#victim o rand

[aecholapis]

Deranged expressions - Who wore it better?

One might think December is going to be all about Yuusha here, but it is not.

Dimitri was added because of the vibes.

[tenpixelsusie]

sits ddown Talk about insjidejob to me Meow /nf .....:3

i think it's important to remember that while the show isn't the best ever, and while it has problems that should be discussed openly and critically when talking about it, i'm impressed with how it writes victims of abuse quite well. we can see that with reagan and brett that their reactions to their surroundings and the people around them present two results of abuse.

brett, in being neglected, put down, and discarded as a failure in his family, went RIGHT into people pleasing. and the thing is, it's clear that he doesn't realize that the things he experienced through childhood and the majority of his adult life are not normal or healthy, and we see him able to realize this through the episodes, from him realizing his frat brothers were just using him in part 1, to him commenting "yeah, no, i do hear it, it-it's bad.." when alpha beta expresses concern about the treehouse his family built him OUTSIDE of the main property in part 2. his casual dropping of factoids in his traumatic childhood were concerning, and he uses them as jokes many times, because how do you react to that?? (my mutual simplyender pointed this out on discord, i believe)

brett was slowly learning to gain his own backbone and finally stand up for himself near the show's ending, and if the show had continued, we would have seen him be able to heal from the treatment he got from his peers and family and confidently, well, do whatever.

reagan is a different result, with tamiko and rand's expectations and treatment of reagan leading her down a different path. due to much of rand's abuse and manipulation of reagan from a young age, she never was able to experience the normal, healthy childhood that she needed, and thus from skipping elementary school, we see that she was forced to grow up too fast (oof, hits close to home). she started training for cognito since she was 4 or 6 years old (according to rand in the mole hunt episode, i can't remember which it was right now), and due to rand, didn't get to remember her experiences with her one and only friend, so she grew up assuming that she had no friends at all. she absorbed many traits from her father, like prioritizing work over herself (to the point that she developed unhealthy habits like constantly relying on caffeine and prescriptions to keep herself awake), anger issues, and the classic using inventions to solve problems that had easier solutions.

rand was neglectful of reagan too, using bear-o in place of tending to her emotional needs, which caused reagan to develop trauma to touch because bear-o terrified her so much. poor reagan isn't used to genuine affection, to the point she's actively stunned when ron cups her face and kisses her in the appleton episode...

both reagan and brett mesh together into one giant ball of panic and bad coping mechanisms but... they care a lot for each other. their meeting was good for the both of them, and it seems as well that they help each other heal from these grievances.

brett was the first person since orrin that reagan felt comfortable hugging. he had that much effect on her life and... it's sad to see that we won't see more of them helping eachother take those stepping stones to heal.

[madnesslovelymy]

My favorite moments  (and some lines) from Inside Job Part 1

- Robotus saying “Did you say Brett? I love that guy”.

- Brett saying “Man, Reagan. Your robot is so sick!” while Robotus (now Alpha Beta) is punching him.

- Akira reference.

- Reagan says to Alpha Beta that Netflix paid millions for Friends.

- Mr. Mothman counting Regan’s HR violations.

- Rand swearing to tell the truth on a Godzilla 2000 DVD.

- Rand and Reagan trying to hug each other, but they felt uncomfortable. In Episode 9, they do a distance hug.

- Reagan telling her mother she is single by choice because she has a job doing very important things. Next scene is something not so important for her.

- THE DRONE THRONE!

- Bear-O starting to work at Cognito Inc. and everybody just accept it.

- “Power is attracted to me, honey”.

- Reagan calling an extraction team in her third date at the movies. The person behind them saw everything and says nothing.

- Brian’s first message to Reagan was a meme and a bad pun.

- Animorph reference (I never read the books, tho).

- “Do you have any idea how dangerous I’d be if I had zero self-doubt?”

- Brett and Reagan being confused watching J.R’s Sex-Deck history.

- “Brett’s got a point...”. Brett smiles. “...for the first time ever” . Brett’s face changes.

- Reagan not knowing any media or references from the 80′s.

- “Brett, I’d lie to you, but I just don’t respect you enough”.

- Myc falling from the plane, expecting his pants would work like parachutes but doesn’t work and screams.

- “We can’t let a whole town get killed on our watch. We’ll get fired. Or promoted? I can never remember how evil we are”.

- When the teacher said is okay to abuse the students physically because is “socially acceptable” in the 80′s.

- The interaction between Reagan and the Blockbuster guy. I don’t know why, but I really like that minor character.

- The Remakes song.

- The whole episode about the flat-earthers.

- Myc doing spoilers about the ending of Breaking Bad and Andre using his memory erasers to (re)watch the ending. As a person who didn’t see Breaking Bad, I kinda saw it coming.

- Reagan being confused about Rafe bringing a bear rug just to make a pun.

- Reagan “being direct” to Steve, but in reality was being mean or rude (maybe for her that means “being direct”, let’s remember Reagan lacks social skills). Then, she’s trying to break up with Rafe in the nicest way possible (character development), but Rafe is being so dramatic and behave like a victim and the people around her see her as the bad person.

- When Rafe texts Reagan “Wouldn’t it be so funny if we had kids? Just kidding! Unless...” and Reagan throws his phone and says “Fuck it” and proceeds to fake her death.

- Rafe and Skullfinger being gay to each other.

- “Goddamn it, can’t even enjoy my death in peace”.

- Reagan being far away from Rand and doesn’t care if she dies in the moon because “she’s already dead inside”. 

- Brett and Reagan sharing their daddy issues.

- At the end of the Episode 8, Myc explaining that the moon landing was real, so the real Buzz Aldrin doesn’t sue Shion Takeuchi and the whole crew is funny. Also, the “Don’t sues us, Buzz Aldrin” having the same style font of “The more you know” is hilarious.

- Glenn dab.

- Brett saying a reference about an episode of South Park (Insheeption, S14E10). As a person who like South Park, I like that and I get the reference.

- Bear-O not targeting Brett because he knows he’s a good influence for Reagan. But Bear-O targets Rand, the person who built it.

- The disgusted face of Brett when her parents doesn’t care that Reagan is going to the dance with a stranger in their thirties.

- “I’m gonna tell you what I told Leonardo DiCaprio when he begged me to rig the Oscars. If you were the best, ya woulda won”.

- Andre destroying the Wi-Fi, so Alpha Beta doesn’t discovers what are furries. Even though, I think he knows what are furries, since Reagan connect him to the Internet in the first episode (specifically Facebook).

- “They [Furries] are a valid community. It’s not always a sexual thing, but usually”.

- Myc being sarcastic, in general.

- Brett and Reagan being best friends, of course! Thanks to Brett, Reagan is able to hug, improve her social skills and talk about her feelings. And thanks to Reagan, Brett doesn’t have to please or like everyone and is more assertive.

[soothedcerberus]

A very overdue Kofi commission of Victim O'Rand & Eva Fahrzeug 😭

[alectology-archive]

all ears for your thoughts on the handling of the aiel in the last three books (because OOF)

I feel like I have to drop the offending quotes because they manage, by themselves, to communicate my issues with Sanderson’s handling of them. Also to keep in mind while reading these passages is that:

1. His handling of the Tuatha’an (where he thinks that they actually steal from the people around them) and his mention of “barbarous” tribes in Almoth Plain give away plenty about Sanderson’s attitude towards cultures that don’t resemble the standard european “people who’ve settled in cities” thoroughfare. His handling of oppression and oppressed peoples in his own books is HIGHLY questionable and suspect already.

2. Aviendha’s Rhuidean visions 2.0 were Sanderson’s invention entirely, and RJ’s editorial team was actually pretty sceptical about it until he managed to convince them to let him include it in the book. This isn’t really relevant to the post, but it’s interesting that Aviendha’s descendants are hungry for glory, revenge and violence - they are essentially responsible for setting off another war as opposed to Elayne’s Soft and Innocent wetlander descendants who are a victim of their manipulation (this also sets up a distasteful contrast against Laman’s Sin where the wetlanders were actually to blame for the Aiel crossing the Spine to wage war). Towers of Midnight also pretends that the only defining characteristic of the Aiel is fighting.*

(Towers of Midnight, chapter 49)

3. Sanderson has explicitly stated Perrin to be a favourite character of his, so you can bet that it’s partially him Speaking Through Perrin when he’s writing this:

(quotes from A Memory of Light, chapter 6)

And I take major offence at a whole people being referred to as tools, actually, so I need to drop a quote from RJ’s books here because it supports my feelings on the matter:

(The Path of Daggers, chapter 12)

I do love the idea of the Dragon's Peace and Rand trying to leave behind a legacy of harmony but I hate that the Aiel are reduced to "people who only know how to fight" when they have such a rich culture, history and way of life. Books 4 & 5 went out of their way to drive home the fact that Wetlanders had major misconceptions about the “savages” who lived in the Waste. It’s also a whole Thing in books 4 & 5 that the Aiel had to keep changing and adapting to adjust to the changing world around them (as do other cultures in the continent) since the prophecies say that a failure to do so would bring about their own downfall. So the idea that the Aiel - who actually transform the most in the series compared to other groups of people - are stuck on their old ways of life (violence, anyway, since that’s all Sanderson thinks the Aiel have the capacity for) so much that they’re going to orchestrate their own self-destruction... imo, that’s kind of stupid, lol.

You also get the sense that RJ’s trying to steer the Aiel toward a future where they stop subscribing to the idea that they should dedicate their entire people into servitude to another authority - this is partly the reason that the Aiel had to outgrow their highly deferential attitude toward Aes Sedai; this is also conveyed when the Wise Ones explicitly tell Rand that he isn’t a king who can order them around as he pleases without consulting with the other chiefs just because he’s the Car’a’carn and has a cause of his own - even if it’s defeating the Dark One. But when the books suggest that the Aiel need a cause to survive... and Rand includes them in the Dragon’s Peace to function as armies... it kind of negates the whole setup and the overall picture it paints about Sanderson as an author is very unflattering, actually.

*Re: the second Towers of Midnight quote I posted - this idea of the Aiel “needing a purpose” moving forward into the future, in the first place, was also entirely Sanderson’s invention if memory serves right since I recall it being introduced in book 12? If so, it’s an extremely offensive take that a culture needs a purpose to deserve to survive. I’m not entirely certain I’m right, but correct me if I’m wrong. 

[trashlie]

I'm loving all your ILY posts! I've also seen your comments on reddit and I enjoy reading your insightful analysis there, too. I would like to know your thoughts on Kousuke and Alyssa. Do you think they will become narrative foils? I noticed they were acting awkwardly around each other too (it kind of reminds me of how annoyed Soushi reacts around Maya) and she seems to have a crush on him 👀 I think she'll be used to contrast how he's still capable of redemption. 1/?

