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justinspoliticalcorner · 7 months ago

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Stephen Robinson at Public Notice:

A near-majority of American voters willingly reelected Donald Trump. This harsh reality is a collective moral failure, but it’s also not a choice made in sound mind. Consider that voters believed Trump’s first presidency was a roaring success and Joe Biden’s only term a Carter-level catastrophe. It’s an upside-down Bizarro World view that ultimately played a key role in dooming Kamala Harris.

Trump’s 2024 platform was rooted in an obvious lie — that the nation under Biden’s leadership is a flaming dumpster fire and everyone was much better off when Trump was president. Democrats challenged this false reality with facts, but they ultimately lost the messaging war. Their best efforts were no match for the most powerful weapons in Trump’s propaganda arsenal — a timid press and a right-coded social social media environment. Greg Sargent reports in the New Republic that the Harris campaign’s own internal polling revealed an alarming trend: “Undecided voters didn’t believe that some of the highest profile things that happened during Trump’s presidency — even if they saw these things negatively — were his fault.” According to exit polls, Trump decisively won the questions “who do you trust more to handle the economy?” and “who do you trust most to handle a crisis?” Of course, in reality Trump utterly botched the 2020 pandemic response, which researchers concluded resulted in 40 percent more deaths than necessary. And yet swing voters are willing to risk it all again in hopes of cheaper eggs and cruelty against outgroups.

Disinformation on demand

Legacy media shoulders significant blame for their “sanewashing” of Trump’s incoherency and deteriorating mental state. Voters believed Trump could fix a steadily improving economy despite his promotion of inflationary tariffs. The media even presented Trump’s rants as cogent discussions of economic theory.

It’s worth noting, however, that an NBC poll from April revealed that voters who received news primarily from legacy media (newspapers, cable news, etc.) still overwhelmingly supported Biden. Trump owes his victory in great part to low-propensity voters of all races, including young men, and those voters don’t necessarily form their views based on mainstream media reporting. Rather, far too many are stuck in an online social media bubble where they are delivered a steady diet of rightwing propaganda. The median age of a Fox News viewer is 68, and liberals have joked about the network “brainwashing” their conservative parents. But rightwing social media content has effectively targeted and radicalized younger people, who — unlike the typical Hannity-obsessed grandpa — can vote for the next several decades. TikTok, which Trump joined in June, has 170 million users in the United States, and according a Pew Research survey, more than half of them said they regularly get their news from the platform. That’s up from just 22 percent in 2020. This is a serious concern because the far right uses TikTok to advance unfounded conspiracy theories and outright lies.

[...]

Lower income Americans, particularly young people, do spend more of their income on groceries, rent, and gas. That’s why Republicans were so laser focused on the price of eggs. Unfortunately, there’s a dearth of liberal content countering the negative vibes. Of course, explaining the post-pandemic economic recovery is complex and requires more than a punchy one-minute video can convey. Although people might idly scroll TikTok all day, consuming 60-second quick hit videos like potato chips, they will balk at reading an extensive, well-reported news article. That’s too filling a meal.

According to a University of Oregon study, 40 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans surveyed said they’d become more conservative from their TikTok usage. Half of the Democrats surveyed said they’d grown more liberal, but a lot of far-left content on TikTok is downright alienating and can sound like MAGA’s idea of a strawman leftist. For instance, one user boasted that she “didn’t care” if liberal economic and social policies “hurt the economy,” thus conceding that those policies are in fact harmful to economic progress. TikTok’s artificial “vibecession” dominated the discourse, while abortion-related content was actively suppressed even while pregnant women were bleeding out in parking lots. Users of the platform resorted to disguising the word “abortion” as “aborshun” or “ab0rti0n” in order to reach an audience. TikTok has a longstanding policy against promoting abortion services, which it classifies as “unsuitable businesses, products or services.” However, TikTok, YouTube, and Meta have allowed users to spread and monetize anti-abortion misinformation. Studies have shown an interesting gender gap in where young people receive their news on social media: For most women, it’s TikTok, while most men learn about the world from YouTube, X, and Reddit, all of which have become havens of crude masculinity.

On YouTube, 56 percent of users are between the ages of 18 and 44. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based nonprofit that researches extremism, conducted a four-part research project this year that determined YouTube’s algorithm consistently steers users to rightwing and Christian content. The algorithm does this even with seemingly apolitical search terms, like “male lifestyle guru,” which YouTube reflexively associates with conservative ideology. Rightwing news content was also more frequently recommended, including anti-vaxxer videos. As far back as 2019, both YouTube and Facebook’s autofill search boxes would return content that promoted anti-vaccine misinformation.

[...]

Why rightwing content has the edge

When Kamala Harris appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast, host Alexandra Cooper told her listeners, “I do not usually discuss politics or have politicians on the show because I want Call Her Daddy to be a place that everyone feels comfortable tuning in.” Left-leaning podcasters/social media content creators often avoid politics for fear of turning off their right-leaning fans. Joe Rogan and Dave Portnoy at Barstool Sports don’t bother with such apologies when they have rightwing guests because it doesn’t compromise their brand. They are rightwing cultural influencers. Liberal podcaster Hasan Piker recently commented on the impact rightwing influencers have on young men of all races.

“There is a massive amount of rightwing radicalization that has been occurring, especially in younger male spaces. Everything is completely dominated by rightwing politics,” he said. “If you’re a dude under the age of 30 and you have any hobbies whatsoever, whether it’s playing video games, whether it’s working out, whether it’s listening to a history podcast or whatever, every single facet of that is completely dominated by center right to [the] Trumpian right. Everything they see is rightwing sentiment.”

Rogan and Portnoy might not present as overtly political as Walsh and Shapiro, but their edgy, hyper masculine personas are pure MAGA. Even billionaire CEO Elon Musk likes to present himself as a “disrupter,” an agent of change who boldly confronts the status quo. Anyone who’s seen the more popular indie films of the 1970s would realize how compelling this narrative is to young men. The subtle way that Rogan and Portnoy infuse politics into their personas presents a contrast with left-leaning social media content. The liberal TikToker or YouTuber who releases videos about home makeovers might endorse Democratic politicians during election season while wearing their “just voted” sticker, but rightwing influencers prime their audience on a daily basis. Young men marinate in a stew of rightwing sentiment and end up resenting the libs.

Stephen Robinson wrote in Public Notice a very valid case that a right-coded media environment gave Donald Trump the decisive boost to get elected, such as praising the disastrous Trump reign as a “success.”

Social media algorithms heavily favored right-coded and pro-Trump content, despite the never-ending whining about “censorship” from conservatives.

#2024 Presidential Election #2024 Elections #Manosphere #Donald Trump #Kamala Harris #Conservative Media Apparatus #Misinformation #Sanewashing #X #TikTok #Social Media #Stephen Robinson #Public Notice

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dailyadventureprompts · 2 years ago

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Dungeon: The Tithing House

For decades the gang of highwaymen known as the Gallerwood Outlaws were famed and feared for equal measure, melting out of the forest to rob merchants, nobles, even mages, before vanishing back into the trees. Even after their awful deaths at the hand of a bountyhunter some years ago folk still sing of their deeds, and of the secret hideaway in which they stored their ill gotten gains.

Adventure Hooks:

Folk have been saying that the ghosts of the Gallerwood outlaws have been stalking the roads near where their bodies were hanged, still looking for one last haul. The party are tasked with investigating rumours after a fearful carter was set upon by these spectres, losing something precious in the process. This provides the excellent framing for a first adventure as each member of the party can be invested in retrieving something different out of the carter's cargo giving them a reason to work in the same direction.

As they investigate, the party will discover that these ghosts are infact local toughs who have dressed up and painted themselves phosphorescent cave lichen in order to shake down passers by. After giving them a thrashing and a Scooby-Doo unmasking, the party can retrieve the stolen goods and return to the inn for celebratory drinking. In the dead of night one of the party awakens to a shadowy figure looming at the foot of their bed, spectral face illuminated by the ghoul-light that flickers in the bowl of their pipe. Evidently the story of the party's antics has spread, and it appears one of the real ghosts of the Gallerwood wants a word.

