#defining a republic

[granonine]

Saturday Soliloquy: Politics

The day is half over, and I’m just now getting around to my Saturday post. Let me say at the outset that this post is NOT for or against any candidate. It’s about some principles I believe we have lost, or are losing, because of constant misrepresentation in the media. First, we hear constantly that we are a democracy. Defined, a democracy is a state run by the people. Every vote counts, every…

[surgeonquadpaw]

The rebel alliance is all these different factions coming together. There's a reason there is a council with like ten people on there. Bail and Mon are probably the most important but that's from the perspective we get. Saying "this wouldn't have happened without x" doesn't mean x is more important than y just that there contribution is itself important. The alliance wouldn't exist without Bail either but this show doesn't focus on Bail.

Would've been improved if Andor season 2 cared to dive deeper into the different factions or spent more time with Mon in Yavin, I think. But also people misread the dialogue in this show constantly so idk what to really do with that

[ihassheepquake]

I'm reading The Eye of Darkness and I just really love this line from Belin to Avar Kriss in chapter 29.

"You may be a Jedi, but you don't have to save everyone. You can't save everyone. It's the fact you even try that makes you different from the Nihil. You don't have to win, Avar Kriss. All you have to do is try. That's enough."

If that's not really the message of Star Wars, I don't know what is.

[sforzesco]

favorite crassus mentions in lucan's pharsalia (trans. jane wilson joyce)

[psychomusic]

I LOVE MY STRONGHOLD ON NAR SHADDAA

[kossamer]

-

[GENERAL(3)]

"Erlika,

Hbd

Conrad"

----------

"Master,

Happy birthday! Have a nice day and enjoy your time back time at home :)

Nadia, Theran and everyone else aboard the Defender xx"

----------

"Dear Padawan,

Have the best of birthdays, dear. The Jedi Council and I thank you and your family for your service to the republic.

Best regards,

Master Yuon Par"

____________

[PRIORITY(1)]

"Erlika,

Today is your day. You deserve your moment, having served me and the Family diligently. Greet your guests with grace as you always have, and know that they are only safe in our sacred halls because of your work.

Love.

Father"

____________

[SPAM(0)]

____________

[BIN(1)]

"Licca,

It's today, isn't it? It's not what I look at when I read your files.

If your family is anything like mine, you're probably getting ready for your party. I wonder how many guests in your ballroom know what you are? Does anyone else?

Enjoy today. Also, I want you. Same place at 2300. Im bringing the Andoan White you wanted to try, maybe you'll stop calling me "shallow".

Happy birthday,

R"

[e5e5e5e5e5]

So, a wake, like the funerary ritual.

The Brits say it has nothing to do with waiting for the person to maybe wake up.

But they also did bells attached to people's coffins.

And Shane McCorriston wrote that one of the reasons was to 'ensure death had really occured'.

So, like, you know how we freak out about social media echo chambers? That's always existed, it's called prescriptive linguistics or language borders or top down communication or however you like to describe it with whatever stolen words.

Idk I'm not great at English.

I speak thief.

Chinga la frontera.

[republicpharma]

Emtricitabine/Tenofovir is a combination antiviral medication used in the treatment of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection. It contains two active ingredients: Emtricitabine, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), and Tenofovir, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NtRTI). This powerful combination works by inhibiting the reverse transcriptase enzyme, essential for the replication of HIV, thereby helping to control viral load and improve immune function. Available in tablet form, it is often prescribed as part of a comprehensive antiretroviral therapy regimen.

Precautions to Take While Using Emtricitabine/Tenofovir to Treat HIV

When using Emtricitabine/Tenofovir, taking certain precautions is essential to ensure the medication's effectiveness and minimize the risk of side effects. Here are some key precautions to consider:

1. Adherence to Therapy: Consistently take the medication as prescribed. Missing doses can lead to drug resistance and decreased effectiveness.

2. Kidney Function Monitoring: Regularly check kidney function through blood tests, especially if you have pre-existing kidney issues or are taking other medications that can affect kidney health.

3. Liver Function Monitoring: Monitor liver function before and during treatment, particularly if you have a history of liver disease or hepatitis B, as Tenofovir may cause liver complications.

