#Moses was a good leader

[devilmen-collector]

Origin of the names of the angels

Since I have done a post on the origin of the names of the seven kingdoms of Hell, may as well do the origin of the names of the angels.

Warning, this post contains religious content. If you are not comfortable, please ignore this.

Now let's go on with our trivia post

Seraphim

Now I just want to make a distinction. The Seraphim irl are called "the Archangels", but that doesn't mean they belong to the rank of archangel, the second-to-lowest rank, it only means they are the leaders and chieftains of all the angels, including other Seraphim.

Also, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only named angels in the Bible.

Michael

"Michael" means "Who is like unto God?" in Hebrew. In the Bible, Michael is described as "the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people" (Daniel 12:1), the angel who disputed with the devil over the remains of Moses (Epistle of St. Jude verse 9), the leader of the heavenly army fighting against the dragon (Revelation 12:7).

In the Christian tradition, Michael is the leader of God's army fighting against Satan, helper of the faithful Christians at the moment of death, champion of God's people, protector of the Jews under of the Old Testament, and of God's Holy Church. He is also the patron of many chivalric order of knights.

Michael, having led the battle against Lucifer, is the greatest of all angels, no angel could surpass him in honor and glory.

The feast day of St. Michael in Western Christianity is held on September 29, commemorating the dedication of first church built in his honor in Western Europe. In Eastern Christianity, St. Michael and all angels have their commom feast day on the 8th of November.

Gabriel

"Gabriel" means "strength of God". In the Bible, he appears as the messenger of God who delivers messages of utmost importance: he tells the Prophet Daniel two prophecies concerning the successive empires and the time elapsing before the coming of Christ (Daniel chapter 8 & 9), he appears before Zachary and foretells that his son will be the Precursor of the Lord (Luke 1:5-25), and most importantly Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary the Incarnation of the God the Son and that she is going to become the Mother of God (Luke 1:26-38). According to tradition, Gabriel was also the angel who appeared in St. Joseph's dream (Matthew 1:18-25; 2: 13-23), and also the angel who consoled Jesus (Luke 22:43). Thus, Gabriel is the Archangel of Incarnation and Consolation.

Some traditions have Gabriel as the angel of mercy while Michael is the angel of justice. Some others have it vice versa.

St. Gabriel's feast day, according to an old tradition, is on the 24th of March, the day before the feast of Annunciation.

Raphael

"Raphael" means "God has healed". The third Archangel appears only in the book of Tobit, in which he helps the young Tobias during his journey, ultimately aiding the young man heal his father's blindness and helping him find a good spouse. Therefore, Raphael is invoked as the angel of Healing and the Patron of finding a good partner for marriage.

Raphael was also the angel who revealed that there are seven Archangels. "For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tobit 12:15).

The feast day of St. Raphael, in old tradition, is on the 24th of October.

Cherubim

Selaphiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel

Selaphiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel aren't found in Sacred Scripture, but only in the tradition of Eastern Orthodox Church.

For these three angels, I have already made a post about it. I'll link it here for you guys.

Selaphiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel: Origin of the names

Zadkiel

Zadkiel does not appear in the Bible, although some identify him as the unnamed Angel of the Lord who prevents Abraham from sacrificing his son during the time that God tested Abraham (Genesis 22:1-18). It's the reason why if a church (usually an Anglican church) does depict Zadkiel in its iconography, he's depicted as holding a dagger, for Abraham intended to use a dagger to sacrifice his son.

We will skip over Thrones (or Ophanim), Dominions, Virtues and Powers because there is currently no angel of those choirs in-game yet.

Principalities

Michelleel

"Michelleel" is a name that PrettyBusy completely made up themselves. No angel is known with the name Micheleel. Micheleel is the combination of Michael written in another way "Michelle" and the suffix "el", which means "God".

Archangels

Rashiel, Armisael and Zeruel

Just like with Michelleel, these three Archangels have made up names by PrettyBusy.

Angels

Samael

"Samael" means "Venom/Poison of God". He exists only in Judaism's Talmudic lore. Sometimes he is considered a fallen angel, with some people think he's Satan, while other times he is considered the angel with destructive duties.

