#president dilma

[insxghtt]

Babes, I’ve seen what’s happening in Brazil. Stay safe! Also I’ve seen some news that META purposefully blocks all posts about Brazil…

Thank you for worrying, things in here are really tough. Yesterday I went to a protest in the Paulista Avenue in São Paulo and it helped me a lot to stay hopeful.

For those of you who don't know, Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed the Alvorada Palace, the oficial residence of the president. They called it a protest, when in reality it was terrorism and an attack on democracy. Those are the same people that did the n4zi salute and refused to accept the result of the elections.

I've seen people compare what is happening in Brazil to what happened in the USA when Trump lost to Joe Biden and I understand that the comparison makes it easier to understand, but it's important to know that this situation was already predicted by anyone who studied brazilian history. It was only a matter of time and if we keep ignoring the real reason behind this, it won't stop. So, i'll try to explain a little more about it in a simple way.

Brazil went through a military dictatorship that began in 1964 and ended in 1985. During this time, innocent people were killed by the military. The opposition was silenced, censured, women were raped, people were tortured. Those who were against it and survived were lucky, but many lost friends. Til this day, many people were never found. Our current president, elected by the people in a honest election, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), was one of the people who fought against the military. He was chased and tortured but he survived and because of people like him, we are now living in a democracy.

The fact that we don't talk about the military dictatorship is why some people don't even recognize it as a dictatorship. Many people still defend it. Bolsonaro defended it. He was a huge supporter of the military and already gave many interviews saying that the military's only mistake was "not killing enough". After the end of the dictatorship no museums were made in memory of the victims. Supporters and even some tortures like Colonel Ustra were never arrested.

Lula was president from 2003 to 2011. After he left the presidency, Dilma Rousseff was elected the first female president of Brazil. She was one of his great friends and also part of the same political party as him, the Worker's Party (in portuguese: Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT).

Dilma also fought against the military with Lula. She was also tortured and luckily survived (and without ratting out any of her teammates!!). She was president from 2011 to 2016. In 2016, she suffered a political coup. They called it an impeachment but 94,7% of the  congressmen who voted her out were being investigated for corruption because of her. There was no reason for an impeachment, there were no proves that she was corrupt. Her mistake was to try to fight them all at once.

On the day of the coup, we saw what Bolsonaro was capable of for the first time. At that time he was a congressmen and he voted her out. During his speech, he said "In memory of Colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the fear of Dilma Rousseff, for the Army of Caxias, for the Armed Forces, for Brazil above all and God above everyone, my vote is yes".

Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the torturer.

“In this case of the Teles family, which is a terrible case because the parents of Edson Teles and Janaina Teles, at the time Edson was 4 years old and Janaina 9, they were brutally tortured and the children were taken to the premises of the Doi-Codi and saw people tortured and their parents hurt. At first they did not recognize them. They stayed there for a while without the presence of any relatives and no known person being used as a bargaining chip so that the parents, Amelinha Teles and César Teles, could say what they [torturers] wanted to hear”, said the professor, José Carlos Moreira da Silva.

This was the man that Jair Bolsonaro, who would later become president of Brazil, paid tribute to. The saying “for Brazil above all and God above everyone” was also a reference to the Nazi propaganda, in Hitler's Germany, "Deutschland über alles" which, in English, means "Germany above all".

Bolsonaro was not arrested after that. Nothing ever happened to him. That was when it all began.

Dilma was betrayed by her own vice-president, Michel Temer. She was publicly humiliated by senators, congressmen and the media.

Elections finally arrived and people who saw what was really happening had a glimmer of hope. But then the worst happened.

On April 7, 2018, Sergio Moro, friend of Bolsonaro and then federal judge, illegally arrested Lula for the crimes of passive corruption and money laundering in the criminal action involving a triplex in Guarujá with absolutely no proves. They had nothing on Lula but, if he was arrested, he couldn’t run in the elections and the Worker’s Party would not return to power. Lula da Silva peacefully turned himself in to the Federal Police after making a public speech.

