#with the american election happening the day after we got home

[definitelyunhingedagentphoenix]

IEYTD As things I heard/said on my vacation (Part 2)

Reginald: why is the water so cold near the shore? Isn't usually the further out you go the colder it is?

Roxana: it's probably the wind that's cooling it-

Agent Phoenix: the ocean broke.

Reginald: you shouldn't have three drinks in 15 minutes!

Agent Phoenix: they kept handing me free drinks! What was I supposed to do?!

Stranger: so what's your name?

Agent Phoenix: his full legal government name is John Juniper, but everyone just calls him Piggly wiggly.

John Juniper: THEY FUCKING DO NOT!

Roxana: so how did you like seeing the dolphins?

Agent Phoenix: they had a bird sanctuary there.

Roxana: oh how nice, but you went there to see dolphins. Were they cute? Perform any tricks?

Agent Phoenix: I got to feed so many birds.

Roxana: again, that's nice but-

John Juniper: *covered in bird poop* Prism, they saw birds and so birds is all we did. At least the birds liked Phoenix. One bit me!

Agent Phoenix: they could sense my undying love and your bad vibes.

Agent Phoenix: I think it would be fun to yell 'DOLPHIN' and watch everyone run to the windows to look.

Reginald: *chuckles* then do it.

Agent Phoenix: LOOK A DOLPHIN!

*a dolphin actually jumps out of the water as everyone turns to look*

Agent Phoenix: ... No fucking way.

*meeting a large group of people who clearly all know each other personally*

Person one: oh we vacation here every year and meet up to chit-chat about our lives. Is this your first members only event?

Agent Phoenix: yes actually. I just became a platinum member.

Person two: and how are you liking it?

Agent Phoenix: good. I like the free drinks.

Person three: so where are you from, friend?

Agent Phoenix: Canada.

Person one: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OUR POLITICS RIGHT NOW?!

Agent Phoenix: *startled* Y'ALL ARE FUCKING CRAZY! WHAT THE FUCK?!

*Everyone chuckles*

Person one: oh yeah, we're fucked, big time.

[darkeagleruins]

From David Thomsen:

An Open Letter to Leftists: On July 13, 2024 things CHANGED. For too long you have mistaken our TOLERANCE for weakness and it emboldened you. That TIME has come to an END. Things are going to happen FAST now and you will find yourself wondering HOW you got here. So, here’s how.

You called us RACISTS while we were standing together as WHITE, BLACK, & BROWN Americans. You overwhelmed us with images of races unable to COEXIST. Then came DEI, reparations, & constant ATTACKS for even the smallest perceived slight. You needed us DIVIDED, which was the GOAL.

We supported GAY marriage and didn’t notice the TQIA’s at first. Then you went after OUR KIDS, openly flaunted your sexuality, & made PRONOUNS a weapon. You had men competing in WOMEN’s sports and invading their private spaces. And again you demonized those that DARE push back.

We got behind “ME TOO”, not knowing the intent. The slightest accusation became grounds for MOB RULE. You cancelled and shamed. You made being a MAN the problem. Toxic MASCULINITY was the phrase of the day. So we watched you TEACH AND RAISE a generation of SOFT, feckless boys.

WE’RE ALL immigrants and our ancestors did it RIGHT. They learned English, got JOBS, and assimilated into the culture in order to be a part of this GREAT NATION. Then you allowed an INVASION, gave them handouts, and let them do as they LIKE. Hell, you even wanted them to VOTE.

You changed the NAMES of mountains, and buildings, and teams to ERASE our history. You took the pledge out of schools, knelt during the anthem, and burned our FLAG!! And did it while proudly displaying those of OTHER countries and movements. You made PATRIOT a dirty word.

You took away our VOICE. Media STOPPED even talking about OUR side. You PREACHED to us during our shows, on the NEWS and in the theatres. VIRTUE SIGNALING at every turn. And you LIED. Telling us not to BELIEVE what we were seeing with our own EYES. We felt isolated, even CRAZY.

Then HE came along. He was brash, RAW, but grew on US. He wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. He spoke to the helplessness we FELT. You said RUSSIA was his handler. You attacked his CHARACTER, his family. And yet, HE WON. You didn’t let us CELEBRATE though. You said he CHEATED.

So you took to the STREETS. You PROTESTED, and BURNT, and THREATENED, and ATTACKED. Our fascist response was to remain SILENT. We heard every single day that, ORANGE MAN bad. The economy was STRONG, the world was SAFE, and the WALL was going up. You couldn’t let that STAND.

Then came your VIRUS. You locked us in OUR HOMES, hurt our businesses, stole moments from our CHILDREN they won’t ever get back. Keeping us separated became LAW. You killed our ELDERLY and VULNERABLE. Then you FORCED us to inject a CURE. If we refused, you SHAMED and fired us.

You LIED some more. A lot more. You covered up LAPTOPS, mobilized your ARMY of celebs, and smeared the man’s RECORD and reputation. Worse yet, you CHEATED. At least you told us the BLUE WAVE was coming. We didn’t expect it to happen while we were SLEEPING. You STOLE an election.

The best of US finally stood & took to the STREETS. You provoked us and let us walk into that BUILDING. You killed a woman and PROSECUTED the rest. You locked us up. You CENSORED us. Made sure we couldn’t RISE. You weaponized LAW and laughed as YOU DID IT. You thought you’d WON.

We sat and watched you destroy our COUNTRY. You defunded our POLICE, allowing crime to run RAMPANT. You spent to the point we couldn’t AFFORD to live. You abandoned BASES, and EMBASSIES, and allies. You made us WEAK. Then OTHERS began to awake. So you became DESPERATE, more vile.

You convicted him of CRIMES he didn’t commit on CHARGES you didn’t define. You tried to take his FORTUNE. Your leaders called him a THREAT and a fascist. You called him HITLER. And you DEMONIZED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. We lost friends and FAMILY. MSM spent everyday on our EVIL.

Then SHOTS rang out. YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM. But the man ROSE. He lifted his FIST in the air and told us to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. This selfish, HATEFUL, ugly man nearly gave all to save a COUNTRY he LOVES. And we’d been afraid to wear a RED HAT? Our eyes teared with ANGER, respect.

He withstood all you could MUSTER. And in doing so, he EMPOWERED us. And so now you see, the REAL men and REAL women are coming to take our COUNTRY back. We won’t be SILENCED, we can’t be STOPPED. You will watch as every ounce of POWER you once held is returned to the PEOPLE.

We will restore LAW AND ORDER and ILLEGALS will be shown the door. WE will retake our SCHOOLS, our cities, and our STATES. The minority will NO LONGER dictate to a once silent MAJORITY. We the PEOPLE of the United States of America LOVE this man and country. We will and are MAGA!

[cbrownjc]

The sad thing is? I predicted this.

Yeah, so I've been gone from Tumblr for a while, I know. I had my major surgery back in the second week of October and have been home recuperating for two weeks now.

But I wanted to come on here tonight to vent a little about the presidential election.

Because even though there was a part of me that dared to hope even just a little, I KNEW this was going to happen. And I called it the minute Joe Biden was forced to drop out of the race, back in July.

This is the text message exchange I had with my sister the day he announced he was dropping out:

And let me make this clear: I'm a born and raised California native. I voted for Kamala Harris for both DA and Senate. I voted for her and very much wanted her to win.

But I know this damn country. I saw how Obama was treated and the freakout and build-up of white supremacy after he won twice. That's why 45 got in in the first place.

And as I said in the text to my sister? Never in the 4 other times that Democrats have replaced a candidate this late in the process has that candidate won. Ever. Only those who've never studied political history thought doing such a thing would actually work.

Anyone who called for Biden to drop out? Congrats, you fell for the most obvious Chaos OP EVER.

I don't usually talk politics on Tumblr. I save that for Twitter. But now that Apartied Clyde has taken it over and this mess has happened, I plan to delete my Twitter account by the end of the week. The only reason I'm not doing it sooner is so that those who only follow me there can catch me before I delete it.

Anyway, I can't even cry or be sad about this. I already went through that stuff when Biden dropped out. I'm just kinda numb. And tired. And disgusted. But, at least thanks to my dad, I feel like I very much saw this coming thanks to his lessons on this country and race/racism. He and my mother both lived through Jim Crow and so yeah, they knew.

"This is not who we are" some are saying.

Yes, it damn well IS who we are. And it's who we've always been. I can give you a history lesson, and I'm not just talking about slavery, civil rights, and the 19th Amendment. I'm talking about Lee Atwater, Nixon, and the Southern Strategy. All that has happened between 2016 and now is a full culmination of that.

A majority of white Americans would rather destroy the American Republic than share equal power with black people. (With misogyny and misogyny thrown in there as well.) I wish I could be surprised by that, but I sadly am not.

And this tweet pretty much sums up my feelings regarding what's next:

I'm still healing from my surgery. Once that's done and I am 100%, it's about me and my loved ones now, protecting the few remaining ones I have left. (I am SO thankful that none of my close family or still-close friends voted for that man . . . but then, the majority of them are black women too, so . . .)

Because this country has pretty much shown black people that we are hated -- and always will be on our own.

Everything my parents and grandparents fought for regarding Civil Rights will be gone now. The only thing I can be thankful for is that none of them are alive anymore to see this.

