#erik zay | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mariacallous · 10 months

Text

Nothing will kill legislation faster than when it becomes a political football on Washington’s Capitol Hill. So it has been refreshing to see members of both parties and houses of the U.S. Congress, with firm support from the administration, rally around a vision for the future of U.S. military engagement in the Middle East. The plan calls for the creation of a Middle Eastern security architecture that joins the military capabilities of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the Israeli Defense Forces, and the militaries of neighboring Arab states to detect and defend against threats emanating from regional adversaries, mainly Iran.

Last year, as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress passed the Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses (DEFEND) Act, which authorized the U.S. Defense secretary to establish an integrated air and missile defense system with Israel and other Middle Eastern partner militaries. The bill enjoyed broad bicameral and bipartisan support when it was introduced. Once it was attached to the NDAA, its path from bill to law was sealed.

Legislators are poised to move further this year. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, with support from fellow members of the congressional Abraham Accords Caucus, introduced the Maritime Architecture and Response to International Terrorism in the Middle East Act (MARITIME) Act. In a format similar to last year’s bill, the follow-up measure would authorize the Defense Department to establish an integrated maritime domain awareness capability with Centcom’s regional partners to jointly guard some of the world’s busiest commercial waterways in and around the Arabian Peninsula. Shortly after, Rosen introduced an additional bill that promotes Middle Eastern cooperation on cybersecurity threats—the kind that Iran employed to knock the Albanian government offline last summer. The Senate Armed Services Committee appears to have included versions of both bills in its 2024 NDAA, likely ensuring their passage into law.

This apparent enthusiasm for Middle Eastern regional security integration isn’t just a phenomenon on Capitol Hill. It also has the support of the White House, the Pentagon, and Centcom itself. The latter has been working assiduously to establish integrated defense systems under the leadership of its commander, U.S. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla. As far as policy initiatives go, that makes it all but unanimous. It should be as good as done, right?

Despite Washington’s enthusiasm, however, the United States’ regional partners have shrugged. In recent years, they have opened their proverbial doors to a wider variety of national security partners—both friends and adversaries—rather than aligning too closely and exclusively with the United States, as they might have done in the past. Refusing to be discouraged, the Pentagon has continued to pursue its campaign of defense diplomacy, investing time and resources in military exercises designed to showcase the collective power of U.S. and regional forces, most recently bringing Gulf Cooperation Council militaries together for Eagle Resolve 23, an exercise that included integrated air and missile defense and counter-drone activities.

Despite these exercises and other regional legwork by Kurilla and his staff, Gulf Cooperation Council states—particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—seem unmoved. Unimpressed with the U.S. commitment to UAE security, Emirati ruler Mohammed bin Zayed remembers what he believes to have been an insufficient response from Washington when Abu Dhabi came under attack from Houthi missiles in January 2022. Since then, he has made a sport out of rebuffing the Biden administration’s efforts to repair the relationship. Last month, in an act that read like petulance in Washington, the UAE announced it was ending its participation in a U.S.-led regional task force meant to watch over critical sea lanes around the Arabian Peninsula.

Media reports indicate that Saudi Arabia is pursuing major arms deals with China even as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hosts visits from senior U.S. officials attempting to determine his price for normalizing Saudi relations with Israel. The crown prince, understanding he’s as much in negotiation with Washington as with Jerusalem on any deal, is almost certainly seeking security guarantees, priority access to U.S. weapons systems, and possibly support for his own civilian nuclear energy program. He likely won’t get everything he wants, but he might get a considerable amount.

While the U.S. Congress has become significantly more critical and resistant to Saudi arms sales over the past few years, the Biden administration may not need to lean on Congress all that hard if members believe they have a chance to make history with a Saudi-Israeli peace deal. The majority of Congress is likely to be “pretty forward-leaning,” as Republican Sen. Joni Ernst recently described her own position in a discussion on the future of the Abraham Accords at the Center for a New American Security’s annual conference this month. At that same event, Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider asserted that an “overwhelming majority” would support a deal presented “in a clear and transparent manner.”

Israel presumably has the most to gain economically and in terms of security from an official thaw in relations with Saudi Arabia. The upside of a normalization deal with Riyadh seemed apparent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who marked his return to office in late 2022 by appearing on Saudi television to speak glowingly about the kingdom and chide Washington for not doing more to strengthen U.S.-Saudi relations. While that seemed promising, in the months that followed, Bibi’s government diverted all its attention and political capital to its domestic agenda of judicial reforms and West Bank settlement expansion. Those two policies have strained the foundations of Israel’s democracy in ways that have left some of Israel’s newfound friends in the Gulf wondering if the Jewish State will survive its “Jewish Spring,” an allusion to the civil uprisings that turned the Arab world inside-out just over a decade ago.

The White House, Pentagon, and Congress are all synchronized on a vision for Middle Eastern security integration. If Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia don’t seize on this moment of rare Washington unanimity to work toward a multilateral security framework that would benefit all of them, we might sadly amend former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban’s famous quip from 1973 and conclude that the Arabs and Israelis never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

To avoid this fate, here’s what needs to happen.

The UAE, like Saudi Arabia, wants an easier path to purchasing U.S. weapons and a defense pact that guarantees a U.S. military response if it comes under attack. Washington is not willing to immediately agree to either of those conditions. In time, and if Abu Dhabi takes the right steps, Washington’s political and policy environment might allow consideration in the future. However, neither can occur if the UAE allows China’s military to establish an overt or covert presence in the country, because the risk posed to sensitive U.S. military technology is just too great. It’s a nonstarter. To get what he wants, bin Zayed should demonstrate he takes U.S. concerns about the security threat posed by China seriously and throw Beijing out of Khalifa Port, where it is reported to have a secret military presence. Secondly, he should commit his military forces to do everything they can to build interoperability with the U.S. military and those of the United States’ other regional partners. He should understand that the more Washington feels it can rely on the UAE, the more it will—and doors will open.

Of course, from his own perspective, bin Zayed has proved himself a loyal partner to the United States time and again, but of late has had little to show for it. Emirati officials are quick to remind their U.S. counterparts that the UAE sent its military to Afghanistan in support of the United States, but when the UAE called for help, Washington didn’t answer. While one can debate the finer points of who did what for whom, the point is that bin Zayed, the only Emirati decision-maker who matters, feels personally aggrieved. If he can put his frustration with Washington aside and commit to making the UAE a pillar in the United States’ vision of a Middle Eastern security architecture, Washington will reciprocate. The Middle Eastern countries that Washington perceives as essential to regional stability tend to get the weapons they need. Just ask Israel and Jordan.

When it comes to getting Riyadh’s commitment to a normalization deal, the road runs through Jerusalem. Whatever Mohammed bin Salman demands from Washington, it probably won’t be an insurmountable hurdle. To sign the Abraham Accords, the UAE negotiated a commitment from Israel that the latter would not annex the West Bank for three years. To follow suit, Saudi Arabia will likely need a greater commitment than that. It remains unclear to what, if anything, Israel’s government might agree in order to strike a deal. Netanyahu’s cabinet is unprecedently right-wing and hostile toward Palestinian existence, let alone autonomy, let alone the statehood envisioned in the increasingly ephemeral doctrine of the two-state solution. If a deal were in reach, Netanyahu would likely need to form a new government to have the political latitude to meet Riyadh’s conditions—something he might consider, according to a theory recently put forth by Israeli journalist and Abraham Accords chronicler Barak Ravid. In the meantime, Netanyahu can do his part by ratcheting down tensions within and beyond Israel’s borders.