Frauds and phantoms aside, entirely possible for the party to stumble across the dungeon while exploring the surrounding swampland, only realizing it served as a bandit hideout after stumbling into the remnants of their camp.

Setup: The ghost introduces himself as the late Cullen Carver, once founding and now final member of the Gallerwood outlaws. Cullen has an offer for the party, and is willing to guide them to the cache kept by his fellow bandits if they will perform for him a last request. As Cullen explains it, neither he nor the other outlaw spirits will be able to rest so long as there is no end to their tale, and there can be no end so long as the mystery of their hidden treasure remains unsolved in the common imagination.

Cullen is in high spirits despite being dead, so the party should expect some gallows humour as the hanged man leads them through the swamp's hazards, eventually arriving at the outlaw's secret base: The Tithing House, a long abandoned temple of Erathis concealed within the depths of the wilderness that's become infested with all sorts of mire creatures since the thieves met their end.

Challenges & Complications:

The Outlaws kept their treasure in the temple's crypts, and to access these the part are going to need to venture through the gauntlet of dark chambers and traps the bandits set up to keep eachother's hands out of the cookie jar. Cullen can help with some of these, but the whole point of the traps was to keep his fellow thieves honest. The only other way into the vault is through a heavily reinforced door, the key to which is currently in the possession of the bountyhunter who hung the Gallerwoods from trees in the firstplace.

While the party has the pick of spoils, Cullen points out a particular chest kept apart from the rest and calls upon them to fulfill their end of the bargain. This chest was Cullen's nestegg, put aside from numerous heists and robberies to be delivered to his wife and children in the event of his death. With no surviving highwaymen to carry out the promise Cullen's REAL unfinished business comes to light. The party can keep their word, or they can snipe the treasure for themselves, earning the spectre's undying enmity and curse to boot.

To get out of the the Tithing House the party will need to face off with a demon of avarice.. but not in the traditional form of bossfight. He'll approach just as they're leaving the dungeon, taking the form of a plump old man with a grandfatherly smile who wears the spotless robes of an Erathian friar despite the flooded cemetery in which they stand. He is all calm words and politeness, congratulating them on making off with such a fine haul and urging them to never mind that silly old ghost and his wishes, banishing Cullen beneath a nearby grave so that they can talk cordially. The Smiling Friar explains that he had a deal with the highwaymen; feeding off the greed of their crimes in exchange for concealing their hideaway and passage through the forest. There's no reason the party couldn't renew the deal, become the new band of legendary thieves, save that they'll have to forsake their ghostly guide and his last act of charity. Should they turn him down the Smiling Friar will call up the dead of the cemetery to slaughter them, clearing the way for the next band of ambitious treasurehunters.

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#dungon #swamp #press start #undead #evil party #treasure hunt #bandits #mystery #low level #haunting #temple #dnd #dungeons and dragons #d&d #ttprg #pathfinder #rogue #swamp encounter

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 11 months ago

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Clay Jones, Claytoonz: The new GOP mantra

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 25, 2024 (Thursday)

Momentum continues to build behind Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, and the national narrative as a whole has shifted.

Democrats appear to be generating significant enthusiasm among younger Americans. Yesterday, for the first time in their history, the March for Our Lives organization endorsed a presidential candidate: Kamala Harris. Students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, organized March for Our Lives after the shooting there in 2018. Executive director Natalie Fall said that the organization “will work to mobilize young people across the country to support Vice President Harris and other down-ballot candidates, with a particular focus on the states and races where we can make up the margin of victory—in Arizona, New York, Michigan, and Florida.”

Andrea Hailey of Vote.org announced that in the 48 hours after President Biden said he would not accept the Democratic nomination, nearly 40,000 people registered to vote. That meant a daily increase in new registrations of almost 700%.

People are turning out for Harris in impressive numbers. In the hours after she launched her campaign, Win With Black Women rallied 44,000 Black women on Zoom and raised $1.6 million. On Monday, around 20,000 Black men rallied to raise $1.2 million. Tonight, challenged to “answer the call,” 164,000 white women joined an event that “broke Zoom” and raised more than $2 million and tens of thousands of new volunteers.

Another significant endorsement for Harris came yesterday from Geoff Duncan, the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, who wrote on social media: “I’m committed to beating Donald Trump. The only vehicle left for me to do that with is the Democratic Party. If that requires me to vote for, speak for, or endorse [Kamala Harris] then count me in!” Duncan’s public announcement offers permission for other Georgia Republicans to make a similar shift. In 1964, South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond similarly paved the way for southern Democrats to vote for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

Harris’s appearances are generating such enthusiasm from audiences that when she delivered the keynote address this morning at the convention of the American Federation of Teachers in Houston, Texas, the applause delayed her ability to begin. After a speech defending education and calling out the cuts to it in Project 2025, Harris ended by demonstrating that after decades of Democrats being accused of being anti-American, Trump’s denigration of the country has enabled the party to claim the position of being America’s defenders.

“When we vote, we make our voices heard,” Harris said. “So today, I ask you, AFT, are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight, we win! God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”

Today the Commerce Department reported that economic growth in the second quarter was higher than expected, coming in at 2.8%, thanks to higher spending driven by higher wages. The country’s changing momentum is showing in media stories hyping the booming economy Biden’s team tried for years to get traction on. “Full Employment is Joe Biden’s True Legacy” was the title of a story by Zachary Carter that appeared yesterday in Slate; CNN responded to today’s good economic news with an article by Bryan Mena titled: “The US economy is pulling off something historic.”

With Harris appearing to have sewn up the nomination, the question has turned to her vice presidential pick. That question is fueling the sense of excitement as potential choices are in front of cameras and on social media advocating Democratic positions and defending the United States from Trump’s denigration. Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro listed the economic gains of the past years, and said: “Trump, you’ve got to stop sh*t talking America. We’ve got to start standing tall and being patriotic and showing how much we love this amazing nation.”

The vice presidential hopefuls appear to be having some fun with showcasing their personalities, as Minnesota governor Tim Walz did in his video from the Minnesota State Fair where he and his daughter went on an extreme ride. So are social media users who have dug up old videos of, for example, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explaining how he would pilot a small starfighter that had lost its auxiliary shields, or Arizona senator Mark Kelly’s identical twin brother Scott pranking a fellow astronaut on the Space Station with a gorilla suit Mark smuggled on board.

That sense of fun is an enormous relief after years of political weight, and it has spilled over into making fun of the Republican ticket, most notably with a false story that vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance wrote about—and I cannot believe I am typing this—having sex with a couch. The story is stupid, but worse are the denials of it, which have spread the story into populations that otherwise would likely not have seen it.

Just two weeks ago, Vance appeared to be the leader of the next generation of extremist MAGA Republicans, but now that calculation seems to have been hasty. Vance is a staunch opponent of abortion—the key issue in 2024—and he has been vocal in his disdain of women who have not given birth, saying in 2021, for example, that the U.S. was being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.” He went on to say that people who don’t have children “don’t really have a direct stake” in the country.

Republican commentator Meghan McCain noted that Vance’s “comments are activating women across all sides, including my most conservative Trump supporting friends. These comments have caused real pain and are just innately unchristian.” Actor Jennifer Aniston, who tends to stay out of politics, posted: “I truly can’t believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States.” Vance had called out Harris by name in those 2021 comments, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff took to social media to defend Harris from Vance’s attacks on her as “childless,” calling her “a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.” Harris’s stepdaughter chimed in: “I love my three parents.”

Vance also ties the Republican ticket firmly to Project 2025. The Trump camp has worked to distance itself from Project 2025—not convincingly, since the two are obviously closely tied, but it turns out that Vance wrote the introduction for a forthcoming book by Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, who was the lead author of Project 2025. The book appears to popularize that plan, right down to its endorsement of a “Second American Revolution,” and according to the book deal report, proceeds from the book will go to the Heritage Foundation “and aligned nonprofits.”

Now Vance’s words praising Project 2025 will be in print, just in time for the election. Yesterday, Trump posted: “I have nothing to do with, and know nothing about, Project 25 [sic]. The fact that I do is merely disinformation put out by the Radical Left Democrat Thugs. Do not believe them!”

