#but still. the fact that he has to run in such a conservative district in the first place

[vmunroe]

People living in the Battle River-Crowfoot district have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever

[hello-god-its-me-sara]

the conservatism of Pretty Woman: a very unorganized thought

Pretty Woman… Pretty Woman is a weirdly conservative movie.

Well, I don't… I actually don't know if I would call it weirdly conservative because it is from 1990, so it is very 1990s in that sense.

I guess I would say it's weirdly conservative for the plot that it has. It's also kind of weird that it doesn’t really utilize the whole ‘My Fair Lady’ of it all but make her a prostitute (it’s actually a very poorly paced movie and not the most well thought out. There is no concept of time in this movie. The fact that it takes place over the course of a week is nonsensical and very bizarre, just completely unrealistic)

I'm almost baffled that they like kept the prostitution in it as a thing, and I guess it's because the original concept was to be a darker exploration of LA sex workers and the writers were like “well, we changed it to be a rom-com, but we still technically need to like keep some aspect of it for for productions reasons”? I guess- I don't know

It almost feels like by the time that they realized what they wanted to actually do, they didn't even really want it to touch the prostitution thing. Like the way they handled it felt very like they were holding it out with like tongs, if that makes sense. They were like “I don’t really want to deal with it, but it's in the plot now and we can't get rid of it” cuz it's really not that touched upon when you actually process how much it comes up, how much of it's addressed

Like it's kind of an homage to My Fair Lady, but it's really not that My Fair Lady in my opinion either. It's this weird third thing.

My Fair Lady, for those of you who don't know, is a musical based on an old Irish play that is itself based on the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Pygmalion and Galatea is the Greek myth where the guy carves a beautiful woman from marble and he prays to Aphrodite that should be brought to life and Aphrodite grants his wish. Pygmalion is in short, the story of like a linguistics professor who takes on the bet with his friend, Picks up a poor flower girl off the street, teaches her how to speak properly and introduces her to high society. My Fair Lady is basically the same plot. There’s a running theme through all of this of men constructing women inn a specific way for their own pleasure without any regard for the woman and the situation.

So the homage to My Fair Lady in Pretty Woman is a guy takes a sex worker off the street, dresses her up and parades around as his girlfriend, and she endears everyone to herself. But besides that, there really is no strong connection, there's no social commentary that was originally in- specifically- Pygmalion.

There is a surprising lack of commentary on anything and where there is, it’s very clumsy and kinda bad, and I don’t like it

Kit

I don't like how they treat Kit. They treat Kit in a really weird manner and it's very off putting to me- and I get that she's like kind of supposed to be a foil to Vivian's ‘pure good girl’ thing, but they don't fully utilize it either. It's like they just set her up to be this mean caricature of like street prostitutes (and they did say a lot of the originally darker aspects of Vivian were given to Kit)

Like, it's really weird how they set up Kit to be the person to have taken Vivian in, you know, and show her the ropes, but to also be incompetent, if that makes sense? I- maybe I'm being crazy. Like Kit is supposed to know everything. She's supposed to be Vivian’s support system yet Kit is bad at everything. She's dating a bad boyfriend. She doesn't know how to manage money. They set up this like really mean thing where she like at the beginning she doesn't aspire to be anything. You know, like they're in the red light district. It's kind of seedy and there's violence going on. And Vivian’s like “don't you just want to get out of here?” (That's the other part of conservatism I'll get to in a minute) And Kit’s like “hy? it's fine!”

That's the other thing is the whole- again, Vivian supposed to be this “good girl”. They set it up like, “well, no one plans this life”.Like I don’t like how they treat all sex work as something kind of like-

But I guess it's it could be worse. At least they're kind of trying to be sympathetic to the the girls who end up in that situation. But then they don't actually talk about the what pushes them into it and what it's like actually like for them to live in that situation. Really, I cannot reiterate how very fucking stupid and eyerolling it was for me to have Vivian to have like a ‘part of your world’ moment,  where she's like, “I just I want to get out of here. I want to be where the people are.” (Sorry, I just had that thought and now it's never going to go away)

And the end where she gives Kit the money to help herself make something out of herself. It's really condescending and it's also weird how that's what snaps Kit out of it too. Like that's also a weird heel turn move and I'm like, “where does that come from?” That's not set up for anything because again, Kit doesn't reveal that she has aspirations of her own that she's just become disillusioned with and has let go. She's set up in the beginning to not see anything wrong with the mess that she's in (“mess”). And then she gets money and suddenly she's lecturing this girl on the street about how she's going to need to charge more for rent because she's gonna stop sex work and shes gonna send herself to cosmetology school.

Which is fine! But again, Kit is not set up to have wanted anything- “wanted anything”- better for herself. It comes out of nowhere it feels like you know preachy.

Vivian's also not set up as trying to want to better anyone else either. She wants to get out of that situation because it's unsafe, but again, she has no actual aspirations besides just getting out. Which is fine. It's not like she has to have specific aspirations.

But again, it's not set up where the girls are like trying to support each other and they're stuck in this situation and they really just need to get out of it. Like when she gives that money to Kit, it's not established. Vivian's not established- when she's talking about how she ended up in that position, she doesn't tell Edward how they [her and Kit or even her, Kit, and the other girls] try and help each other by pooling money, or she doesn't talk about how they're forced to compete with each other just to survive. She doesn't talk about any of the other girls wanting to get out of there as well and some of the things that they're forced to do.

They mention momentarily that they’re by themselves when Kit mentions getting a pimp and Vivian points out then they’d be losing money but that’s never addressed again.

Like if they wanted to do the thing where she gives Kit the money at the end and then Kit is also trying to rally other girls into getting themselves out of this situation like it's not set up. And that's one of the annoying things to me where again, it just feels preachy to me. Like when she gets offered the $4000-

which by the way, stupid amount. The fact that she doesn't know how to like handle money in this situation is also really weird to me and, and confusing because it implies that she hasn't been doing it very long or like- I know Vivian, you didn't go to high school- but when you charge $100 an hour and then you're asked how much for the night, $300 is not the answer at all. It was almost like she was scared to ask him for money but they didn't set up that as a personality trait. It just made her stupid and naive again, which is weird. Like I get they were trying to go for a “good girl" narrative, but they didn't have to make her stupid, it's just very contradictory, inconsistent.

But anyway, when she's offered all that money she isn't like “oh, we could use this to save up for [something] or to try and move into a better apartment or a better side of town” or anything like that. They just get excited over the money. They don't talk about the effect that could have on them. And again, that's part of the whole thing of the whole conservatism of it all.

In my opinion they either should have cut Kit and focused more on Vivian’s personal story and growth, or they needed to better establish Kit as a character and write a proper B plot where Vivian uses the money Edward pays her to actually help Kit.

And I'm, I'm not even going to go into like the wealth indulgence fantasy of it all because I'm just going to take it as a given. It's part of the trope. I'm not going to talk about the wealth conservatism part of it even though I could. My reaction to Edward basically being in private equity was to literally scream “NOOOOOO NOT PRIVATE EQUITY” (very funny).

I feel like it's demeaning, the whole “prostitute with the heart of gold” thing rubbed me the wrong way. It was less sympathetic view towards all sex workers and just Vivian inspecifically. To make her stand out and seem “good” and “pure” and “deserving” they really had to put down the job that she does and the other girls around her. “Oh she’s good despite being a sex worker” and they didn’t have to do that. Again, I get that it was the 90s and that’s just part of the politics but that doesn’t make it good or that we should excuse it.

I could continue to talk about my ideas for fixing it, both in fixing the bad politics as well as the structuring but that’s a different mess of a rant I’ll probably put together at a later date.

Don’t take this as me hating the movie either or saying you can’t enjoy it. It’s not a bad movie and I enjoyed it.

[kiaramonroe]

— &&  if you’re hearing ELEANOR RIGBY by THE BEATLES playing, you have to know KIARA ZHAO-MONROE (she/her; cis female) is near by! the 24 year old POET has been in denver for, like, 2 ½ YEARS. they’re known to be quite NON COMMITTAL, but being CHARASMATIC seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble CHASE SUI WONDERS. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those BLOOMNG BUTTERFLYWEED, HAIR HALF FALLING FROM A BUN, OLD PARCHMENT, THROWING A DIABOLO INTO THE AIR, LATE NIGHT LATTE vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the UNIVERSITY long enough!

check out her stats and info below !!

stats

full name: kiara zhao-monroe nickname(s): ki, kiki, kia age: 24 date of birth: the twenty first of october zodiac sign: libra place of birth: corpus christi, texas gender: female sexual orientation: bisexual religion: taoism occupation: student, art gallery tour guide at L'ARTE DISTRICT language(s) spoken: english, mandarin, minor cantonese, minor spanish pet(s): gecko financial status: upper middle class (with a trust from her father that she atp refuses to touch) tattoos: none at the moment positive traits: creative, punctual, charismatic, and well-spoken negative traits: arrogant, intense, noncommittal and superstitious goals/desires: to help the environment, to do good and take care of her mother, to be a published author fears: family: only child, grew up with her mother lea, no contact with her bio father, close to a couple of cousins and tia angie (her father’s ex wife) hobbies: hiking, writing, cooking, environmental conservation quirks: humming, mimicking sayings and accents, refusal to call her mother or elders their first name likes: music, corduroy, the ocean, calligraphy dislikes: littering, bad singing, dishonesty, public proposals myers-briggs: ENFP-A temperament: phlegmatic

bio

tw: mentions of parental infidelity

kiara was born in a small apartment above a take out restaurant, but when she was 3 years old, her father gave her mother a large sum of money to basically absolve his parental responsibilty. they moved from their tiny apartment to a large house with an even larger yard and kiana was able to take part in any hobby, any skill, any trip she wanted to be apart of. at the time, it was a tough ajustment but they were better off without her bio dad and she was able to fully embrace her mother’s family, both by blood and by love.

spending her childhood and teen years running around a large astate, identifing butterflies and flowers and walsting around their local art gallery, imagining the history behind each piece (the real history be damned), kiara became close with her cousins and also the adults in her life. she seemed so mature and smart at such a young age. she was involved in environmental conservation, planting trees and removing local invasive species. kiara values nature and wants to keep her impact on the world on a positive note.

using the library computer, she looked her father up and found out that a) she had been born when he was still married to his ex-wfie, her mother’s now close friend and b) he had remarried and basically replaced her and her mother with a new little family. if she disliked him for his absent role in her life before, these feelings only hightened after seeing this online.

after highschool, she had graduated with high enough marks to get a partial scholarship to many of the colleges she had applied to. kiara decided to go to Columbia University and graduaded with an MFA in Creative Writing. Now, looking to further her writing career and her education experience, she applied for a Masters program at the University of Denver. she wanted some place away from home but with something familar and knowing her old family friend was living here was the perfect amount of freedom and support she needed.

headcannons/fun facts about kiara! 

she loves poetry, especially structured poetry! she loves learning about history, languages, art.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

we can potentially add a second to any of these if we really feel one of these connections!!

friendship  ✨ 

first friend in denver

best friends

good influence

bad influence

confidants

ride or die

sibling friendship (like an older/younger sibling relationship)

model / photographer (either or)

coworker (at the art gallery)

friendzoned

breakfast club (total opposites but wind up bonding anyways)

drunk friends, aka two people who do not spend time together sober but get along only when drunk

secret friends, aka friends who do not hang around in the public eye as their family or friends may not get along

enemies to friends

wingmen

current romance ✨ 

flirtationship

blind date

possible match, aka someone who friends think is perfect for each other and they’re being set up together

unrequited crush

previously friendzoned

one leads the other on

mutual crushes

mouse and cat (they just keep chasing each other but nothing really happens)

breakfast club (total opposites)

past romance ✨ 

exes that ended on good terms 

exes with lingering feelings 

casual relationships ✨ 

study buddie

neighbours on good/bad terms

roommates

an artist’s muse

professional relations, e.g. a boss, professor, or other work relations

have mutual friends but don’t get along

co-workers

rivals, direct opposition.

negative influence

m

family ✨ 

family friend / 2nd mom - angie

close cousins

family friends

estranged half-siblings

long lost half sibling

[cabezadeperro]

cordyceps, for echo/fox(/fives)?

hi tru!!!

this is Old (january 31 kind of old lmao), but here it is!! it's a mix of canon star wars and the last of us: a bunch of stuff happens the same way but add a cordyceps epidemic a la TLOU.