Since the United States isn’t ran by an autocrat, it’s rare that the U.S. government has a truly unified vision for anything. But at this moment, it does. Washington wants to connect its Middle Eastern partners in ways that deliver collective security benefits greater than the sum of any one nation’s military’s parts. And at this moment, Washington is sitting alone at the table while its would-be allies are playing footsie with the United States’ adversaries, stewing in the corner over past grievances, or distracted by domestic endeavors. They would be wise to realize the rarity and significance of the opportunity that Washington is presenting and take a seat at the table. As Eban might have said, they should take the opportunity to take this opportunity.

1 note · View note

malenipshadows · 6 years

Link

*** Special counsel Robert Mueller has been gathering evidence about the rendezvous, which took place less than two weeks before Trump’s inauguration. Mueller is reportedly looking to see if the meeting was meant to set up a secret back channel between Trump and Putin, the Russian president. ... It’s not clear what Prince and the official talked about. But according to The New York Times, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, eventual national security adviser Michael Flynn and then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak discussed the possibility of setting up the communications channel in a December 2016 meeting. ***

#George Nader linked to United Arab Emirates & Seychelles meetings #Erik Prince and George Nader linked to covert Seychelles meeting #Erik Prince a T-rump associate #Erik Prince brother to Betsy DeVos #Erik Prince leader of shadowy Blackwater company #T-rump repeatedly rebuffed requests during transition #Kushner sought financing for family company during presidential transition #George Nader attended meetings b/w UAE cutouts and T-rump transition staff #T-rump a loser #T-rump a disgrace to America #most corrupt regime in U.S. presidential history #T-rump family too cowardly to tell truth to Crooked Donald #free press a threat to crooked Donald #T-rump administration: Orwellian nightmare #Trump presidency a disaster believe me #UAE leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan #Kirill Dmitriev a Russian banker and Putin ally #businessman George Nader #George Nader linked to UAE influence peddling #George Nader a shadowy T-rump operative #George Nader linked to widening Mueller investigation #Russian ambassador and spymaster Sergey Kislyak #Mike Flynn fired national security adviser #Jared Kushner modern day land pirate #Kushner proposed T-rump team's secret backchannel w-Kremlin #making America unsafe again

1 note · View note

anime-kia · 2 years

Text

Choices (Part 1)

Oop, another Dadmonger fic. You guys know I love these :)

I was inspired by a video I saw on Twitter and the idea came to my head. At first I felt like this would be really fitting for Adonis Creed, but I'm writing for Erik so yeah.

Enjoy!

No warnings. (Don't worry, I'll be writing more smut in the future)

Relationship: Father Erik x Mother Reader

"If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to call. If you notice anything odd, record it and tell me right away." Your Doctor, Jennifer Kalu says, tossing the used pair of gloves in the garbage.

You thanked her, and left, finally able to see who just sent a text to your phone. Looking at the phone, you weren't surprised to see your ex's name pop up on the screen.

Erik: U home?

You: Why does it matter?

Erik: Zay forgot his key

Your eyebrows furrowed as you read his text.

What did that have to do with anything? Isiah isn't even suppose to be home.

So you did something that you know you would regret, and dialled up Erik.

"Yo?" He answered, in the background you could hear the sound of a ball slamming against the ground.

"What are you talking about, Erik?" You got into your car, and turned it on so your call could switch to the bluetooth. "Why is he home?"

"I picked him up from school. They said you wasn't answering your phone, so they called me."

"They? You mean the school?" You could already feel your blood pressure rising.

"Yeah. How far are you? I gotta go to work soon."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." With a frustrated sigh, you pull out of the parking lot and head towards your home.

Before you pulled into your driveway, you noticed Erik and Isiah playing basketball in your driveway, shooting the ball into the net that was hung up above your garage. It was a gift that Erik had bought him for his fourteenth birthday two months ago. They step aside and let you drive into the garage.

You get out with an irritated look on your face, Erik taking the hint to leave. "Aight, see ya on Friday, Zay." He pats his son on the head, admiring his mini dreads. "Bye, (y/n)."

"Later, pops." Isiah replies with a meek expression. He tugs on the sleeves of his grey Nike sweater, a nervous habit he developed that went unnoticed by you, but not by Erik.

"Inside, now." You pull his arm towards the front door, ignoring Erik. It was quite funny to see you dragging your son who was already three inches taller than you.

"Okay Mom, chill. You're gonna make me scuff my Air Forces." He tries to keep up with your quick pace, almost tripping a few times.

You release Isiah and grab your house keys out of your purse, "I don't give a damn about your shoes." You unlock the door and allow him to step inside first. After freeing your feet from the confines of your red stilettos, you ask with arms folded over your chest, "So why the hell did your father pick you up? Because last time I checked, the bus driver is the one who drives you home. And you're not suppose to be home for another three hours."

The whole time he was hiding his face, but he finally stood up to look you directly in the face. He looked just like his father, only he had your nose and a bruise underneath his left eye.

"A fight, Isiah! Are you kidding me?!" You shout, rushing over to inspect the damage. You grab his face in your hands and pull him closer, "What were you thinking?!" Your finger pokes at the bruise and he flinches back.

"Ouch, don't touch it, Mom!"He slings the hood on his sweater over his head.

You huff and walk into the kitchen, him following behind with no question because he knew he was no where near off the hook with you. Though you were mad, you still cared for your son as if he was still an infant.

"So this is what you're doing at school? Fighting?" You grab an ice pack out of the freezer and hand it to him.

"But he sai-"

"I don't care what he said, Isiah!" You harshly lock the fridge. "You're embarrassing me and you're embarrassing your father! Do you even understand how this looks to those people?"

He sits on the bar stool, staring down onto the granite island countertop.

"You're attending a prestigious private school! And why? To fight?"

He gave the answer to you with a mumble.

"What?"

He moves his hand from his mouth, "No, ma'am."

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." You waited for him to lift his head, before asking again, "Then why are you going there?"

"Because I'm smart." He responds in a monotone voice.

"So why are you fighting?" You stare at him dead in the eyes. The pouty-defeated look on his face is identical to Erik's.

"Because that white boy said ion belong there. He made fun of the way I speak, my hair and he said I ain't smart enough to be there and that black folk don't belong in this city. Well.. He didn't say black folk."

You sighed, remembering what it was like for you and Erik back at MIT, "Look baby, that's no reason to fight someone." You tried to calm down, remembering the doctor had told you to take it easy.

"But he insulted us!" Your son's face contorted into anger.

"That doesn't make it okay to fight someone!" You rubbed your forehead, "What if your school didn't call your father or me? What if they called the police instead? Huh, Isiah?"

He looked back down onto the countertop.

"You are a black male, living in America." You jabbed your finger on the table, not missing a beat. "What if they tazed you, put cuffs on you, threw you in the back of their car or in a damn jail cell? How would you feel then?! How would I feel, how would your dad feel?!" Suddenly, your anger grew again.

Isiah couldn't respond, tugging a little harder on his sleeves.

"Or is he okay with this? Did he tell you it's okay to put your hands on someone?" You suddenly ask, making Isiah's ear perk up. "...Well?"

He shook his head.

"So I still don't understand. After all these years, I specifically told you to never put your hands on anyone. Ever! But you still went and did it..."

The conversation felt as if it were going no where, with the lack of response from your son's end. Maybe Erik could get through to him, it did always seem like he took to his father more than he did with you. You were the strict parent and Erik was the laid back, cool dad.