[redtsundere-writes]

Pillow | Cult Leader!Suguru Geto

cult leader!suguru geto x f!reader Sypnosis: suguru geto is your secret lover. Contents: Secret lover, i wrote this while listening lana del rey so yeah, that. Warnings: vaginal, raw, doggy, oral. Mdni. Minors Do Not Interact. +18 Word Count: 758 words. Author's Note: even tho my heart is owned by Sukuna (shame me i have an humiliation kink) this man makes me go ahasnhghsbdjs.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto was a busy man. Being the leader of a cult was not an easy task. Keeping a friendly mask on in front of his followers, preaching his message over and over again, ingesting curses to become more powerful, and leading a brainwashed crowd tired him every single week.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto could forget all about the cult once he came to your room every Sunday night. Geto had adopted you into his community when he first saw you tied up in that abandoned warehouse years ago. Your relationship had grown since then until you became his secret lover.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto knocked three times on your bedroom door. You quickly opened and he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. His hands lovingly ran around your waist to pull you closer to his warm and tall body. "I missed you" he whispered in your ear, an electric feeling ran down your spine. You hadn't gotten used to the idea that you meant everything to him.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loved to lie on your bed while using your thighs as a pillow. He liked it when you braided his long jet black hair and placed kisses on his forehead. He loved to make you smile with funny comments. He felt like a naughty teenager breaking into his girlfriend’s room every Sunday night. 

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto wanted to stay with you for the rest of his life, but he knew he had responsibilities to fulfill with his community. Luckily, you were always there to remind him that the next Sunday was always coming. You were the only thing that kept him “sane” enough during the exhausting week.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto kissed you passionately, his lips guiding yours to move in sync. Like every night, he wanted to make it clear how much he loved and desired you. His kisses traveled over your cheeks, your forehead, your neck and your shoulders being undressed little by little, causing your skin to feel the freshness of that night.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto moved towards you causing his body to gently push yours against the bed. His kisses traveled over your breasts, tummy, and down to your intimacy. Like Moses in the red sea, he opened you wide to taste the juices of your intimate secrets. He was a master at satisfying you, he knew every inch of your body and what left you trembling, begging for more.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto took his precious time licking and kissing your sweet folds while you let out soft moans, trying not to wake up the other members of the community. He always ate you as if he hadn't eaten all day, his desperation to taste you satisfied his lust.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loves to fuck you hard and raw. He liked to lay you face down on the bed and hit you from behind so he could hold your hips firmly with his skillful arms signaling that your ass belonged to him. You loved it when he held you as if you were going to escape even though it was the last thing you wanted to do when his cock impacted all the way in you.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto moaned in delight at how good your tight, juicy pussy felt. He wanted to be with you forever, he wanted you to stay with him in the cult, he would do anything to keep you obedient. It didn't matter if he had to brainwash you, drug you or kill your family. He would do whatever it took to get his most beautiful follower to give him her soul and body.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loves every part of your body. Your round tits, your greedy ass, your sensual curves and those lips his cock wants to dwell on for life. He was always rough when it was time for your mouth to suck his cock. Your teary eyes wanted him to stop but your lust begged him to continue dominating you. Suguru pushed your head all the way down so he could cum comfortably as he let out a satisfied moan from his lips while tilting his head back in pleasure.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto got dressed again to go back to his room while you watched him from the bed. "Stay the night," you requested. "You know the other girls will be jealous if they see I'm giving you special treatment. Think of your sisters," he explained as he did every Sunday. "Promise me you'll come back next Sunday" You begged along with a pout. He reached over to plant a simple but loving kiss on your soft lips. "You know I always come back" he promised you before walking out that door again. You really hated to see him go, but that’s how it should be.

Order your own fanfic!

Masterlist.

[quartings]

So, I just watched a censored cut of The Suicide Squad (2021) on a plane...

Let me tell you, it was one of the weirdest movie-watching experiences of my life. All the intense gore and violence was kept, but all the swearing was re-dubbed over by the original cast and the mild nudity was cut, which really makes me wonder who the heck this version of the film was even for?? What kind of person can watch people get blown up into bloody chunks but can’t handle the word “bastard”??

Here are some of the highlights from the censored cut that I thought were the most amusing. Again, reminder that the original actors all ADR’d over the swears with new dialogue.

· Harley’s “What the FUCK??” at TDK was changed to “What is THAT??”

· Bloodsport and Tyla’s “FUCK YOU!!”s were changed to “FORGET YOU!!” like Ceelo Green.

· More F-Bombs from Bloodsport were cut, leading to “I’m no (fighting) leader!!” and “You’re threatening my (teenage) daughter!!”

· Calendar Man’s insult to Polkadot Man was changed from “You fucking pussy!!” to “You flaming sissy!!”

· Peacemaker: “Starfish is a slang term for (an anus).” How is that any better than saying “butthole”??

· The entire exchange about dicks on the beach was changed to be about bricks instead, as was any future usage of the word “dick”. “If this whole beach was covered in (bricks), and someone said I had to eat every single (brick) on the beach for liberty, I would say no problem-o.” “Why would someone put (bricks) all over the beach??”

