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murderandjambalaya · 2 months ago

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Stick figure hcs!!!

It’s been a while since I got on tumblr and I STILL haven't posted, like, anything about my hcs (except for old writing from before I switched accts & devices but SHUSH WE’RE NOT LOOKING AT THOSE), so here’s some stick-focused world building stuff (mostly the hollowheads)!

rambles. Very much rambles. Only some coherent rambles. This is your only warning.

WTF IS A GENDER

Most sticks are closer to drawings or computer programs than humans, and their perception of gender reflects this! A few sticks across the outernet might take on more traditionally human genders, but most sticks see gender and pronouns as a fluid extension of their personality and self-expression. How attached a stick is to their gender varies from each individual to the next. That being said, most stick figure “genders” are more like pronouns (or lack of them) + flavors. My flavor hcs for the sticks (or at least the ones I have a clear idea of) are: (EDIT - this was supposed to be gender flavors and it slowly flew away from that but it’s long enough that I don’t want to delete it. I am so sorry.)

Red- uses she/he, cat videos, brainrot, bright blue artificial dye, time-out corner, three yo-yos at once

Orange- uses xe/xem, Yippee, Power of Friendship, orange juice mixed with caffeine in a Monster Energy can, loaf of bread, Take On Me music video but make it cosmic horror

Yellow- uses she/they, raccoon covered in car grease holding a wrench, ridiculously thick goggles+gloves, tism, curious. A bit too curious. Why are you googling “how to get away with arson.”

Green- uses he/him, disaster bi, theater kid (only derogatory during the influencer arc), WHAT’S UP DEMONS, it’s ME, yaoiYA BOI, Siren by Kailee Morgue

Blue- uses all prns, witchcore, “my farmer gf- or as I like to call her, my crop top,” if their eyes open yk you’re fucked, LET HIM COOOKKKK, rhubarb & lemon, Willow from ToH, 🫵rehab

Ourple- uses he/they, moth, capitalism, product is dairy free (father has not returned with the milk yet), “hello, Zuko here,” you’re literally broke how do you have so many suits, anxiety, Cavetown, flower crowns, psychological warfare, “DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE A PLASTIC BAG*ugly sobbing*”, birb. Birb is love. Birb is life. grisp the birb.

Chosen- uses he/him (anything but ‘it’), Shadow the Hedgehog, Falling in Reverse, Transcendental Cha Cha by Tom Cardy but make it the seven stages of grief, Sobbing on the Ground, *pac man noises*, traumacore, Alan gave me depression bc he knew otherwise I would beat him in hand-to-hand combat at 14, eats pizza crust-first, coffee as dark and bitter as my soul, cornered stray dog, 🇺🇸F🇺🇸R🇺🇸E🇺🇸E🇺🇸D🇺🇸O🇺🇸M🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🍔🍔🍔🍔🍟🍟🍔🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸

Dark- uses he/they (‘it’ when the mission code is in control), Murder, “spider-man, spider-man, does whatever a- OH NO NOT THE CHILDREN,” the crackling sound of a circuit board being broken in half and emitting sparks, ✨extra✨, shoplifting from Hot Topic on a Thursday, I’m Gonna Kill Santa Clause by Danny Gonzalez, masculine but like in a peacock way, knife pronounced “kuh-NIFF-eey”, chaos, the Sillies (aka bloodlust so strong I could commit a felony. Perhaps even multiple felonies.)

Vic- uses she/her (annoying local qpr always wearing the same gender), a woman politician???!!/pos, I’ve been near you for five whole minutes when are you going to murder me already, wet cat, tears, fluffy blankets, bones, space, I miss my wife, Tails. I miss her a lot.

MT- uses he/him, musty crusty Old Man, *eyebrows widen in surprise*, Flashbacks to The War, beefing with literal children, Dad Jokes, dust, depression

Agent- no time to Gender, never beating the loyal dog allegations, lost all whimsy in The Great Fire of 1941, “I just wanna be part of your SYMPHONYYYY,” ink, crunchy, fucked-up lil guy/w bg explosions for dramatic effect, IM SMITH SHADY YES IM THE REAL SHADY ALL YOU OTHER SMITH SHADIES ARE JUST IMITATING SO WONT THE REAL SMITH SHADY PLEASE STAND UP PLEASE STAND UP PLEASE STAND UP

Mitsi- uses she/her, Girlboss, actually the woman ever, paint, daffodils, ashes, earl grey tea, :3 “friend-shaped”

Gold- uses all prns, ash baby, space but it’s a liquid that will suck you into it, LET ME OUT, crayons, cotton, sunlight, glitter, sand, Minecraft end poem

Corndog guy- money, corndogs, repressed godhood, Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan

Did any of that make any sense? Admittedly, no. Am I saying that if you bit into Red, you would taste artificial blue dye and cat videos? Yes. Absolutely. For added fun, read these like Ao3 tags.

WTF ARE THE HOLLOWHEADS

In my hcs, the hollowheads are not siblings *coughcoughchodarkpropaganda*. However, Vic and Cho are practically twins. Why? A hollowhead’s physical appearance (since I usually draw them like Fleshy Human People) is mostly determined by their creator’s intentions when creating them. Alan can only see them in stick form, so their appearance being shaped by his intentions is kinda like how ppl have hcs of their ocs that are still a part of them even though they’re only in the creator’s head and haven’t been drawn yet. Vic and Cho are so similar bc they’re only in we’re both drawn as punching bags, even though Cho was a challenge and Vic was a training dummy. Sec didn’t actually have a comprehensible mortal form until xey found RGBY (just picture an Eldridge Horror exploring Alanspc when TSC was first introduced) bc Alan created xem without any intent to make xem alive or any idea of what xey’d be for who xey’d be, so TSC is Art. Literally. Xey embody art itself. That’s why xeir whole green glowy power is so effective, it’s not meant to be an offensive measure, but a large part of the outernet IS art, so xey have a very wide range of control (or xey would have, if it was what xe wanted when xe realized it. Xey find more purpose and joy in just existing with xeir friends. Xey connect and create. It’s xeir whole thing).

A hollowhead’s appearance is also heavily shaped by the attachments they make, most notably their secondary colors. Their second color reflects the deepest attachment they make. When a hollowhead is first created, before they make any attachments, their second color is clear. The hollowheads’ pupil/irises being different colors would also make them blind until they form an attachment (light passes through clear stuff instead of being absorbed by it), and by that logic, even while attached, most hollowheads are some form of colorblind. Vic has never not been blind while Dark is the only hollowhead with Rainbow Premium™️. Second’s secondary color is Green, Chosen’s is red, Dark’s is black, and Vic’s was white but faded mostly back to clear with hints of silver (after Misti’s death, Vic kinda self-isolated and got addicted to the VR memory tech). Attachments forming appearances is also the reason why Sec is the only one with a cursor ahoogie. Vic has a large, cursor-shaped scar on their back. It fades while Mitsi helps her heal, but starts growing again once she starts blaming the cursor for Mitsi’s death. Sometimes, during her really bad flashbacks, her old cursor scars will start to show up on her skin, even though she has a new body with no scars each time she’s drawn. Chosen still has all his cursor scars. They function like normal scars. During his terrorist years, Cho also gained a “halo” after seeing the one on the Angel of Death poster. With each attack, he’d gain a few small, jagged, triangular red arrows floating around his head. Dark thought they looked cool, but Chosen would sometimes feel like they were poking him. Cho would gain more arrows per attack as the destruction went on, having an overcrowded full-on halo by the time he stopped killing sticks. It hurts a lot, these days. Sometimes, when the sunlight hits it just right, the halo flashed purple. Although his other powers remained unaffected, Chosen’s fire started to burn a little redder after escaping the PC. After the Showdown, it sometimes burns his hands. Just a little, not so much that he can’t use it anymore. It just hurts when he does. The same thing happened with Dark’s fireballs. They got darker as time went on. Dark only has a few scars. The star-shaped one on his neck only gets deeper. When under the mission code’s influence, Dark’s secondary color reverts to clear and the whites of their eyes go black. With the virabands on, Dark’s pupil/irises turn red. During the Showdown, they had red pupils and black eyes. The virabands also project six small screens in front of their face which look like eyes with the same coloration. These projections act as a targeting system for the virabots, give quick stats on how many are functional, track the location of the other band if only one is being worn, and look really fucking cool (according to Dark).