I mean Yui groomed them both successfully. They have shown to emulate her behavior, value their reputation over other people's feelings, and refuse to take accountability for their actions against Shin Ae and Nol. But unlike Kousuke, Alyssa has shown no hint of remorse or even guilt. 2/?

Waaahh thank you so much, anon! Isn't it silly that I still go :O when I realize people actually enjoy what I have to say? I started yelling into the void on tumblr because I got worried I was too active on reddit and I was possibly annoying people lmaooooo so I'm actually really glad you're able to find me on both platforms! It means a lot that I'm not just yelling into a total void.

If you don't mind, I'm breaking your ask down into two parts, because I might leave somethin off/this will get too long if I keep it all in one lol. BUT you bring up things I love to think about!!!!! So!!!!!

I think we are deliberately kept in the dark about Alyssa - whether it's to subvert the scheming girl trope, I'm not sure, but there's a lot of things we don't know about her and that's definitely on purpose. She's a character who probably won't be revealed more to us for a while yet, too, which is frustrating if only because I want to know everything NOW, but it does serve to make her more interesting.

Alyssa's interest in Kousuke is so obvious I can't believe I never noticed it in my original reads. I've seen this brushed off as "She just admires him" and I'm just like... she actually sulked for a moment about Kousuke leaving! Meanwhile she was straight up all but telling Nol she'll help him pack his bags lmao.

I feel like the cast of her shadow is deliberate, too, but look at that face. Sulking.

Compare with

There's room to argue that we can't see Alyssa's face when she first tells him she won't stop him, but she kind of makes it abundantly clear that Nol being away doesn't really affect her. And, I mean, look at how their relationship is conducted. She's bragged to Meg that she and Nol are so casual and cool and easy breezy.

(I guess that means there ALSO is room to argue that Alyssa is putting on a front and just saying this to make sure people think her relationship is great, but the only People who know is Meg. And as a people pleaser, if Alyssa felt uncomfortable with the casual nature of her relationship with Nol, wouldn't she actually do more to make the relationship more of what she wants? Notably during the conversation on the balcony, she basically tells Nol this isn't really her dream relationship, which leads to the admission that they are together not for each other but for the benefits they each get so......)

Kousuke is the one who confuses me the most, because it strikes me as really weird that Yui has used Alyssa as leverage before against Kousuke. "You should bring a date, Kousuke, Alyssa will be there." What does this mean? What does it have to do with him and why would it entice him to bring anyone, anyway? I'm still really baffled on this one, tbh. Something that really stood out to me was during the dinner when Nol finally revealed he was planning to attend Oxford, Kousuke was distracted by his own news that the CFO position would be opening. In fact, when Nol mentions attending Oxford later, Kousuke seems to act like this is his first time hearing it.

Nol takes note of Kousuke's state of distraction before he finally starts talking about his plan.

The way quim does the dialogue and suddenly Kousuke's interest returning is.... interesting isn't it? From the moment Nol notes Kousuke's disinterest, we don't see his face again until Rand brings up Alyssa. Quim doesn't do anything without reason - in a movie, you wouldn't waste film on Kousuke's interesting returning at the mention of Alysa unless it meant anything, right?

There's so many little moments that make me go what the heck is going on here, too.

What the heck is up with THIS? Why does Kousuke deliberate SO LONG before he calls Alyssa? Like, do I think he's really so weirded out about calling his younger brother's girlfriend, considering he has one of his younger brother's own friends reporting on him and at his beck and call? You can't convince me that he's hesitant only because Alyssa is the sister of Meg. It just seems too wary.

And yes, this moment here?

It really does have the same tone as Soushi's wariness of Maya, except is Kousuke wary of Alyssa in the same way? Is he wary of her intentions? This one is so hard for me to read, because frankly, at this point it's hard to tell if Kousuke even cares about Nol as a brother or because he was forced to and he feels deep-buried remorse for the way he treated him and doesn't know how to handle it. Is he just aware of Alyssa's keen interest in him and that puts him on edge? Would he even care about Alyssa's keen interest unless she starts to get pushy?

I HONESTLY HAVE NO IDEA and frankly, it drives me nuts, so I love to discuss this and see what other people have to say. I'd never even noticed how long he deliberates before finally calling her until someone on reddit pointed that out.

lmao this so much preamble to get to the point but anyway YES they are absolutely parallels and I do wonder if they would become foils. Again, it's hard to know with Alyssa because we've been deliberately shielded so much of her personality right now and it's hard to tell what's real and what's not with her. The way that she worries about Shinae telling Nol what she did absolutely reads to me as a lack of remorse, but maybe I'm just projecting because we haven't been given much reason to like her lol. Shinae definitely makes it seem like Alyssa never actually apologized and the way Shinae just brushes it off makes me feel like there was never actual, proper closure. What Alyssa did is worse than just causing her injury: it was why she did it and how she reacted like Shinae was something dirty and how dare she even talk to her even though Shinae probably just wanted to know why Alyssa stopped being friends with her. Maybe she was even seeking closure at the time.

In the same way that Nol and Shinae are mirrors, Kousuke and Alyssa are their parallel abusers, grooming victims of Yui, those who care more about their image and reputation than anything else and have hurt others (Nol and Shinae) in their quest to fill the role. We still don't know if Alyssa dated Nol because she genuinely had a crush (doubtful so far) or because she figured out the family he's from and wanted to get closer. I try so hard to give her the benefit of the doubt but narratively we aren't privy to that yet. Also, have you noticed that Nol and Shinae both have a relationship of some kind with each others' abuser? This mirror and their parallel abusers thing is INTRICATELY woven.

That's what makes it so difficult to tell if she'll become a foil or merely a parallel that highlights what Nol and Shinae have been through. We know Kousuke will receive a redemption arc, because he's a main character, and also because I think part of subverting his trope is that he has to take responsibility for his past actions, rather than being loved in spite of the things he's done or whatever. In order for Kousuke to proper and develop further, he has to be held accountable and he has to break free of his family. Can we trust the same for Alyssa? At this point, she doesn't want to lose Nol because she knows if she loses him, she can just as easily lose her career and access to the world she's only just gained access to (and if she were to lose it all right now, it would be worse for her because she'd have all those trainee fees to pay back).

I think both Kousuke and Alyssa are likely in for a very public airing of their sins; for Kousuke it may come in the form of the expose YuJing is working on, collateral damage in the quest to take down Yui. I also think the only way to nudge Kousuke to change is that his image has to take a hit in some form. Is it that Rand isn't his father? Is it a reveal that he abused his brother? Is it whatever happened in the past that Nol got in trouble for was caused by Kousuke and he let Nol take the blame? Likewise, I think the fact that people knew Alyssa in middle school means she's not so safe, either; what if one of the girls from after school duty reveals what happened? Surely there were rumors going around school about what happened - Shinae is out of school, Alyssa is pulled from school, kids talk. Frankly, a scandal like that could ruin her career, and worse, if Nol knew what she had done, would he be able to remain shackled to her?

While I know Kousuke won't immediately take responsibility for his actions, I've always believed that such a catalyst would at least make him start thinking about it and force him to admit it. It wouldn't happen over night, but in time it will. But will Alyssa? Would she deny the allegations? Would she just shift blame, insist that it was all an accident, that it wasn't bullying like you think? (Cos look, I do believe it was an accident, but there's a way to call it an accident and still admit fault and blame; but just as easily you can call it an accident and try to shirk responsibility.)

I do love the idea of her being a foil for Kousuke, an Aesop's fable, if you will, of what happens when you barter with the devil (Yui). I'm not opposed to the scheming female character type, but I do oppose it when they take down others to raise themselves up, and if that's the way Alyssa will end up doing it, then I'll be happy to watch her fall. If she can scheme and use her connections without hurting people then hey power to ya. Unlike Alyssa, Kousuke never had a chance to evade Yui, and being able to walk away from her as an adult will be a choice he can make. Alyssa loses... so much if she breaks her deal.

I guess that's the thing about where she and Nol are in their relationship now - it's been made clear he's hanging in here because he's forced to and as a sort of act of self-sabotage, full well knowing she's here because she's taking advantage of the opportunities that "dating" him brings so... if they're in an agreement, is it okay to watch her climb right now? She leaves me conflicted and I know it's largely because she's one of the characters we know just enough to hate but so little to justify. Could it be that it all just got out of hand for her? At first she just wanted friends, was trying to find a place to belong, something good in a life that deprived her of social connections. And then comes along Yui, seducing her with ideas of fame and fortune? Was the desire to be loved and admired so strong it powered over the need to fit in with friends and she readily cast them off? Did she not anticipate what it would actually mean, thought she could have her cake and eat it, too? The way she responds to Nol's texts, and the fact that Dieter and Soushi ask him about her, means she probably isn't even in touch with them at all anymore. Idk, I really look forward to seeing their dynamic pre-idol Alyssa, because I want to know how she fit with them, what was it like?

And then, because this was supposed to be about foils lmao you have the fact that Shinae basically foils both Alyssa and Kousuke in regard to Nol, both as a person who cares about him and also as "a good friend" vs "the person I'm currently seeing" lmao like, everyone is literally set to juxtapose each other and man, I'll never get over how well this has been done lmao. Compared to Kousuke and Alyssa, Shinae is the one who accepts responsibility even when it's difficult, who knows when and how to swallow her pride (even if she's not the one who should) and I think it's why she is the one seen a the champion at Nol's side - they are the ones who care little for their images and who know how to apologize (even when they aren't the ones who should be) and that's why they are at each other's sides.

So yes, this is a very long essay response lol to essentially say: I'm still undecided if I think Alyssa will become a foil or merely remain a parallel. I would love to see her redeem herself but something tells me not all characters in this story will be redeeamable. Maybe one day we'll understand her motivation, even if we don't agree with it. I hope at the very least she makes peace with Shinae, but I get the feeling she'll be forced into it (as in, her secret gets ousted) and that's not as satisfying, but hey, if it helps Shinae then I'm for it.

A friend of mine has mused that maybe Alyssa will be the one to oust the secret herself and I'm ngl, I like that idea though it does feel kind of vindictive towards her character. Maybe accidentally spilling it to Nol would be the segue to a couple episodes from her POV though!