I NEVER thought I'd live to see the end of the republic but here we are. And done by people willfully voting to give it up because, as I said back in July, a majority of white people in this country would rather destroy the country than share power with black people.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Richard Luscombe at The Guardian:

Joe Biden has said it was his “obligation to the country” to drop out of the 2024 presidential election and prevent what he said would be “a genuine danger to American security” if Donald Trump won a second term of office. The US president gave his reasoning for stepping aside in at-times an emotional interview with CBS News on Sunday, his first since quitting the race in July. He explained that losing the confidence of senior House and Senate Democrats, who feared his unpopularity would hurt them at the polls in November, had weighed on his mind.

Ultimately, Biden said, it was a combination of circumstances that led him to make his momentous decision not to seek re-election, which subsequently saw Vice-President Kamala Harris taking over the Democratic ticket and catching or surpassing Trump in several battleground states, according to new polling data. “Although I have the great honor to be president, I think I have an obligation to the country to do the most important thing you can do, and that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump,” he said. Biden said he did not take the decision lightly, and made it in consultation with his family at home in Delaware. At the time, he said, he still believed he could win in November, but events had “moved quickly” after weeks of pressure and growing unease inside his party that, at 81, he was too old for the rigors of a second term.

Those fears were heightened by his disastrous debate performance against Trump in June. “I had a really bad day in that debate because I was sick. But I have no serious problem,” Biden said, denying he was impaired by any cognitive issue. “The polls we had showed that it was a neck and neck race, it would have been down to the wire. But what happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was gonna hurt them in the races and I was concerned if I stayed in the race that would be the topic. “I thought it would be a real distraction. [When] I ran the first time I thought of myself being a transition president. I can’t even say how old I am. It’s hard for me to get out of my mouth. Things got moving so quickly. And the combination was… a critical issue for me still… is maintaining this democracy.”

Speaking to CBS News’s Robert Costa on CBS Sunday Morning today for President Joe Biden’s first TV interview since his July 21st withdrawal announcement, Biden stated that the reason why he withdrew 3 weeks ago was due to the fact that he had “an obligation to the country” to defeat Donald Trump by dropping out of the race and endorsing Kamala Harris to be his successor.

From the 08.11.2024 edition of CBS's CBS Sunday Morning:

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I remember the 2008 American election. I was living with my parents, just a few months out of high school, but spending a lot of time at my best friend's house, because he lived with roommates instead of parents. His roommates were watching the results come in, and had a whole drinking game based on treating it like a sport. They were drinking whenever certain things happened on CNN, yelling at the TV the way they did during hockey games, laughing. My friend and I joined them. 2012 was similar, except that by then I was living in the sharehouse with friends.

In 2016, my brother was performing a comedy gig that night, and my best friend and I got tickets (okay, to be honest I think what we did was have him put our names down for comp tickets) so we could skip the whole night of following the news, by locking ourselves in a basement where there are literal rules against taking out your phone. We figured we could come out at the end of the whole game, go to the bar upstairs from the comedy club, and celebrate the first female president of the United States in there.

I was so, so sure that Hillary would win. It hadn't crossed my mind that it could go any other way. I remember the first moment I thought of it any other way - the MC was on stage about an hour into the show, and he was making jokes about how we'd all opted out of following the news all night by placing ourselves somewhere that no one's allowed to check phones, but isn't it an exciting night? And then he said he knows some people in this room must be cheating and checking their phones surreptitiously. He said he'd grant a temporary amnesty on anyone breaking the "no phones" rule, they won't be in trouble, he just wants to know how the election is going, can anyone let us know?

The MC clearly thought that someone would shout out Hillary was way ahead, and there would be a big cheer, and that would get the mood in the room way up, and he could bring on the next act to an excited crowd. Basically, he wanted to let the news do his job for him. It didn't occur to me, until I was telling this story a couple of years later, to wonder why he hell he hadn't checked the news on his own phone backstage before doing this. He must have genuinely not known how it was going, or he wouldn't have asked. I guess he was just so sure it was good news, that he didn't feel the need to look it up before having someone shout it out while he was on stage.

When he asked the audience to admit to sneaking looks at their phones and tell us how the election was going, one person, sitting a little bit behind me, just said the words "It's really bad." I still remember the moment of awkward, deflated silence that fell over the room, as all the good energy that had been building all night fell to the floor at once. The MC immediately said "Okay, well let's not go down that road" and desperately tried to change the subject, I think he had to do about ten minutes of non-news-based stand-up to try to get the mood back up, before he could bring the next person on. That's what you get for trying to outsource your job to CNN.

At the end of the night, my best friend and I went upstairs to the bar, where the TVs that normally showed sports were all tuned to the election news. We stared at the sea of red on TV, and we ordered drinks, and after a while my brother joined us, and the three of ourselves stayed out until closing time, trying to drink ourselves into oblivion.

During the 2020 election, I was home and on lockdown, so I had nothing to do except follow the news constantly, and when they called Nevada for Biden, I texted my mother to say I feel like I've just been able to breathe out for the first time in four years.

During the 2024 election, I went to work all day, and then all evening, avoided looking at any news sources. I didn't lock myself in a comedy club; I just sat in my bedroom, listening to some stuff that happened last weekend in a comedy club across the ocean, and tried to pretend nothing else was happening. This morning, I woke up at 5 AM, took one look at my phone, had a panic attack, opened my podcast app, and put a pause on all my CBC news podcasts. I'm considering even pausing The Bugle. I can't do it. I don't want to know.

My best friend, whom I've now known for twenty years, is my roommate again. He's sleeping in the next room, I nearly went to wake him up and ask him to tell me some reason why it'll be okay. But, you know, we still have to go to work. He has a long work day ahead of him, I can't wake him up early.

I have to leave in an hour for my third day in a new job. Working with little kids, and it is so hard to motivate myself, because I don't think they have a future. Climate change-wise, they were fucked before this election, but this will significantly escalate their lack of future. And my specific job is to work one-on-one with a disabled Muslim girl, and we don't even live in the States, but we can get there in a few hours in the car, and I know our culture and societal attitudes mirror theirs (as much as we like to pretend Canada's better, we're not), and there was basically just a poll on how many people hate everything about her, and it's a lot.

And obviously I'm not the real victim. I'm lucky enough to not live in America, and to not be a racial minority. I'm not Palestinian and I'm not Ukranian. I thought that it feels like we should get a day off work to be sad today, and then I remembered that most of my coworkers at my new job are Muslim women, so thinking that I'm the person who needs a day off today is an incredibly privileged take.

But I have to admit at the moment I just feel vaguely numb and don't have the energy to appreciate anything.

[mariacallous]

The sound of birdsong is so loud outside Yulia Mykytenko’s current home, an abandoned house somewhere in the Donbas region of Ukraine, that I can hear it through my laptop. We’re speaking on Zoom, Mykytenko visible briefly – young, wearing black, her dark bobbed hair with blue-dyed streaks in it – before she turns the camera off because her signal isn’t great. She has some outside space and, she says with a laugh, a local sheep sometimes comes to visit her dog. Mykytenko, a lieutenant in the Ukrainian army, also feeds the street cats, pets abandoned by residents who fled, and has her own cat. In her new memoir, How Good It Is I Have No Fear of Dying (the name comes from the first line of a poem by the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus), she writes that each of the houses her 15-strong platoon live in has a cat, to catch the mice and rats that chew everything, including the cables to the generators and satellite communications. Their numbers boom in the area, she writes, as they “feed on the bodies of hapless soldiers”.

Mykytenko, 29, spent two years here between 2016 and 2018, when Russia invaded the region, then again after the full-scale invasion in 2022. One of the first female frontline commanders, she leads a reconnaissance and attack unit. Her pilots use drones to track the Russian army and to locate the dead bodies of fallen colleagues and support their retrieval. Just this morning, some of her men – she lives with five of her platoon – told her there had been some heavy shelling at 5am, but she slept through it. “I got used to it,” she says. This current house is “quite comfortable” – it has running water (at the previous one, they had to fetch water from a well), but it is cold and takes an hour to heat.

She is “tired, very tired”, she says. A year ago, she felt more motivated: “I was ready to be at war for at least maybe three years more, but now, sometimes I really want to go home [to Kyiv]. But I know that nobody will replace me, and I know that my experience can preserve my people, my fellows [her name for her comrades], which is why I’m ready to work for them.” Is it a struggle to keep her morale up? “I wouldn’t say that it’s a struggle, but yes, it takes some resources.” On bad days, Mykytenko will ask her sergeants to take over, and she’ll spend the day watching Harry Potter movies.

The coming year, she thinks, “will be most critical. I think maybe we will see some results, and maybe peace agreements, because our side is completely exhausted, and the enemy is also completely exhausted.” There have been concerns for what it could mean for Ukraine if Donald Trump wins the US election, including decreased military spending and pressure on the country to negotiate an unfavourable settlement with Russia. She doesn’t spend much time thinking about global politics, she says, “but I believe in US democracy, and the only thing I can do is support the American people and their choice. I just hope that the western world may see that this is not only a war between Ukraine and Russia, it’s a war of democratic values. For now, it’s a critical moment for the democratic world, whether they push away dictators, or they continue with intolerance.”

Mykytenko is resigned to war fatigue from the west; that Ukraine only gets attention “if something extremely bad happens, like the bombarding of a children’s hospital in Kyiv”, as happened in July this year. “I can understand. Our citizens are exhausted and try to live not seeing war. I can see that with donations, it’s a very small amount now, compared [with what] it was one or two years ago.” (Like other platoons, Mykytenko’s raises money online to pay for expenses, such as new drones and fixing vehicles.) “So it’s not so surprising that the west is also tired.” In her book, written with the journalist Lara Marlowe, she states she doesn’t expect to see peace in Ukraine in her lifetime. “I think that my generation won’t,” she says now. She just hopes that future generations will.