T, canon character death. ~930w.

---

Fox has made himself hard to find, going to ground in Coruscant’s lower levels, his knowledge of the terrain working in his favour to render him invisible. Echo sneaks into the old Corrie barracks, slices into Imperial records, braves one of the sealed sectors of the city just to find that the lead he was following ends there.

Coruscant has become the carcass of what it used to be, all blackened ribs and parasites gnawing at the bones. Echo moves from quarantine zone to quarantine zone, avoiding the hordes of infected and making his best to mingle with what’s left of the planet’s population, and meanwhile the new Imperial Palace shines blackly on what used to be the Jedi Temple, almost as big as it is ugly. 

In the end, Fox is the one who finds him, as Echo half-expected to happen from the start. He takes the seat next to Echo’s in the cantina, nondescript and half-invisible in the crowd, and Echo’s traitorous heart blooms with something that tastes like joy and relief and grief all mixed together.

Echo looks him in the eye in that way he has of looking through you, familiar face wan and too pale, and then it’s—easy. Echo pays his tab and follows him out of the bar and into the crowded streets of what used to be Coco Town, raw sewage in the water of the artificial beaches and armed droids patrolling the street. Fox finds a way through the force shields and the walls and even deeper under the planet’s surface, and Echo follows, hyperaware of the noise of their footsteps through the now abandoned arcades and boulevards.

Most of the districts still have power: Coruscant’s infrastructure is its own thing, self-sustaining, older than the oldest inhabited levels of the planet, and after inhabiting its circuits Echo knows it is a terrible thing, too big and complex to understand. 

Fox’s safehouse looks barely used. Dusty and dark and cold, with black mold growing on the fresher’s ceiling and nothing in the conservator. It’s not the one Fox is using, that’s obvious and insulting, and Echo might not be that sure he is glad to see him but the distrust hurts in a way he didn’t quite see coming, because there was a time, not that long ago, when Fox looked at him like couldn’t quite believe he existed, like he would do terrible, painful things for Echo if given half the chance.

But then again, that was before Fives.

Echo has seen what happens to the infected. He’s had to put brothers down himself. But he knows, in his heart of hearts, that he would have never been able to do that to Fives. He knows he would have waited it out with him, and he knows that Fives would have hated him for it; Echo knows that he wouldn’t have regretted a thing.

He can’t tell what hurts worse: the fact that Fox loved him enough to kill him before the fungus took him, or the fact that he didn’t love him enough, and that he pulled the trigger anyway.

After Echo steps inside the apartment, Fox closes and locks the door at his back. He unholsters his blaster and looks into every single room, shoulders loose, and Echo watches him in silence, feeling the way his patience runs out.

Fox called him to Coruscant. After years of silence, Fox somehow found a way to send him an encrypted comm through their old channel: Echo can’t quite believe he did as he asked.

He used to think he hated Fox. He was so sure of it: how could he not? He loved Fives and killed him anyway.

The building settles and resettles all around them. Echo folds his arms and eyes the door, Fox’s back, the dusty surface of the couch. He thinks he might remember this place, from back before the war ended and he got caught. It bothers him the fact that he doesn’t know for sure. His once perfect recall, scrambled by the implants and time and all the awful shit he’s seen and done in his life.

Fox exhales. He holsters his blaster and stops in front of Echo, the weak light from the ceiling lumas washing him out. He opens his mouth, closes it again, and then—he sighs. He sounds exhausted, and that part of Echo that is not as dead as it should blooms, reaches out, wanting to comfort and touch and just be with him, because Echo might miss Fives more than he misses his own limbs, but sometimes it’s like he misses Fox more just because he’s still alive. He still remembers the way Fox tasted, the sound of his sighs and his groans, the dorky, unexpected little snort he made every time they made him laugh.

He watches Fox, and Fox watches him back, longing sudden and awful in his dark, familiar eyes, and then he looks away. He clears his throat.

“Fives was right.” That croak of a voice, low and creaky. 

It takes a second to register. Right about what?

“Fives was right,” Fox says again. “He was—he was immune.”

What?

Echo’s shaking. He can feel it, but he can’t stop it. He sees Fox’s hand reaching out for him, and he’s too slow to move back: by the time it touches him, warm and sweaty and heavy, resting awkwardly on his shoulder, it’s too late.

“They still have him,” Fox says. His fingers twitch around Echo’s shoulder; he lets go. “And I need your help to get him back.”

[bopinion]

2023 / 26

Aperçu of the week:

"Ah - does one check what one wishes for?"

(Voltaire)

Bad News of the Week:

It has been one week since the far-right AfD (Alternative für Deutschland / Alternative for Germany) held political office for the first time with the regional administrator in the Sonneberg district of Thuringia. Since then, shock waves have been running through the country. This, is the word, is a breach of the dam and a bad omen for the upcoming state elections in the eastern states, where the AfD is in some cases ahead in the forecasts. There is talk of firewalls that must now be erected against the right, and it is the task of the democratic parties to prevent the AfD from gaining power.

Yet this development was actually seen coming. Many East Germans still feel that they are being treated as second-class citizens, which is not true. And the tendency toward populism and extreme views, especially toward minorities such as migrants or Muslims, is almost traditionally high in the east. Apparently, many are simply no longer reached by the "mainstream parties" that like to be lumped together ("Those up there in Berlin are all the same..."). There is a lesson to be learned from this. Or at least it should.

The conservative CDU and CSU have apparently learned nothing from this. They cannot understand why a fundamental, albeit hardly justified, dissatisfaction with the traffic light coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals governing at the federal level is not paying into their account. And what is party and parliamentary group chairman Friedrich Merz doing? He is also veering toward populism.

On the leading news portal spiegel.de stood last Monday - as pretty much first reactions - two messages more memorable one above the other. Above, a journalist writes in the commentary "Those who stayed at home are the problem" about the fact that a voter turnout of 60% (in the district council election in Sonneberg) means that 40% apparently did/do not care whether an extreme right-wing party rules their district. And below that you can read "Reaction to AfD triumph: Merz announces tougher course against Greens". Excuse me?

So the conservatives really want to seek your salvation in not fighting against the AfD, but instead even swinging to its course, positioning themselves against a supposed left? Even though the CDU currently governs together with the Greens in six (!) German states? By the way, there are only three other governing constellations, so the Greens are currently their primary political partner. And they are now to be attacked primarily in order to sharpen the own profile. And that should then convince a conservative clientele not to vote for the AfD (anymore).

I'm curious to see what course the respective CDU state associations will take in the next election. So far, we've heard mostly good things about the joint work with the Greens at the state level. This questionable approach already proves one thing to me: Friedrich Merz, who was not politically active at all during the long years of the Merkel government, has not yet arrived in the current reality. Please explain this to him by someone from his party. Otherwise, the far-right will continue to grow stronger.

PS: Yesterday the first AfD mayor in Germany was elected in Raguhn-Jeßnitz / Saxony-Anhalt. Pandora's box seems to be opened...

Good News of the Week:

France is on fire. The 17-year-old Nahel M. with a migrant background is unjustifiably shot by a policeman on Tuesday morning during a traffic control in Nanterre near Paris, the video evidence is clear. Since then, there have been serious riots all over France: hundreds of cars are set on fire, stores are looted, town halls are stormed. 45,000 police officers are on the streets every night, public transport is at a standstill, there are isolated curfews, and dozens of rioters - often frighteningly young - are taken into custody every day.

So far, so bad. But it's the things you don't see in the media for days that are remarkable - remarkably good. A state force that automatically stands protectively in front of one of its police officers? No, a press conference by the prosecutor Pascal Prache of Nanterre says "The legal conditions for the use of the weapon are not met." The policeman remains in custody, under investigation for second-degree murder. And Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne acknowledged already one day after the incident that the police operation "clearly did not comply with the rules of engagement for police."

A grieving family condemning a systemically racist police force and showing solidarity with the protests? No, the mother Mounia M. says "I don't blame the police, I blame one person." And grandmother Nadia M. calls for an end to the violence: "We don't want the rioters to destroy stores, buses and schools. They are using Nahel as an excuse. We want the situation to calm down. I want this to stop." She said people should stop the nonsense, adding that the judiciary will do its job.

A president who uncompromisingly takes a hard line against the riots? No, Emmanuel Macron calls the riots "inexcusable," but the death of Nahel M. "unforgivable" - and so far refuses to declare the state of emergency demanded by many. Participation in the EU summit, a government trip to Germany, countless appointments: canceled, the captain remains on the bridge, his statements are serious but moderate.

Representatives of minorities showing understanding for the outbreak of violence as a logical consequence of oppression and two-class society? No, for example, soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé also wrote on behalf of the national team that they were "shocked by the brutal death of the young Nahel." But just also: "Since this tragic event, we have witnessed the expression of popular anger, the content of which we understand, but the form of which we cannot approve." Violence, he commented, should give way to "other peaceful and constructive expressions."

All of this is good. Because only a differentiated, balanced approach by all French people can fill in the rifts in society. Which have existed not only since the tragic death of this teenager. And bring peace back to the country - including Nahel M.'s family.

Personal happy moment of the week:

We started the new table tennis season. And have already played a few hours in the first week. Especially because my son has recently discovered this hobby for himself at school. Fortunately, I can rely on my muscle memory: I haven't lost a game yet.