· Ratcatcher 2’s “You bastard!” was changed to “You bad fish!!”

· The entire “Well that’s just racist” exchange was cut.

· Bloodsport: “Why the (blood) would I want a leaf?!”

· Peacemaker’s jerking off taunt was cut. Characters still flip each other off in this cut though.

· Flag and Harley get to say “freaking”, so I don’t understand why it wasn’t used as a blanket censor for the f word instead.

· Harley’s “RIP to that absolutely beautiful monster between your legs” was kept in.

· King Shark’s “FUCK!!” was changed to “Pfflegh!”

· Bloodsport saying “Pissmaker” was kept

· Ratcatcher 2: “Do you want a dozen angry rodents crawling up your (pants)??”

· The 69 joke was kept

· Peacemaker: “MOTHER(TRUCKER)!!”

· Bloodsport’s “Jesus Christ…” was changed to “Holy Moses…”

· Flag’s “Who ate all the empanadas?” has the f word cut and sounds weirdly friendlier in the take they used.

· Harley: “I love the rain~ It’s like angels are (spitting) all over us~!”

· I swear Thinker’s “Sonofabit-!” when he’s getting slammed in the retinal scanner was changed to “Sonofawit-!”

· Thinker: “AMERICAN (GOOD OL’) ASTRONAUTS FOUND STARRO! YANKEE (****) DOODLE DANDIES!!”

· Flag’s “It’s time these sonsofbitches need to be held accountable-!” was changed to “It’s time these (stinkers) need to be held accountable-!”

· Polkadot Man’s “FUCK!!” in response to the others forgetting Milton was changed to “FUDGE!!”

· One of the Corto Maltese generals shouting “Puta!!” was changed to “Nunca!!”

· Economos: “WE’VE GOT A (FREAKING) KAIJU UP (ON) THIS (SCREEN)!!”

· Waller’s whole rant at the squad was censored, so it was hilarious to hear Viola Davis scream the absolutely neutered “FILTH!! TURN AROUND, GOSHDAMMIT! YOU STUPID IDIOTS! LOSERS!! DAMN IT, TASK FORCE X! THIS IS YOUR LAST AND FINAL WARNING!!”

· Flo: “GET ON THE SATELLITE, DALE YOU (FLAMING MEATHEAD)!!”

· And lastly, my personal favorite censorship, only because it actually fits thematically, comes from Polkadot Man’s last words: “I’M A MOTHER(-FIGHTING) SUPERHERO-!!”

[internerdionality]

Rewatching Prince of Egypt as I write my haggadah for this year and pondering the changes they made to the story.

Arguably the biggest one is that in the Torah, Moses doesn't grow up unaware of his heritage. Miriam sees Pharoah's daughter find him and approaches her, suggesting that surely the princess will be in need of a good midwife. Pharoah's daughter agrees, and so Moses spends most of his early life with his *actual* mother. He is raised in two worlds, as both a Hebrew slave and an Egyptian royal, and it is the unbearable friction of these incompatible worlds that eventually forces him into his act of rebellion and leads to his exile in the desert.

I get why they made this change—it makes for a more relatable, easier-to-understand, and more dramatic narrative, with young adult Moses suddenly discovering his heritage and thus "waking up" to realize the injustice and inequality of his world.

But it also creates a (metaphorical) white savior narrative. In the Torah, Moses rises up *because* he is one of us, and becomes the leader because of his connection to God (and, possibly, because his privilege made his rebellion more likely to succeed—how many leaders of unsuccessful rebellions has our history forgotten?)

Moses in the film narrative, however, is very much one of the privileged elite, who rebels against the system only because he discovers his connection to the oppressed and it triggers a sympathy and empathy he had previously not felt at all.

In the Torah, when Moses says "let my people go," it is because he belongs to us.

In the film, it sounds like he thinks we belong to him.

[todaysjewishholiday]

16 Menachem Av 5784 (19-20 August 2024)

The 16th of Av in 5645 saw the death of a great leader within the Jewish community of Great Britain— and indeed, all of Europe and the Mediterranean. This giant was not a rabbi or a sage but a financier, statesman, and philanthropist, who had spent the first half of his life doing his best to assimilate into the upper echelons of British society, and the remainder very deliberately reasserting his Judaism and doing all he could for global Jewish welfare. He died nine months into his hundredth year of life, having witnessed a full century of historical and social transformation at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