Trump is clearly aware of, and concerned about, the changing narrative. This morning, he called in to Fox & Friends, saying, “We don’t need the votes. I have so many votes. I’m in Florida now…and every house has a Trump-Vance sign on it. Every single house…. It’s amazing the spirit…. This election has more spirit than I’ve ever seen ever before.” Tonight the Trump campaign proved their worry by backing out of debates with Harris, saying debates can’t be scheduled until she is the official nominee, although Biden was not the official nominee when they met in June.

The larger narrative shift has affected the media approach to Trump, who is accustomed to shaping perceptions as he wishes. Now, 12 days after the mass shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, there is increasing media attention to the fact that there has still been no medical report on Trump’s injuries, although he wore a large bandage on his ear at the Republican National Convention and said at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday that he “took a bullet for democracy.”

Yesterday, FBI director Christopher Wray told Congress that it is not clear whether Trump was “grazed” by a bullet or by shrapnel, words that former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance called “FBI speak for, ‘it’s unlikely it was a bullet.’”

CNN chief medical consultant Dr. Sanjay Gupta noted last week that the people need a real medical evaluation of Trump’s injuries, explaining that “gunshot blasts near the head can cause injuries that aren’t immediately noticeable, such as bleeding in or on the brain, damage to the inner ear or even psychological trauma.” But, as Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has noted, much of the press has kept mum about the story.

Media outlets have reported Wray’s testimony, though, and in a social media post today, Trump called on Wray, whom he appointed to head the FBI, to resign from his post for “LYING TO CONGRESS.” Tonight, he reiterated that “it was…a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard.”

Perhaps eager to get back to their districts, House Republicans canceled their expected votes on appropriations bills scheduled for next week and left town today for their August recess. The House will not reconvene until early September. The government’s fiscal year 2025 begins on October 1.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Clay Jones #GOP mantra #political cartoon #DEI hire #Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From An American #Rise #Kamala Harris #election 2024 #momentum

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meaculpameahugeculpa · 2 months ago

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I'm sending you an ask as a follow-up, because the other post is getting long (not that I mind, I love this conversation) (also doing the lord's work and trying to keep ask culture alive)

"They are both people. Still human. " YESYESYES a thousand times yes

It's always been like that for me too! And since my interest in philosophy in the recent years I started experimenting even more with characters' morality that adds another flavour to their humanity. I love it when characters feel human and they can be as horrible as their little hearts desire and I can explore and dissect it. It's a wonderful thing to do. This also kind of led me to get rid of the "good guys" vs "bad guys" setup in my writing, they're all just guys. And I'm having sooooo much fun.

"Honestly, I am loving this online videogame! Let's play for a long time together, for an extra long time! But the game over is coming for everyone... and that's what we all share"

In one of the first short stories I ever wrote I made this exact point with a different metaphor. It wasn't written in English, so I'm loosely paraphrasing, but it was about that feeling, when you're sitting in a car and stop at a red light. You look around, see the cars next to you, hear them blast their music, maybe you turn up your own, but eventually that light turns green and you go on, on your own. (Damn this still makes me feel things, and I wrote it over a decade ago)

Also I'm so glad you like Marci!!!! She is my baby and yeah she is absolutely whumpee-shaped, I haven't thought about her in a bit, I shall get back to her once I deem the other story finished.

And speaking of; ugh I can't wait to finish Carter's story (again). I swore to myself that this will be the last rewrite I do. (The whole thing was up for a while, but I literally just took some chapters off a few days ago, so I can fix them up). That story is my child, it's a whole toddler now, it's over two years old, I have two tattoos for it (I can't say I'm normal about it unforch) and it's the longest story I wrote that I planned out from beginning to end (it's nearing 30k words, it's a whole novella)

She's a vampire hunter, who has a bad run-in with a vampire, who's extremely vengeful and has way too much time on his hands. And she dies in the end. It's heartbreaking and I love it so much.

Hi! I am enjoying this conversation a lot too! And, also, I agree: I absolutely love this feature, the asks feature! It's a very unique characteristic, and it really makes this site stand out! Tumblr is about reblogs and asks, these two are basically the entire point of this site, haha!

"I started experimenting even more with the characters' morality that adds another flavor to their humanity."

"They're all just guys."

YES! And you know what? I think that this openness to moral nuance is essential for good whumperflies! One of my favorite dynamic is "Affectionate Hero Whumper/Villain Whumpee" (you can switch out "Hero/Villain" with any kind of good guy or gal/bad guy or gal dichotomy): I just love the contrast, the double contrast even! You have a whumpee who is probably at fault, who is probably not-the-best-person-alive™️, and you also have a character that is supposed to be -and is perceived as- the rightful party, but is abusive and immoral by definition (because that's what a whumper is, fundamentally).

But the whumper is also able to feel pity towards the whumpee at times? I am not interested in whumpers who "enjoy abusing others," I am interested in whumpers who indeed are in bad faith, abuse their victims, but are like: why would I deny them a blanket? Or why should I not comfort them when they need it? I don't like hitting people, but I also like the control/I dislike the way they make me feel not in control/I hate that they challenge my worldview/I hate that they hurt my ego/I think that's what they deserve/Insert X motivation.

Sorry for the tangent, but I just adore this type of contrast! The angst, the confusion of having the hero hit the villain, and then patch them up after? Unbeatable.

Love that metaphor! It truly is suggestive, and it also has a sort of liminal essence to it? Which I love, to be clear !

She is really cute, she just is, sorry, haha! Also, also, she is going through a lot and she needs hot chocolate NOW! Hahaha!

You should continue obsessing over this story, and over Carter! You must, to be honest, haha. You should never be normal about that character and that story, lol! Also feel free hit the DMs, or send asks about your characters, and your favorite tropes, I love ranting and I love hearing other people's rants. I'd really enjoy reading that story, I hope I'll find the time to do so!

#answered asks

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jackiequick · 1 year ago

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Jennie Rue Woods — Marvel’s Timeless Gal 📝

MARVELOUS AU — Auntie JJ

Full name: Jennifer Ruth Underwoods

Other Identity: Jeanie Woods

Nicknames: Jen, Jennie, Jeanie, Jean, Ruthy, Rue, JJ, Dollface, Barbie, Quinnie, Fefe

Age: 28–32 (87 years of age)

Birthday: June 30, 1923 (Cancer)

Height: 5’5 (5’7 in heels)

Occupations: Waitress, Coffee Girl, SSR Sectary, Agent, Widow, Mama Bear, Assistant

Alias: Alexa Bowmen, Paige McKenna, Jacquline Stark, London Holloway, Olivia Erhart, Eliza Pearson, Emily King, Barbra James Scott, Ashlee Lance

Family:

- Parents, Alexander & Fran Underwood (dead)

- Older Sister, Dolores Marie Underwood (dead to her)

- Sister, Peggy Carter (the big sister she never had)

- Brother Figures, Jack Thompson & Daniel Sousa (her boys)

- Howard & Maria Stark (her found family)

- Anthony Edwards Stark (her nephew #1)

- Rei Stark ( #1 godchild )

- And list goes on!

Relationship status: Single, but has dated and been engaged once

—————

Personality: Jen is a sarcastic goofball with a heart of gold despite all the crap she been through in life. On occasion she is spirited, stubborn and determined. Not just that, she’s quick-witted with a sharp tongue. However she is very kindhearted, a little slow at times but she’ll get there, she can get distracted very easily at times and motherly to those around her.

Due to being on her own for a good part of her life, she ended up being observant and trying to be resourceful. She has a knack for getting information without raising suspicion and being sneaky for the most part.

Style:

Evie has a vintage and classy style, often seen in 1940s-inspired dresses, with a touch of modern flair. Her wardrobe reflects her independent spirit and love for classic fashion. Even as she progresses over the decades she stays with a simple yet gentle sense of fashion as a way to blend in with the crowd.

Skills:

Proficient with weapons, particularly guns.

Basic combat

Previously worked as a nurse during WWII, honing her medical skills.

Quick thinker, adapts well to challenging situations.