Mykytenko grew up on the outskirts of Kyiv. Shortly after her younger brother was born, their father left, though she still saw him. She and her brother were brought up by their mother, who went back to work to support them, getting a job in a call centre (later, she would go back to university and become a psychotherapist, working for the military). Until she was 17, she spoke Russian, and viewed the country “as our friend”; her father, especially, was very pro-Russia. Mykytenko hadn’t been particularly interested in Ukraine’s 1991 independence, a few years before she was born. At university, though – the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, which actively promotes Ukrainian identity – everything changed. “The history events that we learned at school had a Russian perspective. At university, everyone spoke Ukrainian.” She started, she says, “to think in Ukrainian. Language gives you the right perspective on your history, on your culture.” She started removing whatever aspects of Russian language and culture she could from her life.

Mykytenko joined the 2013 protests at Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv, which ended with the Revolution of Dignity the following year and the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. She says she felt as if she had been at the right time and place in history, and was “doing the right thing” even though back then she was “a good girl”, she says with a laugh, and found it hard to disobey the law. It was frightening to see protesters armed only with cycling helmets and plywood shields shot by snipers, and experience smoke bombs and teargas – nothing, in retrospect, compared with what she would go through later. “I saw bodies of protesters, the price we paid for that, but it definitely was worth it.”

Around the same time, Russia occupied Crimea. Mykytenko wanted to join up, but stayed on to finish university. In 2015, she met her husband, Illia Serbin, a young soldier – he was on leave from his unit in Mariupol and was lodging with Mykytenko and her mother in their Kyiv apartment. They fell in love and married quickly. They joined a unit together the following year, the day before her 21st birthday. “He supported my decision, and with him, I wasn’t so frightened,” she says.

Serbin was transferred to an infantry unit, but Mykytenko was only allowed to do admin work, which was frustrating. “I wanted to join to a combat unit, but I was told that I’m a woman with no experience, there is no way. My husband told me, just calm down, you are at war, and you have to do your job best in the place where you are.” Was she scared when he was fighting? “Yes, I was really frightened for him, because I knew that he’s a warrior and he won’t just sit in one place. He wanted to be in action, to go somewhere, to a grey zone [between the Ukrainian and Russian lines], or go and steal weapons from the enemy.”

Eventually, Mykytenko managed to convince one of her superiors to let her be on the guard duty rota (a packet of peanuts may or may not have helped with his decision, she says with a laugh). It wasn’t a huge leap – she was guarding the building where she had been working – but it felt big. “It was important to insist that I can be the same as a man. I can do the same job.”

Mykytenko found out that, as a graduate, she was eligible for officer training. There weren’t many female officers – those that there were had mostly been medics, psychologists and financial workers. Mykytenko was determined to be in combat. Once she was commissioned, she was put in charge of a reconnaissance platoon of 20 men; 16 of them resigned. “It was one of the hardest times in my service,” she says. She told them it was their choice whether they stayed or not, but they weren’t going to push her out. Did she feel strong, or was it an act? Mykytenko laughs. “At first, maybe acting,” she says, but her confidence in herself and her decisions grew. “I felt that I was working in the right way, so I felt strong.” It took a few months to earn respect, she says, and she gradually built the unit back up. “I was doing everything with them, I didn’t refuse hard work. I also lived with them, so they felt that I shared this service with them.”

Of her early experiences of coming under fire, she says: “To be honest, I was mainly excited, and with a lot of adrenaline, I actually didn’t think that I could die.” She hadn’t seen anyone killed then. “The war wasn’t so intensive as it is now.” The fighting worsened, though. As a drone commander, she would watch battles on her video screen in real time. It was the hardest to watch colleagues being killed. “You understand that you can do nothing,” she says, then adds that at least they can see where that person fell, to later retrieve their body. “I just don’t let feelings come too close, that it was a human being, my friends – I just do my job, and after that, when the person is evacuated from the battlefield, I can give myself a few hours of mourning.”

In February 2018, Serbin was killed. There were moments in that intense early grief, she says, “when I wanted to die”. She describes walking out into the open during shelling, “hoping that something …” She pauses. “During the shelling that I would die.” It only lasted a few moments, she says, “then I thought that it wasn’t a very competent and reasonable decision”. I hear her give a small laugh. She requested a transfer out of combat, and back to Kyiv. Some people might think of it as weakness, she says, but “I completely understood that I couldn’t take the right decisions” and never wanted to put her unit at risk.

Back in Kyiv, Mykytenko joined the military training academy. It helped her recover, she says. “I was working with teenagers, and I put all my energy and resources into preparing them. And some of them actually are now fighting not far from me, unfortunately – I was hoping that they wouldn’t do that.” She was responsible for the first class of female cadets. To succeed in the Ukrainian army, she thinks, women “have to be ready to work hard and also have a tough skin”. She has heard stories of sexual harassment, but says she hasn’t experienced it, beyond inappropriate “jokes”. She differentiates between “warriors” and “soldiers”. “I was surrounded by warriors – warriors respect you and accept you and support you, so I was pleased to be surrounded by such men.” She has heard plenty of sexist attitudes from men in senior ranks, but says she has stopped responding. “In the first years, it did hurt, but for now, it doesn’t bother me. It isn’t worth my resources.”

Mykytenko is not yet 30 and has been through so much, not just losing her husband, colleagues and experiencing the horrors of war. In 2020, her father, Mykola, died by suicide in Maidan square, after posting on Facebook about Ukrainian independence. He had changed his pro-Russia stance and had been campaigning against what he saw as President Zelenskyy’s capitulation and withdrawal of troops. How does she cope with it all? “I’m trying not to concentrate on it, just because it’s not the right time,” she says. “Sometimes I think I need some psychological support.” She supports herself with “books, movies, to try to find a way to have a rest”.

She works much less now than when the invasion started. Back then, she felt like a sprinter “when I should have been preparing for a marathon”. Mykytenko is mindful of her health and energy, “because it’s not only my productivity that depends on my resources, but also the health and lives of my fellows. I understand when I have no resources that somebody might die because I could miss something.” In her book, she writes about not fearing death. “I just hope that it might be fast,” she says.

She seems to live in such a present and physical way – whether heating water with chopped wood just to go through her basic morning routine, or enduring shelling, or watching drone footage in real time. Does she think about the future? Or allow herself to think about peace and what she might do when she can leave the army? She is quiet for a moment. “Not really,” she says, but adds that she has started to renovate her flat in Kyiv. “I don’t know [if that’s] thinking about the future, but at least it gives me some stability.” I hope she gets there one day, with her dog, and her rescued cats, and peace and birdsong.

How Good It Is I Have No Fear of Dying: Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko’s Fight for Ukraine by Lara Marlowe is published on 24 October (Head of Zeus, £20)

[tired-dragon22]

I've been seeing this going around, and I just wanna vent and see if it clears my thoughts. Since last October, and even before then, I've struggled with what's happening in Palestine and Gaza. Because it's bullshit that the US government is funding a genocide, is refusing to listen to what a great majority of the people want, which is a complete cease of aid to Isr@el . I want that so badly, I want to see good news I on my phone, I want to see those families have the room to grieve and to rage and to rebuild their beautiful homes. I want to see Palestinian children play in the sun without having to worry about being labeled as a threat. I've seen the protests and fundraisers, and shared/participated in anyway I'm able to. And I've also seen the shit show that's coming in the US depending on which presidential candidate goes into office. I'm a lesbian, Mexican American woman. Both my parents immigrated from Mexico when they were young. I've got younger siblings, two sisters and a brother. I know so many people like us. We struggled when Trump was in office before. We struggled before then, but it has been even more terrifying ever since then. We're fucked if he goes into office, especially with the layout for Project 2025. All of us are. Every single minority, every single person that doesn't fit into the cookie cutter image that Republicans want will be fucking crushed. Our rights are already being taken away because of who Trump put into the Supreme Court. My family struggles with a crap ton of health issues, my sisters both have knee and back problems. They've had a number of surgeries and still struggle with more issues every day. I thank whatever deity exists that we're able to cover most of their necessities with insurance. And I know damn well all of that is gone if Trump wins. I fucking hate what Biden did during his administration, refusing to see what was happening, refusing to fucking listen. I'm tentatively hopeful things will be easier to protest and try to fix if we were to be under Harris. But I'm also too pessimistic and skeptical to fully believe that. And that's my main problem. I don't want to vote for someone who would support a genocide. I would so much rather vote for a third party. But I know damn well it'll only push things in the wrong direction, considering how terrible this fucking country's election system goes. That's how Trump got elected in 2016 after all. People didn't vote and they assumed cause of the popularity win Clinton had she'd win. And I'd rather fucking rot somewhere than vote for Trump. So my only viable option, it seems, is to vote for Harris, whether I like her or not. And I hate it. I hate it so fucking much. I see people say they're gonna vote for a third party, I've even seen some people say they're gonna vote for Trump because they don't want to vote for Harris. And I'm just begging someone to explain to me how any of that would be better. We can try and fix things if we're under a politician that will at least not practically burn our rights at the stake. I want to have autonomy of my own body. I want that for my sisters, for my mom, for my brother and for my dad. I want that for all the trans kids who'll die if Trump goes into office. I want freedom for all the minorities that live in this godforsaken country, I want Palestine to have it's land back and for Isr@el to fuck right off. I just don't know what to do anymore. Btw, if anyone bothers to read everything I just wrote down, I'd really appreciate any advice.

