#me when abolish ICE

[midnightshindig]

hiii this isn’t a request i just wanted to counter ur post abt being a cecil apologist 😭😭 i know cecil isn’t wrong when it comes to his point abt being tje good guys or saving the world. like with how many L’s mark takes i would lowk do the same. but think of it from marks pov it’s hard to just tolerate someone that tried to kill you. cecil just handled the situation very poorly by refusing to communicate properly with mark. nothing extreme would’ve happens if cecil just have mark a two minute lecture on what he went through. and it was extremely unfair of cecil to expect mark to understand something as complex as this after a simple order when it took cecil three years in prison to learn the same thing. i’m not saying cecil is wrong for having a contingency but he’s wrong for immediately whipping it out when he should’ve deescalated 🗿

AHHH this has been in my drafts for WEEKS- oh my god fucking object permanence- what's that?

ugh okay so like this is a long one, everything under this line is the og draft I wrote in its entirety (written like two days after episode 3 dropped):

Okay- I should preface this with: I love arguing on the internet about shit that doesn't matter, your opinions are valid and you're 100% allowed to interpret this piece of media this way.

Okay so now i'm gonna break down season 3 episode 2's conflict between Mark and Cecil and explain myself better;

(preface: I believe strongly in prison reform and am a big advocate that almost all crime is systemic, and that anybody can be rehabilitated. This belief system colors how I interact with media. I'm around Mark's age so I won't use that as an excuse for his character, but I will take it into account)

So episode one kicks off their fight with Mark busting into Cecil's office. It looks like he's gone through the proper channels, and Cecil willingly let him in. Cecil is willing to see Mark, even knowing why he's there (via Darkwing II's warning). Mark bursts in, an aggressive tone, accusatory pointing finger, all at Cecil.

Cecil tells Mark in a stern, warning voice to calm down, Mark responds by approaching more and slamming his hands onto Cecils desk. No matter how you cut it, that's aggressive. Even if you and I know that Mark is a good person, and didn't come here to murder Cecil, that's still an aggressive act.

Mark is clearly upset about D.A. Sinclair, and Cecil gives him a-- very reasonable-- explanation that he can't fix his mistakes in prison. The idea of these people fixing their mistakes is so foreign to Mark-- rehabilitation is such a non-option to him, that he responds with "What are you even talking about?" Anything less than the fairy tale ideal of bad guys rotting mindlessly in prison isn't on the table for Mark. This is because he was raised by Nolan, with a very empirical view of morality and authority. Those who broke the law died or went to prison. End of story.

Mark expresses his disbelief that D.A Sinclair in particular can do good, that his mistakes cannot be rectified due to the continued impact they have on people. Cecil responds to this by assuring him that every reaniman D.A. Sinclair makes is from a donated corpse. He isn't hurting anyone else. It is HEAVILY implied that the "severe psychological reprogramming" Cecil mentions is straight-up psychological torture. Mark just. Isn't listening. He doesn't have the space in his head for an alternative worldview.

To Mark, the last time an authority figure tried to 'broaden his perspective', was when his father pummeled him into a mountain. It makes sense Mark is acting this way, but Mark is a child. Mark's superpowers don't make him qualified to decide right from wrong, Mark is not an elected or chosen official, and he hasn't even really been to college. He doesn't know where the Declaration of Independence is.

Cecil explains his rationale, that these people are repaying their debt. DA Sinclair could be in prison making license plates, or he could be making soldiers that save lives like they do twenty minutes earlier in the same episodes. and Mark's response? "That's bullshit and you know it" Like, not even an argument. He's just, angry. Which is fine! Mark is a teenager grappling with things he shouldn't have to, but that isn't Cecil's fault either.

Cecil tries to get Mark to think differently, asking if he should arrest Mark. This is where we see Mark's tangled internal logic, he can justify it however he wants, but the fact remains that Darkwing II killed for the same reasons Mark did, to ultimately save people and make the world a safer place. Mark didn't have a choice, or he didn't mean to, which is worse?

Cecil extends and olive branch, asking Mark very nicely to go home. Mark doesn't leave. This is a telling moment. Objectively, Cecil doesn't owe Mark anything. He gave him an explanation, he sympathized with Mark's concerns and validated the ethics of his operation. Mark is only able to continue his verbal assault on Cecil because... who's going to stop him? No conversation can happen in good faith under that kind of power dynamic.

ONLY after Mark tells Cecil "uh fuck you I do what I want and I'm not leaving until you do what I say" does Cecil even enter the white room. the room meant exclusively to protect Cecil. EVEN AFTER HES IN THE ROOM, Cecil gives Mark an "out", and tells him to go home before Mark does something he'll regret. It isn't a direct threat, it's simultaneously a threat and a genuine warning. Attacking Cecil starts Mark down a moral path that's hard to turn back from.

I want to note that throughout all of this, Cecil is levelheaded and calm, while Mark is gesturing and aggressive in his stances, and yelling nonstop.

Cecil says "please go" which, knowing Cecil in context of seasons 1 and 2, is likely a genuine plea for Mark to not have to become an enemy. Cecil doesn't WANT Mark to become another aggressive Viltrumite. He asks Mark SO nicely. and Mark is still in his battle stance, unwavering.

On to episode two!

I'm choosing to ignore Cecil's backstory, since this information isn't directly brought up and isn't available to Mark.

Cecil tells Mark the white room is for Cecil's protection, and we get that line again from Mark

"What are you even talking about?"

Mark is so insular, so isolated in his worldview that he cannot comprehend that yeah, duh, a totally normal old man would find it TERIFYING that you, a viltrumite teenager, are encroaching on him with aggressive body language and a raised voice. Me? I'd be fucking terrified. My boyfriend is like 6 5" and built like a fridge, he's strong as shit and has been since he was a kid. One of the things intimidating strong people learn is that they have to watch themselves, when you're so much stronger than everyone else, you don't get to show up and throw your arms around and yell and scream and point fingers when you're mad. It's unfair to Mark, but it's terrifying to Cecil. And Mark isn't even self-aware enough to know how scary he is on a conceptual level. He's so emotionally removed from what a viltrumite even is that he can't comprehend that he's capable of the same damage his father did to Chicago.

Cecil tries to explain this concept to Mark, and Mark responds with "Okay but I ONLY use my powers for good", he isn't able to even CONSIDER that to anybody who isn't him, that's not a guarantee. Omniman was good until he wasn't. Who's to say it couldn't happen again? Notice how not a single reaniman touches Mark in this scene. This is important for later.

Cecil is banking on his authority as an adult, lecturing Mark like a bratty child, with his hand on his hip. He can't show Mark the amount of power he has over Cecil or Mark WILL take advantage of it. There can't be a world where a nineteen-year-old strongarms a military official. Not to Cecil. Cecil calls Mark on his shit, and shames him for abusing his power and being closeminded, then he shares a vulnerability. Mark is scaring the shit out of him right now.

Mark responds by freaking out more, and the SPECIFIC LILT OF HIS VOICE- ugh. It reminds me of when later in the season when Mark is scolding Oliver. "I'm not even doing anything!!" while throwing his arms in the air in his superhero suit, eyebrows furrowed and his voice like a whiny child being told to knock it off.

He approaches Cecil, and a reaniman grabs him by the arm. This is meant to detain Mark, NOT hurt him.

Mark responds by going "you're not the boss of me" (in effect, not direct language) and SMASHES THE REANIMAN.