“There’s no use in trying to stop me from traveling around this country, because there are milions of Lulas, Boulos, Manuelas and Dilma Rousseffs to do it for me. There’s no use in trying to stop my ideas. They’re already in the air, and you can’t imprison them! There’s no point in trying to stop my dreams, because when I stop dreaming, I’ll be dreaming throgh your minds and dreams! There’s no point in thinking everything’s going to stop the day Lula has a heart attack. That’s nonsense! Because my heart will be beating through yours and there are milions of hearts! The powerful can kill one, two, or a haundred roses. But they’ll never stop the arrival of spring and our fight is in search of spring!”, said Lula, before turning himself in.

In 2018, The Worker’s Party decided to put Fernando Haddad on Lula’s place. They tried their best, but Haddad didn’t have the same power that Lula had. Bolsonaro won and, in 2019, he took over.

Lula was released on November 8, 2019, one day after the Federal Supreme Court considered the arrest in second instance unconstitutional. The UN Human Rights Committee (United Nations) concluded that Sergio Moro was partial in the trial of Lava Jato cases against him. It was also considered that his political rights were injured when he was prevented from running in the 2018 elections.

Now, we have the opportunity to change that. How? By talking about the military dictatorship, giving visibility to all victims, recognizing our history, punishing those who threaten our democracy without forgiveness. And to finish, i want to remind you of something we all heared in school at least once: “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.”

Sem anistia e sem perdão.

[edsonjnovaes]

Touché Turtle 1.2

A Tartaruga Tuchê – Touché Turtle (Syn, 1962): Uma tartaruga espadachim, que duela contra raios, dragões, outros bichos mais e ainda tem que salvar a “linda” princesa presa na torre do castelo, com a ajuda do fiel escudeiro Dumdum. Hanna Barbera. EDSON JESUS – 25 DE AGOSTO DE 2013 LINKS: Download Touché Turtle and Dum Dum (conhecido no Brasil por Tartaruga Touché e Dum Dum) é um dos segmentos…

[radicalgraff]

"Ustra* died of old age, kill Bolsonaro now"

*Colonel Ustra was a torturer during Brazil's military dictatorship, one of his victims being the ex-president Dilma Rousseff

[mariacallous]

This week’s BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, features a new participant: Turkey. A Kremlin official leaked last month that Ankara had applied to join the grouping, following repeated expressions of interest over the years. A spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) then conceded that “a process is underway.”

The BRICS grouping undertook a major expansion recently, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates in January, with Saudia Arabia still mulling whether to join. The acronym stands for the group’s original members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Still, Turkey’s BRICS application is a watershed moment in geopolitics. If Turkey joins BRICS as a full member or partner state, it would become the first NATO member and longtime candidate for European Union membership to have an active role in an entity seen by some analysts as a challenger to Western predominance.

Turkey’s diplomatic demarche is yet another sign that the global south is rising in world affairs, and it underscores the growth of active nonalignment as an ideology. But it is not a major break in Turkish foreign policy: Ankara’s BRICS application is an extension of its international balancing act, which aims to diversify alliances while maintaining ties with the West.

During two decades in office, Erdogan has promoted a non-Western-centric vision of the world and sought greater global autonomy due to frustration with the EU and the United States. For its part, BRICS is on a roll in terms of both membership and growing global clout. In addition to Turkey, countries such as Malaysia and Thailand have also applied for entry and sent envoys to this year’s summit.

Cooperation among BRICS members in energy, trade, and infrastructure development is growing at a fast clip. As a share of global trade, intra-BRICS trade in goods more than doubled from 2002 to 2022, reaching 40 percent. In 2015, the group created the Shanghai-based New Development Bank with $50 billion in capital. The bank, headed by former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, has since lent $33 billion for 96 projects.

BRICS now aims to create an alternative payment system to SWIFT, which it perceives as a Western-dominated international banking system. The project has taken on greater importance after Western countries disconnected Russia from SWIFT following the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

BRICS would benefit from Turkey’s accession. From a geopolitical standpoint, Turkey’s membership would enhance the group’s stature as a proponent of nonalignment, as opposed to a bloc with an anti-Western agenda—though it would certainly increase Western suspicions about Turkey. At present, the group is torn. China and Russia would like to build it into an anti-Western entity, while Brazil, India, and South Africa would prefer it to take a stance closer to nonalignment. Turkey’s presence is likely to strengthen the second view. The same goes for most of the new members, except for Iran, which is likely to hew close to China and Russia.

