#I didn’t support the death penalty before the shooting and I still don’t. but I get it now.

[iirulancorrino]

Every time the shooting trial gets delayed I get more angry. This has stretched due process past any reasonable limit into rank cruelty to the victims’ families and the entire community

#I didn’t support the death penalty before the shooting and I still don’t. but I get it now. #nothing about the NGRI system makes sense to me either #gun violence ///

[useless-catalanfacts]

Why is Pablo Hasel justifying and praising terrosist groups??

I’m not sure if you’re asking why Pablo Hasél is accused of praising terrorist groups or why he said what he said. So I’ll answer both things lol.

He got sentenced to jail because of different verses from his rap songs and some tweets. To be precise, the judges have considered that he published 64 tweets that were either against the Spanish monarchy (yes, “offense against the Crown” is a crime in Spain) or praising the armed organisations GRAPO and ETA. These are the tweets that caused more scandal:

“Los parásitos de los Borbones siguen de trapis con los decapitadores de los homosexuales”: “the Bourbon parasites are still doing business with the ones who decapitate homosexuals”

This is a reference to the fact that the Bourbon family (the dynasty of the Spanish monarchy) are, in fact, doing business and being friends with the monarchy of Saudi Arabia, where human rights are not respected at all.

It is a fact that Saudi Arabia condemns homosexuality as a crime: gay people caught for the first time are flogged or jailed and if the “offense” is repeated they are sentenced to death penalty (source). It’s also a fact that King Juan Carlos I has had a long friendship and business relation with the Al Saud dynasty. In 1979, the Saudi monarchy gave Juan Carlos I a yacht as a gift (which he accepted and used for his holidays for years), when the king Fahd of Saudi Arabia died in 2005 the president of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (from the PSOE party) declared a national day of mourning for the Saudi king as was suggested to him by the Spanish monarchy, in 2008 king Juan Carlos I received 100 million euros from Saudi Arabia, in 2007 Juan Carlos gave Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (brother of the current king of Saudi Arabia) the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece (the highest chivalry honour that the King of Spain can give), in 2011 Juan Carlos intervened to the king of Saudi Arabia to get the contract of the high velocity train to Mecca (which is valued in 7,000 million dollars) assigned to a Spanish business, in 2019 the Panama papers revealed an offshore foundation that the Saudi monarchy had used to give the Spanish monarchy 100 million euros... Just a few examples that prove this relation. (Source). And now Juan Carlos I is living in the United Arab Emirates, another country with harsh punishments for homosexuality (among other human rights violations).

So Pablo Hasél was just stating the facts in that sentence.

“El mafioso de mierda del Rey dando lecciones desde un palacio”: “the fucking mafioso King giving lessons from a palace”

Given the many cases of corruption that the king has been involved in, as well as his intervention in the economy (such as profiting from big businesses that had profited from Franco’s dictatorship) and pressure in politics, it’s not so crazy to call him (and his family clan) a mafioso. In fact, the French TV news literally called Juan Carlos I a “gangster” once.

As for the “giving lessons from a palace”, that’s what he does in his Christmas speech or any other time he addresses the citizens, as if we all had it so easy as living and owning multiple palaces with hundreds of maids and not having to work while getting all kinds of luxuries payed for with public money. Not just Juan Carlos, Felipe VI is the same (remember when he went to Cuba to give them lessons on democracy, but then pretended everything was perfect in the visit to Saudi Arabia?).

Once again, Pablo Hasél was not being far from the truth.

“Guardia Civil torturando o disparando a emigrantes”: “the Civil Guard [Spanish military police force] torturing or shooting migrants”

The Civil Guard literally shoots rubber bullets at migrants who are trying to get on Spanish soil in Ceuta (source). By shooting them rubber bullets, the migrant people fall back on the water, and many drown. The Civil Guard murders and tortures migrants. And everything that takes place inside CIEs (migrant detention centers) can also be called torture with no doubt.

Again, these are facts.

Those were posts on social media, he has also been sentenced because of the lyrics of his songs. Here are some sentences from his song “Juan Carlos el Bobón” (the title is a pun with the words "Borbón”-Bourbon- and “bobo”-stupid-).

“Me cago en la marca España explotadora y casposa”: “the exploiter and braggart brand Spain can go fuck itself”

That’s self-explanatory. A personal opinion you can agree or disagree with, but given the things we’ve mentioned in this post and so many more, it’s perfectly understandable that he would feel like this. And he should be free to say it.

“Si Froilán se disparó en el pie siendo menor de edad igual ahora que es mayor de edad va a disparar a toda la Familia Real”: “if Froilán shot himself in the foot when he was underage, maybe now that he’s an adult he’ll shoot the whole Royal Family”

For those who don’t know, Froilán is the son of Infanta Elena, and so the nephew of the current king Philip VI. This line is a reference to 2012, when he was shooting in one of his parents’ possessions and he accidentally shot himself in the foot. It was illegal for him to be shooting in the first place, because Spanish law prohibits kids under 14 years of age to hold firearms, but of course nothing happened to his parents for doing illegal things because they’re the royal family.

Unsurprisingly, this line is considered “offense to the Crown”. It’s not a threat from Hasél, it’s just wishful thinking that I’m sure many people share.

And lines from other songs by Pablo Hasél:

“Siempre hay algún indigente despierto con quien comentar que se debe matar a Aznar”: “there’s always some homeless person awake with whom to talk about the need to kill Aznar”

José María Aznar was president of Spain between 1996 and 2004 with the right-wing party Partido Popular (PP). He was a shit president, during his presidency the labour rights decreased and left thousands of workers with way less protection than before, he focused a lot of his work as president on making the economy more neoliberal and left thousands of workers with unfair salaries and harsh working conditions by allowing the owners to fire and decrease pay at will. He also gave support to the USA in the occupation of Iraq, even when the population had been protesting against it (I was only 4 or 5 years old at the time and even I remember one of the general strikes against it).

“¡Merece que explote el coche de Patxi López!”: “Patxi López’s car deserves to explode”

“¡Que alguien clave un piolet en la cabeza a José Bono!”: “Someone stab an axe on José Bono’s head!”

“No me da pena tu tiro en la nuca, 'pepero'. Me da pena el que muere en una patera. No me da pena tu tiro en la nuca, 'socialisto'. Me da pena el que muere en un andamio”: “I’m not feeling sorry for the shot in the back of your neck, pepero [member of the PP party]. I feel sorry for the ones who die in dinghy boats. I don’t feel sorry for the shot in the back of your neck, socialisto [member of the PSOE party]. I feel sorry for the ones who die in a scaffold”.

“Prefiero grapos que guapos”: “I prefer GRAPOs to handsomes” (a pun). GRAPO was a communist and anti-imperialism armed organisation.

“Mi hermano entra en la sede del PP gritando ¡Gora ETA! A mí no me venden el cuento de quiénes son los malos, sólo pienso en matarlos”: “My brother goes in the PP’s headquarters shouting ‘Gora ETA!’. They won’t sell me the tale of who are the bad guys, I’m only thinking of killing them”

“Es un error no escuchar lo que canto, como Terra Lliure dejando vivo a Losantos”: “It’s a mistake to not listen to what I sing, like when Terra Lliure left Losantos alive”. Terra Lliure was a short-lived communist organisation that wanted to fight for the independence of the Catalan Countries through armed struggle. Jiménez Losantos is a fascist radio host who tells all kinds of lies and manipulates information to spread right-wingism, hatred towards national minorities, homophobia, etc.

“Los Grapo eran defensa propia ante el imperialismo y su crimen”: “GRAPO were self-defense against imperialism and its crime”.

“Quienes manejan los hilos merecen mil kilos de amonal”: “those who pull the strings deserve 1000 kg of ammonal”

“Pienso en balas que nucas de jueces nazis alcancen”: “I think of the bullets that would reach the nazi judges’ back of the necks”

None of these sentences are serious threats / plans at the moment. On the contrary, when the politicians he mentions make policies that directly cause deaths (of migrant people at the borders, suicides in migrant detention centers, of workers in their workplace, of people whose heat and gas is cut off or who are evicted, of women murdered by their husbands because they didn’t have anywhere to go for help, etc), now those are real crimes, aren’t they?

Pablo Hasél has been very vocal about being a communist. So I’ll copy-paste Friedrich Engels’ definition of “social murder”. I don’t know what Pablo had in mind when writing those lyrics but I think this fragments helps understand where he’s coming from.

When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet; when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life, places them under conditions in which they cannot live — forces them, through the strong arm of the law, to remain in such conditions until that death ensues which is the inevitable consequence — knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual; disguised, malicious murder, murder against which none can defend himself, which does not seem what it is, because no man sees the murderer, because the death of the victim seems a natural one, since the offence is more one of omission than of commission. But murder it remains. (Engels, The Condition of the Working-Class in England, 1845)

So we can agree or disagree with Pablo Hasél and what he says or his way of saying it, but that doesn’t mean he should be jailed because of it. And it’s incredibly hypocritical to consider saying (not doing, just saying!) that “there’s always some homeless person to talk about the need to kill Aznar with” is violence, but to ignore that Aznar’s involvement in the Iraq helped kill thousands of civilians (for a lie, because Iraq did NOT have weapons of mass destruction!) and caused the misery and indirectly the death of so many workers.

If your question was why did Pablo Hasél say these things, I think two of the sentences we said sum it up:

“I’m not feeling sorry for the shot in the back of your neck, pepero [member of the PP party]. I feel sorry for the ones who die in dinghy boats. I don’t feel sorry for the shot in the back of your neck, socialisto [member of the PSOE party]. I feel sorry for the ones who die in a scaffold” and “GRAPO were self-defense against imperialism and its crime”. Pablo Hasél was highlighting how the current situation we live in is already violence. Violence inflicted by capitalism, imperialism and hatred, so he would consider his words self-defense.

#pablo hasél #ask #anonymous #actualitat

[politicaltheatre]

Depraved Indifference

"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's, like, incredible."

- Donald Trump, at a campaign stop at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, January 23, 2016

This quote didn’t find its way into the second impeachment trial of the now-former President, but it should have. In a better world it would have, but in that better world a man such Donald Trump would not ever have been elected to any office, let alone one as powerful as president. And yet, somehow he was.

Donald Trump is no longer president, something his defenders, standing before the Senate and sitting among the trial’s jury, have taken great pains to try to focus our attention on.

Note how they talk about the importance of “moving on” and getting over it, thereby distancing us and, far more importantly, themselves from what was done.

Note how they try to frame the charge against Trump - “inciting violence against the government of the United States” - as merely “partisan” and “political”, something devoid of any legal justification or standing, as if the crimes were not witnessed by billions around the world in real time.

Note how, when faced with having to face the morally depraved actions they either encouraged or enabled in Trump and those who followed him, and having to defend their own complicity in the indefensible result, they turn to not even a little bit thinly veiled threats against those daring to accuse. Any retribution, they do declare, any continuation of violence against Trump’s declared enemies, that will be on you.

This has all the subtlety and predictability of a trial in the Jim Crow South, and, given the number of Confederate flags waving inside the Capitol on January 6th, that really isn’t too strong a comparison.

Trump, as anyone anywhere in the world even casually paying attention should know, is entirely guilty of inciting that riot. He spent years cultivating doubt in the electoral system, months casting doubt on the 2020 mail-in voting results, and, finally, weeks spreading blatant lies about voting fraud, ones that he continues to tell to this day.

He did all of this while encouraging and enabling exactly the kind of violence done on his behalf that we all saw on the 6th and, as the House impeachment managers have helpfully shown at length, in the days, weeks, months, and years leading up to it.

“Stand back and stand by”, right? The Proud Boys stuck that on t-shirts.

If the videos the House managers have played have failed to persuade, we tell ourselves, perhaps the evidence of Trump’s Defense and Justice departments undermining the Capitol police and National Guard’s response will. How about a timeline of Trump’s fiddling while the Capitol burned and his own Vice President quite literally ran for his life? No? Really?

You don’t need a lot of time to prepare a case when the defendant has been caught, figuratively, thousands of times in the middle of Fifth Avenue with a smoking gun. Trump’s thumbs offered up hundreds of smoking guns to choose from. Videos of his post-election rallies do, too. The ones he posted that day, hours after the breach, calling the men and women hunting “traitors” of both parties and battering Capitol police with American flags “patriots”, well, that’s a prosecutor’s dream. Or should be.

So, yes, he is guilty. Very, very, very guilty.

Ah, but so are at least three of his jury members: Josh Hawley, James Lankford, and Ted Cruz. They all gave credence to Trump’s lies, they all gave weight to those lies by demanding that the Senate investigate them once more and yet again before confirming the election, and that day they all cynically and repeatedly called for the rejection of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.  Well, Hawley and Cruz did; Lankford was trying to when he was evacuated.

They were no less guilty of trying to profit from the misplaced and misguided rage of those storming the Senate chamber than Trump, and, if the rioters’ own social media accounts are to be believed, Hawley and Cruz at the very least were no less accountable for them being there. Lankford, it seems, needs to up his social media game.

Those three senators, of course, are not on trial. They are merely jurors charged with deciding the guilt or innocence of Donald Trump for doing what they did themselves. They will be joined in their guaranteed “No” votes by at least 41 other Republican senators who, like them, once again voted to claim that, despite over 200 years of clear legal precedent, this impeachment trial is “unconstitutional”.

It’s no shock that the House managers’ detailed legal history lesson fell on deaf ears, nor is it that those three and other Trump Republicans were caught “reading” during the presentation of evidence. Rand Paul, whose own ridiculous claims about the election and trial have been followed by threats of retaliation, was caught doodling like teen stuck in detention.

This, not anything said by Trump’s crack legal team, is the argument for the defense: they know what Trump did, they know it was wrong, they know what they’re doing, and they know that’s wrong, too. And they do not care. They do not care.

These aren’t stupid people, they’re just dishonest. More specifically, they’re corrupt. What they believe, what they take as a matter of faith, is that they’ll face no real consequences for anything they’re doing or anything they’ve done.

And who’s to tell them they’re wrong? What’s the worse Hawley or Cruz will face? Censure? You can’t shame the shameless. They’ll wear their censures the same way Trump would, as a badge of courage on which they can raise campaign money and, they hope, draw out votes from Trump’s millions of rabidly loyal supporters.

For Hawley, Cruz, and others already campaigning for 2024, that’s all that matters. For them, this is just an opportunity, a means to an end, as they pursue their highly profitable careers in politics. It’s just business. For them, Trump, and every other one in Congress, on TV, and on social media who chose to ignore what people might do if they lied to them and wound them up, and for all of those choosing to ignore the consequences of it now, that’s all this is: just business.

And that’s the problem.

Politics shouldn’t be a business. We know that without even having to be told. When we talk about it, we do so in terms of “service” and “doing one’s duty”, words and phrases that romanticize the selfless nature we want to see in our politics and our politicians. We don’t just do that because that’s how we’ve always heard it spoken of, we do that because we know that the ones who embody that ideal are rare. There’s just too much evidence to deny it.

Go back far as you want, there have been men and women seeking power for the purpose of defending themselves and their friends from accountability. Back in the day, they sought appointments through connections or simply joined the clergy. These days, they run for office.

The political party in this country that currently stands against accountability is the Republican Party. Sure, the Democratic Party has its own sizable share of complicity for allowing the country’s drift into right-wing aggressive selfishness, but, lucky for us, it hasn’t been able to rid itself of its accountable members the way the Republican Party has. Of course, that’s only natural, given the importance of accountability to the political Left.

The last two Republican presidents were elected in no small part because they had a background in business. Yes, they each ran their businesses into the ground, but they ran them.

George W. Bush came into office as a “corporate” president, one who would, we were assured, delegate to those more experienced and skilled in areas where he was…lacking. We waved away his inadequacies and were somehow shocked when he failed in exactly every one of those areas. Still, he and his friends made money hand over fist, so the corporate presidency was good for business, big business, in particular, which got a big bailout.

Donald Trump should have inspired even less confidence, but confidence man that he is, he played enough suckers to get him in the White House. As much pain, suffering, and death as he has caused in four excruciatingly long years, he and his cronies have made out like gangbusters, too. The government they were hired to manage, not so much.

From the start, he and his cabinet secretaries lived by the old rule, “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission”. Not that they asked for forgiveness. That’s for losers. They broke laws, fleeced taxpayers, and resigned knowing that whatever penalty they might face would pale compared to the profits they took with them.

This is the mentality that drives corporate decision making around the world. For them, the adage is a bit more like, “better to settle a lawsuit than risk profits”. They, too, avoid apologies whenever possible. That keeps the damages paid to to victims and their families lower.

Currently, there are companies selling cars, drugs, baby food, and other products that they know are defective and a threat to the people using them. They know this. They know there’s a high risk that people will die, and they do it anyway. Instead of recognizing the threat and stopping, they do cost-benefit analyses to determine the number of deaths from their products they can afford.

This, it’s worth stating, is not capitalism. We may tell ourselves that it is, but that’s just us looking for an easy answer, a scapegoat for our own failures. In fact, this pattern was just as common under communism, too; just ask anybody who used to live near Chernobyl. Mistakes are hidden, a given number of deaths are accepted, and the perception of success and prestige is maintained.

This is corruption, and deaths and suffering caused by a lack of accountability are what corruption does. A death is a symptom, a great, big red flag, something to tell you that something is very, very, very wrong, but how many of those red flags do we see and ignore before we finally stop to ask what it is we’ve been seeing?

How many smaller red flags, such as poverty, racism, anti-semitism, police brutality, injustice, and sexual abuse, do we pass because we’ve just become so used to seeing them? Do we tell ourselves that there is nothing we can do? Do we even ask if there is anything we can do? Or do we, as so many senators are now preparing to do, instead embrace corruption as a virtue.

This is the real threat, a system that accepts this and holds no one accountable, and a culture that pushes back against demands for accountability, embracing the very worst of who we are and what we can do to others just to prove that we can. The result is a flood of childish acting out and a loss of trust in products and services that we must be able to trust because they are supposed to keep us safe.