Gosh this was so long I'm so sorry lmao but please follow up with your thoughts and feelings, too, or if this made you think of anything or what! I think at this point in the story we've been given a lot of information but we just don't have enough of it to totally piece together what we're supposed to be seeing. I think Kousuke and Alyssa's weirdness around each other is very deliberate, though, and I'm not sure "She's Meg's sister" is enough to warrant so many panels of Kou being SO WEIRD about her, you know? Am I missing thing? Is there more to be revealed? Are we just blind? lmao Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh

[asleepypisces]

A friend of mine recently shared how loud silence can be, specifically from her white friends following the murder of George Floyd. We might feel inclined to offer sympathy with statements like “I can’t believe this happened” or “this doesn’t feel real,” but it is the very privilege of being white that is causing us to feel shocked while this is an every day reality for black Americans. My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to the victims of police brutality and racism as well as all black Americans, but that is not enough. Thoughts and prayers are never enough. Now is the time for white Americans to reflect on our privilege and use it. Teach other white people about the barriers in society that exist for black Americans and call them out (this includes friends and family) if they are being racist, even when it’s uncomfortable to do so. Listen to and amplify the voices of black Americans - share their words, posts, work, businesses, art, etc during this time and ALL of the time. Lastly, learn! This is a result of a history of racism in the United States, the oppressive system that is the police, and an unjust justice system. What you shouldn’t do is share videos of these murders (share the graphics of artists instead), photographs of protestors (it can put them at risk), speak over black Americans, or be ignorant for the sake of blocking out negativity. You cannot and should not ignore this reality. What can you do, besides attending a protest (which you should if you are able)? See below!

There is a lot of information about contacting government officials and legislators, places to donate, and petitions to sign. I compiled the information I found. Know the words below are not all my own, with information gathered from a Medium article titled 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice and a USA Today article titled Resources, ways to donate: How you can take action from home after the death of George Floyd as well as information I found on my own.

Contacting legislators, lawmakers, and other officials:

* Google whether your local police department currently requires all on-duty police officers to wear a body camera turned on immediately whenever they respond to a call. If they don’t, email your city or town representative and police chief to advocate for it.

* Google whether your city or town uses evidence-based police de-escalation trainings. If not, again email your city or town representative and police chief to advocate for it.

* Call or email your federal legislators in support of the bipartisan (sponsored by Sen Lee (R-UT)) Smarter Sentencing Act (S. 2850) which reduces the length of federal mandatory minimum drug sentences by half, makes the Fair Sentencing Act’s crack sentencing reforms retroactive, and expands the “safety valve” exception to mandatory drug sentences. This is would reduce mandatory minimum sentences on a federal level! Obviously decriminalization is the goal, but supporting this legislation is a start.

* Call or email your federal legislators in support of the bipartisan(sponsored by Sen Rand (R-KY)) Justice Safety Valve Act (S. 399, H.R. 1097), which would allow judges to give sentences other than the mandatory minimum sentence for any federal crime which should again reduce mandatory minimum sentences! Again, a start.

* Call or email your federal legislators in support of another criminal justice reform bill, the Second Look Act, which would make reduced sentences for crack convictions from the previously passed Fair Sentencing Act retroactive, reduce mandatory minimums for people convicted more than three times for drug crimes from life without parole after the third offense to 25 years, reduce mandatory sentences for drug crimes from 15 to 10 years, limit the use of solitary confinement on juvenile prisoners, etc. Again, it’s a start.

* Call or email your your state legislators and governor to support state-wide criminal justice reform! This includes reducing mandatory minimum sentences, reducing sentences for non-violent drug crimes, passing “safety valve” law to allow judges to depart below a mandatory minimum sentence under certain conditions, passing alternatives to incarceration, etc.

* Call or write to state legislators, federal legislators, and your governor to decriminalize weed.

* Call or write to state legislators to require racial impact statements be required for all criminal justice bills. Most states already require fiscal and environmental impact statements for certain legislation. Racial impact statements evaluate if a bill may create or exacerbate racial disparities should the bill become law. Check out the status of your state’s legislation surrounding these statements here.

* Call or write to state legislators, federal legislators, and your governor to end solitary confinement in excess of 15 days. It is considered torture by the UN, and it is used more frequently on black and Hispanic prisoners.

* Write to the US Sentencing Commission (PubAffairs@ussc.gov) and ask them to:

* reform the career offender guideline to lessen the length of sentences

* change the guidelines so that more people get probation

* change the criminal history guidelines so that a person’s criminal record counts against them less

* change guidelines to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes

* conduct a study to review the impact of parental incarceration on minor children. With more data, the Commission could modify the Sentencing Guidelines and allow judges to take this factor into account when sentencing individuals for non-violent crimes.

* conduct a study to review whether the Bureau of Prisons is following the Commission’s encouragement to file a motion for compassionate release whenever “extraordinary and compelling reasons” exist.

* consider amending the guidelines to reduce sentences for first offenders.

* Write to your state legislators to end cash bail. Your wealth should not determine your freedom. Legally innocent people are in jail not because they’re guilty, but because they cannot afford the price of their freedom.

Petitions:

(If you need postal code for non-US people who sign 90015 is Los Angeles, CA; 10001 is New York City, NY; and 75001 is Dallas, TX.)

* Sign the petition here that aims to “reach the attention of Mayor Jacob Frey and DA Mike Freeman to beg to have the officers involved in this disgusting situation fired and for charges to be filed immediately.“ https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd

* Sign the petition here to “demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder." So far, the petitions has garnered more than 1 million signatures. You can also sign by texting "Floyd" to 55156. https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis

* Sign the petition here “demanding justice for George Floyd and his family by adding your name to our super petition. When you sign, our platform will automatically send your message to County Attorney Michael Freeman, who has the power to arrest and charge these police officers.” All officers must be held responsible. https://www.justiceforbigfloyd.com/#petition

Text:

* Text “Justice” to 668366.

* Text “Floyd to 55156 to sign the petition mentioned above.

Donate money:

* GoFundMe: Organized by Philonise Floyd, George's brother, the fund was created to cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings and to assist the family in the days to come as they “continue to seek justice for George,” according to the description. A portion of these funds will also go to the Estate of George Floyd, which benefits his children and their educational fund.” https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

* NAACP: Donations to the NAACP go toward: helping “win landmark legal battles, protect voters across the nation, and advance the cause of racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.” https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15780&_ga=2.209233111.496632409.1590767838-1184367471.1590767838

* Black Lives Matter: You can become a "Global Member" by donating $5 to support their campaigns. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

* Communities United Against Police Brutality: A Minneapolis organization who accepts donations via mail or PayPal for “office costs, copwatch equipment, court filing fees and other expenses." https://www.cuapb.org/

* Minnesota Freedom Fund: An organization that helps pay jail bonds for those who cannot afford to fight discriminatory and coercive jailing. "Every dollar of financial donations to Minnesota Freedom Fund helps us help free people," the website states. https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/

* Reclaim the Block: A grassroots, Minneapolis organization that demands “that Minneapolis invest in real safety solutions like violence prevention, housing, responses to mental health and opioid crises, and protections for workers instead of 14 more cops.” They are focused on building community-led safety solutions. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home

* Black Visions Collective: Aims “to shape a political home for Black people across Minnesota.” They are recommenced by the Minnesota Freedom Fund as they are out on the field right now. https://secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2

Donate Supplies:

* North Star Health Collective: Recommended by the Minnesota Freedom Fund as they are also out in the field right now. Accepts first-aid supplies. The link will take you to the website for information on what they need and where to send it. https://www.northstarhealthcollective.org/support-north-star-health

Where to shop:

* If you are looking for clothes, I linked Maya Rigby’s (aka @lovlae) Depop. 100% of her proceeds for the next week will be going to Reclaim the Block. If you don’t need clothes, she has cute scrunchies available! https://www.depop.com/mayarigby/

* Philadelphia Printworks “supports local and national organizations doing work in the areas of food security, police brutality, immigrant rights, tlgbq+ rights, mass incarceration, and more. Support is determined by the needs of the organization and may be financial and/or resource based.” For example, 100% of the profits from the National Bail Out shirts goes to the NBO. https://www.philadelphiaprintworks.com/

* @ghosttownusa is donating 100% of Depop proceeds (@ablesistersvillage) to North Star Health Collective.

*Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign is inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem and supports a variety of organizations including Essie Justice Group, Black Futures Lab, and Higher Heights (as well as many others.) https://phenomenalwoman.us/pages/about

Lastly, be politically active and vote in all elections! Following the recent twitter response of Trump towards people protesting police brutality and considering the future of The Supreme Court, this presidential election matters. Local elections matter too and directly impact our community in our everyday lives. They are the ones who can change policing in our communities. Stay informed on candidates and if you want to do more, canvassing and volunteering at the polls on Election Day are two ways you can volunteer. However, remember that the solution to end police brutality is not a simple matter of voting Trump out of office - consider the victims of police brutality before this presidency. This requires supporting the campaigns of black candidates, specifically women, through organizations like Higher Heights which is “the only national organization providing Black women with a political home exclusively dedicated to harnessing their power to expand Black women’s elected representation and voting participation, and advance progressive policies.”

Please feel free to add on or send me any suggestions/corrections, and may George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all victims of police brutality and racism rest in peace and power. 💕🖤

[nespolehlivyvypravec]

Bylo to takový úzkostlivý těšení. Takovej ten pocit neobvyklosti, výjimečnosti. Ten, co jsem necítila dlouho a díky tlumícím ádéčkům ještě dýl, než by bylo nutný. Naposledy poprvý při prvním opravdovým koncertu v Praze. Naposledy poprvý při setkání s X po několika měsících. Naposledy poprvý na prvním rande. Naposledy poprvý cestou na mou první kérku. Těšila jsem se jak malá, až mi jehla bude kreslit po ruce obrázek, co tentokrát nepůjde smýt. S významem, který můžu znát jen já. Čistě sobecky jen pro mě, jen proto, že můžu a chci. Myslím, že to je první věc, kterou jsem udělala čistě pro sebe. Z vlastních pohnutek, z vlastní vůle. Prostě proto, že jsem dospělá.

Tetovací studio blízko budov, kam jsem v prváku chodila na teorii literatury, relativně málo lidí, zato hodně stromů. Tenkrát jsem se procházela podzimním listím a infantilně sbírala kaštany, protože říjen byl za rohem a asi jsem si chtěla ještě užít blažený nevědomosti a toho, že nemusím na svět koukat filtrem umírání a tragiky. Zaháním myšlenky a vracím se do přítomnosti. Ve studiu dvě tatérky a zákaznice, ve vzduchu tóny Cigarettes after sex a za pár minut ty balený venku na dopoledním slunku. nervózně šlukuju ze svý prefabrikovaný cigarety. I'm reading the room. Mluvíme o penisech bývalých kluků až po filmy a seriály. Vykládám něco o West Worldu, ale vlastně se asi mnohem víc zaměřuju na jejich reakci, jestli poslouchají. Nikdy jsem si neuvědomila, že to dělám. Je v tom něco chladně robotickýho, připadám si sama jak android. Trochu.