[hang-on-lil-tomato]

Op Ed from Rex Huppke - USA TODAY

Every.Single.Word

Op Ed from Rex Huppke - USA TODAY

I never want to hear the words “America is better than this” again. I never want to be told about America’s better angels. I want honesty. I want an admission of exactly who we are as a country, and let’s be damn clear about that definition: We are a country that just elected – that just willfully chose – one of the most cruel, unscrupulous and transparently self-serving political figures in modern history to be president again.

We just elected a convicted felon who has normalized bullying, spread hate like an industrial sprinkler and shown us over and over and over again he sees laws as irrelevant and self-enrichment as sacrosanct. Faced with a billowing ocean of red flags – from indictments for trying to overturn the 2020 election to the coddling of dictators who rule enemy nations – a majority of Americans cast their vote for the man who is a totem of the worst in all of us.

So spare me the wails of “This isn’t who we are!” I’ve got bad news for the sane and decent among us: This is exactly who we are.

We’re a country that supports the mass deportation of immigrants, a promise Donald Trump made and will undoubtedly keep. When families are pulled apart, cities and towns are raided by federal law enforcement and the people who once worked in communities and made homes there – some for decades – are penned in detention camps, it is the voting public that approved such a thing.

If legal citizens get swept up in the chaos, so be it. It was the voters’ choice.

When an unhinged and unqualified billionaire like Elon Musk is put in charge of slashing the federal government to bits, that will be what America chose.

When the Department of Education is abolishedand our education system falls into the hands of right-wing ideologues and religious zealots, that’s the outcome of the choice U.S. voters made.

When Trump’s tariffs hit and drive up prices across the board for consumers, it won’t be the fault of the myriad economists who told us what would happen. It will be the thing a majority of Americans chose. It will be the economic pot they chose to be boiled in, even though the Biden-Harris administration has the economy rocking.

As The New York Times reported Oct. 30: "Consumers are spending. Inflation is cooling. And the U.S. economy looks as strong as ever."

When Trump does away with his own legal cases – trashing the rule of law his party once claimed to stand for – that will be what the people wanted. When he turns the U.S. Department of Justice on his so-called enemies, when he goes after Democrats and others with malicious intent and calls in the military to stifle any form of dissent, keep your mouth shut about that being un-American. It’s now 100% American, because it’s exactly what people in this country willfully chose.

I don’t want to hear a damn word – ever – about anyone not realizing just how bad things could get. I don’t want to hear about how grocery prices were too high so you figured voting for Trump couldn’t hurt. I don’t want to hear how you didn’t like either candidate so you sat the 2024 election out.

The stakes of this election could not have been more clear and could not have been broadcast any louder. Vice President Kamala Harris ran as smart a campaign as I’ve seen. She reached across the aisle and offered a big tent for people to seek shelter. She was qualified – as a former prosecutor, a former U.S. senator and a vice president – in ways Trump could never imagine.

But America chose the guy who cavalierly said he’d be a dictator for a day. Voters chose the guy who denounces our allies and cozies up to our enemies. Voters chose the guy who is an adjudicated rapist, a role model to none, an often-incoherent and always hate-fueled loon who has turned Americans against each other in ways I never thought possible.

Voters chose Trump. He won. Cruelty won. Bullying won. And that’s who America is right now. We are Trump, and we will own every bit of the shameful and painful and embarrassing things he does. We are not "better than this." We lost the right to make that claim the moment the presidential race was called.

[mrhaitch]

hi mr haitch!

i received a lovely response from haitch that has helped me quite a bit in processing and working on my fear of death. however, i saw a post of yours just now and it made me think. it was your response to someone basically arguing about democrats and republicans, and your opinion on the potential impacts of another trump presidency. so i ask, as a fellow non american, how do i not feel so anxious about this? i try to think that no, trump is not going to cause the heat death of the earth, but it freaks me out.

as an australian, i can say that we are quite influenced in america. just the other day, coming back from my university counselling, there were two young women wearing MAGA hats on the train just days after he got in. it infuriated me, though everyone is allowed their own opinion (even if it makes me want to rip my eyeballs out and throw them at them). how do i not think that this is the end of the world? for some it is. i have heard far too many people expose their genuine plans for suicide now that trump is in. someone said they are taking their girlfriend out for one last dinner and they’re committing together. that horrifies me to my core.

in my state, we recently just elected our state premier, which is now a party i would describe as on the right, for an easy comparison. abortions, breast cancer screenings, and thousands of hospital staff are to be cut. children committing crimes will be doing adult time, which i can only imagine you understand just how antithetical that is to actually solving the problem. after this election, there was a nazi rally in our central city. i worry that with trump’s election, it might truly come home to us.

so, how do i not feel so scared?

on a side note, i HAVE to ask your opinions on deathcore? i’m seeing thy art is murder and brand of sacrifice in a few days, and i saw ice nine kills and amity affliction today! i’m seeing lorna shore and to the grave in feb, TTG is a super cool deathcore band from NSW here in aus! even things like suffocation, dying fetus, infant annihilator, or cannibal corpse? (and the terrifier series if you have watched them!)

but yeah, it’s a weird time to be alive, but i want to believe that after this, we will not have to experience it again. perhaps someone will have better aim, we will never know.

this is far too long, so have a good night or day!

As time goes by, I find myself more convinced by Foucault's writings on biopower - and especially when it comes to anxiety.

We need to start thinking about how we're defining anxiety: when we talk about it do we mean the emotion arising, rationally, from a particular stimulus? Or do we mean generalised, non-specific anxiety which arises from a disease or abnormality in the mind? The latter needs treatment - the former needs scrutiny, but also not to be ignored or discarded.

The fear many of us are feeling right now is rational. We feel it for a reason - fear is what keeps you alive in moments of danger. It helps us think and move faster. It helps us see clearer (if we learn to direct and control it). While it can be a hard emotion to sit with, we can't push it away or try to treat it. Use that fear to motivate you to build connections with the people around you, to organise, to strengthen community bonds if the worst happens and you need people to support you.

So the short answer: you don't need to get rid of your fear.

Now for the second part:

I'm really not a fan of deathcore. I know it's the genre of the moment, but it's never really done it for me (and I say this as someone who previously moonlighted for a deathcore band a few years ago). Call it personal taste, but I feel that there's a race to the bottom with regards to guitar tuning: everyone is going lower and lower and you end up with a bass heavy mush with little articulation. Everyone starts slamming the lower strings, more than one breakdown per song, etc.

(very much old man shaking his fist at the eyounger generations)

With that said I'm a big fan of cannibal corpse (although, let's be real, they are very much OG Florida death metal) and quite like Ice Nine Kills. One band I am quite excited about, though, is a UK local act who blend elements of deathcore with black and death metal. Link below:

[helenmarie95]

Hey Friends, It's Been a Minute

Idk how many followers I have that have been paying attention, but some of you may have noticed that I've been largely absent from this site for the last couple of weeks or so.

The short answer is that I've been in hospital for the bulk of that time and have been just to exhausted to check up on all the posts I've missed.

The long answer is that I started feeling a sharp pain in my leg two weeks ago Wednesday, and by the end of the next day I could not use it at all. Sunday 27th October I finally got admitted to hospital and the next day they discovered a blood clot. Luckily it was at the point where they could treat it with medication, but that then meant that I was stuck in hospital with a very painful leg and almost no mobility for over a week.

On top of that, Moth and I both contracted norovirus on the 28th after he visited me (on their birthday no less) so I was sick for the bulk of my stay, and my ward was placed on lockdown as many of us got sick, so I couldn't have any visitors. I, a person who hates needles, have been poked and prodded beyond belief and am bruised in several places. I couldn't even get up to use the bathroom or shower without assistance for the first part of my stay. I could call my family and Moth but it's not the same as having your family close by.

All of this was a nightmare for my Autistic brain. Even now that I'm home recovering, it still is. Yes the pain is gone from my groin, but I now have to take blood thinners for the rest of my life. And my leg is still very very painful, to the point that I am using walkers to get around my house because it can't support my body weight. I don't know when that is going to finally stop.

Oh, and the election happened. We're not going to get into how devastated I was watching it play out from my hospital bed.

It's going to be a long period of recovery but it's safe to say my mental health is positively wrecked right now. Idk why I didn't come on Tumblr in my downtime to see good things and unmask but maybe I was worried about all the posts I'd already missed in my timeline.

I do have to give some shout-outs though. The NHS staff who took care of me were absolutely phenomenal and caring throughout. My American Ladies in Yorkshire group chat were incredibly supportive and a couple of them even dropped off care packages even though they weren't allowed into the ward. The ladies with whom I shared my room for a week were lovely and we were all rooting for each other. My family who called me almost every day to check in, especially my mom.

And of course, @the-most-adorkable-smile who has really stepped up in every way even though they also dealt with illness, including visiting me in hospital, assisting with bringing me home, and looking after me whilst I've been recovering and being a wonderful emotional support too. (I keep telling them to look after themself and take time to recover too).

Oh, and in the midst of all of this - I got my indefinite leave to remain in the UK! I had to attend my biometrics appointment with that pain in my leg back when it was something I could just shake off, but I got the decision the next day. Fitting I guess that my first action was to then make full use of the FREE NHS. I can't imagine the hospital bill I'd have back home in the states.