OK THAT’S PROBABLY ENOUGH FOR ONE POST, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!

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fastcardotmp3 · 2 years ago

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“Where am I going?”

“Eddie—”

“Give me the goddamn room number or— or doctor’s name or— fuckin’—”

“Just slow down, take a breath, okay?” Nancy Wheeler is a level presence, which is ironic Eddie thinks, considering he’s watched her commit multiple felonies even outside of an active apocalyptic situation.

She’s holding his hand, but he can’t feel it past the aching numbness of uncertainty running through his veins. She’s talking to him as she leads him through the lobby and towards a bank of industrial silver elevators, but he can’t hear her over the chaos of the past hour.

He was on the air when he got the page, a mug of coffee in hand since he isn’t used to DJing the early morning shows quite yet and a quite frankly sick lineup of songs ready to help his listeners start the day.

He was on air, still, when his vocal cords seized up, when he left dead air hanging for a full three seconds before his co-host was able to jump in and take over for him.

He was on air, when his pager buzzed on the desk and he was on air, too, when the little window screamed—

911-STEVE

—and then he wasn’t on air anymore.

Eddie didn’t grab his coat, which he doesn’t even realize until this moment, striding down the endless halls of Community North on Nancy’s heels.

He didn’t do much of anything, he doesn’t think, can’t even recall whether or not he explained where he was going, why he was leaving work in the middle of the show, why his hands were trembling and his voice cracking and his breath stuttering.

A 911 page and a call at a payphone just long enough to find out which hospital, Nance I can be there— I’ll be there, and Eddie blacked out, went into full autopilot, almost slipped on black ice in the parking lot twice and cursed the insurance company for not letting him get a new prosthesis for another two months at least four times after that and drove.

He doesn’t remember driving. He doesn’t remember parking.

He’s going to wonder, later, whether or not he locked his truck or even shut the goddamn door before he came barreling in through the ER entrance, but right now all he cares about is this—

“Nance, was it his head? Did he— Or burns, was it burns—?”

Nancy grabs him by both shoulders and drags him to a stop square in front of a door with the blinds drawn over the narrow window. She looks him in the eye.

If Steve were dead, she wouldn’t be looking him in the eye.

steddie | 2.6k words | rated T | angst with a happy ending

Steve is injured in a fire. His ex-boyfriend gets a call. It was supposed to be easier this way.

read on ao3

🩵for my beloved louseph @cheatghost whom I am grateful to have met in this corner of the internet every single day of my silly little life, please accept this as the Biggest Warmest Kiss during these cold, cold months 🩵

#dot fic #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #firefighter!steve harrington #KISSES YOU KISSES YOU KISSES YO-#bbs exchange

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4c-aperture · 4 months ago

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s3e1 fan event episode liveblog

work almost made me late for this and when i say i would’ve committed a FELONY—

ALANNA CAN THROW HANDS?! like not just magic but ACTUAL HANDS?!?! BITCH !!!

NOT IVONN?!?!?!

moiraine saved siuan and then they had a prolonged eye contact i am going to FUCKING combust

ohhh the shattered hall looking like the shattered ishmael seal >>>

THATS THE COLD OPEN?!?! i need to lie down omg ._.

this cunty little outfit egwene is in >>>

THE MUSCLES DRAWN ON MATT SJDJFJSJC

“You’re going to get speared” “god i hope so” YESSS MEN GET PEGGED AGENDA!!!

LANFEARRRRRRR !!!!!!

“to be honest it’s the only thing i like about you” OKAY TOXIC YURI !!!!

“i go through the arches. today” chile this season is MOVING. MY GOD TODAY.

AVILAYNE THIS EARLY?!?!?!

knight/princess dynamic iktr

EGWENE AS THE FUCKING AMYRLIN SEAT?! BITCH?!?!?!?!

“another!” okay Thor!!!

when i said “we might get an avilayne kiss before a siuanraine reunion” BITCH I WAS KIDDING?!?!

AND MORE THAN KISSING I KNOW TF THATS RIGHT!!!!

“you can at least tell me if it was good or bad” i was not expected to be as affected as i am by egwene and rand but god. GOD.

“it’s difficult to know the difference between medicine and poison with you.” “the difference is the dosage and the wisdom’s patience” 🥺🤣🥺

…well I can’t say this is what you want when multiples of your lover pop out the cut

im so enamored with rand and egwene as Partners. not as romantic partners, but as equals in battle

alright what the FUCK is a grey man. is this like evil angelic possession (bc it needs consent)?

and from the sneak peak at the end:

“violence never ends until someone says stop.” using the way of the leaf as a guide for fighting. hmm. this could go well or very VERY terribly.

#wot #wot s3 #avilayne #siuanraine #moiraine x siuan #the wheel of time #wot on prime

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 5 months ago

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Stay focused on the unfolding coup!

February 3, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

Over the weekend, Trump concluded that imposing the stupidest tariffs in history would distract the American press from reporting on an ongoing coup to overthrow constitutional order in the US.

Trump's plan worked.

He jingled some car keys and used a green laser to distract the short-attention-span journalists and lap-dog media owners from saying the most important and urgent thing out loud: The US Constitution is under assault and needs help from Congress, from the courts, and from the American people.

I will discuss the potentially ruinous tariffs below, but they are an afterthought if we hand over control of $3 trillion in tax revenue to a clueless billionaire and a handful of twenty-something software engineers who have hijacked the US Treasury.

Musk and his street gang of Silicon Valley engineers have found a way to circumvent Congress, the president, and the executive branch by stealing the nation’s checkbook—and the media appears not to give a damn. In close second place in the “What? Me worry?” Olympics are our representatives in Congress.

Trust me, I am gravely concerned about the stability of financial markets on Monday as the world wakes up to a global trade war. But only Donald Trump could think that tanking the world economy is a good cover for a coup against the US Constitution.

Candidly, I feel like I am caught in the Hitchcock’s movie “Gaslight,” in which those of us raising the alarm about Musk’s putsch are viewed as suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. It is not enough for the media to report on the various and sundry ways that Trump and Musk are undermining constitutional order. Those disparate elements are part of an overarching plan laid out in Project 2025 to overthrow the “administrative state.” The first step in that plan necessarily involves circumventing and suspending the Constitution—which is happening at a breakneck speed.

What is most appalling is that Musk is brazenly publicizing his overthrow of the Constitution in real time on Twitter and the media still cannot rouse themselves to exhibit a modicum of concern about the threat of a coup, let alone outrage.

Here is the most important development: Over the weekend, Musk posted on Twitter that his DOGE team was “rapidly shutting down payments to federal contractors.” See Bloomberg, Musk Says DOGE Is Halting Treasury Payments to US Contractors.

Musk included screenshots of information that appeared to be taken from the US Treasury payments system. The payments were to a Lutheran charity with a federal contract for the resettlement of refugees admitted in accordance with US law. (The payments were posted by Michael Flynn on Twitter, and retweeted by Musk.)

Musk wrote on Twitter that “The corruption and waste are being rooted out in real-time,” saying that DOGE is “rapidly shutting down” payments to a Lutheran charity. (See Bloomberg article, above.)

To be clear, Musk has no authority to decide that congressionally appropriated funds constitute “corruption and waste.” If corruption and waste exist, there is an entire federal system designed to identify, stop, and punish those involved. But simply unilaterally declaring that appropriations will be canceled on the whim of one person who is not involved in the appropriations process is the very definition of a coup.

