#the group that sued the government had no standing

[charlesoberonn]

Americans, please riot about this.

[chery1bery1]

A thread of actors/musicians that support Israel.

Jen Cohn

She is well known for voicing many characters such as Pharah from Overwatch, Ursa (Zuko’s mom) from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Miss Champlain from Wordgirl, and many other roles. On a TikTok and YouTube livestream when many watchers commented “free palestine”, her response to them was “Yes, free Palestine from Hamas.”

There are also more quotes from Cohn such as her response to a comment about wanting a new Pharah voice actor along with the Palestine flag emoji, “That is not a very ‘values of Overwatch’ thing to say” which caused anger from many fans. Cohn has also stated that “Hamas is a terrorist organization, there are so many articles and videos of Gazans risking their lives by speaking out and begging to be free of their terrorist government.”

A change.org petition to call for a voice recast can be signed from this link here.

Video source

(Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist nationalist group that controlled the Gazan strip for 20 years and is labeled as a terrorist group by many countries. It took over the Gazan strip after an election between a political party called Fatah in 2006. On October 7th of 2023, the IDF’s attack on Gaza was followed from a series of many other attacks in Israel from Hamas but there were other conflicts between Israel and other groups before 10/07.)

Deedee Magno Hall

Hall is well known for voicing Pearl, a character from the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe along with other live action roles for other studios. Although she never stated anything about Israel or Hamas, one of the posts she liked on Twitter was from Mark Hamill, “America stands with Israel ✊ #ALWAYS” which spread on the platform, receiving backlash from SU fans.

Eric Nam

Eric is a K-pop/R&B singer and songwriter based in South Korea who wrote songs under B2M Entertainment. He had many tours over the years as a musician and even acted in television. In a tweet by @DiscussingFilm on April 11, it was announced that he had been cast as adult Aang for the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie set to release around 2025-2026.

This post received backlash from ATLA fans due to posts regarding his involvement with Zionists and support for Israel such as liking a pro-Israel instagram post,

The companies Dive Studios and Mindset (both co-founded by Eric and also his brothers) having investor companies supporting Israel along with Mindset’s strategic investor Scooter Braun also supporting Israel as well as a history of working with celebrities that are pro-Israel, and the fact that he removed Malaysia and The Philippines off of his “House On A Hill” tour list due to backlash by many Malaysian fans for the aforementioned instagram post (Malaysia is against people supporting Israel and is very pro-Palestine.), ignoring the backlash but posted a statement regarding his neutral opinion on the Gaza genocide where the reason was that he “made the difficult decision to cancel the show” in Malaysia.

You can sign the recast petition here

Noah Schnapp

Schnapp is another well known actor who played characters such as Charlie Brown from the Peanuts Movie by the now-defunct Blue Sky Studios, and Will Byers from Netflix’s Stranger Things.

In a TikTok video, Noah Schnapp is seen sitting and filming with people holding “Zionism is Sexy” stickers, the line “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism.”, along with liking a post that mocked Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as well as his visit to Israel. This had many fans call for a boycott against the 5th Season of Stranger Things or for Noah to be fired from playing Will Byers.

Jeremy Shada

Jeremy is also another well known actor and had many roles like the Cookie Run franchise as Gingerbrave, Adventure Time as Finn the Human, Voltron: Legendary Defender as Lance, Julie and the Phantoms as Reggie Peters, and some others. Many fans were not happy to see that he has been pro-Israel due to an instagram post liked by Shada and so some Finn and Gingerbrave fan art with the Palestine flag were made.

Tara Strong

Tara is the one of the most well known voice actor in the animation industry and had been widely loved for playing many famous characters such as Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls, Raven from Teen Titans (and the reboot), Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Timmy Turner from The Fairly Oddparents, Ilana from Sym-Bionic Titan, and so many other characters she’d played in.

Recently, she was fired from playing the character Bill the Orphan in an adult-animated series called Boxtown due to her negative responses to the Palestinian genocide. She said in a tweet, “Just found out on twitter! This is what happens when you help fans get shows made I guess. Fired for being Jewish. Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money. Please lose my email address & pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza. & #prayforpeace.” Bandit Mill Animation however, has stated this was due to Tara’s controversial tweets.

Speaking of, there are many tweets by Strong that prove this point such as liking posts that are against Islamic people, being pissed off that the BLM movement didn’t stand for a genocide, claiming the IDF doesn’t rape/harm any civilians, making a post with the hashtag #IStandWithIsrael, hiding a reply of the death count between Palestinians and Israeli people, and even more situations outside the Palestinian movement like being an anti-vaxxer, supporting PETA, supporting and directing an “eco-friendly” NFT movie project called Ornamental, supporting Autism Speaks (an organization that claims to “cure” autism.), being in a video where Tara was verbally abusing an Uber driver that was an immigrant along with Rena Sofer by saying “We are Americans, we were born here.”, did nothing when Greg Cipes called asexuality a phase to an asexual in a FMA game he hosted, being racist in response to a news clip of MEMRI (Which is a non-profit organization founded by Yigal Carmon, an Israeli military intelligence officer. MEMRI has been claimed to mistranslate clips so Palestinians would viewed in a bad light.), had a little girl who had a brain tumor pass away due to bronies donating to a charity where the money was instead of real medicine, it was put into “alternative treatments”, AND retweeted Ben 10 incest back in 2012-13.

Tara Strong has really destroyed her own reputation as a voice actor and it’s really upsetting that a famous woman who voiced pretty much everyone’s childhood have such negative ways when dealing with topics like these. The fact that there are STILL fans defending her actions is just depressing to see what she had become.

I have a picture limit that only goes for 10 images, so here’s a lightning round of more people.

Jerry Seinfeld, who voiced Barry B. Benson from the Bee Movie and had his own semi-fictional show named after his last name visited Israel into the IDF military base nicknamed “Camp Shoot-A-Palestinian” (I’M NOT FUCKING JOKING) and played target practice with pictures of REAL Palestinians, made a few pro-Israel posts on his instagram, and more.

Selena Gomez, played Alex Russo from Wizards of Waverly Place, Mavis from the Hotel Transylvania franchise, and many other roles has many posts regarding support to Israel such as liking Amy Schumer’s pro-Israel posts on Instagram, was VERY pissed off when fans asked her for Palestinian support, and lying about the beauty company Rare Beauty supporting Gaza even though the CEO is a Zionist which resulted in the donation money going a Zionist organization called Magen David Adom.

Scarlett Johansson had worked with companies that support Israel over the years along with a couple of posts that are pro-Israel.

Kim Dongyoung, who is a member of a few South-Korean bands as Doyoung like NCT and it’s other sub-units has lost over 800,000 instagram followers because of a McDonalds Korea promotion he was in even though he had donated to World Food Program Korea (a company that started to donate food to Gaza back in December of 2023.).

Taika Watiti, who played Blackbeard from Our Flag Means Death has liked Instagram posts of Gal Godot’s suppport for Israel, went on a big rant about his response to people addressing his silence on Palestinians because of people not knowing about Māori issues on the Marc Macron podcast (Many, Many Māori people are pro-Palestinian.)

Sarah J Maas, author of The Assassin’s Blade, Crescent City, and A Court of Thorns and Roses, is a Zionist that has spoken about her “love for Israel”, said that she was proud of her family members that had been involved with the IDF and its military bases and went on a trip to Israel.

Con O’Neill, who plays Izzy Hands from the show Our Flag Means Death has a liked post by Eve Barlow with the lines of “coming out as a Zionist is harder than coming out as gay”.

Keanu Reeves is another well known actor that appeared in The Matrix franchise as Neo, The Day the Earth Stood Still as Klaatu, Cyberpunk 2077 as Johnny Silverhand, and many other movies. He said that he wanted to make a John Wick movie that take place in Israel with IDF soldiers that trained for stunts, went to a party that was hosted by a former arms dealer during the 2014 Gaza war, and visited Israel several times along with meeting Netanyahu.

Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson books made a very lengthy blog post stating the Israel-Palestine conflict with lines such as “the Israeli government’s brutal retaliation against the entire population of Gaza has reached genocidal proportions.” & “This means security and support for Israel, yes.”

You can find a LOT MORE celebrities/actors (that aren’t included in this post) that support Israel/ had signed Zionist letters along with people who support Palestine here👇

If you follow any of the people that are on this post, including the ones I’ve shared above, UNFOLLOW THEM. Do not go to any place that includes that person and boycott any artist that remains silent/supports Israel.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Susan Rinkunas at Jezebel:

The Supreme Court on Thursday did what legal analysts had predicted, and ruled that a group of anti-abortion doctors don’t have legal standing to challenge the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, the first drug used in a medication abortion. The vote in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA was unanimous, but don’t get excited: The justices didn’t rule on the merits of the underlying case, they just said these particular plaintiffs can’t sue. And there are other plaintiffs suing over mifepristone, and conservatives want the federal government to enforce a 19th-century anti-vice law to restrict the use of the drug. So today’s decision does not mean abortion rights are safe. Plus, medication abortion still can’t be prescribed in states with abortion bans.

“The plaintiffs want FDA to make mifepristone more difficult for other doctors to prescribe and for pregnant women to obtain,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion. “Under Article III of the Constitution, a plaintiff ’s desire to make a drug less available for others does not establish standing to sue.” The case is one of two involving abortion during this term: The other concerns whether hospitals have to provide abortions in emergency situations. We’re still waiting on that ruling.

Medication abortion is an existential threat to the anti-abortion movement because people can get the pills in the mail without having to face protestors or travel out of state, and because telemedicine allows clinics to see more patients. It’s typically a two-drug regimen used for early-term abortions: Mifepristone stops the pregnancy from progressing, and then misoprostol induces contractions. People in states where abortion is legal can often get the pills via telemedicine, and activist groups also ship the pills to people in states with bans.

In November 2022, five months after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a newly formed group of anti-abortion doctors called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine filed a federal lawsuit against the FDA in Amarillo, Texas. That location was not by accident: They were almost guaranteed to get Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee and vocal abortion opponent. Kacsmaryk is the judge who ruled in April 2023 that the FDA should yank the pill from the market. (An appeals court later narrowed that ruling to say the FDA should impose outdated restrictions, making mifepristone much harder to get; the Biden administration appealed to the Supreme Court, which brings us to today.) The doctors are represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, the far-right Christian legal advocacy group that wrote the Mississippi law the Supreme Court used to overturn Roe v. Wade.

SCOTUS ruled unanimously in FDA v. Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine that the anti-abortion group did not have valid standing to sue the FDA’s mifepristone policy. The ruling was issued by SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

This ruling is just a temporary reprieve, as anti-abortion forces continue to seek ways to get mifepristone reduced or outright banned. Also, if Donald Trump wins, the Comstock Act could be brought back to life, meaning that most abortions would be banned nationwide.

See Also:

Daily Kos: Abortion pills are safe from the Supreme Court—for now

[eretzyisrael]

by Dion J. Pierre

McGill University in Quebec, Canada has banned its Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) chapter from using the school’s name after the campus group posted on social media a statement that cheered Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

SPHR described Hamas’ atrocities — which included the murder of 1,200 people, numerous rapes, and taking 240 people hostage — as “heroic.”