Is this as great a threat to our society as the January 6th attack on the Capitol? This is that attack. The product failures that led to the attack were political. We have watched as our political and government institutions have failed. We have watched as those entrusted to deliver a product that works and keeps us safe have, again and again, deliberately or not, betrayed that trust. As with any other product sold, each breach of trust carries over into the next, accumulating and compounding, eroding not just our ability to trust those products but all products like them.

Think of the doubts Americans have about the safety of vaccines? Sure, we can chalk that down to internet conspiracy theories and echo chambers if we like, but would they have gained the traction they have in a world in which we weren’t inundated with ads featuring paid-non-attorney-spokespersons asking us if we or a loved one took this drug or that and had experienced one or more life threatening side effects? How many of us heard about the Covid-19 vaccines and asked, How long before we see the ads for that?

For decades, we have allowed ourselves to become a nation of beta-testers, taking on the cost and burden of quality control that the companies releasing and profiting from these products, and these class action lawsuits have become big business as a result. Every new pharmaceutical product that hits the shelves, part of us is just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Time and the success of these vaccines should put an end to that, at least for this pandemic, but that we have to do so should tell us about the work we have to do to repair our society, or to build one that can exist without absolving us from being accountable to each other.

Until then, we have other kinds of corruption to face, including one that may be more destructive than anything we’re seeing in the Senate this week.

The Reddit-GameStop insurrection might have been fun to watch from the sidelines, a bit of schadenfreude for those of us on the outside of Wall Street, looking in, but the truth is the hedge fund villains still made their money, and the systemic fault lines this episode exposed should have us all scared and paying attention.

Our economy is overly concentrated in Wall Street’s product and therefore overly dependent on its success and stability. A loss of faith in its product has been underway for years. That’s how you get to day traders trying to take on hedge funds the way they did. This wasn’t David vs Goliath, this was guerrilla warfare over who gets to make the quick and easy profits.

The upside of that is that some of the “little guys” seem to win something; the downside of that is that it does nothing to fix the problems we have with Wall Street. Rather, it only makes them worse, by highlighting how easy it is to manipulate stocks and commodities and how few get to do it and get away with it.

What happens, then, when no one has any faith left in Wall Street? What happens when everyone believes it is nothing more than a casino designed to take money rather than make it?

Well, we’re almost there. We have a massive, growing online gambling industry, and with it an online gambling problem. Sports leagues, some with their own recent histories of cheaters (and worse) getting away with it, have turned their own fans onto gambling as part of the sport. How many of these people, blowing their money on bad beats, think of it as no different than investing on Wall Street stocks?

A better question: What happens to all of those stock prices when everyone, including the crooks on Wall Street, lose faith in that system, take their profits, and leave? An even better question: What happens if they do that all at once?

The answer is: Lost jobs, pensions, food and housing security, and hope.

In other words, 2020 on steroids. That’s what you get with corruption, an environment in which politicians like Donald Trump, companies willing to harm consumers, and right wing domestic terrorists thrive. As long as they aren’t held accountable, they will.

“Bad for the country”, indeed.

- Daniel Ward

#impeachment #corruption #politics #depraved indifference #aggressive selfishness #Donald Trump #josh hawley #ted cruz #james lankford #mitch mcconnell #lindsey graham #republicans #democrats #january 6th #insurrection #long reads #long read

[thescienceofapologetics]

Evidence for the Resurrection

It’s Easter time once again! A Sunday that marks the single most pivotal point of Christianity. If you want to prove Christianity is a hoax, all you must do is illustrate how the resurrection was a facade. It is absolutely essential to our salvation that Christ conquered death, for if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead our hope is lost. 1 Corinthians 15:14 likewise states, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Without the resurrection our belief is baseless, futile, unfounded, and foolish. So why is it we believe such an outlandish claim could actually happen, superseding the natural laws of earth? Here’s a few reasons...

The Bible is the most historically accurate ancient text in the world — When discussing the validity of history, it’s only reasonable to reference your source that has proven most reliable. The Bible is that source. No other record of ancient history has come CLOSE to matching the reliability of the Bible. If we say the Bible is untrustworthy, we must discard every other historical record as well because the Bible vastly surpasses every test of authenticity as no other book does. More on that here and here.

Yes, Jesus really died - Many people start off with the dispute that maybe Jesus wasn’t really dead. However, that neglects both the historical and circumstancial context. The Romans were masters at execution. They knew how to draw out suffering to the finest line between death and life, make it last for days on end. This was their art form. These men were proficient and practiced. Jesus was tortured, whipped with a scourge that often exposed bone and vital organs, tearing flesh from a body. Many people didn’t survive that alone. He was forced to carry a cross that could have weight up to 300lbs, and he crumpled under the weight, unable to bear it. Nails were driven through his wrist and through both his feet. Make note he would be unable to walk from the pain in his feet, his hands would be rendered useless. The way you hang on a cross causes death by asphyxiation, to breathe you had to push your self up with means grating your torn back against the wood and putting more pressure on the holes ripping your limbs. After Jesus died they speared his side to make certain he was dead and fluid came pouring out. The Romans checked thoroughly to make sure he was dead because they were shocked he died so quickly. He was bloated, swollen, and gored by death on a cross. Even if for arguments sake, Jesus was not yet dead, being in a tomb for three days would indisputably see to that. If blood loss didn’t kill him, infection certainly would. Additionally, Luke, one of eyewitnesses who recorded the events, was a doctor so his perspective is a notably authoritative one. (Luke 23-24).

The tomb was empty - There is no possible way Jesus, weakened to the point where the Roman masters of execution called his death, unable to use his hands or feet due to the spikes pounded into them, was able to roll away a MASSIVE boulder and over power two trained and able-bodied Roman soldiers. The idea that Jesus didn’t fully die on the cross and escaped the tomb is absurd. Furthermore, the guards stationed to prevent anyone from robbing the tomb and the Roman seal on the two-ton rock ensured that anyone who dared to even attempt to move it faced the death penalty themselves. If the guards themselves fell asleep they faced the same fate. There was a LOT at stake if Jesus’ body was taken, the Romans were taking no chances. Every other argument for the absence of Jesus’ body can quickly be dismantled by historical context and the circumstances by which these things took place.

It was prophesied - Isaiah talks about the particular circumstances of Jesus death, such as no bones would be broken, an unusual anomaly when it came to crucifixion. Jesus himself also foretells that he will rise within three days. Even smaller details like casting lots for His garments were spoken of hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Other prophesies like this show that Jesus’ death was no accident, God knew what He was doing. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; John 18-20)

Eyewitness accounts - Jesus appeared to over 500 people after His resurrection, many of whom were alive at the time of the gospels being written and therefore could confirm or dispute their accuracy (1 Corinthians 15:6) Among those include the disciples, Mary Magdalene, and Paul the former murderer of Christians. The Bible records accounts of skeptism and unbelief, but they saw the scars on his hands, touched his solid flesh before them, heard his familiar voice, and they believed because of it. Paul became that which he initially DESPISED because of his encounter with Jesus Christ, that alone is a mind-blowing testimony. The man who hunted and killed Christians became a Christian who was willing to be tortured and killed because he so strongly believed in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The apostles went from hiding in extreme fear to preaching the gospel in the face of deadly persecution - When Jesus died the apostles went into hiding. They were TERRIFIED that the Romans, the other Jews, would come after them next. Yet, after Jesus appears, they’re fearlessly preaching the gospel out in open crowds of THOUSANDS. It’s a dramatic switch of perspective. To go from quivering fear to such emboldened confidence, surely seeing Jesus standing risen before you would give you that kind of intrepidation. There is little else to explain how these men were suddenly ready to risk everything after being afraid to admit they ever knew Jesus just days before.

Apostles willing to die for Jesus - Now some people say the apostles stole the body of Jesus to convince people to turn to Christianity. The Bible says that lie was started by the Romans in order to discredit the apostles. However, almost all of the apolstles died for preaching the gospel, and all of them were severely persecuted. Why would they exchange their lives, their health, their reputation, their livelihoods, their comfort for something they knew was a lie? It simply makes no sense. The only logical conclusion is that they believed Jesus was the resurrected Christ.

Appearing to a woman first was a dumb move - The testimony of a woman would not be as respected as than of a man in those times. If Jesus’ resurrection was a ruse, the logical thing to do would be to claim he was seen by a male dignitary of noble standing, not a woman who had been previously possessed by demons - a social blemish (Luke 8:2). “Unflattering” facts like this, the cowardis of the apolstles, their initial skeptism, not recognizing Jesus right away, etc. lend to the credit of the account because it demonstrates an accurate retelling, not a fabrication that was crafted to deceptively sway the masses into false belief.

Vision, hallucination unlikely due to number of witnesses and circumstances - Jesus didn’t appear to two people and then go back to Heaven. He appeared to over 500 in all sorts of different locations. People who weren’t looking for him, people who didn’t believe it was Him until they had proof. Proof so certain that they were no longer afraid, they were filled with unextinguishable hope. We must also realize the historical context of the time in which it took place. It’s much easier to fabricate this kind of illusion today with the technology and way by which we pass on information. The time period in which the resurrection took place adds merit that should not be ignored. News was circulated in a manner that was unique to our present day process.

Non-Christian historians record the resurrection - Josephus, a renowned secular historian at the time of Jesus’ death, writes, “On the third day He appeared... restored to life.” It should be noted there are many who debate the reliability of Josephus’ words regarding the resurrection, however, many historians find this evidence to support the Bible’s claims.

The persecution of the early church - Under Nero’s reign the early church suffered some of the most violent persecution, not to mention the Jewish leaders who also sought to kill the Christians. The steadfast resolve of a Church who was in its infant stage is astounding. The only explanation is that they all genuinely believed in the resurrection. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose by preaching the gospel, yet they did so freely despite the cost. If Christianity was based on a lie, it should have been easy to crush it as it was beginning. The fact that the force of the entire Roman Empire wasn’t enough to sway their devotion is incredible. The whole of the known world tried to annihilate Christianity in the cradle but couldn’t.

It is the accumulation of evidence that begs cause for belief - It is not for one singular reason that we believe Jesus rose from the dead, but rather the combined evidence that demands an explanation that only the Bible provides. The proven accuracy of the Bible, the eyewitnesses details; the historical records of Jesus walking, eating, alive; the unexplainable absence in the tomb despite all efforts to seal it; the prophesies fulfilled; the change in people’s lives, the martyrs, the flourishing of the church in the face of persecution. It all points back to Jesus rising from the dead as the only reasonable explanation. The Bible consistently presents answers to questions the world has no answer for.

More comprehensive analysis and sources

Within these sources you’ll find more Biblical references, breaking down arguments and evidence, and quotes from some of the world’s finest minds and historians.

The Resurrection of Christ: The Best Proved Fact in History

Resurrection: No Doubt About It

Biblical and Extra-Biblical Evidences

Is the Resurrection True?

Atheist’s Look at the Resurrection

Still got questions/comments? Shoot me an ask! I don’t usually reply to comments on long posts, but I’d certainly love to talk!

#history #religion #christianity #resurrection #easter #apologetics

[ahnsael]

After the police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks chose not to show up for Game Five of the NBA playoffs in protest.

The Milwaukee Brewers followed the Bucks’ lead and chose not to play their baseball game Wednesday (not playoffs in this case) in protest of police shooting unarmed black men.

I’m actually very happy to see this. Sports stars are taking a stand as well as a knee to say that what we are seeing isn’t right.

We have a death penalty in the U.S. But it is a long process of trials, appeals, and pondering evidence that takes YEARS.

It is NOT a cop's job to act as judge, jury, and executioner all in the span of seconds. Any cop who does so, when not in immediate danger, is a coward.

And to deny sports to people in support of positive change is a good thing. As my friend @jimstares says, “sports are unimportant, which is exactly why they’re so important.” I respect EVERY player who chose not to compete yesterday. I knew about the Bucks before I went to bed (again, I work graveyard, so my sleep schedule isn’t likely to match your sleep schedule). I found out about the Brewers many hours later after I woke up.

I am SO glad to see that the movement against cops who are not worthy of the badge is growing. There are good cops out there, but if they aren’t ridding their departments of bad cops who just signed up to “legally” act out murder fantasies and shoot someone seven times in the back,are they really “good cops” (and they STILL didn’t kill them -- the Kenosha WI cop may have paralyzed the suspect but the cop had the aim of a Stormtrooper).

If we have police walkthroughs in the near future, I’m going to have some veryuncomfortabe conversations with them. But we’ve hadONE walkthrough since we reopened, so I don’t know that the conversation will happen soon.

#sports are unimportant #which is exactly why they're so important #black lives matter #fuck the police #I can't think of a single reason to EVER trust a cop

[xstick-noodlesx]

My sister and I talked about weird things in the wizarding world (2/?)

@ladyliljax

-why are actual schoolchildren expected to fight Voldemort??

-why can’t people say the name ‘Voldemort’ like what kind of weird superstition is it that he will come back if you say the name??

-why was there no army established to fight Voldemort and his Deatheaters after the fist wizarding war??

-why do the centaurs live in the woods? They are basically as smart as humans??? Why can’t they hold a normal job???

-is there an option for religious students to pray? Is the only holiday celebrated Christmas???

-why don’t the wizards conjure up food for hungry people???

-is astrology science??

-were Dumbledore and Grindlewald like blood brothers? Were they banging? And if yes why would you be the blood brother with the person you were banging????

-I get that Dumbledore couldn’t kill Grindlewald but he could have helped??? He could have found him or something??

-Jude Law’s Dumbledore wears a nice three-piece suit? When did Dumbledore ditch the three-piece suits in favour of bedazzled robes???

-Dumbledore looks like those wizards you see on the side of vans. Did he use those as inspiration or was it the other way around?

-why did My Immortal do more for gay representation than the actual book series???

-why is My Immortal’s Dumbledore a more consequent and responsible principal that actually enforces rules???

-why was My Immortal able to predict the way they would defeat Voldemort? Was JKR reading My Immortal for inspiration???

-why did Ebony from My Immortal use the time travelling device for better reasons than people in the actual books?

-why didn’t Hermione and Harry come up with a plan before using the time turner? They could have maybe captured Peter Pettigrew and spared Sirius for real??

-I feel like their time travelling adventure is a little like the grandfather paradox, or am I the only one??

-why are people so discriminatory against minorities like giants, centaurs, werewolves, house-elves????

-and I know I mention this too much but it still irks me that everyone is fine with giant spiders, killer mermaids, giant quids, dangerous tournaments, flying a broom into the sky even during thunderstorms, etc, but a werewolf being a teacher is where they draw the line?? Like if Remus was a safety concern due to his lycanthropy than surely they need to get rid of Quidditch, too, because that seems much more dangerous to me

-is there only one wizard bank? Are there no ATMs? What if I need money but I’m at Hogwarts? Do I need to travel there on a day off to get my money? Can my parents pick it up or do I need to be there in person??

-I know I’ve mentioned it before but how does a giant squid survive in a little clear water lake? Aren’t they saltwater animals?

-why were they planning on having the Dementors kiss Sirius for something they couldn’t prove but they never did the same to Bellatrix for example?? Where is the line that you need to cross to be kissed by a Dementor??

-after capturing Sirius for a second time they just decide to give him the soul-sucking penalty all willy-nilly without a process???

-Harry basically saved Dudley’s life but they wanted to expel him anyway???

-why aren’t more things on fire if there are real-life dragons??? And who thought keeping dragons in the forbidden forest during the tournament would be a good idea?? Probably dumbledore

-Don’t muggles see the dragons from time to time?? Or the centaurs or something???

-why do the werewolves need to register and are then mistreated? I wouldn’t get registered if I knew I’d be mistreated???

-or why do you need to be registered as an animagus? Who cares???

-can you homeschool your wizard kids? Because I’d rather homeschool my kids than sending them to Hogwarts??

-this may sound weird BUT if lycanthropy is contracted via a bite that means it is in the saliva, right?? Does that mean it’s contracted overall bodily fluids, like blood or genital fluids??? Why didn’t Tonks become a werewolf when she kissed Remus??? Is it only contagious if he is a werewolf at the time?? If he bites someone as a human are they fine???

-why are the Weasley’s all red-headed? Why is every second character’s mom a redhead??

-why did the make the guy who was supposed to be an HIV analogy straight??

-why couldn’t Remus raise harry?? Like I get he’s a werewolf but once a month he could get a baby sitter? And I get that he’s poor but Dumbledore and Hogwarts could have supported him???

-why is Snape still employed??

-why doesn’t get Trewlany get a house or a flat from the money she earns at Hogwarts?? Why does she live there full time?? Does Dumbledore pay them that little??

-we said it in the first part, but why are there so few teachers? You don’t hire ONE teacher to teach ONE subject. You normally have like two or three teachers for one subject and one teacher normally teaches like two or three subjects??? How does the school schedule work if you have that few teachers???

-why is there a class taught at midnight in the astrology tower???

-what happens if I accidentally kill an animagus in the animal form?? What if I step on a rat animagus?? Do they turn back to humans after death?? Does your foot rise when you have the rat guy under your foot?

-and if you kill an animagus in pet form without knowing they’re human, like eg shooting a stag during a hunt and it turns out it was James Potter all along, are you a murderer? Do you go to Azkaban??

-how was Peter able to sneak into a family and then into Hogwarts without anyone knowing that it was him? didn’t Sumbledore know that James, Sirius and Peter were animagi? Didn’t Minerva know?? She was one too??

-what family just picks up a random rat and decides that it’s their pet now??

-Sirius snuck out as a dog? Did the dementors not question why there was a dog in prison?? Shouldn’t they be able to tell?

-did Remus give Sirius a flea bath after he escaped from Azkaban??

-why didn’t Fred and George question a guy named Peter Pettigrew always SITTING on their brother and sleeping in his bed with him?