Joining BRICS would also put Turkey, a NATO member, in a privileged position: Having a foot in both camps increases Ankara’s foreign-policy leverage. “Being involved in these structures does not mean abandoning NATO,” Erdogan told journalists at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “We do not think that this alliance and cooperation are an alternative to one another.”

Despite Erdogan’s high profile in global affairs, Turkey’s domestic agenda has become increasingly challenging for the president. In March, the AKP lost ground in municipal elections, while economic growth has slowed and inflation runs rampant. But domestic constraints have not limited Turkey’s quest for influence across Eurasia; if anything, these international endeavors offer a welcome distraction.

Erdogan’s foreign policy is built on a complex blend of Turkey’s Ottoman legacy, nationalist aspirations, and a sense that the West’s best days are behind it. He seeks a more multipolar world, where Turkey can act independently of Western hegemony and search for strategic options beyond the West, even if this means partnering with historical enemies, such as Russia, or with countries that have pursued draconian policies against Muslim minorities, such as China.

Erdogan has sought to expand Turkey’s strategic wiggle room through diplomacy. He has signed energy deals with Russia, allowing the Russian state-owned utility Rosatom to build, own, and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant; mediated in armed conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war; and rallied support against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Turkey’s BRICS application is no different. It is not about breaking ties with the West but rather recalibrating them in favor of broader and more diversified alliances that are important to Turkey’s long-term national interests—particularly as Ankara’s prospects for EU membership grow dim and strategic ties with the United States weaken.

Turkey’s decades-long bid for EU membership has been marked by frustration. As Ankara has pushed for accession, EU responses have been lukewarm at best, especially after French and German opposition in the late 2000s. With a population of 87 million people, Turkey would be the largest country in the EU and the only Muslim-majority member. Democratic backsliding after the 2013 Gezi Park protests and the 2016 coup attempt have not helped its case. Today, while Turkey remains a candidate officially, its EU accession talks have stalled.

EU ambivalence over Turkish membership stems from concerns over Turkey’s human rights record and growing authoritarianism under Erdogan’s leadership. There are also disputes over Cyprus and maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. The 2023 European Commission report on Turkey further strained relations; the report condemned Ankara’s democratic erosion and suggested that it is nowhere close to reaching full membership.

Turkey’s links with the United States have not fared any better. A major point of contention was Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which led to its removal from the F-35 fighter jet program. In response, Turkey opted for F-16s, taking advantage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to upgrade its defense industry. The conflict also increased Turkey’s leverage over NATO, particularly as it stonewalled Sweden’s bid for membership.

Amid the war in Gaza, Erdogan’s alignment with the Palestinian cause and vocal criticism of Western support for Israel have deepened rifts between Ankara and Washington. In the past, the Turkish president also blamed the Obama administration for its support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces during the Syrian civil war, an issue that has lingered.

All the same, Turkey has proved that it is still indispensable to the West: It has acted as a key mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, underscoring its delicate balancing act between NATO commitments and partnership with Moscow. In this role, Turkey has achieved impressive results—such as facilitating the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War.

For Erdogan, these developments have confirmed Turkey’s need to pursue a form of nonalignment and to shift its focus toward the global south and non-Western entities. Turkey’s pivot has led it to engagements across the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, where Ankara has expanded its networks and business. In this context, BRICS offers Turkey a unique opportunity to join a rising bloc that represents a significant portion of the global south as well as Russia and China—key actors in Eurasia.

In a world marked by great-power rivalry and competing grand narratives, Turkey stands to regain its role as a bridge between the West, global south, and Eurasian powers. The country’s unique position draws on its geographical location and imperial history. By applying to join the BRICS—an informal yet high-profile group—Turkey is signaling to the West that it should not be taken for granted.

[drowndrawn]

"Because behind every child there's an occult figure that is a dog."

Rousseff, Dilma.

[humanaaa]

As once the ex Brazil president Dilma said: I don't think that who will win or who will lose, nor who will win nor who will lose, will win or lose. Everyone will lose.