D. říká, že se jí líbí, že jdu na první tetování na tak velkej motiv. Nemohla jsem se rozhodnout pro nic malýho, protože by to pro mě nemělo tak velkej význam. Obkresluje a obtiskuje ženskou postavu na mou ruku. G. vedle tetuje mnohem pokreslenější slečnu a pouští Sufjana Stevense. Napadá mě, že aspoň jedno svoje poprvý prožiju při poslechu boží hudby. Tohle píchání je sakra intimní.

Hned po první lince se ptá, jestli to nebolí. (Taky mnohem lepší než moje poprvý.) Jsem překvapená, jak málo to c��tím, čekala jsem mnohem horší bolest. Naopak se mi to nějakým zvráceným způsobem líbí. D. se sklání nad mou rukou a ptá se, jestli je ten týpek Perseus. Řeknu, že jo a pak jí konečně vylíčím skrytej význam. A připadám si hrozně nahá, nahá jako ta vznikající postava na mojí ruce. Připadám si obnaženě, a přitom nic moc konkrétního neříkám. Že byla znásilněná. Že se snažila jen bránit, ale Perseus vlítnul do jejího domu a snažil se ji ulovit. Že je ochránkyně žen a ztvárnění, který jsem si vybrala, je symbolem MeToo. A vlastně bych ráda šla ještě hlouběji a klidně jí řekla svůj životní příběh, ale něco mě zarazí. Doprdele, zas ten pošahanej vnitřní mechanismus. Když o tom teď přemýšlím, tak je mi líto, že jsem jí toho neřekla víc. Nakonec má tetovací jehlu pod mou kůží. První obranný val byl pobořen, překonán.

Vlastně se to týká všeho. Všech, kteří se kdy přes tu moji obrannou linii dostali. Muži, ženy. Je to jeden velkej, spletitej příběh a D., která mi ho teď zapisuje do kůže, je zároveň jeho součástí. Je to metapříběh. Ve chvíli, kdy se to děje, je to zároveň zapisováno. Jako bych byla Bastien v Nekonečným příběhu. Každá linka je jako vlákno, který spojuje všechny postavy dohromady a vytváří to, co jsem dnes.

Intimita. Nebo aspoň náznak intimity. Ten feministický výklad se jí děsně líbí, říká, že to dá na Insta i s tím. Přemýšlím, jestli jsem teda přece jen aspoň takhle po sobě zanechala stopu.

Bavíme se spolu o feminismu. Nadávám na disent 90. let, jako mám poslední dobou ve zvyku. Ona začne mluvit o Afghánistánu, poslouchala podcast o tamější situaci. Oběma nám naskočí husí kůže. V mysli mám vzlítající letadlo, jehož podvozku se drží lidi. Tak moc se chtějí zachránit. Tak moc chtějí pryč ze země. Mluvíme o cenzuře na Instagramu a Katastrofé. Začala jsem o EC. Řekla mi, že měla anorexii a jak si člověk najde nějakýho idola, kterýmu se chce podobat, je to hrozně těžký. Jo. To je. A si připadám tak nějak na pozici obou. Ale zas mlčím.

Ale proč, když bych jí mohla povědět o další postavě příběhu a tom, že jsem villain a victim? Možná jsme chodily na stejný pro ana blogy, ale v tu chvíli mi přijde nevhodný něco dalšího říkat...možná to není potřeba. Tělo Medúzy je nedokonalý, nesouměrný a krásný. Je to můj statement standardům krásy. Sexualizaci. Význam je skrytej uvnitř.

Rukama v rukavicích natahuje mou kůži a druhou tetuje, místa natírá vazelínou nebo něčím takovým. Skoro mi neteče krev, jenom nakonec při posledních tazích bílou. Když přejíždí po hotových linkách, bolí to víc. Svaly se samy od sebe natahují, největší strach jsem měla z toho, že budu cukat rukou nebo dostanu nějakou křeč. Přebytečnej ink utírá ubrouskem. Fascinuje mě, když to tetování stínuje nástavcem s několika jehlama. po utření zůstává na místě jen pár decentních teček.

Bavíme se o škole. Studovala dějiny umění, moje srdce plesá. Pokaždý, když se podívám na to vznikající tetování, tak se usměju. Ptám se, jestli ji neznervózňuje, že jí koukám pod ruce. Je to zvláštní. Nejsem zvyklá, že je někdo tak blízko. Vynořuje se další skrytej význam, kterej se už dlouho snažím zakopat a pohřbít nebo na něj aspoň nemyslet...

Nakonec mi tetování vydezinfikuje a přelepí a dá instrukce, jak se o něj starat.

Při odchodu se obejmeme.

Intimita.

[trombonesinspace]

Typhoid Mary: feminist femme fatale?

“Season 4 was going to be Typhoid Mary, Alice Eve [who played the role in Iron Fist], we were doing a kind of...I had a much different version of her than what Raven [Metzner] had done in Iron Fist. I was kind of rebooting what she was going to be like, and we were going to do a, you know, kind of a warped love story/murder mystery kind of femme fatale, but kind of a modern-day, feminist version of it, as opposed to kind of the older, sexist kind of femme fatale archetype.”

-Erik Oleson, in conversation with Steven DeKnight, SaveDaredevilCon 

As I said yesterday, I have some thoughts about this! If you want some opinions nobody asked for, about a storyline that may never come to pass, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s dive in.

A femme fatale is a character type with quite a history, that can take various forms. She is always an attractive woman who brings ruin to the man who gets involved with her. But sometimes she is deliberately manipulative, while sometimes she is more a victim of circumstances. She may be evil, or she may be sympathetic/tragic. But whatever her moral alignment, she has two defining traits: sexual allure, and some form of negative consequences for the hero as a result of his involvement with her.

A woman who schemes against the hero, and succeeds in harming him, but without using feminine wiles? Not a femme fatale. The Marvel TV universe has featured several examples on different shows: Madame Gao, Mariah Dillard, Alexandra. And, ironically, the version of Typhoid Mary who appeared in Iron Fist. (We’ll get there.)

A sexy woman who tries to manipulate/damage the hero, but fails? Also not a femme fatale. I wish I could give some examples, but sadly I can’t think of any, in dramas at least. Our current media culture loves a sexy manipulator, no writer ever seems to introduce one into a dramatic story without making her succeed in her schemes, to some extent at least.

Which is unfortunate, from my perspective, because I loathe sexy manipulators. It’s a character type I really dislike, whenever I encounter her. As soon as she shows up, I know the hero is going to fall for her bullshit like a chump, and I’m going to end up respecting him less as a result. I could try to unpack my feelings about this a bit more, but that would probably make a post all on its own, so for now I’ll leave it at that.

This doesn’t mean I hate all femmes fatales—it really depends on her motivation and her behavior. If she isn’t trying to harm the hero, and it happens due to circumstances, then I might like the character, but the story becomes a tragedy. Which is not necessarily bad. Just, you know. Tragic.

Anyway! Let’s talk about Typhoid Mary.

Mary Walker is a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities), and high-level combat skills. In the comics, she is also a mutant with mental powers. She appeared in the Daredevil comics starting in 1988.

In this original version, her personality fragmented due to childhood abuse, leading her to vow as an adult that no man would ever hurt her again. Her personalities are: Mary, who is timid and gentle; Typhoid, who is adventurous, lusty, and violent; and Bloody Mary, who is even more violent, sadistic, and hates all men.

Mary becomes romantically involved with Matt Murdock, who is cheating on his girlfriend, Karen Page, to be with her. At the same time, Typhoid is trying to ruin him, having been hired to do so by the Kingpin. Matt can’t tell they’re the same woman, because when she switches personalities all her bio signs change (voice, scent, heartbeat, etc) so much that he can’t recognize her. (Uh, sure.) She may also be using some of her mutant powers to confuse his senses. I haven’t read the comics, I’m relying here on what I could learn from the internet.

Eventually Typhoid drops him off a bridge, but then Mary finds him and gets him to a hospital, saving him. Karen is with him when he wakes up, but he breaks her heart by calling out for Mary.

This storyline...does not thrill me. As I said, I haven’t read it, but comics writing about mental illness is generally neither nuanced nor accurate, and comics writing about women circa 1988 is also not great, by today’s standards. And comics Matt’s disastrous love life is legendary—cheating on your girlfriend is bad, Matt! Don’t do it! 

I have, however, watched season 2 of Iron Fist, where we get a different version. This Mary Walker is a US army veteran, special ops, who was captured by the Sokovian military. Her personality fragmented due to the brutal abuse she received from her captors for nearly two years, until she finally escaped. She got a medical discharge from the army after being diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Her personalities are: Mary, who is innocent and naive; and Walker, who is a ruthless, coolly efficient mercenary-for-hire. The existence of a third, ultraviolent personality, previously unknown to either Mary or Walker, is revealed near the end of the season. 

Mary meets and befriends Danny Rand, while Walker is hired by his enemies to stalk him, and eventually capture him so they can steal his Iron Fist powers from him. She later changes sides, getting hired to bring down Davos, the season’s main villain, by Joy Meachum, his former ally.

There are clear parallels to the Daredevil comics storyline, albeit in less extreme form—Mary befriends the hero, but isn’t romantically involved with him; her more violent personality works against him and fights him, but doesn’t try to destroy him. 

I enjoyed this version of the character more than I expected to, for a couple of reasons. For one, she is never the out of control, “crazy” stereotype of a person with mental illness. Both Mary and Walker are more-or-less functional adults, managing to live a strange hybrid life, aware of each other’s existence even though they don’t share memories.

But what I especially like is that she isn’t sexualized, at all. It’s incredibly rare, in my experience, to see a young, female antagonist opposing a male hero, and not have her be sexy. Older women are exempt from this obligation (see my list of examples above), but the young ones always vamp it up, and I am so tired of it. I am not opposed to sexy women, but I am very opposed to the requirement that all women must be sexy. (Unless they’re old.) Male antagonists aren’t required to be alluring, so why should women be? (Yes, I know why. I just don’t like it.)

There’s also a lot of potential YIKES in sexualizing a woman with a severe mental illness, which was caused by (among other things) repeated sexual violence. Could it be done in a way that isn’t super problematic? It’s possible, sure. Am I assuming that most television writers would give the subject the respect it deserves? NOPE! 

I’m really glad they chose to just not go there. Walker is extremely good at what she does, takes no shit from anyone, and (almost) never gets riled up. After everything she’s been through, nothing in her present life has the power to faze her, and none of the men around her have the power to intimidate her. It’s pretty great!