“The university cannot be, or seen to be, associated with a celebration of the taking of civilian hostages,” university spokesperson Susan Murley told The Montreal Gazette. “This post by SPHR was antithetical to the university’s values and stands to undermine the important work aimed at bringing our community together through the Initiative Against Islamophobia and Antisemitism.”

Murley added: “The university has clearly indicated to the SSMU [Students’ Society of McGill University] that the revocation should not be interpreted as the university taking a position on the Middle East and emphasized that the university would act in exactly the same manner in regard to any club that used the McGill name when posting content of a similar nature.”

SPHR — a Canadian equivalent of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) that earlier this month accused school officials of having “the blood of 20 000 [sic] Palestinians on their hands” — is refusing to abide by the university’s order. In a statement, the group told the Gazette that it is “rejecting this name change” and charged that the ban “is just another blatant way to smear the only group on campus which is representing Palestinian students.”

McGill University has made numerous attempts to combat antisemitic speech on campus, threatening even to disaffiliate with SSMU, the school’s student government, over a referendum it scheduled to declare that Israel is conducting “genocidal bombing campaigns” in Gaza and demand that the university end partnerships with businesses described in the referendum as “complicit in genocide, settler-colonialism, apartheid, or ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.”

Tensions between the university and its student government resulting from extreme anti-Israel activism have persisted for some years. In March 2022, McGill officials threatened to defund SSMU after its members voted to approve a policy accusing Israel of imposing “settler-colonial apartheid” against Palestinians and backing a boycott of “all corporations and institutions complicit” in the supposed practice. SSMU advanced the measure against the objections of its own judicial board, which had repeatedly ruled that joining the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel would violate both the SSMU constitution and university’s policy on equity and inclusion.

Later, a McGill University student sued the school for allegedly reneging on its pledge to defund SSMU, and last month he won a victory when a court ordered an injunction to halt ratification of the resolution.

In the latest controversy, SSMU is charged with officially withdrawing the group’s affiliation with SPHR. The student government has so far not chosen to contest the university’s decision, according to a statement issued on Monday.

“We regret to announce that SPHR will no longer be able to use the McGill name,” its executive committee said. “We continue to take our role as liaison between student groups and the administration seriously and will continue to investigate avenues for remedial action.”

As of Wednesday, SPHR has not published new content on its accounts using the McGill University name.

[mariacallous]

Germany’s former head of domestic intelligence, Hans-Georg Maassen, recently announced he would be suing the agency he used to lead for using its powers to “observe government opponents.” That is to say, for surveilling him.

The initial revelation, about Maassen being monitored by the very intelligence agency he had once led, arrived in January. He accused the agency of abusing its power to “politically persecute government critics.” “In doing so, they are seriously violating their official duties and thus damaging liberal democracy,” he recently said. “Opponents of the government are not enemies of the constitution.”

But the two are not mutually exclusive. Maassen, who the Süddeutsche Zeitung called the “Steve Bannon of Thuringia,” is well known for nationalistic, far-right rhetoric. He has denounced what he calls “racism against whites” and lamented “massive migration,” which he believes has led to “parallel societies,” the “dissolution of family and local relationships,” and a threat to “national cultures.” He’s also decried “migrant clans that are active in organized crime.” (In fact, immigrants in Germany commit far fewer crimes per capita than native Germans do.) “Only nations made up of free citizens who share a common culture and rule of law,” Maassen wrote in 2020, “manage to live in internal and external peace.”

“This is typical right-wing populist rhetoric. Hans-Georg Maassen is part of the new-right milieu,” said journalist and historian Volker Weiss. “Imagine—he became president of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to clean up after the NSU,” in reference to the National Socialist Underground, a far-right terrorist group that murdered and bombed immigrants in towns and cities across Germany from 1999 to 2011.

But Maassen may have done more than brush shoulders with members of Germany’s far right—he stands accused of colluding with them, too. Spiegel reported that in 2015, Maassen met with Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Frauke Petry for the purpose of helping her avoid scrutiny from the very agency that he led. According to Spiegel, Maassen was also in contact with a far-right extremist who was part of a plot to overthrow Germany in a coup. In December 2022, some 3,000 police and special forces officers raided 150 properties across the country and arrested 25 far‑right extremists associated with the Reichsbürger movement who planned to storm the Bundestag, assassinate Germany’s chancellor, and install a military regime.

These were no average citizens or small‑time soldiers. One had served in the Bundestag as a legislator for the AfD and was a standing judge at the time of her arrest. Another served in a paramilitary police unit. Another, a conspiracy theorist named Heinrich Reuss, was a Thuringian aristocrat who prosecutors say planned to install himself as Germany’s new leader. Maassen allegedly sent a birthday message to the far-right author Markus Krall, who is suspected of plotting to become finance minister in the new government post-coup. “We must keep fighting,” Maassen wrote in his message to Krall after the plot was thwarted.

As the former president of the Office of the Protection of the Constitution, Maassen ought to have been the last person in Germany to cheer on an alleged member of a plot to overthrow the country’s democratic government. And yet, for close observers of Germany’s intelligence agencies, the news wasn’t as shocking as it appeared. Maassen wasn’t Germany’s first intelligence chief to be accused of holding far-right views.

In the 1990s, a right-wing extremist named Helmut Roewer headed the regional intelligence agency in Maassen’s state of Thuringia. Roewer’s agency employed numerous far-right informants and nonetheless failed to prevent the deadliest far-right extremist plot in 21st-century Germany, the Thuringia-born NSU. Part of the reason for that failure was that Germany’s intelligence agencies were still employing some of the same tactics of the Gestapo and even the Stasi by employing a large network of informants. Critics of these agencies allege that rather than merely monitoring or infiltrating movements run by far-right extremists, by placing so much cash and confidence in them, agencies are funding and fostering those scenes instead.

This, to be sure, is what Roewer’s agency did. He would eventually admit that relying on far-right informants had gone horribly wrong. “Recruiting skinheads was an absolute disaster. They get drunk, then say they couldn’t remember anything,” said Roewer, who admitted to Thuringia’s state Parliament that he sometimes did the same. And yet, knowing this didn’t stop Roewer from recruiting them. (Roewer left in 2000 while under investigation for allegedly funneling state money into his private accounts. He became an outspoken conspiracy theorist, asserting that the NSU murders were in fact the work of a liberal “deep state” for which far‑right extremists were framed in order to make Germany look bad. He declined my interview request.)

One of his agency’s far-right informants was a man named Tino Brandt who helped indoctrinate some of the people who would later form the NSU. Brandt estimated that Roewer’s agency paid him some 200,000 taxpayer Deutsche marks over the years—worth about $115,000 at the time. Brandt later testified that he’d invested much of the money back into the very far‑right scene that the intelligence agency was employing him to watch. For all the agency’s claims about how indispensable he was as an informant, Brandt testified during the NSU trial that he never compromised a single comrade—“I never put anybody in jail.”

In fact, the agency had to move mountains to keep Brandt out of jail himself. According to Thuringia’s Interior Ministry, police suspected him of at least 35 crimes relating to his far-right organizing in Thuringia, but a Thuringia state legislator who investigated Brandt, Katharina König, told Foreign Policy that Roewer’s agency “stopped all their cases against Tino Brandt in order to save their spy.” On one occasion, an intelligence agent tipped Brandt off that police intended to search his computer for incriminating evidence the following day. When Brandt handed over his computer, something was missing: the hard drive. Brandt had removed it. He was “grinning from ear to ear,” an officer who was there told Thuringia’s NSU investigative committee.

By subverting justice to protect far-right extremists, Germany’s so-called Offices of the Protection of the Constitution undermine it instead. Nothing exemplifies German intelligence agencies’ paradoxical relationship with far-right informants better than what happened in 2011, when the NSU came to light. That very week, a clerk at Germany’s federal intelligence agency in Cologne began feeding documents into a shredder, German news media later reported. At first, she’d refused to do it. But when she was told the order came from the top, she obliged.

In 2012, German media revealed that the documents were part of an operation to recruit far‑right informants from 1996 to 2003—a period that overlapped the NSU’s terrorist spree. The revelation caused a national scandal. Because the shredding occurred in Cologne during the city’s famous Carnival celebrations, during which confetti is thrown into the air in celebration, the media began referring to it as “Operation Confetti.”

Three days after the shredding, German intelligence agencies destroyed even more potential evidence—six transcripts of telephone calls that they’d recorded between members of the far right. This time, the order came from even higher: Germany’s Ministry of the Interior. Some newspapers reported that the files pertained to an operation to recruit right‑wing informants in Zwickau, the city in Saxony where the NSU had been hiding.

Officials swore that the files were destroyed as part of a routine procedure because they were more than 10 years old, insisting they had nothing to do with the NSU. But to the families of those that the NSU murdered, the timing suggested that authorities may not have been merely negligent for having failed to stop the killings, but also complicit in covering them up.

The case also raised enormous questions about the types of informants that these agencies were employing. One former intelligence officer in the state of Hesse, Andreas Temme, was almost certainly present at the scene of one of the NSU’s immigrant murders. He later told police officers that he wasn’t. Police searched his apartment as well as his room at his parents’ place, where he sometimes stayed. They discovered sheets of paper with quotes from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and other Nazi literature, including copies of an SS handbook that Temme had typed up by hand. His neighbors told police they called him “Little Adolf” on account of his far‑right views.

In the NSU’s aftermath, the head of Germany’s federal intelligence agency resigned. And of all people, Maassen was the man that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her cabinet choose to take his place.

Maassen was a controversial choice for the mission of revamping an agency that had failed to see or stop Germany’s most sensational anti-immigrant plot of the 21st century. As a lawyer for Germany’s ministry of the interior he earned a reputation as being anti-immigration, mostly notably due to his decision that a German resident of Turkish citizenship named Murat Kurnaz should not be allowed to return to Germany because he’d violated his immigration terms by remaining outside Germany for more than six months–while being unlawfully held and tortured at Guantanamo Bay.

Six years into his tenure, his far-right bias would be his undoing. He was forced out after he downplayed the far-right riots and attacks against immigrants in the city of Chemnitz in August 2018. The riots started after a 23-year-old Syrian refugee, Alaa S., stabbed and killed a 35-year-old German carpenter at a city festival. The resulting anti‑immigrant protest organized by the AfD in Chemnitz devolved into white Germans attacking immigrants in the streets while police struggled to maintain control.

“As the head of Germany’s anti-extremist intelligence agency, Maassen’s job was to investigate the shocking images coming out of Chemnitz, especially after Merkel condemned protesters for ‘hunting’ foreigners,” wrote the Berlin-based political journalist Emily Schultheis. “Maassen did the opposite,” she added, refusing to treat the white German perpetrators as a threat.

In doing so, critics allege Maassen neglected his fundamental duties to protect Germany’s people—in this case, its immigrants—from violent, anti-democratic threats. Sure enough, a few weeks after the riots, eight white men formed a group that they called “Revolution Chemnitz” and began attacking immigrants with baseball bats in a Chemnitz park.