-Scabbers sometimes slept in bed with Ron, right? Why didn’t Peter just go somewhere else during the night?? Why did he stay with Ron?? Was he a creep??

-can you buy birth control in Hogsmeade? Or do you go to Madame Pomfrey for it?? Or is there a spell for that?

-can they use the Accio spell to get Nagini or the medallion? Or does that not work?

-what if you die wearing the invisibility cloak? Do they just lie on the ground, undetected until someone happens to bump into them???

-how big is the invisibility cloak? I feel like it varies

-why did no one else try to outsmart Death like the three brothers? You could get some sick stuff from that??

-so the students fought in the battle of Hogwarts?? Like I get if a seventeen-year-old decides to fight but what about all the first years?? Did they have to fight???

-were the Marauders furries? Do furries in the wizarding world actively try to become werewolves?

-is your Patronus your fursona??

-were Voldemort and Nagini in a relationship??? Like she was a woman before she turned into a snake???

-is there a black market for wands??

-how long does it realistically take for someone to find their wand? There are so many wands at Ollivander's?? Did Harry get lucky after like the fourth try?? Do other kids take way longer??

-what if no wand wants you??

-what happens if your pet dies in Hogwarts? Do you get to bury your pet??

-why do people still use Snape’s past to justify his actions? Just because he was bullied and had a rough home life doesn’t make it okay for him to bully his co-workers and the students? And do all the other messed up stuff he did?

-how did Lockhart get away with all his stuff?? Did no one ever ask him to perform the magic he claims he can do???

-why are there so many weird obstacles to overcome to get to the philosophers stone?? Like a giant chess board?? Flying keys?? Just put a trap door in front of it to trap whoever tries to steal it

-why is identity theft so easy in the wizarding world?

-why don’t they have credit cards?

-why is their currency so weird?? Is there someone who exchanges real-life money for magic money? Like for muggle-born students?? They need gold to pay, right?

#i know some of therse may be explained on pottermore but i don't care #yes i misspelled 'these' as 'therse' but i want to use that hashtag so shush #long post #original post #rant #harry potter #harry potter and the philosophers stone #harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban #harry potter and the goblet of fire #harry potter and the deathly hallows #harry potter and the deathly hallows 2 #ron weasley #sirius black #remus lupin #james potter #peter pettigrew #Albus Dumbledore #minerva mcgonagall #hermione granger #i think itagged all #oh no wait #severus snape #now i'm done #enjoy! #me and my sister

[peakysabrina]

Dark Horse: chapter 7

Y’all I’m sorry for uploading all the chapter but I’ve gotten a surge of inspo. Hope you enjoy this!! Warning: a bit of angst

The weather had become worse and worse, after the sunny morning Birmingham had experienced. There was wind, there was rain, there was even thunder and lightning. For those who were in bed, comfortable and warm, it was of absolutely no consequence; but for those without four strong walls around them, it had to be scary, cold, and an altogether unfortunate state of affairs. Ada belonged to the first group: tucked in under a heavy blanket and a comforter, she couldn't possibly feel more priviledged. Her body was peaceful, but her mind... was a different story. A very, very different story. And her worry, because it was worry, had a name, a face, a reason: Georgia Gold. Not because she was a death penalty brooding over the Shelbies, but because she had nothing but wood separating her from the elements. Was she cold? Was she coughing, shivering? Did she have blankets, or was she forced to rely on thin sheets?

Sure enough, Polly had been right when she said that something had been left behind. Ada should've known better than to ignore her aunt's words, given that they were always quite on the nose. No one knew how she did that, and no one wanted to know: what mattered was never to ignore those gifts, and the information they surrendered. So Ada, a modern and intelligent woman, would admit to the truth, but only in the solitude of her own bed. Yes, Gigi was a beautiful creature, a beautiful person, and a beautiful woman. More than that, she was a woman who understood how Ada felt in relation to Tommy, and had put it into words when no one in his family had been able to. 

Maybe it wasn't the fact that Gigi was a woman. Granted, Ada had never thought of herself as the kind of woman who was attracted to other women, but it didn't come as a big shock, nor was it a despleasing realization. What was less appealing was the fact that the object of her attraction was the same person who had dumped, for lack of a better word, six corpses, give or take, in front of herself and her family. But Tommy had said something that hadn't been lost on Ada: Gigi only kills bad people. It made a difference, and a very big one at that, too. It wasn't violence for the sake of violence, it was righting wrongs. Whether Tommy was one of those wrongs, remained to be seen. 

Even when one took this into account, and admitting that Ada did have some feelings for Gigi, it didn't mean they went beyond physical attraction, maybe a dash of lust even. She didn't need to fall in love, she didn't need to feel for her what she felt for Freddie. Moreover, in less than three weeks, Gigi would be gone, taking with her any chance of that ever happening. Nothing was necessary, no course of action needed to be defined, nothing had to be addressed. 

But what if she was shivering, what if she was uncomfortable, what if she was crying, or in pain? What if the wood wasn't enough to keep the water from inflitrating the vardo, what if the drops of rain and the moist didn't let her sleep? And what if Ada could drive to her camp, whisk her away to her own home, and make sure she would never be cold again?

________________________________________________________________

"You look well" Polly exclaimed, seeing her stepdaughter riding her stallion up her driveway. It was a big victory to get Gigi to accept a lunch invitation, but she eventually had, and it was lovely to see her, dismounting and fixing her dress before hugging her doting stepmother. 

"So do you! Thank you for having me" Gigi responded, hugging Polly tightly and entering the home after her. 

Polly herself had prepared lunch, which was delicious, and way too much for two slim women. With a bottle of wine and some laughs, time went by quickly, and Polly felt as if she could ask the question that hadn't left her mind ever since the faithful day she'd seen Ada and Gigi together. There was no way to be subtle about it, and Georgia was smart enough to see through those kinds of attempts. 

"You remember my Ada, don't you?" Polly simply said, elbows on the table, and fists supporting her chin. Clear as day, she could see something in Gigi's face, a fleeting, yet obvious smile, accompanied by a dilation of the pupils. Of course she remembered Ada; she probably had Ada on her mind even more than Polly did, or anyone else for that fact.

"Your niece, of course. The one who went to pick you up when we first met" Gigi responded, as casually as she possibly could, despite the shiver going up and down her spine. 

"I want to confirm something, and I hope you don't mind me asking" 

"Not at all, ask away" the young woman encouraged, even though she was terrified of what was coming. She hadn't known Polly for long, but she did know one thing: she could see things no one else could, and could even see more than the individual the information pertained to. Doubtlessly, there was something coming, something that would make all the difference in the world once confirmed. 

"You fancy her, don't you?" 

"What made you think I do?" Gigi asked, hiding her mouth behind a cloth napkin, under the guise of wiping her mouth after finishing her coffee. "Something I did, something I said?"

"The way you looked at her when she came to pick me up that one time. I could see something, I just don't know what it was" Polly admitted, inhaling and exhaling as quietly as she could, not wanting to miss a single word, a single expression or sigh. 

"Well, I can't say you're wrong, because you are not" Gigi responded, trying to force the corners of her mouth to stay still. "I don't know whether I fancy her, or if I just find her to be absolutely and breathtakingly gorgeous"

"Which she is, no two ways about it" 

"Could not agree more. I don't know if you know this, but she was the one to parlay with me when I arrived. I was ready to start shooting everyone in that house, and keep their heads as trophies... but she sat down with me, we worked out a deal, and I could reason with her, and her with me, better than anyone in the past. She understands me, and I understand her. Is that fancying someone?" Georgia asked, asking Polly the same question she'd asked herself time and time again. Maybe someone older, someone more experienced could provide an answer, because Gigi herself had arrived to absolutely no conclusion, and it was maddening. 

"I think it is, love" Polly confirmed, a widening smile lighting up her tired features. "I think it is. I could see it too, I could see it in the way you looked at her, and could see it in her eyes too. I would say she hasn't come to that conclusion yet, but she will"

"Even if she does feel this way, it would hardly be a good idea to act on such a thing. Once this is dealt with, I'll be going back to Swansea, where I belong, where my home is, and she will stay here, doing business, having her child, probably marrying" Gigi countered, shrugging, wishing she could dismiss it that easily. "It's going to hurt to say goodbye, she's the first person I've ever fancied. But it's how things are, and it's like you said: no two ways about it" 

"Is it that set in stone?" 

"On my part? It is. And if you decide to come with us, you'll be more than welcome. Ada wouldn't do it, she has a boy, and another little one on the way. She's got ties to this place, she's got others to think about" 

"Will you tell her how you feel?" Polly enquired, scared to know the answer, despite already knowing what it would be. "Before you go, I mean" 

"Should I?" Gigi replied, gathering her hair and pulling it over her shoulder. "No, I don't think I will, Polly. Some stones are better left unturned"

"And if you some day get a letter from me telling you she's gotten married?" 

"It's like I said: it will hurt, but it is what it is. It's 1930, and I cannot expect to marry another woman, or to offer her the good life she's accostumed to. As you very well know, love doesn't put food on your table, or a roof over your head" Gigi chuckled, sucking her teeth, and refusing to cry, even though she wanted to. "I can love her to the moon and back, a million times over, but I can never expect to be with her" 

#peaky blinders #polly gray #ada shelby #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction

[thisdanobrien]

I Had Some Thoughts About the Tony Awards

Here’s a thing you might not know about me: I can’t honestly remember the last time I haven’t watched the Tony Awards. I know it’s not for everyone, but I love it and it’s my very favorite awards ceremony. The social media era usually makes watching the Tony’s tough, because almost every single year the Tony’s are scheduled the same night as a crucial NBA Finals game, and both are equally important to me (I’m a very specific kind of person). I usually TiVo one while watching the other and avoiding social media entirely. This year, thankfully, Kevin Durant, J.R. Smith and the Warriors wrapped up their series in four and I didn’t have this problem.

You might not have watched the Tony’s, which is fine, but you most likely know about the thing that happened that made and continues to make headlines: Robert De Niro said “Fuck Trump,” twice. Do we have a clip?

[We DO]

Lots of people are saying lots of things about this. There’s the typical, disingenuous articles from the right, where they holler and clutch their pearls at such profanity (while hypocritically either justifying or wholesale ignoring similar bouts of profanity from the president/members of his administration). You’ve also got a lot of people on the left complaining too. This comes from an OpEd from Frank Bruni:

“When you answer name-calling with name-calling and tantrums with tantrums, you’re not resisting him. You’re mirroring him. You’re not diminishing him. You’re demeaning yourselves.”

It’s a variation of the “when they go low, we go high” refrain that the left wants to claim as its identity in an ideal world where things are equal and people behave normally. (And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.)

There are still different people on the left who look at OpEds like that and retweet them with comments similar or identical to “If you think it was inappropriate for De Niro to say ‘Fuck Trump,’ well then guess what? FUCK YOU.”

These are people who are as frustrated as they are passionate, and maybe they’re jaded by the lack of success they’ve experienced in the Higher Ground strategy. Maybe they think the “they go low, we go high” thing would only work under normal circumstances, and the circumstances aren’t normal so we need to adjust. Or maybe they don’t think any of that, and they just enjoy the catharsis of saying, hearing or watching a famous movie badass say “Fuck Trump” to the sound of near-unanimous applause. (And I suppose I’m pretty fine with those people too?)

But, I guess, here’s my thing. The Tony’s was already a “Fuck Trump.” It was tough and loud and somehow still elegant and understated but most definitely a “Fuck Trump.” Let’s talk about a lot of things (but really only just one thing).

Back in January, President Trump was quoted asking “Where’s my Roy Cohn?” It was a rhetorical question, obviously, because Roy Cohn is quite dead, but what the president likely meant was “Where’s the guy who is going to make my problems disappear while making me look good and clean in the process?” The president was in trouble, and in the past, Roy Cohn was the guy who made the trouble go away. He also saw Roy as a mentor, and you can see how much Donald Trump appreciates Cohn by the way he handles himself, in that brash, throwback-tough-guy, New Yorker sort of way.

A bit about Roy.

Roy Cohn was an attorney who among other things was the personal attorney/fixer for Donald Trump during his early business days. Here are some of those “other things” he did:

-Worked closely with McCarthy during the Red Scare, a bizarre quest to find and remove people they believed to be secret communists in Hollywood and Washington DC (a smokescreen to advance their own agenda through threats and intimidation, capitalizing on the nationalist, anti-communist spirit in America at the time). -Worked as hard as he could to get the death penalty for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (it is largely the consensus of historians and legal experts that Julius and Ethel were “guilty AND framed,” and certainly did not deserve the death penalty). -The Lavender Scare. It’s very similar to the Red Scare, it just didn’t get nearly the same amount of coverage (even though it harmed way more people). It involved Cohn and McCarthy successfully pushing for the mass firings of government officials suspected of being gay. Smear campaigns, intimidation, threats, etc. Fire the gay people, and threaten to “out” and ruin anyone who got in your way.

That’s Roy Cohn. That’s Donald Trump’s mentor. And so, in January, during whatever scandal the president happened to be going through at the time, President Trump asked “Where’s my Roy Cohn?”

This year, the Tony’s had an answer. The proudly out Nathan Lane who plays Roy Cohn in Angels in America, welcomed his Tony win by kissing his husband and closed his acceptance speech by tearfully thanking him as his “greatest blessing.”

A bit about Nathan.

It’s been a strange road for Nathan Lane. At 21 when he told his mother he was gay, she said “I’d rather you were dead.” He wasn’t necessarily in the closet, but he dodged questions about his sexuality for years and didn’t publicly come out until 1998 following the murder of Matthew Shepherd (a young, gay man who was tortured and beaten to death in Laramie). A mother says “I’d rather you were dead.” Then you spend years hiding yourself from the world. Then a 21-year-old gets murdered for being gay. Then you come out. Fast forward, you kiss your husband before accepting the Tony Award for Best Actor for your portrayal of Roy Fucking Cohn. Strange road.

Do you know what a “Fuck you” to Donald Trump looks like? It’s out-and-proud Nathan Fucking Lane winning a fucking Tony Award for playing Roy Fucking Cohn in Tony Fucking Kushner’s Angels in A-Fucking-Merica.

When you’ve got a Vice President who thinks you can electrocute gay people into straightness, a gay man playing Roy Cohn (Roy Fucking Cohn!) and getting a fucking award for it is a massive and eloquent “Fuck you.”

(Also, student survivors of the Parkland shooting came out to sing “Seasons of [Fucking] Love” from fucking Rent [super gay] in the middle of the show. De Niro’s “Fuck Trump” was not just the ugliest condemnation of the administration, i t was also the tamest.)

I’m not entirely sure why I’m writing this. I don’t actually think it matters that Robert De Niro said “Fuck Trump” at the Tony’s, by which I mean, I don’t think any Trump voters who were watching the Tony’s (lol) watched De Niro say “Fuck Trump” and realized “Hey, he’s got a point! I’m gonna vote for the Democrat next time!” in the same way that I don’t think any Democrats or lefties who watched De Niro say “Fuck Trump” would then decide “Oh, that’s so vile and vulgar; that’s it, I’m voting for Trump next time.”

I guess I think of the existence of the Tony’s at all in a time like this as a political statement. We’re living in a pretty scary time right now, and instead of retreating or hiding, a bunch of insanely talented and bizarrely underpaid people put on Once on This Island, The Band’s Visit, Angels in America and Children of a Lesser God and Three Tall Women and many others, eight fucking times a week and last Sunday they got to celebrate and perform for each other. It’s all a statement, and the statement was already “Fuck Trump.” I don’t think Robert De Niro took away from that, but I absolutely can’t fathom what he thought he was adding.

Anyways. Watch the Tony’s, support theater, be kinder to everyone around you and have a good day.

[daemonsrhaenyras]

The thing that always bothers me about the pro-life argument is that if the reason they do not approve of abortion is that every life matters and should be protected, then I should also expect the following of them:

They should be in favor of comprehensive sex education for all students rather than abstinence-only education; given that comprehensive sex-ed has been proven to reduce unwanted teen pregnancies, and if they’re not, their argument against abortion is invalid  

They should be against the death penalty, and if they’re not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should be supportive of refugees who are fleeing their countries (where they are in danger!) and should be happy to have them in their country, or at the very least making a real effort to find them safe places to go, and if they’re not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should be in favor of gun reform / gun control in order to stop the loss of life from mass shootings (US centric) , and if they’re not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should be supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is demanding justice for (often unarmed or completely innocent) people of color who are being killed by police, and if they’re not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should believe that LGBTQ+ people should be treated equally and not be viewed as lesser–as that often leads to hate crimes or harassment (which may lead to suicide or homicide)– and if they do not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should believe in programs meant to assist the marginalized–food stamps, affordable health care, housing, etc– and if they do not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should believe in programs meant to assist mothers and children, and if they do not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should believe in programs to assist the elderly, and if they do not, their argument against abortion is invalid

They should support mental health services, to help those who may be a danger to themselves or others, and if they’re not, their argument against abortion is invalid

If they do not support all of the above, they are saying that those lives do not matter and should not be protected. And, if they believe that those lives don’t matter and should not be protected, then their argument against abortion (that all life matters and should be protected) is false and invalid.

Then there’s the “If you don’t want to get pregnant, you shouldn’t have sex,” line that always comes up.

First off, this statement always frames having a baby as a consequence of sex, which is just all kinds of messed up.

Are they honestly saying that the ONLY reason you should have sex is to get pregnant? That before you have sex, you have to be mentally ready and financially ready, and every-other-kind-of ready to have a baby? That sex is never about anything other than making a child?

Are they saying that people in school (high school (above age of consent) & college) should never have sex?

Are they saying people who are not financially able to have a child should never have sex?

Are they saying people who are mentally not in a place to take care of a child should never have sex?

Like, sex serves more purposes than producing a child. Contraception exists, but it isn’t infallible, and to just write off other people’s free will with that statement is ridiculous and simple-minded.

And if they’re like, “You could always put the baby up for adoption,” I just roll my eyes.