4. Safe Sex Practices: Continue using safer sex practices, such as condoms, to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV or acquiring other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

5. Inform Healthcare Providers: Notify your healthcare provider about all other medications you are taking, as Emtricitabine/Tenofovir can interact with specific drugs.

6. Screening for Hepatitis B: If you have a history of hepatitis B, ensure careful monitoring, as stopping treatment can lead to a worsening of the infection.

7. Hydration: Maintain proper hydration, especially if you experience gastrointestinal side effects like nausea or diarrhea, to prevent dehydration.

8. Bone Health: Discuss with your healthcare provider about monitoring bone density, especially if you have risk factors for osteoporosis, and consider calcium and vitamin D supplementation as needed.

9. Drug Interactions: Avoid taking over-the-counter medications or supplements without consulting your healthcare provider, as some substances may interact with the medication.

10. Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, discuss the risks and benefits of using this medication with your healthcare provider.

11. Regular Check-Ups: Schedule regular follow-up appointments with your healthcare provider to assess the effectiveness of the treatment and monitor for potential side effects.

By following these precautions, you can help ensure a smoother treatment experience with Emtricitabine/Tenofovir. Always reach out to your healthcare provider with any concerns or questions regarding your medication.

[meripheri]

[historicallyspeaking]

One thing I've noticed with the "Zionism = Nazism/Israel is an EtHnoStAtE" crowd is that they just don't seem to know or think much about the rest of the world. Like I'm starting to think the average leftist thinks that the world is composed of the US (pluralistic but racist), Israel (an "ethnostate") and then... "Normal Countries" that are like the US but less racist. Even people who really ought to know better like international law expert Ralph Wilde will talk about how one of the horrors of Zionism is that Palestinian citizens of Israel have to live in a country built for another people. And yeah, if we lived in a world composed entirely of liberal pluralistic societies where everyone was treated equally regardless of religious or ethnic differences, then Israel would be a weird, fucked up outlier. The idea of a Jewish state specifically for Jewish people would be pretty weird. Even a Jewish state like Israel, where there is a large and enfranchised non-Jewish population would be kinda problematic in a world composed of pluralistic democracies. Even the Nazi comparisons would be somewhat coherent. (There would still be issues with those comparisons because the Nazis attacked like 20 countries in five years and started a war that killed tens of millions of people whereas Israel hasn't done anything remotely like that. But if Zionists and Nazis were the only people ever to think that a particular people were entitled to their own country then comparing them would be more understandable.)

The thing is... we don't live in that world. In fact, we live in a world largely comprised of ethnostates. We live in a world where more than 80 countries, including Mr. Wilde's home country of the United Kingdom, have an official state religion. And yes, Mr. Wilde, we live in a world where Jews have spent 2,000 years having to live in countries built for other people, and the only reason more Jews aren't living in other peoples' countries today is that those other people decided kill or expel their Jewish populations.

I remember once explaining to a leftist friend that early Zionist leaders, including the now villainized Theodor Herzl and Ze'ev Jabotinsky, actually envisioned a Jewish state with a large and fully enfranchised non-Jewish population. And he was like, "well if Israel had equal rights for Jews and non-Jews, then how would that be different from any other country?" And I was just like... "well it would be different from every other Middle Eastern country because none of them give equal rights to Jews." Edit: Since I got a little pushback on the "the world is comprised largely of ethnostates" part of this, I guess it depends on how you define the term. If "ethnostate" means "country that sees itself primarily as the state for a particular people" then the world is largely comprised of countries like that. Israel's two biggest neighbors are the Egyptian Arab Republic and the Syrian Arab Republic and almost every other country in the Middle East is part of the Arab League. If you're defining "ethnostate" as a country where citizenship is limited to a particular ethnicity then it's patently false to apply that definition to Israel which has millions of Arab citizens.

[jedi-enthusiasm-blog]

"The Light Side being good and the Dark Side being evil has no nuance!"

Why though? Neither side is inherent, they're choices. Does a difficult choice between good and evil not sound nuanced to you? Does the choice between a painful path and the complete erasure of who you are no sound fucking nuanced to you?

The Dark and Light Sides are a binary choice between good and evil, and… that's great! The morals are simple, but the nuance is not in the basic and very simple morality (murder bad), it's in the circumstances that make adhering to your morals difficult.

Is Anakin Skywalker wanting to do good but not being able to because that would mean not having what he wants not nuanced to you?