Complacency like Maassen’s has enormous implications for Germany’s ability to protect immigrants today. Last year, Germany saw some 2,300 attacks against refugees—more than any time since the so-called global refugee crisis began. Police and, to a lesser extent, intelligence agencies are failing to prevent thousands of far-right extremist attacks against Muslims, immigrants, and Jews—a failure that cannot easily be corrected if the heads of Germany’s security agencies are run by far-right men such as Maassen who sometimes refuse to see the threat.

In 2022, Germany counted at least 327 far-right extremists working in its military, intelligence, and police. In April, the German paper Stern reported that there were some 400 cases pending against state police officers for espousing or acting upon far-right extremist beliefs.

“If you have criminal activity among your own people, it’s very hard to detect it,” the president of Thuringia’s intelligence agency, Stephan Kramer, told Foreign Policy. “It’s very hard to go after it. And it’s very hard to break.’”

“Right-wing terrorism—or right-wing extremism—is the major subject that we’re dealing with,” Kramer added—but it isn’t new. “The blood trail of right-wing extremism-slash-terrorism has existed as long as the federal republic of Germany, and for a very long time it was played down by the security agencies focusing, for their own political reasons, on other stuff—for example communism, left-wing extremism,” Kramer said, adding, “If you look at the blood trail that neo-Nazism and right-wing extremists in Germany have left since the beginning of the 60s and 70s—and the numbers of victims killed by them—there was never a time when there was not a vital threat from the right-wing.”

“Yes, the intelligence community … made grave mistakes—even collaborated with the extremists that they were supposed to fight against,” in the case of the NSU, Kramer said. “Mr. Rower, one of my predecessors who was the head of the whole conspiracy—yes, he did that. No question about it.”

But Kramer insisted that intelligence agencies cannot keep the public safe without employing far-right moles. “All the old informants during the time of the NSU were taken out of business”—including people such as Tino Brandt, Kramer insisted.

But the NSU scandal wasn’t the only occasion that Germany’s proliferation of far‑right informants has backfired spectacularly. Months before 9/11, in January 2001, German legislators and cabinet members under then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder petitioned Germany’s highest court to ban the country’s neo-Nazi NPD party on the grounds that it sought to overthrow Germany’s democratic order.

But in March 2003, the court rejected the ban for a revealing reason: Germany’s intelligence agencies had recruited and funded so many informants within the party’s ranks—some 30 of the NPD’s 200 leaders, or one out of every seven—that the court couldn’t discern which of the party’s anti-constitutional ideas belonged to its genuine members, and which belonged to government spies.

This should have been a stark and humiliating lesson about the overuse of informants. But whenever intelligence chiefs and their informants share some of the same right-wing beliefs, the lines between mole and minder blur.

But to Maassen, contrary to what Kramer told me, Germany’s intelligence agencies were never “blind in the right eye”—that is to say, blind to far-right threats, as the German saying goes—but in the left. It took the Chemnitz riots to force Germany’s leaders to acknowledge that Maassen’s eyes were shut.

And yet, in the deal that orchestrated his ouster in 2018, the CDU gave Maassen a pay raise and a promotion to deputy interior minister. “It’s absolutely irresponsible to promote him to an even better job with even more power than now for a failure and for spreading conspiracy ideas,” said Quent, the aforementioned scholar, at the time. Maassen was ousted from that role less than two months later, but his political ambitions were far from through. In 2021, he ran for a seat in the Bundestag and lost.

In early 2023, Maassen was elected president of a small, far-right union, from which his present political ambitions emerged. This January, he announced plans to waylay the organization into his own political party, the Values Union, to compete in Germany’s September elections in three key, right-leaning federal states.

Such new, identity-cult political parties are in vogue: That same month, a former Die Linke faction leader in the Bundestag, Sahra Wagenknecht, launched her own, narcissistically named party, Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, to draw anti-immigrant voters from the left. While most opinion polls place her at 5 percent to 8 percent nationally, one recent poll estimated the number of eastern Germans who would consider voting for her in this September’s state elections as high as 40 percent.

It’s too early to predict whether Maassen’s party could seriously contend in September’s state elections in Brandenburg, Saxony, and his home state of Thuringia. But the former spy chief intends to try.

“We will do everything we can to ensure that there will be an anti-socialist turnaround in Thuringia next year,” he warned in a recent post on X.

Maassen did not grant a request for interview.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Illinois is set to become the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail after the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a landmark criminal justice reform law did not violate the state’s constitution.

The opinion was released more than six months after the Pretrial Fairness Act was halted by the Justices just hours before it was to go into effect Jan. 1 in response to legal challenges. The high court said the law should now go into effect in September.

In its 5-2 ruling, the court said the state’s constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public. Our constitution creates a balance between the individual rights of defendants and the individual rights of crime victims. The Act’s pretrial release provisions set forth procedures commensurate with that balance.”

The majority rejected claims that the Legislature had overstepped its authority by eliminating bail through the Act, writing that “the legislature has long regulated the bail system.”

The court’s only two Republican Justices dissented, saying “the legislature’s abolishment of monetary bail is in direct violation of the plain language of our constitution’s bill of rights and, more specifically, the vested rights of crime victims. ... This court has an absolute obligation to declare the pretrial release provisions of the Act to be invalid and unenforceable no matter how beneficial the abolishment of monetary bail may be.”

The bail system overhaul was one of the most controversial provisions of the widely scrutinized SAFE-T Act, a major bill that mandated wide-ranging reforms to policing, court proceedings and victims’ rights in the state.

The court’s ruling stems from a flurry of lawsuits last year brought by roughly 60 sheriffs and state’s attorneys who argued that eliminating cash bail would reduce public safety, put law enforcement in harm’s way and violate the state’s constitution.

In December, Kankakee County Chief Judge Thomas Cunnington agreed with the groups and ruled the cash bail provision unconstitutional, though his ruling would have only applied to counties that had sued.

An appeal by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sent the matter to the state Supreme Court, and the Justices ordered that the entire Pretrial Fairness Act wouldn’t go into effect until further notice “in order to maintain consistent pretrial procedures throughout Illinois.” 

In the ruling Tuesday, Chief Judge Mary Jane Theis said Cunnington’s decision ignored the plain language of the bail clause in the state’s constitution, which never included the term “monetary, so does not cement the practice of monetary bail, however long-standing and prevalent across Illinois, into our constitution.”

Raoul released a statement Tuesday morning saying “someone’s experience with the criminal justice system should not vary based on their income level. The SAFE-T Act was intended to address pervasive inequalities in the criminal justice system, in particular the fact that individuals who are awaiting criminal trials — who have not been convicted of a crime and are presumed innocent — may spend extended periods of time incarcerated because they cannot afford to pay cash bail.”

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who supported the bail reform, said the ruling “is a monumental milestone toward achieving equal justice for all in Cook County and Illinois. ... Ending cash bail is in line with our values and is a critical step toward economic and racial justice in Cook County and Illinois.”

But McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally, an opponent of the bail act, called the ruling “a sad reflection of state of ideological capture in our three branches of government. ... We at the state’s attorney’s office will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that dangerous offenders remain behind bars pre-trial or that other measures, such as electronic monitoring, are in put in place to minimize risk.”

Despite a two-year ramp-up before bail reform was to go into effect, opponents waited until late last year to mount a serious effort to overturn the law, as well as a political pressure campaign before last year’s statewide elections.

In the weeks before the election, opponents derided the SAFE-T Act as a “purge law” and claimed it would make the state — with a particular focus on Chicago — less safe by releasing more violent criminals to prey on the public.

Supporters of the Pretrial Fairness Act said its provisions would simply remove cash bail as a condition that could be set by a judge when considering whether someone was likely to return to court for their hearings or posed a danger to the public.

Studies of jurisdictions that have nearly eliminated cash bail have shown no significant increase in crime generally, nor by defendants released while awaiting trial. In some cases, defendants were more likely to return to court.

The elimination of cash bail does not mean people charged with crimes cannot be held in custody pending trial.

Under the act, the courts will continue to hold detention hearings for people accused of serious crimes to determine whether someone poses a safety risk if released and whether someone is likely to show up for their hearings — the same considerations that now often determine cash bail.

People charged with misdemeanors and other minor offenses will be released without bail or pretrial conditions. In more serious cases that meet standards where a person can be held in custody, prosecutors will be required to request a person be detained and make arguments on public safety and the risk of flight.

In cases where prosecutors seek to hold a person in custody, the defendant’s attorneys will be given more time to prepare for the hearing. The decision on whether a person should continue to be held in custody pretrial can also be revisited by the court at future hearings.

Cook County had planned to move forward with bail reform on Jan. 1 until the Justices halted its implementation. “I feel very confident that we will be ready to go in 60 days,” Pretrial Division Presiding Judge Marubio said Tuesday.

Until Sept. 18, judges will continue to set bail in cases in Cook County, just as they had been doing up until Dec. 31, Marubio said.

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, the lone Republican appointee on a state Senate panel that recommended revisions to the bail reforms in the SAFE-T Act last fall, said changes adopted in the December veto session largely addressed “glaring deficiencies” and expanded judges’ discretion to detain defendants who might pose a danger to the public if released.

Berlin did not join the lawsuit that led to Supreme Court case because of the potential conflict with his role on the panel.

“At this point, I would say (the public) shouldn’t be panicked,” Berlin told the Sun-Times. “With the amendment (passed in December) I am confident that violent criminals are going to be detained.”

Berlin said he expected an influx of defendants seeking hearings when the law takes effect, and that his office will petition judges to hold any person his office deems a threat to public safety.

He also noted that even multimillion-dollar bail amounts are not a guarantee of safety. “I have seen people put up $200,000 and walk out of jail on a $2 million bond,” he said.

Berlin said he and his fellow state’s attorneys planned a conference call Tuesday afternoon to discuss options, but personally he felt that another lawsuit was not likely. “I think we need to move forward with the General Assembly and use the legislative process,” he said. “At this point, I’m not sure legally what else there is to do.”

Berlin said he would advocate for changes that would make the Act resemble bail statutes in New Jersey, which largely did away with cash bail in 2017. New Jersey’s laws allow judges to set a cash bail when prosecutors show “clear and convincing evidence” people are likely to flee, threaten or intimidate others if set free before trial, or otherwise pose a threat to safety.

Harold Krent, a professor at IIT-Kent Law School who has studied the separation of powers, agreed there likely is no path for further challenges in the courts.

“There is no traditional injury they can point to that is going to get them through the doors of federal court,” he said. “This is a case where a state law was found constitutional under the state constitution. I’m not sure what their federal claim would be.”

The bail reforms were just one part of the SAFE-T Act, some of which have already taken effect. Other measures include requiring all police departments to equip officers with body-worn cameras by 2025, expanding services for victims of crimes and changing how people who are incarcerated are counted for redistricting maps.

Many Republican candidates made the SAFE-T Act a focus of law-and-order campaigning last year, but Democrats held off most challengers in what was expected to be a bruising midterm election for the party across the country and even expanded their majority on the state Supreme Court.

The elections of Justices Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien were believed to be significant to preserving Illinois’ strong abortion protections, as well as the future of the SAFE-T Act. Both Justices sided with the majority of the court.

Justices Lisa Holder White and David Overstreet, the high court’s only Republicans, joined in the dissent.

