because they decide how much and to whom they give the money. The society has trained their employees with schools and universities; they are healthy thanks to hospitals, there are roads, railroads and airports to transport their goods. There is a police force and an army to protect them, and a justice system to enforce their rights. There are natural resources to feed their industries, and so on.

What’s more, they influence politicians to pay less tax and inheritance tax. Most of the richest people inherited. They have done nothing for society. They don’t pay their fair share of taxes.

Les 1 % les plus riches ont empoché plus de 40 000 milliards de dollars au cours des 10 dernières années, alors que le niveau d’imposition des plus riches atteint des niveaux historiquement bas – Oxfam: https://www.oxfam.org/fr/communiques-presse/les-1-les-plus-riches-ont-empoche-plus-de-40-000-milliards-de-dollars-au-cours

Les riches menacent-ils la démocratie – Arte: https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/109816-010-A/les-riches-menacent-ils-la-democratie/

Columbia University believes that $100 million is the limit. It’s more than enough for the individual and not enough to be toxic.

Limit On Wealth – Stephen H. Unger: http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~unger/articles/wealthLimit.html)

What, if Anything, is Wrong with Extreme wealth – Ingrid Robeyns: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/19452829.2019.1633734?needAccess=true&role=button

Having too Much – Ingrid Robeyns: https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0338

Capitalisme américain, le culte de la richesse (1/3) | ARTE: https://youtu.be/0j1UDBqR-oM?feature=shared

Faire casquer les riches | Capitalisme américain, le culte de la richesse (2/3) | ARTE: https://youtu.be/uccQqNg2tF8?si=3hep4x297rSSZ7Bu

Elon Musk: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): https://youtu.be/Eo3zORUGCbM?si=TUxpdymb6rV3Xd2x

Noir Désir – L’homme pressé: https://youtu.be/by1RRP9wa_Y?si=mK5wb4sZn3YnRsB8

World’s five richest men double their money as poorest get poorer – The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2024/jan/15/worlds-five-richest-men-double-their-money-as-poorest-get-poorer

The cost of extrême wealth: https://costofextremewealth.com

La ploutocratie, les riches au pouvoir ? – France Inter: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/zoom-zoom-zen/zoom-zoom-zen-du-jeudi-04-avril-2024-8390390

Épisode 1/4 : Rends les terres ! Réforme à Rome, va te faire voir chez les Gracques – France culture: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/le-cours-de-l-histoire/rends-les-terres-reforme-a-rome-va-te-faire-voir-chez-les-gracques-1597994

Super-héritages : le jackpot fiscal des ultra-riches – Oxfam France: https://www.oxfamfrance.org/rapports/super-heritages-le-jackpot-fiscal-des-ultra-riches/

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Limiter la richesse individuelle: https://www.aurianneor.org/limiter-la-richesse-individuelle/

A slice of the cake: https://www.aurianneor.org/a-slice-of-the-cake/

The richest 1% are at war with the rest of the world: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-richest-1-are-at-war-with-the-rest-of-the-world/

Working class racism: https://www.aurianneor.org/working-class-racism/

Solidarité Hélvétique: https://www.aurianneor.org/solidarite-helvetique-democratie-semi-directe/

Wall Street (1987): https://www.aurianneor.org/wall-street-1987/

Freedom and coexistence: https://www.aurianneor.org/freedom-and-coexistence/

Tomorrow – Chap 4: La démocratie: https://www.aurianneor.org/tomorrow-chap-4-la-democratie-the-panama/

Qui se cache derrière le drapeau?: https://www.aurianneor.org/qui-se-cache-derriere-le-drapeau/

Quelle époque!: https://www.aurianneor.org/quelle-epoque-soyons-daccord-emmanuel-macron/

Illegitimate authorities: https://www.aurianneor.org/illegitimate-authorities/

Ecoterrorism: https://www.aurianneor.org/ecoterrorism/

You can’t get enough… Enough!: https://www.aurianneor.org/you-cant-get-enough-enough-the-same-companies/

“The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-world-has-enough-for-everyones-need-but-not/

Cut out the middleman: https://www.aurianneor.org/cut-out-the-middleman/

Housing: https://www.aurianneor.org/housing/

Retirement pensions: https://www.aurianneor.org/retirement-pensions/

Living with dignity: https://www.aurianneor.org/living-with-dignity/

The Rust Belt: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-rust-belt-2/

Representation of capitalism trying to take all the resources and trying to make workers live nothing but work: https://www.aurianneor.org/representation-of-capitalism-trying-to-take-all-the-resources-and-trying-to-make-workers-live-nothing-but-work/

“Capitalism will eat democracy; unless we speak up”: https://www.aurianneor.org/yanis-varoufakis-capitalism-will-eat-democracy/

Simon Sinek – Start with why: https://www.aurianneor.org/simon-sinek-start-with-why-bonuses/

When you have a hammer in your hand everything looks like a nail.: https://www.aurianneor.org/when-you-have-a-hammer-in-your-hand-everything/

The Red and the Yellow: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-red-and-the-yellow-red-scarves-against-yellow/

Le référendum est une arme qui tue la violence: https://www.aurianneor.org/le-referendum-est-une-arme-qui-tue-la-violence-oui/

Le levier économique: https://www.aurianneor.org/le-levier-economique-charles-stewart-parnell/

Fed up with strikes? Ask for referendums!: https://www.aurianneor.org/fed-up-with-strikes-ask-for-referendums/