Moses Haim Montefiore was born in 5545 in Livorno, Tuscany to a large Sephardic merchant family with interests spread across Europe. He was named for his paternal grandfather, the patriarch who had relocated the family from Livorno to London forty years prior, and came into the world while his parents had returned to Tuscany on business for the family’s firm. Montefiore left school at a young age to begin work in another trading firm, and at the age of 18 became a trader in the London Stock Exchange. For the next thirty years he expanded his business and focused on attaining markers of social respectability, joining both the Freemasons and the local militia as Britain entered the Napoleonic Wars. Soon, through his own efforts and the good fortune of becoming brother-in-law and then stockbroker to Lord Rothschild, the British representative of the famous banking family, Montefiore’s fortune expanded exponentially. In addition to business, Montefiore devoted himself to the popular social reform campaigns of the era, including the promotion of charity hospitals and the abolition of slavery. In 1827, Montefiore and his wife went on a long voyage throughout the Mediterranean that included a visit to Jerusalem. The visit profoundly altered the course of Montefiore’s spiritual life. While he had always been proud of his Jewish heritage, Montefiore had been casual in his religious practice until his first experience of the holy city. While there, he committed himself to Shabbat and kashrut observance, and to attendance at the Torah readings in the synagogue on the second and fifth days of each week in addition to attendance at Shabbat services. He began traveling with a personal shochet and his own kashered dishes so that even when attending soirées and banquets with wealthy gentiles he would always have kosher food available. He also brought his own minyan of devoutly Jewish staff members and a personal Torah scroll so that his business travels would not interfere with his participation in religious services.

The newly devout business magnate then devoted his full energies, talents, and extensive connections to advocating for the welfare of the Jewish diaspora. He traveled to Morocco, Istanbul, Rome, Russia, and numerous other destinations specifically to use his considerable influence to combat antisemitic policies and pressure government to ensure Jewish subjects the same rights given to other citizens. Time and time again, Montefiore’s interventions were crucial. He also raised funds— and donated a significant proportion of his own wealth— to Jewish causes around the world, and especially for the welfare of the Jewish community in and around Jerusalem.

When his wife died, Montefiore had a replica of Rachel’s Tomb built as a mausoleum for her, and also established a yeshiva in her honor. He lived as a widower for another 23 years, still actively involved in a large number of charitable causes, before he was buried there beside her.

[call-me-casual]

(Also posted to the LK community)

Okay who’s interested in hearing about the school au I thought up in the shower

Keep in mind that all following information is based on my experience in British education, I have no clue how American schools run different

First we have the kids - James and Henri are both kids from the foster system, James has been adopted by Moses, whilst Henri is still technically a foster (ik ik not Franklin but maybe they’re neighbours). Henri is definitely the class clown whilst James is ambitious, but not too sure how to achieve his academic goals. Sarah is an exchange student from the UK living with Franklin, who is either a relative in this au or a family friend like in canon. She and James initially don’t get along but over time through the newspaper club and sharing most classes they grow closer. Sarah is an A+ student and she tutors James and Henri after school.

Most historical figures are teachers or general staff, except for named foot-soldiers like Joseph Plum Martin or other young historical figures like Sybil Ludington, who would be fellow students

Franklin - the kids’ (or at least James and Sarah’s) tutor (I think Americans call it home room?). He teaches science, and it’s his love of teaching that’s kept him from retiring (though he probably should have years ago). He runs the school newspaper (which James and Sarah are both a part of)

Moses - I can see him as a member of the site team or subject technician of some kind (basically helps to prepare stuff like experiments and maintain the school, but more responsibilities than a janitor). He’s also doing an online university course to get his teaching degree (he’d most likely go into either engineering/dt). The adopted Father for James and foster parent to Henri. Has known Franklin for years and the two are next door neighbours

Lafayette - French. Obviously. He’s a younger teacher popular with the students. His class is the only one Henri doesn’t goof around in, and the two are very close (spoilers: he may end up adopting him). Constantly asking the finance department to let him take a class trip to France. If anyone acts up enough to make him mad the class all turns on that one person (based on my mother’s experience (coincidentally she was also a languages teacher lol)). Often gossips and speaks with Hamilton in French.

Adams - idk if they teach law or politics in American high schools but if not then he’s probably an English teacher. His students live in terror or presenting essays or debates because no one can beat the man. You either love him or hate him, there’s no in between with his classes. Probably head of the department

Hamilton - probably either English or history (though maths is also a contender because he was treasury secretary). Also a younger teacher popular with the students. Has almost gotten into a fight with other teachers. And students. Definitely runs the debate club. Expects assignments in a week before the deadline. Is one of the leaders in staff room gossip.