The fact that Musk retweeted information that appeared to be from the US Treasury payments system is deeply troubling. If that information was obtained by illegally downloading protected information from government servers, multiple felonies were committed as part of a conspiracy against the United States.

Worse, the seizure of the US payments system by rogue actors will likely lead to a downgrading of the US credit rating.

If the US cannot be trusted to pay debts of the US that were validly incurred pursuant to congressional appropriation, no outside contractor should do business with the US.

The Lutheran charity in question has incurred debts—payroll, purchases of goods, rent—all pursuant to a federal contract to resettle refugees. Musk has decided resettlement services are “fraudulent” or “wasteful” and claims to be “rapidly shutting down payments” to contractors like the Lutheran charity.

I have drifted into too much detail, so let me reiterate the most important point: Neither Musk nor Trump have the authority to override congressional appropriations. Doing so violates Article I of the Constitution and the Impoundment Act of 1974. These events do not suggest a good faith dispute over the interpretation or application of the Constitution. They are a premeditated, deliberate attempt to overthrow the Constitution.

Another egregious example occurred over the weekend. USAID is a congressionally created agency within the executive branch that distributes foreign aid for humanitarian purposes across the globe. The funds distributed by USAID are appropriated by Congress by duly enacted law.

Musk and Trump appeared to have effectuated a hostile takeover and dissolution of USAID. Over the weekend, the Musk street gang of engineers tried to gain access to USAID computers. The managers at USAID refused on the grounds that the Musk Street gang members were not authorized to access the systems. In short order, those USAID managers were put on leave—and Musk gained access to the USAID computers. Shortly thereafter, the USAID website went dark. Check it out for yourself: www.usaid.gov.

See generally, ABC News, Turmoil inside USAID: DOGE reps take over offices, senior officials placed on leave.

Shortly after Musk engineered the beer-hall putsch against USAID, he posted on Twitter:

"USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”

If USAID is shuttered, it will not only be the agency that dies. As noted in the NYTimes,

In famine-stricken Sudan, soup kitchens that feed hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in a war zone have shut down. In Thailand, war refugees with life-threatening diseases have been turned away by hospitals and carted off on makeshift stretchers. In Ukraine, residents on the frontline of the war with Russia may be going without firewood in the middle of winter. Some of the world’s most vulnerable populations are already feeling President Trump’s sudden cutoff of billions of dollars in American aid that helps fend off starvation, treats diseases and provides shelter for the displaced.

Like congressional appropriations, neither Musk nor Trump have the authority to unilaterally shut down USAID or impound its funding. See Just Security, Can the President Dissolve USAID by Executive Order? Spoiler alert: The answer is “No.”

Providing US humanitarian aid is justified because it is morally right. But it also serves US strategic purposes by building alliances across the globe. If the US ceases humanitarian aid in Africa, China will fill the void in one way or another, including military aid and economic investment. Trump and Musk are burning bridges that connect the US to the world.

The point is that the unfolding coup is concentrating the wealth and influence of the US in two ignorant narcissists who care about only themselves. That is a recipe for disaster.

We must keep hammering our representatives in Congress to rise to the moment. Their muted, business-as-usual approach to date is unacceptable. If you are looking for immediate steps to take, follow Jessica Craven on Chop Wood Carry Water, and become involved in Indivisible, Swing Left, and other grassroots movements. Or support Democracy Forward, Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the Brennan Center for Justice, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Common Cause, the ACLU, and other justice organizations.

And to the leaders of grassroots organizations and members of Congress: The American people are primed to take action. Do not let the moment pass. Rally us, direct us, support us, and lead us. We will follow.

Oh, and in case members of Congress are wondering, now is the absolute worst time to ask us to “Please chip in $5.00 so I can fight for democracy.” Stop trying to fundraise off a crisis. Take care of the crisis and worry about the fundraising later.

Trump ignites tariff war

Trump imposed 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on China. To the surprise of no one, Canada, Mexico, and China retaliated with similar tariffs. The Wall Street Editorial Board penned an editorial entitled, The Dumbest Trade War in History.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave moving remarks that highlighted the risks to the American economy. Trudeau said,

From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you during your darkest hours.

This is a choice that yes, will harm Canadians, but beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people. As I have consistently said, tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly plants and other manufacturing facilities. They will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery stores and gas at the pump. They will impede your access to an affordable supply of vital goods crucial for U.S. security . . .

As I write Sunday evening, the world’s futures markets are tumbling as investors realize that, “Yes, Trump really is stupid enough to start a trade war.” See MarketWatch, Dow futures tumble, oil surges after Trump tariffs end ‘self-delusion in markets’.

Per Market Watch,

U.S. stock-index futures opened sharply lower and oil prices jumped Sunday night and investors braced for volatility across financial markets after President Donald Trump over the weekend announced heavy tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China.

Analysts said the sweeping tariffs, including levies of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico, 10% on energy products from Canada and an additional 10% tariff on China, would rattle investors who had previously appeared to hold out hope that Trump was using the threat of steep levies as a bargaining chip or would take a slower, gradual approach.

Trump acknowledged on Sunday that the tariffs would likely cause Americans to “feel some pain.” See AP, Trump says Americans could feel 'some pain' from tariffs as he threatens more import taxes.

The outright admission by Trump that his policies will “increase the price of eggs” flatly contradicts his campaign promises to end inflation and reduce prices. Here is what Trump said in his first interview after winning in 2024:

I won on the border, and I won on groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down.

Trump's tariffs are likely to hit the price of groceries immediately and directly—because major produce farmers have relocated from the US to Mexico and Canada because Trump's immigration policies resulted in labor shortages in the US. As noted in the WSJ editorial, above,

Tariffs will also cause mayhem in the cross-border trade in farm goods. In fiscal 2024, Mexican food exports made up about 23% of total U.S. agricultural imports while Canada supplied some 20%. Many top U.S. growers have moved to Mexico because limits on legal immigration have made it hard to find workers in the U.S. Mexico now supplies 90% of avocados sold in the U.S.

Sadly, Trump plans to make a bad situation worse. He is now threatening tariffs against the UK and the EU. See The Guardian, Trump says EU tariffs will ‘definitely happen’ as Mexico, Canada and China retaliate.

It seems inevitable that Trump's tariffs will increase prices and decrease the retirement savings of tens of millions of Americans. We must make that point clearly and forcefully without throwing it in the faces of Trump supporters, who will suffer along with the rest of America. We will need their votes in 2026 and 2028. Being right is no consolation for our collective suffering. We are in this together.

Concluding Thoughts

There are many other important stories that deserve comment, but the ongoing coup and market-destabilizing sanctions are enough for now. Indeed, part of Trump's strategy is to flood the zone with so many outrageous stories that we become weary and look away. Let’s stay focused on the most important story—the ongoing, slow-rolling, inside-the-building effort to overthrow the Constitution.

I have followed the news very closely since November 2016 to write this daily missive. In all that time, there has been nothing like the last two weeks. It harkens back to 2017 when we first began to realize how bad it would be under Trump, when every morning began with a pit in the stomach as we asked, “Oh god, what has he tweeted now?”

But this time around, it is not just tweets—it is cuts to programs that are a lifeline to millions of Americans, it is denying the existence and dignity of LGBTQ+ Americans, it is denying women access to healthcare, it is about endangering the health and safety of millions of Americans.

So, if you are suffering from a renewed sense of dread, take strength from the fact that we survived the first time around. And take heart from the fact that tens of millions of Americans are battle-tested, dedicated defenders of democracy. Things feel worse at the moment because we are still finding our bearings in the first weeks of the new administration. But we will find our bearings—and when we do, watch out!

We will organize ourselves and bring the full force of the majority of Americans to bear on Musk and Trump. And when we do, there is nothing that can stop us—not even roving street gangs of software engineers who are not old enough to have witnessed the American people at their finest.

