#that's our feckless high king right there

[rue8ell]

Cardan being self-deprecatingly honest

[robcognitivepersonality]

The Mastermind & the Promoter

How I get along with ESTPs as an INTJ

First, let’s toss all that is Chad about ESTPs and start from zero. Extraverted Sensing is gathering local detailed data at high fidelity and intensity. Like a high resolution camera which you have a long range control of the hue and contrast settings. Introverted Intuition is recalling global holistic data. Working together, Ni/Se users compare the details of reality against their vision. ESTPs take a step further by “painting” their holistic Ni canvas and materializing it onto the Se real world.

You traveled far and studied about everything that could be relevant to your vision. With Introverted Thinking, you’ve built from what you’ve seen as a guide to a utopian dream, a philosophy, or a set of ethos. With Extraverted Feeling, you believe these are the life principles everyone should abide by. Fe/Ti users are students and teachers of ego management. ESTPs take a step further to influence others by becoming the living proof of their own ideas.

You’re constantly picking up micro expressions, reading body language, researching deep convoluted literature, or analyzing theories. You can amplify the details out from both the physical and the conceptual. It’s not uncommon for ESTPs to have many advanced degrees, speak multiple languages fluently, and excel at just about any hobbies they’re passionate about. So instead of being the dumb jock the MBTI community has made you to be, I see ESTPs as the most potentially gifted out of all the types.

"Well, my legs may be too small for my body, but my head is too large, although I prefer to think it is just large enough for my mind. I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind... and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much, Jon Snow." - Tyrion Lannister, from A Game of Thrones

That’s the thing about ESTPs — y’all make it look so simple. Your NiTi understands that life can be overwhelmingly complex, yet you see that it works around a few thematic factors. And as long as we respect and make our moves based on those factors, it all becomes easy and intuitive. Let life happen, stay on course and we’ll figure the rest out as we go. Our energy is best spent on the now; focused towards our goals.

Like many ideas though, it’s easier said than done. You look into people’s eyes and you see how it can be complicated for them. People have many reasons why they’re not working on their goals. Of course there are some considerable excuses. But it could be a lack of confidence, fear, confusion, anger, or just plain laziness. Your SeFe sees those emotions and pulls them right out to the surface to deal with them.

Through my SeTe, I see that we live in a cold and over-complicated machine that sucks the souls out of us and programs us into mass manufactured drones. I see that many of us get bogged down spending our lives on unwanted obligations, unhealthy habits, and unfulfilling jobs. I try my best to navigate through it and be free and happy. To stay pure with ourselves and live as sincerely as we can. We both want that.

‘Free and happy.’ I was camping during a summer vacation on one of the tiny islands in the Philippines where I could walk around the perimeter in a half hour. There was one shack where a family lived to upkeep the island. I watched the kids all day playing tag on the beach, swimming as far out as they can, driving dad’s boat, carrying big smiles without a weight of burden. I asked myself — when did I grow up? When did things get so complicated?

"Yeah, fuck politics, man. Yeah, like literally that’s feckless. I’m telling you, I’m on my ‘kindness conspiracy’. As long as I’m kind to people, like if we live by an ethic of kindness, if we foster trust amongst each other, it will matter less what corporations and politicians say, because we’ll be able to trust our society’s cohesiveness." - Dave Chappelle

As a kid I couldn’t wait to be a grown up. I didn’t think too hard about it, I just wanted to be a big grown up like Mom and Dad. I did well in school, got a good job, and made lifelong friends. I’m grateful that I got to pursue my passions and cross a lot of my goals off the bucket list. Yet with all of the money and possessions I have, I really longed for that pure weightless joy these kids had. Don’t get me wrong, I’m living a good life. But I guess it really is just complicated.

I gotta admit. When you try to pull out my Introverted Feeling, I feel manipulated. As an INTJ, I’m possessive about my emotions. Only I can deal and experience them, I don’t outsource the control of them to anybody. I feel very seen when your darty eyes are pointed in my direction. I feel you weeding through my bullshit. I feel you are testing me for who I am as a person.

It can easily be a tug of war, until I take a moment and remind myself it doesn’t have to be. The ESTPs I’m close with are all good natured and genuinely curious. In the back of their minds, they understand we mean nothing in the scale of the universe. And they’ll ask “So what are you gonna do about it?” Without beating around the bush, I’m challenged to answer how I’ll be using my limited time on this Earth.

Having NiFi, I’m constantly contemplating how to attain the most self-realized life possible. I have this sheer curiosity for what I’d find out in being the best Me, the truest Me. But I honestly have no idea what it means to be all that I can be. There’s no standard nor proven roadmap to this. I come up with my own plans, constantly considering the rules of my environment and consulting my feelings. That’s what’s complicated. Without any instructions, I spend so much time in my head trying to figure life out.

"Money is a tool — it’s the means, not the end. Inspiration is the metric that dictates whether or not a project is a success. It’s more realistic than trying to aim for radio play, or trying to satisfy an A&R, or the other gatekeepers on these platforms. I don’t even know how to create with those things in mind. But if you tell me the goal is to inspire? That makes my job a lot easier." - Nipsey Hussle

So when you ask what I want to do in life, I want to look back during my last years saying to myself that I did pretty good. I want to be happy, stay healthy, see my parents enjoy their retirement, help out in the family, grow old with my friends, and do good in society. I’m afraid of how naïvely simple that all sounds. I can’t underestimate how difficult reaching these goals can be. In today’s environment, it seems logistically impossible without an abundance of time, money, and luck. Having only one shot at life, I have to do my due diligence to figure out how to best accumulate these resources.

As you’re focused on me trying to answer, I realize what you’re doing is checking up on my ikigai — a Japanese word which doesn’t exist in other languages that essentially means ‘a reason to get up in the morning’ and ‘a reason to enjoy life’:

The word ‘ikigai’ is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile (for example, one might say: ‘‘This child is my ikigai’’). Secondly, the word is used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel that their lives are valuable. There is a difference between ikigai and the sense of well-being. Ikigai is a more concerned with the future: for example, even when one feels that one’s present life is dark, possessing a desire or goal for the future allows one to feel ikigai.

Ikigai gives individuals a sense of a life worth living. It is not necessarily related to economic status.

Ikigai gives individuals a sense of a life worth living. It is not necessarily related to economic status.

Behaviours which make one feel ikigai are not actions which individuals are forced to take, but they are spontaneous activities which people undertake willingly.

Ikigai is personal; it reflects the inner self of an individual and expresses that faithfully.

It establishes a unique mental world in which the individual can feel at ease.

- Noriyuki Nakanishi, Department of Public Health, Osaka University Medical School, “‘Ikigai’ in older Japanese people”

ESTPs have an intuitive sense of this concept. You understand that the sum of small joys in everyday life results in a more fulfilling life as a whole. Ikigai is all we need. As long as we keep it pure and close to us, everything’s gonna be alright. And to do that, we must live in the moment. Having faith for the future means to enjoy the now, to enjoy every little thing and everyone we come in contact with. As someone who’s so future oriented as I am, I appreciate you for reminding me that.

I have no philosophical idea why we try to be happy. Maybe it’s tied to our will to survive. Whatever it is, I just know it feels beautifully good. To feel like those kids in the Philippines, to live each day like that and eventually to fondly look back. We’re given a chance to live, we should see how special that is. For you to teach me that, you’re a gift anybody would be lucky to have.