And that what I think mostly because I don't trust the eye because I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS FUCKER IS ALL KNOWING OR ALL SEEING HE IS A CUCK A CORNO IF YOU WILL

We'll I don't trust the eye I don't trust he keeps calling everyone sinners :( they did commit some crimes but they were just playing. But idk what's his plan tho. Collect resources? Be a distraction? Make people go against each other? See their limits? Make them commit more crimes? Idk but I am curious

[protoslacker]

My Dream Last Night and Brazil

It's a day off from work for me today. I like waking up when I'm ready instead of when I have to. When I awoke today I was dreaming. It's hard to pin down dreams and to put them into words. The gist of my dream was being in the company of a group of people who had suffered a community trauma--perhaps thinking of people affected by Helene flooding. I was really feeling them and learned of their community's collaboration with a similar community far away--perhaps thinking of people and flooding on Long Island.

I asked a member of the latter group, somehow knowing that he was a leader in a very conservative Christian denomination, what brought him into solidarity with the former group. He explained that after his community's trauma he and others in his community had experienced a spiritual transformation. And that what had led his transformation was meeting with others at their houses of worship and finding holiness there.

My description of the dream doesn't really capture it, of course. There's more to it. In waking life sometimes things we read linger in one's thoughts. About a month ago I read, and I think subsequently have listened to, Kelly Hayes's podcast, Movement Memos, episode with Sarah Jaffe speaking of Jaffe's book From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire. I keep thinking about their discussion.

Sometimes my memory seems as if my brain is Swiss cheese, that's especially true when it comes to recalling names. I was trying to bring to mind the term "Integrative Community Therapy" (ICT) and just couldn't seem to remember it. So I searched my blog using the term "Brazil" because I could remember that ICT was associated with a Brazilian psychiatrist whose name I didn't recall either--Adalberto Barreto.

The tactic worked and I found the names. But also found pages of links posted which came up in the search for "Brazil" to be relevant.

There are links about climate change, health, music and culture. There are also links which taken together tell a story of capital usurping politics. Links about the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and the imprisonment of former President Lula da Silva, the outrages of Jair Bolsonaro presidency, and Lula da Silva's winning a third, nonconsecutive election as President.

My dream speaks to our need for others and the strength we can gain together. Working in community ans sharing across distances is all a part of it. We're in this boat together. I am old, alienated and lonely, but I know we can make something good together. I think that's true whether or not I can muster anything to do about it.

[shoujoboy-restart]

You really have to be desperate to slander a dead person to think there's anything offensive or controversial in what Aaron Bushnell is saying here.

Like yeah, since when does the USA give a shit about the life of other people? they barely give a shit about the ones of their own citizens to begin with lmao.

The main reason why Ukraine found themselves is this war is because USAs megalomaniac need to control other countries forced their hands to give up of their nuclear weapons way back then and make them rely on international handouts to survive in this war.

The American government threw agent orange on the vietnamese, funded the Contras terrorists to overthrow the Nicaraguan government, destroyed the economy of the Dominican Republic to protect a single USA corporation, was not only aware but supported the violence during the Vargas Military dictatorship in Brazil that caused hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians to be tortured, killed and go missing, torture survivors including future president Dilma Rousseff by the hands of a child molester commander, again, why all of a sudden would the government do anything out of the goodness of their hearts for Ukraine? What's makes them special?

It doesnt even sound like he's in support of Russia, since he's making them a equivalent power seeker to the USA,.which he obviously see as bad.

And it really is surprising how much cope the redditors were doing back then by downvoting the most milecoast opinion ever, the dude pointed out the obvious, that the Ukrainian PEOPLE as in civilians aren't being given weapons to defend themselves, which the multiple villages being massacred by Russian troops makes it obvious to be a fact, just to the state...which it is a fact.

Imagine attacking the opinions of a dead person and still be losing that's crazy.

[icecreamkink]

#israel needs to stop using the entire jewish community as a shield#you can't hide forever. its not antisemitic to point out your well documented war crimes we all watched unfold.#you do not speak for all jewish people in the world and you cannot keep trying to hide behind their history and their pain as an excuse @laughter-like-a-headache

#so lula crossed a red line but you didn't cross any line by killing 30k civilians 20k being kids & women sure ok i get it makes total sense#coooooooooool cool cool cool cool cool cool @raffaella-cerullo

#pointing out genocide is crossing a line but committing it isn’t lol#pra isso que eu fiz o L @annaruby

also

#VAI FAZER O QUE BIBI. VAI EXPLODIR O ALBERT EINSTEIN????? CORNO CARECA @babyhilton

Brazil’s Lula unwelcome in Israel until he retracts Holocaust remarks, minister says

Netanyahu said the Brazilian leader’s comments on the Gaza conflict ‘cross a red line’

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is not welcome in Israel until he takes back comments likening the war against Hamas militants in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two, the Israeli foreign minister said on Monday.