The person who is pregnant would still have to go through being pregnant. They might not be able to afford it, they might not be able to mentally cope with it. There might be numerous reasons why being pregnant would not be good for them, and prioritizing the fetus over the person carrying it to this degree is wrong. The person who is pregnant should have the final say about what happens to their body. Period.

And, of course, there’s the “God’s Will” aspect.

If God wanted someone to have a baby, you would. If He didn’t, a number of things--abortion being one of them--can and does make that possible. The argument could so easily be made that by interfering with a person’s right to abortion, you are actually circumventing God’s will.

#pro choice #abortion #abortion cw #social issues #alabama #so apparently i have a lot of thoughts about this #and no one really cares #but here we go #txt.me

[theritualofourexistence]

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

1. The title for this blog is straight plagiarism.

2. It doesn’t really connect to the general theme super well.

3. Twitter and Instagram polls picked this topic! Don’t worry, dating app folks, that one’s coming next.

--

Recently I had this weird, philosophical ah-ha moment when I was thinking about ghosts.

Yep, ghosts.

So, the lore behind how a ghost or a spirit gets left behind is commonly linked to trauma. The idea that if you experience a particularly gruesome death you may be more likely to have your essence trapped on earth is something I’ve come upon a lot. The more I thought about it, the more fear became a significant element in my thinking. Fear is something I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to manage and I believe it’s one of the most powerful forces on Earth.

What if it’s not a tragic death that generates a ghost, but rather, a fearful death? 

--

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, that brain worm got me going down a different sort of path. My faith, which I talk about a little bit in my last post, mainly centers around the concept of a force of light and good that lives through and in and around all living things. I believe that force is, in essence, Love. And the first thing that pointed me towards exploration of this idea is a passage from the Bible in the book of 1 John. There is a section in that chapter about loving one another that states very plainly, across many translations, that God is Love.

I’ve found over the years, that by focusing on this concept, I’ve been able to live what I consider to be a much more “Godly” life. I believe the Christian God wants us to spread love and I believe that’s the thing He/She wants the most.

To sum up as much of my personal, faith-related philosophy as I can, I believe Love is a living force that flows through everything and that we can choose whether we bind ourselves to that cause or whether we stand against it.

That’s a simplification, of course, and if you’d like to wade into specifics, feel free to shoot me a personal message.

--

Now, back to fear. Fear has always been my Big Bad. When I was a kid, one of the most important lessons my dad tried to teach me was that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. A kid with anxiety can only grasp so much of that, though, and I didn’t really understand or believe that phrase until adulthood. Years of therapy, and adulthood. 

So, in my world, love is the Big Good and fear is the Big Bad.

Can you see where I’m going yet?

--

I have long hated the timeless dichotomy of good and evil. 

I hated it well before I knew what I wanted to do with my life, but even more so now. 

Nothing is all good and nothing is all evil.

Period.

You won’t change my mind about this.

That’s why I believe the old “good vs. evil” trope is trash. I have never and never expect to encounter something that is purely good or evil. It doesn’t even really work as a spectrum either. Like, sure you could argue that something or someone is “mostly good” or “mostly evil” but that still requires people to give inherently subjective interpretations of how much weight “good” acts and “evil” acts deserve. 

What if a person has donated over three billion dollars to charities that have actively helped provide effective treatment to an infamously fatal disease. What if that same person also raped a 12-year-old.

You can make the argument that that person directly led to hundreds, even thousands of saved lives. But that doesn’t erase the fact that he raped a 12-year-old. 

I think most people would probably struggle to tell you whether they considered that person “mostly good” or “mostly bad” and I can assure you that that judgment would always boil down to the judger’s personal experiences and opinions. 

If you’ve been raped, you would probably find it easier to say that person is “mostly bad.” 

If you had a loved one saved by the treatment that man funded, you may find it easier to say he’s “mostly good.” 

There you go, “good vs. evil” dichotomy is busted.

--

Whether or not I’ve stopped to really think about it, the more life I live, the more I think of the world around me through a “Love vs. Fear” dichotomy. It is, now that I am taking the time to think about it, a much better way to evaluate our own actions as well as the actions of others.

A lot of people have hypothesized that fear of The Other sits at the heart of racism and sexism and homophobia. Love, however, can be the difference between acceptance and affirmation. 

There is a very acute difference between saying you have nothing against gay people (”I have gay friends!”) and actually loving those people. Loving those people means you are committed to fighting for their rights and safety. At least, that’s what I believe true Love looks like. True Love is action... just as Fear is also often action. 

--

1 John 4:18 says that there is no Fear in Love and that perfect Love drives out Fear. 

I believe the only perfect Love is the force of pure love and light that flows through the living world. I believe humans can only try to replicate that and that in the majority of cases, we fail. But I believe our call is to try to live a life of perfect Love because only that will truly eliminate Fear.

I dream of a global community. Of equity and equality. Of Love. 

Fear is the root of hate. Fear is the root of war. Fear is the root of violence. 

--

There will always be actions and feelings that require deeper analysis. Anger, for instance. I had a conversation with my friends recently about anger and whether or not it’s a valuable way to spend your energy. I am someone who feels angry pretty often. Other people may not be, and that doesn’t inherently mean that one of us is wrong and one is right. 

My anger, however, is almost always flowing from a place of Love. I get the most angry when the people I care about are threatened or hurt. Today, in the United States, a lot of my anger is directed towards our administration and policies that actively wreak havoc in the lives of my poc friends and family and LGBT+ friends and family. I’m not angry because I hate this administration, though, I’m angry because the people I love are being hurt. 

Sometimes, though, I get angry for less righteous reasons.

Sometimes I get angry because my plans for my future aren’t exactly going the way I predicted.

That anger comes from Fear. And it’s not healthy anger.

--

So, really, this post has two intertwining branches.

1. Let’s get rid of Good and Evil and think about Love and Fear instead. 

2. If you embrace Love, it should impact all areas of your life, including politics.

--

That is, at least, why I feel the way I do about political issues. 

I believe in committing my life to Love. I believe that’s the only way we can leave the world a better place. 

I believe Love has no boundaries or borders and I believe everyone deserves to be treated with Love. 

Striving to treat everyone with Love is what motivates me to try and understand everyone I encounter. It motivates me to listen to their stories. It motivates me to respect them. 

Striving to treat everyone with Love is why I cannot and will not ever support a death penalty.

Striving to treat everyone with Love is why I believe in and support updating our nation’s gun control laws and immigration policies.

It’s why I am so passionate about criminal justice system and prison reform. 

It’s why I have spent so much energy learning to be forgiving.

The thing I didn’t necessarily expect was how much those changes align with Biblical scripture. As I said in my last post, I feel like my choice to move further from the church has allowed me to live a more loving life... which, in many ways, has brought me closer to God. 

And the most awesome thing about Love and Fear is that it’s absolutely not tied at all to any specific religion. It translates across all of humanity, making it one of the most inclusive ways of thinking about our thoughts and actions.

--

So, that’s my call to you today. Spend some time thinking about your life in terms of Love and Fear and see what you come up with. 

No one is perfect. I will always make choices and have thoughts and take actions that are rooted in Fear. But if I have the insight to know that and therefore make those choices less, that’s a success story. If I put the work in to think through my motivation and to focus on loving thoughts and actions, I’ll stay on the right path. 

“Good” is not “right” and “evil” is not “wrong” because nothing is ever good or evil. 

Love, though...

Love feels right.

#good vs evil #good vs bad #fear #love #faith #christianity #scripture #1 john 4 #good #evil #bad #philosophy #personal philosophy #false dichotomies #dichotomy #dichotomies #God is Love #Fear cuts deeper than swords

[lore-a-lie]

Chapter 3, Act 2: From the Diary of a Fly on the Wall

Daily Life

Kaede was feeling much better the next day at the dining hall. She felt a little bad that she hadn’t told Gonta about the flashback light Kaito and Ryoma had found, but it wouldn’t take long to explain. It wasn’t like she was really in the mood to have seen the memories either, after getting what she needed to hear out of Korekiyo, so she was glad Angie and Tenko pushed for them to wait a day.

It was really fucked up, don’t get her wrong. But assuming he was being honest, and he hardly seemed to have a reason to lie with how he kept trying to set her off to see what she’d do, she had her closure.

Not that it made seeing him any easier, as Korekiyo was still one of the first people there along with Kaito and Ryoma. It looked like they were taking over for Gonta right now, since he wasn’t here yet. Neither was Kokichi for that matter. Odd that she hadn’t seen him at all today. Unless he was trying to avoid her.

“Ey, Kaede! Bright and early again I see,” Kaito said, beaming like he normally did as he encouraged her to take a seat by Ryoma. However given his current company his chipper mood was returned with a poorly disguised facepalm by his short companion and a dark glower from his supposed ward.

Seeing such a harsh contrast Kaede couldn’t help but weakly giggle a bit as she sat in the open chair. She was pretty sure Ryoma was giving Kaito a glare, but she couldn’t really tell from this angle without making it obvious she was staring. Probably because of how close it put her to Korekiyo, and rightly so.

I mean I don’t really know how I should be reacting to this either. If they still see me shaken they might lose faith in my ability to lead or make decisions, and if I’m too openly angry or spiteful that might be considered as me being too biased against him or risk someone killing him and lead to a trial. But on the other hand if they wanted me to be more decisive about him I might be seen as too soft right now.

“I could say the same to you. Anything going on?” she asked, trying to avoid looking Korekiyo as much as she could to help keep herself calm. Which was made harder by him being the first to answer.

“You mean aside from there being a thief among us?”

“According the serial killer.” Ryoma quickly brushed him off.

“Why should that matter? Items are missing from my lab and you can’t deny that! Besides, last I checked that applies to both of us and only you earned a tabloid name for it.” (Boy he’s heated over this. Good.)

“What about “Ladykiller”?” Kaito jokingly suggested, also ignoring the possibly more serious subject.

“... That was not a request to be given one. Do try to learn some tact. You’re worse than Kibo.” With the exasperation in Korekiyo’s tone, he was probably gesturing to her to prove his point. Not that Kaede risked looking at him to know for sure.

Though as if to remind her what kind of people she was still dealing with, Korekiyo ended up derailing his own train of thought with another tabloid tangent. “Why must they all have “Killer” in them anyway? Considering our own “Killer Tennis” and how “ Kirakira ” sounds like “Killer-killer”. Though at least we aren’t misusing the word “Genocide” again, like the Genocide Jack fiasco. How could anyone  ever think that was a decent name for a possibly female murderer, given her choice of victims, is beyond me.”

“ENOUGH PLEASE! Do we know the objects being missing means they’ve been stolen? I mean if someone’s watching this game then maybe Monokuma’s meant to take away pieces of evidence so they can’t be used in later cases. You know, to keep later murders from being too similar to the others and keep things interesting?” (God I hope he buys this. I mean if stuff related to crimes is going missing and it isn’t Monokuma it’s probably Kokichi’s handiwork. Or it could just be him tormenting Korekiyo.)

“I didn’t say the relics that are no longer present were ones related to any of the murders from before.” His tone sounded like he was suspicious of how Kaede knew that. But as far as she knew she did nothing wrong so she swallowed and tried to keep her voice level as she explained herself best she could.

“Sorry, I was just guessing. I mean I saw that the katana was still missing from its sheath before and I wasn’t sure I saw that mask back in its case when I stopped by yesterday. What else is missing then?”

“You did what?” Ryoma seemed shaken by that admission. But even though the question was probably directed at her it was Korekiyo he turned to glare daggers at.

“Yes, she visited to give Gonta some more “pleasant” company. Likely to make sure I hadn’t bored him to death with my old books. Nothing you need to worry about, Ryoma.” Korekiyo lied as easily as breathing, and Kaede had no reason to want to correct him. It’d only upset Ryoma and Kaito more, she was sure. He turned to face her as he addressed her question. “Your guess was largely correct, however I’m not sure if the book I was going to use for the would-be seance murder should’ve counted as evidence in that case. However this theory does seem fairly plausible otherwise, as the syringe and other supplies related to Himiko’s death haven’t been returned to Miu’s lab either last I checked.” (KOKICHI LIVES ANOTHER DAY!)

“Aww, Gonta if you were that lonely you could have just locked Kiyo up in there and hung out with me~” Kokichi’s teasing drawl came from the hallway doors, and Gonta stood by his side, looking troubled at the group. They must have overheard, but if Kokichi picked up on Korekiyo’s lie he was content to let it slide. Gonta didn’t point it out either for whatever reason as he took to sitting on Korekiyo’s other side as Kokichi took to Kaede’s.

“Gonta sorry he late! He forget Kiyo also get up early, and Kokichi wanted to teach Gonta about-”

“Not talking to strangers in weird creepy masks!” Kokichi pointedly cut him off as he pointed at Korekiyo and gave him an exaggerated glare, getting only a skeptical look in return. But Korekiyo chose to play along with the obvious lie, as if returning the favor of Kokichi not calling his own out.

“I may be strange, but is it still right to treat me as a stranger? We all knew each other too well for that sort of false distance yes?”

“Gonta pretty sure Kokichi right if Kiyo treats bugs as candy.” (WHAT?! EW, NO! NO. NONONONO. No.)

“Reptites don’t? That’s a surprise, I’d figure they’d have at least one similar recipe considering how many “ethnic” sweets may go into such territories. But not to worry. I wouldn’t dare touch any of your beloved specimens for such a petty treat I promise. No matter how well candied crickets would go with my tea.”

“WHAT THE FUCK, I WAS LYING TO HIM! I mean, it’s not like I haven’t used licensed candies like that for some pranks, but seriously? Whyyyyyy?” Kokichi whined and flailed about, which seemed to help keep Gonta from having a clear shot at Korekiyo if the gentle giant lost his temper. But aside from some breathing exercises and tensing on his part Gonta took the news pretty well! (What a shame.)

“Beggars can’t be choosers when looking into other cultures, and as said they can be quite tasty.”

“Not when people are eating please!” Kaede complained, and possibly a bit too loudly at that.

“ARE YOU BULLYING KAEDE OVER THERE?! Kaede I’m sooo sorry, I had no idea I had left you alone with these immature ruffians!... And Gonta.” (... Did she just- Is she making an exception for Gonta? YES!)

Tenko was quick to run to Kaede’s side to give her an overblown hug as she looked at the boys as if they had done something horrible to her. Tsumugi and Angie were a ways behind her, along with a… pigeon?

It was definitely a pigeon that flew by and sat itself on Tenko’s head, and since she wasn’t overreacting to this Kaede could only assume this was some sort of normal. (One of Himiko’s doves maybe? I haven’t seen any lately. Not since the party come to think of it- ACK, that was days ago! Oh dear, are they okay?)

“Yup, yup! We’re sorry, so sorry, Angie just wanted to try swimming with Himiko’s fishies during feeding time! They enjoy Tenko’s daily blood sacrifices nearly as much as Atua does, so cute~”

“Please stop calling Himiko’s piranha “fishies” Angie, it really downplays how dangerous that could be!” Tsumugi scolded, still obviously distressed by whatever had happened in the dojo.

“It’s fine, it’s fine~ Nothing to worry about!”

“Tenko’s going to make a swear jar for you misusing that phrase at this rate.”

“Can we make one for all the third-person people too? OH, or how about catchphrases, like Ryoma’s?”

“Pretty sure your “it’s a lie” spiel should count enough too if you wanna go there kid.”

“Or it could merely be a genuine swear jar. Kaito would end up paying handsomely for that I imagine.”

“H-hey, come on dude don’t be like that. How’d you like it if we went with a purple prose penalty, huh?”

“Gonta not sure what that mean, but if it make Kiyo talk simple Gonta support it!” (Get back on topic!)

“Knock it off you guys, it’s not like money even really matters if we don’t bring it up. But I didn’t know Tenko was taking care of Himiko’s pets, why didn’t you say anything? I could help sometime if you want.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I guess that was just a student council thing, when I was asking if we could take out the pool’s chlorine thingies so Himiko’s fish could have some more room to swim around. But if you want to help there is something I was going to ask you girls! … And guys, if you agree to take things seriously.” (...I’m sorry what was that? Come on Tenko, I mean I know you can’t use the pool but why would you try to ruin that for the rest of us too?! Even if the water level looks way too low for normal swimming.)

“Kibo isn’t here and Kokichi is so I’m not sure we can honestly say we all will. But go on, shoot.” Ryoma deadpanned with a smirk, to which Kaito jokingly hit him in the shoulder in response to that verbal jab.

“This dove’s been pretty chummy with me for a while now, but I don’t really know what to name her. And before you ask yes I know for sure it’s the same bird! I even gave her a little tag on her foot, see?”

The bird in question did have a little red tie on her left leg, as she hopped from Tenko’s head to her hand at the girl’s prompting to aid in this display. As she began pecking at said tie a moment later, despite Tenko’s attempts to convince her to leave it be, it didn’t look like she was too keen on keeping it though.

“Gonta going to ask how Tenko knows it a girl bird. Birds hard to tell, if boy birds aren’t pretty colors or girl birds aren’t really big. Harder than bugs sometimes, and bugs no always have boys or girls at all.”

“What are you talking about, just look at this face! Of course she’s a girl dove!” (I don’t think that’s how this works.)

“Well what about “Himiko”? She’s probably heard the name enough to recognize it at least, right?”

“I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with that. Like maybe “Yumeno” or “Yumeko” would work, but not just “Himiko”. Not yet.”

“Right, sorry Tenko.”

“Not to worry! Thank you very much for your suggestion Kaede, it was really nice. Maybe that’d work for another bird, later. Like a… sleepy one, or something.”

“Well, if we’re starting this off with dead name suggestions why not we go with the most innocent victim of all: Hedwig!”

“Hey, watch your spoilers Kokichi! And that’s too soon…”

“Oh my god Tsumugi that was years ago, get over it already!”

“You do realize she was named for the patron saint of orphans yes? It really isn’t fitting for this at all.”