I have beef with the whole "Cecil doesn't try an talk to Mark" angle, Cecil is watching Mark crash and burn through the creatures he EXPLICITLY says are only meant to protect him, and offers to talk to Mark. He tells Mark that he isn't keeping his operations a secret from anyone within his facilities, that this is par for the course within the GDA, and this is his attempt to de-escalate. Calm down, this isn't a fight worth having, let's just talk.

MARK engages this fight, MARK refuses to talk. The scene of Mark post-destroying the reanimen is almost a one-to-one of the s1e1 frame of Nolan after killing the guardians. This is a direct parallel. There needs to always be a bigger fish.

and instead of continuing to argue about the actual issue, instead of bringing up DA Sinclair or Darkwing or actually trying to be productive, or demanding Cecil go public. He asks

"Is that all you got?"

at this point Mark is picking a fight, and making it clear that this is now an aggressive encounter. He's demanding Cecil show him everything in his arsenal, implying no matter what it is, Mark will mow it down and get to Cecil.

I am FLOORED by the way Cecil says "I wish you hadn't asked that, kid."

NOTE Cecil calling Mark, kid. he's still offering him the grace of being considered a foolish kid and not an intentionally menacing adult. Adults don't get to be this type of threat, they don't get extended the grace a rowdy teenage rebel does. Cecil is offering another olive branch to Mark, so that he can still turn away and be protected under the 'kid' moniker.

and we get the reveal of a room FULL of reanimen. Who didn't move until initiated. Who Mark plows through like nothing.

Mark threatens Cecil, and Cecil calls him out on his hypocrisy "I thought you don't do threats?"

Mark, AGAIN, instead of being able to recognize conflicting world views or broaden his perspective, bitterly and dismissively goes "Yeah? Well people change."

WHICH IS FUCKING INFURIATING

especially since twenty minutes ago Mark was arguing that people CANT change and that trying to change bad people was a worthless pursuit.

Cecil warns him literally "Don't, Mark, i'm warning you."

at this point Cecil has told Mark to stand down or else, SO MANY TIMES, slowly increasing the severity of the defense mechanisms.

I find it VERY interesting that Cecil explains, in detail, what and why Mark is being hurt. He gives Mark all the information on his earpiece. Why? For power. To show Mark exactly what is happening and that he can't stop it. Mark needs a taste of powerlessness, to curb the unchecked God complex he's struggling with. There needs to be a bigger fish. Then Cecil releases the mind fuck thing. and tells him to be reasonable and go home

Marks response? "We are so far past reasonable"

WE. We are so far past reasonable. This shows that Mark is lumping himself in with Cecil, that somewhere in him he knows this is insane, jumping and cornering a man like this? This isn't right. He knows that.

But he also makes it clear to Cecil that this is now something Mark has to "see through" and not something he's willing to talk about.

Mark hasn't mentioned DA Sinclair or Darkwing once in episode 2, it's not even the core focus anymore

now, to Mark, it's about power. It's about Cecil acting like he has authority and power over Mark, and like any other teenager who feels like their opinion is being ignored, he lashes out

but again. When you're god, you don't get to lash out.

Cecil is TERRIFIED. I hear a lot of "Cecil wasn't mature enough" BROTHER IS FEAR. bro probably pissed his pants.

Cecil explains to Mark WHY he puts it in his head, that he still believes Mark isn't his dad, so stop acting like him. Cecil keeps giving Mark out after out, olive branch on the olive branch. And Mark is so caught up in his own sense of ego and power and betrayal that he feels truly helpless for the first time since season one, can't even hear him. He doesn't even let Cecil finish his sentence.

I find it very interesting that Mark goes to the GHQ, knowing they're on Cecil's payroll. Mark really has nobody else to turn to. He goes, specifically, to Rudy. He trusts that Rudy will do the right thing and help him.

Cecil immediately tries to disengage the guardians, saying he isn't going to kill the kid. Note the repeated use of kid. Kid is affectionate. I'm not going to kill the kid, it implies that he still has some kind of emotional attachment, killing a kid would be insane, it shows he's still extending that protection that being called a kid offers. even now, Cecil is offering him an olive branch.

Cecil tells Mark he's coming back to the GDA, and only when Mark refuses three times does Cecil use force. It seems brutal, like, stuff in his brain? How AWFUL. but also? There's not really any other way to hurt the guy.

Only once Mark has proven REPEATEDLY that not only is he not open to discussion, he isn't even open to peace, does Cecil enact any true violence against him.

Cecil calls Mark an "arrogant little asshole" and calls him on his hypocritical bullshit. and then Mark chokes him so hard he coughs up blood.

You can argue about the semantics of who is right morally, but Cecil made every attempt to calmly engage Mark, escalating slowly and only in response to the threat levels he perceived in Mark. To criticize Cecil for not being calmer or not deescalating undermines the point of why he does it: He's human. He's scared. Of course we can sit here and say, oh Cecil should've told him, or Cecil should've blah blah blah

Cecil doesn't report to Mark. Mark isn't the law, he doesn't get to decide the law any more than any other civilian does. Cecil doesn't owe Mark shit past basic decency, and he gives him that, Cecil gives Mark more grace than I would have. And we know his fears aren't baseless, either, the second Cecil stops defending against Mark, MARK CHOKES HIM SO HARD HE COUGHS UP BLOOD. It's a huge purple bruise on his throat.

but Mark is a child who has no business putting himself above the law and above peaceful conversations. He could've told others without directly confronting and attacking Cecil. Mark could have demanded answers, and then gone and acted on his own. He could've contacted local police, the news, the GotG, anyone else to make this a more fair protest of Cecil's actions. But Mark knows he's hot shit. He knows that- up until episode two- he was untouchable. and he flagrantly abuses this power. All Cecil does is respond.

and still continue to offer him grace, up until he just can't.

Uh thank you for coming to my ted talk <3

[777cherry-blossom777]

Here are my thoughts on the Ethel Cain situation going on rn (it’s gonna be long so if you want the short version: I think this whole thing is stupid).

Allegation 1: She made art of “child porn”.

Not true. It was a chibi drawing of a 19 year old character called teddy. Idk where people are getting the age of six from that’s just random.

Allegation 2: she was a wincest shipper.

True. Even though I personally never fell victim to shipping wincest, I fear that if that’s a crime, then 60% of teens on tumblr in the 2010s will be arrested. Like come on now, it’s not some super niche ship it was one of the most popular ships in the supernatural fandom (a very popular fandom).

Allegation 3: She fetishises pedophilia.

Not true. For this one, I want everyone to remember the superbowl. At one point, samuel L Jackson says (in regard to Kendrick’s show) that it’s “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto”. This was obviously part of the show. When this happened did people say ‘OMG Samuel L Jackson is so racist he thinks all black people are ghetto!’? No. Because everybody could see the OBVIOUS fact that it was a CRITIQUE of how racists talk about Kendrick. That applies to Punish by Ethel Cain. Just because it’s from a pedophile’s perspective, it doesn’t mean Ethel is a pedophile or loves pedos; she is CRITIQUING pedophilia by showing us the twisted way pedos think!

Allegation 4: everything about incest.