Handle a control panel

Design and disguise

———————————————

—Background:

Jen grew up in a decent sized house with a Russian father and a Italian-American mother, along with her older sister Dottie. When it came to both children, their parents loved them both the exact same.

However, behind the smiles and glittering eyes on both daughters held an small rivalry that over time.

Dottie was always the one-upper of the pair, acting like she knew more and always one step ahead of everything. Hell, Dottie enjoyed having her nose in her young sister’s business, ignoring her most of the day, parenting her like she was a second-mother and treating her sister, Jen, like a pest that she couldn’t stand.

But Jen wasn’t far behind either, as she rather enjoyed sometimes sticking her nose in older sister’s business, taking her sweater without asking and bugging her with whatever new thing she was obsessed with at the moment. The difference was that Jen knew her limits, as she held a fear behind her smile when it came to Dottie, often intimated by her status and rude attuned attitude.

It didn’t help that both ladies couldn’t be more different when it came to their interests.

In result, it often led to plenty of bickering, fighting over every single thing possible and barking off more than they can chew.

However, it all came to a sudden pause when their father Alexander was overseas with Dottie to Russia saying they had business to attend to. Her mother only simply nodded and hugged them both watching them drive away, before entering the house to continue her daily task, asking Jen to follow behind.

The girl was confused on the matter and questioned the trip later that night. Her mother, Fran, simply told her that Dottie was one of the few girls signed off to train and becomes a skilled fighter.

Saying that one day, Jennifer might get her turn to do the same but the young blonde refused the idea. She rather stay home, be a kind young lady, fall in love, paint all the gardens in the fields and learn what she needs to in America. She visited Russia before, as she always found it to be colder and unassuming to her likely.

Whatever Dottie was doing, Jennifer wanted no part of it.

Thankfully, with a small sigh, her mother agreed to her dreams and kissed her cheek.

Years later, Jennifer would learn what her sister was doing and fought to not follow the same path. She had to desire to become a skilled fighter in Mother Russia and train to be become an assistant to The Red Room. But faith had other plans, as her parents promised her to do a trail run, live in Russia and educate herself into getting certificate of achievement.

Just for a few short months. 3 months.

With a deep sigh and small grunt, she did so as promised. In The Red Room, she was made to watch videos on culture, read books, take any notes and practice her knowledge on what she already knows. Not just that, Jennifer was brought in to take up a couple of activities such as dance, carefully handle weaponry, learning basic combat and drive a vehicle, if she ever needs to hot-wire and getaway.

Jennifer wouldn’t admit it but a small part of her enjoyed watching the women in those rooms all move in one single motion like trained dancers, ready to performance for a show on stage, and she was in the front row getting a glimpse of the sight.

She looked over her shoulder as a tall shadow took behind her, she gulped assuming it was one of the teachers ready to shout in her face for sneaking out of her bedroom this late in the afternoon, but instead it was her older sister.

“What?” She grunted out, spinning to face the taller blonde.

The tall blonde held a slinging smirk, “Nothing. Like what you see?”

“You’re new high ponytail or the performance?”

“Both, Fefe.”

“Don’t fall me that. What do you want?”

“Just want to know if my baby sister is enjoying it here?”

“You mean having my wrist cuffed to the bed, being held in a isolated room twice a week with no windows and a locked door? Oh yeah, I love it.” She repiled with a sarcastic tone.

Dottie grinned, “And having me here as a upper classmen.”

“Yeah…that. When are you gonna realize you’re just as insane to enjoy this, Dot? You love it here and actually find it trilling. I don’t.”

“Oh, Fefe, when are you gonna realize that with this opportunity you can be just like me? With grace and perfection.”

“That’s my point. I am not like you and I will never be like you. And when my time is up, I won’t be seeing you ever again.”

And Jennifer was right.

She was out of the building soon enough, in hopes to keep her head down and never have to be stuck in a place like that again. But Dottie did warn her as a hard heavy threat, one day, they will try and offer you a deal, snatched her up and order her to work for them.

Jennifer grunted and hoped with her luck, she wouldn’t. However, as lucky as she was with never being dragged there again, she did have Dottie reappear later on her life once or twice just for add measure…

—————————————

📰~The 1940s~ 💡

Plenty years past since those 3 sleepless months within that building and Jen couldn’t be more pleased with herself to be blessed to see a new path her way.

She was living in New York City, Queens as a waitress and painting on the side. She enjoyed painting the city skyline, the people in the park and her favorite flowers whenever possible. She was what many called her, a cartoonist. And her job wasn’t so bad either, yes the clients can be rude and annoying at times, but she made it work.

And her uniform was her biggest perk of her job. The simple teal-blue dress, her white headband, brown flats and her cute pins over her apron.

It was good, also with the fact she clocked out early to visit the fair, as everyone was there to see all the new attractions, men getting tested to see if they’re qualified for the war, people going dancing and much more. One evening, she found herself reading the newspaper wondering the fair, enjoying the sights, getting a drink and eventually standing in the crowd to see the main attraction.

Howard Stark. The Expo.

Little did she know that the man on that stage would change her life, by becoming apart of it.

She laughed, awed and smiled during the show. Even catching glimpses of his young sibling on stage, who eventually joined him.

She looked over her shoulder noticing a ‘help wanted’ signed stamped over a couple of posters, removing one of the tickets and followed to the small building to see what can could apply for. It seemed with the war going on, they need volunteers to help nurse the men on the field and inside buildings. Jennifer thought for a moment, onto her decision but then realized that it was worth it to help the good wanting to men serve their country.

Two weeks laters, she was working as a volunteered nurse. She got tested, signed off and given new uniform to wear. When a certain doctor asked for her name, it seemed like he missed heard it, as he wrote down a different name under her paperwork.

Instead of Jennie Underwood, he put down ‘Jeanie Wood’.

Jen didn’t know if it was on purpose it or not, but it taken her by a surprise at the name. The last person to give her a similar name like that was her 5th grade English teacher, yet she wasn’t complaining. She liked it, a lot.

And if she had to admit, she enjoyed it more than she expected, making friends with the other nurses, checking on the vitals of men and women, along with cleaning their wounds. It’s also when she met Miss Margaret “Peggy” Carter, who came in to recruit some nurses for an experimental program to help out the war, as she was handpicked to do so.

To say, Peggy Carter wowed Jen was an understatement. The women was kind, fierce, charming, witty, a little sassy, had a stronghold on her role here and cared for others. It surprised her how Peggy took a liking to her during those days spent on the job.

That same week, she met Howard Stark as he was preparing for the super solider experiment that she was apart of. The moment Howard met her, he was dazzled, in awe and flirting with the blonde. That was the first time Jennie ever actually blushed and smiled, turning her face to hide her blush from Howard’s darling compliments and witty comments.

Howard simply smiled at her blushing and went off to finish preparing his equipment for the day, before offering to buy her lunch. His tongue accidentally slipped nicknaming her ‘JJ’ for short. Jennie hesitated as she removed her gloves after preparing the equipment and serum with the other nurses needed for tomorrow. One of the nurses nudged her to say ‘yes’ as Jennie just smiled and nodded, following the brunette out the door.

The following day, she met Steve Rogers, as she was there helping to performance the processor and watching the man transform from a skinny kid to a tall solider. But the cheers and awes were cut short as Dr. Erskine died, causing Jennie to remove a gun off the table aiming at the person who fired the shot, but missed by a close second as the man ran out the door. Before she can get a second to blink, Steve and Peggy raced out the door to follow him. Jennie stayed behind to help, get Dr. Erskine to a more comfort position and calm down the crowd.

After that whole event, things were put back into swings as the war went on, Steve became Captain America serving his country, Peggy was brought to help, along with Howard and Jennie to do their part in serving for the better of their playing field.

Once again, she was given a slight change of clothing instead of white, it was light browns and a dark brown jacket to watch.

Jennie was put to work, not as a volunteered nurse, but a someone who helped with the design and coordinates for any trips. She put her skills to some use, which made her smile. Soon enough, the war ended per say in some victorious cheers and others in sorrows for the ones they lost.

When Steve Rogers went down in the plane, after speaking to Peggy on the radio as their side of the speakers cut to static, Jen was the first to enter the room and pull the English brunette into an tight embrace.