[namorslutfanfiction]

I have a question for you. I'm not to familiar Elena my knowledge of her is that she is a feminist who survive an acid attack. However with this whole Tencho situation going on people are claiming she not what she claims to be. What do they mean by that? I'm fully aware with her history with Tencho however some are saying she shady past prior to the scandal?

If I'm wrong please correct me. I try to avoid Twitter since they provide the most unreliable source. This is where I found one link.

https://twitter.com/kaoryvsco/status/1669917269978234881?s=20

From what I understand she's currently involved in some litigation surrounding accusations of fraudulent documents and extortion regarding an indigenous group. Apparently has some government contacts and her family has some shady business practices that have her brother in jail. There are also unfounded claims that she may have staged the acid attack to some extent (unlikely but also shows how people already don't find her very credible)

She has threatened lawyers and other female activists. She has attempted to steal the credit for laws being passed that are pro women's rights, although she did not have the long standing connection to it as others did who deserved the credit.

I'm doing this from mobile so I can't look at the link you added but here we go.

Karina Velasco is a journalist and as far as I can tell a credible source for researched information. She has been adamant about looking at facts and evidence and has both denounced Elena and called out how machismo had a hand in how Tenoch deals with women in his personal life.

This tweet has attached documents from the lawyer herself denouncing Elena and describing her threats.

Here we see an example of Karina doubling down on her need for facts rather than blind belief. She also reiterates in her tweets that as much as she had met Tenoch and thinks the possibility of stealthing is horrible and definitely assault, Elena's ambiguous statement doesn't read as if she is directly accusing Tenoch of that.

Here is another article detailing some of Elena's questionable past.

Some other examples of Karina's ideology and research that I agree with

I hope that answered your question.

While there is no such thing as a "perfect victim" it is quite clear to see that Maria Elena is not someone you should believe based on her word alone.

[beardedmrbean]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento’s top prosecutor is suing the city’s leaders over failure to cleanup homeless encampments, escalating a monthslong dispute with leaders in California’s capital city.

County District Attorney Thien Ho announced the lawsuit Tuesday during a news conference in Sacramento, saying the city is seeing a “collapse into chaos” that he said reflects the “erosion of everyday life.” A group of residents and business owners also filed a companion lawsuit against the city.

Ho said his office had asked the city to enforce local laws around sidewalk obstruction and to create additional professionally operated camping sites, but that the city did not.

The lawsuit includes accounts from dozens of city residents living around 14 encampments. Some homeowners recounted being threatened with firearms at their front door and having their properties broken into and vandalized — which has driven some from their homes. Local business owners said they have spent thousands of dollars to upgrade their security systems after their workers were assaulted by homeless people, while calls to city officials seeking help have gone unanswered, the lawsuit said.

“This is a model for the people to stand up and hold their government accountable,” Ho said in an interview Tuesday. “All I’m asking is the city do its job.”

Sacramento County had nearly 9,300 homeless people in 2022, based on data from the annual Point in Time count. That was up 67% from 2019. Roughly three-quarters of the county’s homeless population is unsheltered, and the majority of that group are living on Sacramento streets.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said Ho was politicizing the issue. The city has added 1,200 emergency shelter beds, passed ordinances to protect sidewalks and schools and has created more affordable housing, Steinberg said in a statement.

The city is trying to avoid “the futile trap of just moving people endlessly from one block to the next,” Steinberg said. People’s frustrations are “absolutely justified” but Ho’s actions are a “performative distraction,” he said.

“The city needs real partnership from the region’s leaders, not politics and lawsuits,” he said.

Homeless tent encampments have grown visibly in cities across the U.S. but especially in California, which is home to nearly one-third of unhoused people in the country.

Ho had threatened in August to file charges against city officials if they didn’t implement changes within 30 days. In a letter to the city, Ho demanded that Sacramento implement a daytime camping ban where homeless people have to put their belongings in storage between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., among other rules.

City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood’s office has also repeatedly urged Ho to work with the city to address the issue, she said.

“It sadly appears the DA would rather point fingers and cast blame than partner to achieve meaningful solutions for our community,” Alcala Wood said in a statement.

Ho, elected in 2022 after vowing on the campaign trail to address the city’s homelessness crisis, said he’s asked the city to share real-time data about available shelter beds with law enforcement. He anticipates the lawsuit will go to trial and hopes a jury will agree with what he has proposed.

“This is a rare opportunity — a rare opportunity — for us to effectuate meaningful, efficient means of getting the critically, chronically unhoused off the streets,” Ho said.

Ho said he supports a variety of solutions including enforcing laws and establishing new programs to provide services to people facing addiction or mental health issues. He said he supports a statewide bond measure that would go toward building more treatment facilities. Voters will weigh in on that measure next year. He also backs the proposed changes in the state’s conservatorship system that would make it easier for authorities to mandate treatment for those with alcohol and drug use disorders.

The dispute between the district attorney and the city was further complicated by a lawsuit filed by a homeless advocacy group earlier this year that resulted in an order from a federal judge temporarily banning the city from clearing homeless encampments during extreme heat. That order is now lifted but the group wants to see it extended.

The attorney for the homeless coalition also filed a complaint with the state bar this month, saying Ho abused his power by pushing the city to clear encampments when the order was in place.

Ho’s news conference included testimony from residents who say the city is not providing resources to deal with homelessness. Emily Webb said people living an encampment near her home have trespassed on her property, blocked her driveway and threatened her family, but city officials have done little to clear the camp.

“We’re losing sleep and exhausted from this stress,” she said Tuesday. “We are beyond frustrated and no longer feel comfortable or safe in our home.”

Critics have said encampments are unsanitary and lawless, and block children, older residents and disabled people from using public space such as sidewalks. They say allowing people to deteriorate outdoors is neither humane nor compassionate.

But advocates for homeless people say they can’t alleviate the crisis without more investment in affordable housing and services, and that camping bans and encampment sweeps unnecessarily traumatize homeless people.

[lenny-thequeen1]

Leon's escape

You and Leon get sent out on a mission as partners, but you had to be his contact for the mission. Also I haven't wrote fan fic in a while so I used an AI for the editing part of all of this. I also have no clue how long it is or the word count.

talk of drinking in it !

Leon Kennedy had always been a survivor. From his time in the Raccoon City Police Department to his work with the US government, he had seen his fair share of danger and had always managed to come out on top no matter what. But this time, he wasn't so sure.

He had been sent on a mission to infiltrate a secret laboratory deep in the heart of Europe, where a group of scientists had been conducting dangerous experiments on humans. Leon had expected some resistance, but he had never anticipated the horrors that awaited him inside.

As soon as he entered the laboratory, Leon was met with a barrage of gunfire from the scientists' guards. He quickly took cover behind a nearby desk and returned fire, taking out the guards one by one. But as he made his way deeper into the facility, he realized that the true danger lay ahead.

The scientists had created a monster, a creature unlike anything Leon had ever seen. It was a hulking mass of muscle and sinew, with razor-sharp teeth and glowing red eyes that seemed to peer into ones soul. Leon knew that he had to stop it before it could wreak havoc on the outside world.

With his trusty handgun in hand, Leon charged forward, dodging the creature's attacks and firing round after round into its thick hide. It seemed unstoppable, but Leon was determined to bring it down.

After what felt like an eternity, the creature finally fell, collapsing in a heap on the ground. Leon breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew that his work wasn't done yet. He had to escape the laboratory before more guards arrived. He reloads his pistol before entering the next room.

He quickly made his way back to the entrance, taking out any guards that crossed his path. Just as he reached the exit, he heard a loud explosion from inside the laboratory. He knew that he had only moments before the entire place would be engulfed in flames.

Leon sprinted towards the exit, his heart pounding against his chest like it was almost trying to run away, as he dodged falling debris and dodged the flames that licked at his heels. He burst through the door just as the entire building exploded behind him, sending him flying through the air.

As he landed on the ground, bruised and battered but alive, Leon knew that he had once again escaped death by the skin of his teeth. He knew that there would be more dangerous missions in the future, but for now, he was just glad to be alive. The most damage that was done was a few burn marks on his heels, and scrapes on his arm from him landing and skidding across the ground, nothing lethal but most defiantly be annoying to deal with.

As he struggled to his feet, he heard a voice calling out to him. "Leon! Over here!" It was you, his contact for this mission. You had been waiting outside the lab, ready to provide backup if needed. Your shoes clacking behind you as you run to him, not caring if your legs ended up chaffing due to the skirt you were in.

Leon stumbled towards you, his vision still blurred from the smoke going into his eyes. As he got closer, he could see the worry etched across your face. Your eyes wide and your voice somehow managing to stay steady. "Are you okay?" you asked, helping him to stand.

"I'm fine," he replied, though he knew he didn't sound convincing. He was shaken from the explosion, and the memories of what he had just faced in the lab were rerunning in his mind.

You didn't press him further, knowing that he needed some time to recover. Instead, you led him away from the burning lab, making sure that he wasn't close to the smoke anymore.

You and Leon walked towards your extraction point. As you walked, Leon couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered in his mind. He had never faced such a dangerous threat before, and he knew it will slowly take a toll on him.

You noticed Leon's unease and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" you asked again, concern etched on your face.

Leon took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, trying to sound more convincing this time. "Just a little shaken up, that's all."

You nodded, understanding that Leon needed some time to process what had happened. You both continued walking in silence until you reached your extraction point, where a helicopter was waiting for you.

As you boarded the helicopter, Leon couldn't help but feel grateful for your support. He had always been a lone wolf, but having someone like you by his side made him realize that he didn't have to face everything alone like he thought he would.

As the helicopter took off, you turned to Leon. "You know, I have a friend who runs a bar not far from here. Maybe we could go there and grab a drink," you suggested. "that is, if you feel up to it." Your eyes focused on him, taking in how he looked in his tight black shirt and leather jacket that had torn and was scorched from the flames.

Leon hesitated for a moment, but then he realized that he could use a drink to calm his nerves down. "Sure, that sounds good," he said, grateful for the distraction you had suggested towards him. "It might be better than that mission."

You landed the helicopter not far from the bar, and as you walked inside, Leon couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. The smell of alcohol and the sound of chatter filled the air, and for the first time in a long while, Leon felt like he could finally relax.

As you took a seat at the bar, you ordered yourselves both a drink. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping your drinks and taking in the oddly welcoming atmosphere inside of the air.

Finally, you turned to Leon, studying his body language. "You know, you don't have to do this alone. You can always count on me," your eyes filled with sincerity as you slowly take a sip of the whiskey you had gotten yourself. Hiding the fact you were scared shitless when you had seen the building catching fire as you had to wait for the signal that Leon needed. "I will always try to have your back. I didn't get this job to sit and look pretty." You softly laugh and try to joke towards him, hoping it might help him find some comfort.

Leon nodded, knowing that you were right. He had always been so focused on his work that he had forgotten that he didn't have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Thanks," he said, a small smile creeping onto his; somehow perfect, face. "I appreciate it."

As you finished your drinks and said your goodbyes, Leon realized that he had gained more than a partner on this mission. He had gained a friend, someone who had his back no matter what. He hoped maybe one day he could be more than a friend to you.