Anyways, I'll try to be back on here a bit more, but I can't guarantee how often I will be.

Thanks for reading <3

[slapjacq]

Alright red valley first listen round 4 (Clive and let die-s3 ep2) I’m so ready:

Clive and Let Die:

This man is absolutely fucking hysterical I’ve been cracking up for the past 3 minutes straight

Oh Jesus he’s gonna listen to ALL of Gordon’s shit

Which ninja turtle hes gonna fuck marry or kill that’s gold holy shit

When corporate finds out you’re out sick the feeling is real

DEV PATEL?

HE PLAYS FUCKING FORTNITE THIS IS INCREDIBLE

HOLY SHIT THE FUCKING DOOR STORY

I love this game guys truly I’m also insane for enjoying it

Holy fuck

The horse story is fucking nuts

Warren being more concerned about the horse is so fucking real

Also the morphine bit adds to my theory that hes constantly high

Making fun coworkers that you hate is half the fun of work. Which isn’t a lot but it is enough

Oh these writers either spent too many times imagining saw traps or watching final destination and honestly respect

Also let’s go gender inclusivity in the horrible death stories

Clive is a fucked up little bastard I thought he’d be enjoying this shit

(Also quick note, I adore that the people who make this podcast don’t shy away from shouting out their predecessors, fellow creatives, and influences)

S3 ep1:

WAIT I FORGOT THAT PAM SURVIVED SHOUTOUT HER

there is never a day where Clive doesn’t bitch someone out and neither is there a day where he doesn’t get bitch out by someone else.

wait I know that voice

PETER LUKAS???

GODDAMN HES GOING AFTER HIS ASS

Clive is about as subtle as a metal bar hitting a tile floor

HOLY SHIT THE CRUISE SHIP

Oh yall got your ptsd from a lab? My mom just told me we had plenty at home.

WAIT I DIDNT REALIZE BRYONY WAS THE ONE WHO FUCKING SHOT HIS JNEES CAPS HAHAHAHAHA

Jesus Clive’s got some BAWLS GODDAMN GOOD FOR HIM IG

S3 ep 2:

I like pam now she’s just as much of a ball buster as clive. He needs to be humbled sometimes.

THE ALOHA ETERNITY HAAHAHHA

oh Jesus Pam thanks for reality check/prediction for the future I almost forgot I’m never gonna be able to buy a house

Clive what the fuck don’t be reading us Americans right now there’s a fucking election right around the corner and I’m handling it worse than I’d like to admit.

WAIT CLIVES HIGH

HES DOING POPPERS LMAO

oh wow Clive is being vulnerable

OH YOUR THERAPIST SAYS SO?

OH HESUS CLIVE I FEEL BAD

I don’t know how to deal with crying either Pam

“Rich old white people who expect to rule the world forever”

I can’t believe the fucking cruise ship worked

Okay I adore Clive and Pam’s dynamic

Another thing these writers are good at is making care about characters I wasn’t quite attached too if anything happens to these two I might end up on the 10 o’clock news.

Ah yeah I’d get fucked up with these two

[theitalianscribe]

WTDW-Tober Day 3: Founders

Before we start, I want to give the heads up that part of this will be a bullet point fic. Some parts are written out, and others are summaries of or just the gist of what would happen. I am already running behind on these, so this seemed like the best way to catch up.

(Also, also: Reminder that tomorrow is Loud Noise Wednesday October 4. Americans, there will be a nationwide alarm test, at least that's what I've heard. Here is an article with more info.)

-Sara is in some elective on storytelling or performing. The class is doing presentations where they tell a story that has specific elements their teacher put on the rubric. (This is based on a class I had in junior high but that was a really long time ago so all I remember is this assignment and us watching the show Get Smart)

"And that is the story of how I earned this shiny rock at summer camp," The brunette took a bow. The class applauded, then began scratching at the peer review cards they were handed for the assignment. 

"Right. Excellent work, Lewis. Though be sure to move around more. You are telling a story with your movements as well as your words."

Sara frowned at that. The boy was doing a lot of gesticulating, definitely more than Marco before him and Nancy before him. In fact, most of the students stood stiffly and forgot how to  move their bodies.

"Do my notes of stage directions in the script I wrote mean Nothing, Mr. Edricson?" the boy grumbled under his breath as he passed Sara on his way to his seat. 

Sara agreed. Mr Edricson was kind of a tool. Most of the class was either watching clips from tv shows or having the students do the work for him. With a click of her tongue, Sara began the most thorough review card she had ever written in the whole trimester. Under the section for special compliments, she wrote, “I like how he had a gesture for each action in his story. He acted out what he was doing as well as using his narration for emphasis. This guy is the best performer in class, let alone public speaker. And that includes the teacher. Do better, Charles.

Later, when they got their grades back, she saw the boy sigh in defeat, then flip through the peer review pages. Eventually he let out a snort of laughter, which he attempted to disguise with a cough. He looked around the class and met eyes with Sara. “Charles Edricson is a tool,” She tried to mouth. The boy titled his head in confusion. Right. Her grade said she needed to work on annunciation. Charles could be right about this one thing.

“Thank you,” the boy mouthed. Sara grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up.

The boy hung back after class and introduced himself as Lewis Bright. Sara gave her own name in return, surprised that anyone would want to talk to her. She was even further baffled when he asked where she usually sat at lunch. That afternoon, they exchanged snacks and ideas. Through the story they weaved together between bites of carrots, a long-lasting friendship was forged.

-They are paired with Oliver for a physics project. Sara is setting up a Rube Goldberg machine while Lewis draws a diagram of it. They are used to doing most of the work on the project and with how scarce Oliver is, they figure this is no different. Then they see him at lunch fleshing out their powerpoint presentation. 

-He asks to see Lewis’s drawings

-Oliver then scans the drawings and they are amazed like “You know how to do that?”

-He is able to get them into the mechanical engineering class. Is that a class? Whatever class Eric teaches alongside the class he teaches them in their last year. He gets a cameo in the fic and the trio are able to spend a lunch period setting up the Rube Goldberg machine and recording it.

-Eric makes a comment about the twins being welcome to stay with him and Carly after school so he can go straight to his job.

-At this point, Oliver explains a bit of his home life and how he has a job (or jobs) to support himself and his siblings and that is why he has been so scarce.

-They get a good grade on the project and they get slushies or ice cream to celebrate. While there, they run into some old bullies of Sara’s. One calls her the Happy-Hollow-Pockets Arsonist, another possibly calls her Flare-a Covet-Our-Money-Man. I was not happy with how this scene turned out, but they verbally bully Sara while Lewis is getting their ice cream.

The bullies maybe try to tell Oliver about Sara’s past. Also at some point in this conversation, it is established that Oliver has a reputation about being a soft spoken sweetheart. I only bring this up for this next part.

"I have heard enough. All I can gather from this interaction is that you two are pathetic enough to make yourselves feel better by dragging others down with misdeeds from their past. I don't know what she did to gain your ire and I don't care what it is. 

"Do you know what I do think is interesting? How much of our lives is online. We are so well-documented now-a-days that it is difficult to bury your own pasts. 

"Did you know that schools can search through your electronic footprint? That if they find something they don't like, that can influence their decision to admit you or not?"

Oliver took a step closer

"Did you know how poorly defended the highschool's records are? It would be so easy to change someone's grades, remove their ability to participate in extracurriculars, to make you look like a terrible choice for the college you are aiming for. Your behavior, your attendance? They are so poorly protected."

“Are you threatening us?”

“Am I? It’s hard to say. Besides,” Oliver leaned in close and whispered into their ears, “N O  O N E  W O U L D  E V E R  B E L I E V E  Y O U .”

Oliver walked backward to be back at Sara’s side. “I would be careful about tarnishing my friend’s reputation. Think about how it would feel if someone ruined yours.” With that, Oliver smiled and dragged a shellshocked Sara into the restaurant where Lewis was waiting.

“What’s got you in such a good mood, Darling?” Lewis asked.

“I ran into some old classmates and I am just really happy to have you two as my friends instead. If, if you guys want to call me your friend, of course! You don’t have to! I didn’t mean to assume!”

A hand landed on his shoulder and Oliver turned to see Sara giving him a watery smile, “You have no idea how much your friendship would mean to me.”

—-

I think that is a good stopping point, but there were other scenes I had wanted to write:

-Them having a sleepover and painting each other’s nails. Lewis has a collection of holographic nail polishes. There is a dark plumb one that makes him powerful.

-Them talking about project ideas for the competition. They chose to make a miniature moving figurine of a character they make up for the contest. It is Starlight. They include ideas for other characters in the report.

-Them waiting for the results and getting an envelope with tickets to a fair inside. They buy ice cream to celebrate. Sara treats them and the others assure that she doesn’t owe them anything. 

-Sara having imposter syndrome because Star Light is mostly Lewis’s idea and Oliver did the programing and 3d printing.

-They point out that the actual physics and movement logistics of the project was all Sara.

-At the awards ceremony, the director of this competition is looking at Sara in a way that makes her shiver, but she shakes it off. (This is my hint to a conspiracy that Litho possessed someone to make this competition happen and he wanted the trio, especially Sara, to win from the start.)

-The trio arriving at the space that will become Dreamworld. They are so excited.