Washington - I know most people make him the head teacher but I’m not a huge fan of that. He’ll probably end up as the head eventually for this au, but for most of it I imagine him is a department head. I can see him teaching either history, maths or geography (he was a surveyor after all, I could see him being a really good geography teacher). He’s that teacher that looks intimidating but is actually very nice. Believes way more in practical than theory and WILL drag his class outside in any and all weather to do a study. He also looks after any of the animals the school owns. Sometimes brings his dog to class. Is DEFINITELY involved in staff room gossip

Abigail Adams - I can see her as either the school nurse or some sort of creative arts teacher

Phillis Wheatley - definitely either an English teacher (damn we got a lot of those) and if not then some sort of creative arts teacher who also runs a poetry club. If anyone acts up in her class the other students ensure the body is never found.

Please suggest what subjects and the sort other historical figures would teach or any other ideas you have relating to this! ^^ Idk if I’ll draw anything based on this but it’s fun to brainstorm!

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

Lucky for the Republicans who run the House, few Americans are paying attention to their antics of late, given the focus on the presidential race. Here’s what they’re up to: busily exemplifying the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

“Led” by Speaker “MAGA Mike” Johnson, Republicans yet again are threatening by their actions to shut down the government. After their extended summer recess, they returned after Labor Day and set out to score preelection points — egged on by Donald Trump — rather than seriously trying to pass legislation to keep the government funded. And they’re doing this just weeks before the Oct. 1 start of a new fiscal year, though they’ve had months to pass regular bills funding federal operations to avoid a last-minute grab-bag.

Their doomed strategy — and they know it’s doomed — is a familiar one: Attach a pet right-wing priority onto the funding package and try to force the Democratic Senate majority and President Biden to accept it under deadline pressure. Except the House Republicans don’t have enough votes to pass the package, given the opposition of party defectors as well as Democrats.

In past years, Republicans’ “poison pills” on funding bills have included proposals targeting Obamacare, abortion rights, immigrants and transgender people. This time immigrants are their target again. They are demanding a law requiring Americans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Voting by noncitizens is already a crime and one that virtually no one commits.

Yet for this meritless cause, House Republicans would bring the government to a halt.

There is a silver lining. The fiscal follies are a welcome preelection reminder of Republicans’ inability to govern, and why voters should strip them of their majority in November.

The current saga is also a reminder that, if Republicans do keep their majority and Trump becomes president, they’ll act as an extension of his sorry White House — not as the independent branch of government the founders intended.

Trump publicly issued his all-caps marching orders just hours ahead of his debate last week with Kamala Harris. In a social media post Tuesday, he characterized the proof-of-citizenship requirement as an “Election Security” measure necessary to prevent Democrats from cheating. Consider it a preview of his fraud claim should he lose to Harris.

Without the citizenship proof, Trump wrote, Republicans in Congress “SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO 'STUFF' VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN - CLOSE IT DOWN!!!”

The speaker complied, though you’d think Johnson would be getting tired of being humiliated by his party and its leader, just to stay in Trump’s good graces. His Trump-blessed bills never seem to be extreme enough for the farthest-right faction in the House (they never vote for spending bills anyway), and yet the measures are too extreme for endangered Republican moderates. (Moderates is a relative term when it comes to House Republicans.)

Lacking enough support for his budget bill, Johnson canceled a House vote on Wednesday, saying he needed more time for “family conversations” with Republicans. If he corrals his slim majority and the bill does pass, it’s DOA in the Senate.

And the follies continue.

Only last November, just after his election as speaker, the all-but-impotent Johnson addressed a Christian nationalist group and compared himself to Moses, divinely chosen to lead House Republicans — and America — to some political promised land.

At the Museum of the Bible in Washington, Johnson told the group a lengthy tale about how, amid House Republicans’ jockeying to replace ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, God awakened him in the night and told him to be ready for a “Red Sea moment.” Then, after Republicans rejected other speaker candidates over several weeks, God awoke him again, Johnson recounted. “The Lord said, ‘Now step forward.’”

“Me?” Johnson asked. Him. He did God’s will, and he’s been doing Trump’s, or trying to, ever since.

We know how the funding fight will end: with Republicans’ retreat. They won’t pass the bill, Johnson will accept a compromise — just as McCarthy had to, relying on Democrats’ votes — and they won’t shut down government right before an election. They’re eager to get home to campaign.

After two more weeks of partisan scuffling, right up to or beyond the midnight Sept. 30 deadline, Congress likely will pass a three-month bill, free of partisan add-ons, funding the government until mid-December. Biden will sign it. Then the House and Senate will return after the election for a lame-duck session and fight right into the holiday season over a longer-term spending measure, against the backdrop of the new Congress that starts in January.

And there’s where the follies could end. Democrats have long been favored, slightly, to regain control of the House, and their takeover prospects improved after Harris replaced Biden atop the party’s ticket. If voters strip House Republicans of the majority, the far-right extremists will be relegated to the backbench where they belong. “Moses” Johnson will be retired as speaker. And Democrats, led by their leader, New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, will school the Republicans on how a bill actually becomes law.