For Leon, the fight never stopped almost as soon as one ended another one had started as if it was a vicious cycle he was trapped inside of. But with you by his side, he knew that he had a fighting chance against the horrors that lay ahead. And for the first time in a long while, he felt like he could face anything that came his way with someone he trusted. He knew you'd listen to his signals better than anyone else. In a way it made him fall for you and trust you as his partner instead of anyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days had passed since the mission at the laboratory, you and Leon were back at the headquarters, catching up on paperwork and debriefing with the superiors. You could tell he was still shaken up by it also. You had kept replaying that night inside of your head as you were getting ready to listen to the next missions prompt. You kept fighting the tears welling up inside of your eyes, trying to shake away that you could have lost your partner, better yet the man you were falling in love with as each day passed.

As you were going through the next mission details, Leon noticed that you seemed distracted. "Is everything okay (Y/N)?" he asked, concern etched on his face, his eyes focusing on how your body was shaking slightly.

You hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up, swallowing the knot inside of your throat. "I've been thinking about that mission and what happened. It made me realize that we're not invincible, and I don't want to leave things unsaid," You said, your voice trembling slightly, getting a little bit softer as you slowly pulled at the cuffs of your shirt.

Leon furrowed his brows, unsure of what you were trying to say. Secretly hoping that you felt the same as him. He wanted to tell you that hes fallen for you. You were everything he wanted in a relationship from what he's seen in the missions when you two would be in the safe havens. You were funny, but not over bearing with the jokes, you always somehow knew when he wasn't okay and needed his own space. You respected him. You were secretly becoming his comfort, and his reason to make sure he lives through each and every mission. "What do you mean?" he asked.

You took a deep shaky breath before speaking again. "I know we've only been partners for a while, but I wanted to tell you that I've developed feelings for you, Leon," You said, looking at him with a mix of nervousness and hope. You had begun to move your hand to the extra hair elastic around your wrist, twisting and pulling it as your nerves went higher by each second. The silence clawing at you as your face grew hot, your mind telling you maybe you should have said anything.

Leon was taken aback by your confession, but he realized that he had been silent for a while. He slowly breathed out a breath of relive. "I feel the same way," he said, a small smile creeping onto his face. "I was hoping that you felt that about me." His usually tense, cold, voice becoming softer in a way you never knew he had in him.

Your face lit up, and you leaned in to give Leon a soft kiss on his lips, still hoping you weren't going too far with your actions. It was a simple gesture, but it felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. To your surprise you feel him gently kiss back.

From that moment on, Leon and yours partnership evolved into something more. You still worked together on missions, you both with an unspoken rule of staying even more careful before.

As you got to know each other, you realized that you two had more in common than you initially thought. Both of you had a strong sense of justice and a desire to protect others, and even had a love for cheesy action movies and old-fashioned diners.

Your relationship wasn't always easy, as the line of work you guys often had, put you two in danger. But you knew that you could count on each other, and that was all that mattered.

As you both sat on the rooftop of the headquarters, watching the sunset, Leon turned to you. "I never thought I'd find someone like you, (Y/N) ," he said, his eyes filled with sincerity. "The world has gone to shit, I surely thought women like you got wiped out first and the annoying ones somehow lived. Since the world somehow seems to work like that. But you proved me wrong." His chest rumbles as he chuckles softly to himself.

You smiled and leaned in to give Leon a soft kiss. "I never thought I'd find someone like you either, Leon," you said, resting your head on his shoulder. Your hair falling out of the hair style you have in for work. Your love had been born out of the chaos of the work you shared. But you knew that no matter what horrors you both faced, you knew you two would become closer to one another the bond growing stronger each day. "Usually the guys who go in to any danger like you do, never live to tell the tale, let alone leave without minimal damage." You joke back to him.

As the months passed, you two continued to work together on various missions, both big and small. Some had scared you while some where simpler to do.

During one of your rare days off, you sat by the campfire that Leon was tending gently to. The quiet of nature surrounded you, the fire occasionally cracking and you could hear the crickets trying to find a mate. It was relaxing to not be any chaos anymore. You notice that Leon had turned to you with a serious expression on his face, the flames flickering showing the curves of his jawline and where his cheek bones rested. "Hey, (Y/N), I've been thinking about something," he said, breaking the relaxing ambiance around you both.

You looked at him curiously, your eyes focusing into his. "What's up?"

"I've been thinking about us, and I know that we've been together for a while now. And I was wondering if you would do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend," he said, a small smile falling on his face. "I mean, make it official."

Your heart swelled with happiness at his words, your mouth curling up into a smile. "Of course, Leon. I would love to be your girlfriend," you said, leaning in to give him a kiss. Your arms wrapping around his neck gently, as his arms pull your waist in and hold you. "I was waiting for you to ask."

From that moment on, your relationship became more official, and you were no longer just partners. You went on dates, celebrated holidays together, and even moved in with each other.

But as happy as you both were, there were still dangers lurking around every corner. You both had an unspoken knowledge that anything could happen at any given moment, as if each moment you shared could be your last one together. It terrified you, but it made Leon even more scared. He didn't want to lose the one and only person that's loved him for him.

One day, Leon received a call that a dangerous virus had been released in a nearby town, you were in the kitchen of your house making dinner for you both the TV playing softly as you cooked. Leon loved seeing you in your element and watched you before slowly approaching you. His hands gently wrapping around your waist as his chest gently presses on your back as he pulls himself into you, his chin settling onto your shoulder after an ever so gentle loving kiss on your neck. You loved when he held you like this. It felt as if the world wasn't as bad as it was. That you felt at home, welcomed and loved. You wish you could always be held like this, but you knew at some point or another it would crash down and the blissful feeling would be interrupted. "(Y/N)," Leon's voice is soft, caring and comforting. This is the side only you can see of him. Intimate was the closest term to call it but it felt more than that. "I just got a call for our next mission.." his voice quiets down as you feel your heart sink into your chest, knowing it could be possibly deadly.

He fills you in on it as you both sit and eat the last home dinner together. You packed your bags and headed out immediately to assess the situation and see how much damage has been done to people and their homes.

The town was in chaos, with infected people running rampant in the streets. But with your training and experience, the both of you were able to navigate through the chaos and work with local authorities to contain the virus.

As you sat in a hotel room that night, exhausted from the day's events, Leon turned to you with a serious but gentle expression plastered on his face. "I know this job is dangerous, (Y/N), but I can't imagine doing it without you," he said, his voice filled with emotion that you couldn't describe. "I want us both alive when this is over."

"I feel the same way, Leon," you said, taking his hand gently inside of your own, interlocking your fingers in-between his. "No matter what happens, we'll face it together."

He turned his head to gently kiss your forehead, taking your chin in-between his free hands index finger and thumb to angle your head perfectly towards him. Your heart fluttered inside of your chest the same exact way it did when you confessed and when he asked you to officially be his girlfriend.

Leon slowly let go of your hand and kissed your forehead one last time before he had turned and went into the hotel bathroom, leaving you in the small but cozy hotel room. The beige walls brought a sense of warmth into the room. The curtains were drawn shut over the only window that overlooked the town, but the orange glow of the streetlights outside still managed to cast a warm glow on everything inside the room. The two twin beds were pushed together in the center of the room; something you and Leon had done as soon as you were able to, the white sheets and a blue comforter had seen better days but they still were soft and comfortable enough to you. A small table with two chairs were situated by the window, and a small television was mounted on the wall opposite the beds. The room was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioning unit and the occasional sound of footsteps outside in the hallway. Despite the chaos outside, inside the room felt like a safe haven from the dangers lurking just beyond the walls, even more so with Leon in there with you.

[sneezest]

Dear UWM students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the greater community,

Today is the fourteenth day of the encampment started on Mitchell Hall lawn by the UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition. This encampment was launched to urge UW-Milwaukee to end its complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide and occupation of Gaza and Palestine. Additionally, we sought to spread awareness and educate our campus about the horrific oppression and violence Israel has inflicted on Palestinians for over 75 years.

Our university encampment, “Falasteen Lawn”, has been a vital tool in pressuring UWM to cut any and all ties with the occupying, oppressive, settler-colonial regime of Israel. Over the past year, student organizations have made numerous attempts to have these demands addressed through traditional and diplomatic avenues. The UWM administration was unable to provide any concrete action and maintained a stance that there was nothing more they could do.

We are proud to announce that today, Sunday May 12th, as a result of our willingness to stand up for the human rights of the innocent people of Gaza and our determination to challenge any complicity with Israel’s occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide, we have come to an agreement with the university regarding our demands. We want to emphasize that, despite efforts by individuals and groups inside and outside the university to denigrate us and to silence our voices, we stood firm. We have felt empowered by the brave people of Gaza, by national student movements across the United States and the world and by the support of our community.

Throughout our meetings and negotiations with the UWM administration, we remained committed to our demands that were not meant for our personal benefit, but for the suffering people of Gaza. We engaged in countless email communications and lengthy meetings with the administration, always emphasizing the reasonableness and importance of accepting our demands in their entirety.

After hard fought edits and careful consideration by the coalition, we determined that we had obtained all possible benefits from our encampment. This does not mean that we have ended our struggle. In fact, we now call on all our allies and community members to join us in our ongoing efforts of negotiating with the UWM administration and the UWM Foundation. For the benefit of the people of Gaza and Palestine, we strongly believe in the need to divest from the Israeli regime, and we believe that many of our efforts will be directed at the UWM Foundation. We will not stop applying pressure and we refuse to back down until we are granted complete disclosure and divestment.

Below is a breakdown of the agreement reached with the university:

1. UWM, in an official and public statement, will not only call for a ceasefire, but will explicitly call out Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Additionally, UWM will condemn the scholasticide, specifically Israel’s military assault on Gaza, the deliberate targeting of students, teachers, professors, educational facilities, libraries, mosques, churches, and more. UWM will cite the International Criminal Court in their findings of plausible genocide in Gaza.

2. The Water Council, in which Chancellor Mone sits on as Treasurer, has officially ceased relationships and cut all ties with both Mekorot and Israel Innovation Authority, two Israeli-government-owned water companies. UWM will acknowledge that both companies are accused by international aid organizations, including Amnesty International, of cutting off access to drinking water for thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, exacerbating water scarcity. Additionally, despite past relationships, both companies have been removed from the Water Council website.

3. UWM has repeatedly separated itself from the UWM Foundation, which is the entity responsible for disclosure and divestment. It should be noted that the Foundation operates solely for the benefit of the UWM and its staff and students. UWM has agreed to support students in expressing their requests for disclosure and divestment to the UWM Foundation. The university administration’s first step in this support is to facilitate a meeting between student representatives and the UWM Foundation within a 48 hour window of the agreement, which has been confirmed for Tuesday, May 14. We recognize that divestment is not an overnight process; however, our coalition will now turn its attention and focus to the Foundation in pursuit of divestment. We expect to come out of this first meeting with an agreed upon timeline for disclosure. Updates will be provided and appropriate action will be taken by the coalition and with support of the community.