Musk and Trump have made the grave mistake of underestimating the American people. That is a mistake that most adversaries of American democracy make only once.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

#Robert B. Hubbell #Robert B. Hubbell newsletter #coup #the US Constitution #The USA #democracy #Musk #money #USA #Hostile takeover

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misfitwashere · 5 months ago

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February 3, 2025

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

FEB 3

LISTEN TO POST · 20:19

Over the weekend, Trump concluded that imposing the stupidest tariffs in history would distract the American press from reporting on an ongoing coup to overthrow constitutional order in the US.

Trump's plan worked.

Worse, the seizure of the US payments system by rogue actors will likely lead to a downgrading of the US credit rating.

If the US cannot be trusted to pay debts of the US that were validly incurred pursuant to congressional appropriation, no outside contractor should do business with the US.

See generally, ABC News, Turmoil inside USAID: DOGE reps take over offices, senior officials placed on leave.

Shortly after Musk engineered the beer-hall putsch against USAID, he posted on Twitter:

"USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”

If USAID is shuttered, it will not only be the agency that dies. As noted in the NYTimes,

The point is that the unfolding coup is concentrating the wealth and influence of the US in two ignorant narcissists who care about only themselves. That is a recipe for disaster.

#pay no attention to the man behind the curtain #Robert Hubbell

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emma-frxst · 23 days ago

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Smooth Criminal (19/21)

Pairing: Colossus x reader

Summary- you've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal.

Piotr falls in love with you, an art historian. He doesn't know that you have a secret double life as an ex-spy turned art thief selling your stolen art to Sebastian Shaw. What happens when your two worlds collide?

No tags on this one because I am so tired. I'll tag the last chapter so yall can catch up.

The Metal man looked rough, even in defense mode you could tell he was not in good shape.

You struggled for words as Colossus neared your bed.

He wouldn’t come too close though.

He kept his distance, like you were infected with a deadly disease and he would catch it if he came too close.

He was silent as he stared at you, taking in all of your stitches, cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

You swore if you ever saw him again you would apologize until you ran out of breath and then keep apologizing, assuring him you really did love him and didn’t mean to hurt him. But all you could do was lay there slack-jawed at the sight of him.

He remained silent as he stared at you.

You didn’t know what came over him, but suddenly his eyes glazed over as his body went stiff and he all but ran out of your room.

“Fuck!” You exclaimed, pinching your brow with the hand not in handcuffs.

“Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!!!”

“Ow.” you rasped, regretting the last ‘fuck!!’ It hurt to yell. Everything hurt.

The doctors said your injuries were healing just fine. You doubted colossus was healing just fine. You doubted that he was healing at all.

-much later-

You scratched at your neck again, the fabric of your clothes making you crazy.

Stupid suit

It was slightly too big on you, baggy in all the wrong places. Your lawyer lent it to you since all your belongings were still considered evidence.

“I understand your client wishes to read a letter?” The words spoken by judge Claremont brought your attention back to your case. You liked your daydream about Colossus better.

“Yes, your honor.” Your lawyer said, giving you the go ahead.

You stood up, looking around the court room for the final time before being officially sentenced. It was pretty empty. No jury, no large gallery like you had expected. Not like you’d see on television or movies.

“Thank you for the opportunity your honor.”

You turned to face the gallery; a few courthouse officials, police, other detectives, and the X -Force, minus Piotr.

You glanced at your paper, all the words seemed futile without the one person there you really needed to apologize to.

If you weren’t going to see him again what did it matter? Why apologize at all? You were a victim here. Well… kind of.

You folded up your paper without reading a single word on it.

“To the members of the X-Force, I want to say I am sorry. I never meant for this to happen. Uh-“

You stopped, your words leaving you.

“Yeah, I’m- I’m sorry. That’s all.”

The judge ordered you to keep standing while he read your sentencing.

And with that said and done, you were placed in handcuffs and hauled off to prison. Not jail, but prison. You did confess to multiple counts of grand larceny though, so maybe prison was warranted, right?

So you committed some felonies..big whoop.

You didn’t even feel guilty about the crimes. You only felt guilty that you got caught and it screwed up your life with Colossus.

#colossus #piotr rasputin #colossus x reader #piotr Rasputin x reader

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theserpentsadvocate · 1 year ago

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So I’ve been doing a lot of research (or, more accurately, I’ve been doing cursory research fairly often) for the seventy-million Veronica Mars fanfics I’m currently writing, and I’ve run into a… difficulty. The fic that actually prompted this post wasn’t even related to the Thumper thing even peripherally, like it doesn’t even happen in it, but what can you do.

Here’s the thing: under California law, assault is the attempt to hurt or cause harm to someone by an individual with the capacity to actually cause that harm (e.g. throwing a rock at someone and missing, trying to punch someone who dodges). Actually harming someone is battery (e.g. you knock someone out and hide their drug money inside their motorcycle).

Now we, the audience, know that whatever someone might feel morally*, Weevil isn’t legally guilty of murder – he committed battery, and that’s probably all Lamb can prove, because he has witnesses to that part. But he has witnesses. He should have Weevil over a barrel on the battery charge at least.

But here’s the sticking point (or one of them): Veronica says, canonically, that Weevil ‘pled down to assault’ (and he seems to agree with her). So… why did he end up doing time for a lesser charge?

Answer One: The writers messed up.

Okay, so this is a very unsatisfying answer, and I’m rolling my eyes at myself about it. But still: it’s very common for the general public to gloss ‘assault and battery’ as one thing, or to use ‘assault’ to refer to battery charges, doubly so since, in a non-legal sense, the word ‘assault’ does include (legal) battery. Probably whoever wrote that line assumed that they knew what ‘assault’ was and just didn’t double-check.

(And they also didn’t bother to brush up on the difference between a felony and a misdemeanour and whether you can be on parole for a misdemeanour (answer: no), but I’ll get to that.)

But that doesn’t help square everything up with canon (unless you’re the kind of person who can say stuff like ‘that line doesn’t make sense so I’m ignoring it’, which I… am not, generally speaking), so more productively –

Answer Two: Veronica messed up

Veronica’s attitude toward Weevil isn’t always great in season three, trending towards dismissive on several occasions, and she is, technically, a member of the general public, so maybe she just said assault and meant battery, and he did go to prison for battery and not assault. This would track with him still being on parole – well, at all, but notably about halfway through season three, when Veronica wants to meet with the PCHers – and mentioning his parole officer multiple times. (Simple assault is a misdemeanour and has a maximum sentence of six months; parole, unless there is a glaring hole in my Googling, is only for felonies. Nothing he does to Thumper, as far as I can tell, would qualify as felony assault – he doesn’t use caustic chemicals or a deadly weapon, and he definitely doesn’t throw anything at a moving vehicle.)

Misdemeanour battery, on the other hand, appears to have a maximum sentence of a year, and a battery charge would leave the possibility of a felony open: aggravated battery, or battery causing serious bodily harm, is a ‘wobbler’, which means it can be filed as a misdemeanour or a felony, depending on the circumstances, and ‘serious bodily harm’ includes loss of consciousness. (This would also mean he very well could be a convicted felon, which of course has implications for the rest of his life beyond just having a record. I don’t actually want this for him, obviously, but if you want the felony for fic reasons, or to explain the repeated parole references, that versatility is there.)

The only problem is, Veronica is not a very likely person to make this particular mistake. Her dad spent most of her life in law enforcement and she’s very well-acquainted with most law enforcement (and much legal) procedure, she regularly interacts with the sheriff’s department, and she commits enough illegal and dubiously legal acts herself that it’s in her best interest to be familiar with these kinds of distinctions. (Although she’s still very much protected by being a middle-class white woman – she can do things like tasing obnoxious frat bros in The Rapes of Graff without worrying overmuch that she’ll be arrested on misdemeanour battery charges, even though it would absolutely qualify.) Also, she clearly made the effort to look into how his case played out, since she’s the one who brings all this up, and she appears to have tracked him down at the car wash deliberately, so it would be kind of bizarre if she then got the offence wrong. This one is convenient, but in the end it’s a hard sell and I don’t think I buy it.