This one is going to be long so strap in. Her album “inbred” is not actually about incest. Or, it is, but it is an allegory for generational trauma (she has said this a million times in a million interviews). What is incest? Clinging on and refusing to let go of toxic family members in a way that causes rot. What is generational trauma? Clinging on and refusing to let go of toxic family members in a way that causes rot. Fun fact from an ancient history student (me), the word ‘incest’ comes from ‘incestum’, a term used in Ancient Rome to basically mean impure. Yes, it could refer to inbreeding between close relatives within a family, but it was also used for anything they considered a kind of ‘sexual impurity’, such as the vestal virgins (sacred women who were not allowed to have sex) having sex. While the term does mean sexual/romantic familial relationships now, the very origins of it are about the rot or impurity that is caused (if anyone’s read Oedipus they know what I’m talking about). The whole incest thing is a reference to the way toxic family relationships can rot you from the inside out. That’s the whole concept. In ‘hard times’ she does reference incest, and it’s not in a super sexy positive way. If you thought it was you need to listen again because omg you missed the point.

Allegation 5: her boyfriend did some shitty things.

Conclusion: irrelevant??? Whyyyyyy do we continue to demonise women for the actions of men? Please I thought we moved past this. If her boyfriend even did do shitty things, Ethel had no control over that and she probably didn’t even know. Why are we mad at her and not the guy when he’s the one who allegedly did something wrong???

Allegation 6: tweets abt abortion and racism.

A quick note before I begin here, most of these screenshots that are going around are from when she was FIFTEEN. She was obviously raised in an extremely conservative household (as we already know) and yes at that age your parent’s ideologies rub off on you. So what if she said abortion was bad TWELVE YEARS AGO? She currently donates loads to various abortion charities and consistently petitions and protests for abortion rights. OBVIOUSLY HER IDEAS HAVE CHANGED. In regard to the racism, yes this was bad. I’m not gonna say everything’s fine because she was young, but not only has she spoken about this MULTIPLE TIMES in the past five years and apologised and taken accountability for her behaviour, she (again) donates and protests and petitions for human rights. She recently took part in an abolish-ICE fundraiser, she has consistently spoken up in support of people of colour, and she had a whole live addressing the problematic colonialism that is sometimes associated with the southern gothic aesthetic and how she wants to make it clear she absolutely does NOT hold those views.

If people aren’t allowed to make mistakes, how are we supposed to grow? I understand if people have problematic pasts and try to sweep it under the rug, but she’s addressed these issues MULTIPLE TIMES and apologised. Not only that, but she’s taken ACTUAL MEANINGFUL ACTION and supported organisations that are actually trying to make positive change. Genuinely, I don’t really know what people want from her. Like literally what more can she do? “I just want her to apologise-“ she did, “I just want her to consider and value the opinions of poc-“ she has, “I want her to actually do something instead of just apologising-“ she has.

Last thing. The amount of people who have immediately taken this as an opportunity to misgender her without even thinking for a second about the type of hypocrisy and harm they’re causing is awful. Trans women are women, no matter what their views are.

[logoleptic-since-06]

Clouds in My Coffee (jean k.)

ep.3 -> Rainfall and Carrides

If getting absolutely humiliated at work, then dropping your evening coffee on the ground before you could even take your first sip, then realising you forgot your card home and ran out of cash while buying the coffee so you are basically penniless and don’t have a ride home haven’t been bad enough for you to cry, the sudden pouring of rain as you walk home definitely will be.

Cursing your luck as you hold back tears, you walk through the bustling crowd of the after office hour rush in a big city. You realise that the trenchcoat is practically useless at this point as you shiver through the coldness of the rain water soaking through it onto your bare skin.

You keep walking, hoping the rain will hide your inevitable tears when—

“Y/N, hey!” a familiar voice calls from behind you. You turn to see a shiny black car. The windows are down and behind it is Jean. “Why are you walking in the rain?” he says “Do you wanna get in?”

You breathe out an audible sigh as you immediately reach for the passenger door.

You breathe out an audible sigh as you immediately reach for the passenger door. “Wait.” You pause before you get in. “I’ll get your seat wet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says calmly. “You’re gonna freeze your ass off.”

You hesitantly get inside and sit down, he instantly turns the AC off and the heater on. When he finally looks at your face, his head tilts to the side. “Were you crying?”

“What?” you respond too quickly. “No, I wasn’t.”

He begins to drive. Still looking ahead, he asks, “Bad day?”

“Tell me about it. I got abolished by my boss at work over a stupid proposal, then I found out I left my card at home, so I paid for my coffee with cash. I accidentally dropped said coffee the moment I stepped outside. And I thought I’d walk home because I wasn’t carrying enough cash for transport anyways. And then it started pouring out of nowhere. Like imagine having this bad of a—”

You stop midway when you realise the route he just took wasn’t the way to your building. “...am I being kidnapped right now?”

“Yep,” he says casually. “All the way to Ivette’s kindergarten. Gotta pick her up.” 

“Oh,” you say, hoping the pinkness in your cheeks are too soft for him to notice. “Right.”

-

Once you arrive in front of the kindergarten, your heart melts at the sight of the children waiting at the gate wearing their colourful raincoats. Jean rolls the window down and calls for Ivette, who was wearing a pale pink raincoat. Her face lights up when she finds her father. She hops onto the backseat, her princess backpack flapping against her back as she does. 

She gasps when she sees you on the passenger seat, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Y/N?”

You giggle. “Hi, sweetie.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Your dada is just giving me a ride from work.”

Ivette nods and looks up as if she is thinking the deepest thoughts known to the Universe. You and Jean share a confused glance, both wondering as to what her little head could possibly be thinking of. Moments later, Ivette turns to her father.

“Can we have ice cream?”

“Absolutely not,” Jean immediately replies.

“It’s raining!” you claim at the same time.

Ivette drops her head dramatically in disappointment.

Jean sees her reaction and adds, “But, if you want, we can get hot chocolate with marshmallows. You in?”

Ivette’s face lights up again as she nods excitedly.

Jean stops in front of a cafe and tells you both to wait inside as he grabs hot chocolate. Once he’s gone, Ivette turns to you and says, “Why can’t I have ice cream now?”

“Because it’s freezing.”

“Why can’t we have ice cream when it’s freezing?”

“Because then you’ll catch a cold.”

“Why is dada giving you a ride?”

“Because it’s raining and I didn’t have a ride home.”

“Do you and dada work together?”

“No.”

“Will you be my new mama?”

And suddenly the words get stuck in your throat. You slowly turn to Ivette, your heart pounding hard against your chest, unsure of how to respond to that. You open your mouth to say something, anything that comes out of your mouth, but before you can do so—

The car door opens and Jean returns to his seat. “Here you go,” he says as he hands a cup of hot chocolate to his daughter, who politely thanks him. He then hands you a warm cup of coffee. You look at him confused and he says, “You said you dropped yours, so…”

Your eyebrows rise as you remember you told him about your whole day. Taking the cup from his hands you say, “Oh, right. Yes, of course. Thank you so much. I’ll pay you back as soon as we get home.”

“What? No,” he replies quickly. “You don’t need to pay me back for this. It’s fine, really.”

“No, I can’t let you—”

“Y/N.” He stops you.

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t bother. Just a cup of coffee.”

You back down and nod. “Fine. But next time, I’m getting you coffee.”

He shakes his head. “As you wish.”

Before he can start driving again, he gets a call. He sighs before picking it up.

“Hey, Connie,” he greets, then frowns. “Oh, shit. Yeah, no alright man. You take care.” He hangs up the call and turns to Ivette. “Uncle Connie said he can’t babysit you this weekend, bug.”

Ivette genuinely looks disheartened. “Why not?”

“He’s got the flu. You wanna stay with Uncle Armin?”

“Nooo, Annie is scary and she’s always over. Can I stay with Auntie Sasha?” 

“An entire weekend? No way. She’ll feed you way too many sweets and get you sick.”

“But that’s a good thing,” she exasperates.