Is Asajj Ventress —an assassin, a Sith Acolyte, a bounty hunter— letting a girl go because she doesn't want her to lose her family like Ventress did, even though that would cost her a lot of money she needs to survive not nuanced to you?

Is Dooku wanting to fix the corruption of the Republic and ending up being worse because he believes he knows best not nuanced to you?

Is Darth Vader choosing right for once in his life and becoming who his son needs him to be not nuanced to you?

Is Cal, Kanan, Obi-Wan and all other Order 66 survivors remaining good and kind when everything's against them not nuanced to you?

Is Luke seeing the good still left in Space Hitler and forgiving and loving his father the Sith Apprentice despite everything he's done not nuanced to you?

Is Finn choosing mercy and defiance of the First Order despite being kidnaped, indoctrinated and brainwashed by them not nuanced to you?

Is Rey being good and choosing not to let her bloodline define her not nuanced to you?

Is Ben Solo choosing evil despite everyone around him being good not nuanced to you?

Is Han Solo, a selfish man, choosing to go into a killzone to save his friends not nuanced to you?

Is Mace Windu commiting high treason to save the Republic regardless of what happens to him not nuanced to you?

Is Ezra Bridger being selfish and thinking of himself but choosing to be selfless when he realizes how much that means not nuanced to you?

If we go to Legends:

Is Jacen Solo becoming a monster because he wants to spare his daughter from a horrible fate not nuanced to you?

Is Jaina Solo killing her brother to save the galaxy not nuanced to you?

Is Cade Skywalker seeing the Force as a tool and being dragged into evil more and more not nuanced to you?

What does nuance mean to you anyways? Do you even know what that means or are you just trying to be edgy?

[sbcdh]

Professor Imanaga was scared. I don’t think he really understood what he saw. 

Was he prone to visions? 

No, not at all. I mean, not that I know of. I worked with him back in the 90s, when he was still writing The Final Republic. I did hypnoregulatory work for like half my professors, but I didn’t become friends with them. Professor Imanaga was different. He was always such a friendly, level-headed guy. You know, I don’t think he really understood what his book would do. 

What it would do?

You know, all of it. Intellectuals don’t get attention like that. You might publish something that gets cited in congress. If you’re lucky, you might get interviewed on the news, but you don’t stick around. I don’t think Professor Imanaga was expecting to be –I dunno– elected? As the representative for Equilibralism. 

Public attention can be stressful. How did he handle it?

I think he liked it, in his own way. He was used to talking in front of people, and he could handle an interview. Even back in the 90s he was the type of guy to answer “I don’t know” or “let me think about it.” He would start every conversation with “well, let us define our terms-” that sorta thing. He’s always had that whole thoughtful grandpa vibe. I think that’s part of why he handled the success of Final Republic so well.

I imagine the professor has a complicated relationship to his work. 

Eh. I think he stands by the thesis. You gotta remember, he wrote Final Republic back in 94. The wall just fell. Everyone was liberalizing. Liberalizing and hypnoeconomizing. Before that, damn near every intellectual was saying that some system would eclipse liberal democracy. It really did seem like the future was gonna be liberal democracy hooked up to a hypnoeconomy. I don’t think he was wrong. The world is still mostly equilibral systems. Most people seemed to agree.

It must have been a strange time for him, getting so much attention as a professor. 

Maybe? It was kinda sweet. He would call me every weekend and tell me stories of all the talk shows and panels and dinners he was asked to be on. Half the time I already saw them on TV, but it was nice to hear him talk. He was so excited! Sometimes he would even invite me as a plus-one when he needed a hypnoregulatory specialist. He was always more interested in the sociological side of things. He left the nitty-gritty of hypnoregulation to the doctorate students. 

Dinners?

Oh yeah. People were always inviting him to stuff. You know one time, we were in Cambridge, just wandering around looking for a bite to eat. So we walked into some restaurant. Waiter asks if we have a reservation. We say no we don’t have a reservation. Hes about to turn us away when –get this– Henry fucking Kissinger walks up to professor Imanaga, shakes his hand, and invites him to come sit down for dinner with the owner of the restaurant! The whole time we just kept looking at each other like we just got a free ticket to Disneyland. Food was great too. Thats where he met Krauthammer. 

That is journalist Charles Krauthammer? 