I couldn't care less...

...about the US Supreme Court and its landmark decisions. The partisan political influence is so obvious that one is reminded of banana republics.

As I write this...

...I am thinking about Putin. Because a colleague told me about an interesting theory about the short uprising of the Wagner mercenary troops in Russia last weekend: the whole thing was a fake staged by the Kremlin or even Vladimir Putin himself. With three goals. First, to test whether and how the elites stand by him and his position of power. Second, to test whether and how the population stands by his "special military operation" and his leadership. And third, to prepare the ground for declaring a general mobilization after all - since the need for a more broadly based military force has finally become apparent. Seems absurd? Haven't cracks in the system and crumbling control shown instead? Well, who knows? Maybe the history books will one day.

Post Scriptum

My symbolic thinker Aristotle is wearing a green awareness ribbon in the second half of 2023. As a sign of the planet earth threatened by our actions. The protection of which mankind still does not consistently tackle, although it has actually arbitrary reasons for it. After all, nothing less than survival is at stake. In his hand he holds a fictitious issue of Time magazine with the cover "The return of history", in which the graphic artist Patrick Mulder has given a Putin portrait a Hitler beard. As his policies increasingly bear fascist traits and threaten to drag all of Europe into an abyss.

[schraubd]

"Dems" Who Endorse Third Party Candidates Are Monsters. Zero Exceptions.

"Dems" Who Endorse Third Party Candidates Are Monsters. Zero Exceptions. Back in 2018, when I was still living in Berkeley, I was really having a difficult time deciding who to vote for in a D-on-D assembly race between Buffy Wicks and Jovanka Beckles. Both seemed like solid people I'd be happy to have representing me in Sacramento, and I struggled to find much distinguishing the two. Until I learned that Beckles had voted for Jill Stein in 2016. Suddenly, a hard choice became very easy. Wicks gets my vote (and she went on to win the election). Fast forward a few years, to 2022. I now live in Oregon, a pretty reliably blue state. Except this year, our gubernatorial race includes not just the standard D-R matchup between Democrat Tina Kotek and Republican Christine Drazan. It also includes a well-financed "independent" candidate -- former Democratic State Senator Betsy Johnson,* well-known as among the most conservative Democrats in the caucus. Johnson, who has called Portland a "city of roaches", ran expressly because she couldn't tolerate a more liberal Democrat being the party's standard-bearer. Polling suggests an extremely tight race, and Johnson 's presence on the ballot could let the Republican slip into the governor's mansion with barely 30% of the vote. The very thought makes me livid. The idea that in Oregon, in 2022, we might have a Republican Governor because some egomaniacal blue dog Dem just couldn't back her party's nominee is outrageous. Among Johnson's endorsers is outgoing Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader, in an obvious sore-loser move after he lost his primary to challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner. I couldn't vote in that election -- I now live in Schrader's district, but I moved here a few weeks after the election -- and I certainly understood the pragmatic argument in favor of Schrader in a swing-y district. But Schrader himself? Absolutely dead to me. I shed zero tears for his demise. There is nothing I have more contempt for than a nominal Democrat supporting a third party in a contested general election. It is terrible if it is a "from the left" protest vote for a middle-of-three-evils like Jill Stein. It is terrible if it is a "from the center" chin-stroker vote because the Democrat is "just too radical".  The current iteration of the Republican Party is a hairsbreadth away from being actual fascists. Stopping them from attaining political power is a moral obligation of the highest order. Very, very few things can trump that obligation. I can think of essentially no significant Democratic figure whose views or practices are so noxious as to trump that obligation. Yes, that includes every single member of the Squad. Yes, that includes Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and Henry Cuellar. I don't care how annoying you find them. I don't care how valid your grievances are against them. None of them are worse than your typical 21st century Republican. If they are the general election nominee, and they're running against a Republican, you vote for them, and you do it with a smile. * In researching this post, I learned the ultimate terrible fact: Johnson is a Carleton College alum. She also got her J.D. at Lewis & Clark. I am devastated. via Blogger https://ift.tt/wk9Q5jO July 24, 2022 at 04:43PM

[tomorrowusa]

In Germany, the center right CDU and its partner the CSU (often called the "Union parties" because Union is in both their names) are starting to consider the unthinkable: cooperation with the far right AfD.

Looking at the numbers in a matter-of-fact way, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its chairman, Friedrich Merz, should be satisfied: The center-right party has been leading German political polls for many months. Incorporating its Bavarian regional "sister party," the Christian Social Union (CSU), the conservative Union would currently hold about 28% of the vote. The conservatives could have won the 2021 general election with this result. But they ended up in opposition  and seem to be struggling in this role — particularly as it relates to their willingness to cooperate with the far-right populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD). [ ... ] But now the far-right populists are coming increasingly close to the Union in the polls — the AfD currently sits at about 20 percent. It is against this backdrop that, in a recent television interview, the CDU chairman continued to rule out a collaboration with the AfD in the Bundestag federal parliament or any of the 16 state parliaments. However, he left the door open for cooperation at the city and local municipal government level. "If a district administrator or mayor who belonged to the AfD was voted in," Merz said, "it's natural that we have to look for ways to ensure that we can continue to work together in the city." With these statements, Merz unleashed objection and outrage from across the political spectrum. Only AfD co-leader Alice Weidel rejoiced, writing on Twitter: "The CDU will not be able to avoid lifting the nonsensical ban on contact with the AfD." Her party, she indicated, is ready to work together.

While the CDU/CSU is not exactly on the verge of joining hands with the AfD, any hint of cooperation between conservatives and the far right brings back bad memories in Germany.

Hitler would not have been able to come to power without the cooperation of conservative non-Nazi parties. In the November 1932 Reichstag election, the Nazis won just 196 of the 293 seats needed for a majority. But maneuverings by politicians in center-right parties who mistakenly thought they could control Hitler led to the Nazi takeover on 30 January 1933.

So Merz's faux pas should be viewed in that context.

There may be a lesson for Friedrich Merz regarding the far right from Spain's recent general election.

After a disappointing showing in local elections a few months ago, Spain's center-left Prime Minister Perdo Sánchez called a snap election for parliament.

In the run-up to the election, polls predicted a majority for a coalition of the center-right PP and the far right homophobic Vox. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of the PP, was already figuratively picking out new curtains for the prime minister's office. As it turned out, the PP did gain 47 seats and thus became the largest party with a total of 136. However Vox lost 19 seats leaving it with just 33. The combined totals leave them with 169 which is 7 short of a majority (176). Voters' fears of a potential government influenced by the ghost of dictator Francisco Franco sent them shuffling a bit to the left. PP picked up some previous Vox voters. Prime Minister Sánchez's PSOE actually gained 2 seats but still ended up with only 122. The PSOE's rebranded coalition partner, Sumar, won 31 seats. Various regional parties won a total of 28. So it's now a hung parliament with those disparate regional parties possibly holding the balance of power.

The point is that the CDU/CSU should not count on the AfD being as strong as it may currently appear in the opinion polls. In a general election campaign there is greater scrutiny of parties – and voters may not like what they see in the AfD when considering it as an actual party of government.

[lieutenant-catboy-little]

us forest service au part the third

The Non-Technician Permanent Employees (okay i didn’t do a great job of organizing these i’ll admit it)

-this is set in some [fictional] very remote town in the western cascades/western cascades foothills (bc that’s my stomping ground)

-North Terrebus Ranger District on the Terrebus National Forest

-this is terribly american but i know very little abt forestry in england so

-franklin is the district ranger, and crozier and jfj are both supervisors on his district

-jop and billy gibson are admin assistants, but bc it’s the forest service they do basically everything the others don’t -- cleaning, inventory, customer service, maintenance etc.

-jop’s favorite supervisor is crozier -- they know each other from before jop was hired -- and he absolutely gives crozier preferential treatment (but he’s not rude to anyone else unless they deserve it! unless.)

-jop gets his redcard (firefighter qualification) at crozier’s insistence and goes on a fire detail when they’re desperate for bodies, knocks it out of the park

    -he keeps his amin assistant job but goes on fire details when he wants to switch things up

    -why would he get covered in poison oak, step on wasp nests, and destroy his joints when for the same pay he can be sneaky and indispensable in the air-conditioned office

-somehow jopson has programmed the radio in the timber bullpen (where his desk is) to scan more channels than any other radio; he pretends he doesn’t know how he did it

    -ed forgets his lunch about once every two weeks and jopson always somehow hears about it and has something waiting for him (ed’s favorite? What a coincidence!) when he gets back from the field

        -ed. King. jop is begging u. 

-bridgens, goodsir, mcdonald, blanky, collins, and stanley are resource specialists

-goodsir is the fish/hydro specialist :’)

-he loves fish biology and is competent in the field but there’s no way this man was a hydro tech. The first time he has to help with riparian surveys he gets so tangled up in vine maple he can’t move and the others have to free him

-bridgens is botany!!! 

-He knows so many latin names by heart and loves to go out with seasonals and work on their plant id 

-He has a HUGE bookshelf in his office (plant id, field guides, ecology, textbooks, conservation philosophy, narrative nonfiction), and anyone is welcome to it

-if no one else is talking on a hike, he will keep a running commentary of every plant he sees and what facts he knows about it

-mcdonald is the wildlife specialist! 

-He definitely hunts (affectionate) 

-Because a lot of his knowledge comes from informal sources (his family/local knowledge), he believes in everyone’s ability to advance, regardless of background

    -he and goodsir are both wilderness first-aid certified, so they’re the go-tos for injuries

        -stanley is actually an emt but is not the go-to for injuries

-silna is a wildlife tech and technically under mcdonald’s supervision. She is extremely good at her job, and will 100% succeed mcdonald when he retires. She also does some interpretation for visitors about wildlife safety

-you KNOW blanky is the soil guy

-He HAS the “SOIL” shirt. His car DOES have a bumper sticker that says “start seeing SOIL”. He tells seasonals who are annoying him to “go huff some soil. Maybe you’ll calm down or experience a life-changing revelation”. 

-absolute legend, bonkers smart. 