A Democratic House, and the first Black speaker. That’s the ticket.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Brad Polumbo

Published: Jun 25, 2024

Republicans are very concerned about left-wing indoctrination in the public school system, and often for good reasons. Yet, it seems that some Republican leaders feel differently about ideological indoctrination in the classroom when they’re the ones doing it. 

In Louisiana, a recent law mandates the display of the Ten Commandments across all public educational institutions, from elementary schools to universities. The bill, championed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, was signed into law at a private Catholic school. During the ceremony, Governor Landry declared, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.”

This makes Louisiana the only state in the nation with such a mandate. Other red states haven’t ventured into this territory in recent years, perhaps because they know it’s blatantly unconstitutional. Nonetheless, Governor Landry appears undeterred, openly stating that “can’t wait to be sued.”

He may not have to wait very long.

A coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has already announced its intention to file suit, condemning the mandate as “unconstitutional religious coercion of students, who are legally required to attend school and are thus a captive audience for school-spons.ored religious messages.” The ACLU also added that the mandate “send[s] a chilling message to students and families who do not follow the state’s preferred version of the Ten Commandments that they do not belong, and are not welcome, in our public schools.”

This is not uncharted territory. The ACLU cited the 1980 Supreme Court case Stone v. Graham, where the court explicitly ruled that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the establishment of a formal state religion, prevents public schools from displaying the Ten Commandments. 

“If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments,” the Supreme Court ruled in that case. “However desirable this might be as a matter of private devotion, it is not a permissible state objective under the Establishment Clause.”

Governor Landry is surely aware of this precedent and simply does not care that this legislation will almost certainly be blocked in the courts. Nonetheless, it represents an opportunity for him to signal his cultural war bona fides—a move that, in any other context, Republicans might rightly describe as empty “virtue signaling.”

Regrettably, this isn’t just an isolated incident among Republicans in one conservative state. Louisiana’s initiative has garnered support from many of the most prominent figures in the modern GOP. One such figure is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who praised the legislation in an interview with Real America’s Voice. “This is something we need all throughout our nation,” she said. “I’m so proud of Governor Landry…. We need morals back in our nation, back in our schools, and if there’s anything we’re going to present in front of our children, it should be the word of God.”

This stance appears to be a mainstream view within the Republican Party, as the party’s leader, Donald Trump, also threw his support behind Louisiana’s efforts in a post on Truth Social: 

The Republicans’ embrace of this religious mandate in public schools is deeply hypocritical, contravening many principles they have previously claimed to stand for, and incredibly short-sighted. 

Firstly, they are proving to be fair-weather fans of the First Amendment. These same types regularly champion free speech when it comes to opposing government censorship or progressive attempts to crack down on “hate speech” (which now includes uttering basic biological truths), and they are absolutely right to do so. However, you cannot selectively support the First Amendment, endorsing free speech and freedom of religion clauses while actively violating the Establishment Clause. After all, if Republicans can disregard the parts they don’t like when it’s inconvenient, then progressives can too!

Secondly, Republicans are compromising their stated beliefs about the importance of parents’ rights and opposing “indoctrination” in schools. Now, they suddenly advocate for the government’s role in teaching children morality, instead of leaving this responsibility to parents or families.

Which is it? Consistent supporters of parents’ rights believe that it should be up to parents to teach their kids about morality, whether it concerns pronouns or prayer. 

There’s also the issue of misplaced priorities. Louisiana ranks 40th out of all 50 states in education. Meanwhile, 40 percent of 3rd graders cannot read at grade level, according to The Advocate. Yet, the governor prioritizes mandating posters of the Ten Commandments—and allocating tax dollars to defending it in court—that many students probably can’t even read.

Even many conservative Christians can see the issue here. As radio host Erick Erickson put it:

When the 3rd grade reading level is only 49 percent, I don’t see why the state wants to spend money on lawyers for a probably unconstitutional law making the Ten Commandments mandatory just to virtue signal a side in a culture war. Actually use conservative reforms to fix the schools instead of putting up posters half the 3rd grade cannot even read.

Perhaps the most common Republican rejoinder is that displaying the Ten Commandments is an educational initiative focused on historical context rather than a promotion of religion. But while there’s no disputing its historical significance, it’s not being presented as part of a broader course on religion that features a variety of religious and secular perspectives, which would be fine. Instead, beliefs from a particular religious tradition, the Judeo-Christian one, are being elevated and mandated to the deliberate exclusion of others. This selective approach is hardly subtle: Governor Landry purposefully signed the bill at a Catholic school and even referenced Moses! 