She isn’t the least bit coy or seductive, and, equally refreshing, none of the men try to sexualize her or hit on her. Everyone Walker talks to knows she is a highly skilled professional, and they treat her accordingly. Or, when someone does disrespect her, it’s never gendered as far as I can remember, and it stops as soon as she calmly states what she’s going to do to him if it doesn’t.

As for Mary, although she has a more feminine appearance than Walker (hair down and loose, makeup), she is also not sexualized. Her friendship with Danny, who is in an established relationship with Colleen Wing, is platonic, and no one else tries to hit on her that I remember.

So this is the version of Typhoid Mary that Erik Oleson was going to reboot, into a femme fatale. Only, you know. A feminist one. 

I...have some questions. What does that even mean? What does feminism mean to Erik Oleson? Let’s be real, the idea of a woman becoming an ultraviolent, sadistic man-hater as a result of sexual trauma would have been seen as feminist in some circles, back in 1988 when that version was written. So what, exactly, did he have in mind?

As I said before, sexual allure is a necessary component of a femme fatale. So she was definitely gonna be sexy. And you know now how I feel about sexy female antagonists. As for the “warped love story” part...Matt wouldn’t be cheating on Karen, since they aren’t together (please, for the love of mercy, don’t have them get together right before he meets Mary, we did that once and I do NOT want to see it again), but I am still not a fan of Matt/Mary as a couple.

Her Dissociative Identity Disorder raises some serious issues around consent, and even if the show chose to ignore that, there’s still the issue of past sexual trauma. Unless Oleson’s reworking of the character was going to include a completely different back story, a Matt/Mary relationship would mean Matt unknowingly having sex with a woman who has suffered brutal sexual abuse in her past. Not to mention, having sex with her that only one part of her personality actually wants.

Is it possible for someone with Mary’s past trauma and present mental illness to have a positive sexual relationship? In reality, of course! In the hands of writers with only a layman’s knowledge of psychology, on a show that loves to torment its hero, I wouldn’t bet on it. How do you suppose our poster boy for Catholic guilt would react when he inevitably finds out the truth?

Plus, aside from any issues around Mary herself, Matt starting a relationship with anyone other than the handful of people who already know his secret identity, means a whole new round of Matt lying to someone he cares about. Does anyone really want to see that? I know I don’t. Sure, maybe he’d tell her eventually, but how long would they have to date before he decided to trust her with the truth?

I’m not opposed to the Mary Walker from Iron Fist appearing in Daredevil, if the writers could come up with a new story for her (i.e, don’t just have her repeat all the same plot beats with Matt that she already did with Danny). But bringing her in as a femme fatale really doesn’t sit well with me. We’ve already seen Matt in an ultimately destructive relationship with a sexy, violent, morally grey woman. I really don’t want to watch Round 2: now with multiple personalities!

Of course, maybe we never will. The quote at the beginning of this post is from just a couple of weeks ago (July 25 2020), so Erik Oleson still seems to think it’s a fine idea. But obviously we don’t know yet if there will ever be a season 4, or who the show runner will be if there is. He may never get to make the story he was planning.

So yes, I realize I’m merely speculating about a completely theoretical story that may never happen. But I wanted to write this anyway. I had a strong “ugh, no” reaction to the idea of a feminist femme fatale Typhoid Mary, and I wanted to go deeper and pick apart my reasons for not liking the idea.

To the three of you who have read this all the way through to the end (this post is nearly 2000 words, yikes), thank you for indulging me! These are, as always, my own opinions, and YMMV. 

[silas-rand]

T H E  B L A C K W E A V E  S H A D O W H U N T E R – Quel’dorei / Human SERVER: WYRMREST ACCORD - US // GROBBULUS - US

T H E  B A S I C S ;; // Name: Silas T. Rand Race: Quel’dorei / Human

O O C  I N F O R M A T I O N ;; // Looking for: Long-term, story, developmental based RPs. Pre-established relationships if it fits (family, friends, rivals, former lovers) RP Venues: In-game, Discord, Tumblr Facial References: Maxence danet-fauvel Things I will not RP: Any NSFW content with minors (dark themed RP, or anything regarding triggers), will not RP rape scenes

I C  I N F O R M A T I O N ;; // Can be found in: Elwynn Forest, Arathi Highlands, Stormwind, Ironforge, Menethil Harbor and Booty Bay Age: Adult Height & Weight: 6′4″ & 185~ Hair: Black Eyes: Hazel Blue Distinguishing Marks: None that could be seen // hidden underneath his leather armour. Common Accessories: A different assortment of rings adorn his fingers all taken from his victims. A white mask with a black design around the eyes that covers his features. Magic: Silas has a keen sense of magic and normally practices it when able to. Although, he keeps these abilities secret and chooses not to display them unless absolutely necessary. Likes & Hobbies: Working on his alchemy skills, producing new concoctions, brewing in his spare time, reading, honing his skills, sparring, card games, gambling, colder weather (especially autumn), rainy days Dislikes & Fears: Aristocratic fools, his lineage and abilities exposed, self-righteous people, hot days (typically ignores any vacation spots, but can still be seen in Booty Bay when conducting business)

P O S S I B L E  R P  H O O K S ;; // ⚜ - Silas is a hired killer. Perhaps Silas was hired to kill someone, that you knew of. Whether that is family, a friend, and/or acquaintance. Or perhaps you want to seek him out to carry out a hit. ⚜ - Silas is an information broker. Silas gathers information on nobles and non-nobles alike and sells it to those that ask for it. Though his rates aren’t cheap, and if hired to seek out information on anyone, he’ll do what he can to give them their money’s worth. ⚜ - Silas is typically seen in Booty Bay conducting business. With that being said, he’s typically seen in Booty Bay and will do business with just about anyone of both factions. So whether you’re from the horde or from the alliance. He will do business with you, but cross him once and you’ll become his next hit. ⚜ - Silas is a neutral character. Silas is more neutral compared to following the Alliance faction. His mother was neutral and her values were placed down on him before her passing. His beliefs mirror hers and believe them wholeheartedly.  ⚜ - Silas is a gambler, and enjoys playing cards. Often times you can find Silas in a pub or tavern playing a game of cards with a large pot in the middle of the table. He’s an avid gambler, which can at times get him into trouble.  ⚜ - He makes his own potions and poisons. If you ever needed potions for yourself and/or poisons for your victims. Silas makes potent poisons and potions as well as antidotes for said poisons. If he can craft he will do it, however if there’s something he doesn’t know about and if it’s never been seen or produced. He will find a way to get it to you. By any means necessary.

[ @wraconnect ]

[bartholomaus]

In al doilea rand crimele regimului nazist nu sunt incomparabile, ba chiar isi au echivalentul in URSS si in China lui Mao. Informatia ta despre cele 1.6-3 milioane de morti este eronata. Numai din documentele musamalizate ale NKVD-ului reies peste 6 milioane de victime numai in lagare.Ca sa nu mai vorbim de colectivizarea din Ucraina si Bielorusia care a facut 5 milioane de victime in randul taranilor. Chiar si de deportarea armenilor si a georgienilor merita sa mentionam. Japonia Imperialista a facut si ea victime multe , dar iarasi ,numai vina germanilor se vede. Tot populatia germana merita sa fie asuprita in halul asta ...cu   milioane de oameni dusi sa sparga pietre dincolo de Cercul Polar , cu proiecte de dezradacinare nationala , cu violuri in masa asupra femeilor nevinovate, asupra batranelor de 60-70 de ani din Prusia Orientala, cu sate intregi de batrani omorate de rusi ? Oare invalizii astia merita ura intregii Rusii pentru holocaust ? Oare copilasii aia inrolati in volkstrumm la 12-16 ani care au fost fortati sa intre in lupta cu pistolul la tampla sunt vinovati pentru holocaust. Oare lor trebuie sa le spunem "si-au meritat-o inca din '39" sau clicii aleia misele care a facut ce a vrut ,care a prostit populatia ,a manipulat cu maiestrie si la inceputurile ei a fost sustinuta de "Aliati" ? Este de neconceput ce atrocitati, ce genocid a comis Germania nazista asupra populatiei, dar nu este singura ,si mai presus de toate nu ea este vinovata. Cum ne permitem sa dormim cu capul pe perna linistit crezand ca am rezolvat problema daca aruncam cu piatra in nemti . Dupa cum ti-am mai spus, invingatorilor li se iarta totul. Asadar Nazistii au picat drept buba razboiului ,dandu-se uitarii lucruri precum Fenomenul Pitesti ,experimentul Targusor,Hiroshima si Nagasaki , proiectul Monarch,        experimentul norvegian, temnitele Stazi si cate si mai cate...

[bookoftheironfist]

Danny: “Those men-- Walker’s-- they seemed to know you...”

Alan: “Aye. They knew me. [...] They’re budding revolutionary terrorists. They want to be what I once was. Alan Cavenaugh. Provisional I.R.A. freedom fighter. Patriot. Terrorist. Bomber. Take yer pick-- I was the best. Dedicated. Loyal. Supremely careful. Until the day one of my bombs misfired. I killed twelve people that day-- women an’ children mostly. Innocents. I was arrested-- did time in Langkesh-- but the British could never prove anything, an’ they had to let me go. Leavin’ me with me memories. All those screams, all that pain. That’s when I realized that the people I was hurtin’ were the people I was fightin’ for. The innocent ones. That’s when I learned I’d had enough o’ killin’. [...] I loved my cause as much as any man, Daniel Rand... but... oh, I dunno... I guess some causes have too high a price.”

Iron Fist vol. 1 #5 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Phil Rache

    One of the most unusual members of the early Iron Fist supporting cast is former I.R.A. bomber Alan Cavenaugh, who Danny meets in London while searching for Colleen. Danny comes across Alan being beaten up in an alley and rescues him, and the two quickly become close friends. Danny actually stays with Alan in London for a month afterward, and Alan later travels to New York several times to visit him-- which results in (among other things) one of the most hilariously understated identity reveals ever:    

Alan: “Danny... he’s a friend of yours, too... ain’t he? Like... Iron Fist? I’ve always wondered... are the two of them really the same--?”

Luke: “Yeah. They are. If you’re a real friend of Danny’s, you won’t spread that ‘round. Man’s got a right to his privacy.”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #60 by Mary Jo Duffy, Marie Severin, and Steve Leialoha, 

    Early Iron Fist comics were still reflecting and reexamining the themes of Danny’s origin story, and Alan’s introduction is no exception. His feelings on the destructive nature of killing, for both the victims and the killer, and his painful, life-changing realization that no justification is worth taking a life, mirrors Danny’s own experiences with bloodlust and vengeance. Alan’s presence also complicates Misty’s story, and prompts her journey toward recovering from the trauma of losing her arm in a bomb attack like those Alan used to engineer. He’s a relatively minor character, only appearing a few times, but I like him and wouldn’t mind if he were brought back.  