You chuckle at her words. “What’s going on?”

Jean’s face carries a weight of worry as he explains the situation to you. “I’ve got a work trip over the weekend. One of my friends was supposed to watch over her but he got sick. The others are busy this weekend. But it’s fine, I’ll cancel the trip. Or maybe ask Reiner to—”

“She can stay with me,” you cut him off.

He blinks and stares at you.

“I mean, if that’s okay with you?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. This weekend, right?” You look over at Ivette. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

Ivette lights up. “Yess!! Dada, pleaaaseee?”

Jean looks conflicted, like he’s not sure whether to feel grateful or guilty. “Are you sure that’s okay with you?”

“100% positive,” you reply.

“Okay then.” He looks back at Ivette. “Y/N, it is.”

Ivette starts to jump on her seat. “Yess!! We will paint and—and bake cookies and can I braid your hair?”

“Of course, sweetie.”

“Yayyy!! Y/N is amazing,” she cheers before shifting her focus back to her hot chocolate.

Jean starts driving. Running his hand through his hair, he says, “She’s not wrong. You are kind of amazing.”

You press your lips together and look away out the window, trying to hide the faint blush. “You’re just saying that because I agreed to babysit your little sugar monster.”

“Well, I meant it.” His voice is genuine enough to make you look back at him. Both of you share a quiet second of something you can’t name. You are about to break the silence and say something meaningful when—

“Dadaaa, I want more marshmallows here.”

Tags: @silveritydreams  @taehyunglefttoee  @jeankirsteinsforever  @locinne

[mugiwara-lucy]

I was wondering about the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case since he’s back in America and so I went to reddit and it turns out that due to fears of ICE kidnapping him and there being talks on wanting to send him to SOUTH SUDAN

Let that sink in. They want to drop him off on a place that is NOT even where he’s from. He’s from El Salvador but left due to being targeted.

Honestly if they let him out of custody, I hope he seeks asylum in Canada. Him and his family. Because remember when I said the Cheeto Pedo would enact a Central Park 5 2.0 on him? It seems to be bearing fruit and the Central Park five were a group of boys who were accused of murder and were tortured until they gave a false confession. Where does the Cheeto pedo come in? He took out an ad in the paper calling for them to be executed and even when they were revealed to be innocent he never apologized.

So yeah this government is a legit THREAT not just to Garcia but to all of us. Remember when the puppy killer doxxed his address?

But this brings me to my next point. They say they don’t trust ICE not to do anything nefarious. Well you know what?

Since they’re OVER their budget this organization should be abolished and defunded as a rogue organization.

Why? I’ve talked about all their atrocities but here’s more RECENT ones. Including them practically TORTURING a woman into having a STILLBIRTH pregnancy.

And as recently as YESTERDAY they scared and went after a six year old child to the point where he was scared and URINATED on himself and they made him sit in it:

I want all the “pro life” “God N Guns!” Bible Thumpers to justify this. I DARE you.

And they WONDER WHY people are LITERALLY fighting back. If the government won’t keep these bastards in check, what else do we have??

ICE needs to go and Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, those “following orders” agents and of course the Cheeto Pedo ALL need to be in prison for crimes against humanity.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Bill Shaner at Mother Jones (05.10.2025):

I’m driving five miles across the city to check out a tip that there’s an ICE rendition ongoing. I’ve got the scanner on the car stereo as I’m about to pull onto the street in question. It’s a quiet neighborhood, small houses on small lots, people walking dogs, the mailman waving, the lawnmowers running, and I hear the dispatcher: “We have an ICE officer over there who’s allegedly being surrounded.” “On our way,” the officer responds.  As a local reporter for a decade now, I’ve learned that you can hear the cops at their most honest on the scanner. And as I’m hearing that “surrounded” comment I remember what the city’s police chief told the city council in January: “We do not do civil detention arrests,” Police Chief Paul Saucier said at the time, reassuring them that they wouldn’t be party to the ICE assault Trump was about to unleash. The police, he said, “do not have the authority to affect a civil arrest.”  What he didn’t say is that if you try to stop the civil arrest, the police will stop you from stopping it.  This morning a few dozen of us here in Worcester, Massachusetts, got to see that unstated fine print in action firsthand. A woman was led by federal agents in cuffs away from her family, through a throng of community organizers trying to stop it, and into an unmarked car. The local police arrived to prevent the community from protecting their neighbor from an unlawful kidnapping. They succeeded, and in the process arrested two of the people who tried to stop it. I park my car on the edge of the scene and all I can hear are the screams—the deafening desperate screams, from a mother, from her daughter, from the woman holding the daughter’s baby. Wordless screams.

And then I see the mother, a young woman in a green shirt, wailing, crying, held on either side by menacing white men in tactical vests, black neck warmers pulled over their noses in the style du jour for our secret police forces. Surrounding them are a few dozen community members who were tipped off about the ICE raid and got to it before the police did. Before I arrived, they demanded to see a warrant. The ICE agents refused to provide one, so they created a human chain, which the ICE officers eventually broke through. I still don’t know her name or where they’ve taken her. The federal officials provided no information to anyone at the scene. But apparently they called the local police for backup. They felt that they were surrounded. Black Hawk Down. [...] When I say ICE, it’s a catchall. These federal agents were wearing a myriad of badges and few of them had name tags. Most of them had “POLICE” written somewhere on their tactical vests. There were ICE insignias, but also Customs and Border Patrol, and one ATF. A CBP agent, his face cover falling down slightly below his nose, pushes a woman away from the car in the manner of an offensive tackle—elbows out, knees bent, forearms thrusting. Others take the woman’s place. [...] The crowd of community members, who these officers ostensibly protect and serve, continues to cheer, “Don’t take the mother, don’t take the mother.” The daughter is still shrieking. “This is ICE. This is federal,” one of the WPD officers explains, as if a suitable explanation. Case closed. A woman says, “They don’t have a warrant.” Another says, “They’re trying to kidnap someone.” [...]

Another officer, frustrated, says, “They don’t need a warrant.” Finally, one of them tells the truth. Due process is not a matter they’re concerned with. The deportation must proceed. Trying to stop it is the unlawful thing. At this point an ICE agent starts pushing me away, but not very hard. Lazy jabs, his mind elsewhere. Too many people, too much pushing to be done. I return to my pre-push position. I keep filming. I don’t know what else to do.  

This is yet another reason to support the abolishment of ICE.

See Also:

NBC News: Massachusetts police hold girl's face to the ground as ICE arrests her mother, video shows

[elderwisp]

Hey, I really appreciate what you post. But something’s been on my mind — if ICE were completely abolished, who would actually go after child smugglers and traffickers crossing the border? I don’t mean in theory, I mean in practice. Because while I hate the raids too, I’ve also seen what happens when there’s no accountability or border enforcement at all.

I like to hear from all sides — red, blue, or middle — and I try to learn the facts before forming strong opinions. I recently saw an interview with Dr. Phil and Tom Homan (who used to run ICE), and he mentioned those recent raids at Home Depot and warehouses were tied to a long criminal investigation involving cartel-linked money laundering. They haven’t made the details public because it’s still ongoing, and releasing them could jeopardize the operation.

I’m not trying to argue, just trying to understand where abolition fits into that kind of reality. Do you think there’s a version of reform that still tackles that kind of crime, or…?

Alright.

Let's talk about why many have braved that journey across the border. The US didn't watch Mexico destabilize, they actively funded it. The US has had a history of intervening in Mexico's election (source) for it's own political and economical safeguarding. Funded violence (source) in Latin America that sent families fleeing for safety. And finally, pushed policies that harmed Mexican farmers (source).