———————

💭 ~Meetings and revisiting the past~📑

Once the war ended, Peggy and Jen stayed friends, keeping Howard in touch of course. As both were brought to working in New York City at The SSR (which would later on become SHIELD), Peggy worked at an assigned sectary despite her endless response to her being able to do more. Daniel Sousa saw more in her, which made the women smile at the thought and respect she got from him.

Meanwhile Jen didn’t mind it being the coffee girl/assistant at the SSR, basically a sectary with a nicer name. It gave her a flexible schedule most days, other days she was spent working later hours at her desk.

Thankfully she had Agent Jack Thompson to keep her company, despite his personality, the man saw Jennie as a little sister whenever she entered the building. As if he wanted to shield her from harm and have her stand back from the tough stuff, even through she reminds him that she seen men come back from the war wounded or worse.

Jack would sometimes buy her burger if they knew everyone was gonna be working a late night. He would often bicker with her and Peggy as the English women rolled her eyes, but Jen would respond by saying that it seems like Thompson has a crush on Carter. Which results in Peggy chuckling at the blonde women.

Things were going fine until Howard Stark was wanted for crimes against the country, recruiting for Peggy to help find the truth and prove him innocent. She even entrusted his butler Edwin Jarvis to asset her with the investigation.

In which Jennie met while she was getting herself coffee one morning at the diner where she used to work as a waitress, ordering Mr. Jarvis a coffee.

Mr. Jarvis smiled and thanked for, offering to pay for her donut as an exchange. They soon became friends after that. Little did Jarvis know that Jennifer would become good friends with his lovely wife, Ana, too.

Jennifer didn’t want any to be thrown too far into the mix of things, as she eventually joined to the two Brits on their investigation.

Especially after the plot thicken, she started to be thrown in for a loop as The SSR all visited Russia and reunited with The Howling Commandos, finding themselves in a building that once held many men and women who were spies.

The beds with handcuffs, weird therapists, scientists and much more on that visit to Russia. At one point, Jen froze as she stayed rubbing her wrist at the sight, as it took A Howling Commando to drag her out of the rooms. Hell, some of their own agents froze at the sights, meanwhile others stayed strong during the fight.

On the plane ride home, Jen started to let Peggy in on why she froze, but not everything, as Peggy held the blonde close. Jen was given flashbacks to those 3 months in Mother Russia, the trips she went on and how during the war she remembered the men she had to nurse coming home lost to confused.

But the biggest punch to the grunt was when she saw her older sister on the streets of NYC, under some false name living at The Griffith Hotel for Women, pretending to be some new lady here and wanting to go sightseeing. It made her sick, especially since Dottie got closer to Peggy and watched her baby sister from afar, with sneaky eyes to see her next move.

That’s when everything made sense to Jen.

Dottie was here undercover working for someone who was framing Howard Stark and having everyone turn against the man. Peggy didn’t fully believe Jennie at first when she came in with her claims, Jack Thompson nor Daniel Sousa did either, but soon enough the truth came into full force.

As one could imagine things took a turn for people at The SRR, as they close in on Howard Stark, the true enemies are revealed and much more to everyone involved. As they planned to draw out the real threat, The Leviathan.

But it goes awry when Dottie Underwood distract the agents while Stark is kidnapped, as her boss uses hypnosis to make Howard drop as gasp he invented called “Midnight Oil” to onto Time Square.

Thankfully with Jarvis’s help, they all found them just in time. Jack Thompson and Daniel Sousa handled The Leviathan, who’s name was Johann Fennhoff. Meanwhile Jennie, Jarvis and Peggy handled Dottie, while also trying to convince Howard to not drop the gas over Time Square.

To say Dottie was excited to see her sister again in full swing and having a thrilling fight with Peggy was an understatement.

However this time, Jennie wasn’t too frightened to fight her sister again, as she found strategy and strength in herself to be more confident. It was a bigger perk, that this time around, she had Peggy who was more than intrigued to battle Dottie after their last encounter.

In the end, things were brought to light, they defeated Dottie (who escaped), the right people were imprisoned with scheming with Zola and everyone was given a chance to breath once again.

But like always, life for Jen didn’t stop there as she moved to Los Angeles for her next adventure…

————————

🦅~The 50s—60s~ 🕰️

In 1956, things were looking swell for Jennie as she was working for SHIELD in Los Angeles as an agent. She had her own office, meetings scheduled, kept designing models, going out to dinners and the occasional trip for sizable missions.

She discovered she had a little love for the unknown, collecting items, designing, doing presentations and going on trips to report new things back to SHIELD headquarters.

She was the one to design the SHIELD logo and style of the front over the years after all. Her and Howard liked with idea of an eagle with spread wings.

-> Eagles with its keen eyes symbolized courage, healing, hope, vision, resilience and most importantly strength.

However one late spring night, everything flipped on it’s head for Jennie. It was one of their agent’s bridal shower and she was invited to join in the celebration, free drinks and food, of course she was coming.

Yet, she was soon about to regret that trip.

She was driving home in one of SHIELD’s invented cars, that was had a working mentor that connected to the battery phone. She was on the phone was Jarvis’ wife, Ana, talking about how wonderful her weekend was, crossing a simple long bridge, when a light shower of rain started to fall from above. It wasn’t anything unusual, the weather did call for a light shower that weekend, but what took her by surprise is the springing dose of snowflakes.

“Uh, Ana, I’ll have to call you back…” She said, hanging up the phone and hanging it back where it belong.

It was simply magical to such a sight, however it went from beauty to a beast wanting the snowflakes became a slamming balls of hail hitting the car as she started to carefully hurry along the bridge. However the road soon became dangerous, causing her to swirl off the path and hitting the railing as her car went flying and smash into the water.

The faint sounds of the phone could be heard, ringing with a voice on the other end as the car drowned into the large body of water. In the car, Jennifer was silent with bruises and cuts all over her body, her forehead held a large cut that was covered by blood.

Her breathing stopped as her heartbeat slowed down in seconds, her core body temperature dropped greatly. At that very moment her heart stopped beating.

At 8:55pm, a blot of lighten struck the car. The volts of electricity impact was more than strong enough to reset the heart into a clear rhythm. Jeanie Woods—Jennie Underwoods body slowly lifted from the lower end of the car to regain its awareness. Her head rushed to the surface, jolting out of her anoxic state, causing her to draw her first breath in 4 minutes.

Cough and breathing heavy, Jennie regain memory of recent events, using all her skilled strength within her to carefully climb out of the car, knocking the side door open capturing the cool air that surrounding her.

She breathed heavily, spreading outside of the side door and swimming forwards to the surface, finding a pot of greenery in the cold depths of the night. Once she climbing onto the grass, rolling over as she let her back hit the grass such a reliving impact. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened it once again to watch the snowy sky fall onto her cool skin.

Well, she was screwed.

Thankfully she crawled onto her feet and found the nearest gas station, entering a phone booth to call Jarvis to pick her up. And being the good friend he was, the man arrived with a blanket as well, bringing to his house to stay the night. She explained to Jarvis the accident, planning on trying to recall everything she could remember to have it on record of that night and how the car was totaled in the process, but the man didn’t care as long as she was safe and sound.

As the years went, she credited her appearance to a healthy diet, often exercising, skin care, good genes and just plain luck. However actions was required only months laters when she was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.

“Ma’am, it says here that you were born in 1923.” Said the officer.

“That’s right, officer.” She repiled with a kind smile.

“That would make you 40?”

“Yes. I look young for my age.”

“Ma’am I might have to hold onto this.”

The two talked by the man didn’t look so convinced, asking to come by the station tomorrow if possible and to bring her birth certificate.

That’s when she knew she needed to start packing, calling up family and making a few adjustments to her life. That’s when she moved back to New York City for a while, keeping her job within SHIELD, but taking up studies for medicine to research her condition, talks with other scientists.

But they all slowly came to the conclusion that it seems like there was no results for her condition, despite the records, recalling of events and etc.

It happened again where officers would stop the women and question her appearance, age and name. Even tried to take her into the station, as she would always do what she must to get out of it, even call up a friend for witness.