[the-detectives-blogger]

I’m really...fucking upset, and I”m honestly not sure where to rant about this, so I’ll just rant about it here, and hope that somebody hears me, someone listens.

So I’m in a bunch of Facebook groups, mainly for the memes and the amusing tagging that goes on. I don’t participate except in a select few - and I mean a really select few, ones where I feel safe contributing at all. Mainly Jewish groups actually, with other Jewish women in them, talking about our lives, worries, politics, tips for making challah bread, prayers for each other. It’s really nice. <3 

The other groups, the meme groups, there’s a lot of bullies in there, I don’t mind having them for tagging purposes but I’ve been doxxed online before and it nearly killed me. I mean that literally, I fell into such a deep dark hole of...uber depression...didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, didn’t move, not for months. It was bad. It was really, really, really fucking bad. And I get triggered easily about it. Less easily now, thank God, baruch Hashem, it’s been a few years, but it’s not the type of thing you ever really forget. When the internet trolls rip out your heart and post it everywhere for all to see, with your face and your full name, calling you a cunt and a weeaboo and - it was bad. 

Anyway.

So I don’t participate in the bullying/memeing groups. But I’m on steroids this week, because I have chronic sciatica pain - the sciatica nerve is the one at the base of your spine, and for people like me for whom it’s pinched, it flares up and the pain is indescribable. A lot of the pain comes from inflammation and OTC meds weren’t cutting it so my very helpful doctor put me on steroids to kill the inflammation. Which is working, yay! But the steroids, being steroids, lol, are definitely also making me more aggressive than usual and more prone to snap, less patient. I’m doing my best with it but it’s steroids, they do what they do in my body, my brain.

All this brings us to last night. I was kind of out of my mind on the nightly steroid dose, browsing Facebook, and I come across a post. The group is a bisexuality-focused group, an identity I..identify with, lol. I have to paraphrase this since I didn’t grab screenshots, but as best I can remember it:

OP: Real talk. Can we talk about how WEIRD it is that some people are only attracted to ONE GENDER?! Like??? Look at Blake Lively. Look at Robert Downey Jr. Are you honestly telling me you wouldn’t fuck them both given the chance???  Poster 1: This is uh - this is kind of homophobic? Aren’t you erasing the identities and experiences of lesbians and gay men? They have to struggle hard to be accepted as well.  OP: Psh NO, are you serious rn?? Are you saying I’m heterophobic which doesn’t exist lmao???  Poster 1: No, I’m saying you’re being homophobic, like, gay men also exist and shouldn’t be forced to be into women if they’re not.  OP: Well if you’re offended, I’m sorry, but you’re choosing to feel that way. That’s on you. If you choose to see that in what I wrote, I can’t help that, if you’re offended. Me: Uh. Look, I don’t know if I want to get involved in the rest of the debate here but saying “I’m sorry if you’re offended” is an abuse tactic. You’re victim blaming Poster 1, saying that it’s on them if you hurt them...it’s not. It’s on you. Don’t victim blame people, that’s super not okay. OP: I didn’t say ‘I’m sorry if you’re offended’ I said ‘If you’re offended, I’m sorry’. Huge difference. Me: There is literally no difference.  OP: There is a massive difference. Admin flying in: Nobody’s victim blaming :[. [OP puts a ‘love’ react on this post because now they feel supported by authority...in their fucking victim blaming and abuse tactics.] OP: I just said people can be bisexual. Admin: Yeah I’m not going to prevent people talking about bisexuality in a bisexuality group. Me: This has nothing to do with the sexualities in question, it’s a question of how we’re talking to one another, treating one another, and of mental illness questions. You were victim blaming OP, and if you’re offended, that’s on you. :) OP: I wasn’t victim blaming tho. Admin: like this is a bisexual group and we’re here to talk about being bisexual  [OP+admin are at this point ‘loving’ each other’s fucking posts ove rand over and over again, supporting each other and growing FUCKING stronger, making me feel more and more alone and backed into a goddamn corner] Me: Okay. Whatever. I fucking give up. I’m not going to fight you, OP. You did a bad thing but if you don’t want to own it, that’s on you. You still have to treat people well regardless of their sexuality. have a good night. The fucking thread proceeded without me. I deleted my comments, super done and not wanting to be doxxed again, thinking, like, this is why I don’t fucking get involved, it never fucking works, standing up for the fucking little guy doesn’t work, standing up for people’s rights not to be FUCKING ABUSED doesn’t work, let alone her extremely clear homophobia, but The Admin Has Spoken so clearly I lose. If Authority is against you it’s hard to fucking win.

I messaged that admin just asked if she could take down the comments where my name is tagged; I deleted the ones I posted but I don’t want my name on this bullshit anymore.

Woke up this morning. Not only have I been booted and blocked from the fucking group, the admin wrote me back to say “I'm fine with editing it out of my comments, I'm not deleting everyones because they tagged you. I will let them know you are requesting and why.”

BITCH

THAT STILL

INVOLVES

MY FUCKING 

NAME

YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING BLOODY MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So not only am I now having a fucking triggered fucking panic attack BECAUSE OF FUCKING YOU, because you don’t care about mental illness or triggers or abuse or PTSD, just about your little meme group, I can’t do anything about it or see it, you’ve made me fucking powerless by banning me from the group YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FIRST Of ALL, YES that girl was being fucking homophboic. Okay??? Saying “omg other sexualities are so weird” isn’t HEPLFUL, it isn’t KIND or COMPASSIONATE or UNDERSTANDING. Straight people and gay people and lesbians really! do! exist! and are only attracted to one gender. Bisexual people also really! do! exist! and are attracted to multiple genders. But nobody gets to say that the other sexualities are fucking ‘weird’ or unacceptable in any way.

SECONDLY, if you don’t keep in fucking mind the way you’re fucking speaking to people while you’re doing leftist shit, fuck you. Intersectionality says that we all exist as multiple identities all at once, we’re not just one thing or the other, o fucking kay? I am not merely bisexula, I’m also an abuse survivor, a PTSD sufferer, depression and anxiety and physical disability. For fuck’s sake. MY SEXUALITY IS NOT THE ONLY ASPECT OF MY IDENTITY THAT MATTERS. YOU COCK. 

And if you’re triggering me it’s the part of my identity that suddenly matters least, because you’re triggering the parts of me that will take over the others, so FUCK YOU, YOU ABSOLUITE WANKER ASSHOLE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCKYOUFUCK YOU FUC YOU FYCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

okay. I just...I just needed to fucking vent. Jesus bloody christ.

We cannot exist in leftist circles and spaces without keeping in mind how we speak to people, how we treat people. We cannot call ourselves leftists, liberal, if we trade in compassion for sexual identity. You do not get to check your humanity at the door when you pick up a bisexual pride flag. You do not get to leave your understanding behind. And I will call you on it forever, and ever, and ever, because I do not hold with hypocrites, or abusers, no matter what flag they fly. 

[patriotsnet]

Why Did Republicans Vote Against The First Responders Bill

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-did-republicans-vote-against-the-first-responders-bill/

Why Did Republicans Vote Against The First Responders Bill

Biden Pushed For Bipartisanship What Happened

Why Did the Republican Congress Argue AGAINST the COVID Stimulus Bill?

Biden ran on wanting bipartisanship efforts on Capitol Hill, and being a;negotiator during his 36 years in the Senate.;

More:Amid calls for unity, President Biden and Republicans don’t agree what that looks like

Bipartisan efforts were made in the beginning of negotiations, with a;group of 10 Republicans meeting with Biden at the White House in early February to propose a counteroffer: a;$618 billion package.

But, those talks and communication have;since fizzled, according to Romney, who was;one of the senators who met with Biden. He told reporters;there has been very little effort on the part of the White House to find common ground with Republicans.

More:How much money will your state get if Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill passes?

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., who was also in the group of 10 Republicans, said;talks between the White House and her colleagues stalled.”

Biden said he hoped;”Republicans in Congress listen to their constituents,”;citing the popularity of the bill in some polls.;

Romney told reporters Thursday if some Republican amendments;got into the bill, some of his colleagues may support it.;

“But my guess is it’s not likely that many of our amendments will get any Democrat support so I think it’s very unlikely that any Republicans will support the final bill,” he said.

McConnell and other Republicans have also criticized Democrats for using;a special process called reconciliation to push forward;the legislation;without much input from the GOP.;

Gop Claims Afghan Refugees Are Arriving Unvetted That’s Not True

Thirty-five House Republican broke ranks Wednesday evening to support legislation that would establish an independent commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Liz Cheney of Wyoming

Tom Rice of South Carolina

Dan Newhouse of Washington

Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington

Peter Meijer of Michigan

John Katko of New York

David Valadao of California

Tom Reed of New York

Don Bacon of Nebraska

Andrew Garbarino of New York

Tony Gonzales of Texas

Dusty Johnson of South Dakota

David Joyce of Ohio

Chris Smith of New Jersey

Van Taylor of Texas

Chris Jacobs of New York

David McKinley of West Virginia

Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska

Why 21 House Republicans Balked At Medals For Capitol Police

There was a brief political consensus in the immediate aftermath of the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The left, right, and center could all agree on a simple truth: participating in a riotous assault against the nation’s seat of government, in the hopes of derailing our electoral system, is a serious attack against our democracy.

As we’ve discussed, however, that consensus broke down soon after. As winter turned to spring, many House Republicans decided to rewrite recent history, recasting the villains as heroes, and the police as heavy-handed abusers who interfered with “peaceful patriots” engaged in a lawful protest. There was fresh evidence of this yesterday: TPM reported, “During a House Oversight committee hearing Tuesday, several Republicans spent their speaking time expressing concern for a specific group of people involved in the January 6 attack: the insurrectionists themselves.”

Soon after the hearing, the House took up a measure to honor the law-enforcement officials who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6. The resolution passed, but not unanimously.

To be sure, a 406-to-21 vote is lopsided, but under normal circumstances, we’d expect zero members of Congress to vote against a measure honoring Capitol Police who kept them safe during an attack on their own institution. Yesterday, however, 21 lawmakers — each of them conservative Republicans — voted “no,” despite knowing that the resolution would pass anyway.

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House Republicans Voted Against Giving Medals To Officers Who Responded To Jan 6 Riot

The House passed a bill Tuesday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to all law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, with 21 Republicans opposing the bill.

Why it matters via the Washington Post:“he vote underscored the still-lingering tensions in Congress amid efforts by some GOP lawmakers to whitewash the events of that day.”

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets.

The measure passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 406-21.

Details: The four medals awarded under the bill one of the highest civilian honors would be displayed in the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police headquarters, Smithsonian Institution and the Capitol building.