4. We have confirmed that UWM does not have any active study abroad programs in Israel, and no contract with any Israeli university has been utilized since 2018. After sharing a plethora of evidence with the university about discriminatory and racist policies of Israel and after providing credible and flagrant examples of discriminatory Israeli policies, UWM will begin a thorough review of its Discriminatory Conduct Policy for all study abroad programs before moving forward with future trips. We are confident that this review process will effectively end all future study abroad trips to the apartheid state of Israel.

5. With regards to cutting ties with companies that do business with Israel, the university has invoked Wisconsin Statue Section 20.931, an unconstitutional law enacted by the pro-Israel community with the sole purpose of protecting the extremist Israeli regime. The law was passed in the State of Wisconsin during the tenure of Governor Scott Walker. We are focused on exploring all avenues of legislative and judicial pressure or litigation to change this law and revisit this issue. When this law is changed either through legislation or by the court system due to its unconstitutionality, our focus will immediately turn back to UWM.

6. UWM has repeatedly stated that this encampment is in violation of state law as well as the student code of conduct. While threatening disciplinary action multiple times throughout this process, the Chancellor and the Provost have agreed to forgo relevant citations and conduct violations for the students involved in the encampment since the purpose of the encampment was related to student protest of Israel’s genocide.

The Popular UWM university encampment, Falasteen Lawn, has been a phenomenal and historic step in the movement for ending complicity with an occupying and genocidal regime and working for a free Palestine. The encampment included student, anti-war, labor, and national liberation movements converging for a common cause. Our struggles are connected, and the Popular University for Palestine was the manifestation of this fact. The encampment was the first phase in our efforts. We will continue to communicate and negotiate with the university administration, with the UWM-Foundation and other stakeholders. We are determined to make sure UWM, our university, thrives educationally and financially based on moral and ethical programs, policies and investments.

To close, we want to acknowledge that Falasteen Lawn was a student protest, an emotional outlet for our grief and a labor of love. Throughout its existence, Israel has always sought to violently silence and censor the people of Gaza and the Palestinian people in general. Our goal was to be the voice of the people of Gaza and the conscience of our campus community. We wanted to be a voice for the over fifteen thousand Palestinian children who have been slaughtered by Israel. We wanted to be a voice for the thousands of murdered university students, professors, researchers and instructors. We wanted to be a voice standing up for humanity and human decency. The trauma that Israel and the local supporters of its genocidal war have inflicted on many of our students and their families is beyond comprehension.

We believe that our encampment was successful due to the coordinated efforts of an entire community composed of many religions, races and ethnicities. We are eternally grateful to the various community organizations, community members and local businesses that helped us maintain our encampment for two weeks. We thank our committed security team for keeping our encampment safe from outside extremists 24/7. We thank our supplies team for coordinating donations to keep our encampers warm and well-fed. We thank our community members who provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every single day for two weeks, without a single penny spent by students. We thank our logistics team for organizing programming for each day of our encampment. Our programming was amazing. Befitting a university setting, many of our programs were teach-ins about Gaza, Palestine and other parts of the world; about politics and race; about our diverse religious traditions, including Islam and Judaism; and so much more. We also want to thank our media and communications team for developing flyers, social media posts, and press releases.

This movement began with a few tents and ended as a robust family of people of many backgrounds and traditions united in the belief that we are all equal before God, that any regime based on ethno-religious supremacy and violence must not be supported or enabled, and that our schools and institutions must reflect moral and ethical values that recognize the humanity of all.

The Popular University for Palestine encampment was a space created by the community, for the community. Falasteen Lawn shows that we can all make a difference. We will continue to fight until the people of Gaza are free and all oppressed people are free. Peace be upon the people of Gaza. Peace be upon the martyrs. Peace be upon the people of Palestine.

[dracarialove]

📄 F it, I'm posting my finished fics here, too 📄

Rouge's relationship with Knuckles ends in an unsalvageable way, driving her to tears and into the arms of a mysterious hedgehog. As her feelings for Shadow grow, the two tiptoe around the possibility of having a relationship while teaching each other new things.

Main Ship: Shadow/Rouge

Other Ships: Silver/Blaze, Knuckles/Julie-Su

A/N: This story is set in an off-white version of Mobius, with more similarities to real life than Sonic's canon world. It's a rewrite of a very old fanfic of mine, and as such, Knuckles (in particular) is written somewhat OOC for the sake of the story.

*Originally published Nov. 1st, 2021

[Chapter 1: Prologue]

Their relationship started like any other – a femme fatale and a tough guy stumbling upon each other and captivating one another with their charms. She was Rouge the Bat, a curvaceous young woman with teal eyes and a determined personality; he was Knuckles the Echidna, a fiery redhead with adventurous violet eyes.

Flirting came naturally to both of them, the party animals rarely without a man or woman by their side, and so it was only fitting that he initially laid his gaze on her under the purple lights of a bustling night club.

He occupied one end of the bar with his friends, a group consisting of long-time pal Sonic the Hedgehog; Tails Prower, who was finally old enough to drink; and Silver, a new addition to their squad. After ordering a round, the echidna spotted Rouge sitting alone at the other end of the bar.

He got the urge to approach her, but the club was too crowded to simply walk through the sea of patrons, and he was soon distracted by the beers getting passed to his group. When he looked her way again, she was gone. But he had captured her image in his mind, hoping to spot the beautiful bat again some other night.

The morning after, Knuckles left Sonic's crash pad in search of an ice cream parlor to cleanse his palate of the night-old booze. He saw her yet again, the breath-taking beauty standing to the side as she waited for her order; but she wasn't alone, enthralled in a conversation with a friend of her own.

The bold flirt thought about approaching her anyway, but realized he couldn't in his condition – a bit hungover and still stinking from the night before, he didn't want to risk rejection. So, he convinced himself that she would be around and he would get his chance.

Biding his time worked out for the echidna, eventually ending up in the same aisle as Rouge while grocery shopping. He watched the gorgeous woman search through band-aids for her preferred brand, then summed up the courage to talk to her.

After introducing himself, he brought up the night he'd seen her alone at the bar and confessed that she looked stunning; she reciprocated his interest, accepting when he asked her for a date. Later that night, he took her to a fancy Italian restaurant, justifying the cost as he was entranced by her striking wit and incredible looks.

It wasn't long before Knuckles fell in love with her, their whirlwind romance taking the couple through the stages of a relationship fairly quickly. When he inevitably proposed, Rouge excitedly said yes, the two blinded by an infatuation with each other that wouldn't last.

Their engagement spanned over the course of many months, Knuckles landing a lucrative position in a business career while Rouge continued working as a government agent. They lived together at Rouge's home most days, but the echidna kept an apartment closer to his workplace for long nights when the drive would be too exhausting.

Unfortunately, it also allowed him to keep a secret that would eventually destroy their relationship.

[dumbnerdyfart]

Is Starbucks really sending money to Israel?

I understand that so many people have been concerned over the welfare of Palestinian citizens and whether or not specific companies are supporting the wrong cause, but has anyone actually checked for credibility? I always see people claiming that Starbucks has specifically sent money to the Israeli Government but they never have proof to support those claims.

If you take a few moments to look up whether or not this is true there's a lot of evidence that actually supports the opposite.

In an article dating back to 2014 by "Starbucks Stories", neither Howard Shultz (Former Company President) or the company itself have claimed or been proven to have spent any money regarding political climate or warfare.

Upon being asked: "Is it true that Starbucks or Howard Schultz provides financial support to Israel?" the reply was,

"No. This is absolutely untrue. Rumors that Starbucks or Howard provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army are unequivocally false. Starbucks is a publicly held company and as such, is required to disclose any corporate giving each year through a proxy statement."

Additionally any rise of hate towards the company allegedly stems from a now-deleted "X" post and the fact the company had sued its union for publicly standing with Palestine. I personally do not find this as a means to cause an uprise and boycott, though, because the company has stated that they are not affiliated with anything political nor do they interact with issues of that nature. Realistically, the Starbucks Union posting of their stance on a government issue was most likely a breach of contract or company policy regarding their disdain for "political matters".

Sara Kelly, executive vice president for the company said:

"We strongly disagree with the views expressed by Workers United, including its local affiliates, union organizers and those who identify as members of 'Starbucks Workers United' -- none of these groups speak for Starbucks Coffee Company and do not represent our company's views, positions, or beliefs,"

Again, this isn't necessarily a means to provoke a boycott. If she were to openly speak out for or against any government issue, especially as a world-wide company, this could cause many problems, such as loosing money and buissiness partners, which may be selfish to the public eye but financial disputes between companies and keeping the company afloat is probably more important than responding to the general public's accusations.

Also, the company is ran by so many different people all of whom share their own beliefs.

Sarah Kelly also stated:

“As a leadership team, we want to again express our deepest sympathy for those who have been killed, wounded, displaced and impacted following the heinous acts of terror, escalating violence and hate against the innocent in Israel and Gaza this week. Starbucks unequivocally condemns acts of hate, terrorism and violence,”

Starbucks stands against violence and with the innocent people being harmed. The boycott should be called off, as the evidence stating the company does not support Israel heavily outweighs what does say they support Israel.

I think that the boycott should be called off under the notion "innocent until proven guilty" and that people should stop attacking others for buying from the company; also don't join the bandwagon and believe everything you see on TikTok...

I wold write a more in-depth debunk but class is almost over. And, I feel like I may sound like a very problematic person but if I'm going to be honest I felt like I had to clear the air around this controversy as a freshly-turned 16-year-old who needs a job (there aren't very many choices for me). I personally only want for the bloodshed to stop and do not side with either or any government.

SOURCES

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2014/facts-about-starbucks-in-the-middle-east/

https://money.cnn.com/2014/08/08/news/companies/starbucks-israel/index.html

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/10/13/business/starbucks-israel-palestine-workers/index.html

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/companies-starbucks-mcdonalds-face-controversy-amid-israel-hamas/story?id=104219615

[ultrajaphunter]

Evidence suggests that the missile entered the submarine's hull in the area of the torpedo room.

The blast, and/or fire passed aft through the control room and exited on the side. Photos of damage via CIT.

RuZZian Submarine Hit By Missile, Rostov-On-Don, Gone

The RuZZian Navy submarine Rostov-on-Don, which was hit by a missile in Sevastopol on September 13, is likely a total loss.

Statements from the Russian Government that it will be returned to service appear wholly unrealistic.

Images of the exterior hint at the extent of the internal damage.

H I Sutton  20 Sep 2023

Ukraine’s strike on Rostov-on-Don, a RuZZian Navy Kilo-class submarine, on September 13 was a major event in the naval war so far.

In an instant, one of the four Improved Kilo-class submarines in the Black Sea was taken out of action.

This submarine was used to launch Kalibr cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets. Nearby a landing ship, Minsk, was also severely damaged.

Images have been shared online which show the extent of damage.

The RuZZian Ministry of Defense has stated that the submarine will be repaired.

This is unrealistic.

The images were shared online by Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), a group specializing in open source intelligence (OSINT).

The images seen, including in this article, have been partially pixelated to protect the source.

Naval News has had access to the original unredacted images and can confirm their credibility.

Storm Shadow Strike on Rostov-on-Don

British supplied Storm Shadow, and the essentially identical French supplied SCALP-EG, is an air-launched cruise missile.