Packing up once again, making a couple of whole calls and planes to drive off somewhere off the grid of neither New York or LA, she found herself in San Diego instead. Making sure that Peggy, Howard, Jarvis and their friends know what to do, if anyone contract them, remove any records and to do something about the officers who taken her originally.

In result, Jennie Woods went on to change her name, keep her files close to her chest, residence and appearance the best she could every decade. And to never speak a true word of her fate to answer living soul (unless they were family of course).

To her relief, as the years went on things calmed down and she was less frequently questioned, however she would get wondering eyes at work.

——————

——————————————————————

🐤~Auntie JJ~ 🪿

-> May 29th, 1970 her nephew Anthony Edward Stark was born.

The day she held that tiny will soul in her arms, she knew she would love him til her dying days. She would take care of him, spoil the boy, and make sure he knew he was loved, even if she wasn’t there everyday to see him.

And that she did.

In the 70s, Maria and Howard knew they would need a pair of helping hands, aside from Jarvis, as they offered for the women to live with them. And of course, she said yes.

Jennie was there every step of the way and she loved it. Watching Tony grow up, taking his first step, first words, teaching him to read and write. Hell, when he was old enough, Tony would draw her so many drawings that she hang up in her office showcasing her godson’s work.

There were plenty of days and nights where neither of his parents were around as work and events took up their time, so in result if she was free, Jennie would do it.

“..’So after Lisa sewed on the missing button, she gave Corduory a big hug.’ The End. Now it’s time for my little bear to go to sleep.” She said closing the book with a smile.

Usually the 7 year old would give her a sleepy remark but after the long day he had, he decided against it. He rolled onto his side getting comfy.

“Auntie JJ?” He yawned in his small voice.

“Yes baby?” She asked standing up and putting the book back on his bookshelf.

“Would you always love me like Lisa love Corduroy?”

Jennie paused what she was doing as a small smile appeared on her lip at the question, she turned out and kneeled over the bed, placing a hand above Tony’s small cheek. Her warm touch smooth his worries.

“Of course I will, bubba” She replied and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

He smiled in returned, “Can we have pancakes tomorrow?”

“We will have to see. But first night night.”

“Night night.”

She gave him one more smile watching as his eyes closed, pulling his blanket closer. When she knew it was clear to leave, she gently closed the door behind her and escaped to the living room to watch a rerun of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Midway through the episode, she paused the taping and through back onto what Tony asked her earlier. She looked down at her lap, playing with the throw pillow in hand and sighed deeply. She knew why he asked that question, with his parents getting busier as the day goes by, especially at such a young age, it makes sense Tony would wonder if the adults in his life still love him.

And she meant what she said earlier, this unconditional love she has for her nephew is true. She adores that tiny little troublemaker, even if she sometimes drives him nuts, it’s one of the reasons she cares for him. He’ll keep on learning , as time slips through her fingers watching him grow up.

She knew she will be always try to be there for him, even if she’s in a different city, she’s only one call away.

And she was right.

Tony’s auntie JJ is there for him every time she can be. The smallest moments and his biggest. His graduations, his first true inventions, taking him out for ice cream, reading him bedtime stories, making him bacon on his birthday, the two of them sneaking off to watch movies late at time and the list goes on.

Hell, if she’s in the same room and near by, JJ is there to poke and pinch Tony when he says something he isn’t supposed to. Which results in him yelling a small, “Ow!” As she’ll give a smile in return or a certain look to tell him to quit it.

There are moments that his aunt JJ would have a date pick him and Tony would try to question his intentions with his aunt. Little did she know her godchild Rei would be the same way in the future. Every single one of her dates biggest haters.

———————

—Likes:

Mysteries, romance and detective novels

Waking up late

Coffee (of course!)

Classic movies from the golden era & sitcoms

Vintage fashion and style

Baking

Jewelry

Design

Painting & Drawing

Donuts

The sun setting

—Dislikes:

Narrow-mindedness

Cold coffee

Being underestimated or misjudged

Chaos in the house

Being underdressed or overdressed for an event

Sitting still for too long

Big Crowds

Closed spaces

Horror movies (however she enjoyed CW’s Supernatural)

Hiking

Fast rides

—Languages:

- Fluent in Spanish and English.

- Russian and Italian

- And some French

——————-

—Additional information:

- Jennie has a couple of scars, some small and some are a little big

- She tends to wear reading glasses or sunglasses at a lot

- You can sometimes find her on the couch wearing her earbuds listening to her favorite songs or binge watching a series on her IPAD

- As said before she likes jewlery, so in result you can find her wearing rings, earrings and sometimes necklaces. Such as her charm bracelet she got as a gift back in the 80s from a old friend

- She has traveled a lot over the years, sometimes she been a place more than once or even lived there. As well, as she met a couple of likely faces too

- Due to trying to keep up her energy and stamina levels, when it came to changing her appearance Jennie always tried to have a little fun. Such as dying her hair different a color, giving herself a new haircut, buying statement pieces that seemed timeless and testing out makeup to make her blend in with the crowd

- When it comes to makeup, she tries to keep it rather simple (she used to wear a lot of over the years but it resulted in some acne)

- When she’s under stress or filled in anxiety while in public spaces, she tends to play with her nails, add pressure to her inner palm, rubbing her wrist, wipes her sweaty palms on her jeans and etc

~~~~

~~~~~~

—That’s all folks! I wanted to add more detail about her but then it would’ve been wayyyy too long of a ride 😅

Anyways pls let me know what you think! Remember to like, comment and share

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @gcthvile @missstrawbs2001 @cherrysft @xgoddessoffandomsx @rickb-chaos @starkleila @infinetlyforgotten @meiramel @sherloquestea @parisparker269 @djs8891 @buckysteveloki-me @yetanotherwells @nakiaswg @carellmcu @ximehs

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1americanconservative · 6 months ago

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Afshine Emrani

ornodtepSs39i5ht13t3i9gtctgg13039u9569uf679iuh07hc10a6u61i78 ·

Carter's Catastrophic Legacy: From Toppling the Shah to Fueling Global Terrorism. Jimmy Carter's disastrous decision to support the fall of the Shah of Iran has unleashed a cascade of horrors that we're still battling today:

The Birth of an Islamic Terror State: Carter's support for Khomeini over the Shah directly led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, transforming Iran into a theocratic dictatorship. This regime not only suppresses its own people but sponsors terrorism worldwide, backing groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

The Hostage Crisis: The direct result of Carter's policy was the Iran Hostage Crisis, humiliating America for 444 days. This wasn't just a national embarrassment; it was a signal to terrorists everywhere that the U.S. could be challenged.

Decades of Anti-American Sentiment: The fall of the Shah and the rise of Khomeini's anti-American rhetoric have fueled a lasting hatred towards the West, leading to countless acts of violence, including the deadly rocket attacks on Israel.

Economic and Geopolitical Fallout: The destabilization of Iran under Carter's watch led to oil shocks and economic turmoil, but the long-term effects include Iran's funding of terrorism, which has destabilized the Middle East.

The Spread of Radical Islam: By allowing Khomeini to take power, Carter inadvertently set the stage for the global spread of radical Islam, which has led to conflicts like the Iraq-Iran war and the rise of groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

A Surge in Antisemitism: Iran's new regime has been a vocal supporter of antisemitism, providing ideological and material support to groups that openly call for the destruction of Israel. This has emboldened antisemitic rhetoric and actions worldwide.

State Sponsorship of Terrorism: Iran, under the post-Shah regime, has become the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. It has directly or indirectly supported Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, providing them with funds, weapons, and training.

Rocket Attacks on Israel: Since the fall of the Shah, Iran has armed and trained Hezbollah and Hamas, leading to thousands of rocket attacks on Israel over the decades, terrorizing civilians and escalating regional tensions.

The October 7th Atrocity: The groundwork laid by Carter's policies contributed to the environment where the October 7th massacre by Hamas could occur. Iran's support for Hamas, in terms of both ideology and resources, was pivotal in enabling such a large-scale attack, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and numerous hostages taken.