Answer Three: Weevil didn’t plead down from murder to assault, he pled down from battery to assault.

Lamb’s case for murder probably isn’t all that great. It makes for terrific oomph when you are deliberately arresting someone two minutes before he’s supposed to graduate, like an absolute monster, but what does he have, really? Two kids who saw Weevil knock Thumper out with… a cloth? Or something? and take a bag of… something. (And leave.)

So this proves battery, it strongly implies robbery, and given Thumper showing up under the ruins of Shark Stadium it certainly suggests murder, but that’s not going to stand up in court. Assuming the autopsy can conclusively determine which ones are from the stadium collapse and which aren’t (admittedly a big if), Thumper’s likely to have injuries from the beating the Fitzpatricks gave him that Weevil is (per the prosecution’s own witnesses) not responsible for and which were incurred after his attack on Thumper. The kids also saw him leave Thumper’s unconscious body and walk away with the bag of money, so – dead to rights on battery, but iffy on murder. The other PCHers can testify that he had motive to kill Thumper, but they might well not be willing to, for a whole host of reasons. Weevil is absolutely smart enough to establish himself an alibi for the entirety of the time after his attack on Thumper, and that would make Lamb’s case very difficult, as does that fact that Weevil literally didn’t kill Thumper, and so there’s very little forensic evidence to be found that would be damaging to him.

(Honestly, even if the charge was murder, and he pled down to assault or to battery, the fact that they offered him that also suggests the case was flimsy. Rich, white, even-more-innocent-of-the-actual-murder Logan only got offered manslaughter in the plea deal for Felix’s murder.)

So if this is it? That is a ton of reasonable doubt. And that’s before Cliff gets up there and points out that Eduardo Orozco was a known gang member and drug dealer and had all kinds of opportunities to make the kind of enemies who might have chained him up in that stadium (which is not only true but also… basically what did actually happen). In fact, typing this all up, I’m kind of pissed Weevil did any time at all.

Add to that the fact that both eyewitnesses are kids, who are notoriously unreliable on the stand… Yeah, I can easily see the DA deciding a murder charge won’t stick. But they have him on battery! …Wiiiith most of the proof being those notoriously unreliable child witnesses. So maybe they drop the murder charges, get him on battery, and then offer him a deal. On their side, they don’t have to worry about those kids holding up in court; on his side, well, if they threatened to file the aggravated battery charge as a felony, he’s looking at the difference between a year at most in prison and a possible four-year term with all the attendant miseries of being a convicted felon for the rest of his life. And he definitely can’t afford a better lawyer than whoever’s available from the public defender’s office. So it’s reasonable to decide that going to court is too much of a gamble, and just take the deal. This also explains how he’s out so quickly, since it cannot be more than three months since he was arrested when season three starts – but if he pled right away and got a light sentence (since it’s his first adult conviction), that might make sense.

The main problem with this one, even though I really like it, is that, well, there are the repeated references to him being on parole. Weevil himself could just be glossing probation as parole, I suppose – ‘don’t tell my parole officer’ makes a better joke than ‘don’t tell my probation officer’ – but Veronica also says he’s on parole in President Evil, which is an unlikely mistake for her to make if he’s not on parole, for all the reasons outlined in Answer Two, especially in what is literally a presentation for her criminology class. (Of course, in that same presentation she refers to him ‘assaulting’ Thumper, so who knows.) Most damning is the entire B-plot of Wichita Linebacker, which makes it clear he is indeed on parole, since if he doesn’t get another job he’ll go back to prison.

(And I suppose ‘pled down to assault’ is kind of a weird way for Veronica to phrase it in this case – but not utterly bizarre, and she’d be unlikely to spell it all out like that, since she doesn’t know she’s on TV and that line is supposed to be letting the audience know why he’s not in prison.)

Answer Four: Veronica was just guessing

I’ve always read the scene in Wichita Linebacker as her finding him on purpose, especially since she doesn’t actually stick around to get her car washed, which is why I also tend to assume that she’s either recently looked up his case or been following it from the beginning and would know what the charge is. (She doesn’t appear to be surprised to see him, either.) I also just… like to think that she’d care enough to follow up on him.

But it’s also possible that she really is just at the carwash for carwash-related reasons, and she’s just… guessing about the reasons he’s out already. In this case, she might have said assault, and he acknowledges this as correct even though the actual charge was battery, because he figures it’s close enough, and she’s got the general idea, anyway.

This covers more bases than anything else, although it still doesn’t explain why she implies he’s on parole for an assault charge during the criminology presentation, at which point she would definitely have done the background to know it was battery and not assault, but mostly I don’t love it for character reasons.

Anyway. If anyone wants to hit their heads repeatedly into this particular wall with me, I would love to hear your thoughts.

*and I’m inclined, personally, to say that the moral responsibility for Thumper’s death is pretty much on the Fitzpatricks, and it’s not like he didn’t know who he was getting into business with

#veronica mars #eli navarro #weevil navarro #non-tolkien meta #my own work

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yanderespamton78 · 1 year ago

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i just spent about 40 minutes searching up tutorials and running troubleshooted to try find out why my headphones werent working only to discover that i had them plugged into the microphone jack instead of the headphone jack

#im about to commit so many felonies #THEY WERE OUT OF SERVICE FOR MULTIPLE DAYS TOO #I AM SUCH A DUMBASS #I REALISED IT BY ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS GONNA USE A USB PLUG TO SEE IF THATD WORK AND #RUAUHHGHGH

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dankusner · 4 months ago

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JASON YAMAS | TWEAKERWORLD

"All fishies start small," he argues, "until they eat and eat some more because they don't know how to stop. And those who eat too much perish."

My eyes roll to the back of my skull.

Zander is the older brother I never had.

My querulous replies are equal parts obstinate and reverent.

I explain how I'm meant for this, how I've always been a pusher.

When I was ten, I started JRY Enterprises, a word-processing business, and convinced a local construction equipment rental company to commission my services in revamping its catalog.

I rolled those profits into a black-market Beanie Baby venture, wherein l'd buy a handful of Beanies from a Korean man at the farmers market who knew an insider at Ty, the company that produced them, who alerted him in advance which units Ty was about to "retire," which astronomically drove up their value.

The Korean merchant would tell me which six Beanies to buy in bulk, knowing only one was about to be retired.

I'd wait a few months to let scarcity enhance their value, then sell every retired unit (besides one) on eBay.

Sixth grade was the most profitable year of my life, until I made nearly $7,000 selling anti-Bush T-shirts during the Republican National Convention in New York during my first week at NYU when I was meant to be attending orientation.

"Just remember who you are," Zander says.

Zander advising me so sagaciously is further confirmation that we're meant to work together.

It's sweet and I'd like to say a tad surprising, but I detected his humanity under all those layers of defensiveness and Dior:

Little does he know, I'm already committed to remembering who I am.

Aside from being a hustler, I'm an actor and I'm a storyteller.

I've spent the past decade a stalwart champion for others' narratives, grinding so that my peers passion projects might prevail: the schizophrenic filmmaker, the narcissistic songwriter, the bipolar playwright.

If I've learned anything, it's that most artists need to be unhinged to be brilliant.

My turn.

"I'll make it a story," I tell him. "A screenplay!"

"It?" Zander bemusedly replies.

"Do you know about method acting?" I ask. "An actor preparing for a role as a car salesman might spend months actually selling cars.

They become the part in real life.

What writer has consciously become the protagonist of their own story simply by making a risky choice and allowing the arc to unfold?

It's reminiscent of Merce Cunningham!"

Zander's blank face reveals that he isn't familiar.

"The postmodernist choreographer." I continue.

"He'd roll a die to construct his dances, surrendering to chance, to the dance gods, as he called them."

Zander chuckles. "I've heard fucked-up tweaker logic in my time, but, honey, you take the cake."

"So," I ask, "you think it's a good idea?"