Yeah. Pretty soon he was hanging out with all those guys. Kept inviting the professor to state dinners. Lotta country clubs. All that stuff. Every friday I’d get weekend updates about the people he met and who he was talking to. It was like getting a whole second education in American politics. He’d tell me how many politicians loved his book, how popular it was. 

If I recall correctly, professor Imanaga has attempted to distance himself from Equilibralism as an ideology. 

Oh he hates the term. He never used it himself. It was some columnist from the New Left Review who actually came up with it. The principle is more or less the same; liberal democracy hooked up to a hypnoregulated economy. Actually…no. Now that I think about it, he wouldn’t use the word hate. He would always say he “strongly disliked” stuff. He’d say equilibralism is imprecise. It implies a see-saw relationship rather than symbiotic relationship.

I see. What would you say turned the professor away from contemporary Equilibralism?

Iraq. 

You sound very sure. 

Iraq. He called me up one night. I think it was 2004. I think he had been crying. Like, he wasn’t crying on the phone, but he had been crying earlier. I’d never heard him like that before. Not until, well, you know. He told me about this dinner. He told me “They were all cheering.” you know, cheering for the war, for the whole new “unipolar” world. He said it was all one big blunder. He hasn’t talked to Wolfowitz or Cheney or any of those guys since. 

I see. 

I think it was, I dunno, sudden for him. It was a surprise. He sounded like he just learned an old friend had fallen off the wagon. Or like- Nah I dunno. I dunno. I can’t tell you what was in his mind. But he felt confused and betrayed. He said he was gonna head out to- Oh my god. Oh my god he said he was gonna go to his house in Reno. 

Reno?

Yeah. He had a little desert ranch way out in Reno. He’d go out there in winter when he needed to relax. You know, I think- yeah. Yeah he invited me out for Christmas that year. I remember he didn’t seem 100%, but having people around seemed to help his mood. I remember it was late and we’d been drinking wine. Once the sun had set he asked me about religion. 

Was he religious? 

Well, thats the thing. He didn’t really go to church but his father was a minister. I was just surprised because he never talked about it. He never seemed remotely interested in religion. He never brought it up again I just- I think thats when he had his vision. He didn’t tell me until years later but I think thats when it happened. Oh my god, that’s when he must’ve wrecked his car too. It has to be. He told me he wrecked his car on the way to Reno. 

Slow down. Start at the beginning.

Okay. Okay. I think, in February of 2004, Professor Imanaga goes to this dinner. It upsets him, and he wants to go out to his house in Reno to calm down. He totals his car and has a near-death experience. He sees something, but he keeps it quiet. Later he invites me to Christmas, and he tries to tell me but hes nervous about –I dunno– being seen as crazy? Then a few days ago, he left me a voicemail where he tells me the story. So I come to you people.

He didn’t tell his children? His wife?

No. I think…I think he was worried he would come off as crazy. And you know, I was his touchstone for hypnoeconomic matters. Its kinda intimate, doing someones taxes, its kinda like being in their brain. 

Do you have the voicemail with you?

Yes, here give me a moment. Here.

“-eant to tell you a long time ago. It was early in the morning. The sun hadn’t come up yet. I was driving in from Tahoe and there was something in my headlights. It was some sort of reptile, a big fat iguana or something like that. I swerved to avoid it, and rolled the car bad. 

I think I was thrown. The next thing I know, I was lying facedown in the dirt. I couldn’t feel a thing. To- to tell you the truth I thought I might’ve died. I could’ve sworn I wore my seatbelt. That was my first thought, honest. I could’ve sworn I wore my seatbelt. I never drive without it, but I was thrown clear. I think I was in shock. I couldn’t move, or speak, or call for help. All I could do was lay there and watch the car burn. But then- 

I wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t have. But I remember it so clearly. Sitting there on the burning undercarriage. It was a lamb. It had a little golden bell around its neck like they have in cartoons, and it- I swear on my life it was smoking a cigarette. Just…balanced there in its little hoof. I remember it so clearly, like it’s still right there in front of me. Everything else is so hazy and the lamb just, isn’t. 