-Came up through fire; worked on all the biggest fires of about ~15-25 years ago and has tons of stories: felled a hazard tree that almost dropped a burning branch on him, jerry-rigged a broken water truck, got caught on a breached fireline after the fire crowned over it

    -after a severe injury caused him to lose a lot of mobility in his left leg, took time to finish his degree and get the job he has now

    -still spends more time in the field than most resource specialists 

-Stanley is the NEPA (National Environmental Planning Act) specialist -- detail-oriented and mean but tragically essential 

-Sits in his office all day poring over court cases and laws and sending both important and pedantic edits back on everyone’s environmental assessments

-everyone learns early on to ask bridgens or mcdonald for advice on NEPA stuff before going to stanley

-collins is the GIS (geographic information systems) specialist

-also used to work in fire, but transitioned to this role after witnessing the death (heart attack) of one of his crew members

    -open about his PTSD and advocate for more mental health resources for wildland firefighters/employees in general

-very good mentor, listening ear for anyone (especially the seasonals)

    -keeps a beanbag in his office and Aldo, his emotional support dog, is usually available if someone has had a bad day

[doubleleoenergy]

ii. Serial Killer, Lolita Series

Sneak up on you really quiet. Whisper, "Am I what your heart desires?" I can be your ingenue.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: bestfriendsdad!Andy Barber x fem!reader

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, mentions of erection and male masturbation, lewd thoughts, drinking, mentions of domestic violence, murder, and divorce

Words: 2893

Summary: Andy spends an evening with y/n and learns about her hopes, dreams, and sexual relations

Andy Barber was straightening his tie against his grey button down when he walked into the hallway from his bedroom, the smell of bacon wafting through his nostrils as he followed the scent to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Andy.” Y/N’s voice held that sickening sweet seduction he had gotten used to over the past few days. It was seven o’clock in the morning, and the fact that she sounded so chipper had Andy amused. His son was not a morning person, neither were any of the other boys staying with them.

He turns the corner towards the kitchen counter and takes in the sight of her. She’s ready for her first day as an intern for him, though her outfit doesn’t seem to be the most conservative for an attorney’s office. Her tight black skirt with white lines is barely covering her ass, and there’s a small slit up the right side that is showing more skin, if that’s even possible. She’s paired it with a simple black tank top that is cropped to reveal just the tiniest bit of skin on her abdomen, his eyes trailing down her toned legs to her black strappy stilettos that finish off the look. Andy has to look away and busy himself with his briefcase in order to stop himself from coming in his trousers.

“Morning, y/n.” He chokes out, reorganizing the files in a folder he had pulled out. Y/N slides a plate beside him, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor as she walks directly to his side, holding out a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

He takes the cup in his hand appreciatively, eyeing the plate of bacon, eggs, and toast that she had slid over to him. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to do any of this.” Andy takes a sip of coffee before setting his mug down beside the plate, picking up the fork and knife before diving into the meal.

“I know I didn’t have to, but we can’t let you go to the office on an empty stomach, right boss?” She teased, her manicured nails tapping gently on the counter next to him. God how he wished to feel those nails scratching against his scalp.

“Well thank you.” He responds, trying not to think about how she had just called him boss and how it made it incredibly wrong to be thinking about her like he had. The past few days had been rough, watching y/n saunter around the house in her sinful outfits, teasing the other boys and stealing glances in Andy’s direction. He had fucked into his fist every night since he saw her in that damn bikini.

As Andy finished eating y/n cleaned up the dishes, drying them and putting them away where they belonged in the appropriate cabinets and drawers. She was eager for her first day in the office, and honestly happy to be working somewhere where she was already familiar with the boss. 

“That was great, y/n, thank you again.” He wiped his mouth off on a napkin before pulling his briefcase shut, y/n taking his plate and mug and cleaning them in the sink before drying her hands.

“Anytime, I appreciate the carpooling to work as well.” Her fingers reached for her purse on the edge of the counter, following Andy out into the garage and sliding into the passenger seat of his pristine Audi. It was much flashier than her ten-years-too-old Ford Focus. She could get used to this lifestyle for the rest of the summer.

Andy and y/n spent the entire drive to the office making small talk, while Andy tried his hardest not to glance at her supple thighs in her thin skirt. Soon enough they arrived at the office, Andy gesturing for y/n to follow him inside the large office building.

Passing through the doors, Andy says a quick hello to the colleagues he passed, waving them over to gather inside their large conference room.

“Alright everyone, I’ll make this quick. This is y/n, she’s our new intern for the summer so please, be kind and help her to get the most out of her time here.” Andy’s eyes scanned the crowd of people, noticing the way the men in the office all lusted over her, their eyes dark with attraction.

As Andy dismissed everyone, Neal fucking Loguidice strides forward with confidence, extending his hand out to y/n’s. “Neal Loguidice, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Y/N seems to be enjoying the attention, standing up straighter as she takes his hand in hers. “Thank you, Neal. The pleasure is all mine.”

“How about I show you around the office? You know, as an assistant district attorney I can answer any questions you have about this place.” Before Andy can protest, Neal puts a hand on the small of y/n’s back, guiding her out of the conference room and walking her down the hall. Andy hates the way he grits his teeth, the hand not holding his briefcase forming into a tight fist by his side. Why was he even jealous? He had no reason to be, didn’t he?

Andy spent the rest of the morning answering phone calls and meeting with clients, though he couldn’t help but keep his eyes trained on y/n anytime he left his office. She had picked up lunch for the entire department, created copies for a staff meeting, and was unfortunately still being followed around by that slithering snake Neal. Who did he think he was?

He tried not to let it get to him, but as he walked past y/n’s makeshift desk after a coffee break, he watched as Neal leaned over her. He was teaching her how to scan documents to their respective folders, his eyes staring directly down y/n’s shirt to catch a glimpse of her perky tits. That was it, he had had enough.

“Neal.” Andy clenched his jaw as he spoke, watching as the man’s eyes lingered briefly still on y/n’s tits before meeting his gaze. “A word in my office. Now.” He barked.

Neil walked with confidence into Andy’s office, shutting the door behind him before slumping into the chair in front of Andy’s desk, a smug smile plastered on his face. “What can I do for you, Andrew?” Neal challenged, crossing his left leg over his right.

“You need to keep your eyes and your hands to yourself with y/n, it’s disgusting and she’s one of my son’s best friends. I’m not going to let you disrespect her like that, and neither would HR if they found out.” He growled, his eyes growing dark. Neal puts his hands up in protest before he stands, backing towards the door.

“Whoa, those are some big accusations without any evidence, Barber. I was just showing our intern around.” He’s still got that smug look on his face that Andy wishes to smack off him, though he knows he can’t. Neal opens the office door, walking out and heading back to his own office, leaving y/n to work by herself at her desk.

It was fucked up that he was lecturing Neal about the way he looked at y/n while knowing he’d jerked off into his hand every night fantasizing about her. But he wasn’t acting on anything, it was just some harmless fantasies, he was newly divorced after all. This was just lust, wasn’t it?

The rest of the day went by fast, Andy moving from meeting to meeting with clients and y/n working diligently on getting acquainted with their latest cases and filing the paperwork into the appropriate folders on their server.

Andy shut his office door a little after six o’clock, locking it behind him before strolling over to where y/n sat at her desk, texting on her phone.

“Are you ready to head out for the evening?” He asked, watching as she stood up beside him, only a couple of inches shorter than him in her heels.

“Yes, Jacob just texted me. Him and the guys are out bar hopping with some, as he put it, ‘absolute tens’ and won’t be home until late.” She follows him out of the office building, watching as he locks the front doors behind them before sauntering over to the passenger side of his car.

“That’s fine, why don’t I order us some takeout, I know a little place by the house that serves the best pad thai.” Andy and y/n get into the car as he starts it up, the vehicle roaring to life under them. “I would love that, thank you.” 

It’s a quiet ride back to the office, y/n scrolling through Instagram as the radio plays softly, the car filled with the lyrics to a Lady Gaga song. Andy parks the car back in its usual spot in the garage before walking inside and dropping his briefcase on the counter.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower, I’ll order the food when I get out and then we can relax, I’m sure today was a lot for you to take in.” Andy assured, loosening the tie around his neck.

“That sounds great, thank you Andy.” Y/N bounds up the stairs as well, letting her body muscles relax under the heat of the shower. Downstairs, Andy is doing the same, except he’s got a cold shower running to rid him of his thoughts from the day. How y/n’s skirt would ride up as she bent down to pull a copy from the copier, the way her lips pursed, and brows furrowed perfectly as she focused on her computer screen. How did her little actions send his brain into such a tizzy?

It wasn’t long before he had calmed his thoughts and pulled on a pair of grey sweats and a navy-blue t-shirt, calling the restaurant and placing a delivery order for two pad thai dinners. As Andy waited for the food to arrive he sat down on the couch, fumbling with his phone until he heard footsteps from the stairs, his eyes trailing over the silky baby blue short shorts and front-tied top that barely covered her breasts, her nipples hard through the fabric.

“Is the food here yet?” She asked, plopping down beside Andy on the couch, her leg just barely grazing him as she sat. Just as Andy went to reply the doorbell rang, immediately standing up and grabbing his wallet from the counter. He pulled the heavy front door open, greeting the gentleman and handing over the money, including a generous tip, in exchange for the bag of food. 

As he walked back into the living room, he noticed y/n had gotten up and placed two bottles of beer on the coffee table, careful to include the thick grey coasters below them.

“Thanks.” He mumbled, emptying the contents of the bag onto the table before handing over one of the takeout boxes to her. She opened it delicately, her fork twisting into the container before pulling out some of the contents and chewing it thoughtfully.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being the scraping of their silverware and the occasional movement of a beer bottle on and off the coasters. “So…” Andy started, swallowing a bite of his dish. “What made you want to be an attorney? S’not very often that I see someone interested in the profession.” Or someone like her, he meant, though he tried not to come off as if a woman like her couldn’t do the job.

There was an expression that flashed across y/n’s face, something he hadn’t seen yet, a twinge of sadness? “Life circumstances. I actually want to be a defense attorney, specifically.” Andy finished taking a swig from his beer, setting it back down.

“Interesting, are you from the area? Or, at least, close to Columbia?” He questioned.

“No, I’m from Ohio actually. It’s a shit place, only really good for driving through to get to your destination.” Y/N set her half-eaten container on the table, sitting back against the couch.

“Your family must miss you, with you all the way at Columbia.”

“My aunt and I talk every day, s’not much to miss.” Y/N responded; brows knitted into a frown.

“That’s not true, I’m sure she misses you. What about your parents? I’m sure they miss you when you’re gone too.”

That struck a nerve with y/n, she didn’t talk about her family to anyone, she hadn’t even told Jacob or the other guys about her family life. Something about Andy made her feel comfortable, though, her eyes focused on her lap while she picked at a loose hangnail.

“Well, that’s kinda why I wanted to become a defense attorney. My uh-my dad used to beat the shit out of my mom when I was younger.” Her face flashes a few different emotions, pain, anger, guilt, as she swallows a lump in her throat. “Don’t really know why he would’ve been with her in the first place, what’s the point of wanting to be with someone if you just want to pummel their face every day?” Andy listened intently; his food abandoned on the coffee table as well.

Y/N isn’t sure whether to continue with the story or not, deciding she’d already gotten through the first part, might as well finish. “I went to my aunt’s one day, I was nine at the time, and my aunt got a call and she was…beside herself.” She pauses, lips pressed in a grim line. “I guess my mom wanted to leave my dad and he went ballistic, loaded his pistol and emptied a few shots into her. She didn’t survive, of course, and my dad got life without parole.” Y/N cleared her throat.