In a sardonic timbre, Zander replies, "Committing multiple felonies a day as research for a movie? Exposing every secret in our little bubble?

Oh, I think it's a splendid idea!"

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talkingpointsusa · 1 year ago

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Trial Derangement Syndrome

I am happy to report that former-president Donald J Trump is now convicted felon Donald J Trump. This makes Donald Trump the first US President ever convicted of felony crimes, although I can name a bunch of presidents off the top of my head who probably should have been convicted too. Odds are this won't stop Trump from running for president or really amount to a lot but it's still quite the footnote in history. I'm not pretending to be a legal expert nor do I believe that this is the strongest case presented against Donald Trump, however using the evidence available to me it's pretty clear that right-wing media is just making shit up on the fly about this.

The news that a criminal was found guilty of committing crimes has proven difficult for the law and order party so I figured we'd take a look at how some of our favorite goons and grifters are processing this news. Lets get into it.

Charlie Kirk:

There are few people in this bizarre right-wing media space more Trump obsessed than Charlie Kirk. I figured that he would be one of the first to have a meltdown over the verdict and I wasn't wrong. Charlie's working from home meaning that the audio is absolutely atrocious and it's also pretty clear that he's in one of his moods.

07:44, Charlie Kirk: "Donald Trump has now been convicted of 34 counts. They got what they wanted. They wanted to change his name. His name on his drivers license has been Donald John Trump, now he will be introduced on every cable broadcast as convicted felon Donald Trump. He has a new prefix to his name."

Charlie, there's a good chance that this goes to the Supreme Court and if that's the case it's likely that it will end up getting overturned. Furthermore, these types of charges rarely if ever result in jail time so odds are Trump will get a fine and maybe probation. Plus, he got that prefix honestly by committing fraud so this is a pretty moot point. I get to call convicted felons who committed crimes convicted felons.

In short, calm your tiny face down.

08:06, Charlie Kirk: "Now we've talked about for quite some time that this is a banana republic. You hear people saying that on television."

Those "people" being you, carry on.

08:18, Charlie Kirk: "Well just a few months ahead of the national election in 2021, Nicaragua, the police arrested seven opposition leaders within a single week, all of them for the vague crime for acting against the independence, sovereignty and auto-determination of the country."

This is a dumb comparison. For this comparison to make sense this trial would have had to not only be politically motivated which it wasn't but they would have arrested multiple figures in the Republican Party like MTG and Matt Gaetz. They would have also presumably hit Trump with more serious charges, arrested the Trump-leaning members of the Supreme Court, and left no room for him to appeal. None of that's happened because Charlie and right-wing media's idea of this trial is fantasyland nonsense.

10:26, Charlie Kirk: "What was fascinating to see, and I suppose this is one of the only silver linings, is the amount of people that were contacting me who are not Trump fans, that do not care for his politics. And they're angry, they're upset and they say what country are we living in?"

Whenever I watch Charlie Kirk I have to ask myself if this guy just gives out his phone number for fun. He always talks about how "oh yeah, I got all these texts from people who happen to perfectly confirm my political ideology...they live in Canada and you can't meet them".

Also, I'm sorry but there's absolutely no way that anybody who doesn't like Donald Trump is watching Charlie Kirk. The dude is literally wearing a MAGA cap as he records this episode. Charlie Kirk's entire show is just him getting high off of Donald Trumps boot polish. Maybe he got emails from people claiming to not be Trump fans but come on.

10:55, Charlie Kirk: "The way that our system of justice should operate is that picture of Lady Liberty. It should be blind. That idea is that nobody is above the law and that no one is below the law. Meaning that you should equally apply justice regardless of who you are."

First of all, that symbol isn't a "picture of lady liberty" you clod. What you are trying to refer to is Lady Justice which has been a symbol of the justice system for decades.

That's a petty complaint though because the bigger point here is that Charlie should be all for this trial by his logic. Trump was caught committing a crime, was convicted by a jury of his peers, and now has the opportunity to appeal like everybody else. The picture of lady liberty at it's finest.

11:20, Charlie Kirk: "Now, I would not get too fired up today if Donald Trump was convicted by a jury of his peers for I don't know, flying on Lolita Express to a mysterious Carribean Island with a financier named Jeffrey Epstein."

Brining up Epstein when you're defending Trump is a ballsy move Charlie. I'll just leave this picture here:

Hmmm, looking pretty palsy with this Epstein guy. I wonder if Charlie's upset about that.

And this statistic here: Epstein's flight logs show that Trump flew on the Lolita Express multiple times. You know, the thing that Charlie would be pissed about if Donald Trump did. He probably just forgot about that.

And this quote straight from the horses mouth here: “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

So yeah, I expect Charlie to devote his next episode to denouncing Donald Trump since it appears that Trump crossed his line in the sand. So, this guy Charlie is whinging and whining about Trump and he's just kind of making shit up.

12:51, Charlie Kirk: "What actually is his crime? We must be morally clear about this. His crime is that he wanted this country to get back to greatness."

And he committed fraud, don't forget that Charlie.

13:03, Charlie Kirk: "The crime is that he was successful in leading an American revival."

Still missing the fraud part but OK. Hey, remember that time when Trump botched the response to the pandemic and millions of American's ended up dying? I guess that's Charlie's idea of an American revival.

It wouldn't be making fun of Charlie Kirk without a wildly inappropriate and awkward ad pivot so here you go.

16:58, Charlie Kirk: "Yesterday is a day unlike any other. It will go down in the memory of the nation like the JFK Assassination, like 9/11. It'll go down like the 2008 financial crisis, like COVID, it will go down like the 2016 election. You will remember where you were on May 30. Relieffactor.com, 100% drug free Relief Factor. Knee pain, back pain, joint pain, elbow pain, check it out right now at relieffactor.com."

If Trump's conviction is like 9/11 that makes Charlie Kirk the asshole who's plugging pain meds on 9/11. So, that basically sums up the Charlie Kirk Show - the usual deranged nonsense. I still feel kind of uninformed about why this trial was rigged and politically motivated, let's take a look at someone who actually studied law. Surely he can explain this.

Ben Shapiro:

So, Ben went to law school at Harvard and used to be a "never-Trumper" so I kind of assumed that he'd take the L on this one. Nope, still BENding the knee and sucking around Donald Trump because a lot of Ben's followers would unsubscribe if he spoke out against him.

00:00, Ben Shapiro: "Late on Thursday afternoon, American Democracy came under extraordinary threat when a New York jury, twelve New Yorkers, decided to convict Donald Trump."

That's how trials work Ben. If Trump was found not guilty that would also be a valid verdict. And again, if there was something truly wrong with the trial Trump can absolutely appeal. You would think that if these guys had a point they'd just state Donald Trump's defense. You'd think that if Trump had a point he'd take the stand and set the record straight about what actually happened. None of that happened which is not a problem for the brilliant legal mind of Ben Shapiro.

00:40, Ben Shapiro: "This was all set up to convict Donald Trump simply so that Democrats could either jail Donald Trump or spend the next few months declaring Donald Trump a convicted felon."

Yeah, you probably see where this is going. Man, these guys are truly all the same person aren't they? To Ben's credit, he does try to make a legal argument here.

00:53, Ben Shapiro: "The actual methodology by which he was found guilty is utterly uncertain. As we discussed a little bit earlier today, the reality is that there were two crimes alleged. A misdemeanor falsification of business records which would not have resulted in any possible jailtime but that was reliant to become a felony on other, on other, crimes. Unspecified crimes. And those crimes could have been a violation of federal finance law except that Donald Trump clearly did not violate federal finance law. Not only that, the federal government never even bothered to charge him with violating federal finance law, federal election law, in 2016. Check your calendar, it is currently 2024 and the case that New York just made is effectively that Donald Trump violated election law in 2016, falsified business records in 2017, and somehow despite the fact that the statute of limitations has run already this is now a class-e felony in the state of New York lengthening the statute of limitations."