[mirageofthecrystal]

FFxiv 30 Day Writing Challenge - Day 21: Feckless

feckless (adjective)

lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible.

"What is the meaning of this," demanded Lord Penderghast of the knight who had callously dragged his own son through the door by the scruff of the neck. "Apologies, my lord, but I found this feckless little knave sneaking around the Vault of all places. And as you very well know, my lord, the Vault is no place for children or those who are not expressly bidden. And as the young one loudly informed me, his father would something to say to me if I did not unhand him immediately. Thus, I ascertained that he was your son, and brought him here forthwith before he could cause any more disturbance." The knight still grasped Faiolan by the collar of his tunic, and resignation crossed the face of his father who sighed a deep sigh, shaking his head.

"Very well, ser. You may turn him over to my custody, and I will ensure he understands that the Vault is no place for a child to play. If this happens again, please call upon me to retrieve him from a cell. The punishment will do him some good." "As you wish, Lord Penderghast. May the Fury take you in her eye." The knight bowed and departed, leaving father and son together within the chamber. Like the Vault, this chamber was another such place that Faiolan was not to be unless expressly bidden. His father's study, wherein the Lord Aloysius Penderghast did conduct affairs on behalf of his own branch house as well as matters for the High House from which they hailed, House Durendaire, was a sacred place so far as the boy was concerned. And so, for mayhaps the first time, Faiolan looked upon it and saw all the things that lay within.

An enormous desk of some polished black wood, carvings laid within it and lined with silver that depicted King Thordan and his Knights, one of whom was believed to be a direct ancestor of his if traced all the way back to those olden times. His father always said that it was by the bravery of those knights that all lives in Ishgard were allowed to be, and so it was important to keep within memory all their names and deeds, for the same responsibility was owed to Ishgard by all those who hailed from the Houses. They were the caretakers of Ishgard, noble and commoner alike, and it was only by their efforts that the nation would survive all its trials and tribulations.

"And why, pray tell, were you skulking around the Vault?" Lord Penderghast was not the sort to beat around the bush. He would not entertain any attempts to lie or deceive, and Faiolan knew better than to try. He did not, however, know better than to try and plead innocence. "I wasn't skulking. I was... just... nearby. I wanted to see the knights. That's all." Lord Penderghast elevated a brow, which was enough to break the boy's resolve. "Okay, maybe a little... but I just wanted to see them is all! The Heaven's Ward!" Faiolan was practically obsessed with them, the great knights who served as the Archbishop's greatest warriors and protectors. He dreamed of being one, one day.

"But you know better, don't you? You know the Vault is off-limits. And you know that the knights of the Heaven's Ward have not the time or inclination to entertain the idle curiosities of a boy." Faiolan huffed and crossed his arms. "I just wanted to see them is all! Who makes those stupid rules anyway? If there's a place, why can't people just go there?" "Because, my son, it is not a playground for children. It is a most holy place and is of great significance. If we allowed anyone to stroll into our most sacred places, then what would be the point of venerating them? Would you enjoy it if I wordlessly strolled into your room, while you were perhaps sleeping, just to get a look at you?" "Well... no... but..." "There you have it. If you cannot even obey the simplest of things such as this, how do you expect to become one of them one day?"

Faiolan paused to think, and then smiled. "By being the strongest warrior!" He flexed, then pretended to swing about a blade and slay a dragon. "My dear boy, being a knight isn't about being the strongest. Yes, they are surely skilled in battle, but I've told you a thousand times. What is a knight?" Faiolan parroted back that which his father expected, "A protector, an example, and something to aspire to..." "That's right. Some may not be the strongest or the mightiest, but they are of honor without reproach, souls of benevolent intent, and they protect Ishgard from all her ills. They are charitable, knowledgeable, compassionate... perhaps not each of them all these things, but they exemplify the greatest qualities of what a person should be. And you, my boy, lack quite a few of those traits. For though not every knight must be possesses of every virtue, all knights are sworn by oaths of duty and responsibility. A knight would not tread in a sacred place that they are unwelcome. And you will never set foot near the Vault again unless you are expressly allowed, is that clear?"

Faiolan pouted, but his father rose from his desk, showing he was serious and expected a proper answer, the one he'd expect from a knight-to-be. "Yes father. I understand." "Very good. And I was serious when I told that knight to leave you in the dungeons next time. If your own good sense won't keep you out of trouble, I'm sure that will. Perhaps I'll even be too busy to fetch you, and you'll have to spend the eve with the vile criminals and heretics." Heretics, the itinerant bogeyman that caused fear in even the hearts of children. But then Aloysius chuckled, crossing the room and putting his hand on his son's head to assuage his horror. "I jest, I jest. But, I think this is time for a proper lesson, a knightly lesson. You will begin to learn responsibility, duty, and the importance of following the rules. Come along." Faiolan and his father left the study behind, Aloysius locking the door as he always did. If his son so wished to become a knight one day, then he would learn what it meant... and what it could cost if he did not learn the value of virtues.

[whitehotharlots]

Previewing the 2024 Democrat Primary

Within a couple weeks of his being sworn in, just about every person on earth will wish Joe Biden was no longer president. Sure, the few surviving John B. Anderson voters will be thrilled to see 4 years of crushing austerity and half-assed attempts at Keynesian stimulus. But most people will begin dreaming about a brighter future.

Good news! The 2024 Democratic primary field is going to contain dozens of options. Bad news! They are all going to be disgusting piles of shit. 

The “top tier”

While it’s too early to do any handicapping, these are the candidates the media will treat as having the most realistic chances of securing the nomination. 

Kamala Harris

Kamala did not win a single primary delegate in 2020. This is because she dropped out before the first primary, and that was because no one likes her. She has no base beyond a few thousand of twitter’s most violent psychos. Her disingenuousness approaches John Edwards levels: any halfway incredulous person can see immediately beyond her bullshit. She has no principles whatsoever, and while that may be par for the course for Democrats, she lacks even the basic politician’s ability to intuit anything that might, hypothetically, constitute a principle. 

Even better: she is an awful public speaker. She sounds like how a talking dog would speak if he were just caught stealing people food off the kitchen table. She communicates in weird grunts and faux sassy squeaks, which is how she imagines real black women sound like, but something about her is unable to sell the bit. She begins her sentences in halfhearted AAVE, stops and panics halfway through as she realizes that maybe this sounds fake and offensive, and then reminds herself oh wait, no, this is okay since I’m black. This doesn’t happen once or twice per speech. This is how every single sentence sounds. 

Kamala is like Nancy Pelosi in that no sketch show will ever impersonate her correctly, because anything that came close to authenticity would be considered far too cruel. This might benefit her in the primaries, as she exists in the minds of Democrats as someone and something she absolutely is not in reality. Nominating her would be like allowing your child’s imaginary friend to attempt to drive you to the store. 

Andrew Cuomo

Easily one of the 50 worst people alive, Cuomo has a solid chance because Democrats, same as Republicans, are unable to differentiate between electability and self-serving ruthlessness. Cuomo used the deadliest public health crisis in American history as a pretext for cutting Medicaid and firing 5,000 MTA workers, and his approval rating increased. New York Dems are little piggies who love eating shit. If we assume that the political media will continue their habit of refusing to discuss the legislative history of right wing Democrats, Cuomo might well cruise to the nomination and then lose to literally any human being the GOP nominates by an historic margin. 