“Anyhow, I went to live with my aunt, excelled in school, got nearly a full ride to Columbia and have dreamed of becoming a defense attorney for domestic violence and sexual assault victims ever since. I think I’d make a damn good attorney. I’d love to see the look on the guilty faces as I get justice for their victims.” Her voice regained its confidence, her body relaxing back as she finally took a sip from her beer, trying to look unphased.

“I…” Andy started, y/n waving her hand in dismissal. “It’s all good, I’ve moved past it, mostly. You don’t have to say the whole ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ shit. I’ve heard it all before.” Y/N took another long swig from her beer, swallowing it before pointing in his direction.

“What about you, what made you divorce Mrs. Barber? Jacob doesn’t mention her at all, only that you divorced last December.” Andy lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding during her entire story.

“Just wasn’t meant to be. We’d been together our whole lives practically and I woke up one day and realized I didn’t love her anymore. We were always fighting, and it wasn’t worth it to try and make it work.” Why he was explaining this to a twenty-two-year-old friend of his son, he didn’t know, but she had just shared something so intimate with him that he felt it was only fair.

“Well, it’s her loss.” The usual sensuality in her tone is back, her lips curling into a smile around her beer bottle. “You’re still young enough and fit, I’m sure you’ll find a pretty woman to meet your every need.” The words made his cock twitch, a chuckle leaving his lips to ease the sexual tension in the air.

“Well thank you. What about you? I see how my son and the other boys eye you.” And himself, but he’d leave that out. “They said your off limits and not the relationship type.” Andy didn’t know if it was appropriate to mention the conversation he had with Rashad and Collin the other day, but it seemed from y/n’s smile she was well aware of how they viewed her.

“Oh, I’ve had my fair share of boys. Watching them fall one by one.” She teased, running a hand through her hair. “I’m kinda like a sweet serial killer on the warpath, I like to have boys wrapped around my finger, but I am fully in control of who gets to move past a few stolen kisses. And frankly, there aren’t many that do” Her tone is honest, Andy licking his lips. I bet a man like me could change that. Before Andy can open his mouth to respond the front door opens, Jacob, Collin, and Rashad bounding in.

“The party’s here!” Rashad cried out, clearly tipsy. The boys stopped in the living room when they saw y/n and Andy, Collin eyeing the takeout on the table.

“Dude can I have some? I’m starving.” Collin announced before picking up y/n’s takeout box, plowing into it with the fork.

“Help yourself, I was actually going to get to bed. Gotta get up early for the internship again.” Y/N slinked seductively off the couch, her eyes meeting Andy’s. “Goodnight, Andy. Thanks for the talk.” He manages to give her a quick goodnight before she’s walking up the stairs, tits bouncing with each step.

Was he slowly being wrapped around her finger like the other boys she mentioned? He didn’t think so, but what he did know is he had yet another outfit of hers to picture her in when he jerked off tonight.

Tagging those who may be interested. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list: @midnightf @my-divine-death @saamwilsonn @fierylibraa @fuckandfluff​ @rattlemyb0nes​ @rootcrop @goldenboysteve​  @turtoix​  @jeremyrennermakesmesmile​  @ccmarvelxx

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

Just read your post and agree with everything, esp about bad ship theories. One thing you said, kinda stuck out. The voting argument where Jimin went without JK, so therefore they seem to live in different areas. Then does this mean you think Vmin live in different areas? I mean, if they have been together for years, why would they not be living together? IDK, I just always kinda felt Vmin low key live together this whole time, but now your answer has me doubting that. You don't think Vmin do?

Admin 2: Hello anon,

In my reply I will try to convey to you my personal point of view in regard to Vmin and their relationship and in this case, how I see the question of them of living together.

The fact that four BTS members voted at the polling stations of their district shows that not all of them are registered in Hannam in their shared dorm.

We know, and it is no secret, that Taehyung bought an apartment in autumn 2019 in which, as you can see, he also seems to be registered. We know that Hobi and Jungkook bought their apartments at the end of 2018 in the same building and supposedly even on the same floor. Taehyung has posted photos from what looks like his apartment more than once and it is no secret that he owns and stays in this apartment. During some program on TV, one of his Wooga squad friends talked to Taehyung on FaceTime, who seemed to be at home in his apartment and wondered what he should eat.

Of course, there is more information from illegal sources, but we will not touch any of that.

It is known about Jimin and his living situation that his apartments (building) are under renovation.

Ok that's official facts of things we know. However, we do not know what the actual living situation of the individual members looks like.

Actually, all options are theoretically possible, but based on some logical considerations, some arrangements can be deduced. The fact that Taehyung is not registered in the dorm does not mean that he does not live there, or at least that he does not stay for a long time.

Jimin likely being officially registered as living at the dorm does not deny that he could also spend some time at Taehyung’s apartment. Do you understand what I'm going for? However, I exclude that officially Vmin or any couple could officially be live together. We have heard more than once about the obsessiveness of fans, about the stalking of the saessangs, about them occupying whatever buildings BTS are staying at, about the way they even go after the members families to get their hands on any kind of information’s.

Therefore, the best solution for Vmin is that they have access to Taehyung’s apartment. I think that in the dorm, and anywhere else (except for their bedrooms within the dorm), it would be impossible to lead any kind of relationship in peace.

There are all sorts of people at the dorm, their staff (like their managers) have success to the dorm and could just walk in at any time. The mere fact that Vmin (we assume they are a romantic couple) is in a fragile relationship and therefore any kind of leak, so to speak, would lead to a catastrophe. Antis and alike are just waiting for such "interesting" details from the private lives of the BTS members.

I believe that it is not possible to have any romantic relationship in a classic way within the group, and it is completely impossible for two members suspected of a romance to live together. (The same applies to J/k/ok etc.)

However, I am personally convinced that Vmin spends a lot of time together, even if only because they study together for their now master’s degree. I suspect they stay a lot together because Jimin wears Taehyung's clothes (especially his oversized boots) because even after work he was supposed to go to Tae (or Tae to Jimin) during the Billboard H100 # 1 night. We have screenshots of conversations with fans during games where Tae said he had to stop because Jimin had just made ramen, some other time he’d mentioned he was planning on doing something with Jimin the next day etc. Jimin said during Vlive in April 2020 that him and Tae like to go driving at night and many other things.

"Someday, when these cheers die down, stay hey

Stay with me by my side"

And that is also my opinion: A normal relationship will only be possible for Vmin when they are no longer the most famous musicians in the world living in a very conservative Korea, especially since they (and other members as well) still have to go to their military service in the VERY conservative Korean Army. Actual suspicions of a queer relationship within the group could and likely would only endanger the members during their service, just like I previously mentioned in my reply to an ask about Jin’s reaction to Taehyung’s “Jiminah I like you the most”.

I would also like to add some observations and thoughts to members speaking about their situation in life.

I have a strong impression that it doesn't matter so much to the fans whether Namjoon or Yoongi or even Jin live at the dorm or anywhere else.

What obsessive fans care about is where and with whom the maknaes live.

Therefore, I often get the impression that some dialogues, some scenes in RUN or interviews or other shows are shown in such a way that there is some confusion about who with who and confusion about where the maknaes live and whether they live together or not. I may be delulu, but I often get such an impression, especially when it comes to Jimin, that he deliberately says certain things in a way that can be interpreted in multiples ways, or like they mean something, even though likely it doesn’t mean anything at all.

We know Jimin is very private and doesn’t readily share private information’s, so it just seems like he “feeds” obsessive shippers, of whom I’m sure he’s well aware they are listening and just waiting for it, something that really is empty just so they have something to do, like JK saying he wants to make pizza at the end of some RUN episode to which Jimin asked “at home?” which was asked (or at least translated by weverse/vlive) in such a manner that shippers spent the next two weeks discussing what home he meant and if that means they do live together. Because of that, really, Jungkook can keep his privacy, as can vmin, since shippers will hold on to those empty phrases (fanservice) while the members can do whatever they want away from the cameras. Does that make sense? So, in the end, even if it seems like Jimin shared some insight into their living arrangements, we really still know nothing at all about where the maknaes live and with whom. It’s very smart PR and fits with the media training Idols in general seem to receive.

Edit: I read your comments and I want to clarify what I meant with the above part about Jimin, since I really didn’t mean to shift the blame for bad shipper behavior on him in any kind of way: 

I’m sure we’ve all seen bad shippers make the argument that the members that are part of their ship supposedly purposefully say certain things to send them “secret/hidden messages” or “hints” that “only they will understand” which in turn are meant to prove their ships. That’s what I meant by “seems to “feed””, not that he’s purposefully “lying” in their favor or feeding into their weird fantasies, but rather that the vague things he sometimes says, or his occasionally cheeky/teasing comments made in good fun with the other members, are taken by shippers and interpreted in ways to fit their narratives, even if what Jimin says has nothing to do with ships at all, he’s obviously just joking/teasing, or it’s just a vague “empty”/deflective statement to keep private info private. 

In all those cases the blame is on shippers and their bad behavioral habits of twisting the members words instead of listening properly and realizing that Jimin is joking or that what he said isn’t a hint or anything at all.

After all, Jimin said so much, supposedly, and yet we know nothing, not even about him and Taehyung studying together, which was quite literally never mentioned by them. Not even once in passing.

Of course, everything I've written is just my personal opinion and point of view. I could of course be totally wrong.

From anon: I agree that "Feeding the Schipers" isn't the happiest phrase, but I get what is going on. I think what J/m says and how he says it is like fodder for ships. I don't think he's doing it on purpose, however. Definitely not. J/m has this style of teasing, joking and shippers buying it as "secret confessions or notices" but a cool comment in general.

Admin 1: I’d like to quote myself from my asks post yesterday as reply to this ask, since it fits here as well:

Besides, at the end of the day, their living arrangements are not something we are privy to and that we shouldn’t try to figure out either. The members say they still live at the dorm, and if that’s the version they want us to believe, that’s the one I’ll stick to, unless they tell me otherwise.

[lifeexperience]

Maribat March 2021 - Half time

In my AO3 account I am also updating the 'A playboy billionaire, an ambassador and the secret love-child' title, and sometimes I add(ed) commentary why I write something the way I do.

Masterlist

From the last fifty days here is all the plus note:

First day

In Red Robin (2009-2011) comics Vicki Vale was a little bit too noisy for her own good, that's why I used her personal annoyance against Bruce Wayne in this story.

Third day

Vanessa Rios was an assistant district attorney in Gotham in the Robin (1993-2009) run. Here I am using her as the Wayne's legal team head. Tamara Fox, Lucius Fox's daughter, is friends with Tim Drake in Red Robin (2009-2011) comics and here too. Also she is an intern with the HR department who knows about the BatFam alteregos.