First of all, sentencing hasn’t happened yet so it’s not even certain if Donald Trump will receive jail time or not. Ben's really making declarations that haven't been backed up by fact yet.

Trump is being charged with the felony version of falsifying business records with the intent to conceal another crime which is a felony charge. While Trump did commit this felony in 2017, New York State law states that the clock on the statute of limitations stops when the defendant is continuously out of state. As a result, it's legally plausible that the time Trump's spent in Mar-A-Lago and the White House do not count against the clock. There's certainly debate to be had about the legal theory behind this but Ben's not really operating on FACTS AND LOGIC and completely leaving out parts of the case. Again, Trump and his team had the opportunity to present a better defense for his actions instead of whining on Truth Social but that didn't happen.

The “unspecified crimes” are all specified. There’s a lengthy lengthy document specifying all thirty four of the charges. The crimes which Trump intended to conceal are also specified. Again, Ben went to Harvard Law School so I would hope that he's just grifting here.

03:03, Ben Shapiro: "I don't think the American people are gonna stand for this. I think that if Joe Biden believes this is gonna somehow redound to his benefit rather than appearing as a politically motivated hitjob on his political opponent in an unprecedented prosecution of the man most likely to take him out of office in November, I think he's got another thing coming."

There is absolutely zero evidence that Biden was in anyway involved in the prosecution of Donald Trump. That's just something that right-wing media has attempted to force into reality without anything backing it up outside of feelings. Unfortunately, facts don't care about Ben's feelings and I implore him to dig up some evidence before making hefty claims like that.

06:49, Ben Shapiro: "The fact that we are even considering this is totally and utterly insane. Again, we keep being told by the media that Merchan is unlikely to sentence him to any jailtime because he wouldn't want to be the man who puts the chief Republican Candidate in prison - I think precisely the reverse. I think Democrats truly believe that if they throw Trump in jail that the American people will surrender to the Biden administration and if that's the case, this is in fact a thwarting of basic standards of Democracy."

"Hey guys, if this hypothetical scenario that I just presented without any evidence to back it up is indeed correct that would be a thwarting of Democracy."

Yeesh, I thought that Ben Shapiro wasn't supposed to base his positions on his feelings. But yeah, I don't think that Trump's going to get any jailtime. Between his age, the fact that he's a first time offender, and all the political baggage the likelihood of Trump being thrown behind bars is slim at best. Like I said before, he'll probably get a fine and maybe probation at worst. Plus, I doubt this changes much in the grand scheme of things. Trump supporters will remain Trump supporters and people who hate Trump will continue to hate Trump.

Ok, we've seen the perspective of the sycophant and the legal mind, now let's see the perspective of the professional sociopath.

Matt Walsh:

Here's another one of these Daily Wire goons yelling about the trial. Matt Walsh has a brilliant response to the conviction - clog up the justice system with useless trials against Democrats so that he can get revenge!

01:51, Matt Walsh: "Donald Trump as you have certainly heard by now has been convicted. The verdict is in, guilty. Guilty of all 34 felony counts of running for re-election."

This sets the tone of Matt's coverage here, again they're all the same person. I wonder if these guys all get propaganda memos that state what they're supposed to say.

03:29, Matt Walsh: "As I outlined last week, in order to convict Donald Trump it was not enough to show that he had supposedly falsified a business record, the government also had to show that Trump had falsified those records in furtherance of some other crime but what was the other crime?"

Matt Walsh's "What is a Conviction?" coming soon to DailyWire+

I'll help our confused friend of the blog Matt Walsh out and explain what the other crime was. The prosecution argued that the other crime was the intent to cover up the true nature of his payments to Michael Cohen as well as his violation of New York State probation law on conspiring “to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.”

So, one of the other things that right-wing media is whinging about is the jury instructions. Naturally, they need some way to discredit the fact that a jury that was picked by the prosecution and the defense found Donald Trump guilty. Well, lets see what Matt comes up with.

07:17, Matt Walsh: "Now, which circular incoherent conspiracy did the jury buy? Who knows, the judge didn't require them to make that decision unanimously. Each juror could have picked a different crime to convict Trump of committing."

This is completely false. In actuality, Merchan told the jury that they had to reach a unanimous verdict on each of the 34 felony counts however they could consider the three ways which the concealing another crime law was broken and they didn't have to be unanimous on that. Meaning that if they did reach a guilty verdict and agreed on all of the 34 charges that Trump was actually being tried for, they could all have differing opinions on what he was concealing. The 34 counts were what the trial was about and those obviously had to be unanimous.

So, this Matt Walsh show is super reactionary but it's also extraordinarily lazy. Here's Matt advocating for revenge later in the video without doing you know, a google search.

20:04, Matt Walsh: "Now the necessary response is obvious, although it won't be pleasant. Donald Trump should immediately create and publish a list of 10 high-ranking Democrat criminals who he will have arrested when he takes office. First on the list should be Joe Biden. Second should be Joe Biden's crackhead son."

If Matt actually bothered to look into what he's talking about he'd find out that Hunter Biden, the guy who he's decided must be put on trial post-haste, is about to be put on trial for federal firearms charges. I guess Matt wants Hunter to be double charged. Also, Hunter is not a part of the government dipstick. He's never served in Biden's Administration or been a part of the party.

Really, what Matt is advocating for here is clogging up the justice system with useless trials for revenge. There's absolutely no evidence that Biden had any part in the conviction of Donald Trump so that would be a short and extremely wasteful trial.

Even if this was a show trial, the best thing to do in that situation is find a Democratic solution to the problem instead of doing it right back at them. I guess every accusation really is a confession since Matt seems really excited about using the law to get revenge.

Conclusion:

Well, that's how some of our least favorite internet lunatics have taken the news....namely not so well. Maybe I'll do another post to see how some of the secondary characters of conservative media like Dave Rubin and Michael Knowles are handling this later, we'll see. In the meantime, cheers and I'll see you in the next one.

Original Videos:

“The Trump Verdict Aftermath | Miller, Scharf, Sacks | LIVE 5.31.24.” Rumble.com, 31 May 2024.

“BREAKING: Trump Found Guilty.” Www.dailywire.com.

“Ep. 1378 - Donald Trump Found Guilty of Running for President.” Www.dailywire.com, www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1378.

Sources:

Reporter, Ewan Palmer. “Donald Trump Flights on Jeffrey Epstein’s “Lolita Express”—What We Know.” Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2024.

“Trump Called Epstein a “Terrific Guy” Who Enjoyed “Younger” Women before Denying Relationship with Him.” Washington Post.

Levitz, Eric. “The Best — and Worst — Criticisms of Trump’s Conviction.” Vox, 31 May 2024.

“Trump Indictment.” Www.documentcloud.org.

“Posts Misrepresent New York Judge’s Instructions to Jury in Trump Hush Money Trial.” AP News, 29 May 2024.

Thrush, Glenn, and Mattathias Schwartz. “Bracing for Start of Trial in Gun Case, Hunter Biden Is Squeezed for Money.” The New York Times, 31 May 2024.

#right wing bullshit #journalism #conservative bullshit #fact checking #bad takes #disinformation #conservatives #politics #debunking #daily wire #charlie kirk #matt walsh #trump indictment #trump is guilty #34 counts #trump is a traitor #trump is guilty af

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hfs086 · 1 year ago

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CHANGE LIVES AND GIVE LIFE: THE TRANSFORMING JOURNEY OF BECOMING A SURROGATE

Bringing a child into the world is truly an extraordinary experience. After all, a new member is coming to the family, and suddenly, everything starts revolving around them. However, not everyone has the privilege to experience the journey to parenthood. Multiple reasons, such as infertility, medical conditions, or same-sex couples being unable to conceive make pregnancy unsafe or impossible. And this is where the selfless act of surrogacy comes in, which has benefitted many families around the globe to have children naturally. Surrogate mothers bring joy, hope, and an opportunity to create families for those who find themselves in a tough spot!