"You know what, I want you to talk to your father about this later. What time does he finish work?"

"I think around seven." He slid out of the chair and picked up his school bag.

"Great." You watched him walk towards the stairs, "And don't even think about going on your game system."

He visibly deflated, "Yes ma'am."

There were more things that you would take away from him, but for now, you had to get started on dinner and destress. Your doctors appointment had you very tense earlier and this situation was not helping. Your son was suspended, and you had to talk to your ex later on.

It was around eight p.m. and Isiah and yourself had just finished eating dinner. This gave Erik more than enough time to have settled in from work.

"Whoa, baby mama, you really calling me at night?" He quips.

You roll your eyes, "Talk to your son, please. He's not listening to me, you're his dad so your words will get through to him."

"Aight..."

You handed the phone to Isiah, allowing him to go into the other room while you loaded the dishwasher. Of course you tried to listen in on some of the conversation.

"Hello? ...Hey, pops... I'm aight... For two weeks... Two months..." So far you could tell they were talking about his suspension and grounding. "...Don't swing unless it's to protect yourself or mama... Cuz he said some disrespectful shit!"

"Isiah!" You yelled.

"Sorry, ma." He apologized, not realizing you were listening in.

Another thing, Erik and Isiah were like best friends. They had more of a friendship than a father-son relationship. He could talk about absolutely anything with Erik, whether it be about a girl he had a crush on to his personal problems. "...They was doing some survey in class and his bit- I mean, he saw my paper and told the whole class y'all was split up... But that ain't cool, pops... Aight... I know, it's the only thing that calms me down... Okay, goodnight. Love you too." He walked back into the kitchen placing the phone into your hands, "He wanna talk to you. I'm gonna finish my homework, goodnight Mom." He placed a kiss on your cheek and went upstairs.

"Goodnight, baby." You said, placing the phone back to your ear.

"Hold up, I ain't done talking yet." Erik said, humour in his tone.

"I was talking to my son, Erik."

"Our son." He adds.

"Yeah, yeah whatever... So what did he tell you?"

"The colonizer's kid made fun of him cuz we ain't together."

"That shouldn't have riled him up." You narrowed your eyes and sat down on the bar stool, "We been split for a few years now, why all of a sudden this is the issue?"

Erik chuckled, "Zay don't tell you shit, does he?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's hasn't gotten use to this, (y/n). He feels responsible for us not working out. You know how long it took me to convince that boy it wasn't his fault?"

You covered your mouth with a hand, "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Cuz you didn't want to hear anything coming from me, remember? He don't wanna talk about things like that with you cuz you stay getting mad at him." Erik sighed, "Realize this is my son too. You dealing with half of me and half of you. That means anger issues, stubbornness, all of that shit."

This time you felt like Isiah, speechless.

"Just listen to him sometimes, baby. He's a strong kid, but he got emotions too. Let him blow steam off sometimes, let him play ball, that's the best thing to get him to chill out." Makes sense, even though Isiah was hiding his face when you arrived in the driveway, you could tell he was upset.

But speaking of...

"Okay." With a deep sigh, you finally felt somewhat ready to talk to Erik about a pressing matter... "Um, Erik?"

"Wassup?"

"Remember when you came over about two months ago?"

About two months ago, you and Erik got into a heated argument about your new (and now ex) boyfriend, Darren. He was very kind, and a timid man. Isiah always reported to Erik whenever you got a new boyfriend and in someway the two of them would ruin it.

Erik would either pop by your house "randomly" with flowers in hand and condoms poking out of his pocket on purpose. Or your son would ask, "When is pops coming home?" Something to screw you up and you hated it.

So that same night, Erik ended up showing you exactly why no man deserved to be with you, unless it was him.

"Yeah." He chuckled, "When I was up in them guts?"

You roll your eyes, "Well..."

"Well what, you want round five?" The damn cockiness in his voice made you want to hang up the phone right then and there, but this was serious.

"No, you pig!" You groaned.

"So wassup then, baby mama?"

"Yourdumbassgotmepregnantagain!" You spoke so quickly it was almost as if it were one word.

All that you could hear was a gasp, "Hold up... What?"

"I. Am. Pregnant. Again!" You emphasized every word with an annoyed tone. "And it's your fault."

The line went very silent for a good minute, you weren't even sure what Erik was doing at this point.

"Hello, Erik?"

"Got damn, number two?!" He was celebrating on the other line, "Don't worry baby mama, I'm gonna take real good care of you. Don't even worry about Zay, imma handle him if he acts out. You just need to relax, all that stressing you been doing ain't good for my kid."

Of course his stupid ass was happy...

"I don't need your hel-"

"Oh yes you do, you can barely handle Zay alone. I got you, ma."

Something made you wonder if this was intentional because this definitely wasn't the first time you and Erik had sex while being split...

"...Erik? You did this on purpose didn't you?"

"What? Nah..." You could hear the humour in his voice.

Just when you thought you had four more years to get rid of him, you're stuck with him for another eighteen years...

"Fuck." You face palm yourself, hanging up the phone. I have to start making better choices...

Okay so this story MIGHT have a part two, I cannot promise that to you guys. It was really just a quick random idea that came into my head. I know it seemed like it fell off and went into a completely different story, but I like to make my stories unique and I've read something somewhat similar to what I've wrote.

There is potential for another part, BUT! I don't know yet!

Thanks for reading!

(Start/Finish: January 18, 2019)

#killmonger x reader #killmonger fic #black reader

103 notes · View notes

noctiereblogs · 2 years

Text

I posted 538 times in 2021

499 posts created (93%)

39 posts reblogged (7%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.1 posts.

I added 2,146 tags in 2021

#sims 3 - 361 posts

#sims 3 story - 342 posts

#simblr stories - 341 posts

#sims story - 340 posts

#tteot story - 240 posts

#laurie golzine - 142 posts

#erik zay - 138 posts

#random - 98 posts

#text post - 75 posts

#character development - 69 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#that was long ago but you may remember that romeo and his father had a sudden headache when that 'man' entered the room

My Top Posts in 2021

The Business Shogun

NB: Big thanks to @eternal-infamy for her help on the edit of the second pic! You’re the best, mwah!

44 notes • Posted 2021-02-27 14:13:00 GMT

Soon

47 notes • Posted 2021-12-06 14:13:14 GMT

Life Stages CAS Challenge by @someone-elsa

Create a sim in all of their life stages. Or use a sim you’ve created before and create their other life stages. Or use a sim born in game or a premade. In addition to the six life stages you can create in CAS, you can add your own (like a tween for example, also maybe they don’t even live to the elderhood?). You can write their life story if you wish or let us guess. My inspiration for this challenge. Have fun and tag some people to try this out if you like! Tag me @someone-elsa and use #life stages cas challenge so I can reblog your posts :)

Tagged by @in-sempiternam, thank you so much! 🖤🖤🖤

For this challenge, I have selected my iconic duo Ash & Sam because I miss them, and because I can’t wait to see them grow old together.

But also... because there is a possible alternative future for them...

See the full post

51 notes • Posted 2021-04-14 12:00:51 GMT

See the full post

56 notes • Posted 2021-05-01 12:30:34 GMT

Warning: long rant ahead

So there was that very interesting conversation going on on @lilyshadowwriter‘s blog regarding commenting, microblogging and WP nostalgia.

161 notes • Posted 2021-03-16 09:52:43 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

4 notes · View notes

arabunreported-blog · 5 years

Text

Erik Prince covertly operating DMCC in Iraq; document reveals

Frontier Services Group (FSG), founded by Erik Prince, is operating as a registered company in Iraq, the BuzzFeed News reported. FSG is a Hong Kong-based company that deals in security and logistics services.