A Legacy of Misery in Iran: The once-modernizing nation under the Shah has turned into a place of human rights abuses, with women's rights curtailed, and economic growth stagnated due to international sanctions and internal mismanagement.

The Trust Deficit: Carter's actions shattered trust in American reliability among allies, showing that even long-term friends could be abandoned. This has had lasting effects on U.S. foreign policy, especially in the Middle East.

#NeverForgetCarter#IranianRevolution#StateSponsoredTerrorism#October7th#Antisemitism#USForeignPolicyFail#historymatters

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posttexasstressdisorder · 27 days ago

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WhatMatters

Your guide to California policy and politics

By Lynn La

June 2, 2025

Presented by The Nature Conservancy, Climate-Smart Agricultural Partnership, California Strawberry Commission and Health Access California

Good morning, California.

CA Dems soul searching on how they lost Latino, young voters

Alan Vargas, a candidate for California Democratic Party chairperson who ultimately lost to incumbent Rusty Hicks, speaks during the California Democratic State Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on May 31, 2025. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu:

Boos. Heckles. Accusations.

At the California Democratic Party convention in Anaheim over the weekend, some Latino Democrats waged a contentious referendum on their leaders — and won.

Nilza Serrano, a Los Angeles consultant, was elected chair of the party’s Latino caucus, upsetting longtime activist Carlos Alcala, who had chaired the caucus for more than a decade. Serrano was among a dozen Latinos who won caucus leadership positions during the convention under the banner of “La Nueva Voz” — “the new voice” in Spanish.

Instead of settling political differences, the fight was more a referendum on leadership style, as incumbents ran on a platform emphasizing their experience. But the newcomers’ victories exposed deep frustration among Latino Democrats with the exodus of Latinos from the Democratic Party last November, as well as a widespread perception that the party had failed to cement Latino support. The caucus is tasked with building the Latino base for Democratic candidates in California.

Serrano, to CalMatters: “We did not get the messaging that we were supposed to get (out). There wasn’t a big effort on getting younger people involved in the party, and I think that’s key to our success.”

The election also followed an intense drama between the incumbent caucus officers and the challengers, so acute that the state party had to intervene. Challengers accused Alcala of cheating by allowing some delegates to vote remotely even though they didn’t have disabilities, in violation of party and caucus bylaws. Party officials ruled against Alcala.

But Alcala decried the decision and argued remote voting was necessary to protect delegates terrified of flying due to their immigration status or those on a limited income, drawing boos.

The Latino caucus’ fight wasn’t the only sign of reckoning at the convention, as Democrats licked their wounds from November and tackled how to step up the party’s ground game ahead of challenging midterms.

Young Democrats also expressed frustration with the party’s failure to resonate with their age demographic. At the convention, they said that in order to mobilize young voters, party leaders and candidates should focus on California’s affordability issues, be willing to tackle progressive issues, and keep the messaging simple.

Carter Beardsley, an 18-year-old Bakersfield resident: “At the end of the day ... people want to vote for someone who’s going to make their lives easier.”

Read more here.

And lastly: Blood test clears state Senator

Then-Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes is seen on the Assembly floor on April 24, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said on Friday that it will not file DUI charges against state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes. The Riverside Democrat was involved in a car crash in Sacramento and police officers cited her for driving under the influence of a drug. Cervantes denied this, and a blood test revealed that she had “no measurable amount of drugs or alcohol in her system.”

While some are urging the Sacramento Police Department to apologize to Cervantes, the department said officers “remained professional throughout.” Read more from CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow.

California Voices

State lawmakers must pass an Assembly bill that would require mortgage lenders to pay back homeowners any interest earned on withheld insurance proceeds, write Robert Kaplan, a senior scholar at the Stanford School of Medicine, and Margaret Gaston, the retired founder and president of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.

Other things worth your time:

Some stories may require a subscription to read.

A program paying CA jurors $100 a day would end abruptly due to Newsom’s new budget // CalMatters

Officials launch review after nearly 6,000 CA prisoners falsely tested positive for opioids // Los Angeles Times

Bonuses among latest moves to improve CA’s prison mental health system // California Healthline

CA track-and-field championships draw limited protest over trans student’s participation // KQED

Silicon Valley wants to help me make a superbaby. Should I let it? // The San Francisco Standard

OpenAI can stop pretending // The Atlantic

Baldwin Park shooting: 1 officer, 1 civilian killed, a second officer wounded // Los Angeles Times

In areas near January’s fires, rent is climbing faster than in rest of county // Los Angeles Times

These LA undocumented drivers helped build Uber and Lyft. Now they’re being left behind // Los Angeles Public Press

Trump admin adds Huntington Beach to list of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law’ // The Orange County Register

See you next time!

Tips, insight or feedback? Email [email protected]. Subscribe to CalMatters newsletters here. Follow CalMatters on Facebook and Twitter.

About Us· How We're Funded· Subscribe· Donate

CalMatters 1017 L Street #261 Sacramento, CA 95814 United States

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warningsine · 11 months ago

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Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at protesters challenging the reelection victory claimed by President Nicolás Maduro but disputed by the opposition and questioned abroad.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of several neighborhoods of the capital, chanting "Freedom, freedom!" and "This government is going to fall!"

Some ripped Maduro campaign posters from street posts and burned them.

AFP observed members of the national guard firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, some wearing motorbike helmets and bandannas tied over their faces for protection. Some responded by throwing rocks back.

Maduro, 61, attended a meeting Monday at which the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified his reelection to a third six-year term until 2031.

He dismissed international criticism and doubts about the result of Sunday's voting, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted "coup d'etat" of a "fascist and counter-revolutionary" nature.

But opposition leader Maria Corina Machado later told reporters that a review of voting records available so far clearly showed that the next president "will be Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia," who took her place on the ballot after she was barred by Maduro-aligned courts.

The records showed a "mathematically irreversible" lead for Gonzalez Urrutia, she said, with 6.27 million votes to only 2.75 million for Maduro.

The elections were held amid widespread fears of fraud by the government and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation.

Pollsters had predicted a resounding victory for the opposition.

In the early hours of Monday, the CNE said Maduro had won 51.2 percent of votes cast compared to 44.2 percent for Gonzalez Urrutia.

The opposition cried foul, prompting Attorney General Tarek William Saab to link Machado to an alleged cyber "attack" seeking to "adulterate" the results.

'Another fraud'

The outcome sparked concern and calls for a "transparent" process from the United Nations, United States, European Union and several countries in Latin America.

The CNE has not provided a detailed breakdown of the result.

Allies including China, Russia and Cuba congratulated Maduro.

Gonzalez Urrutia, a 74-year-old former diplomat, on Monday acknowledged the deep discontent in society with the CNE results and vowed that "we will fight for our liberty."

Machado assured Venezuelans that "the leaders of the world" are validating the results, and called families to turn out Tuesday for "popular assemblies" nationwide to show support for a peaceful transition of power.

Nine Latin American countries called in a joint statement Monday for a "complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers."

The US-based Carter Center, one of a few organizations allowed to bring observers into Venezuela, urged the CNE to immediately publish detailed polling station-level results.

Brazil and Colombia also urged a review of the numbers while Chile's president said the outcome was "hard to believe."

Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Venezuela.

Caracas hit back Monday, saying it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay for "interventionist actions and statements."

'Bloodbath' warning

Independent polls had predicted Sunday's vote would end 25 years of "Chavismo," the populist movement founded by Maduro's socialist predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez.

Maduro has been at the helm of the once-wealthy oil-rich country since 2013. The last decade has seen GDP drop by 80 percent, pushing more than seven million of its 30 million citizens to emigrate.

He is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

In the run-up to the election, he had warned of a "bloodbath" if he lost.

Ballots were cast on machines that sent electronic votes directly to a centralized CNE database.

The machines printed out paper receipts that were placed in a container and counted by hand as a backup measure meant to be open to public scrutiny.

The opposition had deployed about 90,000 volunteer election monitors nationwide.

Economic misery

Sunday's election was the product of a deal reached last year between the government and opposition.

That agreement led the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduro's 2018 reelection, rejected as a sham by dozens of Latin American and other countries.

Sanctions were snapped back after Maduro reneged on agreed conditions.