And not only that, I think it's important to discuss what's going on the inside as well. In November of 1998, author Gary Webb published Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Webb is able to demonstrate how the US government knowingly allowed massive amounts of drugs and money to change hands at the expense of our black and brown communities. For further evidence, the files were later declassified and posted on justice.gov.

I also wanted to compare Barrack Obama's approach of mass deportation in comparison to the current president. Under Obama, 90% of interior removals were convicted of serious crimes. Meanwhile, Trump's administration includes people with no criminal record-simply for being undocumented. However, as of late, there are many reporting's of brown US citizens being detained. Under Obama, he challenged my state's bill (SB1070), taking it to the Supreme Court and striking it down as unconstitutional. Not only that, he created DACA in order to protect undocumented immigrants who were brought here as a child, allowing them to have a dream. Here are some more facts! Now the criticism of both administrations is the mistreatment of individuals being thrown into crowded holding cells without due process. At the end of the day, we still need to treat humans with dignity and respect because we are no better that those we oppose. We are no better.

You've "seen what happens when there’s no accountability or border enforcement at all" but my friend, I've lived my whole life in the state that borders it. There is a substantial amount of evidence that disproves immigrants are likely to increase crime. (source.) However, from the reading I've done, seeing what is happening in person (ex. the peaceful protests) and how the news spins it (focusing on the 10% of violence mostly incited by our law enforcement, showing certain images/cropping videos and withholding certain images/cropping videos to fit a better narrative, and downright generalizing us as criminals), I recognize this one key detail:

You are not immune to propaganda. And man, I understand why ignorance is bliss because the truth fucking hurts. Learning about the history of my own people as well as the country I was born in has been so polarizing because while I am proud to be Mexican-American, there are plenty of things that invoke a sort of visceral anger in me. Both statements can be true at once. While I understand your question comes from a curious standpoint, in the ability of being able to see every angle, I hope I am able to better expand on those viewpoints and maybe allow you to advocate in a way that supports the community and debunks harmful narratives.

So. To answer your question "Do you think there’s a version of reform that still tackles that kind of crime, or…?" While it's important to hold those accountable and create better reforms, it is the job of our government to do so. What the purpose of yesterday's protest is to bring awareness to the authoritarian and fascist regime under Trump's administration, bringing many issues to the surface such as the immigration laws. ICE needs to be abolished. There needs to be a better and safer way for families to migrate. The US has to be held accountable for it's role in consistently destroying black and brown communities for it's own gain. But it is up to the government to do so and it is up to us, the people, to speak up and hold them accountable.

I leave you with this photo as well at the Trump rallies last year. To this administration, it was never about creating a safe America. It was about creating a white one.

[our-queer-experience]

this is a genuine question made in good faith, not a whataboutism

if we're to abolish prisons, how would people who commit crimes like that be properly punished? and, at least more importantly to me, how would victims get a sense of closure/justice? again, it's a genuine question, i'm interested in seeing other perspectives

im working on a full post about that but look at how your first thought is punitive justice- how will they be *punished*. do they need to be?

the, supposed, point of systems is to protect people from dangers from people and hold people accountable and deter crime. it doesnt do those things. prisons are profitable and need crime to exist, so they incentivize crime more than anything else. fear of prison doesnt prevent crime and it doesnt effectively keep “dangerous” people away from other people. it doesnt prevent crime because it doesnt address root causes of harm.

but also…. i dont think sending people who commit harm to prison really help survivors get closure. even right now survivors dont get justice every day because the prison system sucks. it chews up and spits out everyone that passes through and many people who commit horrific crimes just… get let go. slap on the wrist. but like. personally speaking. when i was younger i took my sister to get ice cream and someone tried to convince her to tell her our home address and grabbed onto her, not letting her leave. other adults had to get involved so we could get out. it fucked my sister up for months and there is nothing that wouldve made me feel better than beating that woman an inch from her life. but thats not something the government should’ve facilitated because it would’ve served my personal sense of justice. objectively, i would rather that woman get the help she clearly needed. that wouldve prevented anything from happening again and protected people, and now my sister and i are fine. we healed. there are people who dont and that is separate from whether or not the government destroys and exploits a person as retribution.

like unfortunately closure has to come from inside of you. because other things have happened to me that i did get “justice” for and am still not over in the slightest. but i dont think closure comes from a biblical eye for an eye to the person that committed the harm

[charliettea]

Happy disability pride month!!! In case any of y'all don't know, I am a disabled artist. My fibromyalgia makes it hard to work on things, especially because most of my energy gets sapped by my part time job, but I love engaging my creative side by making zines & other things.

I have a few zines about being disabled, and they mean a lot to me because they have allowed me to connect with people from my community. It's an incredible feeling to hear from folks who have read & resonated with my zines. To anyone who has purchased from me, left me a review, or posted about me, thank you.

If you want to support me, there are many ways to do so. You can buy from my shop on ko-fi (ko-fi.com/charliettea). You can follow me on patreon (and paid members get monthly rewards), follow me on ko-fi to see when I upload new things for sale, or even just share this post.

If you are trying to get away from instagram, following me elsewhere is a great option. Ko-fi and patreon like I mentioned, but I'm also on tumblr & lemon8 as charliettea as well. If there are other platforms you would like to see me on, please let me know. I want to be accessible to you. I am most likely going to be moving away from etsy, but that will take some time & effort. If there is currently a jewelry piece on my etsy that you want, please message me and we can work it out through venmo instead.

💖

Image description: The first image is an infographic made in canva that features a photo of Charlie, a white person with short yellow hair and round wire frame glasses. It also includes some of their zines and stickers as well as their handle, charliettea. The second image is a photo of two circle stickers that say abolish ice, free them all. One sticker is black and white while the other is a rainbow gradient. The third photo is of the cover artwork of a zine that is not yet released. Its title is don't be afraid of mutual aid. It features a drawing of a brown and Black hand clasped together and blue purple delphium flowers. Text on the photos explains that both the stickers and the zine are mutual aid projects. The sticker proceeds will go to those affected by ice, and the zine proceeds are more general.

[marwyn]

I hope this isn't too controversial of a topic but why are Dany antis like that...

💀 well…from what I’ve seen they’re often people who are doing a Johnlock Conspiracy with Jon and Sansa where they’re convinced that the two of them are going to have a romantic relationship in the books and consequently hate on Dany like their lives depend on it because they’ve accurately identified her as a major threat to this. Fantasizing about Jon killing Dany is a corollary but GoT S8 probably didn’t help.

Additionally…not to put too fine a point on it given that Dany is an incredibly well-known character due to GoT and thus liking or disliking her doesn’t NECESSARILY reveal anything about one’s ideological stances, but to me it’s pretty revealing when people handwring about things like her methods in regard to abolishing slavery. Furthermore I think that plenty of them are disturbed by the fact that she steps so far outside her prescribed gender role which is obviously ironic given that many people in-universe have the same view. Bringing this back:

This is not to say that women don’t have power, but by and large, their avenues to power are circumscribed. Asha, for example, commands a remarkable amount of respect for a woman in Westeros, but not enough for the men to rally around her to take the Seastone Chair, though she’s by far the best choice to do so. And outright rule by women is an almost unheard of event. Daenerys Targaryen is remarkable and dangerous in every sense because her very existence is perilous to the current power structure.