Joe Biden

The party loves him because he is a right wing racist. “Progressives” tolerate him because black primary voters over 40 supported him, and their opinion is supposedly a magic window into god’s truth. Everyone else can tell he is manifestly senile. I don’t put it above the DNC to pick a candidate who is in horrible health, dying, or even dead--whatever the financial sector wants, they’ll get. But I would be shocked if his approval rating is above 39% by mid-2023, and by that point deep fake technology will be advanced enough they’ll put out a very lifelike video in which the Max Headroom version of Joe explains he’s proud of his accomplishments--that budget’s almost balanced already--but, man, I gotta abd--I gotta abdica--, uhh, I gotta, I, uhh, I gotta move down, man. 

Wild Cards

These candidates would have all have a chance if they ran, but they could all much more easily retire to Little Saint James off of kickbacks they’ve gotten from Citibank and I.G. Farben. 

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm is going to receive some hugely influential post in the Biden administration. Let’s say he becomes Secretary of Education. His signature achievement will be replacing all elementary school teachers with Amazon’s Alexa, which saved the taxpayers so much money we were able to quadruple the number of armed police officers we put into high schools. This will give him several thousand positive profiles on network news programs and the near-universal support of the Silicon Valley vampires who will own 99% of the country by the time Biden’s term ends. They will use their fancy mind control devices to convince geriatic primary voters that Rahm’s the one who will bring Decency back to the white house. His candidacy will be the paragon of wokeness, as expressing concern toward the fact that he covered up the police murder of a black guy will get you called a racist. 

Rahm has a bonus in that Jewish men are now Schrodeniger’s PoC. When they are decent human beings, they are basic, cis white men who are stealing attention from disabled trans candidates of color. When they love austerity and apartheid, they become the most vulnerable people of color on earth and criticizing them in any way is genocide. No one will be able to mention a single thing Rahm has ever done or said without opening themselves to accusations of antisemitism, and that gives him a strong edge against the rest of the field. The good news is that an Emmanuel candidacy would result in over 50% of black voters choosing the GOP candidate--which, I guess that’s not really good but it would certainly be funny. 

Gavin Newsom

Newsom is every bit as feckless as Cuomo, but he doesn’t put off the same “bad guy in an early Steven Segal movie” vibes. He will mention climate change 50 times per speech and no one will bother to mention how he keeps signing fracking contracts even though his state is now on fire 11 months of the year. If anything, this will be spun into an argument about how he’s actually the candidate best suited to handle all the water refugees gathering on the southern border. Look for his plan to curb emissions by 10% by the year 2150 to get high marks from Sierra Club nerds. He’s also a celebate librarian’s idea of what constitutes a handsome man, so he’ll have some support from the type of women who claim to hate all men. 

Larry Summers

I mean, why not? Larry, like most members of the Obama administration, has politics that are eerily similar to those of Jordan Peterson. In normal circumstances, this makes a person a dangerous fascist who should not be platformed. But if that person has a D next to their name this makes them a realistic pragmatist who has what it takes to bring suburban bankers into our tent. If current trends in Woke Phrenology continue apace, Larry’s belief that women are inherently bad at STEM will be liberal orthodoxy by 2023, and his dedication to the Laffer Curve could see him rake in massive donations. Seriously, I’m not kidding: cultural liberalism is now fully dedicated to identity essentialism and balanced budgets. Larry is their ideal candidate. If he were black and/or a woman, I’d put him in the very top tier. 

Jay Inslee

Unlike Newsom, Inslee’s attempt to crown himself the King of Global Warming won’t be immediately derailed, since his state is only on fire because of protestors. This, however, poses a different problem. He’s going to be a good test case for the Democrat’s uneasy peace with the ever increasing share of the electorate who become catatonic upon hearing a pronoun. On the one hand, you need to take their votes for granted. On the other hand, they’re not like black people or regular gays: most voters actively, consciously despise wokies, and associating yourself with them will ruin a campaign even in deep blue areas. There’s still gonna be riots in a year. Biden’s gonna announce the sale of all our nation’s potable water to the good folks at Nestle and some trans freak named Sasha-Malia DeBalzac is going to use that as an opportunity to sell their new pamphlet about how it’s fascist to not burn down small businesses. No matter what Inslee does in response, it’ll end his career. 

AOC

I’m not one of those “AOC is a secret conservative” weirdos, but I am aware enough of basic reality to know she has zero chance of coming close to the nomination. The right and the center both regard her as a literal demon. The party is already blaming her for the fact that a handful of faceless Reagan acolytes failed to flip their suburban districts even though they ran on sensible pragmatic proposals like euthanizing the homeless. The recriminations will only get more unhinged when the Dems eat shit in the 2022 midterms. She will be a Russian, she will be white male, she will be a communist, she will be a homophobe: any insult or conspiracy theory you can name, MSNBC will spend hours discussing. Her house seat challenger will receive a record amount of support from the DNC in 2024 and it’ll be all she can do to remain in congress.

Larry Hogan

Don’t be dissuaded by the fact that he’s a Republican. Larry is the DNC’s ideal candidate: a physically repulsive conservative who owes his entire career to appealing to the most spiteful desires of suburban white people. He’s an open racist in a material sense--if you’re old-school enough to think racism is a matter of beliefs and actions, rather than the presence of cultural signifiers--but his is the beloved “never Trump” style of racism that Dems covet. He’s also a Proven Leader who thinks the role of government should be to finance the construction of investment property and give police the resources they need to run successful drug trafficking operations. Few people embody the Democrat worldview more than Larry. 

The Losers Bracket

These people will have at least a small chance due solely to the fact that the Democrats love losing. They have lost in the past, and in the Democrat Mind that makes them especially qualified.

Joe Kennedy

The man looks like a mushroom-human hybrid from a JRPG. Trump proved that physical hideousness need not doom a presidential bid, but a candidate still needs some kind of charm or oratorical abilities or, god forbid, a decent platform. Joe aggressively lacks all of these things. A vanity campaign would be a good way to raise money and perhaps secure an MSNBC gig, so Joe might still run. 

Mayor Pete 

I am 100% convinced that Pete’s 2020 run was a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. I am also 100% aware that Democrats are dumb enough to enthusiastically support a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. If we have some sort of military or terror disaster between now and 2023 the Dems are sure to want a TROOP, and wait wait wait you’re telling me this one is a gay troop? Holy hell there’s no way that could lose!

Stacy Abrams

Never underestimate the power of white guilt. She lost the gubernatorial race to Gomer Pyle’s grandson, and her spiritual guidance of the Dems saw the party lose black voters in Georgia in 2020. Nonetheless, she is regarded as a magic font of fierceness within the DNC. She might stand a chance if she can establish herself as the most conservative non-white candidate in the field, but there’s going to be stiff competition for that honor.

Elizabeth Warren

Liz is probably angry that the party so shamelessly sold her out even after she was a good little girl and sabatoged Bernie’s campaign for them--yet another example of high ranking US government officials reneging on their promises to the Native American community. Smdh. The fact that this woman hasn’t been bankrupted a dozen times over by various Wallet Inspectors genuinely astounds me. So Liz is probably going to run again, and her campaign will be even sadder the second time around. 

It might surprise you to hear this if you don’t work at a college or NGO, but Liz diehards actually do exist. She’ll get even less support this time because there will be no viable leftist in the field for her to spoil, but she’ll still hang in long enough to make sure the very worst possible candidate beats out the second worst possible candidate. Maybe she’ll fabricate a rape accusation against Sherrod Brown. Maybe she’ll spend her entire allotted debate time doing a land acknowledgment. With Liz, anything is possible--so long as it ends in failure. 