Erik Prince, an ex-Navy SEAL, is also the founder of private mercenary firm Blackwater, which was prohibited from Iraq after its contractors shot dead unarmed civilians in Baghdad during the Iraq War in 2007.

Majorly funded by the Chinese money, Prince set up the Frontier Services Group (FSG) in 2014 for providing logistics services. Within years his company scaled-up from operating Africa-based projects to rendering logistics and security services for China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, which is a global infrastructure approach taken up by the Chinese government.

Apart from Hong Kong, FSG has other offices in mainland China, Southeast Asia, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Erik Prince also has a close liaisoning with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. Prince’s FSG has a subsidiary wing that is based in Dubai, and is registered under the name of Frontier Logistics Consultancy DMCC. As per the disclosed document, it is the same company which is also registered as a foreign company with Iraq’s Ministry of Trade. DMCC’s office is situated in Basra in the south of Iraq.

The presence of DMCC in Dubai is no coincidence. It could be on UAE’s agenda to reap out benefits from the oil-reserves of war-torn Iraq.

The Frontier Services Group had kept its operations in Iraq veiled. However, in company’s latest annual report, there were mentions of new offices, which were set up in the Middle East last year. The report did not specify the names of those countries.

Iraq’s Ministry of Interior that governs private security companies did not comment on whether DMCC had legally applied for an operational license.

#erik prince #dmcc #iraq #uae #iraq war #Bin Zayed #buzzfeed

0 notes

mustafasalihbozok · 3 years

Text

MECBURUM..

Mecburum seni sevmeye...

Biliyorum seni sevmesem ,

Bu kent yıkılır altında kalırım..

Toz dumanında gözlerim kör,

Kulaklarım sağır olur...

Seni sevmesem lal olurum,

Adını zikredemem mısralarım dilsiz kalır....

Ve susar şiirlerim,

bundandır mecburum seni sevmeye...

Biliyorum seni sevmesem,

Başıma geçmeyen ağrıların saplanacağını gün ışığına düşman kesilecek yumruklarını savuracağım yıldızlara seni sevmesem...

Sen gelmeden önceki hallerimi biliyorsun ya sevgilim..

Aynen o gün gibi kaşları çatık aksi biri olurum,

Ben seni sevmesem...

Seni sevmeye mecburumm!..

Biliyorum sen yokken çatkapı gelen sevinçler vardı,

Ama üzerimde eğreti dururlardı ödünç giyilen ceket gibi..

Ya şimdi gözlerime çöken sevinci nasıl kör kuyulara düşürürüm..

Mecburum seni sevmeye ben...

Şimdi diyorum saçlarına dokunmasam,

Gözlerinde gökyüzündeki ay'ı yakalamasam..

Sana her baktığımda kipriklerinde yıldızlara asılı kalmasam...

İşte o an ben kaybolurum gecenin kör karanlığında..

Anla işte beni mecburum,

Mecburum seni sevmeye..

Ben seni sevmesem yüreğim çöle döner,

Umman bakışlarında yaşayamam baharı..

Günbatımı bekleyişlerimde kokunu vermez bana meltemler...

Ciğerime kör kurşun yemiş gibi olurum seni sevmesem..

Seni sevmeye mecburum...

Seni sevmesem ne erik ağaçları çiçek açar,

Nede güneşe uzanır kardelenler..

Ne denizin tuzu kalır. Nede yosunun kokusu..

Ve mavi ;

Sende bilirsin en çok sevdiğim renk..

İşte sevmesem seni zay olur mavi umutlarımn tüm odaları boşalır..

Ve..

Koskoca bir yalan!

En kötüsünden yitik bir hayat olur,

Seni sevmesem...

Bundandır mecburluğum seni sevmeye..

Anlatabildim mi sevgilim,

Şimdi anladın mı?

Niye mecbur olduğumu..

Neye mecbur olduğumu...

Sevmeye değil iki gözümün nuru,

Seni sevmeye mecburum....

Mecburum seni sevmeye...

Ben mecburum...

Seni sevmeye mecburum ben...

Seni...

Abdullah Buldum

16 notes · View notes

nocturnalazure · 14 days

Text

#ts3 #sims 3 #sims 3 story #tteot story #laurie arc #romeo pastorini #erik zay #blaise collinson #clara randall #chikage umeda #tristan de lalaing #eloise simson #go romeo!#bet you didn't expect to have to deal with erik when you accepted the leader position xD #erik the guy who doesn't take orders from anyone #except laurie #(maybe)#(sometimes)

43 notes · View notes

berniesrevolution · 5 years

Photo

THE INTERCEPT

When Eirk Prince arrived at the Four Seasons resort in the Seychelles in January 2017 for his now-famous meetings with a Russian banker and UAE ruler Mohammed bin Zayed, he was in the middle of an unexpected comeback. The election of Donald Trump had given the disgraced Blackwater founder a new opportunity to prove himself. After years of trying and failing to peddle a sweeping vision of mercenary warfare around the world, Erik Prince was back in the game.

Bin Zayed had convened a group of close family members and advisers at the luxurious Indian Ocean resort for a grand strategy session in anticipation of the new American administration. On the agenda were discussions of new approaches for dealing with the civil wars in Yemen, Syria, and Libya, the threat of the Islamic State, and the United Arab Emirates’ longstanding rivalry with Iran. Under bin Zayed’s leadership, the UAE had used its oil wealth to become one of the world’s largest arms purchasers and the third largest importer of U.S. weapons. A new American president meant new opportunities for the tiny Gulf nation to exert its outsized military and economic influence in the Gulf region and beyond.

Prince was no stranger to the Emiratis. He had known bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto ruler of the UAE, since 2009, when he sold the sheikh on creating an elite counterterrorism unit. That deal ended badly for Prince, but Trump’s election had recalibrated his usefulness. As a prominent Trump supporter and close associate of Steve Bannon, not to mention the brother of incoming cabinet member Betsy DeVos, Prince was invited to the meeting as an unofficial adviser to the incoming administration.

Prince’s meeting with a Putin intimate shortly before Trump’s inauguration has drawn intense interest from Congress, the Mueller investigation, and the press.

When Prince joined the Emirati royals and other government officials on a deck overlooking the Indian Ocean, bin Zayed made it clear to everyone there that “Erik was his guy,” said a source close to the Emirati rulers, who was briefed by some of those in attendance. Prince, in bin Zayed’s view, had built and established an elite ground force that bin Zayed had deployed to wars in Syria and Yemen, the first foreign conflicts in his young country’s history. It was because of Prince, bin Zayed said, that the Emiratis had no terrorists in their country. Prince had solved their problem with Somali pirates. “He let his court know that they owed Erik a favor,” the source said.

Part of that favor apparently involved facilitating an introduction to Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of an $8 billion Russian sovereign wealth fund and a close associate of President Vladimir Putin. Prince repeatedly and under oath in testimony to Congress denied that his meeting with Dmitriev had anything to do with the Trump administration, describing it as no more than a chance encounter over a beer.

“We were talking about the endless war and carnage in Iraq and Syria,” Prince told the House Intelligence Committee. “If Franklin Roosevelt can work with Joseph Stalin after the Ukraine terror famine, after killing tens of millions of his own citizens, we can certainly at least cooperate with the Russians in a productive way to defeat the Islamic State.”

(Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev, center, attends the Russian-Saudi Investment Forum at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow Hotel on Oct. 5, 2017.)

Although the UAE has been a very good customer of U.S. arms dealers, bin Zayed had grown frustrated with the Obama administration’s refusal to work with Russia to end the war in Syria. Russia was actively courting the UAE, and from bin Zayed’s perspective Russia was a key player that couldn’t be ignored, according to a current and a former U.S. intelligence official. Trump’s public infatuation with Putin and his apparent eagerness to improve relations with Russia gave the UAE a chance to play dealmaker and diminish Iran’s position in the Middle East, starting with the war in Syria.

(Continue Reading)

#politics #the left #the intercept #foreign policy #erik prince #blackwater

22 notes · View notes

phroyd · 5 years

Link

This is the 2018 back story concerning today’s NYTimes piece about The UAE and the multi-national illegal assistance to influence the 2016 election! - Phroyd

George Nader, the Lebanese-American businessman and convicted paedophile, who is co-operating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s campaign funding, organised a secret summit of Arab leaders on a yacht in the Red Sea in late 2015, Middle East Eye can reveal.

Nader proposed to the leaders gathered on the yacht that they should set up an elite regional group of six countries, which would supplant both the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the moribund Arab League.

'If you agree to this, I will lobby for this in Washington'

- George Nader to Arab leaders

Nader said this group of states could become a force in the region “that the US government could depend on” to counter the influence of Turkey and Iran, according to two sources briefed on the meeting.

Nader brought together Mohammed bin Salman, who was then deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia; Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi; Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, president of Egypt; Prince Salman, crown prince of Bahrain; and King Abdullah of Jordan onto the yacht.

Their respective states, plus Libya which was not represented at the secret summit, would form the nucleus of pro-US and pro-Israeli states.

Nader is reported to have told the leaders: “If you agree to this, I will lobby for this in Washington,” two sources with knowledge of the meeting told MEE. Those who attended liked the idea.

MEE can also reveal that Nader has had frequent contact in the last two years with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which is the subject of a bill in the US Congress promising a new set of sanctions and blocking Tehran’s entry to the World Trade Organisation.

Nader established this link through the help of the Iraqi Shia leader Ammar al-Hakim and his group. The IRGC is thought to have used Nader to pass messages to Middle East states, sources told MEE.

How Trump was key to plans

The secret summit on the Red Sea took place towards the end of King Salman’s first year in power, when his son MBS was only deputy crown prince.

His chief obstacle to the Saudi throne lay in the form of his elder cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, who was crown prince and a favourite of Washington’s security establishment. MBS would become crown prince in June 2017, only after his father deposed Bin Nayef.

Trump had only announced his candidacy months before in June 2015 when the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was leading in all the polls. She was thought by the Saudis and Emiratis to be more likely to ring fence the nuclear deal Barack Obama made with Iran, and to be generally more sceptical of their plans for a push back in the region.

Significantly, these Arab leaders decided in late 2015 that a wildcard presidential candidate in the shape of Trump could be the key to their plans to become the new regional hegemons.

Months later, in January 2016, King Abdullah of Jordan briefed US Congressional leaders that Turkey presented the main threat to regional security.

As MEE reported, the king told US congressmen in a closed meeting that Turkey exported terrorists to Europe, comments he was to deny publicly later.

But Jordan then fell out dramatically with the group which had gathered on the yacht: Saudi Arabia decided that Amman did not go far enough in enforcing the blockade against Qatar, which was imposed in June last year.

The split between Saudi and Jordan widened further when Jordan voted against Trump’s move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which threatens Jordan’s role as custodian of the Holy Places in the city.

Nader the go-between

Nader has recently emerged as a key back channel between Bin Zayed and Trump. The New York Times has reported that Mueller is actively chasing financial links in order to establish whether the Emiratis illegally contributed funds to Trump’s presidential campaign.

It reported that in recent weeks Mueller’s investigators have questioned Nader and pressed witnesses about any possible attempts by the Emiratis to buy political influence by directing money to Trump’s presidential campaign.

On Friday, reports emerged of a slew of convictions that Nader had on charges of sexually abusing underage boys and possessing child pornography. Newsweek reported that Nader had been sentenced to six months on child pornography charges in Virginia. According to federal court records seen by Newsweek, Nader was convicted of bringing child pornography into the US from Germany.

This was in addition to a conviction on 10 counts of sexually abusing underage boys in the Czech Republic for which he served one year in prison in 2003.

Despite this criminal history, Nader was actively used by Trump. He attended a meeting with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Bannon, his chief political strategists at Trump Tower in New York in December 2016.

A month later Nader, Erik Prince, the former head of Blackwater, and a Russian banker all attended a meeting in the Seychelles with Bin Zayed.

Nader has long-standing connections with Israel. During the presidential elections bin Zayed sent Nader to meet Israeli officials to discuss how the two states can co-operate, a source told MEE. Nader established ties with Israel through an American Jewish fundraiser, Elliott Broidy, who is close to the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the NYT, Broidy owns a private security company with hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts with the UAE.

Broidy was removed as chairman of the Tel Aviv-based Markstone Capital Partners after admitting paying nearly $1m in bribes to pension fund managers in New York State. Broidy became deputy chairman of Trump’s fundraising campaign.

Citing a memorandum made by Broidy, and passed to the newspaper by “someone critical of the Emirati influence in Washington”, the NYT reported that Broidy lobbied Trump to meet Bin Zayed “in an informal setting”, to back the UAE’s policies, and to push him to fire his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.

In response to the leaking of his memorandum, Broidy accused “registered and unregistered agents of Qatar” for the hacking. Broidy made the accusation through his press spokesman.

MEE approached Nader, the Saudi and the Emirati embassies in London for comment. No reply was forthcoming.

Phroyd

#uae #red sea #conspiracy

15 notes · View notes

malenipshadows · 6 years

Link

+ A Russian plane with ties to the Kremlin flew to the Seychelles before a secret 2017 meeting between a Trump associate and a Putin ally, according to a report. + The special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating a series of meetings in the Seychelles as part of the Trump-Russia probe. + The plane was reportedly owned by Russian billionaire Andrei Skoch, who now serves as a deputy in the Russian State Duma. + The new details have prompted speculation over whether the meeting was truly an impromptu encounter, as the Trump associate has claimed, or whether they were arranged deliberately to discuss US sanctions against Russia. ... Mueller was tipped off by a witness that the Seychelles meeting was arranged to establish a back-channel of communication between the US and Russia, The Washington Post reported in March. ***

#Seychelles meeting reputedly aimed to create T-rump campaign covert backchannel w-Kremlin #Seychelles was location of meeting b/w Blackwater founder & Russian billionaire #Kremlin-linked plane placed in Seychelles near meeting w-Blackwater founder #Erik Prince founded controversial defense contractor & security firm Blackwater #Erik Prince brother to U.S. education secretary Betsy DeVos #Kirill Dmitriev a Russian CEO who manages a sanctioned investment fund #Erik Prince met covertly in Seychelles with Kirill Dmitriev a Russian CEO #businessman George Nader #George Nader linked to widening Mueller investigation #George Nader linked to UAE influence peddling #George Nader a shadowy T-rump operative #George Nader linked to United Arab Emirates & Seychelles meetings #George Naderreputedly a Middle East expert #George Nader advises United Arab Emirates' crown prince #George Nader adviser to UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan #Seychelles meeting included Erik Prince George Nader & Kirill Dmitriev #Seychelles meeting included T-rump campaign operative Kremlin-linked Russian billionaire & UAE adviser

0 notes

anime-kia · 2 years

Text

Choices (Part 3)

I guess it's time...