Caroline Spector, “Power and Feminism in Westeros,” in Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (ed. James Lowder)

[artistsonthelam]

NO KINGS IN AMERICA ✊ Proud to have been part of the No Kings Rally and March in Chicago today (and grateful for the perfect timing; today my weekly Saturday afternoon ceramics class happened to be on a one-week summer break, so I could attend this!). It was the biggest protest I’ve ever seen; being in the middle of it all, it seemed like a never-ending sea of people and no photos can do it justice. It was so unbelievably massive, there were a few blocks where, when we were marching north on one street (up Wabash towards Trump Tower), whenever we passed an intersection, we could see another unbroken segment of the crowd marching south on a parallel street (down Michigan Avenue), and I wasn’t even close to being in the back of the protest; in other words, we formed a giant, downtown-sized U shape. It felt like the entire city and surrounding suburbs (saw lots of protesters get on the Metra afterwards) showed up. And folks were so nice ❤️ I love you, Chicago. Fuck Trump, abolish ICE, and happy birthday to Che Guevara and Che Guevara only.

Some photos I took:

1 - The sign on the left is literally me.

2 - ☕

3 - Lady Liberty with a classic Game of Thrones reference.

4 - 🍑

5 - Check out the guy on the traffic light.

6 - Jesus with the truth.

7 - Trump piñata!

8 & 9 - Marching under the El towards Trump Tower.

10 - A very good boy or girl wearing "Bite the Power" 🐶

11 - 🖕

12 - 👶

13 - As a fellow child of immigrants, "shout-out to immigrant parents who came here with nothing but gave us everything" <3

// (c) Jenny Lam 2025

[azom-bie]

there have been ICE raids in the town over. my father is a colored birthright citizen. the most viable citizens are forced to give up unnecessary information under the guise that it’s for security reasons when it’s really just to add to another list of deportees. my country will not rest until it has purged every person with a skin color that doesn’t align with that of the imperialists, the colonizers, the ruiners of men. it will not rest until every so-called anomaly is massacred. gay, trans, mentally ill, disabled, it does not matter. they grab people off the street and send them to camps no one belongs to. doesn’t that sound familiar? there is no glory to the motherland. the shift has not been subtle, but words themselves shift to fit the ruling authority. nobody acknowledges because the progression is presented as natural. «War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.», quite literally. making war to keep the citizens angry at all but their own government. limiting freedom until it only applies to those hoping to abolish it. ignorance being paraded as intelligence, the cutting of funding to education. at this point, no act is brutal enough to open the eyes of the far-gone. every evil is not a necessary one, but a justified one. this country was built on the back of exploitation and lies; it has never been great. I am not hopeful for a revolution here, though it's far past time. the Red Scare is alive and well in capitalist America. first, after all, they came for the communists, and so on until there is no one left to speak out for you. the main thing is try to get out or try to wait it out. I am no martyr. however, if we get to the point where my words kill me, remember that I love you.

[nullconvention]

It drives me nuts when people talk about the Democratic party right now like they're not being run by a bunch of political extremists. Neoliberals aren't centrists, that's just branding. They're far right third way fascists that co-opted the party.

Supporting a genocide is inherently far right wing extremism. That's fascism. That's a very very extreme and unpopular position they've taken. It loses elections, it breaks coalitions - so why did people tolerate it? Why did they call opposing a genocide purity politics? They accepted a right wing extremist coup in their party.

Medicare for All is already a very moderate compromise. It's very very popular with people across parties, it's an election winner. Democrats keep adopting pro-corporate extremist positions to stop a moderate compromise that would leave a lot of systems intact, would save lots of money, would cut down on red tape, would work very effectively - and the structure is already in place.

Abolishing ICE, closing Gitmo, dissolving the Department of Homeland Security - the last one isn't read as being moderate but it is. Those are all moderate positions that could be held by any reasonable centrist. These are things that were started by W Bush - a Christian fascist who started a historically unjust war that destroyed a region and left Al Queda in charge of Afghanistan after 20 years - and are currently being used by Trump as his new Gestapo. These should be slam dunks.

Who are the right wing extremists running the Democratic party, why are they accepted?

[fsfghgee]

Hello, I want to ask you something about Bi-han and Sektor, what if Sektor met Union of light Bi-han? I would what's gonna happen between them?

— This cell won't hold me for long, Liu Kang. — Sektor kept her head high even while handcuffed and behind the bars of the small temple cell. — He'll come for me. He'll destroy everything and everyone that stands between us.

— I'm not your enemy, Sektor. I've always wanted only what's best for you two and the--

— Spare me your theatrics! You just want to control our lives like we're puppets. — Finding out that Liu Kang was a titan was a resolution for her. — First the Grandmaster, then my mother…

Liu Kang took a deep breath and turned his back on her. Leaving Sektor talking to the walls and the cells behind.

— I don't know what else to do, Geras.

"It's your fault Bi-Han is still like that!"

"It's your fault his mother is dead!"

— I just hope history doesn't repeat itself. — Geras worried about how frustrated Liu Kang was. — History cannot repeat itself…

"My mother is a fuckin' cook in a mediocre village because of you, Liu Kang!"

— What if…

"You will pay for everything you have done!"

— What, Geras? Did you have an idea?

— Your titan allies in the battle against the titan Shang Tsung brought with them uncorrupted versions of Sub-Zero. And one of them could be a valuable ally in Sektor's moral battle now.

— I see…

— Raiden's vision for his timeline was to abolish combat. His Sub-Zero had a humble demeanor and if Sektor met him…

— Could she rethink her actions? — Geras nodded. — That could work… But I cannot ask Raiden to once again leave his timeline vulnerable without such an important member for its defense.

— What if Sektor was sent there instead?

— "Liu Kang!!!"

— Stall him, Geras.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

— Damn you, Liu Kang! — Lost in the forest of a strange world. — You'll pay for this! — Sektor cursed the god of fire after being teleported against her will shortly after hearing Bi-Han's voice. Nothing in that place seemed hostile or threatening like the chaotic world of the titan Havik, but the hatred she felt for having been forced there made her hate the place a thousand times more. — Where am I?

Frustrated with the surroundings looking the same no matter where she looked and the inability of her armor to give her answers, Sektor ran after an exit following her instincts until she heard screams from what sounded like Vaeternians and the noises of an intense fight nearby.

— "I'll bury you in snow!"

— Bi-Han? — There was no way she could mistake that voice. And following the sound of those ice puns, she saw a version of Bi-Han that closely resembled her Bi-Han before he was transformed into a creature of chaos. Although the attire he wore was a light blue tone and noticeably simpler, this could only be another version of Sub-Zero.

She watched from behind the trees as he bravely fought against 4 Vaeternians and took down two of them before being knocked down.

— It's time for me to feed. — The vampire who seemed to be the leader of the attack flew towards the Lin Kuei warrior, eager to taste the supposedly refreshing and sweet blood of a cryomancer. But before she could satisfy her hunger, Sektor flew towards the vampire and incinerated her.

— I will take your wings, then your life for this affront!

— Who are you?!

— Your worst nightmare.

Surprised and dazzled by the fighting skills of the woman who was beating the two remaining vampires, Bi-Han just watched in silence as she took them down in a matter of minutes.

— Are you hurt? — Worried about the cryomancer who looked like a fragile clone of the man she loved, she helped him up.

— Argh… — Sub-Zero smiled at the impressive — and attractive — warrior who had come to his aid, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs and back. — A Lin Kuei could do no better.

Amazed, he noticed a certain familiarity in her and when he was ready to ask her name, she pushed him away.

— Watch out!-- A-ah!