Amy Klobuchar 

Amy was the most bloodthirsty of the 2020 also rans. She will double down on the unpopular failures of the Biden administration, explaining that if you weren’t such a selfish idiot you’d love the higher social security retirement age and oh my god are so such a moron you think you shouldn’t go bankrupt to get a COVID vaccine? There’s a non-unsubstantial segment of the Democratic base that’s self-hating enough to find this appealing, but it won’t be enough to make her viable. 

Martha Coakley

She lost Ted Kennedy’s senate seat to a retarded man who was pretending to be even more retarded than he actually was. Then she lost a gubernatorial race to a guy who openly promised Massachusetts voters that he would punish them for electing him. Her record of failure is unparalleled, making her perhaps the ideal Democrat standard bearer for the twenty twenties. 

[scarletaire]

covenant mine

A/N: My humble offering to the Jurdan fandom. First posted fanfic, and hopefully more to come!

Fandom: The Folk of the Air

Genre/s: Fluff

Rating: T

Tags: Post-QON, fluff, established relationship, wholesome jurdan, cardan is a soft boi, and he likes to cuddle

Description:

 A year into their marriage, Jude presents Cardan with his own wedding ring.

[Read on AO3] [Masterlist]

Cardan is waiting for her when she finally returns to their quarters at the end of the night.

Jude shuts the great oaken door of the royal suite, eyeing him carefully. Flowering vines follow her fingers over the doorknob, twisting together to lock the door behind her.

He is seated on the plush armchair that he favors beside the mantle, and he tracks her with intensity as she makes her way into the sitting area of their bedroom. His eyes are clear, so he isn’t drunk. But Jude immediately notices his tail swishing low against the carpet, betraying his agitation.

“Wife,” Cardan greets her.

“Husband,” she says in reply, shrugging off her jacket as she crosses the threshold. The heavy denim makes an unnatural thunk as it hits the floor. Her knives come off next; she plucks them from each of her boots, then her right thigh, and her left forearm. Nightfell goes last, set reverentially down on her weapons table right by the main door. She pats the pockets of her jeans before turning to face him again.

Cardan wields the silence in the room like his own weapon, sharpening it like a blade against her conscience. She knows that she worried him greatly by venturing to the mortal world without telling him. But he knows her better than to restrict and control her movements, so he doesn’t confront her for it.  

But clearly he can damn well sulk about it.

Jude’s propensity towards danger and recklessness is still a bit of a sore point almost a year into their marriage. Cardan wishes that she favor the side of safety now that she has taken her rightful place as the High Queen of Elfhame, but those instincts and tendencies are what has kept her alive for so long. It is one particularly stubborn piece of armor to be rid of, and she is still learning how to compromise.

But seeing Cardan perched on his chair, still dressed in the night’s regalia, and an uneaten plate of dinner ignored beside him, Jude decides that she can afford to let him have this one. She didn’t deceive him by going to the mortal world, but he has made it clear that he wished to be informed of such plans should she make them. She knows she is in the wrong this time.

“I’m not sorry that I went,” she tells him finally, and it is the truth, “but I do regret that I was remiss in telling you I was leaving.”

The fingers of one elegant hand come up to steeple under his chin, insouciant even in his sulking.

“Cardan. I really am sorry I worried you.”

He says nothing.

She raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed by his posturing.

Cardan sighs, a bit begrudgingly. “I believe you. Even though you make it incredibly difficult, you heedless mortal.”

“Do you accept my apology?”

“Loath though I am to admit it, I do.” The tension in his shoulders is replaced by a slouch, and he extends a plaintive hand toward her. “Will you soothe your troubled husband?”

Jude is powerless to deny him.

She takes his hand, the chill of Maine in October banished by the fire-warmed touch of his skin. Cardan pulls her toward him, and she allows him to settle her easily on his lap. His arms are a cradle of silk and brocade for her to lean against. After checking her over for any possible scratches or bruises and finding none, he buries his face into the quickly heating skin of her neck.

Affection does not come easily to Jude. It is a small and fragile thing she is still growing and nurturing after years of sharpening herself on war games and poison. But she understands the significance of moments like this, understands the undercurrent of tenderness and gentleness that blooms within her, and so she tries, for him.

(And if she’s being completely honest, she tries for herself, too, if only because she has come to crave and collect each of his little touches in turn.)

Jude shifts, and at first Cardan loosens his hold reluctantly, but she is only moving so that she can turn toward him entirely. She is soon straddling him in their armchair by the fire, and has wrapped her arms back around him as tightly as he has done to her. Cardan, so deprived of attention and affection as a child, melts completely into her embrace, tail twining around her ankle.

She doesn’t know how to process the relief softening the limbs of his body. He must have been beside himself with worry. She is still getting used to being worried over by him, and so there is a niggling sense of guilt gnawing at her now. She hugs him tighter in response.

It’s easier said than done though, because he’s still taller and bigger than her. She has to reach around the breadth of his shoulders and wrap her legs across the spread of his thighs, and it’s almost like there is too much of him for her to hold. She feels small in the space of his worry and his relief and his embrace. She grits her teeth against the ache of emotion building in her throat, against the comforting press of his chest, solid against hers.

Many moments later, Cardan surfaces from between her neck and shoulder. “And how is Madoc the exiled faring in the mortal realms?” He knew where she went, then. It’s still a bit odd to have someone know her so well.  

“He is resentful,” Jude admits, “but none of the spies I stationed near him have reported suspicious activity.”

“And yet, my queen, suspicion remains heavy in your voice.”

“I needed to confirm some things for myself,” she explains carefully. “My father may have sworn to never put his hand on a weapon again, but that doesn’t mean he can’t command another in his stead.”

Cardan studies her face in earnest. “Keeping the peace is not your burden to bear alone, Jude.”

She touches a lock of hair that has fallen across his forehead. “I know,” she says, softly.

“You promised to warn me the next time you planned something dangerous.”

“I know.”

He waits, the silence his willing pawn.

Jude reaches for the short hairs at the nape of his neck to give her hands something to do. “I just needed to see,” she says,  “for myself. How he was doing.”

There is grim understanding in Cardan’s eyes as he listens to her. If there is anyone who knows what it is like to love and resent the person who raised her, it is him.

“Did it help?”

Jude thinks about her reply, wanting to answer him as honestly as she can. “Yes,” she tells him. “I never have to wonder about him again.”

“Does that mean that you will never again check on our old enemies all by yourself?”

She smirks. “I’ll let you come with me to check on the others.”

His eyebrows crease. “You speak of Nore and the Court of Teeth.”

She shrugs. “Unlike Madoc, there may be others who have not accepted their judgement so easily.”

“Do you doubt Suren’s ability to control the traitors?”

“No,” she admits, a little uneasily. “Not that.” There was something in Suren’s untethered, sharp-toothed grin that unnerved her, but as long as that remains directed towards the peace of Elfhame, then she is willing to leave it untouched.

Jude sits up straighter on his thighs. “A year has passed since I laid judgement on Madoc and his coup,” she explains.

“Yes,” Cardan breathes. “And what a fearsome thing you were to behold.” He says this the same way he had once spoken about her hospitality of knives. Jude feels the glint of a grin tug at the corner of her mouth.

“A lot can happen in a year. I think it would be utterly feckless of us to let that much time go by without reminding Elfhame what happens to those who threaten the crown.” You and me, she thinks. Us.