Enjoy!

"So what are we having?" Erik asked, biting into a BLT.

He was beaming from the moment you invited him out to lunch with Isiah. You were a little over four months along, and you recently went to go have an ultrasound which came along with the sex reveal.

Your friends highly encouraged you to throw a gender reveal party, but you dismissed the idea. It wasn't really your style, especially since it was baby number two. Either way, whatever God had blessed you with this time, you'd be happy regardless.

Isiah forked macaroni into his mouth, "I hope I'm getting a brother."

"First of all, don't be talking with food in your mouth," You narrowed your eyes at him, as Erik chuckled. "And second, what's wrong with a girl?"

He swallowed before replying with a shrug, "Because they're better."

You raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"And I won't have to worry about beating anyone up for her." He said slightly under his breath, but both you and Erik could still hear him perfectly.

He was so much like Erik, it was almost scary. The both of them were so protective of you, it only has you imaging how your baby will feel once they finally arrive and need "protecting" from the world.

"Aww, listen to you!" Your arms wrapped around Isiah, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Maaaaa..." He groaned in embarrassment.

Erik glared, "Bruh, you never do that to me when I make those promises. And I'm the one who taught this nigga about protecting you. What's the rule, kid?"

You rolled your eyes and listened to Isiah recite Erik's teachings, "Don't swing unless it's to protect yourself or mama."

"And now we gotta add baby number two to that." Erik finished his sandwich and clasped his hands together, "So, what are we having, baby mama?"

You pulled the envelope out of your purse, and placed it in the centre of the table. "Before you open that, I'm a little curious to know what you want, Erik."

"Shit, ion care. I already got my wish." He mused, picking up the envelope and opening it. "You sure you ain't wanna have a gender reveal?" He eyed you before pulling out the paper.

"What the hell do I look like having a gender reveal party when the father of my baby is my ex? You already know how my family is."

He nodded, shoulders bouncing as he laughed. "You right." He slid the paper out and unfolded it, he smiled at the ultrasound before handing it to Isiah. "That's my kid right there."

Isiah huffed, rotating the picture. "What is this? I can't see anything."

You took the picture from his hand, "Look, that's the arm, there's the head and the nos-"

"HELL YEAH! Let's fucking go, bruh!" Erik caught both of you off guard with his sudden outburst, along with any others sitting nearby.

You thought he didn't have a preference, but judging by his reaction...

"What? What is it?! It's a boy!?" Isiah looked up at his father with hopeful eyes.

The smile Erik gave Isiah was so wicked, it was one of those where you believe it's going right, but it's the complete opposite. "You getting a sister, Zay."

Isiah deflated, meanwhile Erik was having the time of his life. So much for not having a preference...

You were quite happy to be having a baby girl, you've been around boys for too long. It was time for a change.

"Look how greedy your mama is, Zay." Erik mean mugged you the whole way out of the restaurant.

Your waitresses, a very nice girl, about nineteen, heard the commotion that Erik caused when he found out the gender and brought you a big slice of their signature dessert, a cheesecake topped with different fruits and whipped cream.

He only nodded, but wasn't phased. Zay was smart enough to order dessert for himself.

"She ain't even tryna share a small piece..." His arm snaked towards your takeout container.

"AHT!" You twisted away from him, "Who's carrying your bighead ass baby? If it wasn't for me we wouldn't be getting this anyway."

"Actually, if it wasn't for me, yo ass wouldn't be pregnant right now."

Your eyes widened as you stared at Erik, talking like your son wasn't right there.

"Ew, man!" Zay covered his ears and scrunched his face in disgust.

Erik took the opportunity to snatch your fork and take a piece of the cake. You slapped his chest, "Annoying ass."

Honestly, having Erik around during your pregnancy wasn't as hellish as you initially expected it to be. When the two of those boys were together, they reeked absolute havoc. But surprisingly, he took on the role of a father before a friend with Isiah.

It was very shocking to you because from the moment Zay was able to walk and form coherent sentences, they became best friends. The switch in attitude was quite nice for you, but not as great for your son.

Erik was on him twenty-four-seven, making sure he was doing what he needed to be doing. You rarely had to correct his behaviour, or tell him to get off the game and finish his homework. Erik handled all of it.

He was at your house so often that you decided to give him a key. For two things:

One: He would always be there to protect you. Even if he was mad at you (which was very rare), he would still take a bullet for you. Also, he would be faster and more efficient than any of your family members or friends. Even if he's not in the country, he'd have someone there to make sure you all were alright.

And of course two: Being a pregnant woman with a son made it hard to find a man who was willing to give you a chance. Not to mention how possessive Erik was. But there were nights when you needed someone other than your baby to rearrange your guts, and Erik was always one call away.

In fact, he just pulled out of you, and got up to go get towels. Your body was sore from the positions he had you in. Thank goodness Isiah wasn't home.

"I ain't fuckin' you missionary."

Being the moody pregnant woman you were, you whined, "Why nottt?" Missionary was your favourite position.

"Girl, you're eight months. Got a whole beachball on ya stomach."

"Then work around it."

"Trust me," He said turning you onto your side and lifting your thigh up, "I will."

"Fuck you, E." You glared at him as he came back and wiped you both down.

"Got damn, the hell did I do now?"

"I'm sore as shit thanks to you."

"Ain't that a good thi-" His eyes sharply moved towards your round belly, not missing the little imprint that popped up.

You groaned and tried to shift so she would move into a different position.

"There she go!" Erik was immediately by your stomach, his hands touching the site of the kick- well it was more of an elbow actually. "Hey princess, you ready to come out of your mama's prison and meet daddy, huh?"

You shoved his head, "Shut the hell up. Watch she's gonna be a mama's girl."

Erik bellowed out a laugh, and like clockwork, your baby moved again.

"See that shit, she move when I talk. She already a daddy's girl."

He was right, it would be rare for her to move when it was you alone. It was like she was doing somersaults anytime Erik came by.

Straight fuckery...

He pressed his lips onto your abdomen repetitively.

Though you hated to admit it, you loved Erik just a bit more during moments like these. The sense of family and security made you very content. You just wished that the fantasy brewing in your head was a reality.

"I love you." He mumbled against your skin, sending a vibration in your skin. His eyes weren't on yours, so you were sure he meant it to his daughter. You smiled, until he raised his head quickly. "Well damn mama, you just gone elbow me in my mouth like that?"

That made you laugh, and Erik's frown turned into a bright grin as he watched you reveal all thirty-two pearly whites.

"You irritating her, E. Annoying ass." You chuckled, trying to recover from laughing.

"Ain't that some shit."

It was about six in the evening, and all was going well. You were making dinner, Isiah was watching TV in the other room until he heard the sound of utensils crashing to the ground along with your pained groan.

Your last appointment with the obstetrician was two weeks ago, she told you that you had about a week left. Unfortunately, just like her bigheaded father, once she was ready, she was ready.

"Mom, are you ok- Ahhh!" He screamed, watching water leak down your legs and you hunched over the counter.

"Zay, c-call your dad, please. Right now."

He rushed out of the kitchen to grab your phone, dialing Erik immediately. Of course the one time that bastard isn't here, that's when she decides she's ready to make her entrance into the world. Erik was literally at your house for a week straight and there were a few false alarms, but you knew this was the real one.

You practiced your breathing. It's been a long while since you first gave birth, but you tried to remember the things you learned from the classes you took all those years back.