The bill names the three law enforcement officers who died following the attack, and singles out U.S. Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who lured a mob away from members of Congress.

The resolution recognizes their actions as an example of “the patriotism and the commitment of Capitol Police officers, and those of other law enforcement agencies, to risk their lives in service of our country.”

The Republicans who voted against:

Rep. Thomas Massie

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Rep. Andy Harris

The Long Fight To Funding

Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010, over opposition from some Republicans who balked at its original $7 billion price tag. The act was reauthorized in 2015 for 90 years. But a portion of the law the Victim Compensation Fund was only funded for five years, through the end of 2020.; The fund aimed to provide necessary financial support for the thousands who suffered serious medical issues, including a spate of cancer diagnoses, after the 2001 attacks.;

The House voted 402 to 12 to permanently reauthorize the fund through 2092 earlier in July, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating $10.2 billion in costs over the next ten years. However, Sen. Rand Paul prevented the Senate from voting to approve the bill by unanimous consent last week because of its high cost. Fellow Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also placed a procedural hold on the legislation, further preventing it from passing in the Senate.;

Under Senate rules, any one senator can propose that a bill be considered for unanimous consent, but one senator can also block it. The bill was then brought to the floor for debate and a full vote this week.

Comedian and 9/11 first responder advocate Jon Stewart blasted Paul;over the issue, telling Fox News the move was “absolutely outrageous.”;

In a last-minute pitch before Tuesday’s vote, Paul offered an amendment he said would help offset the bill’s spending costs.;

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/11 Responders Bill Defeated By Senate Gop Filibuster

the CNN Wire StaffSTORY HIGHLIGHTS

Motion for cloture falls three votes short of ending GOP filibuster

Republicans oppose the $7.4 billion cost; supporters hope to revive the measure

Bill would provide medical benefits, compensation for 9/11 first responders

NYC Mayor Bloomberg calls it an “example of partisan politics trumping patriotism”

Washington — Senate Democrats failed Thursday to win a procedural vote to open debate on a bill that would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The motion for cloture, or to begin debate, needed 60 votes to pass due to a Republican filibuster, but fell short at 57-42 in favor.

While supporters said they would try to bring the bill up again, either on its own or as part of other legislation to be considered, the vote Thursday jeopardized the measure’s chances for approval in the final weeks of the current congressional session.

The House previously passed the bill on a mostly partisan 268-160 vote.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg reacted to Thursday’s result by calling it “a tragic example of partisan politics trumping patriotism.”

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Michael Bloomberg

“I urge Senate Republicans to reconsider their wrong-headed political strategy and allow the bill to come to the floor for a vote,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

Zadroga Act Opponents Including Paul Ryan Observe September 11 Anniversary

WASHINGTON — The nation’s leading Republicans marked the 11th anniversary of 9/11 with the words “never forget” on their lips — most of those using the occasion to promote legislation — but nearly all of them opposed the bill passed two years ago to help the first responders who suffered health problems in the wake of the attacks.

Prominent among them was vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan , who voted twice against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and opposed the final passage of the bill.

“Eleven years ago today, from Capitol Hill, I could see the smoke rising from the fires burning in the Pentagon. Like all Americans, I will never forget the moment that our homeland came under attack,” Ryan said in a statement. “For me, this is a day to remember those who perished on that day of terror, including the first responders.”

A spokesman for Ryan, Brendan Buck, insisted that Ryan supports 9/11 responders and pointed to the congressman’s votes soon after the attacks in favor of aid for those suffering. He explained Ryan’s Dec. 2010 comments on the House floor in opposition to the Zadroga bill by noting that Ryan said he didn’t like the bill because he thought it was flawed, was “rushed” onto the floor by Democrats, and created a new mandatory spending program.

“Gov. Romney supports government assistance to the victims of terrorism,” Saul said.

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Texas Elections Bill Was Near Party

Friday’s vote;saw only one representative;cross;party lines; Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, who voted against SB 1.;

All 40 Democrats who were present Friday voted against the bill, with several saying efforts should focus on improving;voter access with such initiatives as online or election day voter registration.

Instead, Republicans squandered an opportunity by focusing on restrictions that will have a disproportionate impact on voters of color, said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie,;one of nine Democrats to speak against SB 1 to close Friday’s debate.

The bill, Turner said, was inspired by the “big lie” that President Donald Trump was denied a second term because of widespread election fraud, a conspiracy theory unleashing a toxic and dangerous threat to democracy.

“He and other Republicans whipped their base into a frenzy with crazy conspiracies about election fraud,” Turner said.

“This bill was never about election security or voter integrity.;It was always about using the big lie to justify restricting access to the ballot box,” he said.

More:From polls to ballots, here’s what a new Texas voting bill would mean for you

Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, a Black woman who recalled having to pay a poll tax to vote when she was young, said SB 1 was a continuation of an attack on the right to vote for nonwhite citizens.

“We have 90 days to act,” he said. “The clock is ticking.”

Utah Sen Mike Lee Votes Against 9/11 First Responders Bill After Losing Bid To Limit Spending

Why Ted Cruz Voted Against 9/11 Relief Funds | MSNBC

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Washington The Senate passed a measure Tuesday extending for decades the fund for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks after defeating an amendment by Sen. Mike Lee that would have limited the payout to about $20 billion over the life of the program.

The bill, which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate 97-2 and was previously approved by the House, now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

Lee, a Utah Republican, had held up the bill while attempting to curtail the expansion to only what is needed in the next decade. His amendment, shot down by a 32-66 vote, would have given $10.18 billion to the fund in the next 10 years and another $10 billion after that.

After his amendment failed, Lee voted against the final bill. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, supported the overall measure.

Lee walked off the floor shortly after it was clear his amendment didnt have the 60 votes it needed to pass.

His office declined to comment on the vote and pointed to a statement from last week when the senator said that the victims fund has had an excellent record avoiding waste and abuse and has always been funded for a time-certain extension.

These two things are not coincidental, he said in that statement. They go together.

The Senate also rejected an amendment by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that would have cut other programs to pay for extending the 9/11 fund. Paul cast the only other no vote.

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Republicans Vote Against Awarding Medals To Police Who Defended Capitol

The House passed legislation on Tuesday to award Congressional Gold Medals; one of the highest civilian honors; to police officers who defended the Capitol during the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.

Lawmakers handily passed the legislation. Members of both parties supported it, 406-21, with all of the votes in opposition coming from conservative Republicans.

The four medals awarded under the bill would be displayed at the Capitol Police headquarters, at the D.C. Metropolitan Police headquarters, at the Smithsonian Institution and in a “prominent location” in the Capitol.

The medal displayed in the Capitol would be accompanied with a plaque listing all of the law enforcement agencies that helped protect the building on Jan. 6 from the mob of former President TrumpJoe BidenSpotlight turns to GOP’s McCarthy in Jan. 6 probeBiden visits union hall to mark Labor DayBiden approves disaster funds for NJ, NY after Ida floodingMOREs election victory.

The resolution names three police officers; Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood of the Capitol Police and;Jeffrey Smith of the Metropolitan Police; who died in the days after they were on duty at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The measure states that their actions “exemplify the patriotism and the commitment of Capitol Police officers, and those of other law enforcement agencies, to risk their lives in service of our country.”

‘we’ll See You At The Polls’

But the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, said SB 1 was the product of more than 35 hours of House debate between the regular session that ended in May and two special sessions.

“We all strive for improvement, and I believe that’s what we’re looking at with this legislation, is improving the Election Code of Texas,” Murr said, his voice scratchy from almost 13 hours of debate Thursday over SB 1.

Moments before the House took its final vote on SB 1, Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, engaged Murr in a back-and-forth discussion on the House floor.

“Do you think there’s fraud in Texas elections?” Dutton asked.

“Generally speaking, I;think there is always a likelihood of fraud,” Murr replied. “We have;seen past examples of fraud.”

Dutton ended with an acknowledgement that the fight over SB 1 was almost over, but he said a larger fight is looming: “We’re going to;go;vote, and so we’ll see you at the polls.”

Once the House names its five members to the conference committee, they will negotiate a final version of SB 1 that will need to be approved;by both chambers.

The bill’s author, Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said Friday that;he will determine the next step after;studying House changes.

Also Check: How Many Republicans Are Against Trump

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DOJ wades in against Texas abortion ban

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the Justice Department would protect women seeking an abortion in Texas as the agency explores ways to challenge one of the most restrictive laws in the nation. In a statement, Garland said the department would protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services pursuant to our criminal and civil enforcement of the law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

The announcement from the Justice Department comes days after the conservative-majority Supreme Court declined to block the Texas law that bans abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The law also allows anyone to file a lawsuit against any other person who has aided someone in obtaining an abortion, with the potential for a $10,000 payoff.

The Internet responds

Pro-choice users on TikTok and;Reddit;have launched a guerrilla effort to thwart Texass extreme new abortion law, flooding an online tip website that encourages people to report violators of the law with false reports, Shrek memes and porn.

The law makes it illegal to help women in;Texas;access abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy. To help enforce it, anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life established the digital tipline where people can send anonymous information about potential violations.

A Legislative Win But At What Cost

As the bill now heads to the president’s desk for final signature, advocates and living survivors can’t help but think the battle was won but at the expense of hundreds of their brothers in arms.

In the process of the reauthorization, over 200 firefighters and first responders died as a result of cancers and other medical ailments related to the 2001 terror attacks.;

The daughter of William Gormley, a former New York City firefighter who died after his own battle with cancer in 2017, told CBS that her family had filed a claim for benefits from the victims fund immediately after her father’s death and was assured that the money would be there.

“They went back on their promise but they had to. It was better for everyone to get a little money than no one at all,” Bridget Gormley said.

Gormley says the fund was unfortunately a “victim of its own success” after the fund quickly ran out of money because of a rise in cancer-related illnesses in the 9/11 community.;

“This is not going to be a cause for celebration,” Gormley noted importantly. “We unfortunately have to learn some lessons form our failures in this situation. It’ll be a milestone but it’ll serve as a testament to the first responders who fought.”

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[calliecat93]

ST: TNG S5 Watchthrough Episodes 10-13

(Trigger Warning: The section covering the episode Violations will be discussing topics such as assault and r***. While I don’t talk in-depth about the subject, it is a part of the episode even if they use the Midn R*** trope and thus will be mentioned. If these topics make you uncomfotable or are triggering to you even int he slightist, then please skip that section of the watchthrough. Thank you.)