It talked to me. It said –and I remember this clearly– It said “A storm is blowing from Las Vegas, Thomas. It’s blowing so hard the planes can only fly one way.” And it kept looking over its shoulder. I could see over its shoulder. There was nothing there! So I asked it. I asked “What are you looking at? What is back there?” And the lamb looked at me. I think it was crying. It looked at me and took a long drag on the cigarette and it said “Everything, Thomas.”

I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Good god, its like I’m back there again. I’ve never told anyone about this. Not one. But I have to tell someone. The next thing I remember is the ambulance. The lamb was there. One of the paramedics was holding it like a child. It said “Don’t worry Thomas. You’ve done nothing wrong.” I- I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. Have I done something wrong? I just don’t understand. 

I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I thought this sort of thing would fade with age. But it hasn’t. It just hasn’t. I swear on my life this was the first and only time. That morning in the ambulance. That was the last time I ever dreamed like this.”

That’s where it ends. 

Have you spoken with Professor Imanaga about this? 

That’s part of why I came to you. Probably hasn’t hit the news yet. I went over to Thomas’s house just this morning. He passed last night. Peacefully, in his sleep. 

[forevergulag]

Hi, sorry for the stupid ask, but how is China not capitalist?

There are two main points of criticism (beyond pointless idealist posturing and philistinism) that supposedly confirm china as capitalist, which i will criticize individually. they are:

The People's Republic of China has capitalists:

Socialism is defined as the dictatorship of the proletariat, a transitionary stage to communism, a classless society. a proletarian depends on the private property of a bourgeois to survive, they must sell their labor power to the capitalist, and the capitalist buys the labor-power and sells the products of labor made on his private property. thus, a proletarian cannot exist without a capitalist, and vice-versa. the capitalist-proletarian social relation is a dialectic.

Socialism transfers political power (the state) into the hands of the proletariat, making them the ruling class, and making the bourgeois into an oppressed class. it does not materially change the social relations of production between proletarian and capitalist, and proletarians, in order to be proletarians, must be exploited through sale of their labor-power.

The substitution of Socialism for capitalism will not be a single, world-convulsing act, but a process of gradual change, however rapid as compared with the present time [01]. The nationalization of the great industries and trusts will effect no fundamental change in capitalism, for certain industries are even now nationalized; the fundamental change will lie only in the fact that the power of the state will be at the disposal of the working class. The great contrast between the new proletarian supremacy and the former capitalist supremacy will manifest itself immediately, not in a deliberate revolution of the mode of production, but in vast cultural measures — promotion of education, care of the public health, aid for poverty and suffering — by which the new society must make up for the neglects of capitalism. Although we are unable to say to what extent private production will at once be replaced by social production — certainly not completely — yet it is certain that the vigorously executed measures for the promotion of the welfare of great masses of the people will form the basis of the new economic development. Kautsky has already shown how the simplest, most necessary and, to every worker, immediately urgent measure for the checking of poverty, namely, bounteous provision by the state for the unemployed, strikes at the very roots of capitalism; it will be one of the most effective levers for putting a speedy end to private production undertaken for the sake of profit.

Socialism and Anarchism, Anton Pannekoek

2. The People's Republic of China has state-capitalist partnership, i.e. state capitalism

Often gestured towards (incorrectly) by left-communists as the end-all be-all proving actually existing socialism, especially that of the PRC to be "secretly capitalist in nature", state capitalism is simply an organizational measure of a socialist state to grow the means of production.

It entails, for the most part (as policy will change according the material conditions and needs of a country):

a. The encouragement and even funding of capitalists and their enterprises, especially so in rural and undeveloped areas,

b. in the case of the prc, a joint management of capitalist enterprises by capitalists and state officials

c. the close mediation and regulation of capitalists by the proletarian state

d. again, such as in the prc, the encouragement of foreign finance capitalists to invest their capital into the country, to be hijacked for the proletariat's own interests.

state capitalism served to rejuvenate a nearly non-existent post imperialist war proletariat in the USSR, even after a great mistake in which an attempt to immediately switch to a communist mode of production occurred, allowed the PRC to become as powerful as it is now, and more. it is just a policy of a socialist state.

[theplotmage]

How to Get Started with Worldbuilding for Fantasy Writers

Hey fellow writers!

Worldbuilding can feel like a Herculean task, but it’s one of the most rewarding parts of creating a fantasy novel. If you're getting stuck, Here are some tips that have helped me, and I hope they’ll help you too!