The Modern “chiffon rouge”: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-modern-chiffon-rouge/

Rich: https://www.aurianneor.org/rich-it-was-a-beautiful-day-and-the-scenery-was/

What I am worth depends neither on market nor on race: https://www.aurianneor.org/what-i-am-worth-depends-neither-on-market-nor-on-race/

My hormones want admiration: https://www.aurianneor.org/my-hormones-want-admiration-i-want-to-shine-im/

Dans les territoires ultramarins, une population en colère exclue du progrès: https://www.aurianneor.org/dans-les-territoires-ultramarins-une-population-en-colere-exclue-du-progres/

Work, it’s an all-or-nothing option: https://www.aurianneor.org/work-its-an-all-or-nothing-option/

Législatives 2024: choisir la gauche ou la droite: https://www.aurianneor.org/legislatives-2024-choisir-la-gauche-ou-la-droite/

2024 UK general election: choosing the Right or the Left.: https://www.aurianneor.org/2024-uk-general-election-choosing-the-right-or-the-left/

[hoobleboodle]

(READ UNTIL THE END)

The problem is that so many Americans, myself included, have tried what we are told what we should do to stand up against our government and none of it ever works. At the very least, nothing sticks until a new administration reverses whatever the old one did or a couple of rich people lobby politicians to never let it happen in the first place. The alternative to a lot of the corrupt for-profit systems we have right now is that the government takes it over to make it universal -- and we can't trust our government for shit.

You mention people in the streets and how we should do that, but that's easy for you to say when you come from a country where people aren't known to shoot or drive through crowds of protesters they don't agree with. We also somehow have the freedom to protest yet every time it happens you'll see articles of police showing up arresting (or sometimes macing) protestors even if they aren't doing anything wrong. I see it happen all the time.

The people actually have very little power. Everything our government does is just one big pissing contest with the other side. Our freedoms are an illusion. All of us are tired.

...But this is what they WANT. They want us to be tired, distracted, and hopeless. It is no reason to stop trying. The reactions we're seeing from all the higher-ups in response to our reactions in the CEO shooting proves that they are afraid. They know they've fucked up. The news is doing everything it can to paint Luigi Mangione as a supervillain. Our politicians are doing everything they can to make it a partisan issue to take advantage of our dividedness and make us blame each-other instead of them.

Yet, we are seeing anger from both sides. I can confidentally say that I've never seen reds and blues be on the same side like this in my entire life. The absolute worse thing we can do at this point is become silent or start casting blame towards anyone other than the oligarchs ruining this nation.

All these posts about their hypocrisy, corruption, manipulation, exaggeration, and greed that we've been seeing? MAKE THOSE VOICES HEARD WHERE THEY TRULY MATTER! @ your state representatives, submit your experiences and opinions to news agencies who are polling people for content that can be used in their articles, spread resources, if you live in a big city keep an eye out for protests you can support - do whatever you can to get your voice out there safely and legally.

I know we as Americans have fallen into the habit of giving up and not doing anything - just think about all the people who didn't even vote this year and look how that went - but I am begging you not to be complicit in whatever happens next.

STAY ANGRY!

honestly? yall Americans should be out on the streets. Throwin block parties, blasting crab rave, parting and dancing and visibly celebrating the Untied CEO assassination. Make it absolutely clear that yall are happy about this, that the gunman has your support, and that CEOs, particularly of companies that do active harm to your communities, should be scared.

when Thatcher died, the Brits partied in the streets and got Ding Dong the Witch is Dead to the top of the charts. Bring that energy back.

[mrtinmtz]

There is a universe inside of you

We have been infected with the idea of original sin which keeps us infantile, we believe we are flawed, unfit, this is paralyzing, there are leaders with no commitment to the salvation of the human race, politics without responsibility is fascism, the primacy of experience, recapturing the primary importance of yourself first and then your affinity group

huge amount of global executives are operating on automatic pilot, you think you were to walk into the wtc or the pentagon or nato that there would be smart people running things, there are idiots everywhere, at every level of organization, we are the little people in the laberintic streets of the city looking up at the castle as the great ones come and go, we believe that they are all about the fine business of humanity but it's just a fiction, an absurdity, to the degree we proclaim it, so the meme of the oligarchs, the autocrats, the programmers dissolves, this is why the psychedelic thing is such controversial, ultimately it dissolves the linguistic structures that it finds pre existing whatever they are.

shamans in the amazon will tell you, you think this is easy? no, everytime i go i know it might be the last time cause it's so hard, its a real edge, everytime you go you discover this edge, the great gift, challenge, miracle of human existence is that within each one of us there is this dimension which we can choose to access which is a constant challenge to our existential modality, you don't have to mush your way up jungles and rip jewels from the eyes of idols, you can on a saturday evening from the privacy of your own living room become your own columbus

this dimension of freedom has always been 95% of what the human experience was about in the terms of risk and trills, part of the package of being a living thinking being is that you get a universe inside of you, you get a galaxy sized object inside of you that you can access and there there are the mountains the rivers jungles dynastic families ruins planets works of art poetry sciences magics of millions upon millions of worlds and this is apparently who we are, we are a little bit of eternity in a tridimensional space occupying time in a monkey body but when you turn eyes inward you discover the existential facts out of which this particular existence emerges, which is a great secret, a great comfort, mystery didn't die, it's alive in the moment, in the here and now, simply lies on the other side of the barrier of courage, a barrier high enough to keep out the insincere and the misdirected but for those who will claim it they become the archaic pioneers