At this, Cardan doesn’t bother to hide the beginnings of his own wicked grin. “Ah. Is that what you are scheming, Jude? Reminding our kingdom of what a formidable queen you make?”

His eyes burn as he looks up at her, the firelight setting the angles of his face aglow, his clothes and hair in disarray from her embrace. He is unbearably beautiful. He is her husband. “Perhaps.” She is unable to stop herself from leaning down and whispering it against his lips. “If my great king should deign to join me.”

Cardan’s fingers clench against her hips in anticipation, but Jude is already pulling away.  She has one more thing to confess before she can let herself fall into him completely. “Checking on Madoc wasn’t all I did in the mortal world.”

He frowns, though whether it’s because she denied him a proper kiss or because there is more to her scheming, she can’t be exactly sure. “Your words bode ill, dear wife.”

Jude pokes at the wrinkles on his forehead. “Nothing for you to anguish over. Quite the opposite in fact.”

“Oh?”

“Cardan. Not like that, either.”

“Oh.”

She bites her lip to keep from smiling. But then she thinks about what she has for him in her pocket and she is biting her lip for another reason. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she is looking down at Cardan, who watches her with an inhuman stillness, the otherworldly lines of his ears and his cheekbones and his jawline illuminated against the dying night sky, she is suddenly less sure.

Jude thumbs at the ruby ring on her fourth finger, the one missing its tip. Cardan had known the significance of that mortal convention to her. Would he be willing to accept it for himself?

“Jude?” he asks, after she has been silent for too long.

She takes a deep breath. “There’s a tradition among married human couples,” she begins. “When a couple is wed, they exchange rings to wear as a symbol of their vows to each other.”

“Yes,” he says, taking her left hand. “That much I understand.” And then he takes his teeth to the sensitive skin of her fourth knuckle. Jude swallows as she tries her best not to think about the marks those same teeth had left on the insides of her thighs.

Cardan looks at the red imprints he made above her red ring, and then up at her face. He grins, roguishly pleased at what he finds there. “I like seeing this on your finger. I like it even more knowing what it means.”

“Yeah, well,” she says, struggling not to squirm, “I realized that you gave me a ring the night that we wed, but I never gave you one back.” She reaches into the pocket of her mortal jeans. “So I was wondering if – if maybe you would take this one.”

His eyes widen. In her palm, flashing in the light, is a yellow gold band paved all over with a single row of tiny, blood-red rubies.  

“Jude,” Cardan breathes.

“It was my mom’s,” she blurts out. “Or at least the gold was. I knew that Madoc kept the ring she was wearing the night he –” Her words fail her, and he waits in stunned silence for her to continue. “That was part of the reason I visited him today. To ask for it. Taryn and Vivi said it was ok for me to have it, but I wasn’t sure if he would actually give it up. He did, though, so I had the gold melted down and the rubies added because I wanted us to –” She realizes she’s babbling, and the words die off into a whisper. “I wanted us to match.”

“Jude,” he says again, and this time, she recognizes the awe in his tone.

“Do you… do you like it?”

“Yes.” His reply is immediate. His voice is hushed. “Yes, Jude, I like it very much.”

Jude watches as Cardan solemnly removes the rings on his left hand. All of them, every single one. His eyes never leave her face as she slowly, deliberately slides the new ruby ring onto his finger. Only when she whispers, “There,” does he look down at his new piece of jewelry.

Cardan takes her left hand in his, palms down, and moves them by the fire so that their rings sparkle in the light.

“A perfect pair,” he says, and then he is kissing her.

Cardan is not entirely kind with this kiss. He drags her closer by the roots of her hair and takes her bottom lip in between his teeth. She bites back and digs her fingers into his hair and shoulders in kind, using her position over him to her advantage. But he is needy and demanding, as if he has been unmade just a little by receiving her ring, and so she lets him sweep her away. There is a fire at her back, and there is the heat of his body as he pulls her in flush against him, and Jude feels like bursting.

“There is something I must ask,” he pants against her pulse point several long, fevered moments later.

Jude can barely think straight. All she can see is the dark desire in Cardan’s glittering eyes, and the color red. The red of their shared rubies, and the red of their bedsheets, singing their siren song just a few feet away.

“My cruel conqueror,” Cardan croons into her ear. "Who did you ask to make my ring?"

“What?” She steadies herself against his chest, the buttons of his shirt almost completely gone down the front. “Oh. I had a mortal jeweler do the ring while I was down in Portland.” 

The relief is painfully palpable in Cardan’s voice. “Thank the stars.”

Jude laughs.

________________

End Note: 

Cardan's new wedding ring.

I like to think that after Grimsen and the snake incident, Cardan becomes extremely wary of faerie craftsmanship.

Thank you for reading!

*EDITED (AUG 9, 2020): Changed a line to address the accuracy error pointed out by Ul’Yana on AO3. Shout out to you and your amazingly sharp eyes! <3

[weeklyhumorist]

Hey New York Times, I went ahead and edited that Tom Cotton piece for you

Since it seems the actual NY Times Opinion “Editors” were asleep at the wheel on this one, I went ahead and edited that Tom Cotton opinion piece for you. I’ll be sending you an invoice.

  Tom Cotton Any Reasonable Human: Send in the Troops Courts

The nation must restore order accountability. The military justice system stands ready to prosecute police officers who violate their oath to protect and serve their communities.

  This week, rioters police officers have plunged many American cities into anarchy fear and sadness, recalling the widespread police violence against Black Americans of the 1960s literally forever.

New York City Anywhere there was a protest suffered the worst of the riots brutality Monday night, as Mayors Bill de Blasio stood by while Midtown Manhattan their cities descended into lawlessness violent police states. Bands of looters white men in military gear roved the streets, smashing and emptying injuring hundreds of businesses human beings. Some even drove exotic cars tanks; the riots protests were carnivals for the thrill-seeking rich police officers as well as other criminal elements.

Outnumbered police officers Trapped protesters, encumbered by feckless politicians like Tom Cotton, bore the brunt of the violence. In New York State, rioters officers ran over officers protesters with cars on at least three occasions a bunch of times. In Las Vegas Minneapolis, an officer a journalist is in “grave” condition literally lost an eye after being shot in the head with a rubber bullet by a rioter police officer. In St. Louis Washington D.C., four police officers Australian journalists were shot “shoved, punched, and hit with a baton live on television” as they attempted to disperse a mob throwing bricks and dumping gasoline report the news; in a separate incident, a 77-year-old retired police captain 53-year-old man who used to feed police officers for free was shot to death as he tried to stop looters from ransacking a pawnshop protect his fellow Americans the way the police are supposed to. This is “somebody’s granddaddy a human being,” a bystander reasonable people everywhere screamed at the scene into the void.

  Some elites politicians have excused this orgy of violence in the spirit of radical chic ignorance, calling it an understandable response to Americans being deeply upset because of to the wrongful death of George Floyd. Those excuses are built on a revolting moral equivalence of rioters and looters a militarized police force tear-gassing American civilians to peaceful, law-abiding protesters. A majority who seek to protest peacefully shouldn’t be confused with bands of miscreants.

But the rioting violent response to the protests has nothing to do with George Floyd, whose bereaved relatives have condemned violence, or keeping the peace in any way. On the contrary, nihilist criminals police forces are simply out for loot blood and the thrill of destruction, with cadres of left right-wing radicals like antifa white supremacists infiltrating attacking protest marches to exploit Floyd’s death for their own anarchic purposes.