New Ground: Alexander and Worf’s adopted mother have returned. Sadly Worf’s adopted parents are just too old at this point to properly care for a young Klingon child, and thus Worf agrees to allow him to stay on the Enterprise. Unfortunately not only is Worf completely unsure how to go about parenting, but… well, children are not always perfect little angels. Alexander is… well, a difficult kid. Worf having no idea how to be a parent certainly doesn’t help either him or his son. He tries, but… well, he tries. It’s perfectly understandable at least to me, why Alexander is like he is. His mother, someone who likely didn’t force him to choose either his human or Klingon heritage, was horribly murdered. Then Alexander finds out who his father is… and he sends him to Earth to live with his parents, who were no doubt loving but just not capable of caring for Alexander. Then Alexander is sent back to the Enterprise and again has to adapt to a new way of life, and his father not only is incapable of caring for him and clearly wants to raise him as a Klingon but is busy with Security duties and is now gonna send him to a Klingon school. And likely Alexander got no proper help with coping with his mother’s death or the various life changes that happened in a relatively short amount of time. I’d probably be more concerned if he wasn’t acting at least a little bratty. I don’t doubt that Worf cares about his son and he is clearly trying. Sending Alexander to his parents and now a Klingon school is probably the best option since he knows that he’s not able to are for him, so he has him sent tot ose who can. But without those proper emotional needs handled, it would cause a variety of emotional problems for Alexander like abandonment, anger, and… well, him lying and getting into fights is pretty expected. I was expecting to not like this episode, but it was alright. Alexander acted how I would expect a kid to act due to those circumstances and he’s never demonized for it. Worf isn’t made outt o be a bad parent, but someone very much out of his element and just not suited for the job at the current time, but he does try and int he end allows Alexander to remain, willing to tr and be the father that Alexander needs. It’s those kind of nuanced stories regarding parenign I wish that we got more of instead of them automatically having to be abusive or incompetent. I guess we’ll see what happens next, but still good eisode. 3/5.

Hero Worship: We essentially have a mish-mash of S2’s Pen Pals (Data saving/befriending a young child) and S3’s The Bonding (said child dealing with enormous grief but hiding it). So a young boy named Timothy has lost everything, including his family, and has been brought onto the Enterprise. To deal with the grief and pain, he decides to emulate Data, who had been the one who’d rescued him. As Data ‘can’t feel things’ (I know, I know, just roll with it), he decides to shut out his emotions and act as though he can’t feel anything. It is kind of cute to see how much Timothy looks up to Data and him dressing similarly and trying to act the same way isn’t surprising to see from a young kid. Normally this kind of plot I’d deem too childish for something like Star Trek, you usually only see this in children’s shows or comedies, but given the circumstances, it makes more sense than it would otherwise. Now I've made it clear how I dislike the whole ‘Data is emotionless’ thing since it's been made pretty clear that despite not expressing it in the quote ‘normal’ way, he does. It’s one thing for Data to believe that he doesn’t, but it feels like the show can’t decide if he does or doens’t. But for the context of this episode, going with this angle does work. timothy, being a kid and having the misconception that Data can’t feel, decide to act the same way in response to coping with the trauma. But of course, Timothy isn’t an android. He can’t live as something that he isn’t. He’s suppressing his trauma. IDK if just letting him keep acting that way as he slowly begins to act more like a child was what most counselors would suggest, but hey it worked. I just feel so bad for the poor kid, he blamed himself for what was a horrible accident, and when the kid finally breaks down… no child should have to ever go through that. Apparently pairing Data with kid characters is just guaranteed to make something good cause his interactions with Timothy were just really sweet, especially when he talks about how he wished he could do things like being able to taste as humans can. As I said, we’ve crossed this ground already and it’s no better or worst than say how The Bonding handled the topic of grief, thought he certainly does it differently. Still, it’s a nice episode. 3/5.

Violations: So… as I mentioned in the Trigger Warning above (if you did not read it, please do so) this is an episode about r***. It’s the Mind R*** variety, but it’s pretty clear what they were intending, so… needless to say, I shall repeat what I said in the Trigger Warning; while I won’t be going too terribly in-depth, if you are uncomfortable with this topic, please skip this part of the watchthrough and go on ahead to The Masterpiece Society. Alright, so now let's discuss the episode. The Enterprise is hosting a group known as Ullians, who are strong telepaths. They are all creepy as heck. Troi gets mentally assaulted, and… well the images that she sees make it very clear what the intention is, and yes, even knowing that it wasn't real did nothing to make it any less uncomfortable. Troi is comatose and while the audience sees who did it, the Enterprise crew has to deduct who the culprit is among the Ullians. So… how did they handle the subject? Well, they sure as Hell handle it WAAAY better than TOS did. I love TOS but if you’ve seen the episode The Enemy Within, while I do like that episode the way that they handled what Evil Kirk did to Rand, the aftermath with them allowing her supposed attacker to get close/in her face (yeah the audience knows it’s Good Kirk but no one else did and even then they should have NEVER allowed that), and a horribly OOC/disgusting remark by Spock towards her at the end makes it utterly rage-inducing to look back at. In comparison, the subject is handled with more tact and they do nothing anywhere near that horrid. However, I want to compare the different visions between the victims. The ones who get attacked are Troi, who I already went over, Riker, and Crusher. While Troi’s goes exactly as you’d expect in an episode covering this topic, Riker’s and Crusher’s visions (crewmen dying and reliving her husband’s death respectively) are very much scary but not portrayed as an actual r*** scene. So… umm… writers WHY did it have to be portrayed as a r*** scene? If we didn’t need that for Riker or Crusher (aka the only other female character), why do that to Troi when there were plenty of other options? Just to hammer the intent in? Which they had to have her go through it three times?! No, we didn’t need that. Troi’s been sexualized a lot throughout the show or given just gross, inappropriate scenairos like the whole prgnancy thing in The Child and Dear God the woman does NOT deserve that. Again, nowhere near as bad as in TOS, but still. Though credit to them, Troi does regain counciousness and is able to fight back against the culrpit when he attacks her again the third time (the second time is a little more complicated) so at least they allowed her that much. It is certainly not the worst thong covering this subject material that I’ve ever seen, not even in this franchise. IDK if the warnings were necessary, but it never hurt to be too careful. The episode was fine, certainly creepy and one I can probably rewatch without getitng angry like with The Enemy Within. But I repeat, quit sexualizing Troi show. The woman deserves a Hell of a lot better. 3/5.

The Masterpiece Society: What is The Masterpiece Society, you may ask? They are a society of flawless, genetically engineered beings. They are engineered to serve specific functions and occupations, such as the scientist Hannah Bates being designed as… well, a scientist. They also terminate the flawed/disabled such as the blind… so needless to say Geordi’s not exactly fond of them. The Enterprise is there because, of course, the colony is about to be destroyed. So… it was okay. I didn’t find it good or bad. It’s kinda how I felt about Transfiguration in S3, I don’t really have any serious issues, I just don’t have a lot to say about it. The only thing I do want to talk about is the ending. So after the Enterprise has resolved the Issue of the Day, Bates fakes another incident to cause an evacuation. Why? Because after encountering The Enterprise, she wants to leave, but her leaving will cause issues due to her role. Nevertheless, she and those who want to leave are allowed… but Picard questions if this is best as it may cause societal collapse., the very thing that the Prime Directive is meant to prevent Ugh… what?! Okay yes, they’d clearly have some issues to work out, but they also saved the colony from getting destroyed. They were saving innocent lives. Certain death is MUCH worst than some societal reconstructing. Yes, problems and conflicts would arise, that shouldn’t be ignored… but the implication that saving their lives from a natural disaster was the worst? I don’t… why did they shove the Prime Directive in at the end like that? Their ‘interference was done only to save the society and those people should be allowed to make choices for themselves, their society shouldn’t dictate their life direction. The comparison is just ridiculous and I was very much on Bates’ side when she made her argument at the end. One scenario is recoverable, the other is not. Otherwise, it was fine. Again, not much else to say. 2.5/5.

So far S5 has been… fine. IDK, S4 was really good and maybe my expectations got raised too high due to it. I’m still enjoying it, but the quality has just been alright. It’s not bad, but doesn’t quite have that oomph from last season or even S3. But we still have half the season to go, so still plenty more to go through.

[melodic-bewilderment]

HOW DOES YOUR MUSE CARRY EMOTIONS?

REPOST, DON’T REBLOG. Bold what often applies. Italicize what sometimes applies. Strike-out what does not ever apply.

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑;     jaw clenching, hands balling into fists, teeth grinding, yelling, going nonverbal, stuttering speech, rushed speech, slow concise speech, rambling, quiet, arms crossing, shaking head, tearing up, animated, expressionless, projects, internalizes, vents, withdraws, passive aggressive, direct, physical outbursts, verbal outbursts

𝐉𝐎𝐘;   easy smiles, fighting back grins, suppressed laughter, loud laughter, giggles, chuckling, smirks, whole body laughs, covers mouth when laughing/giggling, throws head back when laughing, slaps leg, touches people around them when laughing, looks down when laughing, looks for eye contact when laughing, sparkling eyes, bubbly happiness, quiet subtle happiness, obnoxious happiness, wants to spread joy, quietly savors joy

𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖;   crying, bottling it up, seeks distractions, wallows, meditates and processes, avoidance, seeks out comfort, withdraws, talks it out, internalizes it, sad smiles, depression naps, uses alcohol, uses drugs, seeks out sources of joy, fidgets with sentimental item, sits in silence, broods, gets moody, wants someone to share the misery, tries to hide negative emotions, nurtures others to make themselves feel better

𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 / 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐄;   blushing, looking away, rubbing at back of head, covering face, laughing nervously, laughs it off, overthinks, lets it go, self deprecating humor, deflects, gets irritated, smiles, withdraws, crossing arms over stomach, crossing arms over chest, hands in pockets, shoulders sinking, shrugs, falling into silence until comfortable again, talking a lot to compensate

𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐓;   avoiding eye contact, shoulders sinking low, head hanging down, crying, chest aches, lashes out, internalizes, apologizes, deflects, communicates, withdraws, grand gestures for forgiveness, accepts fault easily, punishes themselves, martyrdom, victim complex, over-active guilt complex, healthy conscience, internalizes even after forgiveness, seeking redemption, moves on easily, denial, lack of guilt/conscience, sorry they got caught more than caused harm, can’t handle knowing they hurt others

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑 / 𝐀𝐍𝐗𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘;   trembling, crying, sarcasm/sass to cope, rambles, goes silent, gets angry, fidgeting, clenching jaw, picking at nails, chewing at lip, pulling at clothes, adjusting jewelry/clothing, swallowing thickly, eyes widening, over-reacts, under-reacts, calm, logical, panic, irrational, overthinks, carefully analyzes, talks to themselves, breathing exercises, flight, fight, withdraw, fawn

Tagged by: @vin-robles

Tagging: WHOMST