“Definitely not using it then. I don’t even know what show you all are talking about.”

“Okay, so something more light-hearted and fitting… How about “Oko-san”? I mean yeah he was a fantail, but out of everybirdie he looks the most like her and that name should be gender neutral enough.”

“I’d prefer not naming her after some degenerate bird if I can help it, but that could work! If nothing better comes up I’ll consider it. Thanks, Tsumugi!”

“If a feminine name is needed how about “Inanna”? After the Sumerian goddess of the many aspects of both love and war, due to her association with doves. I think invoking her suits you.”

“... That’s actually kinda pretty but I hate you so no.” (Thanks for that Tenko, I hope he’s disappointed.)

“Well, there was no harm in trying. You did ask for at least one of us to take your dilemma seriously.”

“H-hey we can take this seriously too! How’s about “John Coo”?”

Some distinct groans came from Tsumugi and Kokichi upon hearing it, but Kaede didn’t get the joke. Tenko did at the very least, but she also didn’t seem to appreciate Kaito’s suggestion. Ryoma however looked like he was very valiantly trying to keep himself from laughing, with the weird grin he was making.

“What, no! I just said she was a girl dove you degenerate male!”

“Um, why’s everyone groaning?”

“A bad pun I assume?”

“Seriously Kiyo? I mean a girl not getting it is one thing but what sort of man doesn’t know John Woo!?”

“And that would be?” Kaede tried to push for an actual explanation.

“That action director guy with the weird pigeon fetish!” Kokichi chimed.

“Then that would be the sort of person who doesn’t enjoy such exhausting displays of overstimulation. And here I thought such a description was limited to Tesla.”

As Kaito and Tenko were distracted arguing Gonta made a sort of chirping to get the bird to come over to him. With the small white dove perched on his finger he made another series of coos at it, to which it seemed to be responding. (I guess he really can talk to animals, huh?)

“Uh, Tenko? Birdie say she like the name John Coo.”

“Well there we have it, John Coo it is! Of course she’d like the name given to her by the Luminary of the Stars!”

“I said no!”

“Aww, I was kinda hoping that she’d at least insist on being called “Miss” John Coo or something.” Tsumugi mumbled to herself. Kaede wasn’t sure how a pigeon could really “insist” on that though.

Ryoma had apparently worked his way through his laughter for now and was the very picture of serious as he gave his two cents on the subject. “Any good pet parent would know to respect her wishes. John Coo is a lovely young lady and this should be her decision to make, not yours.”

“But it’s dumb!”

“Don’t say that in front of her Tenko, you’ll hurt her self-esteem. This is a delicate time in her life and John Coo needs you to support her right now.”

“HOW CAN YOU SAY ALL OF THIS WITH A STRAIGHT FACE RYOMA!?” (Pfft. Of course our only decent gambler has the best poker face. How can he do that over something so silly?)

“Easier for me than you I’m sure.” He replied with a wink and one of the most self-satisfied smiles Kaede has ever seen on his face. She, Tsumugi, Kiyo, and Kaito were all obviously trying to hide their laughter, as opposed to Angie and Kokichi who dissolved into a pair of giggling idiots. Gonta didn’t seem it get it.

“... You’re all horrible and Tenko wants you to know she hates you.” Tenko grumbled. (I can live with this.)

“Nyahahaha, that’s okay because John Coo still loves us! Just like Atua, John Coo is too pure to judge~”

“Only because she’s a bit... slow.”

“Just like both of her mommies!”

“I WILL END YOU KOKICHI-”

“Uh, am I interrupting something?” Kibo’s voice came from the door, looking ready to walk back out of it if the answer was “yes”. Tenko took the opportunity to gather herself and sit back down, with John Coo flitting back to her which helped calm her down.

“Nope, you just missed the christening of John Coo the lovey dovey. Say “Hi” John.” Kokichi chimed, and John did actually give a coo at the command. Or it may have been her attempt to complete her name, if that’s how a pigeon could insist on that. Tenko still seemed sour about it all as she pet the little dove.

“I… See. Sorry if you were waiting for me to use the flashback light. We are actually using it right Angie?”

“I guess… Atua still disagrees with this though.”

“Wait, no one tell Gonta flashback light found yesterday! Why no one get him or Kiyo?” (Because of me.)

“After the mess with the last video we decided to give a delay before we all see this one together again. Since not everyone thinks we should use them, but things could get difficult if we learn something big,” Kaede summed up best she could. No one appeared to have much to add to her explanation, and while Korekiyo understood why the knowledge gap could become a problem Gonta looked a bit confused.

“In case it becomes relevant the last video indicated we all may have been part of the same school, despite us all now having the uniforms from whatever highschool we attended before then. There may also be some sort of government program we tried to hide from, which was why we saw that funeral.” Korekiyo supplied, which made enough sense to Gonta that he didn’t look nearly as lost anymore. Angie and Kibo were more troubled by this information, but Tsumugi and Tenko accepted it without question.

And so, despite the concerns against it, Kaede took the light from her backpack and thumbed the switch.

Again she became nearly overwhelmed by the sense of vertigo with the world warping itself around her. But this time the onslaught of memories it unlocked within her were far from pleasant or comforting. It was like the motive videos all over again.

Meteorites had plagued the world, and led to a significant amount of damage to her hometown. The chaos and sense of end times it caused so many people to feel, as if the sky was literally falling around them. How could she have ever forgotten something this important? Or anyone else for that matter.

This explained the state her house was in though. She and her family had left it long before her kidnapping, so of course it would be a mess now. And this fit Kaito’s “natural disaster” theory from before too, for how so many people could be facing some horrible future outside of these walls at the same time.

It sounded like everyone’s experiences were a little different with this batch of memories, unlike before.

The only one who really seemed to have been in a similar situation to her own was Tsumugi, whose hometown also suffered greatly and had been faced with similar fatalistic groups causing havoc. Not that they were they were the only ones who remembered the cults with their flyers declaring that “mankind deserves damnation” and the other violent gangs that sprang out; Kaito and Kibo clearly saw those too.

As Kibo explained his it sounded like he and his professor were rather protected from the event itself, as he remembered more of the news reports and Internet buzz about them than the actual impacts. Tenko and Gonta seemed similarly disconnected, as they had also only heard about the civil unrest it caused.

Angie’s people were mostly faced with rising waters caused by the meteor impacts, which had led to her being sent to Japan as she could recall, but she couldn’t quite grasp why yet. Korekiyo offhandedly mentioned the madness everyone was facing could be part of why he could get away with killing as many girls as he did, as many people had gone missing, but when pressed he only admitted the number was greater than ninety.

He did also remember that the meteorites seemed to have been the cause of a deadly new disease that sprang up. He had encountered it in his travels rather often too, but never showed any symptoms himself. His sister wasn’t so lucky, and that was what had caused her to cough blood when they saw her film before.

It was hard to tell who was more distressed by this particular addition, Kaito or Korekiyo, but only the latter gave them an explanation for why as he tried to keep himself from having another panic attack.

Apparently her doctors couldn’t be sure if she had caught it on her own or if he unintentionally served as an asymptomatic carrier. He was confirmed to have been conventionally immune to the disease, but that was no comfort if it meant he might have been the cause of his sister’s untimely death.

Ryoma suspected a similar immunity may also have been why his prison let him out early, if only to use him as a means to help others through this calamity, considering it a form of “community service”. Tenko and her master also helped out wherever they could, but she didn’t seem as sure whether some of the “degenerates” they fought in the name of justice she remembered were parts of any larger movements.

Gonta also remembered there was a scientist who claimed that, based on a similar event happening millions of years ago, if nothing could be done all life on earth could be wiped out in an event worse than the end of the dinosaurs. Ironic considering he was raised by some of the few surviving descendants of that time.

Kaito was the first to remember the plan that was humanity’s last hope. The “Gofer Project”. With an “f”, as in the trees used for Noah’s ark, rather than the animal as Korekiyo pointed out, as it unsettled him. Like even with all the countries of the world working together they wouldn’t be able to save many from the metaphorical “flood” they were being faced with. (Of course, he’d worry more about the cultures that could be lost. Not the actual people or animals that could die or go extinct in that. The heartless bastard.)

Not that it mattered how many they were hoping to protect, if Kokichi’s memories about it “failing” somehow were true. But no one else seemed to have memories that elaborated on that.

“... What if that’s the project we were hiding from before? From the previous memory.” Ryoma asked, as no one else provided any theories for it.

“Hmm, maybe! Maybe it wasn’t really a school uniform you saw everyone in back then either.” Angie said, still smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world despite everything.

“No, it was definitely a school’s since it had an emblem on the blazers and everything. I don’t think people would waste the resources on making a uniform for this sort of thing anyway. And how else would we explain why we’re all around the same age?” Kaede replied.

“What if Angie was right before then? About why we should stay in here instead of focusing on the “outside world”. I mean this could be part of the Gofer Project right? So being here’s a good thing. Especially if we’re all here because we’re “immune”, since Kiyo hasn’t made any of us sick yet!”  As Tenko spoke about their possible immunity, Korekiyo looked over at Kaito rather specifically for some reason.

Kaede probably wouldn’t have noticed when it happened, since Korekiyo was still recovering from his panic attack, if not for how Kaito went out of his way to avoid making eye contact with him. She had no idea what this could mean though, since Kaito wasn’t acting too differently otherwise.

“Hmmm, I wouldn’t really say that. Though I suppose you missed most of the “dude eats bugs” thing.” Kokichi’s attempt at a horrible joke was enough to pull Korekiyo from his thoughts, much to Kaito’s relief.

Not that his new thoughts were better. “If you value your life I would refrain from making jest of this.”

“H-hey I thought you said you wouldn’t kill me! ‘Cause I’m a guy.”

“... True. Though it will be more difficult trying to keep things from turning fatal with our lack of medical supplies. Even when the warehouse was open Kaito was right in pointing out so many things we lack.”

“Y-yeah, which is also why this probably can’t be that government project anyway! No matter how much they had to rush they wouldn’t forget to install something that important in here, especially not with the risk of a disease mutating into something we wouldn’t be immune to anymore. Assuming we really are.” Kaito exclaimed, but Korekiyo started giving him an odd look again when the disease came up. (Why?)

“O-oh, yeah that’s a good point.” Tsumugi began, before mumbling “Didn’t really think about that,” mostly to herself again. After calming down enough to stop her stuttering she had a new thought. “But without someone who really knows about that sort of stuff would facilities like that matter anyway?”

“I dunno, I mean things are pretty high tech. Who knows what science can do if they can make Exisals. Maybe we don’t have med stuff ‘cause they injected us with nanomachines to keep us healthy. Or maybe these “flashback lights” aren’t exactly what they say on the tin.” Kokichi suggested as if trying to make the rest of us catch up to him.

“What are you talking about this time Kokichi? I will not appreciate being “trolled” by you again.” Kibo warily complained.

“Sure is convenient how none of us have ANY idea about what we “remember” with these lights before they’re triggered, huh? Kinda like how the motive videos triggered something in Kirumi and Kiyo in a way that was super convenient for keeping a killing game going for as long as they were still in it, riiiight?”

“W-well, of course, they were “motive” videos after all-” Kibo started again before Kokichi cut him off.

“And yet, both of these things came from the same source, didn’t they?”

“Atua agrees that He thinks these lights may be doing us more harm than good! Angie’s not really sure if He means brainwashing though. It could just be undoing some type of hypnosis, and if it is than it only shows us what we all had to agree to have suppressed in the first place.”

“Oh yeah, Himiko told us during our sleepover! Hypnosis only works on people who want it to work and don’t really object to what they’re being asked to do anyway. But… Does this mean we shouldn't use them anymore? I mean they still are our only clues to get out of here right? If we all still really want to.”

“Right. Besides, we can’t really prove any memories are wrong yet,” Kaede said.  “Most of them seem to line up well enough, and if this isn’t related to the Gofer Project there could be a reason for the missing medbay. These still seem to be a risk that’s worth taking for us to find out what’s going on and get out.”

Tenko seemed convinced by Kaede’s reasoning, but Angie and Tsumugi still seemed a bit wary of the idea. No one else expressed any explicit objections though, not even Kokichi who cast doubt on them at all. (Guess he’s just expressing some paranoia? Or maybe he was just lying about that for some reason?)

“It does make sense to use a place that doesn’t have any means to help save lives for a killing game, doesn’t it? No reason to base a project meant to “save humanity” on a prison school anyway. This killing game could be all this was built for, for all we know. It’d explain the death road too.” Ryoma pointed out, the unpleasant reminder never letting him forget the school’s unusual design for long. It was all too easy for the rest of them to overlook it over time, that even Kaede stopping being as aware of it at points.

“True. No sane designer of anything would make something that difficult to get through, not to mention the many codes and regulations it intentionally breaks. It’s clearly made to keep those on the inside from escaping, based on the false “Cleared” message we found. It wouldn’t read right going the other way.”  Kibo said, looking bothered but contemplative.

“So… We still no know much?”

“Well, we do maybe have a better idea of what the world’s like outside. That’s a start, ain’t it big guy? Things can’t be as bad as they looked though, since this place hasn’t felt any impacts or anything! And look at all the plants still growin’ in here, that scientist probably just exaggerated things so folks would really know to prepare for the worst. Better set positive expectations low than high right?” Kaito said to try and cheer Gonta, and everyone else, the best he could.

“I doubt the greenery we see here does genuinely reflect outdoor conditions, as the environment was made to at least support us so by extension plant-life would also be capable of thriving. We haven’t ruled out this being a sealed space yet, like an underwater facility, despite how old it seems to be.”

“Well as I doubt anything more can be gained from this I will be heading to the computer lab if anyone needs me.” Kibo excused himself, and everyone else began to part ways.

Kaede made her way to the fifth floor with Kokichi and Ryoma in tow, intending to visit Shuichi’s lab again. Tsumugi wasn’t the only other person heading that way though this time.

“Gonta going to take Kiyo to see 5th floor, since we no saw it yesterday, okay?”

“Oh, that’ll be great! I can show you my lab now, so if there’s any sort of outfit you’d like me to make you I can definitely do it now. I’m pretty sure even a plain ol’ tux would suit you, mask or no mask.”

“Huh, really? Yes, Gonta like that idea! Many gentlemen have tuxedos. And fancy hats and masks.”

“Do you want to come Kaede? I nearly finished that pair of slacks you asked for~” (As long as HE stays far away from me and keeps quiet for once in his miserable life. I can’t just say no, that’d be ungrateful.)

“Sure, I can stop by! I was just going up there anyway to look into Shuichi’s lab again.”

“For the record Gonta, under no circumstances is Kiyo allowed in that room, got it?” Ryoma glared at Korekiyo as if to emphasize his point. But it was hard to say if he was just saying that or threatening him.

“Oh? Whatever for? And I was so looking forward to seeing if it also invoked victorian era design in much the same way Kirumi’s lab did, given the proliferation of murder mystery series set in that period.” (Because murderer or not he deserves better and why the hell would any of us trust you in his lab now?!)

“Hm… It okay for Kiyo to just look in then? No need to go in room to see that, right?”

“Fineeee, I guess I’ll keep it open for that long.”

“You’ll keep it open? What do you mean?”

“Ah, right you both bailed before Monokuma gave his spiel. Apparently if a student dies before their lab is open, like Shuichi, the lab’s supposed to remain locked. Lucky for us, the way they are locked can still be picked open, so I’m your handy dandy gatekeeper now! Since I always pick it back shut to be safe.”

“What about Rantaro’s lab? Gonta thought it be up there too.”

“Maybe, if it’s behind that big ol’ door thingy, but there’s no way to open that yet. Believe me, we tried.”

Gonta looked confused again by his mistake, but quickly got sucked into Kokichi’s ramblings so it didn’t bother him for long. It was about that point that Tsumugi seemed to realize that by inviting Gonta into her lab Korekiyo would end up being with them as well, as she started nervously glancing between him and Kaede.

In an effort to help ease her mind Kaede tried racking her brain for shows she watched as a kid to find an anime Tsumugi could use as a launching point for her own rants but was coming up empty. Ryoma had better luck with “Prince of Tennis”, and having something to talk about seemed to do the trick.

Apparently he read a lot of series like that back when he still played, and Tsumugi got particularly enthralled by his admission about basing some of his moves off of ones the heroes would use in their works. “Bringing the fiction he loved to life in his own way” as she put it, much like her own passion.

But then she started talking about something called “shunpo” and lost him too, not that she noticed.

When they got to their desired floor Kokichi and Ryoma broke off to go to the Ultimate Detective’s lab like they originally planned and the rest followed Tsumugi.

Gonta and Korekiyo were taken aback by just how big it turned out to be, before Tsumugi led the entomologist to her sewing station and Korekiyo went to look into some of her established sets.

With a flourish she showed off to Kaede the “rule 63 slacks” she designed, whatever that meant. They were nice though! When Kaede tried them on in one of the changing areas they fit well, despite barely giving Tsumugi any really reliable measurements, and while they were different they still suited her.

The color wasn’t too unlike her normal skirts, but instead of music notes they had a bar of piano keys running up either side, adding a bit more black and white to the look. At closer inspection the plum color was pinstriped with the color of her socks, which Kaede tried to ignore as it reminded her of Shuichi, and the bars actually had all 88 keys, 52 white and 36 black, instead of just being a pattern for pattern’s sake.

And now I won’t need to worry about flashing anyone if I need to be more active than usual! Or just walk up stairs or ladders like what happened with Shuichi before. Wait… this means I don’t have any more training excuses either. Oh well. Maybe situps are easier than push-ups? This is gonna suuuuck.

“Thank you Tsumugi, I love it! I hope you don’t mind if I don’t wear them all the time though.”

“Not at all, I’m used to making things people may only use a handful of times! But making “original” stuff is like this is a weird feeling. But so’s my lab having a set focus over a sewing one at all, so it’s plain to see I just gotta get used to it. It’s a shame it opened so late, this would have been great for the talent show.”