There’s no denying that the Ten Commandments are inherently religious, as they proscribe not only murder and adultery but also idolatry, taking the Lord’s name in vain, and working on the Sabbath. So, conservatives making this “history, not religion” argument are straining credulity. 

What’s more, further empowering government schools to promote a specific ideology to students will not end well for conservatives. It’s not exactly breaking news that the public education system is overwhelmingly staffed and run by people with increasingly left-leaning political and cultural views. Conservatives should be fighting to restore viewpoint neutrality in the public square—not further undermining it and thereby making it easier for woke ideologues to propagandize to everyone’s kids. 

It’s sad, but ultimately not surprising, to see so many Republicans proving to be inconsistent allies to true liberal values. At least those few genuine, principled defenders of the First Amendment now know who our allies are—and who they are not. 

--

About the Author

Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is an independent journalist, YouTuber, and co-founder of BASEDPolitics.

==

Moral consistency requires opposing both.

... Secularism means that no particular ideology is being forwarded and getting special treatment. Go have your belief. Believe what you want. Privately. You don’t get special treatment because you believe this with tons of conviction. Secularism means that your belief in your faith covers none of the distance to proving that it’s true. Conviction is not evidence of much of anything. Except conviction. -- James Lindsay

--

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.”

Leviticus 25:44-46

Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

Who's going to tell him?

[jewishpositivity18]

Common Jewish terms and what they mean

שלום/Shalom: Traditional Hebrew greeting. Literally means "peace" but also used for "hello" תורה/Torah: Foundational Jewish text, mainly the five books of Moses (referred to as the Old Testament by Christians) מצוה/Mitzvah: Good deed or commandment, laws that the Torah requires Jewish people to follow השם/Hashem: Literally "the name", how some Jewish people refer to God רבי/Rabbi: Spiritual leader of the community שבּת/Shabbat: Jewish day of rest, which falls on Saturday every week. Some Jewish people refrain from work and using electronics on Shabbat כשר/Kosher: Jewish laws around food, such as not mixing meat and milk and not eating certain meat, like pork ישראל/Israel: Jewish people as a whole are sometimes referred to as "the children of Israel" in the Torah בּית כנסת/Synagogue/Temple/Shul: Place of worship where Jewish people come together to pray

[fromgoy2joy]

Hi! I have been off and on about my converion for a few years. My biggest road block is when I am asked by Rabbi’s or others “what is your reason for converting?”. My answers always seem off putting to the asker (jewish theology resonates with me, jewish ancestry, a love for jewish philosophy and torah principles). I wanted to ask how did you answer and navigate this question at the beginning of your journey?

hello hello! This is such a fascinating question that will merit a *long* response, so sit down, make yourself comfortable, get some tea etc. Sorry for making you wait, but I thought this would be a good post for me to reflect on on a Shabbat I can’t observe. (Family thingz and drama eek)

I entered the Jewish community in a somewhat unconventional way. As a college student, I decided to convert after years of thinking about it and a lifetime of longing for it.

I could go into a whole tangent about that, but short story. I’ve always felt pulled to Judaism and I always tried to fix myself into being a good Catholic girl. One of my earliest memories at 6 was being told to name my stuffed monkey after a saint and I chose Moses for her. Because I wanted her (and me) to be Jewish.

So after years of self torment, I entered college, pretty sure that I was going to convert but completely unknowing of how to start. But school started in September- it was all high holidays and that’s like bursting in on Christmas (not accurate portrayal but from a cultural Christian POV.) I kept on making excuses.

It was a little revelation I had to myself on a seemingly innocuous Friday night. That if if all religion is “disproven” tomorrow, I would still want to practice these traditions, and pass it down to my children. I would still want to be apart of this community and follow the philosophies.

That night was October 6th.

Then I woke up on October 7th and my world had completely shaken. I can’t even put the words into how I felt- it was as if I had blown out the candles of a birthday cake joyfully, unknowing of the darkness I was letting in.

I wept at the constantly playing news. I went to memorial services at local synagogues and struggled through (and got better at ) the Hebrew. I stopped all ham consumption and started to attempt at keeping kosher. And I started going to the Jewish life room provided by our university more and more often.

No one would be in there in the odd times I’d come in, but I started to read “Judaism for Dummies” on their somewhat uncomfortable couch. I was delighted to see that it was too simplistic for me, that there was so much I already knew. Then I moved on to the more complex books about Jewish literacy, philosophy and stories to get more well rounded. But that’s a hard place to start where I know about intense philosophical questions but not the Shema.