  These rioters officers, if not subdued, not only will destroy the livelihoods of law-abiding citizens but will also take more innocent lives. Many poor communities that still bear scars from past upheavals institutionalized violence and discrimination will be set back still further.

One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers defund police departments which are contributing to fundamental racial inequities in our country. But local law enforcement community leaders in some cities desperately needs backup, while delusional politicians in other cities like Tom Cotton refuse to do what’s necessary to uphold the rule of law dismantle systemic white supremacy.

The pace of looting and disorder police brutality may fluctuate from night to night, but it’s past time to support local law enforcement with federal authority marginalized communities everywhere with real change. Some governors have mobilized the National Guard mayors have begun to cut funding from their police departments, yet others refuse, and in some all cases the rioters white people benefiting from current racist policies still outnumber the police and Guard combined everyone else. In these circumstances, the Insurrection Act First Amendment authorizes the president country to employ the military “or any other means” in “cases of insurrection, or obstruction to the laws.” right to free speech to make their voices heard. 

This venerable law, nearly as old as our republic itself, doesn’t amount to “martial law” “lawlessness” or the end of democracy, as some excitable critics like Tom Cotton, ignorant of both the law and our history, have comically suggested. In fact, the federal government has a constitutional duty to the states to “protect each of them from domestic violence,” which basically means that we shouldn’t be sending in the military to attack our own citizens, right? Throughout most of our history, presidents have exercised this authority on dozens of occasions to protect law-abiding citizens from disorder not gone on record (or tweet) as actively encouraging violence against the people of their country. Nor does it violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which constrains the military’s role in law enforcement but expressly excepts statutes such as the Insurrection Act. Technically it’s allowed because of a law from 1807, but it kind of goes against the spirit of everything we’re told to believe about our nation, right?

  For instance, during the 1950s and 1960s, Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson called out the military to disperse mobs that prevented school desegregation or threatened innocent lives and property. This happened in my own state. Gov. Orval Faubus, a racist Democrat, mobilized our National Guard in 1957 to obstruct desegregation at Little Rock Central High School. President Eisenhower federalized the Guard and called in the 101st Airborne in response. The failure to do so, he said, “would be tantamount to acquiescence in anarchy.”

More recently, President George H.W. Bush ordered the Army’s Seventh Infantry and 1,500 Marines to protect Los Angeles during race riots in 1992. He acknowledged his disgust at Rodney King’s treatment — “what I saw made me sick” — but he knew deadly rioting would only multiply the victims, of all races and from all walks of life. Politicians like Tom Cotton have cherry-picked specific examples of military force being used in our history, but they’re really just missing the point. 

Not surprisingly, public opinion is on the side of law enforcement and law and order George Floyd, not insurrectionists cops. According to a recent poll, 58 percent of registered voters, including nearly half of Democrats and 37 percent of African-Americans, would support cities’ calling in the military to “address protests and demonstrations” that are in “response to the death of George Floyd.” 47% of those polled disapprove of the administration’s response to these protests. That opinion may not appear often in chic salons wherever Tom Cotton hangs out (Ed. note: deer stands? gun ranges? Klan rallies? I don’t know), but widespread support for it is fact nonetheless.

The American people aren’t blind to injustices in our society, but they know that the most basic responsibility of government is to maintain public order and safety uplift and empower all of its citizens, not just the white ones. In normal times, local law enforcement can uphold public order doesn’t do that. But in rare moments, like ours today Going forward, way, way more is needed, even if many politicians prefer to wring their hands and write crap editorials while the country burns and Black people keep dying.

  Hey New York Times, I went ahead and edited that Tom Cotton piece for you was originally published on Weekly Humorist

[dfroza]

the sacred writing of the Scriptures

have been conserved to document the History of the heavens and beautiful mysterious earth by illuminating the Light of the Son as Creator and the “Center” of the heart (the Spirit), just as the son is the center of our solar system that holds the universal garden of Mother earth as a living womb of seeds, to be...

and this point is seen clear in Today’s reading as we begin the book of Hebrews with chapter 1 with how God has revealed Himself to the world:

Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!

[The Son Is Higher than Angels]

After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule. Did God ever say to an angel, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you” or “I’m his Father, he’s my Son”? When he presents his honored Son to the world, he says, “All angels must worship him.”

Regarding angels he says,

The messengers are winds,

the servants are tongues of fire.

But he says to the Son,

You’re God, and on the throne for good;

your rule makes everything right.

You love it when things are right;

you hate it when things are wrong.

That is why God, your God,

poured fragrant oil on your head,

Marking you out as king,

far above your dear companions.

And again to the Son,

You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations,

then crafted the stars in the sky.

Earth and sky will wear out, but not you;

they become threadbare like an old coat;

You’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak,

and lay them away on the shelf.

But you’ll stay the same, year after year;

you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.

And did he ever say anything like this to an angel?

Sit alongside me here on my throne

Until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.

Isn’t it obvious that all angels are sent to help out with those lined up to receive salvation?

The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 1 (The Message)

A chapter paired with Jeremiah 9 that touches upon the significance of truth, inside & out:

I wish my head were a well of water

and my eyes fountains of tears

So I could weep day and night

for casualties among my dear, dear people.

At times I wish I had a wilderness hut,

a backwoods cabin,

Where I could get away from my people

and never see them again.

They’re a faithless, feckless bunch,

a congregation of degenerates.

“Their tongues shoot out lies

like a bow shoots arrows—

A mighty army of liars,

the sworn enemies of truth.

They advance from one evil to the next,

ignorant of me.”

God’s Decree.

“Be wary of even longtime neighbors.

Don’t even trust your grandmother!

Brother schemes against brother,

like old cheating Jacob.

Friend against friend

spreads malicious gossip.

Neighbors gyp neighbors,

never telling the truth.

They’ve trained their tongues to tell lies,

and now they can’t tell the truth.

They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie,

and refuse to know me.”

God’s Decree.

Therefore, God-of-the-Angel-Armies says:

“Watch this! I’ll melt them down

and see what they’re made of.

What else can I do

with a people this wicked?

Their tongues are poison arrows!

Deadly lies stream from their mouths.

Neighbor greets neighbor with a smile,

‘Good morning! How’re things?’

while scheming to do away with him.

Do you think I’m going to stand around and do nothing?”

God’s Decree.

“Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures

against a people like this?

“I’m lamenting the loss of the mountain pastures.

I’m chanting dirges for the old grazing grounds.

They’ve become deserted wastelands too dangerous for travelers.

No sounds of sheep bleating or cattle mooing.

Birds and wild animals, all gone.

Nothing stirring, no sounds of life.

I’m going to make Jerusalem a pile of rubble,

fit for nothing but stray cats and dogs.

I’m going to reduce Judah’s towns to piles of ruins

where no one lives!”

I asked, “Is there anyone around bright enough to tell us what’s going on here? Anyone who has the inside story from God and can let us in on it?

“Why is the country wasted?

“Why no travelers in this desert?”

God’s answer: “Because they abandoned my plain teaching. They wouldn’t listen to anything I said, refused to live the way I told them to. Instead they lived any way they wanted and took up with the Baal gods, who they thought would give them what they wanted—following the example of their parents.” And this is the consequence. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so:

“I’ll feed them with pig slop.

“I’ll give them poison to drink.