Fifth day

In the comics, Alfred always followed Bruce to his 'trips' (in 'Batman and Son' to London, 'Batman & Robin Annual' to an scavenger hunt, in 'Batman Inc.' to every country where they found representatives...) However because of Damian's unpredictable behaviour he stayed at the manor with the children in this story.

Sixth day

So Young Justice thing is a little complicated to me if I dare to say something about it. There was the 'Young Justice: The Secret' and its sequels. Then there were 'The New52' and 'DC Rebirth' era, plus the animation show. And they all are kind of okay..ish, furthermore I wanted to keep the principles like the main members (Tim Drake, Connor Kent, Bart Allen and Cassie Sandsmark), however I never liked their too childish behavior in some of the works (and the mixing with 'The Titans). So in this story, here, they are more adult..ish, but more relaxed and cheerful than 'The Titans' ever was (like in comics, not in the shows).

Eighth day

In the 'Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir' show they showed Lila as a manipulator without any remorse, which got me to think she has antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). I am not a doctor but I had some basic lesson in psychology, and I have a natural curiosity about things so I always research everything. With diagnosed ASPD the person has to be older then 18, however I read its symptoms can show up in childhood, and it can lead to an earlier diagnosis like 14-15 years old early.

In the case of Lila she deceives people and uses them (✓). Don't makes long term plans or thinking through about her behavior (✓), however has a set on some goal she wants to achieve (✓). She has a sense of superiority above of her classmates and adults in her environment (✓), nevertheless does't have any remorse or guilt to mistreat them (✓). Uses charisma and her fake charming persona to get something or someone (✓), however didn't value them more than tools or prizes (✓).

I didn't see any real aggressive behavior from Lila beside akumatizations (✓), but on its own I think it's enough evidence, that she has this disorder (and not the many that she claimed). In normal aggressive way Lila didn't show herself (like physical violence, loud angry outbursts, big fits in front of everyone) yet, rather she uses Akumatization to hide that kind of behavior (when Adrien tried to stand up she became willingly Chameleon, or the Heroe's Day, or Oni-Chan). So her Akumatised forms and helping to Hawkmoth are the evidences that she has aggressive behavior, however they are not the classic forms (but we also can remember the threatening in the bathroom, but I think that was more intimidation and showing her superiority then pure aggressiveness).

And I wanted that recreate and strengthen this 'fact' a little bit so it would be more obvious than in the show.

Ninth day

In the comics there are so many take on Bruce Wayne it's kind of hard to count it. We could list the Batman persona, when he kind of let his children do what they want within his no-kill-rule (like living alone at fourteen with bunch of other teenager - 'Teen Titans' or 'Young Justice' or as it looks like to go rough - Robin, Red Hood). And there is the obvious martyr-parent take, when he has to know everything about his children, but he is always silent about the important things ('Death of the family' - 'Batman and Robin: Born to kill' - 'The Hunt for Robin'). And one of my favorites the worried-tired father take, when he is kind of showing his emotions and trying to love his kids ('Super Sons' - 'Robin Rises' - 'Prelude to the Wedding: Nightwing vs. Hush' ...).

And I decided to use the last with a more active take from the first (like he lets everyone do their thing but he is monitoring them within reasons). In the comics there are many accusations about being someones father (with Julie Madison or Mariah Shelley), and here in my take he is trying to be responsible (for the sake of his children, mainly for Damian and Jason) and checks every claim out personally (so they also can do DNS test).

Tenth day

Alya Césaire is a complicated someone in the show. At first she is portrayed as a fierce helper for the protagonist, Marinette. She is stubborn and reckless, but royal to her best friends.

Then came Lila and the makers sharpened her stubborn tunnel vision. This I saw it first at the 'Lady Wifi' episode, when she clearly didn't remember about the first day, when Ladybug saved Chloé (or ignored it). After that she always fixated on 'Adrienette' (or everything else if it's interesting - Dark Cupid) when the girl, herself had other things to do (Princess Fragrance, Puppeteer 2, Reflektdoll 2, Timebreaker). So it was not that big surprise when her tunnel vision turned to Lila, and she (and everybody in her class) forgot about that they all met Jagged Stone and with his crocodile already.

Yeah, it's all true, however unlike Lila, Alya didn't show any other big social flaw. And she is 14 years old and middle child, which is kind of important in someone personality. She has to be a mature figure and a little child at the same time in her sibling's eyes. She has to compete attention in their parents eyes and be smart about it.

Moreover if we look at the Collège Françoise Dupont's students, they are all spoiled, not just Chloé or Lila or Adrien. Yes, they are not that bad like the three, but they are all sheltered to a certain degree. Their family don't have financial problems (famous chef, designers, mayor, famous bakery, curator in the most famous museum, police officer, famous pantomime, ...), plus they are all in a prestigious school where they can't meet people with everyday problems (and rich spoiled kid is not an everyday occurrence in my country). And beside some vision problems (Max, Sabrina) they are all healthy and the first time to meet a disability is when Lila arrived. So it's natural if they don't really know how to interact right with her (putting aside that whole lie thing).

And I think they, especial Alya, need first a little life experience, before they could be called responsible about their acts. And here I am trying to write it this kind of way, where they are all flawed, but they can learn from it.

Human being can be shallow and not perfect. These children only heard one perspective from Lila, and another from Marinette. In the show the makers not exactly specified about how well the classmates know Marinette and how depth Marinette and Alya friendship is, so there is already some trust issue.

Like yeah all of they are going to concerts, cinema, each others, however they didn't show so far any serious conservation between them (maybe the only exception is Adrien-Marinette combo). Until this year when Adrien and Alya got transferred in the class, the classmates don't even help Marinette with Chloé bullying. And one year friendship - how beautiful is it tho - is not that depth and stable, especially with that many secrets they have. And Lila 'charming' personality came into this still fragile relationship at the right time to prove this.

I am not saying that the makers is doing good to simplifies the relationships. Because rather they missed so many ziccers for the sake of promote new hero designs and the overwritten romantic scene, it's physical hurting me. But they are right that we are talking sheltered-traumatized-too naive kids, who sometimes had unearned magic powers (looking at Chloé, Alya, Kim).

And I didn't ever going the length of mentioning the adult characters. It's an other kind of wormhole.

Marinette was the only one who openly disobeyed Lila's wants. She stands up against her lies in the public so she is a real obstacle for Lila. While Adrien is only trying in the background without any witness (I don't say it's bad, because with some case it's better, but not here), and the boy is too valuable to Lila.

Lila already showed in the series she didn't stop with the lies and she is brave enough to ruin someone carrier with them (Marinette - 'Ladybug', Nathalie and Gorilla - 'Oni-Chan', Alya - 'Volpina'). And Adrien watched all of it in the front seat, and he kind of knows that Lila's main target here to discredit and broke Marinette/Ladybug (and Adrien, himself also, but it's his perspective and he is very sheltered and naive about it).

And this story she got another one to ruin. Bruce Wayne, himself. And as her fake charming side melts away in her anger as she is focusing more and more on her targets.

Eleventh day

Speed Force is one of the Seven Forces of the Universe. It grants the power of the speedsters. And some of them merged with it (for example Barry Allen). Speed Force has a direct connection to the time flow and with the Multiverse (or now Omniverse). The biggest event of it is the Flashpoint (2011) which started the New52 era. And Batman doesn't want to mix this kind of force with a really mysterious ancient magic.

Nightrunner's first appearance was in 2011 in Detective Comics Annual #12. Within the Batman Incorporated line Bruce recruited Bilal Asselah, French-Algerian citizen to represent Batman in Paris. Here he is a mentor/background assistant to the Team Miraculous and a representative of Batman Inc.

Fourteenth day

Wang Fu is not the most mature character in the show and I think it says it all. Being an 186 years old is the Great Guardian after he accidentally destroyed the temple, he is kind of shameful and amateur. And if we contrasted him with Batman... yeah. Batman is NOT happy and takes the control from the old master.

Fifteenth day

I know Cyborg, alias Victor Stone is currently shown as a founding member of the Justice League (since 2011), however I am prefer him more in the Titans. And it's not just because of the animation show form 2003, but also in the comics he is more himself with the first Titans then with the -all mighty- Justice League. And I also wanted him to have a little cameo in this story because in the Super Sons (2017-) he was kind of like a babysitter for the boys. And to me it's kind of funny how many times the bats short circuited him (Robin Rises, Super Sons: Parent Trap, ...).

Sixteenth day

Damian Wayne is a complicated character. For ten years he was teached to kill. He only learnt about his mother at eight. He only learnt about his father at ten. Thalia used him for anything from power play to plotting someone death. Bruce loves him, but he is so moronic about his own emotions it's kind of painful to read sometimes. And there is the thing where Damian is never enough, his mother cloned him (Heretic), his father has other wards (mainly Red Robin). Dick Grayson went incognito spying when the boy had finally a healthier relationship (Grayson: The Superspy). His best friend, Jon Kent was suddenly older then him (2018 Superman #16). Alfred was killed in front of him (2016 Batman #77). Yeah, Damian is a jerk, but he has every right to be a jerk in my opinion. And I wanted that recreate here as Lila is a liar and threatening his 'only' position as a blood son. His only weapon to prevent it to have a fit and doing what was teached to him.

Fulltime

[what-even-is-thiss]

Watching Last Week Tonight with no audience was honestly a little jarring and also reminded me how we’ve all been forced to look at places other than our figurehead for comfort for the past three years.

I remember my family hates George W Bush and I still despise his policies but no matter how awful that guy was, he was a president. And Barack Obama was a president too. In the past in my life whether I’ve liked or trusted the president or not I’ve looked to him for guidance or opinion or comfort in trying times. Even if I didn’t agree with what he was doing or saying I could see he was trying to be a comfort and a leader.

Now during this pandemic I’m scrambling for a leader to listen to. I’m clinging onto every word that John Oliver says and he’s a comedian. I shouldn’t be looking to him or you tubers or news anchors during this time. My local politicians are following his example so I’m taking scraps of leadership from everywhere. I’m watching the governor talk. I’m reading tweets from representatives and senators that aren’t from my state or district.

I just miss having a competent president who speaks in full sentences. Someone I know I can look to for leadership and to be a familiar face even when I don’t agree with them. We don’t live in a monarchy. We rule ourselves through lawmakers and enforcers we elect and judges that the elected choose for us. But there’s a reason to have a figurehead. A person with a clear head on their shoulders who can stand before their people and say with confidence “We are strong enough to survive this.”

And instead we have a rambling moron that spits out lies like tobacco. And a team behind him that’s almost as vague as he is. I have tried during this time to listen to Trump and find within him some piece of inspiration. The teeny tiny kernel of respect and admiration that I have for people like Clinton or Bush or Regan who I despise yet still see as leaders. I can’t find it. I can’t even find the grudging polite respect I have for other conservative politicians.