Start with the Basics

Geography

- Map out the physical layout of your world. Think about continents, countries, cities, and natural features like mountains, rivers, and forests.

Climate and Ecosystems

- What are the climate zones and ecosystems like? How do they shape the lives of your inhabitants?

Create a History

Origins

- Dive into how your world came into existence. Are there creation myths or ancient civilizations that set the stage?

Major Events

- Outline key historical events. Wars, alliances, discoveries, and disasters can add so much depth.

Develop Cultures and Societies

Cultures

- Craft diverse cultures with unique customs, traditions, and values. What do they wear? What do they eat? How do they express themselves through art?

Social Structure

- Define the social hierarchy. Who holds power? What are the roles of different classes or groups?

Establish Magic and Technology

Magic System

- Set the rules and limitations of magic. Who can use it? How does it work? What are its costs and consequences?

Technology

- Decide on the level of technological advancement. Is your world medieval with swords and castles, or does it have steampunk elements?

Design Political and Economic Systems

Governments

- Create various forms of government. Are there kingdoms, republics, or empires? How do they interact?

Economy

- Define the economic systems. What are the main industries and trade routes? How do people earn a living?

Build Religions and Beliefs

Religions

- Develop religions and belief systems. Who are the gods or deities? What are the rituals and holy sites?

Myths and Legends

- Craft myths and legends that influence the culture and behavior of your characters.

Craft Unique Flora and Fauna

Creatures

- Invent unique creatures that inhabit your world. Consider their habitats, behaviors, and interactions with humans.

Plants

- Design plants with special properties. Are there magical herbs or dangerous plants?

Incorporate Conflict and Tension

Internal Conflicts

- Think about internal conflicts within societies, such as class struggles, political intrigue, or religious disputes.

External Conflicts

- Consider external threats like invading armies, natural disasters, or magical catastrophes.

Use Maps and Visual Aids

Maps

- Create maps to visualize your world. This helps you keep track of locations and distances.

Visual References

- Use images or sketches to inspire and flesh out your world.

Stay Consistent

Consistency

- Keep track of the details to maintain consistency. Use a worldbuilding bible or document to record important information.

Feedback

- Share your world with others and get feedback. Sometimes fresh eyes can spot inconsistencies or offer new ideas.

Let Your Characters Explore

Character Perspective

- Develop your world through the eyes of your characters. How do they interact with their environment? What do they know or believe about their world?

Be Flexible

Adapt and Evolve

- Be open to changing aspects of your world as your story develops. Sometimes the best ideas come during the writing process.

Try using this tool for your worldbuilding!

[gothhabiba]

Much of the most dramatic news of the past decade, including not only Iran but the Arab-Israeli conflict, oil, and Afghanistan, has been news of "Islam." Nowhere was this more evident than in the long Iranian crisis, during which the American consumer of news was given a sustained diet of information about a people, a culture, a religion — no more than a poorly defined and badly misunderstood abstraction, really — always, in the case of Iran, represented as militant, dangerous, and anti-American.

It is not much of an exaggeration to say that before the sudden OPEC price rises in early 1974, Islam, as such, scarcely figured in American culture. One saw and heard of Arabs and Iranians, of Pakistanis and Turks, rarely of Muslims. But the oil price increases soon became associated in the public mind with a cluster of unpleasant things: American dependence on imported oil, usually referred to as "being at the mercy of foreign oil producers," and, above all, a signal — as if from a new, unidentified force — that energy was no longer ours for the taking. Words like "monopoly," "cartel," and "bloc" achieved a remarkably sudden, if selective, currency. Such expressions were reserved for OPEC members and rarely applied to the small group of American oil multinationals. It now seemed that with the new pressure on the economy, a new cultural and political situation was also at hand. From being the world's dominant power, the United States had become embattled.

At almost the same time, the Unitec States was retreating from Indochina. Much has been written about the post-Vietnam syndrome in Americar politics, although few people have also noted how the claim that distant American interests needed military defense against instability and insurrection was transferred from Vietnam to the Muslim world. Along with that went a progressive liberal disenchantment with Third World causes in general. [...]