— I will enjoy your pain! — The vampire lunged at her again, fast like a jet against the warrior in red who had been knocked down after being thrown by the same vaeternian against a tree. But before the vampire could finish her off, Sub-Zero hit her with an ice ball followed by an ice spear piercing her insides. The vampire gave her final groan and the cryomancer ran to help his savior.

— Miss, are you alright?

— I am. — Hiding her pain, she accepted his help to get up and smiled holding his arms as she looked at the vaeternian's lifeless body. — You finished her off just good. — Sek found it strange how he looked away from her, seeming disappointed by her proud look on him. — What? What's wrong?

— I take no joy in taking lives. Not even those of these types of Vaeternians…

— How can you say that? — Finding the sadness in Bi-Han's eyes strange, she moved away from him in disgust. — They use people like us as food! They don't deserve mercy.

— Not all of them are like that. Most Vaeternians feed on simple animals like we do. I must warn Nitara about these rebellious vampires attacking…

— Nitara? — Disbelieving, Sektor moved even further away from him. — Are you partner of that maniac?

— I don't know what you're thinking. But we are partners in peace between our realms and we've fought some battles together, b-but we don't…

— Enough! I don't want to hear you anymore… — Bi-Han found it strange how she spoke to him as if she knew him, but at the same time she didn't seem to know anything about him or the realms. — I don't know what's going on in this realm, but you're not the Bi-Han I know!

— Wait! Don't go… — Uselessly, he called out to her as he saw her running into the forest. And after losing sight of her because she had flown for a while, he found her sitting behind a tree covering her face. She looked so fragile and helpless that he longed to have her in his embrace. — You're not from here, are you? — Not waiting for an answer, he moved a little closer until she looked at him. — Our realm is quite peaceful, but there are dangers that can fatally encounter you if you are alone.

— And what is this realm?

— Earthrealm.

— Earthrealm? — Looking around, she tried to identify something in common in the middle of that forest with her homeland. — It doesn't look anything like… — Feeling stupid for taking so long to realize, she growled before getting up from the grass and punching the nearest tree. — Who rules this timeline?!

— Lord Raiden is the protector of Earthrealm and all the other realms that make up our world.

— Liu Kang sent me to another timeline?!

— Liu Kang? — Recognizing the name of the titan who he had been informed was a close friend of Lord Raiden the night he was invited to join the support army for the defense of his timeline, Bi-Han understood why she seemed so out of touch with the status of the realms in his world. — You come from Liu Kang’s timeline? I fought not long ago for the defense of your timeline against a tyrant named Shang Tsung. And recently there have been attacks by other evil titans on different timelines. — Cautiously, he moved a little closer to her. Still awkward, he avoided keeping his eyes on hers for too long, fearing that she would move away again. — It is not safe for you to travel through our timeline alone. Allow me to help you return to your home.

— Why would I trust a low-quality copy?

— Copy? — Surprised by the absurd use of the word. He repeated to himself in disbelief before rushing to hold her when she made to run again. — Hey! What do you mean by a low-quality copy?

— You are inferior to my Bi-Han in every way. — She breaks free from his grip angrily and Bi-Han lets her go, surprised by her ferocity.

— Your Bi-Han? Are you and my counterpart from Liu Kang's timeline… — Intimidated by Sektor's hard gaze, he cleared his throat before continuing quietly. — Intimates?

— Much more than that. We are soulmates. — Approaching the cryomancer with her chin held high, she tried to hide the pain of each step towards him with posture. She loved him so much, but that wasn't him. — Perfect. Inseparable.

— So why isn't he here with you?

The cryomancer's question had been genuine, but the blow caused by his words took them both by surprise.

He regretted the question as soon as he saw her seem to lose her breath and her eyes fill with tears.

— We will get together again and make the responsible for keeping us apart pay. — Before he could see her shed the first tear, she turned and wiped it away as soon as it fell. — Come with me or eat dust.

.....

stay tuned for the next episode ;)

[puckpocketed]

from my navigation

I’m just some guy at my desk. I have very few original, serious, well-informed takes about draft order or draftees. I can collect scout testimony and clips but I would not have anything of substance to say about where someone is gonna go in the draft <- anything i say is 70% joke and 30% vibes-based scrying. I don’t know what every team wants out of a draft, don't follow every top draft-eligible, and I don't plan to!!

i feel like i always need to add this disclaimer... anyone can do what i do (only consume hockey content for months on end and follow a bunch of scouts around and trawl for prospect media) and while it's flattering people care about my takes, i dooo think just stalking any of the various scouts on twt and jumping into their replies to ask questions would yield much better results. THAT BEING SAID!!

on 🐻 Carter Bear 🐻 - i love 🐻 when people 🐻 are called bear 🐻 show me bear 🐻🐻🐻 <3 he was injured (achilles) and people thought he'd be out long term but last I heard his rehab was going swimmingly. what I'm saying isn't gonna be anything new but i remember there being plenty of hype for him building up pre-injury, people going as far as to say he'd go early in the first round - he's a darling of the public scouting sphere.... but of course their jobs aren't on the line. they aren't responsible for drafting as high as they rate him, the team scouts and gms are, so we shall see! again i'm saying nothing new, but there'll come a point where teams are unwilling to let a player go due to perceived upside, whether it's size, scoring, skill. for scrying purposes - I think a team surprises us and picks him late in the first round 🐻

on Porter Martone - i have made a few silly jokes about gmmg drafting Martone to the sharks due to how he's a skilled power forward who hits people and grier is on a Size/Skill/Will agenda <3 but there are various conflicting reports about Martone's game. He's physical and then he's not, he's a play driver and then he's a perimeter player.... And to address your point, from a cursory search I have found one Shane Wright comparison from oldmate Simon St-Laurent regarding Martone's competitiveness/motor or whatever you wanna call it.

...I think so much of how "motivated" a player looks is about divining their inner workings by reading body language (unreliable!) and the situation they're in (subject to change) - some people may never be motivated, some people need the right conditions. under one team, with one coach, certain linemates, and at different points in the season, any given player might look listless or unmotivated. swap out one or more of those variables and they might be one of the most consistently performing players on the ice. this is why people say "player X needs a change of scenery", no?

and i'll cop to it, i am compromised here. I have a soft spot for Wright the size of mince marners next contract and a healthy distrust of speculations about player motivation. I dislike any comparisons to Shane Wright on the basis of his motor because i genuinely think he works for what he has and I like him. I haven't seen enough of Martone's games to verify these claims for myself, and in this I want to see it for myself that there's an established pattern before I make conclusions.

TL;DR I am not going to comment further because I have no opinions on if he's "lazy" because I simply don't know!

thoughts on the draft (1) we should abolish the draft and if i could do it tomorrow i would. all players should be allowed to negotiate contracts with all teams from day 1.

(3) every player who has ever dodged the draft or chosen another league or demanded a trade or held out in college to reach free agency IS correct forever and i hope more of them do it THUMBSUP!!!!