“The nature of these sets also strikes me as odd, would you truly need these? The bar for example isn’t terribly unlike the one that already exists in the casino. Even the false labels on the bottles are all the same, and this is supposed to be a high school setting we are in, is it not?” (Okay, so I can leave now! I just need to keep it from being too obvious, so Tsumugi doesn’t feel offended. I need a good moment.)

“W-well, the ones I have here should be non-alcoholic so that isn’t really against any laws I think? Besides, that set there is a lot more like one of my part-time jobs so it’s kinda comforting to have.”

“Why Tsumugi work at bar?! Alcohol bad for young people! Shouldn’t let young lady in. It dangerous.”

“Cosplaying’s expensive work, especially if you want to work with the best materials. Girl’s gotta make a living somehow, you know? It’s not like I’m the only one here who may have faked an ID or two anyway. Kaito pulled something similar for his astronaut test stuff right? And who knows about Kokichi.”

“With how unkind either genetics or puberty has been to him one of those could be how he got here.” Korekiyo suggested, probably as a joke given the look in his eyes. Or at least she hoped that’s all it was.

“Hey, Kokichi looks like he could really be 15 at least.” Kaede said as Korekiyo simply chucked. “... Okay, maybe not much older than that, unless he’s a really late bloomer. Which could also fit Himiko!”

“Gonta pretty sure Kokichi older than Gonta.” Gonta said while lightly scratching at his cheek. When he noticed all the blank stares he was getting from his friends he seemed confused, but didn’t elaborate.

“... I am heavily inclined to doubt that. Though in terms of mental development I can see where this could be coming from. He is mature for his age, when he wants to be. It is odd how our profiles don’t actually list our ages, only our birth dates. I wonder if that could be relevant to our predicament at all.” Korekiyo began to theorize. (He has a point though. But no one's ever asked me about that either. Neither have I come to think of it, I’ve just assumed most of us here are my age-ish. Except Kokichi and Himiko, of course. Ryoma, Kirumi, and Korekiyo too I guess since they all feel like they could be adults.)

“I don’t think so. I mean it’s not like ages really matter in highschool right? Especially not if we can’t have any upper or lower classmen dynamics to work with.” Tsumugi spoke up, still working with Gonta through some measurements. She had to stand on a chair to do so, with how big he was, but if she hadn’t said anything Kaede would have assumed she was too focused on her work to hear them at all.

Content with what she had down she took a break as she skipped off to the working bar that started this conversation. “If anyone would like to try a cocktail I know I could make one right now if you’d like? I can make anything from a Blue Fairy to a Gut Punch! Or to a Sunshine Cloud, if we want to stay alphabetical.”

“WHY TSUMUGI PUNCH PEOPLE?!”

“It’s just the name of a drink, don’t worry. She isn’t actually threatening anyone.” Kaede comforted him, which only seemed to work a little bit since the nature of this work still worried him.

“I would have talked about a Bad Touch instead, but with that one the alcohol isn’t optional.”

“Not exactly the “classiest” bars you worked at I take it?” Korekiyo asked with what could be a grin.

“Nope, not at all. But it was fun and paid the bills!”

Kaede turned down the drinks and took the chance to catch back up with Ryoma and Kokichi. Gonta and Korekiyo didn’t make any attempts to follow her though, as Gonta still wanted to help Tsumugi where he could and Korekiyo took up her drink offer. Only after agreeing that either she or Gonta would take the first sip of her creations though, as he was still cautious around beverages after Angie’s earlier stunt.

Seemed he got to rambling about alcohol’s relevance to other cultures, reflecting drinking ages and whatnot, so Kaede was glad to be out of there. Though Tsumugi sounded like she was having some fun with it, bringing up some sort of “Shrine Maiden Saki” or something from one of her anime, and falling into her own tangent, as a Kunihimo cord from it caused her a lot of issues since the length wasn’t clear.

It was only after she got to the Detective's doors that Kaede realized how lost Gonta must feel with the way those two could talk, and the waves of guilt and regret poured in. (But there’s no saving him now.)

Shuichi’s lab felt so wrong to be in. She couldn’t put her finger on it but something about it was off, beyond how much more dangerous this lab was from some others. But as Kokichi pointed out the first time they got in it made sense for a former blackened’s lab to feel more like Moriarty than Sherlock.

Assuming Shuichi really wasn’t framed by the mastermind, so that someone would die without ending their sick game. Not that it would change the fact he was dead, and they were the ones who killed him.

Kokichi was messing around the chem cabinets as she entered, wearing the silly bowler hat they first found on the small round table instead of the hat rack. Ryoma was keeping him company and Kaede was a bit surprised Kaito hadn’t joined them yet. The tennis pro looked content though, sitting in the rocking chair by the fire with a book in his hands.

“Heey Ka-yay-de~ What can we do you fer this fine mornin’?” Kokichi asked as if he was trying to imitate some British potion seller or bartender as he pocketed another vial for who knows what.

“Depends, did you find another laxative?” Kaede had asked to see how their first experiment went in order to test if this threat could be neutralized by just getting rid of the contents, or at least the dangerous ones; Kokichi had found a “prank worthy” harmless bottle and took it to see if it would stay missing.

She chose not to ask if this stunt had any connection to Angie spiking Korekiyo’s tea earlier, as she figured no answer would really be comforting to her in this situation.

“Yup! So it really does restock everyday. It’s a real bummer, it means we can’t just smash all of these.”

“Not that we should have considered that an option anyway, since some could be air activated for all we know,” Ryoma blankly stated as he flipped another page, as if resigned to being Kokichi’s voice of reason.

“... Oh. Riiiiight. Good catch. But that’s why you were put on Kokichi-watch duty! Nee-heehee~”

“Am I being paid for this?”

“You get to keep your peace of mind, does that count?” Kokichi offered with an otherwise “innocent” grin and a gleam in his eyes.

“Eh, I’ll take it.” Ryoma said with a shrug as he put his book down to address Kaede. “So were you going to look through the files again today?”

“Yup! I mean if this isn’t the first killing game these may be related somehow. It’d make sense for the detective's lab to have clues regarding our biggest mysteries for this game right? Especially since it was meant to be sealed, if he was going to be executed regardless of whether he killed Rantaro or not.”

That didn’t narrow down which files would actually be related though. With 52 to sort through, 5 full rows of ten files with the sixth only having 2 as if waiting for more entries, they couldn’t possibly all be real and even them having drawn crime scenes or photographs wasn’t helping to narrow things down.

She initially sorted them into groups based on which had “Ultimate Detectives” leading their cases, like “Kyoko Kirigiri” from the first and third files with the help of her partner “Makoto Naegi”. But then she noticed that the third kept making reference to the second, headed by “Hajime Hinata” and his partner “Nanami Chiaki”, which also dealt a lot with missing memories and how returning them triggered a killer.

That was also a double murder in fact, but both were done by the same culprit that time. Not two parties similarly affected by memories acting during the same case period. (Almost more like the first file’s 3rd case’s double murder. And this was the 3rd case for this group too. Is this an intentional pattern? I’m not sure how anyone could control something so specific, so this may be a sign of these files just mocking us.)

As a result most of the day before had been spent reading through those connected files best she could, and then trying to find out when the files got close enough to the present that the pictures changed from anime inspired illustrations to photos. No matter which format they were in though the blood kept showing up as pink rather than red for whatever reason. Probably to stress how “fake” this all could potentially be.

She knew she couldn’t really trust these, there were way too many Ultimates and scenarios that got even more outlandish than what her group has faced yet, but there could still be some truth hidden in them. Like they were never outlandish enough for the cases themselves being unfeasible. One in the second file even involved a robot with the same emergency shut off button on the back of his neck like Kibo did, so they were all dangerous to have lying around.

These files and the various poisons was why no one was allowed to be in here alone, and why Kokichi kept it shut at all other times. And if this was how bad Shuichi’s lab was she doesn’t want to consider what Rantaro’s may be like. They didn’t even know what his talent was.

Kaede lost track of time as she poured over the notes, covering murders from monsterous to mundane. The suicides and accidents almost came as a pleasant surprise when they came up, but then there were files that barely had any cases in them. They still had the culprits and how they did it listed, but it was different. Like the person investigating wasn’t the one who caught them, and they got away with it.

At some point Kaito showed up to regroup with Ryoma, so he and Kokichi would bicker when the latter got bored sorting through which poisons had antidotes and how dangerous they were. Kaito helped her sort through the files, but he didn’t really have the stomach for reading them much like Ryoma didn’t.

The background noise was comforting in its own way, much like the sound of the fire was despite her growing urge to just throw a lot of these papers into it in disgust. Sometimes she wasn’t sure if it was because of the actual cases or at herself for not finding any leads to get out of there.

There was another knock at the door as she took something of a rage break, and she was surprised to see Kibo there instead of Gonta and Korekiyo, as she had been expecting.

He looked a lot happier than she had seen him in a while too. “Hello everyone! I have great news!”

“Well this can’t be good.” Kokichi deadpanned as he started looking at a corner again with a smirk. (Is a camera actually there? I don’t see anything, but why else would he keep doing this? What am I missing?)

“H-hey it is! Please don’t be so quick to dismiss my efforts! I finally got the last of the bugs out of the main program the computer lab was made for. So everyone can safely use it now! I’m sure you’ll all really enjoy it if you give it a chance.”

“Of course we would Kibo, I was thinking about taking a break anyway.” Kaede told him with a smile. She was a bit curious what it could possibly be, with how long its set up took, and she didn’t want to waste his efforts. No matter how potentially dangerous anything Monokuma gave them could be.

Kokichi wasn’t convinced though. “Are you sure-”

“Yeah we’re sure, don’t be a brat. Kibo’s been practically married to that thing since he got it, and it’s his first computer project too right? Of course we’ll give it a look!” Kaito urged the boy forward as he stressed how important this was for their friend, all smiles. Despite the floor it would be on.

“Do you need me to get anyone else for you while you go set things up?” Ryoma asked.

“No need, Tsumugi already offered to do so! Gonta and Kiyo should be on their way down there as we speak, so let’s go join them, shall we?”

It was hard to say no, with how happy and excited he was to show off his pet project. So they all followed the robot to see what he had in store for them.

And hopefully find some more clues to what’s going on, since my other leads are coming up empty.

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#New Danganronpa V3 #ndrv3 #ndrv3 spoilers #drv3 #drv3 spoilers #drv3 fanfiction #fanfic #multi chapter #kaede akamatsu #kokichi ouma #korekiyo shinguji #kaito momota #K1-B0 #tenko chabashira #ryoma hoshi #tsumugi shirogane #gonta gokuhara

[96thdayofrage]

Derek Chauvin is the Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd. I don’t have to say “allegedly” killed, because I saw it. Floyd was alive, and then, eight minutes and 46 seconds later, he was not, and the only intervening event that happened was Chauvin’s knee on his neck.

Chauvin’s trial started this week, and soon a jury, comprised mainly of white people (of this we can be almost certain), will tell us whether they think killing a Black man should be a crime. In a reasonable world, this trial would be perfunctory. Hell, in a reasonable world, there wouldn’t even be a trial: Chauvin would have accepted some kind of plea deal. That’s what most people do when they are caught on camera killing someone.

But we don’t live in a reasonable world—we live in a white one. Chauvin is white, and he’s a cop. And his victim was Black. In most situations, that’s all you need to get away with murder.

Chauvin’s attorneys will likely argue that something else killed Floyd during the nearly nine minutes Chauvin was suffocating him. They will claim that Floyd had some underlying health problem that made him more vulnerable to vicious police brutality than the average Black man or that something happened before the video that justified the brutality caught on camera. They will declare that Floyd’s death was “tragic,” but fundamentally Floyd’s fault. Somehow.

These arguments are ludicrous and should be treated as such. Floyd is dead because he was Black, and Chauvin figured it was okay to choke a Black person to death. But Chauvin will not be judged by anyone who understands such basic facts. He will not be judged by me or anybody like me. I’m not “impartial” about whether Black people should be treated with the same basic human dignity as white people. According to the white people who run this system, that makes me too “biased” to sit on Chauvin’s jury.

Instead, Chauvin will be tried in front of a jury composed predominately of white people who haven’t yet made up their minds on the whole violent police brutality question. You know the people I’m talking about: the “maybe all lives should matter?” folks. The people who use “urban” when they mean “Black” and “thug” when they mean “n*****r” but can’t say it because they’re in public. The system will trot out 12 of the least-informed people it can find, people who didn’t even bother to fully educate themselves on why there was a massive uprising of Black people throughout the country all summer. And then that system will call their judgment “justice.”

The process of stacking the jury in Chauvin’s favor started this week. For those new to the art of jury selection, it’s a deeply flawed process. Citizens are summoned to the courthouse, via mail, and unless they can come up with a good excuse for why they can’t show up, they have to appear, usually for a couple of days. If a trial starts during that period, some of them may be randomly selected to fill out a questionnaire. The answers to that questionnaire are given under penalty of perjury, but people rarely check. Then, these prospective jurors are questioned, one by one, by the attorneys in the case (and the judge if they choose to do so). After the questioning, called the “voir dire,” lawyers are given the option to exercise what’s called a “peremptory challenge.” These challenges allow lawyers to strike potential jurors on the suspicion of bias, except that lawyers don’t have to explain or prove why they think a particular juror is unfit to serve. Lawyers can strike jurors for any reason, or no reason at all.

Peremptory challenges give lawyers wide discretion in shaping the jury and can be abused. Technically, for instance, you’re not allowed to strike a juror just because of their race. But as long as the striking lawyer can give a facially race-neutral reason, the exclusion of that juror will stand. So, you couldn’t strike a juror for being “Black” but you absolutely could strike a juror for listening to rap music.

The jury questionnaire for the Chauvin trial is longer than normal, and full of questions cop lawyers can use to weed out anybody Black, without having to say so. Look at some of the questions in the “Police Contacts” section:

Have you, or someone close to you, ever helped support or advocated in favor of or against police reform? If “Yes,” please explain

Have you ever personally seen the police use more force than was needed? If “Yes,” please explain

Other than what you have already described above, have you, or anyone close to you, participated in protests about police use of force or police brutality?

How favorable or unfavorable are you about Black Lives Matter?

How favorable or unfavorable are you about Blue Lives Matter?

If you’ve protested against police brutality, you’re almost certainly out. If you’ve even seen police brutality, you’re also, almost certainly, out. If you think the police brutality you’ve heard about is bad and should be reformed, you’re still probably out. But if you’re an adult who buys into the false equivalency between Black Lives Matter and the racist counter-trope, Blue Lives Matter, you’re probably in.

Only a few people have survived peremptory challenges in the Chauvin trial thus far, and it looks like the defense is getting exactly the kind of white people it wants.

The man, who prosecutors said identifies as white, said he supports the Black Lives Matter movement, but views the organization itself unfavorably. He also has an unfavorable view of the Blue Lives Matter movement. He said everyone should matter the same.

The whole point of that is that all lives should matter equally, and that should include police.

This man, apparently a chemist, reportedly told the court that he works to “find facts” and thinks “analytically,” yet he said he had never seen the video of Floyd’s death. So, for those playing along at home, here’s a guy who thinks he likes facts but couldn’t be bothered to learn the facts behind why Black people all across this country were risking Covid-19 exposure and police brutality to protest all last summer.

I’ve endeavored to learn more “facts” about the family drama of a sclerotic monarchy, in a country I’m not even from, than this man bothered to learn about the desperate cries of justice from people in the nation he lives in. But he is now a juror.

In fact, his ignorance is probably why the prosecution didn’t waste one of its peremptory challenges on him. He hasn’t seen the video. The prosecution is counting on being able to show the jury eight minutes and 46 seconds of Chauvin’s actions, and then have that shocking footage be enough. They’re hoping that while the defense tries to put Floyd on trial instead of their client, that video will even convince other white people to punish a fellow white.

Maybe it will. Maybe even Chemist Clouseau over here will have a normal human reaction once he finally gets around to watching the video. But prosecutors had video of Officer Betty Shelby shooting Terence Crutcher to death on a highway in Oklahoma in 2016, while surrounded by other police and helicopter support, and she was acquitted. They had video of NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo choking Eric Garner to death in broad daylight in 2014, and he wasn’t even charged. They had video of LAPD officers beating the hell out of Rodney King. And those cops were acquitted by a jury of their “peers.” It only takes one white person who thinks the cops should be allowed to hunt and murder Black people to hang a jury.

The jury system is set up by white people, and one of its primary functions is to let white people go free when they kill Black people. Maybe that system will fail this time, allowing justice to be done.

But I wouldn’t count on it.

[2goldensnitches]

I got this response to an ask I sent yesterday. When it came back, I mulled over it for a very, very long time. I’m not one to start looking for internet slapfights and for pettiness. But after rereading the reply to my ask, there is no way I can honestly think to react except to rake this person over the coals for the sheer amount of callousness and idiocy on display. 

I apologise to any people seeing the amount of negativity I’m about to put out. I’m also sorry for the fact that this will be pretty damn long. 

 @poweredbyplantscr​ / @puravida, this is what you sent to me. I’m translating for people who can’t read Spanish: 

“Does knowing that innocent beings are going through the exact same thing as the Jewish people not repulse you? You’re offended more by a comparison than by actually doing something to make this violence stop. 

You should also know that Israel is the country that has adopted veganism the most precisely because of comparisons made by [Holocaust] survivors, because they’re not attempts to compare anything, they’re facts...that the majority of people are still speciests and see animals as inferior is another thing.

On the other hand, the term Holocaust is not exclusive to the people of Israel.”

And then the following paragraph in English is cited. 

I’ve thought through this response long and hard; I’m not going to mince any words. With that being said: 

How fucking dare you. 

This is is one of the worst, most vile examples of goysplaining I have ever come across during the four years I’ve been on this hellsite. You honestly have the gall to berate me for daring to get offended over this. Guess what? I AM fucking offended because not only is your comparison inaccurate, but a complete co-opt of a genocide. 