Ukraine has adapted the Soviet-era Su-24 Fencer jet to carrying two missiles.

10 missiles were reportedly employed in the attack with 7 intercepted, 1 hitting the submarine and 2 hitting the landing ship.

Storm Shadow uses the BROACH warhead.

This stands for Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge and means a two stage delayed explosion.

The missile dives into the target and the first charge creates a hole in the structure for the second warhead to pass through. \

The main detonation then occurs inside or below the target, depending on the fuse settings.

The warhead likely penetrated the forward hull close to the front end of the pressure hull.

The Kilo Class is a double-hull submarine with an outer casing enclosing the inner pressure hull.

The first stage of the tandem warhead, which is designed to penetrate reinforced concrete, probably drove the missile through both the outer and inner hulls. The main warhead would have them exploded inside the submarine.

Indications of this are visible in the upper casing of the Submarine which is peeled back, consistent with an explosion blowing outward.

Although the hit was in the torpedo room, that was likely empty. So the explosion will have been from the missile’s own warhead.

Total Devastation

The wrecked outside is only a hint of the damage done inside.

We have not seen images of the interior, but we can infer several things.

The detonation of the warhead will have gutted the submarine’s innards.

Pipes will have been ripped from their supports, valves broken and surfaces buckled.

The smoke seen in the photos rising out of the hole on the hull, is evidence that it started one or more fires.

These will have melted and fried electrical systems and further damaged the hull separately to the initial hole.

Smoke will have added to the mess and damage.

As will the gallons of harbor water which were likely sprayed through the hole in the hull in an effort to extinguish the fire.

Second Hole Shows Greater Extent Of Damage

There is a second area of visible damage for the aft, on the starboard (right) side. This is another large hole with signs that it was blown outward.

Again, smoke can be seen riding out of a large hole in the inner pressure hull.

Sone rubber tiles, used to make the submarine more stealthy, have been blown off the side.

Although there has been speculation that this could be a second missile, it appears more probable that it is an exit wound. Possibly the missile passed through the submarine.

By implications the bulkhead (wall) across the submarine in front of the control room, either wasn’t sealed or didn’t offer much protection.

This hole is just ahead of another bulkhead which separates the control room area from the engine room. Possibly this bulkhead was sealed and offered better protection.

The explosion may have found a weak point in the side of the submarine.

Another scenario might be that the second hole is the result of a secondary explosion within the submarine.

The details of the chain of events is anyway moot.

What is clear is that the hole inside of the boat will have been damaged by the explosion, then a fire which burnt and smoldered for hours, and provably by water and fire suppressants.

Not just the pressure hull, but many vital internal components will have been wrecked.

Not Realistic To Recover Rostov-on-Don

Despite the Russian Ministry of Defense’s claims to the contrary, it does not appear at all realistic that the submarine will be repaired.

Work would be extremely expensive and time consuming.

And it would have to be moved to a suitable shipyard, such as the Admiralty yard in St. Petersburg.

If the submarine is moved to a shipyard the hull will need to be patched before it can be towed.

But the RuZZians have begun covering the wreck in tarpaulin, a sign that it might not be going anywhere any time soon.

So RuZZia’s already serious shortage of dry dock spaces in the Black Sea just got much worse.

TAGS Russian Navy Submarine Ukraine

AUTHORS

Posted by : H I Sutton

H I Sutton writes about the secretive and under-reported submarines, seeking out unusual and interesting vessels and technologies involved in fighting beneath the waves. Submarines, capabilities, naval special forces underwater vehicles and the changing world of underwater warfare and seabed warfare.

To do this he combines the latest Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) with the traditional art and science of defense analysis.

He occasionally writes non-fiction books on these topics and draws analysis-based illustrations to bring the subject to life.

In addition, H I Sutton is a naval history buff and data geek.

His personal website about these topics is Covert Shores (www.hisutton.com)

[onnattiming]

Blog #1 - Atlanta (2016-2023)

“Atlanta” is a TV show created by multifaceted artist Donald Glover. It follows the journey of a college dropout who starts managing his cousin; an upcoming rapper who goes by “Paper Boi”. As their journey unfolds, the group navigates through social and economic obstacles relating to racism, poverty, and class in a drama storyline with hints of deadpan comedy. The show serves as a commentary on these issues, while creating humor in surreal moments and “what-if” scenarios that offer perspective. A couple episodes with these scenarios include if Justin Bieber was black, a black man who identifies as a “trans-racial white man”, and a biracial student trying to prove his “blackness” through stereotypes for a full scholarship. Virtually everything the characters go through seems like a joke on the surface, but you are being shown a deeper perspective on how societal factors of race and class serve as obstacles to some and advantages to others. The video link below provides a comical scene where Paper Boi is being berated by illogical accusations and stereotypes because of his "background".

Atlanta’s third season introduces a completely new atmosphere by introducing four stand-alone episodes with one-off characters facing similar themes. When first reading “On The Matter of Whiteness” by Richard Dyer, I was immediately reminded about this season and how they tackled the topic of whiteness. The episode “three slaps” starts off following a white man and black man fishing on an eerie lake at night. They start talking about the creepy atmosphere and the white man explains why; the lake used to be a self-governed black town that was later flooded by the state government and that their souls are haunting the lake (this implies to the story behind Lake Lanier). He then murmurs that they were “almost white”. The black man questions him on what he meant by that, where he replies with “white isn’t a real thing, some people just become white” and that "white" is a social concept with no scientific basis. He brings up how the Chattahoochee river was dammed and the people living there refused to leave because they thought they were safe and “paid to be white”, leaving the other man speechless. He ends off by saying “White is when you are, where you are. With enough blood or money anyone can be white. The thing about being white is, it blinds you. It's easy to see the black man as cursed because you’ve separated yourself from him, but you don’t know you’re enslaved just like him”. The ideas reflect very closely to Dyer’s writings of how whiteness functions as a position of privilege and power,  how “white” has been shaped as a social construct, and the “blindness” that comes with being white. 

*clips from Season 3 that tackle the topic of whiteness

The fourth episode of the season titled “The Big Payback'' follows a scenario where many black people start suing certain white people who had ancestry linked to slave owners who enslaved their forebears. We see this happen to Marshall, a white man being a victim of this epidemic by getting sued by a black woman he doesn’t know. As a result, he loses his family and home and ends up staying at a hotel. He stumbles across another white man named “E”, the same man from the previous episode, who is in the same situation. Marshall starts venting to him about what he lost, how he “didn’t do anything” and that they “don’t deserve this”, and E challenges him by asking “what do THEY (black people) deserve?”. Before Marshall can respond, E tells him “slavery is not past, it is a cruel, unavoidable ghost that haunts them in ways we can’t see”. He brings up Marshall’s situation where his daughter will have to grow up without a father and make a name for herself from the ground up, just like they (white people) did to them (black people). As Marshall comes to terms with his future, E reassures him by saying everything will be okay because “the curse they were running from has been lifted” and that they’re free. The episode ends with Marshall working in a fancy restaurant where part of his salary goes towards the woman suing him. As he serves a table, it’s revealed that the waiting staff is dominantly white with the diners being exclusively people of color. This episode relates to concepts covered by Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege, Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” which sets out to paint the invisible privileges white people benefit from without realizing it. The plot of this episode made some of those privileges aware to Marshall, one of them being that he doesn’t have to carry the trauma black people carry related to slavery and treatment of their people. Even though he didn’t “do anything” to that woman, he doesn’t see or feel the pain that she carries. This episode brings up a hypothetical scenario with results that would change the definition of class and make white people consider the “blessing" and "curse” of whiteness.

*ending of S3E4, showing a full white staff serving primarily people of color in a fancy restaurant

[50shadesofjayden]

Here Without You

Pairing: Eddie Munson and female y/n.

Prompt/Summary: Life with Eddie would be a dream, wouldn't it?

TW: Angst, all of the angst. Also, character death, but I promise it's worth it.

"Get up. You'll be late." Your mother's voice was right beside your ear, making you jump at her words.

"Je sus." You stretched out the word in response to her.

"Don't start now. No child of mine will be late on her wedding day. Get up. Up. Up!" Her tone was loud and frantic, leaving you no chance to wake up at your usual slow pace.

"Okay, okay. I'm up." Your legs swung over the side of your bed, and you were able to make your way into the small ensuite you shared with Eddie. Standing at the base of the sink, your hands rubbed over your face. Taking a good look at your face, you saw leftover mascara caked around your eyes, no doubt forgotten after last night's pre-wedding day hang out with all of your side of the wedding party.

"S'too fucking early." You mumble to your friend, Layla, as you see her enter the doorway. A mug comes into your eye line. You try not to let out a moan as you take a sip of the warm coffee that's handed to you. "You're welcome. Also, you need to listen to me next time I tell you it's time to stop taking shots." You nod at her absent-mindedly, taking a larger sip of coffee.

"Gareth called about a half hour ago. Eddie needs socks. I don't know how a grown man forgot socks for his wedding, but he did. Your mom is running the socks over, so I've been put on getting you ready to go…" She rambled at you. You didn't mean to, but you began to tune her out.

You finally get to marry your best friend today. Four years ago, you had been questioning what the hell was going on when you heard that Eddie was wanted for the murder of Chrissy Cunningham. The next few days were a whirlwind. Hiding from the cops. Learning about the upside down, about Vecna, about El. The truth about what happened at Starcourt and to Billy Hargrove. About what happened to Will and all the government labs. Everything was thrown at you all at once. But, the one thing you were confident about during that time was that Eddie was not a murderer. He could never have killed Chrissy.

So you fought. You fought to kill Vecna. You fought to keep him from killing anyone in the future. You fought in the upside down to prove Eddie was innocent. You stood with Eddie and Dustin, ready to distract the demobats. And then you fought to keep Eddie alive when he got attacked.

Your breath hitched as you remembered Eddie trying to say goodbye to you and Dustin. You can still remember clear as day. Steve, Robin and Nancy barely made it there in time to help you carry Eddie back to Hawkins. The next few days were a blur of government officials harassing you and your friends and the blinding white of hospital rooms. The government agreed to make the charges disappear, somehow faking proof that it was a crazy side effect of drugs from an out-of-town dealer. That Eddie had nothing to do with it and that all charges were dropped. Proof of his innocence made its way around town. Rumour had it that Jason had a psychotic break and attacked those people. He died in the earthquake, and the dealer was unknown. Eddie was still the freak of Hawkins, but he was no longer seen as a murderer.

Eddie was in a coma for five days, and took months to heal once he woke up. His new group of friends meshed with his old ones. Everyone came to visit him, shared their favourite stories of him, sharing new music and DnD campaign ideas with him to keep his spirits up. They all came and went, but you and Wayne were with him as much as possible. Almost losing Eddie gave you the confidence to tell him about your crush on him. You'd never forget his response. "Took you long enough, sweetheart." It took him being courageous to make yourself realize that you could be as well. The worst part, and the part that tore you apart inside, was that you didn't know if you would have told him if none of it had happened. People had to die for you to admit your feelings for your best friend.