When I tell people I would gladly vote for another conservative over Trump sometimes they’re shocked. And yes I’m a Bernie Sanders supporter. If Bernie Sanders doesn’t get the nomination (which I hope he does get it) then I’ll be a Biden supporter. Once upon a time I was an Elizabeth Warren supporter. I voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But if I was forced to choose between Mitt Romney and Trump, or George W Bush and Trump, or Sarah Palin and Trump, or even Mike Pence and Trump I would choose the not Trump person every time even though I do not like them.

Because they could be a leader. Maybe not a great one. Maybe one that could put mine or my loved one’s lives in danger in the long run, but they would be a leader. And right now we don’t have a leader. We have Donald Trump. A man who isn’t being a guiding hand in a time of crisis. A man who’s acting the same as he ever did. Ted Cruz has had a more admirable reaction to COVID-19 than the president. And the fact that we’re living in a time where I can say that with confidence sickens me.

Rant over.

[songtoyou]

Mr. Evans and the Congresswoman - Part 2

Paring: Chris Evans x Politician Reader

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1,858

Warnings: Political topics such as Biden, Harris, our current White House occupant and the current administration. 

Description:  It is the week of the DNC and Chris is once again interviewing you for A Starting Point. 

A/N: The DNC inspired me to write a second part for this story.  This is pure fiction as I do not know what Chris believes when it comes to politics and policy issues. This is a complete work of fiction.

I do not permit my work to be to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Note: Updated for grammar and punctuation edits.

"Hi, Congresswoman Y/L/N?" Chris Evans asked with a smile.

He was once again interviewing you for ASP. This time it was during the week of the Democratic National Convention. Chris and Mark had already talked to other politicians such as Senator Cory Booker and Representatives Ro Khanna and Alma Adams. You were the last elected official he was slated to interview to wrap up the DNC week.

Truthfully, Chris was happy to get the chance to talk with you again. Your previous interview for ASP was such a hit that it garnered a lot of attention from fans and the media. However, it was not because you helped bring more legitimacy and attention for ASP, but instead, Chris found himself genuinely admiring you.

"Hi," you said to Chris, giving a small wave through the Zoom screen. "I told you to call me by my first name."

"I know, but I still want to show respect," Chris responded with a teasing smile. Was he mildly flirting with the congresswoman? Yes, but he had no shame in doing so. "How are you? You are looking well."

"I am doing well. Thank you. How about you?"

"Same. Just trying to stay sane through everything. I'm actually currently in London. Working on a project." Chris admitted.

"Uh oh. You better be staying safe and following the right procedures and protocols," you lightly reprimanded him.

"My fans ratted me out. They found where I was just by the hotel door. Can you believe that? That is some FBI-level investigating, right there. I'd be impressed if I weren't also terrified of the lengths some of these fans will go to scout my location," Chris ranted. He did not understand why he was sharing this with you, but a part of him felt comfortable doing so.

"That…is quite impressive, I must say. Creepy. Scary. But impressive. You need to learn how to put in a Zoom background. It would solve all of your problems," you suggested to him.

"I would, but I'm technology deficient. Maybe I should look up some Zoom tutorials on how to do it. Give it a try."

"There is no try…only do," you advised cheekily.

"Now you're quoting Yoda. A woman after my own heart," Chris replied. He knew he needed to refocus. "So, as you can tell, Mark won't be joining us for this interview. I'm going to hit record if that is okay?"

"Okay. I'm ready when you are," you said.

When the record notification appeared on screen, Chris introduced you and immediately went into the first question.

"How do you think the DNC is going so far, particularly how this year is more of a virtual setting rather than in-person due to COVID-19?"

"Despite not having the big in-person celebration/gathering, I think the virtual setting is working very well. Better than I expected, actually. It gives off a more inclusive and intimate vibe to the DNC that we haven't felt before. I like the whole documentary approach and feel to it," you replied honestly.

"Were you excited that Joe Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate?" asked Chris.

"Oh my God! I was so happy that Vice President Biden chose Senator Harris as his running mate. Like, my staff and I were beyond ecstatic. There is no one better to be Biden's running mate than Harris. She is amazing. Such an inspiration. I'm not going to lie, but I'm really excited for the debate between her and Pence."

That made Chris laugh. "Yeah, me too. Senator Harris really knows how to pull all the punches. Her nomination as VP has been met with overall positive response. The Trump Administration and Republican pundits appear to have a hard time painting a negative image of Harris. Why do you think Trump and Fox News are struggling to provide a negative image for her?"

"That is an excellent question. The public's overwhelming response to Harris' nomination is because 1.) she is the first black and south Asian woman to be on a major presidential ticket, and 2.) she is likable and charming. She has this exuberant energy that attracts people to her. You know, black and brown women and girls finally have someone that looks like them running for the second-highest office in the land. That is huge!

"I also have to wonder if people have smartened up in the last four years and won't tolerate the…hypocrisy, sexism, and misogyny…in this case misogynoir that is thrown towards Senator Harris from the media, political pundits, social media bots, etc. So, what we are seeing with Trump and Fox News struggling to attack her is because…well…they just aren't smart. All we have seen from Trump in his attacks against her is that she was mean to Kavanaugh when questioning him during his nomination process. But none of what Trump says holds up because we all know that smart, confident women intimidate him," you finished off your point.

"There is also the left…or more of the progressive left who are unhappy with Biden choosing Harris," Chris spoke up and continued, "They say she is a cop and put people away for weed. That she took kids away from parents when the kid didn't show up for school. That Harris is too conservative. What do you say to that?"

"All of that is��you know…. Senator Harris one of the most policy progressive senators we have. Her voting record is more progressive than Bernie Sanders. All people have to do is research her time as a district attorney and Attorney General for California to find out what she actually did concerning policy. But as we both know, people nowadays don't know how to critically think, which scares me. Progressives need to look at the overall big picture. This election in November is crucial. We are in the fight for our democracy, for our country, and for our lives…literally."

"I talk with my brother, Scott, all the time about certain political issues," mentioned Chris. "He is a tad more progressive than I am. I can admit that I tend to be more centrist. The district you represent is a mix of blue and red areas; how do you balance opposing views from your constituents?" 

You took in a deep breath before you answered. That was a loaded question. Representing a district that was not solely red, or blue could be difficult from time to time. You wanted to be respectful of the different viewpoints from constituents, but maintaining a neutral balance was hard and frustrating at times. 

"The majority of Americans are centrist/moderates. You need a balance of both liberal and conservative policies. Bipartisanship is crucially important when developing and passing laws. We are currently seeing an overt of one-sidedness while sabotaging the other side, which is detrimental to our country's growth. It is important to reach across the aisle to talk with those who may have opposing views than you. At the end of the day, people just want to feel that their concerns are heard and valued. We all want to feel that way. So, as an elected official, I make sure to take the time to talk with those in rural areas, along with urban areas, about their issues and concerns," you shared.

"Do you ever get any pushback from Trump supporters in the red areas?" Chris inquired.

"Well, it is important to note that not all residents in rural areas are Trump supporters. They just tend to keep that to themselves. I have actually talked to Trump supporters in blue areas. We can never and should never assume that one area has this type of person and vice versa. I learned that the hard way when I was campaigning for city council early in my career," you revealed to Chris with a small chuckle. "But overall, my constituents will talk with me and have been respectful. Some of the concerns that have been shared with me do fall under the QAnon conspiracy theories, which do disturb me, I'll be honest. Um…when being confronted with someone who has that extreme of ideals, it is important to remain calm and not to come off combative. Meaning that I have to remind myself that I am not quite dealing with a rational person. The only thing that I can do is calmly talk to the person and respond back with facts. Either they listen or brush me off and call me a radical lefty."

"The majority of people are good, like you said," Chris reminded you.

"That's right. It's a good mantra to live by. I think the American people are tired and have been tired for the past four years with this Administration. We need a sense of normalcy and decency. Compassion and empathy, which were two of the big themes during the DNC. This week was a nice reminder that we, as a country, can have that again."

"I agree. Very well said. You always end on a positive. I appreciate that. Thank you, Congresswoman Y/L/N, for taking the time to talk with me. You always provide great insight into the world of politics and your experience as an elected official," said Chris and ended the recording. "That was really great, Y/N. I know Mark, and I really appreciate you taken the time to do these interviews for ASP," Chris added.

"Oh, it is no problem. Like I said before, I like what you both are doing with the site. Are you happy with how everything turned out?" you asked him.

"Yeah… it's…it took a while to just get the website up and running. I know there is still work that needs to be done. Some areas need to be fixed, but with a project like this, we can adjust. There is more room for improvement and growth," Chris communicated to you.

You nodded in agreement. "Politics is a whole different ballgame. Not many people are willing to venture into the field. It can cause a lot of annoyances and headaches. So, hats off to you, my friend," you said, giving Chris a salute.

"Thank you. Well, I better let you go. I know you must have a million things on your plate."

"Ah yes, I have to go and save the United States Postal Service from corruption. Talk to you later, Chris. Take care," you waved goodbye and signed off.

Chris had to admit, he was in awe of you. There was something about you that fascinated him. None of the elected officials he and Mark talked to for ASP had the liveliness you had. You were not jaded or defeated by the system, at least not yet, since you were still considered a junior member of congress. Chris hoped that the energy and enthusiasm you had for politics and helping people would not diminish. When his Uncle Mike was still a congressman, he shared with Chris that D.C. can cause a lot of strain on a person's values and beliefs. "I have seen too many of my colleagues succumb to the pressures of dirty politics," Uncle Mike once said.

Chris just hoped that you would not succumb to those pressures.

[schraubd]

"Dems" Who Endorse Third Party Candidates Are Monsters. Zero Exceptions.

Back in 2018, when I was still living in Berkeley, I was really having a difficult time deciding who to vote for in a D-on-D assembly race between Buffy Wicks and Jovanka Beckles. Both seemed like solid people I'd be happy to have representing me in Sacramento, and I struggled to find much distinguishing the two.

Until I learned that Beckles had voted for Jill Stein in 2016. Suddenly, a hard choice became very easy. Wicks gets my vote (and she went on to win the election).

Fast forward a few years, to 2022. I now live in Oregon, a pretty reliably blue state. Except this year, our gubernatorial race includes not just the standard D-R matchup between Democrat Tina Kotek and Republican Christine Drazan. It also includes a well-financed "independent" candidate -- former Democratic State Senator Betsy Johnson,* well-known as among the most conservative Democrats in the caucus. Johnson, who has called Portland a "city of roaches", ran expressly because she couldn't tolerate a more liberal Democrat being the party's standard-bearer. Polling suggests an extremely tight race, and Johnson 's presence on the ballot could let the Republican slip into the governor's mansion with barely 30% of the vote.