(2) i am constructing the ethics of how i consume draft content as i go but in general i'm not out here to tear down children or bully them online for kicks. i really hope no one comes here expecting that.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

On Friday, the Democratic mayor of Newark was arrested and detained in his own city by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents. His crime? Trying to gain access and inspection rights to a privately operated detention center that he says is in violation of multiple city lawsuits. Three Democratic members of Congress accompanied Ras Baraka to the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, as they exercised their own congressionally mandated right to enter Ice detention facilities for oversight purposes, without prior notice. While Baraka was taken away in handcuffs, two of the House Democrats – Bonnie Coleman Watson and LaMonica McIver – were shoved and manhandled by Ice agents outside the facility. The third, Rob Menendez, angrily accused Ice of feeling “no weight of the law and no restraint on what they should be doing. And that was shown in broad daylight today when they not just arrested the mayor of Newark but when they put their hands on two members of Congress standing behind me. How is this acceptable?” It’s a good question. Elected Democrats are now under both legal and physical assault from a rogue agency, which behaves less like federal law enforcement and more like Donald Trump’s private militia. And yet, elected Democrats refuse to call for its abolition. They seem to have decided that the continued existence of Ice is “acceptable”. Despite the feverish claims from Republican politicians and Fox anchors about the Democratic party being “soft” on immigration enforcement, we’re a long way from 2018, when “abolish Ice” was an actual slogan on the left and deployed by both prominent progressive activists and rising Democratic party stars, such as then newly elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Even Kirsten Gillibrand, a moderate New York senator, said she wanted to “get rid of [Ice], start over, reimagine it and build something that actually works”. Kamala Harris, then a California senator, said she believed in “starting from scratch” with Ice. [...] Forget about talk of “reform”. At this point, there is no way to improve or “fix” Ice. It has to be abolished. Shut down. Scrapped. To quote Gillibrand in 2018, the entirety of immigration enforcement in the United States must be “reimagined”. [...] If Democrats are serious about stopping fascism, then they have to do everything in their power to prevent the ongoing expansion and further empowerment of Homan and his army of masked Ice thugs. And if Democrats are ever able to win back office, there is only one right move here, politically, financially, and, above all else, morally: abolishing Bush and Trump’s Ice, once and for all.

Mehdi Hasan for The Guardian on why ICE should be rightly abolished (05.13.2025).

Zeteo News founder and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan wrote in The Guardian calling for the abolishment of ICE. I agree 100% with Hasan’s piece on why ICE deserves to be abolished.

[elderwisp]

Hey, I read through your full reply — and first, I just want to say I genuinely appreciate how detailed and passionate it was. And actually taking the time to respond and teach me on some things, while others just ignored and didn’t get the point. I understand what you’re saying. The U.S. has played a role in destabilizing parts of Latin America, and that has absolutely influenced migration patterns. I get that enforcement hasn’t always been fair or humane, and that both Democrat and Republican administrations have failed in different ways. That part of the conversation matters.

But I also think this: when people on the outside look at the LA protests right now, they don’t see that nuance. They don’t hear the history, or the policies, or the proposed reforms. They see signs calling for “no borders, no nations,” some wishing violence or death on political figures, and total chaos. Whether people want to hear it or not, that does change how seriously the rest of the country takes the message. Especially when there are headlines of fires, blocked highways, or fights with law enforcement.

And I know not all of that comes from protesters. There’s real footage of people stopping looters. But from the outside looking in? People aren’t seeing reform — they’re seeing rage. That doesn’t make them bigots or propaganda victims. It means the message is getting lost.

I honestly think that if more protests focused on real, actionable ideas — like turning illegal entry into a civil matter, reducing the cost of citizenship, or fixing the asylum backlog — more people would actually stop and listen. Because most Americans do want humane immigration reform. They just don’t want to feel like they’re being shouted into submission.

Also, I want to point this out with respect: many of you might understand “abolish ICE” as a call to restructure or defund — not eliminate all border enforcement. But that’s not how it reads to the average person. They hear “abolish ICE,” and they think, “So… no one deals with traffickers? No one handles child exploitation? No one investigates smuggling rings?” And when some protesters go even further and call ICE “terrorists,” it only deepens the divide. It doesn’t win people over — it pushes them away.

At the end of the day, I’m not saying the anger isn’t justified. I’m saying the delivery is pushing away people who might otherwise want to help. And when LA becomes the loudest protest on the map, the chaos ends up being what defines it — not the cause behind it. That’s the part that really saddens me.

Lastly, I wanted to mention your point about this being an effort to create a “white America.” I get where that perspective comes from — it reflects real pain and history. But I also think there’s a difference between calling out racism and assuming that everyone who supports immigration enforcement is doing so because of racial bias. Demonizing white people — or anyone — for having a different view on borders and immigration policy doesn’t help. A lot of people, including white, Black, brown, and Asian Americans, simply believe in the need for legal processes and national security. Disagreeing with open borders or calling for structured reform doesn’t automatically mean someone is anti-immigrant or fueled by hate.

If the goal is change, we need more people in the room, not fewer. And we don’t get there by pushing away everyone who doesn’t already agree on everything.

Hi! Before I get into the details of my response, I wanted to start off with this quote (and the context) by Martin Luther King Jr:

A Riot is the Language of the Unheard.

This specific quote has resurfaced however, that is the thing about quotes. Often times, they are taken out of context to fit a better narrative. So I wanted to include his 1967 speech at Stanford.

So I will continue to condemn riots, and continue to say to my brothers and sisters that this is not the way. And continue to affirm that there is another way. But at the same time, it is as necessary for me to be as vigorous in condemning the conditions which cause persons to feel that they must engage in riotous activities as it is for me to condemn riots. I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air.

The past doesn't often repeat itself but it sure does echo and the echoes are getting louder.

You say that the message is getting lost but with all due respect, I disagree. The message is loud and clear. It's been there the whole time. In fact, I had so much more to say, but I think Donald J. Trump's latest message perfectly conveys what is happening here:

Not only did he manage to separate the two parties, he created an us versus them rhetoric that is a hundred-percent based on the color of someone's skin. And if the blatant racism still is allowing you to assume that the left is demonizing white folks, I cannot begin to break that down. Especially when the context is in regards to Trump's specific agenda for America.

While I'm glad you were able to learn something from this, I'm not entirely sure if what I have to say is enough to make a difference. You dance a very fine line between fact and feelings but there are hard lines in the sand. You restructured your question which was "why are so many on the Left pushing such hateful and frankly harmful rhetoric, all while claiming to fight fascism, authoritarianism, or dictatorship?" and then say "Even ICE is now referred to as Trump’s personal Gestapo — and when elected officials like Tim Walz echo that kind of narrative, it stops being about change and starts to feel like vilification." When the hard line in the sand is we have seen the destruction of fascism at hand. Hitler and Germany. Mussolini and Italy. Neither conflicts were met with a peaceful rhetoric. Although, I believe it's important to hear what a few of the survivors of the holocaust have to say about Trump's current administration: 1, 2, and 3. (The third confronts Trump's ICE director.)

When leftist talk about far-right politics, they are talking about far-right politics and what the folks who are on simply the right need to recognize is seeing past themselves and understand that their party is being reshaped. It no longer stands for the ideals it once did. So if misrepresentation of their part is coming from both sides, where is the accountability of their representative? Because the way you structured this makes it sound like it is solely in the hands of the left to figure out a way to deliver a message that is palpable when the issue at hand is far bigger than pleasantries. It is bigger than feelings when democratic politicians are being killed for their views and senators are being violently removed for daring to ask a question on immigration. Democracy IS being tested. 48% if Americans did not vote for this in the popular vote. We have every right to protect and protest what is left of democracy. Mind you, I must reiterate that a majority of protests were peaceful but that wasn't good enough in the face of a government that is continuously filtering content, pushing for censorship and utilizing propaganda for it's own gain.

And to the people who did not want to answer your ask, they weren't trying to prove your point, the message was already there. And I think I'm gonna join them after reading Trump's message. That was my hard line in the sand.

So what side of history do you want to be on?

And I leave those who have read this with some advice from a holocaust survivor