-Oliver recruits Pen and Eric to help him set up the speakers throughout the facility. He then gets to pick the music to test the speakers. He plays some songs that he just likes, with some meme songs and especially Siivagunner rips peppered in. He watches as everyone catches on. Lewis is the first of his best friends to notice. The Flintstones jingle gives it away. He remembers Wiatt infodumping about this particular game called 7 Grand Dad and how the channel will sneak the Flintstones theme into their songs as one of their more recurring jokes. Sara is the last to notice. She has been getting phone calls more frequently ever since the reward ceremony. This particular one must have taken a long time and captured all her attention. Once she does notice, she has this look on her face that is both fond and exasperated and cry of, “Oliverrrrr,” that devolves into giggles is music to his ears.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls- Season 2, Episode 22 (Last Episode of the Season). "I Can't Get Started" Part 2

How about you don't and just say you did. I have a better idea, instead you can walk right off a pier.

Ah, good old fashioned American politics. It’s a sad state of affairs to think that if he ran for office, Crusty would likely get elected in a landslide. Especially if you know all about this actor’s sketchy political and personal views (I am aware that he’s actually Canadian, but it matters not. He's trash). Lorelai invites Crusty to Sookie's rehearsal dinner, because having her parents at the wedding isn’t going to be hellish enough. Also I guess she’s trolling for some D after Dean abandoned her. Crusty will have to scratch (and cause) that itch.

When I think of fun, I think of Dean and Crusty!

I’d like it made clear that they’re discussing a wedding rehearsal dinner and not the wedding itself. A rehearsal dinner is intended for the people…in the wedding party…to rehearse for the wedding. It’s not an open invitation for Crustyburgers who are trying to bang one of the bridesmaids. Lorelai just invited him without Sookie’s permission, claiming she'd be thrilled to have him there, which means a lot. You could invite some ruthless dictator to her wedding and Sookie would be all "Teehee, the more the merrier!" Dean also has no reason to be attending the rehearsal dinner of his girlfriend’s mother’s coworker. Anyway. Swell. They make their own rules in The Hollow.

WHEEE! I love a good minor inconsistency especially when they happen within the same episode! WHEEE! We know there won't be 1,000 people in attendance at that wedding. The population of Stars Hollow is like, 26.

Uh oh. Lore's sloshed. That means she's nice and loose and vulnerable and Crusty is about to pounce. Gross.

Crusty needs to "step outside for some air" and wants Lore to join him. Have you no shame?

GAGGGG. You held in your vomit during Balcony Boinking, now try not to blow chunks at Wedding Reharsal Porch Porking (I assume. They seem to like porking in fresh air). Lorelai just can't put her finger on why Crusty is suddenly so nice and Around. Huh. I could never guess what he's after.

"Sherry had a big business trip planned and before she left we had a talk. We tried to come up with some answers. and couldn't think of anything so she left and we took time apart to think." Okay? The hell does that even mean? It's not supposed to make sense because it's all made up bullshit and he knows that Lorelai in her sloshed state isn't going to question it. Then bam, he's back in her pants once more. I guess seeing the turmoil brewing in his relationship, Crusty's solution was to take advantage of Lorelai and then knock Sherry up.

Well, well, if it isn't the Nauseating Crusty-Boinking Lorelai Pot calling the Nauseating Crusty-Boinking Sherry Kettle black.

Oh okay, so they're going to pork AT the wedding then?

Back at home the next day, Rory recieves a pitiful incoming call from Paris, who is having pre-election day jitters and decided the first person she should call was the one most near and dear to her heart. Her vice president. Her soul mate. I mean. Her running mate.

That was beautiful and gay I could cry.

It just seems very off putting to present the news that your daughter's father and stepmother are breaking up to her in the same gleeful manner you'd reserve for something you read in a trashy tabloid. Like Sherry & Crusty are some celebrity couple of 2002, not your kid's shitty father and creepy girlfriend. I googled "Celebrity Couples that broke up in 2002" but got nothing. However, I found something more entertaining. Here ya go: 20 Celebrity Couples You Forgot Dated in 2002 "Guess who's in the process of breaking up?! Sandra Bullock & Ryan Gosling! I mean...your father and his girlfriend! Your shitty father can't keep a plant alive no less a relationship, isn't that amusing? Sure would suck if he reproduced a second time eh?" Two more Sherry Nuggets: Please watch the episode titled "It Should Have Been Lorelai" (or read my breakdown) if you forgot what a creepwad Sherry actually is. And what Lorelai once said about her:

"Wow, but they were so...TOGETHER!" is the highest compliment you could give to one of Crusty's Crustacean-Ships. I mean relation-shits. I mean relationships. It sure sounds like Rory was rooting for you guys.

This kid is too smart for her own good.

Oh my god, I LOVE this top. Michel has just worked 6 hours over time and is asking Lorelai nicely to let him clock out. She is not having it. Ya'll, I've got three numbers on speed dial during this episode: Some kind of medical board in Connecticut for the grave HIPAA violations going on in that orthopedist's office, the fire marshal for the supposed 1,000 people attending this wedding, and the Connecticut Labor Board to look into Lorelai Gilmore and what the hell is going on over at the Independence Inn.

Proper response to this managerial dictator/HR Nightmare. You better pay my boy Michel his due overtime, Miss Leaves Work To Pick Out Coffins for Diner Guy.

SOCIAL DISTANCING!!!! LEAVE ROOM FOR JESUS!!!! I'm quite concerned how she's about to swap spit with Crusty and she has not questioned this Sherry breakup bullshit that he fed her less than 24 hours ago... like...at all. Whatsoever.

Mmm, Welp. That's just about enough of these Gilmore Freaks for one day.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jonathan Cohn at HuffPost:

One of the Biden administration’s biggest legislative setbacks came when Democratic leaders had to give up on their “caregiving” agenda. The idea had been to transform everyday life for tens of millions of Americans by guaranteeing access to child care and paid leave, as well as home care for seniors and people with disabilities. And while the concept enjoyed plenty of support among high-ranking officials, few (if any) made it as much of a priority as Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris had championed all three policies as early as the presidential transition, according to several sources inside and outside the White House who spoke with HuffPost. Later, Harris and her advisers advocated internally for including major new investments as part of what eventually became known as the “Build Back Better” legislation. “Her policy team really fought for it,” said Ai-jen Poo, who, as president of the National Workers Alliance, worked closely with the administration. And when efforts to enact the reforms eventually came up short because two members of the Senate Democratic caucus wouldn’t vote yes on the full legislative package, Harris made sure her allies knew the fight wasn’t over. “The vice president personally said to me that she is really committed to moving this agenda forward,” Poo said, “that she’s not going to give up, and we shouldn’t give up, either.” At the time, it felt like a promise for what President Joe Biden might pursue in a second term if he got one. Now, with Biden stepping aside and Harris the Democrats’ presumptive 2024 nominee, Poo cites that statement as one of several signs Harris would make caregiving a priority if she wins in November.

That feels like a pretty good bet. Election Day is less than four months away, Inauguration Day less than two months after that. But the unique circumstances of this campaign mean the elements of Harris’ prospective agenda are less clear than they normally would be at this point, at least by Democratic Party standards. On the one hand, Harris is part of an incumbent administration, running on its record and previously announced plans for new initiatives. But while Harris has certainly helped to shape both, she has never been the ultimate decision-maker. It’s safe to assume Harris has some different ideas about what to do or, at least, how to prioritize. Had there been a normal primary campaign, Harris would have sketched out that governing vision.

That never happened, and it’s probably not going to happen now. With her candidacy not even two weeks old, plus a running mate still to name and a convention still to stage, Harris doesn’t have the time to put together a bunch of new policies, let alone introduce them with speeches, white papers and expert testimonials. Her press team, meanwhile, isn’t saying much about policy ― except to confirm that Harris is no longer committed to some of the more progressive positions of her 2020 presidential bid, like promising to ban fracking or promoting a kinda-sorta-Medicare-for-All plan. Not that big new agenda pronouncements would get a ton of attention anyway. Threats to democracy and attacks on abortion rights are understandably much bigger preoccupations right now, and for much of the electorate, the most important thing about Harris is that she would fight both.

But Harris could win, putting her in a position to lay out a legislative agenda. And there’s plenty of reason to think caregiving initiatives would be a bit part of that, including the fact that policy conditions — in particular, the expiration of Trump-era tax cuts that could free up trillions in new funding — could give Harris a shot at ambitious, even historic reforms if she has a willing Congress to go along. “She could walk away from that first term saying that I brought America its first paid family leave and universal pre-K, and a refundable child tax credit that basically ends child poverty ― that’d be a hell of a legacy,” Bharat Ramamurti, former deputy director of the National Economic Council, told HuffPost. “That’s really within grasp.”

The political environment has shifted a lot since then, with challenges tied to care for children, elders and people with disabilities getting more attention. A driving force behind this shift has been the arrival of so many more women in so many more positions of authority. Kamala Harris is one of them. The well-being of children has been an area of focus ever since she was a district attorney in San Francisco and, later, the attorney general for California. Her legacy in the state includes the creation of a Bureau for Children’s Justice, which used the attorney general’s authority to investigate and (when appropriate) punish private and public sector organizations that serve children. Harris’ work to protect foster kids and juveniles in the justice system won praise from child welfare advocates, although an initiative to prosecute parents of truant children drew sharp criticism. (Harris later said she had regrets about it.)

[...]