“We will not forget nor forgive. It is a serious antisemitic attack. In my name and the name of the citizens of Israel, tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he takes it back,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Brazil’s ambassador, according to a statement from Katz’s office.

Israel has accused Lula of trivializing the Holocaust and causing offense to the Jewish people in remarks to the 37th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa. 

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” Lula told reporters on Sunday during the 37th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the comparison was “crossing a red line.”

Continue reading.

[droctaviolovecraft]

@dzthenerd490 and everyone who is scared shitless about the election results.

I just have one word about what I think about all the panic over Trump's election victory yesterday: BULLSHIT!

So I wrote this long Twitter text post to teach my dear young gringos who think it's the end of the world and don't know what a "this country is over" really is. I'll use my country as an example. (By the way, thank you United States for having implemented a military dictatorship here)

Brazil's modern political history is complex as hell, full of false promises, and recurring corruption, embodied by its recent presidents. Over the past few decades, corruption scandals have consistently rocked the Brazilian government, leaving its citizens with a profound mistrust in the political system. Yet, Brazil remains resilient, surviving despite the weight of corruption across administrations. SO, our resilience should offer a unique perspective to those who feel that the United States "ended" after Trump’s election, showing how a nation can persist even through systemic issues. It's hard to believe that you survived a civil war, a cold war, two world wars, only to come to this day and be whining.

Lula da Silva (2003-2011)

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, often called "Lula," (also our current president, being a disabled, illiterate, drunk, communist, corrupt, ex-convict and traitor of our nation) one of Brazil’s most iconic political figures. Founder, or one of the founders of the Workers' Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, P.T), Lula captivated the nation with promises of social reform and wealth distribution. Under his leadership, Brazil experienced economic growth, and programs like 'Bolsa Família" aimed to address poverty and inequality. However, the image of Lula as a champion of the poor began to erode as corruption scandals emerged, the most infamous being (literally translated) "Operation Car Wash". This sweeping investigation uncovered massive corruption in Petrobras, the state-run oil company, implicating politicians, CEOs, and bureaucrats. Lula himself was convicted of corruption, condemned by Sérgio Mouro and several other judges, though he maintains his innocence (what a surprise)

Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016)

As Lula’s chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff inherited not only the presidency but also the corruption issues left in the wake of Operation Car Wash. Her tenure was marked by economic decline, with Brazil entering a severe recession. Mismanagement, growing public debt, and increased inflation compounded the country’s woes. Though Rousseff was not directly implicated in Operation Car Wash, her administration’s ties to those who were deepened the mistrust of her government. She was ultimately impeached for manipulating government accounts to cover up budget deficits. Rousseff’s impeachment was a stark reminder that political corruption in Brazil often transcends party lines and policies, becoming ingrained in governance itself.

Michel Temer (2016-2018)

Michel Temer, Rousseff's vice president, stepped into power following her impeachment. Despite his calls for national unity and economic reform, Temer’s administration was quickly embroiled in its own corruption scandal. He was accused of accepting bribes from major business leaders, which led to him becoming the first sitting Brazilian president formally charged with corruption. Temer’s presidency was short but marred by scandal and extremely high public disapproval, reinforcing the perception that corruption was a fundamental part of Brazil’s political machinery. His administration highlighted how quickly Brazilian presidents could go from promising stability to being implicated in scandal.

Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022)

Elected on a platform that promised to root out corruption, Jair Bolsonaro's presidency was marked by populist rhetoric, divisive politics, and his own share of controversies. Bolsonaro campaigned as an anti-establishment figure who would bring transparency to government, which resonated with many Brazilians disillusioned with traditional parties. However, his administration faced numerous accusations of corruption, especially related to government contracts and family members allegedly involved in illegal financial schemes. Bolsonaro’s approach to governance, including his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated political divides, making him one of Brazil’s most polarizing leaders. His administration demonstrated that even those elected to disrupt the status quo could fall into the same cycles of controversy and scandal.