"Are you okay?" You returned to your current state, your eyes meeting your friends in the mirror. "Yeah, just thinking about what happened." The government had made it very clear that you couldn't tell people. You had your terms. You needed to ensure you had people to talk to, your small group of friends and Eddie's friends. It brought your friend groups together, along with the friends who helped save Eddie that night. It also made it harder for things like that to happen in the future.

"Don't think about that today. They don't get to be a part of today. It is your wedding day; it is a happy day. You get to be a Munson after today. It's your day." You knew she was right. You pushed the thoughts back and nodded. "It's my fucking day." You repeat to her.

Makeup had been done on everyone, and you were sinched into a gorgeous dress you loved. You felt beautiful. Nervous, but beautiful. You tried to focus on those feelings, wanting to be in the moment as much as possible. Because today could only happen once, but you just wanted to see Eddie. You wanted to finally say the vows you'd been trying to write for the past month.

"Sweetheart, it's time." Your mom's voice made you smile. You watched as your three bridesmaids, Robin, Nancy, and Layla, exited the room in front of you. You looked down the aisle and past Eddie to see Steve, Dustin and Gareth all standing by Eddie. Dustin and Steve were whispering to one another until they heard the music that would announce your walk down the aisle. Your arm linked with your moms as you waited with her as you began the walk toward Eddie.

Your eyes darted around the scene before you as you walked with her down the path, etched out by chairs on either side. Eddie had suggested a wedding in the woods, for all the time you spent walking in them after he healed. He had always had difficulty sitting still, but after being cooped up for months in a hospital, he loved wandering the woods more than before. You'd often share a walkman and metal music and walk together for hours. You peacefully enjoyed each other's company without the need for words.

You hadn't known how it would turn out, even yesterday at rehearsals. It was beautiful. Birds chirped in the distance, and a soft breeze blew by. It turned your attention to Eddie, making his hair subtly flow over his shoulders. He gave you a wildly happy look, full of joy and the promise of a future together. You can't help but give him the biggest smile you can. The ones that hurt your face but you can't stop.

"I promise to love you in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, through this lifetime and the next, through thick and thin. I promise to be your best friend, to love you for exactly who you are. I promise to support you when you get hurt in moshpits." You tried to keep the confusion to yourself as Eddie started to turn blurry around the edges. Your words falter for a second. "I promise.. to buy you guitar picks and a six-pack every Friday night. Listen to you talk about everyone's DnD characters and how you plan to harass them in every game. I promise to love you for as long as we both shall live." Finally, you finish and look back up at Eddie. Your eyes widened as blood began seeping through his tuxedo's white. Right where he had been bitten and clawed all those years ago.

"Oh my god, Eddie! Are you okay? What's going on?" You fell to your knees in an attempt to catch Eddie as he also fell. His face twisted in pain as he began to cough up blood again. "Eddie. No, baby, not again. You can't do this again. We've been through this. You're okay. It's okay, shh" The words fall out of your mouth almost as quickly as your tears.

Eddie's mouth moved as he tried to talk, but only a gargled noise crept from his throat. "y/n.." Eddie managed before he coughed, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth. Tears obscured your vision as you whipped your head around. "I don't want to die, y/n." Eddie's voice sounded the same as it did four years ago. He said the same things that night.

Nobody moved or made a sound around you. It was like nobody could see what was happening. You pressed your hands on his wounds, looking around frantically for any of them to help. To do something. Anything.

"Please. Help me." You begged Steve. His brown eyes gazed down sympathetically, but he made no attempt to move. You could hear someone screaming around you as you looked into Eddie's eyes. His smile at seeing you standing across from him was still painted on his face.

"Y/n! Hey, wake up. You're okay. It's okay." Steve's voice woke you mid-scream. He had wrapped himself around you again. Something you had become accustomed to since Eddie died, especially in the last six months. "Steve." was all you could whimper. The lack of Eddie made your heartbreak all over again.

"I know, shh, I know. It's okay." Tears streamed down your face, the memories of the dream fully sinking in. You've had that dreams so many times and in so many variations. It always feels so real. It feels like you are constantly living in hell when you wake up from the dream. You couldn't stop the sobs that Steve's shoulders caught. Your body heaved with the sobs as he held you close, hand rubbing over your back.

You two stayed in each other's arms for god knows how long. Once you could stop crying, you pulled back to look at Steve. "Thank you." You mumbled, overly exhausted from the recurring dream. You could feel Steve watching you. You cleared your throat. "Say it." You challenged him, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Y/N. It's been four years, and I'm not saying that we forget Eddie. We will never forget Eddie. I will never forget Eddie. You will never forget Eddie. But do you think that staying here, living in his room, is making it worse for yourself?"

Looking up towards the ceiling, you attempt to stop the tears threatening to begin again. You knew Steve was probably right. Living in Eddie's trailer was hard. Everything reminded you of Eddie because it was Eddie, in a way, at least. Wayne left a year after everything happened. You didn't blame him. It had been six months that Steve had been staying here nightly after he caught your night terror. You'd both fallen asleep watching a movie, only for him to be woken up by you screaming in your sleep.

"I can't leave him, Steve. I already had to leave him in the upside down. I need to have him with me." You knew how depressing it sounded relying on the memory of a best friend you loved too late. "I'd be okay on my own. You don't have to stay, Stevie." Your voice was guilt-ridden with the thoughts of forcing Steve to stay here. You didn't want him to stay here with you and your mourning.

"Y/N, I'm not leaving you alone. You don't want to leave, that's fine, but I'll stay until you feel comfortable enough to leave." You try to begin to tell him you don't know if you'll ever leave when he cuts you off to finish his sentence. "But if you don't want to, we'll build on an extension somehow so we can make it more comfortable and build a home around him."

You nodded at him, mouth twitching to form a frown. You felt utterly exhausted from all of this. Steve didn't linger. He never did. Somehow he always knew the right time to leave. The joke that Steve was a mother to the friend group at that moment made sense. He had motherly instincts for all of you. He often sacrificed his needs for what his friends needed. "Thank you, Steve." He stopped for a minute, glancing at Eddie's things surrounding your body. His hellfire shirt was held against your chest, his battle jacket at the end of the bed, guitar picks scattered around the bed, bandana folded neatly under the ashtray that held his last pack of unopened cigarettes. He smiled at you and nodded. "Goodnight, y/n."

You laid back against the pillows, grateful as Steve turned the light off. Pulling the shirt closer to your face, breathing deeply in an attempt to stop the tears that once again crept to the corner of your eyes. But also to try and get the faintest whiff of him. The shirt stopped smelling like him a long time ago. Once upon a time, it smelt of bay rum, patchouli and cigarettes. Now it just smelt like cotton. Sometimes you'd get the faintest whiff of that smell somewhere in the trailer, and it was like he was still there. You let the tears roll down your face, rubbing at your neck when they got uncomfortable pooling there. "I love you so much, Eddie."

[mariacallous]

On Monday, X filed a lawsuit against Media Matters for America (MMFA), a nonprofit, alleging that a recent report showing big name advertisers appearing next to antisemitic content on X was an attempt to “destroy” the company by encouraging advertisers to pull their money.

Shortly after, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced that it would be investigating MMFA for “potential fraudulent activity.”

Neither X nor the Attorney General’s office responded to questions about whether these moves were coordinated.

“This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X’s critics into silence,” says MMFA president Angelo Carusone. “Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court.”

But it is likely not just this report from MMFA that has stopped advertisers from spending on X. Last week, Musk appeared to endorse the antisemitic “great replacement” theory in a post, leading many advertisers, including IBM and Disney, to pause or pull ads from the platform entirely. It was the latest blow to X’s shrinking ad revenues.

Early Saturday, Musk posted on X that he would file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against Media Matters, along with a screenshot of a document in which X alleges that MMFA “misrepresented the real user experience” on the platform.

“These lawsuits quite clearly are triggered not by an offense, but by Musk losing advertisers. And it’s quite clear they’re leaving because of what he said,” claims Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit watchdog group that is also being sued by X for their research. In the suit, filed in August, X alleges that CCDH had cost the company “at least tens of millions” of dollars in advertising revenue and other costs. CCDH’s reports showed how disinformation and hateful content was allegedly able to remain and circulate on X. The suit alleges that CCDH accessed the data to show this by using another nonprofit’s Brandwatch account.

“To be a victim in that lawsuit is incredibly expensive. It’s incredibly time-consuming,” says Ahmed, who estimates that CCDH has had to spend more than $250,000 in legal fees to defend itself. Ahmed worries that these types of lawsuits could have a “chilling effect” on other organizations monitoring X.

In the suit against MMFA, X claims that “99% of X’s measured ad placement has appeared adjacent to content scoring above the Global Alliance for Responsible Media’s brand safety floor”—an advertising industry standard to prevent monetization around harmful content—and that MMFA had “manipulated” the platform’s algorithm to return results that, the suit claims, are otherwise rare.

In response, X CEO Linda Yaccarino claimed that “not a single authentic user on X saw IBM’s, Comcast’s, or Oracle’s ads next to the content in Media Matters’ article.” Yaccarino added that “only 2 users saw Apple’s ad next to the content, at least one of which was Media Matters.”

But users on X have been running their own experiments, sharing screenshots of ads running next to content returned when users searched terms like “heilhitler” and “1488,” a hate symbol.

“Holy shit. If you search HeilHitler, you get a ton of ads. I literally just got the German Government's ‘come live in Germany’ ad on the search,” user @ErinInTheMorn posted. “Media Matters was not lying.” WIRED was not able to replicate these results, and it appears as though ads are no longer running against this and similar terms.

Taking aim at nonprofits, Ahmed says, might backfire on Musk. “I think it's really important that people understand that this is a man that you're doing business with, and that if you advertise on that platform, you're essentially endorsing the behavior.”

Since Musk took the helm at X, the company has seen a steep decline in advertising revenue, which comprised about 90 percent of its revenue at the time of purchase.

One of Musk’s first moves as owner was to lay off nearly everyone at the company working on trust and safety—the roles that ensure that hate speech, disinformation, nudity, violence, and other inappropriate content are kept off the platform. And as many experts feared, hate speech did increase after Musk took over. In response, some advertisers have pulled their spend on X amid fears the platform is high-risk.

In an attempt to right the ship, X brought on now-CEO Linda Yaccarino, an experienced advertising executive from NBCUniversal. But Musk has remained the focal point of X, and though the company said in October that it was seeing some of its marquee advertisers return, a different study from MMFA found that these advertisers were spending 90 percent less than they had before Musk took over the company.

Shannon Jankowski, interim director for US free expression at the nonprofit PEN America, claims that X’s choice to file its suit in Texas is “arbitrarily choosing a venue that’s known to be conservative, that’s likely to favor Elon Musk and X.” Texas also doesn’t have any laws on the books that prevent “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” or SLAPP lawsuits, she adds, meaning that it will be more difficult for MMFA to get the case dismissed or recover any legal fees from X.

“It can bankrupt those organizations to try to get rid of these lawsuits,” Jankowski says.

But whether or not X’s lawsuit is successful, or the Texas Attorney General’s investigation returns anything, Jankowski worries it will hamper future accountability work. “If he can just file a frivolous lawsuit in a conservative venue, and then potentially trigger government-level investigations, it’s just really going to deter organizations from wanting to dive into this work.”