“Then I’ll scatter them far and wide among godless peoples that neither they nor their parents have ever heard of, and I’ll send Death in pursuit until there’s nothing left of them.”

[A Life That Is All Outside but No Inside]

A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Look over the trouble we’re in and call for help.

Send for some singers who can help us mourn our loss.

Tell them to hurry—

to help us express our loss and lament,

Help us get our tears flowing,

make tearful music of our crying.

Listen to it!

Listen to that torrent of tears out of Zion:

‘We’re a ruined people,

we’re a shamed people!

We’ve been driven from our homes

and must leave our land!’”

Mourning women! Oh, listen to God’s Message!

Open your ears. Take in what he says.

Teach your daughters songs for the dead

and your friends the songs of heartbreak.

Death has climbed in through the window,

broken into our bedrooms.

Children on the playgrounds drop dead,

and young men and women collapse at their games.

Speak up! “God’s Message:

“‘Dead bodies everywhere, scattered at random

like sheep and goat dung in the fields,

Like wheat cut down by reapers

and left to rot where it falls.’”

God’s Message:

“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom.

Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.

Don’t let the rich brag of their riches.

If you brag, brag of this and this only:

That you understand and know me.

I’m God, and I act in loyal love.

I do what’s right and set things right and fair,

and delight in those who do the same things.

These are my trademarks.”

God’s Decree.

“Stay alert! It won’t be long now”—God’s Decree!—“when I will personally deal with everyone whose life is all outside but no inside: Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab. All these nations are big on performance religion—including Israel, who is no better.”

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 9 (The Message)

and with Today being day 46 of Summer it reminds me of my Aéropostale T-shirt with this photo taken in Tulsa, Oklahoma 8 years ago on August 5 of ‘11 that is accompanied by the lines of Psalm 46

[Psalm 46]

For the worship leader. A song of the sons of Korah, a song for sopranos.

God is our shelter and our strength.

When troubles seem near, God is nearer, and He’s ready to help.

So why run and hide?

No fear, no pacing, no biting fingernails.

When the earth spins out of control, we are sure and fearless.

When mountains crumble and the waters run wild, we are sure and fearless.

Even in heavy winds and huge waves,

or as mountains shake, we are sure and fearless.

[pause]

A pure stream flows—never to be cut off—

bringing joy to the city where God makes His home,

the sacred site where the Most High chooses to live.

The True God never sleeps and always resides in the city of joy;

He makes it unstoppable, unshakable.

When it awakes at dawn, the True God has already been at work.

Trouble is on the horizon for the outside nations, not long until kingdoms will fall;

God’s voice thunders and the earth shakes.

You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;

the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

[pause]

Come, gaze, fix your eyes on what the Eternal can do.

Amazing, He has worked desolation here on this battlefield, earth

God can stop wars anywhere in the world.

He can make scrap of all weapons: snap bows, shatter spears,

and burn shields.

“Be still, be calm, see, and understand I am the True God.

I am honored among all the nations.

I am honored over all the earth.”

You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;

the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

[pause]

The Book of Psalms, Poem 46 (The Voice)

with 46:10 from The Passion Translation:

Surrender your anxiety!

Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God.

my reading from the Scriptures for August 5, day 46 of Summer and day 217 of the year:

[realestate63141]

We Cannot Wait for History's Judgment. We Need the Truth About Trump and Russia Now.

Over the holidays, John Farrell, author of an upcoming biography of Richard Nixon, wrote an op-ed piece in The New York Times confirming what many of us have known for nearly 50 years: In the fall of 1968, Nixon, the Republican candidate for president, deliberately torpedoed President Lyndon Johnson's efforts to cease the bombing of North Vietnam and begin peace talks to end the Vietnam war. Johnson was not running for re-election, but his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, was the Democratic candidate for the White House -- and Nixon was determined to keep Humphrey from reaping the benefits of good news from Southeast Asia. In the course of researching his Nixon book, Farrell found a cache of notes from Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman showing "that Nixon directed his campaign's efforts to scuttle the peace talks... On Oct. 22, 1968, he ordered Haldeman to 'monkey wrench' the initiative." Nixon won the election and until the end of his life denied he had interfered. But, Farrell notes, "Nixon had cause to lie. His actions appear to violate federal law, which prohibits private citizens from trying to 'defeat the measures of the United States.'" Johnson believed Nixon had committed treason, but at the time he and his aides decided they lacked sufficient proof. History has since provided the evidence. Now we face another electoral crisis of perhaps even greater significance. As the former diplomat James Bruno sums it up in Washington Monthly, "The United States has just endured a carefully planned, well-orchestrated assault against its democratic form of government in the form of a grand cyber-theft of information and targeted release of that information." More specifically, Bruno quotes from the report in which 17 US intelligence agencies unanimously concluded, "Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments." Read that again slowly and carefully: The intelligence community is saying that a foreign country, Russia, deliberately interfered with and corrupted our electoral process to favor the election of Donald Trump. Further, aides to Trump are said to have been in contact with Russian officials throughout the campaign and the presidential transition. (In the Jan. 12 Washington Post, columnist David Ignatius reported, "According to a senior US government official, [national security adviser Michael] Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on Dec. 29, the day the Obama administration announced the expulsion of 35 Russian officials as well as other measures in retaliation for the hacking. What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the US sanctions?") Of course, Trump and his allies say the intelligence community not only is wrong but should not be trusted. Nevertheless, the die is cast: Either Trump and friends have engaged in treasonous acts or America's intelligence officials are guilty of a colossal lapse in judgment -- or worse, a conspiracy against Trump. Either way -- whether any of these allegations are true or false -- the entire matter must be investigated thoroughly and immediately. The dark clouds hovering over American politics must be cleared up. Left unresolved, the allegations present a clear and present danger, a ticking time bomb that could explode and bring an end to America's nearly 250-year experiment in self-government. While there have been plans announced for Senate and House hearings into this constitutional crisis, these easily can be stalled and manipulated for partisan purposes. Given the Republican Party's hardcore will to power and that it will soon exercise monopoly control over all three branches of government -- not to mention their track record over the past eight years -- it is hard to identify which GOP members of Congress are likely to put country ahead of party and let an investigation go where the facts lead. In addition, with some notable exceptions, the minority Democratic Party appears dispirited and disorganized, if not feckless, and unable to thwart Republicans determined to bulldoze a serious investigation. No, this crisis requires a more thorough, bipartisan and select committee or commission -- not unlike the 9/11 Commission -- that has adequate staff, funding and subpoena power to conduct as thorough a probe as possible. Perhaps even better, before Friday's inauguration, there is still time for Attorney General Loretta Lynch to appoint a special prosecutor. Fordham legal historian Jed Shugerman notes, "A special prosecutor's term does not end with an administration. It is open-ended, so the special prosecutor would continue to serve during the Trump administration... unless the new Attorney General fired him or her, [but] only for 'good cause.'" In whatever form it takes, said investigation also must include a careful examination of action -- or inaction -- by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Justice Department's inspector general has begun a probe but it also should be within the purview of a select committee, commission or special prosecutor. Why did the FBI seem to favor pursuing Hillary Clinton's emails over tracking down whatever could be learned about Russia's involvement in our election? Why did it drag its feet when it had evidence that the Democratic National Committee was being hacked -- was it the agency's fault or the DNC's? How the FBI notified the DNC in the first place -- with a phone call to an outside tech vendor -- is right out of a Marx Brothers comedy. And why did FBI Director Comey fail to take action when he had in his hands the dossier ex-MI6 intelligence operative Christopher Steele had assembled on rumors that Russia possessed incriminating evidence on Trump's business dealings and private life? If real, they could be used to pressure -- blackmail -- Trump into obeisance. If not real, was Russia deliberately feeding Steele false information - "a carefully constructed attempt," in the words of conservative journalist and Russia expert David Satter in National Review, "to disrupt American political life for years to come." Trump's tax returns should be included in the investigation as well. He can no longer use the flimsy excuse of an audit. They must be subpoenaed and released, for within them may be evidence of whether or not the president-elect's company has sizable debt with Russian banks and investors that could be used as leverage against him. Trump denies Russian investments but as his son, Donald Jr., famously told a 2008 real estate conference, "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets... We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." What's more, Megan Twohey and Steve Eder at The New York Times reported late Monday, "Mr. Trump repeatedly sought business in Russia as far back as 1987, when he traveled there to explore building a hotel. He applied for his trademark in the country as early as 1996. And his children and associates have appeared in Moscow over and over in search of joint ventures, meeting with developers and government officials." Trump told biographer Michael D'Antonio, "I know the Russians better than anybody." Common sense suggests one reason Trump has so doggedly and furiously attacked the intelligence community -- and persisted in flattering Vladimir Putin -- is that he doesn't want known the extent to which he is financially embroiled with Russian oligarchs. Or perhaps he really is serious about wanting to draw the Russians into a closer embrace so that they cease and desist from efforts to disrupt the Western alliance. Yet how are we ever going to know without an independent investigation? We may never learn the complete truth, but if allegations are proven false, the inquiry may help clear Trump and his associates of the taint that has marked his election and transition and which certainly will be the elephant in the Oval Office once Trump occupies it. Then it will need to be determined who set out to smear his record and why. Someone -- perhaps among his Republican opponents in the primaries, or among Democrats eager to cripple him once he got the nomination -- went to great lengths to tie Trump to some nasty stuff. But what if much that has been claimed is true? Then we will have in the White House a president who has betrayed the American people and whose every motive and action must be challenged. Impeachment is not out of the question. This is deadly serious business. It is a heinous threat not only to America's future but to other Western democracies, fragile as they are just now. Putin and his kleptocrat cronies aren't limiting their cyberwarfare and other meddling to the United States but encouraging right-wing populism that actively undermines member nations of the European Union and the NATO alliance as well. So far, Trump seems to be acquiescing to this and to other Russian encroachments around the world. And several people around him -- close aides such as Gen. Mike Flynn, his national security adviser; and "The King of K Street," Paul Manafort, his onetime campaign manager -- are reported to have had business ties to Putin's world. The truth must be known. Left to fester in the dark, lingering suspicions will hang over our politics like a poisonous smog. We will become a society marked by permanent and penetrating distrust, by whispered allegations and rumors, by ill will and a lust for unbridled power. We do not exaggerate when we say this is the most critical moment for the United States since politics failed in the 1850s and the thunderclouds of civil war spread north and south until the nation was engulfed and split asunder. We cannot wait for history's judgment. We must find out now. Who in Washington today are the men and women of courage who will rise above partisanship and join as patriots in calling for a thorough and honorable public scrutiny of these disturbing events?