Stories Of Working Mothers, Including Hers

Harris took an even bigger swing when she signed on to the “FAMILY Act,” a Democratic bill to guarantee paid leave — and then, as part of her presidential bid for 2020, rolled out an even more ambitious proposal that envisioned six months of paid leave. “I’ve been saying she is, in a lot of ways, the strongest paid leave elected [official] or candidate we’ve ever seen,” said Dawn Huckelbridge, founding director of Paid Leave for All. To make the case for paid leave, Harris frequently invokes the story of somebody close to her heart: her mother, who in her final years was battling cancer. “These issues have always been part of her agenda,” said Vicki Shabo, a longtime gender equity policy expert now at New America’s Better Life Lab (though speaking in her personal capacity, not for the organization). “She talks about her mother, her mother being such an important influence, and then pivots to her mother being sick and needing to care for her.” As a senator, Harris also cosponsored the Child Care for Working Families proposal, which sought to create “universal child care” by giving states enough money to cap child care costs for any family at 7% of household income. It was a vision for the largest expansion of the welfare state since the Affordable Care Act, one that would require hundreds of billions of dollars of new government spending in just the first 10 years.

[...]

The Caregiving Agenda’s Policy Questions

One reason to think these interests might carry over into a Harris presidency is that she has made early, clear references to both child care and paid leave in her speeches since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee. [...] But actually passing major legislation on any element of the care agenda, let alone the entire package, would require more than commitment. It would require settling on the right policies — and rounding up enough votes. [...] The latter would obviously be a lot easier if Democrats get a majority in the House while holding on to the Senate ― which, although hardly likely, is certainly possible. If Democrats do keep control of the Senate, they will no longer have to deal with the two most conservative caucus members (Democrats-turned-independents Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona), who stood in the way of passing Build Back Better’s care agenda last time. Democrats would also have some money at their disposal, thanks to the looming expiration of the massive tax cuts Donald Trump signed into law when he was president.

[...]

The Message And The Messenger

Harris’ ability to manage such a situation with Congress ― or any situation with Congress ― is arguably the biggest question mark on her resume because it’s a skill that even gifted politicians take time to master. And Harris, frankly, hasn’t had that much time. She had been in the Senate for just two years when she announced she was running in the 2020 presidential election. During her unsuccessful bid to win the Democratic nomination, she struggled to explain and defend her health care plan in ways that raised questions about whether she fully understood ― or believed in ― what she was proposing. And while she’s now had three-plus years in the White House, it was Biden, the veteran legislator, who took the bulk of the negotiating portfolio. Harris, by most accounts, spent more of her time coordinating with outside groups or steering policy from within the White House.

But a big part of passing legislation is selling the product to Congress, to interest groups, and ultimately, to the public at large. And as Harris’ supporters are fond of noting, winning over everyday Americans is a lot like winning over a jury — a skill Harris demonstrated back in her prosecutor days. “When we were advocating for changes that we were seeking,” Martin said, “she really pressed us as staff to be able to not speak like the policy wonks that we are ― to be able to translate what we were talking about so that people in the midst of their busy lives could understand why it was important, how it would be important to them, how it would be important for other people and have impacts on our economy or our society.”

If Kamala Harris is elected as President, she will give priority to child chare, paid leave, and home care issues.

Read the full story at HuffPost.

[the-foolish-scholar]

Two of Pentacles

In the Two of Pentacles, a youthful individual dances while juggling two coins in their hands. The infinity symbol links the coins, suggesting that this person can handle unlimited problems so long as they manage their time, energy and resources well. In the background, two ships sail the high seas, bobbing up and down on the huge waves – another sign that the ups and downs of life are manageable with focus and attention.

-

Hellur. I’m finally forcing myself to sit down and write. It’s been quite a month… But I finally feel like I’m firmly standing on two feet.

The municipal election’s delegation was… an experience. I helped out as the ‘call center’ on the day of elections, logging every big observation that happened during the day. I also helped to make a slideshow for the CIS’ press conference. I was a brave girl!

A journalist asked to speak to a few of observers outside in the parking lot where we were having the press conference. They wanted to meet in the parking lot because they were concerned about their security. They told observers that few members of the press came to the conference and that those that came didn’t really ask questions because they had been intimidated and didn’t want to write anything that could be perceived critical of the government. So, take from that what you will.

After we finished speaking, everyone came up to me and said that they thought that the slideshow was really powerful and that it was good we showed it; but Leslie cautioned that they could come and arrest us for showing it, which made me spiral out of control.

Buying produce at the market and having conversation in the car on the way to the beach grounded me into reality and helped me to calm down as best as I could.

Tom, in his old age and with his wisdom, very dryly told me that one day, my grandchildren would ask me about what I was doing when democracy was dying in the 2020s and that I’d gleefully tell them about my various stints in jail. Roberto distracted me by asking me about my theological studies; which actually really helped me to develop the paper I was working on for my socio-theological analysis of the Latin American reality. 

Being at the beach was like taking one big benzo. I swung myself in the hammocks. I drank a lot of coconut water. I worked on one of my Paint By Diamonds projects. I watched the sunset. I had delicious seafood. I swam in the pool. I drank rum. I laid out in the sun. I walked on the beach. I ate junk food. I looked up at the stars. I made a very strange vegetarian meal for Tom and I. I released baby sea turtles into the ocean. I listened to music. I learned a lot about Mormonism and gossiped about my love life with Roberto’s sister. I got a massage. I enjoyed air conditioning.

When we got back home from the beach though, it was like life slapped me in the face. I struggled to balance my school work along with my volunteer work. My sleep schedule was all over the place. And then, I was away again, in Suchitoto.

Brooke, Tom, and I went out there because Tom was teaching a women’s self defense class to women a part of the feminist collective. He taught me some moves too so it’s safe to say I could beat some asses.

A lot of time away was dedicated toward work; both in the academic sense and the volunteer sense. Analyzing observer data on the elections gave me a headache and Brooke and I went back and forth for hours.

When we weren’t working though, we were soaking up all of life’s special moments. On the first night we went to one Mexican restaurant which had subpar food but entertaining characters. I stopped at the tienda afterward and got myself some peach yogurt, which was delicious. The next night, we went out to a fancy restaurant, Casa Flamenco. We sat in this little cabana which had a table for three.

Brooke got us a bottle of wine and boy did we drink ourselves into a delight! We split cauliflower wings with a buffalo and a tamarindo sauce, had the silliest portion size of this creamy tomato pasta, and enjoyed coffees with brownies a la mode for dessert. The restaurant also had a little store and I got Paulo Freire’s The Politics of Education. On our walk home, we got a little lost but I made a friend in the park and he drove us home for 50 cents each. The next night we went to another nice restaurant overlooking the town square, but I don’t remember what it was called. I had a delicious smoothie and veggie sandwich. After we finished eating, Brooke and I checked out the church.

They were just wrapping up mass when we walked in and a very young, dare I say Fleabag-esq, priest came up to us. He was blown away that Brooke was Jewish, Tom was Buddhist, and I was an agnostic theology student at the UCA. It was fun to chit chat with him. We then hung out just the three of us in the park, people watching, sharing stories, recommending movies and shows. Thankfully, we did not get lost on our way back to the hotel. The next morning, we had breakfast (I especially enjoyed the partly frozen orange juice) and packed up. We were extremely lucky to get the last three seats on the bus back home. I arguably had the best seat, I was in the back corner, with leg room.

A man preached on the bus and we made eye contact with each other practically the whole time he spoke. I always end up doing that, which is unwise, but it’s in my nature! I gave him my contact information so that he could reach out to me for an interview if he wanted one for my book. The Faith Across Identities project is alive and well! I’m also going to be interviewing a woman from the island whose son was wrongfully imprisoned… She has a very interesting faith.

When we got to the bus terminal we bid our farewells and I got in an Uber to take me home. I was tired and wanted silence on the ride home, but my Uber driver wanted dialog… We had a whole discussion about the flaws of the church and organized religion. I think he expected me to be against him because it felt like he wanted to fight me the entire time… By the time I got home, I was glad to be in bed. I lazed around, took a nice shower, and ordered takeout, spending the rest of the day watching my shows.

The next week I finally completed my first big paper as a graduate student! I sound like a church elder throughout the entire thing, but there’s just this sense of security I get writing about the Salvadoran reality from a spiritual stance instead of a purely sociological stance… Which makes no sense, considering how the government has an extremely violent past with the religious… But still, I feel sheltered and protected by the church… It’s the strangest thing.

Speaking of the spiritual, I’ve started one of my more spiritual oriented classes. It’s titled, The Mystery of God. It’s pretty chill to be honest. We’ve just been analyzing different pieces of art debating how it depicts God. I choose to focus on Nezahualcoyōtl’s poetry, specifically his poem Inside Heaven. He was an Aztec ruler right before the conquest; he is known for making the first Aztec temple that prohibited blood sacrifices, among many other things! I’ve also been reading a lot of church documents that have originated from Latin American clergymen. I am continually amazed by how the church as an institution operates as such a fierce advocate for justice down here. It is such a privilege to study this subject and I can’t wait to one day share all that I’ve learned with students back home.

But, I’ll admit, it has been hard to reach this point. While those closest to me support me unequivocally, some have given their unsolicited advice and really soiled my spirit, making me feel like the way I’m choosing to do things is the wrong way to do things. I know that what I do doesn’t make that much sense. But does it really have to make sense to people if it’s not their life?

Someone I got dinner with told me to drop out of my program, unprompted. I was pretty perplexed by their perspective, especially given that I had earlier stated how exciting the challenge of studying in Spanish was and how I felt like I was finally finding answers to questions I had begun to ask myself in 2021. I brushed their commentary off and reminded them the reasons why I was doing what I was doing and then they seemingly got angry with me, invalidating my choices once again.