Each of these leaders came to power promising change, yet their administrations left Brazil in a deeper state of political dysfunction. The lesson here for the gringos who feel that the United States “ended” after Trump is that political resilience is possible even under extreme corruption and division. Brazil has weathered decades of compromised leadership but continues to function, with its people adapting to each shift in governance. While many gringos fear that one leader can irreversibly damage their country, Brazil’s example shows that even sustained political corruption, economic crises, and public mistrust have not stopped the nation from moving forward.

While political corruption undermines the progress and hope a government can provide, Brazil’s ability to endure speaks volumes. It’s a testament to the strength of a people who, despite every scandal, press on and push for accountability and change. So the lesson here is, don't let communists come to power, and don't let people with lisp come to power.

Also my honest opinion to this election and the two bums running: I don't support abortion and I'm not anti-immigration, so If I was an american, I would spend the day at home eating and playing something and wouldn't even go out to vote.

[beardedmrbean]

Today is Thursday, Oct. 31, the 305th day of 2024 with 61 to follow.

This is Halloween.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

On this date in history:

In 1517, Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation by nailing a proclamation -- the 95 theses -- to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

In 1864, Nevada was admitted to the United States as the 36th state.

In 1931, with the Great Depression in full swing, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that 827 banks had failed during the previous two months.

In 1941, more than a month before the United States entered World War II, a German submarine torpedoed and sunk a U.S. destroyer, the USS Reuben James.

In 1941, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota -- consisting of the sculpted heads of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt -- was completed.

In 1968, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson announced a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam.

In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated outside her home in a volley of gunfire by Sikh members of her own security force. Her son, Rajiv, succeeded her.

In 1985, salvage divers located the remains of the booty-laden pirate ship Whydah, which sank Feb. 17, 1717, off Cape Cod, Mass.

In 1993, actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose outside of a West Hollywood, Calif., nightclub, The Viper Room. He starred in Stand By Me and My Own Private Idaho.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the California Desert Protection Act, establishing Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks.

In 2004, Iranian lawmakers chanted, "Death to America!" after a unanimous vote to allow their government to resume uranium enrichment activities.

In 2008, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus took over as head of the Central Command, in charge of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iran and other countries.

In 2010, Brazilians elected Dilma Rousseff as their first female president. The former energy minister and choice of outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated Jose Serra in a runoff with 56 percent of the vote. Rousseff won a second term Oct. 26, 2014.

In 2011, a U.N. report said the world's population had topped the 7 billion mark, doubling the total of 1968. The U.N. Population Fund predicted 8 billion people by 2025.

In 2014, SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Galactic's effort in spaceflight for tourists, crashed during a test flight in the Mojave Desert, killing one of the pilots and seriously injuring the other.

In 2015, Russian airliner Metrojet Flight 9268 crashed after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in Egypt, killing all 224 on board. Investigators suspected a bomb on the plane caused the crash.

In 2017, a man drove a rented truck onto a bike path in New York City, killing eight people and injuring 11 others. The alleged attacker's trial on terror charges began in October 2022 after multiple delays.

In 2019, the Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as its new leader after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

A thought for the day: "Variety is the soul of pleasure." -- English writer Aphra Behn

[felipeandletizia]

Felipe and Letizia retrospective: January 1st

2011: Investiture of Dilma Rousseff as the new president of Brazil.

2023: Investiture of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the new president of Brazil

F&L Through the Years: 1107/??

[undertoweyes]

All of this mess is result of the mistakes we did since 1985. We didn’t punish the military for all the tortures, and especially, the horror they brought with the 1964’s coup d'etat. We didn’t punish Bolsonaro when he repeatedly attacked democracy, when he made an “”””homage””””” to President Dilma’s torture, general Ustra.

So I beg to my fellow Brazilians, it’s time for us take the streets and finally go against these bunch fascists

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

US espionage on Brazil: recalling when WikiLeaks revealed NSA spied on former President Dilma Rousseff and members of her government

The website published a list of 29 phone numbers of Brazilian officials allegedly monitored since 2011

On Tuesday (25), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) celebrated the release of Australian journalist Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder.  

"Today, the world is a little better and less unjust. Julian Assange is free after 1,901 days in prison. His release and return home, albeit belatedly, is a victory for democracy and the fight for press freedom," said the Brazilian president in a social media post.