The very thought makes me livid. The idea that in Oregon, in 2022, we might have a Republican Governor because some egomaniacal blue dog Dem just couldn't back her party's nominee is outrageous.

Among Johnson's endorsers is outgoing Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader, in an obvious sore-loser move after he lost his primary to challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner. I couldn't vote in that election -- I now live in Schrader's district, but I moved here a few weeks after the election -- and I certainly understood the pragmatic argument in favor of Schrader in a swing-y district. But Schrader himself? Absolutely dead to me. I shed zero tears for his demise.

There is nothing I have more contempt for than a nominal Democrat supporting a third party in a contested general election. It is terrible if it is a "from the left" protest vote for a middle-of-three-evils like Jill Stein. It is terrible if it is a "from the center" chin-stroker vote because the Democrat is "just too radical". 

The current iteration of the Republican Party is a hairsbreadth away from being actual fascists. Stopping them from attaining political power is a moral obligation of the highest order. Very, very few things can trump that obligation. I can think of essentially no significant Democratic figure whose views or practices are so noxious as to trump that obligation. Yes, that includes every single member of the Squad. Yes, that includes Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and Henry Cuellar. I don't care how annoying you find them. I don't care how valid your grievances are against them. None of them are worse than your typical 21st century Republican. If they are the general election nominee, and they're running against a Republican, you vote for them, and you do it with a smile.

* In researching this post, I learned the ultimate terrible fact: Johnson is a Carleton College alum. She also got her J.D. at Lewis & Clark. I am devastated.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/wk9Q5jO

[quasi-normalcy]

Cheat Sheet on the Canadian Election for my American Friends (and for Canadians who didn’t take civics in high school)

How the System Works

Canadians do not vote directly for our Prime Ministers the way you vote for Presidents; rather, Canadians elect representatives (called ‘Members of Parliament’ or ‘MPs’) for their local district (called a ‘riding’), to control one seat in the House of Commons (roughly analogous to Congress).

Each candidate in a riding represents one political party. When all of the votes are counted in every riding, the party that controls the most seats in the House of Commons forms the government, and their leader becomes the Prime Minister.

A candidate wins the election in a particular riding if they get more votes than any one of the other candidates; note, that I didn’t say “the majority of the votes.” This system is called ‘First-Past-the-Post’ and it can create serious problems.

There are more than two parties here. Depending on where you live in the country, there could be as many as six parties with a serious shot at winning your seat. What this means is that it’s possible (common, in fact) for a candidate to be elected with most of the population voting for other parties.

Who the Players Are

The Liberal Party of Canada (Leader: Justin Trudeau). A centrist, neoliberal political party and the government for the last four years. Has formed the government, on and off, for most of the last century. Generally campaigns on a relatively left-wing platform and then governs in a much more capitalistic sort of way. Basically your Democrats.

The Conservative Party of Canada (Leader: Andrew Scheer) A right-wing party and official opposition for the last four years. Created from a merger between the old Progressive Conservative (moderate right-wing) and Reform (far-right wing) parties. Roughly analogous to your Republican Party.

The New Democratic Party (Leader: Jagmeet Singh) A left-wing party. Recently returned to its socialist roots. They’ve never formed the government at the federal level, but they have governed most of the provinces at one time or another. Roughly analogous to Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Occasio-Cortez

The Green Party of Canada (Leader: Elizabeth May) An Environmentalist party. Their policy platform is arguably somewhat to the right of the NDP, but still left of the Liberals. Roughly analogous to your Green Party, except somewhat more successful

The Bloc Quebecois (Leader: Yves-François Blanchet) A Quebec nationalist party. Politically, they tend to be socialist on economic issues, but in recent years they have adopted right-wing policies on immigration and accommodation of religious minorities (especially Muslims, Sikhs, and Jews). Have their roots in Quebec separatism, but it’s not a priority this time around. There is no analogue to the Bloc in American politics.

The People’s Party of Canada (Leader: Maxime Bernier) A fascist “right-wing populist and nationalist” political party. Basically a vehicle for Bernier’s ego masquerading as a political party. Anti-regulation, anti-tax, anti-immigration, anti-LGBT, anti-environmentalist. Generally awful all around. Fuck them with a jackhammer. Roughly analogous to Trumpism, except that for “populists” they have remarkably little popular support. Seriously, fuck these guys.

What the Issues Are:

Global warming is the big one this time around. Both the Liberals and the Conservatives (and the People’s Party, but who cares) are wholly committed to development of Canada’s massively polluting oil sands, though the Liberals favour a carbon tax. The NDP and the Greens have ‘green new deal’-style plans. The Bloc doesn’t like pipelines.

Trudeau’s record. Four years ago, Trudeau came into office on a platform of infrastructure stimulus spending, electoral reform, improving Canada’s relations with First Nations, and revising environmental regulations, which had been gutted by the previous government. He has since done none of these things, and a lot of people are upset about that.

The SNC Lavalin scandal. Basically, Trudeau put pressure on his attorney general to help one of his corporate donors evade prosecution for corruption and it blew up in his face.

Income inequality has been a bit of a sleeper issue, in that the NDP proposed a new wealth tax and it has proven more popular than the media was expecting.

Immigration was supposed to be a big issue, especially with the People’s Party running in direct opposition to multiculturalism, but it hasn’t really caught on.

Justin Trudeau himself. His image as a woke, laid-back, yoga-doing Disney prince was a major draw last time around, but many people have soured on the whole thing, especially after all of those photos emerged of him doing blackface 20 years ago.

[bopinion]

2021 / 39

Aperçu of the Week:

"...and when Kermit the Frog sang 'It's not easy being green', he was wrong..."

(Boris Johnson last wednesday at the UN General Assembly)

Bad News of the Week:

"Elect a clown - expect a circus". Sometimes it doesn't take extensive analysis, but just a popular bumper sticker to get to the heart of a political situation. The majority of Britons voted for Brexit. And for Boris Johnson. For most Europeans, these two facts are enough to shake their heads in incomprehension. And to wonder whether everything in the United Kingdom is still above board.

Much has happened on the island in recent months: The health care system lacks qualified specialists. Goods traffic is jammed at the borders because there is a shortage of customs officers. In the meat industry, the pigs are literally piling up because there is a shortage of skilled workers in the slaughterhouses. After empty shelves in supermarkets, gas stations have now also run out of products. Because? Exactly: there is a shortage of skilled workers. In this case, truck drivers. All jobs that don't necessarily require difficult university degrees and semesters abroad. They are normal, down-to-earth, solid jobs that are needed all over the world to keep the business running.

Stupidly, British policy and industry in these - among other! - industries did not pay attention to sufficient qualification in their own population, but relied on cheaper labor. Who came from where? From the unloved mainland, especially from Eastern and Southeastern Europe. No problem if you are a member of the European Union and thus benefit from the so-called "free movement of workers." After Brexit, however, that fell away and one got rid - finally, many Britons breathed a sigh of relief - of these troublesome foreigners. And got chaos in return. Congratulations!

What is sad about this is that it is a failure by design. Everyone saw this coming - everyone outside 10 Downing Street. The mission was called "Taking back control". But the result now, unfortunately, is loss of control. And I state this without any malice or gloating. As a citizen of a trading nation, I have always been concerned about a smooth economic structure across borders. And as a European - and above all a German - I greatly appreciate stable relations with our allies. But that's the way it is.

Currently, the upcoming Tory party conference is expected to be a jubilant event for the Brexit poster boy. He has kept his word. "Getting Brexit done" was his campaign promise. And he has delivered. Only apparently not only on the backs of the Northern Irish, the fishermen and farmers, and the financial district of London City, but also on the backs of all citizens. A little insight would do well. After all, without admitting one's own mistakes or misjudgments, it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring about lasting change. One can only wish the Prime Minister the courage and sovereignty to do so. The thanks of his own people and the entire continent would certainly go down well in the history books and in the everyday lives of the British...

Good News of the Week:

Germany has voted. And as predicted by me - as most political analysts ;-) - predicted, the result is only an intermediate one, as only a coalition of three parties can form a parliamentary majority. This is not only new in our political culture, but also a disaster or a blessing, depending on your point of view.

A disaster, because the political agenda for the coming legislative period is based on the coalition agreement, which usually turns out to be all the more unambitious the more different interests have struggled for common ground for its constitution. This is a blessing, since the more distant a participation model is from the principle of "the winner takes it all," the more it represents the wishes of a broader population. As I file this commentary under "Good News", it is not difficult to guess that after a long struggle of my inner voices, I have decided in favor of the latter. After all, no matter how tedious the day-to-day political business may be in a three-member constellation, it is far more democratic.

It is particularly worth mentioning how the "citrus coalition" (as the Liberals and the Greens have recently been dubbed because of their party colors) fulfill the role of what only seems to be the second guard with a will to shape policy. Because one thing is clear: regardless of whether the Social Democrats, who won by a razor-thin margin, or the conservatives, who were punished, manage to successfully form a government, it is the Yellows and the Greens who decide who moves into the chancellor's office; they are the kingmakers.

So these two parties have met for exploratory talks in the week that is drawing to a close to find common ground and build bridges over their differences. The lively debate culture is dominated by terms such as renewal, new beginnings and change, but also reliability, stability and future viability. Because that's what the Yellows and the Greens have in common: they have clearly positioned themselves against "business as usual," want to tackle the challenges of the coming years with active policies and not just manage the status quo. If they make this a non-negotiable basic requirement of their coalition talks, much will already have been gained.

P.S.: In Iceland, Prime Minister Jakobsdóttir's ruling coalition has been re-elected. But the big winners are the women as a whole: They now form the majority in parliament.

Personal happy Moment of the Week:

Last evening, or rather last night, my daughter made up for her 18th birthday, which was cancelled in the spring for obvious reasons. Besides the obvious fun she and her friends seemed to have, two aspects struck me as positive: First, they included a proverbial old friend with whom she had played in the nursery when she was just three years old. And secondly, she also invited her little brother, although he really has no business at a blooming party or at beer pong. But his mother doesn't necessarily have to know that... ;-)

I couldn't care less...

...that Armin Laschet, the leading candidate of the conservatives, even on election day delivered another laughing stock: he had not folded his own ballot paper correctly and thus in principle invalidated his own vote in front of the press. It seamlessly joins the ranks of non-existent professionalism, virtually no profile, meager program, poor preparation, lack of aplomb, imprecise positions, obvious weaknesses.... I could go on. Political commentators have blamed the election debacle (the lowest result in history!) mainly on the candidate. I'll go one step further: when an actually established political force with a solid record after personalities like Adenauer, Kohl and Merkel fixates on such a weak candidate, it doesn't belong to it any other way. Sorry.

As I write this...

...I'm glad that after all the political dominance of the last few weeks, at least in prime time, a pleasant normality is returning. Tonight, my doppelganger Klaus Borowski is investigating in a new episode of "Tatort" (crime scene).