On my walk home from the dinner, I started to spiral out of control and second guess myself. Afterall, I’m some white woman in my 20s all alone in some other country studying in a program that’s mostly made up of retirees who are devoutly religious. I’ve had to deal with so much red tape, from both the Salvadoran and the US government. It is not easy.

But, I’m doing what I want to do! And on the bright side, that spiral that they sent me down brought me lots of revelations. I can confidently say that I’ve got a damn good solid plan for my future. One that seeks to serve others and not just myself, too!

Anyway! I met up with Joel, one of my contacts from the national university, and we went to the market together. I bought some pretty colored candles and crazy glue. After we left the market we went back on campus and chatted. He told me to think of fear like it was an invasive instinct; something that didn’t belong in our lives and that if we didn’t take steps to eradicate it, it would take over, destroying everything. He also invited me to attend a conference with him! It’ll be my first ever academic conference. Three days where I just get to be a huge fucking nerd. I can’t wait!

Mmmmm I’m trying to think of what else to tell y’all.

In a great big contrast from last year, I spent most of Semana Santa shut in my room studying, instead of being out in the field doing research. I was kind of bummed that I didn’t participate in any of the festivities but I really needed to spend time catching up on work. Though I did observe things here and there! Which was refreshing! It’s crazy how seriously Easter is celebrated here…

My one roommate, who has since moved out, and I had a lot of fun while we lived together. We ate lots of Chinese, got close with our vigilantes, found some good vintage pieces for them to sell on their Depop, talked a lot of shit about our landlord, sang a lot of karaoke, contemplated contemporary politics, and experienced life as two idiots abroad. I’m gonna miss them but I’m sure our paths will cross again.

Speaking of roommates, my other roommate and I are going to start going on walks together which is so refreshing because I’ve missed going on walks!

Though, today I did have a really nice walk by myself at dusk. It had finally cooled down a little so I plugged in my headphones and listed to Court and Spark and just walked and walked. I felt like Forrest Gump.

I’ve made some pieces of art that I’m pretty proud of. I’m so glad that I’ve had bursts of creativity after what feels like such a long stint without any. I just really hope I can get more on top of things and start throwing on the wheel again. I love my collages and I find peace through my poetry, but there’s nothing like making stuff out of mud!

I’m also starting to offer my spiritual services to people to have more spending money for myself and to support projects my peers and I are pursuing. If you want a reading or need some type of spiritual work done don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Oh!!! I also have finally gotten all the paperwork that I needed to get in to prove that Miami University is a real and legally operating institution of higher education in the US!!! Now I just must wait for approval from the Salvadoran government. Fingers crossed!!!

I think that’s it??? Lots to juggle, lots to look forward to! Miss and love you all lots. I hope that I’ll get to see those of you that actually read this when I come home. Take care of yourselves and know that I’m always just a call away if you need anything. XOXO!

Z

[mariacallous]

The kids are NOT alright

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/16/nx-s1-5003933/young-voters-conservative-trump-turning-point

Sporting a "Pretty Girls Vote Republican" baseball cap and several buttons, including one reading "Gun Rights are Women's Rights," Lauren Kerby was surprised to be asked who she plans to vote for in the fall.

"Obviously Trump," the 21-year-old from Berkeley, Mich., said with a laugh. "I came here for a reason."

Here is the 'People’s Convention,' run by Turning Point Action, the advocacy wing of Turning Point USA, one of the largest national organizations focused on engaging students on conservative issues.

Turning Point - which rose out of concerns about free speech on college campuses, has grown into an unapologetically pro-Trump machine, focused on organizing for the former president ahead of the 2024 election.

It hosts events like these, attracting voters like Kerby and hundreds of others like her who want to party, young conservative style.

And this is certainly a Trump show. At the Huntington Place Convention Center in downtown Detroit, a bejeweled presidential seal with Trump’s face in the center rests on the hood of a gold-painted Mercedes-Benz. At a nearby booth among dozens, vendors are selling "America First" cowboy hats and shirts reading, "Voting Convicted Felon, 2024."

The festivities this year come as Turning Point Action works to significantly expand its organizing presence in key swing states ahead of the general election, including Michigan, home to this year’s conference.

Just five months out, enthusiasm for Trump is high among younger attendees. NPR spoke with more than a dozen voters under 30 who remain committed to Trump, motivated to vote for him largely because of his isolationist ideas and focus on the economy and immigration.

Their unwavering support stands in contrast to the sentiment of many younger Democratic voters, who remain unsure or unenthused about backing President Biden again.

Trump took the stage Saturday night as the event headliner. He ticked through his proposed second-term agenda and criticized Biden’s record, making little mention of the youth-focused nature of the event, outside of publicly thanking Turning Point founder and longtime supporter, Charlie Kirk, who is a millennial.

“[Kirk’s] got his army of young people,” Trump said to a crowd of over 8,000, according to Kirk. Though Turning Point staff told NPR that around 3,000 of the attendees were students.

“These are young patriots. They don’t want to see… what's been happening in our country," Trump added.

The former president’s remarks came after two days of speeches from conservative firebrands and high-profile Trump allies, including Republican National Committee co-chair and Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)

This year’s conference also comes just over two weeks after a New York jury found Trump guilty of criminal charges, a decision that could negatively impact his chances with younger voters. The latest Harvard youth poll, published in March, found a potential guilty verdict increased Biden’s lead by 10 percentage points among young Americans overall.

Much like their unwavering support in the election, though, voters at the event are unphased by his conviction. His mugshot is displayed on the posters and t-shirts of attendees.

To 20-year-old activist James Hart of Tallahassee, Fla., the verdict has little effect.

“I don’t really think, at this point, anyone’s feelings changed. I think everyone knows who they’re going to vote for. We know Trump. Trust me – we know Joe Biden,” said Hart. “We know their policy. We know how they're going to act. And I trust Trump.”

Where young conservatives stand

For Kerby from Berkeley, Mich., supporting Trump partially stems from his push for isolationism, including limiting U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“He’s focused on what’s happening here,” she said, pointing instead to Trump’s focus on reducing illegal immigration.

“Not saying that other places don't matter, but we should matter first,” Kerby’s friend, Elaina Luca, 21, added. “When you're in a family, you make sure that your family is okay first.”

Luca is also backing Trump. As a mom with two young kids, she’s most concerned about rising prices.

“When I drive around and see a nice house, I like to look up how much it's sold for,” she explained. “In today's economy, it's like, ‘Oh, wow, how did these people even afford that? …And it's like, ‘Oh no, they bought it in 2012 for like $150,000 and now it's worth like $1 million.”

“How am I supposed to get a house to raise my children to live in?” she wondered aloud, “I don't want to pay for a house for the rest of my life.”

Turning Point’s 2024 strategy

While Turning Point’s non-profit side has held student conferences for nearly a decade, also sprinkled with appearances from Republican politicians and conservative media figures, this conference marks just the second for Turning Point Action.

The activist network has morphed into a more pronounced political force, planning to ramp up its organizing ground game ahead of the election.

“It's night and day,” said Turning Point Action spokesman Andrew Kolvet. “Any activities we did, in 2022 for example, in the midterms, was like the Stone Age compared to the level of sophistication and just the resources that we’ve poured into this project to develop it.”

Kolvet is talking about the group’s “Chase the Vote” initiative, a get-out-to-vote campaign focused on reaching low-propensity voters in swing states that launched earlier this spring. Trump recently endorsed the program during a separate Turning Point event in Arizona, another pivotal state in 2024.

Turning Point hopes to raise $100 million to build up on the ground organizing staff and plans to work with the Trump campaign on canvassing – a notable change from past election cycles following new guidance from the Federal Election Commission.

Despite the roots of Turning Point, the program is not solely focused on young voters, though Kolvet said that will always be tied to Turning Point’s work.

Growing up under Trump, now it’s time to vote

Despite enthusiasm for Trump at Turning Point, Republicans face a steep challenge to bringing in more young voters. Voters under 30 have traditionally voted for Democrats, and in 2020, Biden won the age group by a 24-point margin.

Plus – young voters tend to be aligned with Democrats on their key issues – notably on abortion access, addressing climate and curbing gun violence. And despite struggling in polling, Biden still maintains a lead with young voters overall in multiple youth polls.

But among some young conservatives, albeit a proportionally smaller group, Trump’s style of Republican politics – once fringe and now mainstream – is overwhelmingly what they want for their political future.

“The pro-Trump, MAGA element definitely appeals more towards young conservatives and young Americans in general,” said 19-year-old Ohio student, Gabe Guidarini, a member of the College Republicans of America. “It actually addresses the problems that they face.”

He argued young people have trouble connecting to “old school Republican rhetoric” focused on cutting taxes and government spending, because they are not able to progress financially. And given the time period Gen Z has grown up during, Trump’s deviation from political norms is appealing, he explained.

James Hart agrees. Though the 20-year-old now lives in Tallahassee, he grew up in Detroit. “I was raised Democrat,” he said.

That is, until 2016, when his family flipped for Trump.

“His personality is what got my family to say. ‘Hey, you know, maybe the Democrats aren't the greatest,’” he said. “Honesty is the best policy. And up here in the Midwest, we're honest. We say it like it is. And Trump did that.”

Now, as Hart gets ready to vote for the first time, his mind is made up.

“I think most young people are going after Trump-like candidates,” he said. “We want the fire. We want the passion. We're tired of the same old, same old. We want bold policy that actually is going to lead with results.”