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from DIYS http://ift.tt/2jK7whJ

[dfroza]

it was nice to see this Saturday evening

after sharing this morning about the rebirth of the heavens and the earth, that it was written of in Today’s paired chapters from the Scriptures, specifically in the work of Isaiah. an ancient book at some point divided into the numbers of chapter and verse for easy reference points, with the book containing 66 chapters. similar to the way the whole body of the Holy Bible contains 66 books in the Old and New Testaments.

and so it was neat for me to see the promised rebirth of the heavens and the earth in this chapter of Isaiah, which of course relates to that as well in the closing book of John’s revelation at the end of the New Testament. all of which reveals the New Covenant of grace.

and with Today being day [8] of the month of july, it is also day 18 of Summer and day 189 of the year, now in ‘17. and so in addition to my paired chapters of Isaiah 65 and 1st Peter 5, i read Psalms 8, 18 and 39, as well as Proverbs 8, all in The Message translation by Eugene Peterson. and there are many translations that are accurately translated from the original Hebrew and Greek, although the essence of it all is the Love of God revealed. yes, the basic meaning, its definition is that of friendship with God and with others. sons and daughters. children.

select pieces of Script from my reading Today:

[New Heavens and a New Earth]

“Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; No more babies dying in the cradle, or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime; One-hundredth birthdays will be considered normal— anything less will seem like a cheat. They’ll build houses and move in. They’ll plant fields and eat what they grow. No more building a house that some outsider takes over, No more planting fields that some enemy confiscates, For my people will be as long-lived as trees, my chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work. They won’t work and have nothing come of it, they won’t have children snatched out from under them. For they themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God-blessed. Before they call out, I’ll answer. Before they’ve finished speaking, I’ll have heard. Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow, lion and ox eat straw from the same trough, but snakes—they’ll get a diet of dirt! Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God.

The Book of Isaiah, Chapter 65:17-25 (The Message)

[He’ll Promote You at the Right Time]

I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain people.

So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

[He Gets the Last Word]

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

I’m sending this brief letter to you by Silas, a most dependable brother. I have the highest regard for him.

I’ve written as urgently and accurately as I know how. This is God’s generous truth; embrace it with both arms!

The church in exile here with me—but not for a moment forgotten by God—wants to be remembered to you. Mark, who is like a son to me, says hello. Give holy embraces all around! Peace to you—to all who walk in Christ’s ways.

The Book of 1st Peter, Chapter 5 (The Message)

[Psalm 8]

A David Psalm

God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.

The Book of Psalms, Song 8 (The Message)

A portion of Proverbs 8:

“God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else. I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got its start. I arrived on the scene before Ocean, yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes. Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape, I was already there, newborn; Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons, and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather, And set Sky firmly in place, I was there. When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean, built the vast vault of Heaven, and installed the fountains that fed Ocean, When he drew a boundary for Sea, posted a sign that said no trespassing, And then staked out Earth’s Foundations, I was right there with him, making sure everything fit. Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause, always enjoying his company, Delighted with the world of things and creatures, happily celebrating the human family.”

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 8:22-31 (The Message)

and then to wrap up Today’s reading with chapter 21 from the book of Revelation which again speaks of the coming rebirth of the heavens and the earth. just as the purity and innocence that existed in Genesis, in the beginning… only made new. a most beautiful and treasured promise, to be sure:

[Everything New]

I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.

I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.

I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”

Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!”

[City of Light]

One of the Seven Angels who had carried the bowls filled with the seven final disasters spoke to me: “Come here. I’ll show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.” He took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God.

The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. She had a wall majestic and high with twelve gates. At each gate stood an Angel, and on the gates were inscribed the names of the Twelve Tribes of the sons of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, three gates on the west. The wall was set on twelve foundations, the names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb inscribed on them.

The Angel speaking with me had a gold measuring stick to measure the City, its gates, and its wall. The City was laid out in a perfect square. He measured the City with the measuring stick: twelve thousand stadia, its length, width, and height all equal. Using the standard measure, the Angel measured the thickness of its wall: 144 cubits. The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl.

The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn’t need sun or moon for light. God’s Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth’s kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won’t be any night. They’ll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will get in.

The Book of Revelation, Chapter 21 (The Message)