Since the beginning of his third presidential term, in January 2023, Lula has been one of the most vocal global leaders in defending Assange’s release. Among the information revealed by WikiLeaks throughout a decade, one has marked Brazilian diplomacy: the publication of documents proving that Dilma Rousseff was being spied on.

Continue reading.

[poisonedpomegranate]

On November 15, 1889 there was the Proclamation of the Republic in Brazil through a coup. During the next 5 years Brazil was governed exclusively by the military and the period is considered a dictatorship.

We were born, as a republic, as a dictatorship.

From 1937 to 1945 we had another dictatorship, that of Getúlio Vargas, who was nicknamed Father of the Poor and Mother of the Rich. He is a controversial figure in Brazilian history because, despite being a dictator, he was and still is very popular. So much so that years later he was democratically elected and governed the country from 1951 to August 24, 1954, when he committed suicide.

Something I find very interesting about Getúlio Vargas is the letter he wrote, which gave his death a grandiose tone, like a hero who dies in a Greek tragedy. He portrayed himself as a martyr. In his words, "Nothing remains except my blood. I gave you my life, now I give you my death. I choose this way to defend you, for my soul will be with you, my name shall be a flag for your struggle.(...) Serenely, I take my first step on the road to eternity and I leave life to enter History."

Then there was the Military Dictatorship, which began on April 1, 1964 with the support of the United States of America, with the justification that they were protecting the country from the communists. It was a dark and violent period, marked by the loss of rights, torture, persecution, censorship. It lasted until 1985.

In less than 100 years Brazil has gone through three Dictatorships, none as inhuman and violent as the most recent one. And people ask for it back. They extol torturers as if they were heroes. I will never understand this. I will never accept that the first president elected by the people after Dilma, who fought against the dictatorship and was tortured, is the same man who said that Ustra, a torturer, was a hero.

But that's not the point. What I really want to talk about is the music produced in 1964-1985.

Cálice (Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento).

“Pai, afasta de mim esse cálice”, translated to “Father, take from me this chalice” is a reference to a biblical passage.

Cálice sounds exactly like “Cale-se”, so the phrase is "pai, afasta de mim esse cálice" traduzido para “father, take from me this shut up”. A great pun, in my opinion. Here the “shut up” refers to oppression and censorship.

About the singers: both were censored several times during the Dictatorship. Buarque was exiled and Milton Nascimento was unable to see his son for almost 20 years, if he contravened these orders the military would kill his son.

Pra não dizer que não falei das flores (Geraldo Vandré)

This song is an invitation to popular revolt. No one was going to overcome oppression by carrying flowers. The idea of "peace and love" does not make a revolution. It does not prevent people from being tortured and killed. Geraldo Vandré also opted for exile. Fleeing the country was safer than staying.

"Along the fields there is hunger Even with abundant plantations And in the streets, Streams of doubtful people Who still take a flower As the strongest symbol of their convictions People who still believe that Flowers can put down the rage of guns

Come on, let's go away Because it's not wise to be waiting for The wise does not let the chance pass by He never waits for it to come

We see armed soldiers Some of them were ever loved, others were not Most are equally lost Holding a gun in hand In the headquarters, they are taught of That old pretty lesson 'To die for the sake of the Land' But to go on without an opinion"

Mosca na Sopa (Raul Seixas)

Raul Seixas wrote this song to mock the Military Dictatorship. He represented himself as the fly, because he always bothered the military. Raul Seixas was tortured and exiled.

“I am the fly that landed on your soup I am the fly that got here to abuse you I am the fly that landed on your soup I am the fly that got here to abuse you I am the fly that landed on your soup I am the fly that got here to abuse you I am the fly that disturbs your sleep I am the fly that is flying around in your room I am the fly that disturbs your sleep I am the fly that is flying around your room And don't even bother coming to kill me Cause I'm resistent even to DDT Because you kill one and then another one comes to replace me”.

There are many other songs, but I made this text without planning and I wanted to post it soon. Maybe I'll put others later. The translations of the lyrics of the songs were taken from internet sites, which I consider safer sources than I do.

[lovvedaggers]

After 2 U.S. backed coups against brazilian presidents (Dilma's impeachment in 2016 and Lula's prison in 2018) I hope karma catches up to Uncle Sam's land now that we got rid of Bolsonaro, a monster they helped come to power.