"Here, mama." He slid the phone towards you.

"Baby? Wassup?" It sounded like he was driving.

"E-Erik, sh- she's coming."

"Wha- right now?"

"YES, RIGHT NOW! HURRY UP, PLEASE!"

"Call the ambulance, it's hella traffic. Imma meet you there."

"Nooo!" You whined like a child, "Please, I just need you, E. Only you."

He should've expected that, "Aight, I'm coming."

He stayed on the line with you for thirty minutes, until he finally made it.

"Where'd you put your bag?" He asked, helping you slip on a pair of slides.

"I-it's upstairs, by my bed."

He looked at Isiah, who immediately dashed up the stairs.

By time Erik got you in the car, Isiah came down the porch with your bag dangling from his hand. Erik shot a text to your parents and best friend, knowing that they'd be very upset to miss the birth of your second child.

You kept your first one slightly more low-key, only inviting them after Zay was born.

Erik glanced at your round belly, before pulling out of the driveway. "You chose a bad time to come mama, this traffic ain't no joke."

It had been two hours since you both got into the hospital, and you were about seven centimetres dilated.

"Aye so this might sound crazy, but you should try standing."

You stared incredulously at your ex. "What?"

"Let gravity do it's thing, you know women use to do it before laying down became a thing."

Why the hell did he even know all this?

Initially you wanted to have a water birth, but those plans were cancelled.

"We not in the wilderness, Erik."

He deadpanned at you, "It took Zay bout fourteen hours to come cuz you was lying down the whole time. And yes, I did my research for your sake."

You sighed, and held out your hand for him to help you get out of the bed.

For the next hour and a half you walked around and conversed with Erik about anything. He was telling you how to squat, so your cervix could open up more. Isiah was in the hallway on his phone, still a bit freaked out at the whole situation.

Your parents came in the room along with your best friend.

"Hey baby, how far are you?" Your mom was first to hug you, her hand rubbing your abdomen. Your father and best friend, Aleisha, gave you their hugs after.

"Hey, ma." Another contraction had your eyes shut and fists clenching. You waited until the wave passed before answering, "...Seven centimetres."

"Actually," The doctor peered his head in, "We have to check it once again."

Erik frowned, "Hold up, where's the female doctor. Ion need you touching-"

Your mom put her hand on Erik's shoulder as everyone eyed him. They weren't too fond of him, except your mom. She loved him.

"Would you prefer that?" The doctor asked.

"Hell yeah." Erik responded before you could. You only nodded to confirm, and he left to get the female doctor.

"I'm surprised you ain't sitting like the last time." Aleisha teased.

"I'm tryna distract myself." You lied, in which Erik snorted.

You spent the next ten minutes talking with your parents and friend through your contractions. It honestly was a good distraction. But you did make sure to tell everyone that you wanted the room empty, besides Erik, when it was actually time to push.

The female doctor came back, "Ready?"

"Yeah." You got back on the bed. She began to slide her fingers in, but stopped with a gasp.

"Oh my, she's right there! We can began right away." The doctor was very impressed that you hadn't even noticed. It was even more impressive that you didn't even need an epidural.

All your nerves had spiked so high. Now that you were focused on preparing to push, the pain came back.

"Calm down, baby. You've done this before." Erik reassured you.

"Nigga, its been fourteen years!"

"You right. You right."

The doctor held in her laugh, and tried not to crack a smile.

The other nurses started to file in.

"Aight so, she ain't bout to do that lying down nonsense." Erik announced.

Everyone stared at him confused, no one was prepared for it, but what Erik wants, Erik gets.

"You know that position I like, baby? Get into it." He was smirked at your expense.

You knew what he was talking about. You went to the side of the bed and pressed your hands on the mattress, sticking your bum outward, opening up your pelvis.

The doctors and nurses have seen this position so they knew what to do. It wasn't common, as lying down and bending your legs was the preset for giving birth.

Erik went around the other side of the bed and took your hands in his.

"If they drop my baby-" You began, but got cut off.

"Not to worry, we've done this before. Your baby is in good hands, I promise." The doctor reassured you. "Ready?"

In all honesty, "No." You cried, ready to retreat.

"You got this, baby."

"No, Erik I can't, I-I can't do it." Tears began streaming down your cheeks. A wave of paranoia hit you once again, and you were freaking out. All breathing exercises thrown out the window.

His thumbs stroke your knuckles, "It's now or never, if you don't push now we might lose her."

Blunt encouragement. It was terrible, but true.

"Just breathe. Then when the doctor says go, you go, aight?"

You sniffled and nodded, "Okay."

"One, two, three, push!" The doctor coaxed.

"Nnnghh!" Your toes curled as you used your muscles.

"Very good, and again. One, two, three, push!"

And so you did, suddenly feeling weary, "E, I-I can't."

"Yes you can, she's right there just one more, baby." He hushed you, kissing your forehead.

"You're doing so well, (Y/n). I can see her. And last time, one, two, three, push!"

"Uuunghh!" Your head fell into the bedsheets as the pressure in your vaginal canal finally released and sound of crying and cheering surrounded the room. You were still weeping though, and Erik rubbed your head in soothing circles.

"She's here, look." He lifted your head up and helped you climb onto the bed so you could have that vital first connection with your baby girl. The doctor placed the crying infant onto your chest.

"Hi, baby." You continued to shed tears, looking at the little girl. Her head was full of little curls, lighter skin than Erik that would darken over time, a tiny round nose and a big mouth. Her eyes were closed so you had yet to determine if she'd taken Erik's or yours. It wouldn't matter though, she was beautiful.

Erik leaned in towards you, staring at his princess in complete awe.

A flash brought both you and Erik's attention towards the photographer who of course was your mom. Now who let her in the room?

"Mooommm, why?" You groaned. She could've at least waited till they removed the fluids off of your baby girl, and for you to look somewhat less disheveled.

"Look at my grand baby!" She gushed, paying you no mind. "She look like her great grandma." You had no idea how she decided on that, newborns never looked like anyone to you when they first pop out. If anything, they looked more like wrinkly aliens.

You politely asked her to leave the room so it would be just the three of you when the medical team vacated the room.

You let the nurse take her to clean her up so you could invite the rest of your visitors in the room. They recorded her height and weight, and stamped her footprint onto a card that had her information and a frame for her birth certificate.

"We still haven't got a name for your baby. Have you thought of one?"

Erik looked at you, but you were too busy giving all of your attention onto your daughter. However that conversation managed to slip the both of your minds, had Erik baffled.

"Nah. Not yet."

"Alright, take your time."

Before the doctors and nurses stepped out of the room, you told them to give you, Erik and your baby at least thirty minutes before they came in. Luckily your baby girl latched immediately, so you were able to have more time alone without the nurses overstaying and hassling you both.

"Aye, did it hurt that much?"

You lifted your eyes to meet his. You were crying a lot, but it wasn't necessarily for the pain. You shook your head. "Erik?" Your voice was so quiet.

Shouldn't you be happy? He wondered. He wiped the tears from your cheeks, "Hmm?"

"Are you gonna leave me again?"

And there it was.

"What? N-no... Why would I?"

"You did when I was with Zay." The fear of him leaving and becoming what he was all those years ago terrified you to your core. "D-don't leave me, please. I-I can't do this alone again. I just can't."

He was silent for a moment, not even taking into consideration how messed up his actions all those years ago had you. Of course due to your hormones being all over the place, your emotions were amplified, but an emotional person was an honest one.

"I won't leave you, baby." He sighed to himself, "I promise I won't."