Venezuela boasts the world's largest oil reserves but has seen severely diminished production capacity in recent years.

Most Venezuelans live on just a few dollars a month, and endure biting shortages of electricity and fuel.

Economic misery in the South American nation has been a major source of migration pressure on the southern border of the United States, where immigration is a major presidential election issue.

(AFP)

#venezuela #protests #politics #news tag

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starandsims · 2 years ago

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Florence is a precious little girl, she loves the simple things in life: hugging her brothers, playing with the rocking chair, chatting with the chickens, and pretending to help Mama cook dinner.

#carter decades challenge #carter legacy #cldc #cldc g2 #cldc: florence carter #sims 4 #simblr #sims 4 story #ts4 gameplay #the sims 4 #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 screenshots #ts4 #ts4 decades challenge

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blueshistorysims · 3 months ago

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It was a dirty affair, and Amalia loved every single second of it. She knew she was supposed to feel shame, be disgusted that a woman of her status was having an affair with a man who had a wife and child, but she honestly couldn’t care less. Making love in the very bed where he and his wife slept seemed like a coveted victory.

Voices outside brought Amalia out of her bliss, and she watched as Will jumped from the bed and looked out the window.

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“They’re home.”

Panic seized Amalia, getting off the bed and covering her mouth. “You said she wouldn’t be home for another three hours,” she hissed.

“Toddlers aren’t very predictable,” he answered, condescendingly. “Fuck. Get in the bathroom and grab your clothes.”

“The bathroom?!”

“Would you rather hide in the wardrobe?”

Amalia hid in the bathroom.

She hastily put on her coat over her lingerie, feeling humiliated as she heard Will speak to his wife in their bedroom. He’d sworn that they wouldn’t be home for hours, that she would be able to leave without a rush or worry. She listened as the couple chatted, muffled by the door for what seemed like hours until Will suddenly opened it and pulled her out by the arm.

“Look,” he said bluntly, “I asked her to take a look at the garden in the yard, so she won’t see you leave. Go through the front.”

“Like this?!”

“Christ, Amalia, yes! It’s mid-day, no one’s home.”

“Well, do you want me to phone you?”

“No. I’ll phone you. And we can’t do this again here, alright?”

She nodded, the sickening feeling of embarrassment crawling up on her. “Alright.”

Standing outside of the townhouse in the middle of the day in messed up hair was probably the most mortifying thing Amalia had ever done. But Will was right. The streets of his neighborhood were empty. She would leave unseen, and all would be well.

Then she looked up, and Will’s two-year-old son was standing in the window on the second floor, staring at her, more confused than anything. She stared back, before looking away, shame creeping up on her for the first time since beginning the affair.

beginning/previous/next

#the walshes #the walsh legacy #ts4 #sims 4 historical #sims 4 decades #sims 4 decades challenge #ts4 historical #sims 4 history challenge #ts4 decades challenge #1950s #ts4 1950s #ts4 story #amalia walsh #will carter #robbie carter #tw suggestive #sims spice

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historicalfictionsims · 10 months ago

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Steggy Week 2024 - Day 2 (Headcanons and Meta)

With their promised dance being four (or twelve) years overdue, Steve and Peggy take any moment they can find to make up for it.

In my game, Steve is always the one who gets dipped. Peggy is a total backleader, since she had to teach him how to not step on her toes.

@steggyfanevents

#steggyweek24 #steggy #steve rogers #peggy carter #captain america #agent carter #marvel #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #sims 4 decades challenge

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kalistarkalospia · 13 days ago

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˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ KALEIDOGYN˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Published on: 6/16/2025

By: Kali

It's deeply troubling that many women continue to grapple with substantial challenges in their quest for equality with their male counterparts. While white men often have the autonomy to chase their aspirations freely, numerous women face dire circumstances, including violence, systemic discrimination, and pervasive injustices. This situation prompts a critical inquiry: why is it so challenging to extend the same respect and support to women, who are indispensable to our society’s fabric?

We must acknowledge that the actions of a single individual do not reflect the character or inherent value of an entire gender. A concerted effort is necessary to dismantle the obstacles that inhibit women from enjoying the same rights and opportunities as their male counterparts. Advocating for equality and fostering respect for all individuals not only enhances our communities but also cultivates a more just and equitable society.

For generations, women have persistently fought for their rights, striving to eliminate discrimination solely based on their gender.

Historically, before the 1970s, women encountered formidable barriers in their pursuit of divorce. A woman could only secure a divorce if she provided compelling evidence of her husband’s serious misconduct, such as adultery, cruelty, or abandonment. This often necessitated a painful and public examination of a couple's private lives. However, in a landmark development in 1969, California, led by then-Governor Ronald Reagan, became the first state to adopt a no-fault divorce law, permitting couples to divorce by mutual agreement without attributing blame. This pioneering move sparked a nationwide trend, resulting in a dramatic surge in divorce filings throughout the decade, a phenomenon now referred to as “The Divorce Revolution.”

Before 1973, women were systematically barred from serving on juries across all 50 states. The Civil Rights Act of 1957, signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, allowed women the right to serve on federal juries; however, it wasn't until 1973 that all states enacted similar laws, ensuring women could participate in the judicial process.

California also holds a significant historical distinction as the first state to pass a law, as early as 1862, that permitted women to establish bank accounts in their own names. Nevertheless, before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) in 1974, women throughout much of the U.S. could not open bank accounts or apply for loans without a male cosigner, even if they held stable employment or income. The ECOA, signed by President Gerald Ford on October 28, 1974, marked a pivotal moment, prohibiting lenders from discriminating based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, or age.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), enacted in 1978 and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 31, 1978, provides crucial protections against discrimination for individuals based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. This legislation mandates that employers treat pregnant employees equitably, affording them the same considerations as non-pregnant employees regarding hiring, firing, promotions, and benefits.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hailed as the most comprehensive legislation for disability rights in U.S. history, was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The ADA safeguards individuals with disabilities from employment discrimination, ensuring that employers cannot unjustly refuse to hire someone solely due to their disability status.

Additionally, the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988, enacted on October 25, 1988, under the leadership of President Ronald Reagan, empowered women entrepreneurs to secure loans without requiring a male cosigner. This monumental legislation, championed by Representative John LaFalce, was a significant leap towards financial independence for women and garnered support from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Before the landmark Supreme Court decision in Eisenstadt v. Baird in 1972, unmarried women lacked the legal right to access birth control. Though in 1965, the Supreme Court had previously established the right for married women to obtain contraception in the historic case of Griswold v. Connecticut, it wasn't until Eisenstadt that the rights of unmarried women were recognized and protected.

These historical milestones represent only a fraction of the monumental battles women have fought for their rights. Unfortunately, despite the progress made, there remains a vast expanse of issues that women continue to confront and advocate for today, underscoring the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in society.

Women are not less intelligent, skilled, or capable in certain areas compared to men. They are not passive, submissive, or less assertive than men. Additionally, women are not physically or mentally weak. A woman’s role should not be limited to household tasks, childcare, and domestic duties; she can excel in careers as a police officer, firefighter, secretary, truck driver, construction worker, electrician, and more, just as well as any man. Women are equally dedicated to their careers as men, even when they have children.

However, women often face pressure to conform to stereotypical expectations regarding their behavior, appearance, and roles. These stereotypes can restrict women’s career choices and opportunities for leadership, personal development, and advancement. Moreover, they contribute to the overarching issue of gender inequality by reinforcing traditional gender roles and limiting women's potential. Women are frequently portrayed as damsels in distress, stay-at-home mothers, or overly sexualized characters. Such stereotypes in real life can negatively impact women's self-esteem and sense of worth.

Why should we as a society degrade a woman? There shouldn't be any excuses and responses as to why we should degrade women. We shouldn't make a woman feel less unique about their life. All women are unique regarding their background, likes, abilities, and ethnicity.

Yes, There are terrible women around the world who say and do heinous actions. But those terrible women who say and do heinous actions don't represent all the women in the world.

#original poem #poetry #writeblr #writer #writers and poets #writers on tumblr #writing #history #justice #world history #woman #pretty woman #women

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