In short, what the consumer of news and oil sensed was an unprecedented potential for loss and disruption, with no face or visible identity to it. All the United States knew was that what we took for granted was about to be taken from us. We could no longer drive our cars the way we used to; our comforts and habits were undergoing a radical and most unwelcome change. Oil, the actual material question, remained vague in comparison with the threat of losing it [...]. Robed Arabs, fantastically moneyed and well-armed, appeared obtrusively everywhere in the West. The suddenness of Islam's capacity to trouble the United States in the mid-1970s was a disturbing concomitant of our lack of knowledge about its past and identity. A large number of Islamic states, personalities, and presences passed impercepibly into the general consciousness, from the status of barely acknowledged existence to that of "news."

As a result, everywhere one encounters it, the image of Islam today is an unrestrained and immediate one. There is an unstated assumption that the proper name "Islam" denotes a simple thing to which one can refer immediately, as one refers to "democracy," or to a person, or to an institution like the Catholic Church. A noteworthy instance is an essay by Michael Walzer in the December 8, 1979, issue of the New Republic. Walzer's title is "The Islam Explosion," and he deals, as a self-confessed layman, with a number of important, if largely violent and unpleasant, twentieth-century events — in the Philippines, Iran, Palestine, and elsewhere — which, he argues, can be interpreted as instances of the same thing, Islam. What these events have in common, according to Walzer, is first that they show a persistent pattern of political power encroaching on the West; second, that they are all generated out of a frightening moral fervor; and third, that these events shatter "the thin (colonialist) facade of liberalism, secularism, socialism or democracy."

In all three of these common characteristics it is "Islam" that can be discerned, and this "Islam" is a force that overrides the distances in time and space that separate all these events. By the end of his essay Walzer has convinced himself that when he says the word Islam he is talking about a real object called Islam, an object so immediate as to make any mediation or qualifications applied to it seem supererogatory fussiness. With this immediacy goes the tendency to treat Islam as something without a history of its own. If a history is conceded to it, that history seems pointless.

"Inside Islam: How the press missed the story in Iran." Edward W. Said. Harper's Magazine, January 1981.

One trip for one thing isn't conservation.

Do you know one of the best ways to make your gasoline go farther? Plan ahead. Don't waste gas on separate shopping trips. Combine several short ones into one efficient long one. Remember, your car's engine works more efficiently after it's been warmed up. So if you can increase the average length of your trips from one mile to four miles, you can save up to 60% on your average cost per mile.

Inside cover, Harper's Magazine, January 1981.

[short-wooloo]

Now that the trailer is out, it's probably best that I get this out of the way before acolyte releases

The Jedi are right about the Force and the dark side

The Jedi did not lose their way

The Jedi were not corrupted

The genocide of the Jedi was not their fault

The Jedi are not wrong for being part of the Republic, it is in fact a good thing

The Jedi are not arrogant for thinking the sith are gone

and while we're at it the sith are evil, always, end of discussion

The Jedi do not steal children

If someone wants to leave the Jedi, that's allowed, no one will stop them

The Jedi are right about attachment

Attachment is not love (SW uses the Buddhist definition because Lucas is a Buddhist and the Jedi are based off Buddhist monks, Buddhism defines attachment as being possessive or unwilling to let go of people or things)

The Jedi do not forbid emotions, they forbid being controlled by your emotions, you must control them

The Jedi are not forbidden from loving people, nor are they celibate, they just can't get married (big whup) because their duties must come first

Being peacekeepers doesn't preclude the Jedi from fighting in war, sometimes to keep the peace you have to fight back, especially when its against tyranny, see WWII (or Ukraine today)

Gray jedi are not a thing

The Jedi are not slavers or complicit in slavery

Oh and of course, the Jedi are not elitists for not training non Force sensitives, (Han voice) that's not how the Force works, dave filoni broke the rules so he could shoehorn sabine into a Jedi (to give the benefit of the doubt, I do believe sabine's role as ahsoka's apprentice was meant for an original character but things got condensed by executives, so maybe filoni isn't entirely to blame here)

(Edit)

The Jedi are not cops

The Jedi are not the government/the rulers of the Republic/galaxy

The Jedi do not persecute other Force groups

Padawans are not child soldiers

Feel free to add anything I forgot

Do not, DO NOT!! add anything Jedi critical, I'm done with it and won't hear it, don't have something nice to say? Then go away, I will block on sight, either reblog without comment (either in the reblog or the notes) or don't interact at all