The infant in your arms unlatched and finally looked up at her father. Your eyes. You handed her to him so he could cuddle her.

"Hey there, princess." His tone was calm and soothing. She stared at him intently, ingraining his imagine into her little mind.

He bounced her in his large arms. The size of them to each other was amazing. There was quite a difference comparing himself to you already, but she was so little in his arms.

He sat down in the chair next to your bed, "So you got a name in mind?"

"I'm thinking Nariyah, it means a bright light in Hebrew."

He liked that name, "Nariyah, huh?"

"Yeah, because I think I'm ready." You finally admitted.

He raised an eyebrow at you, "Ready for what?"

"I'm ready to try it again... With you. I mean, you won't even let me have a man in peace, and you always there for me anyway."

He could feel his heart practically jumping out of his chest.

"I'm scared to raise her in a dysfunctional family. And to be honest, if you weren't suppose to be in my life, I don't think God would've let you put another baby in me successfully."

He erupted in laughter, Nariyah smiling ever so quickly, the both of you almost missed it.

"She has your smile, E." You smiled.

"Don't she?" He beamed.

"...How you think Zay's gonna feel?"

"Happy as fuck."

"Uh-uh, language!" You scolded.

"Okay thirty minutes up, gimme my grandbaby!" Your mom burst into the room, reaching for Nariyah immediately. Erik willingly handed her over.

Everyone else finally came into the room, taking their pictures and making their rounds with her. Isiah was beyond excited to meet his baby sister, even though he wanted a brother.

"What's her name?" Your father asked, watching his granddaughter in your mom's hands.

"Nariyah. Because she's my light." You announced.

"That's beautiful, baby." Your mother enthused. Aleisha and your father agreed.

Your mother took more pictures, including one of you, Erik, Nariyah and Isiah. Then of course you had to take the three generations, your mom, you and baby girl.

Everyone had finally cleared out, and Isiah left with your parents because he had school in the morning.

You were exhausted, and Nariyah was fast asleep in the incubator beside your bed. You couldn't wait to take her home.

"So you sure about this? I mean us getting back together?" Erik suddenly said.

"Yeah... I don't think I gave you a second chance yet."

He smiled, his hand rested against your cheek. "I love you, you know that right, baby mama?"

"I know."

He challenged you with a stare, "So you ain't gone say it back?"

It could've been the hormones, but you pulled him in for a long kiss, "I love your annoying ass too, Erik."

Fixing this relationship with Erik would be quite the journey, but it would be worth it for all of you. Hopefully Isiah would not be triggered by preppy, racist boys making fun of him and his family. Nariyah would be cherished, loved and protected by you, her big brother and father. And hopefully, you and Erik could achieve what you first had in the beginning, the love was always there, but your relationship needed time to heal and restore.

You both knew that nothing came easy, there were trials and tribulations to life. If you wanted it badly enough, you would work for it. And that is what you planned on doing.

I hope you all enjoyed!

I was so happy when I got inspired to write this chapter. I was like, finally! A breakthrough!

Thanks for reading!

(Start/Finish: August 6, 2019)

P.S. This is the final chapter unless I decide otherwise.

#killmonger x reader #killmonger fic #black reader

71 notes · View notes

bountyofbeads · 5 years

Text

Child predator George Nader visited White House at least 13 times to meet with Steve Bannon

by Steven Nelson | Published August 27, 2019 12:01 AM | Washington Examiner | Posted August 27, 2019 |

Convicted child sex offender George Nader visited the White House at least 13 times to meet with President Trump’s then-chief strategist Steve Bannon, records indicate, raising questions about possible gaps in security and judgment.

Nader first visited Bannon in the White House in February 2017. His dozen subsequent visits stretched through August, when Bannon was fired after seven months on the job. It's unclear if Nader visited the White House after Bannon left.

The Lebanese American businessman, a past consultant for military contractor Blackwater, was known for his links to Saudi and Emirati leaders and secured a $100,000 speaking fee for Bannon shortly after Bannon's ouster.

“They were always private meetings,” a source told the Washington Examiner, adding they believe the meetings with the convicted felon were “clearly” problematic for Bannon.

The nonpublic visitor log information was provided to the Washington Examiner as indications mount that Bannon is returning to the good graces of Trump’s inner circle, with a recent talk with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and closed-door meeting and tweeted praise from Trump.

Many sources close to Bannon said they had never heard about the meetings or heard Bannon mention Nader. Several said they first learned of Nader as a result of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which exonerated Trump of conspiring with Russia but resulted in new child pornography and abuse allegations for Nader.

Nader was a subject of intrigue in Mueller's probe. He attended a December 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and a January 2017 rendezvous in the Seychelles with Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian banker.

A person close to Bannon said he "had zero knowledge of Nader’s criminal record" and redirected any blame at the U.S. Secret Service and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, a longtime Bannon adversary. Bannon met Nader through Kushner, and they worked exclusively on issues around a May 2017 summit in Saudi Arabia attended by Trump, the person said.

"Mr. Bannon met George Nader through Jared Kushner at a meeting in Kushner’s office; it appeared that Kushner had a long-term association with Nader," the person close to Bannon said. "Kushner was running the planning process for the Riyadh Summit with [deputy national security adviser] Dina Powell in early 2017, which Nader was a part of as a mid-level functionary from the Middle East. All of Nader’s visits were associated with activities around the Riyadh Summit, for which there were dozens of planning and follow on meetings."

The person close to Bannon said, "Secret Service vetted his entry and let him into the White House, suggesting they, too, had zero knowledge."

The Riyadh event was organized with input from a diverse array of U.S. officials. A person familiar with the summit denied Nader's involvement in a meaningful way in planning.

Nader was arrested after a January 2018 search revealed he possessed videos of children as young as two, some performing sex acts on animals. Prosecutors revealed the case in June. In July, he was chargedwith sex trafficking for allegedly transporting a 14-year-old boy from Europe and then abusing him.

Nader, 60, has a rap sheet dating to the 1980s.

In 1985, he faced child porn charges dropped on procedural grounds. In 1991, he pleaded guilty to a federal child porn charge involving footage of 13- or 14-year-old boys and received a six-month sentence, served at a Baltimore halfway house. The case was sealed “due to the extremely sensitive nature of Mr. Nader’s work in the Middle East,” involving hostage negotiations. However, some people knew of the case. A Freedom of Information Act request from Politico resulted in its unsealing in March 2018.

In 2002, Nader received a one-year sentence in the Czech Republic for 10 counts of sexually abusing boys.

Echoing criticism of the prosecution of wealthy businessman Jeffrey Epstein, federal prosecutors wrote last month that Nader “used his influence and wealth to purchase introductions to vulnerable boys through intermediaries.”

“Underlying these [new] charges is a sordid 30-to-40-year period during which defendant abused his power and wealth to obtain boys for sex and had repeated run-ins with the law both within and outside the United States in connection with his sexual interest in children,” prosecutors wrote.

Transparency advocates said Nader's visits underscore their argument for the routine release of White House visitor logs, as was partially done under former President Barack Obama.

Anne Weismann, an attorney with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said “it is important for Americans to know who visits the White House and who may be influencing administration policies.”

“The public should know who White House officials are soliciting for advice,” said Daniel Stevens, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability.

The White House did not provide an on-record reaction. The Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Nader's attorney Chris Clark. Bannon could not be reached for comment.

It's unclear how many visits Nader made to other White House officials and how many of those meetings happened with Bannon's facilitation.

1 note · View note