In this blog, we will delve into the transforming journey of becoming a surrogate mother.

Understanding Surrogacy

Surrogacy empowers parenthood. The dream of having a child or experiencing the joy of parenthood firsthand, surrogacy means stepping forward to help the intended parents. While surrogacy is an act of compassion in its purest form, it comes with certain challenges. The journey of surrogacy is a multi-faceted process that requires careful consideration, commitment, and support. Therefore, it is vital to have a clear understanding of what surrogacy entails before you embark on this journey.

Surrogacy is the process of carrying someone else’s baby. In medical terms, it is a method of assisted reproduction where a woman, known as a surrogate, gives birth to a child on behalf of another person or couple (intended parents).

Though surrogacy is a remarkable solution for individuals wishing to become a complete family, it also comes with emotional, legal, and ethical complexities. And due to its challenging process, many women are compelled to wonder: Is this the right thing to do? Am I ready for surrogacy? How do I become a surrogate mother?

To get the answer to all these questions, keep reading.

Screening Requirements For Surrogates

Becoming a surrogate is a long process, and before making the decision, you must know that it involves various requirements to ensure the safety and security of both the surrogate and intended parents. Firstly, the surrogates have to pass the screening requirements. Though the requirements differ from agency to agency, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the general qualifications include:

Optimum BMI.

No government assistance.

No drug or smoking addiction.

Have no major complications from the previous pregnancy.

Be within a certain age (21 to 45).

Have no history of postpartum depression.

Have at least one previous successful pregnancy.

No sexually transmitted diseases to be found.

Be able to travel for regular check-ups.

Have a stable lifestyle and support system.

Discontinue the use of antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications.

Have no felony convictions.

If these criteria are met, the surrogates can proceed with the screening process. The surrogacy screening process depends on the agency to which you applied; however, it often includes filling out an initial application to know general details about the surrogate, the reasons for pursuing surrogacy, and social and medical history followed by a physical examination. A social worker also carries out an in-home assessment to know the surrogate better and provides an opportunity to ask questions, if any. The surrogates will also need to give consent for background checks and standard criminal records. Due to the emotional impact of the surrogacy process, some agencies also conduct mental health evaluations to determine that the surrogate is psychologically ready for the challenges of motherhood. Nonetheless, the intended parents also go through the screening process to ensure they are ready for surrogacy.

Medical Requirements For Surrogates

For a successful surrogacy, health is a central element. Therefore, surrogates’ physical and mental health will be closely monitored throughout the process, from the time of screening until the surrogate delivers the baby. Some of the medical requirements for surrogates include:

Medical Screening: In the medical screening, several physical and laboratory tests will take place in order to know if the surrogate is free from sexually transmitted diseases, any viruses or infections that may impact the fertility quotient, and an ultrasound to determine the health of the uterus. Drug use tests may also take place for the surrogate and their spouse or partner.

Fertility Treatments: After signing the legal contract to be the surrogate mother, the hospital or nursing home will prepare the surrogate for the process by doing multiple fertility tests, blood tests, injections, and ultrasounds until the insemination is done.

Embryo Transfer: A little complicated but quick and painless, embryo transfer is carried out after fertilizing the intended father’s sperm with the intended mother’s egg through IVF. The embryo is incubated first and then transferred to the surrogate’s uterus for implantation. Also, it doesn’t require any medication or anesthesia.

Prenatal Care: Once the implantation is done and the surrogate becomes pregnant, frequent medical visits need to be done. The surrogate has to visit the fertility clinic for regular ultrasounds and blood tests to ensure the growth and development of the baby.

Throughout the medical process, the surrogate will maintain the communication with intended parents (if both parties are comfortable), and they can visit the clinic with the surrogate to experience the excitement of the birth.

Legal Requirements For Surrogates

The most important of all is the legal contract in a surrogacy arrangement. Though every surrogacy differs based on circumstances and the relationship of the surrogate with the intended parents, specific legal rights and obligations will be outlined in the contract for a better understanding of the future.

The legal contract is signed before beginning any medical procedures of the surrogate. The legal aspects of surrogacy generally include detailed information about the:

Compensation

Possible risks

Relinquishment of the child

Responsibilities as the surrogate, and more.

In most cases, the legal contract is drafted by the attorney of the intended parents and sent to the surrogate for review. However, the surrogate mother can verify the contract with their legal personnel. Once both parties agree with all the clauses in the contract, they sign the paperwork, and the contract is bound legally. Also, surrogacy laws vary by state and can be complex. Therefore, signing up with the right surrogacy agency like Happy Future Surrogacy in California is crucial for a seamless surrogacy process.

On a Concluding Note…

Changing lives and giving life is what makes surrogacy a remarkable journey. Surrogacy gives a platform to the amount of love, generosity, and selflessness that lies within each of us by bringing joy into people’s lives. Though making the decision to become a surrogate mother is a tough call, those who choose to embark on the transformative path experience immeasurable rewards. Whether it is the happiness of completing a family, bringing a smile to a couple’s face struggling with infertility, or most importantly, bringing a child into this world, surrogacy is a journey towards parenthood and beyond. If you finally decided to become a surrogate and do something purely out of empathy and compassion, choose Happy Future Surrogacy to start this beautiful journey. And we promise, you won’t regret it!

#surrogacy #surrogate mother #surrogacy california #surrogate #intended parents #fertility clinic #surrogacy process

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chubbycaucasianchristiancloseted · 2 years ago

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I wonder what Hunter Biden’s thinks about the 2nd amendment.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/10/06/hunter-biden-tax-gun-charges/

I wonder what Hunter Biden’s thinks about the 2nd amendment. This is the WAPO article that confirms that the laptop is authentic after saying it was used to smear Joe Biden. What a sweet heart deal this guy got. I thought Democrats cared about gun control, red flag laws and illegal firearm purchases? They had the opportunity to make a very public example of what would happen to individual who lied on gun application forms.

Why did this investigation take so long? It’s hilarious that the radical progressives care about leaks during this investigation but anything involving a Trump or Conservative is done out in the open.

Hunter Biden completely lied in Dec. 2020 when he said that he handled his affairs legally. Not only did he not pay his taxes but the gun form was completed in 2018 during a time Hunter Biden has admitted to smoking crack.

Direct Quotes:

Federal agents investigating President Biden’s son Hunter have gathered what they believe is sufficient evidence to charge him with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, according to people familiar with the case.

The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018, and became a central focus for then-president Donald Trump during his unsuccessful 2020 reelection effort.

Over time, investigators with multiple agencies focused closely on whether he did not report all of his income, and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork in 2018, according to the people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case.

Any agent you cite as a source in your article apparently has committed such a felony.

Any charging decision involving the Biden case is especially fraught because Trump and his allies have made accusations of corruption in Hunter Biden’s business dealings a key line of attack against Democrats, both before and after the 2020 presidential race. At the height of the election campaign, Trump allies revealed that a Delaware computer shop owner had turned over to the FBI a laptop that had apparently belonged to Hunter Biden. Trump and others argued the data on the laptop showed evidence of unethical and possible illegal business deals; Joe Biden and his supporters denounced the efforts as a smear.

In March, The Washington Post reported that two computer security experts had reviewed thousands of the emails purportedly from Hunter Biden’s computer and found they were authentic communications, based on cryptographic signatures from Google and other technology companies.

In December 2020 federal agents sought to interview the younger Biden, leading him to publicly acknowledge that he was under investigation. “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said in a statement at that time.

The gun paperwork part of the investigation stems from 2018, a time period in which Hunter Biden, by his own account, was smoking crack cocaine.

In October of that year, Biden purchased a handgun, filling out a federal form in which he allegedly answered “no” to the question whether he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”

According to a book Hunter Biden later wrote about his struggles with substance abuse, he was using drugs heavily that year.

#USA #TheChubbyCaucasianChristianClosetedConservative #HunterBiden #Biden #WAPO

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