Animals are not called Christ Killers, nor are they the disproportionate victims of hate crimes; they have not been forced into diaspora several times over the course of two millennia because their neighbours hate them; they have not been accused of drinking the blood of gentile children nor have they had their own children stolen and given away to others to be raised away from their Jewish roots; they are not stereotyped as innately greedy, reclusive, paedophilic, perverted, and neurotic; female animals are not depicted as clingy angry nervous wrecks and male animals are not depicted as wimpy nebbish Woody Allen lookalikes lusting after a shiksa goddess. 

Animals are not regularly accused of running a behind-the-scenes international cabal secretly controlling the banks and governments of the world. Animals have not been threatened to leave their countries of birth behind under penalty of death. Animals have not had to prepare for the worst in case a terrorist comes looking to bomb their synagogues and shoot up their community centres. Animals do not have their way of life and belief system regularly invalidated and superseded by others who believe them to be inferior.

White supremacists and neo Nazis did not just march in the United States chanting “animals will not replace us.”

The mere existence of animals is not considered an offense. 

The Holocaust was the result of a fascist government coming to power and taking advantage of thousands of years of antisemitic hate to rally others around and engage in a wholesale slaughter. Even today, there are still efforts to attempt to bring actual Nazis to justice, not to mention entire nations who deny their complicity in carrying out the murder of their own citizens. 

(This is not even getting into the fact that the Roma were the second target on the hit list. Today, videos of animals being abused will have comment sections calling for the death of the people hurting the poor animal--videos of Roma being abused will have comment sections calling for the death of Roma instead. The hatred of Roma is still seen as completely acceptable in many countries.)

What the Holocaust is not is the eating of animals. No one is arguing against the fact that the industry is cruel and that a reduction of animal products can be positive. No one is arguing against the fact that the industry is completely profit driven and dedicated to pumping out as much product as fast as they can while forsaking all standards of safety and humanity. 

But you’re not using the comparison because it’s accurate. You, like many other idiots before you, are only using it for shock value. You use it because the Holocaust is the most publicised genocide. You use it because goyim often conceive of the Holocaust as the ultimate form of angst porn, instead of the tragedy that it was. You use it for the numbers, and for the easy soundbites and sad, desaturated posters the idiots working for orgs like PETA can produce. 

I can go on, and on, and on, but I doubt someone as hopelessly vile and callous as you can ever hope to understand the weight of such an accusation when you honestly think that sending me this--that this way of thinking--is right in any way. 

You mention that Holocaust survivors have made such comparisons before. I can only think of Hershaft, and I can also say that he absolutely does not speak for all of us, nor can he attempt to use his status as a survivor to shame his community in such an embarrassing manner. Singer is also used as an example--he is absolutely not a survivor considering he emigrated before the war, nor did he not eat animal products considering he was a vegetarian who enjoyed eating eggs and dairy and also kept pets. Safran Froer is an overrated author, not a survivor, and also an idiot for making that comparison. All three are shandes for daring to attempt to legitimise such a comparison for a goyische audience. They’re like the vegan versions of Nerturei Karta. Not to mention that barely 5% of Israelis are vegans and it does not negate the other 95% who still go out for a fucking shawarma. It also doesn’t make them the fucking voice of the community because, newsflash, Jews exist outside of Israel. 

And then that Jo Fredricks quote. Where to even begin with it? The fact that it’s basically a bunch of lies cobbled together (why the fuck would Alexandrian Jews “need” Christians to “translate” for them? Who the fuck thinks they didn’t at least read Hebrew for liturgical purposes?)? The fact that it’s a typical goysplain AND attempt to dilute the significance of the Holocaust for the sole purpose of forcible taking it away from the community à la “antisemitism can also be applied to other semites”? The fact that it’s by a goy who had the audacity to claim the “I have Jewish friends” defense when she was rightfully criticised for her shitty Holocaust art by Jews? 

In the end, I shouldn’t be surprised that this is something coming from the likes of you. Taking a look at your blog reveals that you market yourself as a “lifestyle coach,” which is a fancy way of saying that you’re a snake oil saleswoman. Then again, it mustn’t be too bad a job to make money off of gullible people by parroting nonsense such as: claiming that superfoods exist (they do not); claiming diabetes is reversible (so far, no) and promoting myths on it; promoting misinformation  and conspiracy theories about fluoride (not to mention that you apparently don’t know how the pineal gland works); promoting detoxing and cleansing (which absolutely does not work); claim stupid things like meat and wifi cause cancer (yet that somehow doesn’t stop you from being a prolific blogger, tweeter, and instagrammer); promote the alkaline diet myth (seriously, this is an egregious lie and completely unfounded to boot); fearmongering over gmos, and a hundred other stupid things that would tire me out even more if I tried to list them too. 

In the animal department, you promote misinformation about honey and apiculture and ignore apiarists who correct you, as well as promote more misinformation on milk “leaching calcium from bones” (no they don’t) and claiming cows and other animals cry out of sadness (no they don’t). 

And what are your credentials for claiming to be such an expert and authority? From institutes that are also training centres for fellow snake oil salesmen: 

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition has spaces in its curriculum for dubious sounding fad diets such as macrobiotics and the blood type diet

The T. Colin Campbell Centre for Nutrition Studies was founded by a man who cherry picked data in The China Study to claim that animal protein and casein cause cancer. Conveniently, he has close ties to PETA and the PETA proxy known as the PCRM, yet you claim to not support PETA

The Hippocrates Health Institute is a place promoting quack medicine that claims to help in the fields of “weight loss, anti aging, and cancer treatment.” The Wikipedia page that has collected all the news on it has this to report: “The Hippocrates Health Institute is controversial for giving patients false hope about treating cancer with "natural" methods that are unproven and implausible despite claims otherwise. In February and March 2015, cease-and-desist orders were issued against co-directors Brian and Anna-Maria Clement, both of whom represented themselves as doctors, requiring them to immediately cease the unlicensed practice of medicine (the Florida Department of Health formally informed Hippocrates Health Institute that it has withdrawn and dismissed the Cease and Desist orders placed on HHI co-directors Brian Clement on February 10 and Anna Maria Gehns-Clement on February 25). Brian Clement and his institute have been directly criticized for promoting a number of ineffective treatments, including ones claimed to "reverse" cancer and multiple sclerosis, which amounts to practicing quackery and committing health fraud. Former staff members of the institute have filed suit against Brian Clement for being fired after raising concerns about ethical wrongdoing in treating patients at the center.” 

You also swear by the likes of Neal Barnard and such, but again: he and the others you cite are quacks who have ties to PETA. I’ll let @agro-carnist and @avatar-dacia handle this one. And how convenient that you too advertise your own services to others!

Your own personal blogging aside from veganism also leaves much to be desired. I see that you’re practically an embodiment of the stereotype of the self-absorbed hipster blogger who deals only in soundbites and whatever is more “spiritual” at the moment: an “om” (ॐ) tag that contains posts that are absolutely not related to South Asian religions, but instead to “deep” quotes and aesthetic pictures, and a freaking “gypsy” tag, of all things, on your personal. 

But back to veganism! (Since it’s apparently the only thing you seem to care about): posts saying that you can’t be a feminist if you’re not vegan; tags dedicated to Gary “i think non veganism is equivalent to child rape” Francione, Gary “women who wear fur deserve to be viciously raped and scarred for life/I hate Palestinians” Yourovsky, and Gary “eating animals is the equivalent to slavery” Smith. What’s also there? The use of rape analogies (which manipulate others by taking the suffering of rape victims and coopting it), comparisons to slavery and reblogging fabricated quotes to support such a thing; and, of course, your disgusting holocaust tag and your condescension and dismissal towards everyone who has come forward to tell you to knock that shit off. 

You also regularly steal and repost art, infographics and memes from other people without crediting them at all.

The final straw is a look at the kind of blogs you follow, which include: 

Idiots like shaeelouiise, who put their moral codes before their pets and feed their dogs vegan food, no animal protein whatsoever; 

Freelee the banana girl is also there, the racist, fat shaming, misogynist idiot who claims garbage like “menstruation is toxins leaving your body” and that having amenorrhea is somehow good for you;

Panatmansam already had a run in with jumblr for being an asswhipe of an antisemite who claimed to know Judaism better than Jewish people, as well as being a typical fake guru type who cherry picks from all sorts of religions to be more *spiritual*;

Antifeminist/anti sjw blogs like “check-your-privilege-feminists”;

necessaryveganism has proven to be ableist, racist, transphobic, you name it; 

the-pineal-gland-promotes misinformation/conspiracy theories about fluoride and the pineal gland, glamorises drug use, and is very obnoxious about his posting of nudes/soliciting people for nudes;

Radfems/terfs like philosophy-lesbian and tofugoddess; 

At least TWO blogs like 269liberation whose selling point is nothing but Holocaust comparisons to eating meat; 

Sorsha Morava, the unabashedly proud white supremacist; 

more antisemites; 

  And more antisemites/actual goddamn Holocaust deniers like palestineback.

You’re vile. You’re absolutely morally repugnant and completely uncaring of the sensitivities of others because you think you’re always right, except you’re nothing but a hack and a fraud peddling misinformation and lies. But the worst thing is that you have those 35,000+ followers, and somehow none of them see anything wrong with what you feature on your blog. You have a humongous audience and you are using your online presence to feed them lies and to encourage horrible things like talking over Jewish people and downplaying the plight of minorities for the sake of “how can I make this about veganism.” 

If this is what one of the faces of the tumblr vegan community looks like--if these are the kind of messages you are transmitting and helping to propagate online to thousands--then it stands to reason that it is a community built on a flaming heap of trash. 

PS--no me vengas hablando de estupideces y de hacerte pasar por más inteligente y que me quieres “educar.” Con la boca cerrada no entran moscas. 

#vegans come collect your garbage #antisemitism #racism #junk science

[nonemous-blog]

An Open (but deeply personal) Letter on homophobia and hate based in religion

It’s been roughly 8 months since my last sobbing-in-the-shower-turned-into-a-full-blown-panic-attack session that led to me revealing to my husband “I think I’m a lesbian”.

Well, before today.

Let me backtrack. I grew up in a super religious, super conservative home where feelings were buried and considered irrelevant in the grand scheme of salvation and where your soul ultimately spends the rest of all time. I was so sheltered. I went to a private, Christian school during the week and went to church with the same kids on the weekend (and Wednesday evenings!). When one of us was tricked into saying “fuck” in 4th grade, I didn’t understand the big deal because I didn’t even know it was a word, but in middle school, when my best friend said “shoot a monkey!” (a perceived euphemism for “shoot”, not even “shit” but “shoot”) I literally thought she was going to be struck down that instant. That sheltered. My world was very black and white for far longer than I like to admit.

I was taught from the earliest of my memories that even leading someone to believe you’re doing something “wrong” (Abstain from all appearance of evil. ) could cause them to “slip” on their path to eternal life, thereby being responsible for the worst imaginable kind of suffering and agony for someone else forever. Do you know what kind of a mindfuck that is for a child, especially an empathetic child who sees a little bit of herself in literally everyone and wants no harm to come to anyone, ever?

But that was reality to me. “Don’t mess up. Don’t do anything that could cause other people to mess up. Your wants/needs/feelings don’t matter because what could possibly matter more than your eternal soul?”

Fast forward.

I realized I’m gay after being married to a man for 5 years. I should have known. I haven’t changed. It was just never an option to be anything but straight. It took me weeks of privately breaking down and full-blown panic attacks over my fears and confusion before I was able to say it out loud to my husband for the first time. I contribute such a late realization to being completely out of touch with myself for so long because of my childhood. I was so shielded and sheltered and oblivious to my feelings and the world around me. I’ve been surrounded by homophobic rhetoric literally my entire life. I don’t say any of this lightly. I’ve had 8 months to start getting over some of the deeply ingrained “principles” and resulting feelings of self-hate I didn’t even know existed but don’t surprise me. I understand the religious aspects of homophobia. No, that’s not right. I’m familiar with the religious aspects of homophobia, the “reasoning” if you want to call it that. I’ll never understand them.

Today, I found an article. It was anti-Trump. It was inflammatory. I saw the message it was meant to portray. “This is outrageous! Aren’t you outraged?!” Yes! I’m outraged. I’m exasperated. I’m broken-hearted. I’ve never felt so hopeless in my life.

Not long after seeing the headline “U.S. Votes Against United Nations Ban on Death Penalty for Same-Sex Relations”  I’m seeing snippets like “...wants to ‘rid the Earth’ of ‘wicked’ gays...” and “...doesn’t know whether or not gays and lesbians should be put to death...” and “...has called for gay people to be put to death...” (x)

Why, complete stranger, do you want me dead?

You’ve never met me. You don’t know me at all. Why do you think I deserve to die?

Actually, truthfully, you may know me. I’m still in the closet. The only person that knows my truth is my husband. If you met me on the street, you wouldn’t be able to tell. You’d see me walking with my husband and you probably wouldn’t give us a second glance. We look happy. We look “normal” by your standards. That doesn’t make me less gay. It just makes you more comfortable.

You won’t see the devastation. You won’t see the anguish of the realization that I can’t be the person I thought I was, the one I vowed to be when I vowed to spend the rest of my life with my best friend at my side. You won’t see the utter feeling of failure that I can’t be who he deserves. You won’t see the agony of wondering if I’ve condemned him to a life of either loneliness and feelings of inadequacy or eternal damnation since the religion I was raised in doesn’t recognize divorce and remarriage. You won’t see the fear for my future if I do find a woman that I want to love; my questioning of “am I potentially damning this person I claim to love to hell simply by loving her?”. You won’t see the disappointment of my entire family over their “failure” and their belief that I am going to hell. You won’t see the guilt. You won’t see the helplessness. You won’t see the consummate heartbreak.

I’ve lost a lot this year. I’ve been privately mourning relationships that haven’t ended yet. I’ve lost my faith. I’ve lost my entire sense of self. I’ve lost my marriage in the way I once defined it. I’ve lost my sense of security. I’ve lost things I can’t even admit anonymously. I’ve lost things I can’t even put into words, but I haven’t lost my humanity. I’m still human. I’m still a person.

What about me and my quiet existence is so threatening that you think I don’t deserve to live?

My heart is broken for every single person who has ever been forced to question “Why do they want me dead?” for any reason. I desperately wish I could take that confusion, pain, and terror away.

When it comes to religion, I’m over the whole concept of killing in the name of it. I’m over the hate because that’s what it is. Condemning people is not love. To me, if someone truly believed that another person was potentially doomed to spend all of their eternity in the fiery pits of hell - the worst kind of agony and misery forever - I can’t imagine how that person could do anything short of everything to try to save them from that fate, not send them there quicker.

Killing in the name of Christianity is a lie.

Thou shalt not kill. -God

There is nothing open to interpretation about that.

Prefer the New Testament to the Old?

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Not a fan of the thou’s?

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Want more context?

The Greatest Commandment

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.‘ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:28-33, NIV)

We can even take it back to the Old Testament if you want.

KJV: 16 You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people: neither shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. NIV:  16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

KJV: 17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. NIV:  17 Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.

(I’m not excluding verse 17 because even though it says to rebuke your neighbor, that command is immediately preceded by not hating him and immediately followed by loving him. If you want to argue about rebuking someone in love and what that looks like, I’ve got decades of experience and examples of what not to do. Let’s tango. Sorry, dancing is a sin. Rebuke me.)

KJV: 18 You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. NIV:  18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

...but keep in mind that if you acknowledge these OT laws, this one exists in that same chapter, too:

33 When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.   (Leviticus Ch 19)

You choose to hate me? I can’t change that. (But don’t you dare do it in the name of God.) You want to strip me of rights? I can’t stop you. You condemn me to death in the name of God because I’m gay?

If you’re right, I’ll see you in hell.

To the LGBT+ community, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that so much hate and ignorance exists. I’m sorry for being a part of it, even passively. I’m sorry for my silence. This isn’t new but it is new to me. How do you cope?

*Disclaimer: This is my experience from my life and does not reflect the life experiences of anyone but myself. I don’t claim to speak on behalf of anyone, especially God, and I’m no expert on anything. I hesitate to say “we/us” in reference to the LGBT+ community because I’m not openly out and I have nothing but respect and admiration for those who are. I also want to add that my husband has been nothing but supportive and we’re figuring things out for us. He’s my best friend, always.

#LGBT #open letter #homophobic #religion #religious #hate #love #lesbian #gay #christian #christianity #persecution #gay rights #trump #death sentence #condemnation #anonymous #letter #open letters #closet #closeted #baby gay #real life #long reads

[nebris]

Gun Violence Isn’t a Problem—it’s actually 5 Problems, with Different Solutions

Thom Dunn Nov 8, 2018 

Naming something gives you power over it.

That’s the basic idea behind all the magic in every folktale dating back for centuries, from “Rumpelstiltskin” to the Rolling Stones’ “Hope you guessed my name.” Ancient shamans didn’t practice “magic”; they just had knowledge, and names for things like “eye of newt” that no one else could understand. To name something is to know it, and knowledge is power. Think about the relationship between “spelling” and “spells” and you won’t be so surprised that Harry Potter has been all over the gun violence conversations lately, on both the Left and the Right—which makes sense, considering that they have a word you memorize and practice reciting in order to kill people.

But when we talk about gun violence—or gun control, or gun reform, et cetera et cetera ad nauseam—we’re all too busy tripping over words to see the problems that we’re trying to address. And no, I’m not talking about “gunsplaining,” or even about the eye-roll-inducing “assault weapon” terminology (which is a distinction that I have come to understand and appreciate, and also a debate that is nothing but distracting on every single side of it). It’s hard to deny that gun violence is a problem in the United States of America, but it’s in our attempts to name that problem where we start to lose our footing, and thus, our focus (and I know a thing or two about focus). Perhaps if we learned to name the individual issues of gun violence that need to change, then we can start to identify specific solutions — one at a time, without infringing on civil rights or liberties. Then maybe then we could have some real conversations about how to make our society safer.

Instead of seeing at gun violence at One Big All-Encompassing Monolithic Problem, let’s look at the isolated areas where gun violence needs to be addressed: Domestic Violence, Suicides, Mass Shootings, Gang Violence, and State Violence.

1. Domestic Violence

An existing history of violence against family or loved ones is the greatest indicator of a person’s penchant for gun violence. An American woman is shot and killed by her partner every 16 hours, according to the Trace, and more male shooters attack their own families than schools or public places. In terms of the sheer number of deaths, the money we spend on terrorism would be better focused on the threat of husbands.

Perhaps none of this is surprising—but for some reason, we still don’t do anything about it. While the NRA loves to whinge on about self-defense, they ignore the fact that abused women are five times more likely to be killed by partners who own firearms, and 90% of women imprisoned for killing men had previously been abused by those same men.

That’s what I mean when I say “We have a problem.”

Felony offenses for domestic violence are supposed to mean that an American loses their right to gun ownership. But this requires the person to willingly turn their private property over to the government, or for the ATF to actively pursue civil asset forfeiture on those guns—neither of which is a very practical solution.

So what can we do? Legally, it’s complicated. But states like Rhode Island, California, Washington, and New York have recently enacted laws to prevent guns from even failing into the hands of misdemeanor* domestic abusers, and quite frankly, I don’t see a reason why that can’t be enacted everywhere. It’ll save lives, and it won’t infringe on the rights and freedoms of law-abiding gun-owners, or people at greater risk of being victims of violence. We can also improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (which even the NRA has mockingly acknowledged to be flawed) by standardizing the information that states and military are required to submit, under threat of financial penalty.

(*The one caveat I will acknowledge: this requires people to actually press charges. And that’s easier said than done, for a number of social reasons that are difficult to legislate.)

2. Suicides

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, nearly two-thirds of all gun deaths are suicides, and almost half of all suicides are gun deaths. The majority of those victims are men, often with military backgrounds, and mostly over the age of 45.

This is the one place where mental health really enters the gun reform debate, and it has nothing to do with a risk of physical harm to others.

Suicides of all kinds are unfortunately difficult to prevent. But most attempts are impulsive, and 70% of people who survive an attempt won’t try again. Unfortunately, only about 10% of people survive a suicide attempt by gun — which means the trick is in screening those deadly impulse buys.

Some gun sellers in America have already started taking the initiative to spot suicide warning signs in customers, using grassroots activism to empower more community intervention. And in fact, when Australia enacted its gun ban, the country saw a drastic drop in suicides as well. If we want to focus our energies on saving lives, that might be a place to start. (Of course, this will also require investing more money in community resources and social work, too — but I think the return on investment is worth it, ya know?)

3. Mass Shootings

Mass shootings get the most attention, because they’re massive and tragic. More often than not, the circumstances around them are almost too absurd to wrap out heads around, so we search for scapegoats such as “mental illness.” But mass shootings account for less than 1% of firearm deaths—which unfortunately makes them kind of hard to plan for and around to base legislation upon.

Now, to be fair: mental illnesses do figure out one-quarter to one-half of mass shootings. But anyone who knows anything about data will tell you 1/2 of 1% is not really a good indicator of anything, especially when about 20% of the population has a mental disorder, and those people are still significantly more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of violence. It’s also important to point out that, while gun violence in general is on the decline, mass shootings are becoming deadly—but not necessarily more frequent.

Now that all that data is out of the way, we still need to talk about the fact that mass shootings—especially in schools—are a problem. Given that small statistical sample, however, it’s harder to find solutions that will be applicable in enough situations to make a difference. This is about more than “walking up” and bullying initiatives. Because the most bullied people are LGBTQ+, or Muslim, or poor, or physically unattractive, while most school shooters are white men. But you know where we can start? Increase funding and training for social work, especially at schools, and give people the tools they need to express their frustrations.

See that? None of it will infringe on civil rights and civil liberties. It will infringe upon the people who don’t want to pay taxes and/or want to harm social services and public education. Poverty, opportunity, and violence go hand-in-hand, and they all require some financial investment to upend.

4. So-called “Gang-Related” Violence

This one is particularly frustrating, because it’s often racially charged — and thus, often used as a racist deflection (STOP👏BRINGING👏UP👏CHICAGO👏 ). Even without the racialized aspect, it’s still quite complicated.

Unfortunately, it’s also true that 80 percent of gun homicides (but not all gun deaths) are gang-related killings, which affect mostly young men. And while there is a racial element, it has more to do with the survival tactics that people are forced to go through in order to survive in a racist society.

If you ask me, much of this connects back to the same problems of toxic masculinity that lead to domestic violence. Even financial struggles or other markers of “manliness” can drive men to violence, lashing out at the world for their own perceived failures. Simply put, violence is a byproduct of anger, not of general mental health. That alone is not a legislative solution, but perhaps it can serve as a guide for the ways in which we cultivate our culture with compassion, empathy, and understanding—oh, and not automatically treating teens who misbehave like they’re already criminals, damned for life, as often happens in our racist education and justice systems.

Luckily, there are already educators and social workers trying to address these problems. Perhaps we should consider increasing their support and resources; after all, it’s better to address a problem before it starts than to spend all your money trying to clean-up the mess after the fact. But it has to start within the communities first. They know what’s best for them more than any government or police interference could help—they just need allies and support to make it happen.

[My one comment here: the vast majority of this violence can also be laid at the door of the failed War on Drugs. End that and much of this particular form of gun violence will abate. Nebris]

5. State Violence

Neither the military nor the police should be excused from unnecessary acts of violence. History has shown time and time again that the use of violence as a tool of persuasion only engenders more fear and anger among the general public, and that in turn leads to more violence every time. The state should not have a monopoly on violence, and violence committed at the hands of the government is just as bad or worse than violence between civilians. This harkens back to the original intentions of the 2nd Amendment, too—to defend against a tyrannical government, a.k.a., state-sponsored violence.

Militarized policing, for example, is known to harm both police reputations, and community stability, without actually make anyone safer. The FBI has been watching and warning of an increase in violent white supremacists infiltrating police departments for years, and nothing’s happened to stop it.

Or consider the fact that 40% of police officer families experience domestic violence, according to the National Center for Women and Policing. And yet, the Blue Fraternity all but ensures that charges are never brought against the officers involved, even though it’s been established that patterns of violent behavior almost always lead to more violent behavior. The same goes for the rising problem of police brutality (or as the passive-voiced PR prefers, “officer-involved shootings,” a phrasing that’s intentionally designed to absolve the officers of any responsibility). Thanks to police union laws, officers who do commit excessive and unnecessary acts of violence are often transferred to or hired by another nearby department, with little to no consequences for their actions—despite the fact that they are likely to repeat them.

We should not excuse these acts of violence simply because they are committed by police officers. By doing so, we just enable more violence—which empowers more cops to act with extreme prejudice, which leads to more violence, which is met by more violence.

Much of this goes back to mental health as well, and the way we treat our veterans after subjecting them to the horrors of war. If a history of violence is the best indicator of future acts of violence, then training our soldiers to commit acts of violence—with little support for the PTSD they endure when they come home—is simply setting them up for more violence. That’s why veterans tend to be more susceptible to joining the ranks of white supremacists, or committing acts of domestic violence: it’s an outlet for the violence that we inflicted upon them by sending them to war in the first place.

(This especially true of men who receive other than honorable or bad conduct discharges. The military has their reasoning for their categories, which don’t impact a discharged veterans ability to purchase a gun in the future, even if the reason for their discharge had to do with violence. An improved FBI background check system would find a way to address this loophole, too.)

Unfortunately, this makes it easier for those same veterans to seek out the camaraderie and power of the military by joining extremist militias, or to seek solace in suicide, as mentioned above. Our society (rightly) likes to talk big of honoring our veterans, but there’s nothing honorable about subjecting them to these horrible fates.

We can’t find common ground unless we can actually identify the problem to solve—and we can’t see the problem if we don’t share the same words to describe it. That’s the source of our gun debate.

Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, I hope that we can all agree that reducing death and violence is a good thing for everyone. But we can’t just throw our arms and shrug after every awful shooting tragedy; nor can we throw our arms up and scream about every single death like they’re all the same.

Sometimes, the best way to tackle a larger problem is to break it down into smaller ones, and to make sure that everyone’s using the same words to refer to all the same things. If we’re ever going to deal with our gun violence epidemic, then I think this could be a good place to start.

I’ve written extensively on gun violence, spoken on international TV and radio on the subject, and even pursued a gun license in the strictest city of one of the strictest states in the country. Despite my first-hand experience, the most ardent defenders of the Second Amendment will still tell me things like, “We don’t need more laws! We need to enforce the laws on the books!” or “We can’t stop every shooting because that’s just the price of freedom.” However, those #2A Avengers will still acknowledge that yeah, okay, maybe NICS has some problems, or maybe those Parkland cops should have done something earlier — that is, until they swiftly retreat back into the same tribalistic mindsets that always prevent human progress. But I wrote this, because I truly think that maybe—just maybe—we can find more common ground.

https://medium.com/@thomdunn/gun-violence-isnt-a-problem-it-s-actually-five-problems-with-different-solutions-63f58e93da08

[black-strike-otp]

part 2

time to shitpost becuz it’s hard to sleep with loud assholes about lmao

Of course, the heroin of this story cannot die because what fun would that be and how would otp be a thing (unless- ghost au. But let's not)? So a wee little gullible Novastrike managed to survive being in Decepticon territory. She’s very cautious and takes a slow, tedious trek with little risk as possible as she tries heading back to familiar Autobot territory. It takes weeks, but it’s worth it in the end when she manages to rejoin a fellow group of Autobots.

Quickly identified, Novastrike is immediately court-martialed by an Autobot officer. She is found guilty of some of the accusations against her; and is offered minor penalties more or less. Apparently news had reached Optimus Prime himself and although not thrilled with an escaped Decepticon commanding officer, he realizes that from reports, the ideals of Autobots were indeed not being followed by her team and gave the femme some slack.

With a ‘slap on the wrist’ punishment more or less, Nova is eventually allowed to be placed back in service. She is moved to a less-popular location for work and given the duty clean up crew, ie, doing the lackey chores around base, cleaning up after others, aiding in the disposal of bodies (”who was this, sir?” “Don’t ask questions, femme, just do your job.” “.... Yes sir.”).

Nova sees no battle, does nothing of particular value, and spends her spare time training despite the occasional mocking comment that there’s no way she’s ever going to see combat again. Undeterred; perhaps just stubborn or convinced she will see combat one way or another (of her choosing or not), she continues on training.

It pays off.

A Decepticon raid takes the Autobots off guard in the area. The entry of the base becomes overrun. Novastrike ends up joining those defending the area, and helps to hold the line until reinforcements.

She’s praised for her bravery, and it’s pointed out her combat skills are rough and sloppy, but she lived. Minor injures, but she was a good shot- but with a stun gun? Most say that was a ludicrous choice in weaponry, and Nova just shrugs it off and states there’s no weapons around for her size besides the training weapons.

Honest. There’s a small voice in the back of Novastrike’s head though. A flutter in the pit of her tanks. A jumping pulse momentarily in her spark.

The young femme has never killed before. The idea unnerves her, greatly.

With the pressure of the war mounting on even their unimportant locations doorstep, the commanding officer commissions new weapons be made. And he even takes into account Novastrike, under the high regard of some other Bots.

Slowly, the duties of others on base shift to allow everyone more training hours as well as give the responsibility of cleaning up the base. With more free time, Nova can train with more bots. It’s slow work, very slow, but she starts to progress in dealing with various size bots and smaller bots, and minicons, help advise her and encourage her the most.

A nearby base radios across Autobot channels one day they are under enemy fire and recover backup. The commanding Autobot of Nova’s base assembles a team. He’s hesitant to call up upon Novastrike but does so- trusting she will bring her recently assembled weapons.

What a foolish child, this little femme. She swallows her fear best she can, and at the last possible moment, switches out her new shiny guns for her training stun guns. Primus, she didn’t want to offline anyone.

It’s a massacre. Inbound, and they can see bodies litter the ground. Aboard the airship they’re dropped close to the ground and their air support takes off to aid from above. Novastrike can’t even take it all in. She’s never seen so many dead Cybertronian. Energon is everywhere, faces frozen even in death with horror and pain.

Her knees nearly buckle. This senseless violence, this carnage and death, and all for what? Couldn’t there be another way, was there no other alternative than to kill those who didn’t agree with you? The Council that had controlled Cybertron was scattered and most dead, could they not just work on a new government, could they not just work together?

There is yelling and blood and everyone is charging. Nova is caught up in the fray; stumbling over corpses with a shudder and soft apology. The deceased deserve better than to be trampled on in death.

“Primus bless your Sparks, I am sorry.”

Novastrike quickly tries to avoid confrontation as they charge head-on into the Decepticon forces. Spark pounding she follows the edges of battle towards the Autobot base, perhaps hoping to help others out there.

A femme blocks her way. She grins wildly; but she doesn’t see Nova. Her eyes are fixed on someone else in the throng of battle.

Spotting the Decepticon insignia on the femme’s shoulder, Novastrike stops. She raises her pistol shakily and fires, several times.

The stun rounds hit the femme and she shrieks wildly. She turns but it’s too late; too many stun rounds hit her and she stumbles awkwardly and falls.

Shuddering, Novastrike darts around the femme’s limp form and hurries along.

A weak plea for help catches her attention. Nova follows it, crawling over some deceased bodies to spot a Decepticon lying in a twisted heap of metal, his torso all but frayed in two.

An overwhelming sense of sympathy and an urgent need to do something sends Novastrike scrambling down to the mech’s side. He offers his servo, and she doesn’t even hesitate to grasp his digit gently.

“Please help... please help me.”

“What can I do?” Nova asks. She’s clueless. She’s no medic. She can’t help this mech. Her optics well with tears.

The mech continues to mutter weakly, his words turning to a slur. Novastrike grips his digit tightly. “I’m sorry,” she whispers while watching the mech slowly die. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

The light of his optics flicker and slowly fade. A gray hue begins to slowly creep over the mech’s frame as his mouth falls slack.

Novastrike places a servo against her mouth and bows her head. With a quiet prayer in her thoughts, she stands respectfully silent for the mech.

A shudder ripples through the ground. Novastrike looks up and hears the crack of an enormous weapon; energy rippling in the air.

An explosion nearly atop of her causes the front of the Autobot base to become a field of shrapnel and fire. Novastrike releases the mech’s digit and runs. It’s all she can hope to do as searing hot metal comes flying; searing and shooting straight through her limbs as she awkwardly dives over bodies.

The explosion forces Nova right in the midst of the fighting. Beads of energon dot her frame where twisted metal hit her, cut through her with ease. She’s shaking, sizzling circuits crackling, optics wide and side somewhat scorched.

Pedes are slamming all around her and Nova dodges wildly, not knowing who is who, where her allies are. She leaps away from the spray of weapon and splatter of others. A mech takes notice of her, and fires off an array of bullets. Nova dances back, trips, and manages to fall into the chassis of a dead bot of some kind.

With a squeal of fright she tries clammering out. The mech is momentarily distracted with firing at someone else, but spots her getting up and begins to shift his weapon towards her.

Unwilling to wait for another spray of fire, Nova half sags back into the cover of the torn up dead Cybertronian and raises her stun gun and fires it wildly at the mech.

He goes down.

With a breath of relief, Novastrike climbs out of the carcass’s holey body. She feels a stir in her, a small determination.

Before the feeling can leave her she charges into the fight.

There’s no good thing about war. But there is good. Novastrike proves relentless, not in killing, but in delaying. If knocking someone out, or down, saves a life, that is what she will do. And that is what she does.

She backflips out of the way of an energy-based shot and fires at the next mech. Rolls from a femme and shoots at her legs until she’s spasming and falling down. Paralyzing another Con’s arm so he retreats with a shocked and irritated expression.

Twisting and jumping out of the reach of a mech’s sword, Nova catches a tall shadow out of the corner of her optic. She shoots the mech attacking her but he still sluggishly advances.

She’s sidetracked though. Just a second, just a moment’s too long glance.

It’s that General. And he is pointedly looking at her. His gaze almost seems... amused?

Nova fumes. She considers the Fucking Giant, and is surprised as she’s knocked roughly aside by a weak swing by the mech’s sword as the flat side hits her.

Bouncing once, Nova skirts along the ground a moment and flops down. She sits up quickly to see the growling Decepticon advancing again.

She fires at him. He tries blocking her with his sword, and manages a few times, but not enough. Slowly, he falls to his knees, and collapses.

Venting a sigh, Novastrike flicks her optics to where she saw Satan at last. The mech was nearly out of range of her stun pistols already, but maybe-

She raises her gun, and fires.

Click. Click. Click.

“Frag,” Novastrike mutters. The damn things needed a recharge.

The small femme watches, witnessing mechs and femmes being cut down with ease by the Large Monster. He raises his cannon and fires. It’s massive; and cuts through a mech’s armor with fair ease.

Novastrike shudders. Was that what had caused the explosion at the entrance...?

Blackout turns slightly, blowing a hole clean through another Autobot who had tried to leap onto the big fragger when he was distracted.

Slipping her pistols away, Novastrike curls her tail close to her body. She looks around, and spots with some grateful cowardice some Autobots retreating off t oher far left.

Taking a final, swift glance back at the beastly mech tearing the entrails out of a femme who had managed to get close and attack the mech from the side, Novastike shuddered and took off after the other Autobots.

As she ran, she could hear a horrifying metallic noise from behind. She never dared turn back, but something, something came out from behind the retreating Autobots and whatever it was, the last thing she wanted to do was stop or slow down.

A few good Autobots were left behind by the cowards like Novastrike who continued to flee. Their screams echoing in the femme’s thoughts long past the time they had escaped and into the sleepless night-cycles to come.

#quid pro quo au #OTP AU #OTP Lit #Badass OTP