I really got involved in the community. I went constantly to shabbats, introduced myself to people around and met with leaders. I went to rabbis’ houses and played with their children. I got involved in advocacy. I walked to a minyan on a Friday night a mile off in the rain. I learnt prayers and butchered the pronunciation.

By the time I actually sat down with my converting rabbi, I’d been immersed in Jewish life for around 3 months.

So I covered bases with him- how I felt about Judaism, how I had learnt and practiced my faith in the limited time I had, but most of all how I had gone through hell and back with the Jewish people and how I never wanted to leave them.

(And then I got assigned 600 pages of reading. So success but at what cost? Just kidding just kidding!

My recommendation to you is- as much as you can- immerse yourself in Jewish community. Make it to prayer services. Help out. And if they ask the “who, what, why, where, when” on your conversion, you don’t have to over-explain. Just smile and say “oh it’s a long story, but this feels like home. “

Because that’s what Judaism is to me - and what it sounds like for you too. Home.

You’ll refine your answers to the other hard questions later. It sound like you already have those answers and your “why” .But making yourself at home here is what I’d (from my experience) recommend you focus on.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Do we all need a refresher on tochecha? I think that the last several days of internet have shown me that perhaps we all might.

Here's an excellent article from Rabbi Freedman of Rodeph Shalom:

Tochecha: How We Rebuke

Picture the scene: The Israelites have been wandering for 40 years in the desert and are finally on the banks of the Jordan river just mere miles from the Holy Land. Moses, knowing that his time as their leader is coming to end, offers one final speech to his people. This not-so-short speech, which is basically the entire book of Deuteronomy, is a look back at their shared history and words of advice for their future. Specifically in this first portion of Deuteronomy, D’varim, Moses does not mince words and offers a harsh rebuke of his people. He says:

…you rebelled against the command of your God. You grumbled in your tents… I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid…your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as God did for you in Egypt…” In spite of this, you did not trust in your God, and when God heard what you said, God was angry and solemnly swore that no one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors… And because of you God became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either.

We have name for this type of unsolicited advice in Judaism – tochecha. Literally, tochecha is a reproof or a rebuke, a spoken frankness that reveals a fixable flaw. The purpose of giving a tochecha is to point out an important truth that someone just seems to keep missing. It is one of Judaism’s most spiritual practices, not to be dished out carelessly or in anger, but with genuine concern for another human being.

In the case of Moses and the Israelites, the tochecha from Moses is related to people’s lack of faith in God. Moses, seemingly coming from a place of love, is worried that if they continue to grumble, and fear, and fail to have faith, then it will not end well for the Israelites; especially without Moses to have their back as has throughout the journey. Moses knows he will no longer be there to help his people and so this final speech, this final rebuke, is an act of love.

Fundamentally, tochecha is a mitzvah of connection — a cornerstone of healthy relationships and strong community. If we can trust our neighbors to tell us the truth lovingly, and if we can hear a reprimand with calm consideration, then our path to one of Judaism’s most sought after spiritual destinations, shalom/wholeness, is well paved.

Tochecha — the art of giving and receiving honest feedback or rebuke — is part of the biblical formula for sustaining friendships and relationships. According to the talmudic rabbis, it is an integral part of love; without tochecha, love cannot endure. (Bereshit Raba 54:3) I see evidence of this every day while counselling wedding couples. Those who are skilled at giving and receiving feedback are able to sustain healthy relationships over the long term, while those who lack such skills are ill-equipped to deal with relationship challenges when they arise. Tochecha requires great integrity and impeccable communication skills. It also requires the use of an array of psychological capacities and virtues, including humility, empathy, mindfulness, courage, non-defensiveness, and integration. While highly evolved individuals welcome tochecha as an opportunity for self-improvement, most people defend against having their shortcomings pointed out to them, and they will employ a range of psychological defenses, including denial and projection, to protect themselves from the pain of reproof. According to Estelle Frankel, a psychotherapist and Jewish educator, we increase the likelihood that our words will be heard by paying attention to three things: our timing, tone, and intention.

Timing: The rabbis teach that just as it is a mitzvah to offer words of tochecha when our words are likely to be heard, it is a mitzvah to stay silent when our words will not be heard. (Yevamot 65) Before speaking, we need to be mindful of our own emotional state as well as that of the listener. If we are emotionally triggered or angry, or notice that the listener is in a state of agitation, it is better to wait for a more opportune time — one that is mutually agreed upon.

Tone: A voice that is angry, disdainful, blaming, or judgmental can undermine our message. It is better to communicate tochecha with humility and empathy. Remembering that we are all flawed and that we all possess the capacity for wrongdoing is key. When possible, offer feedback and insight as an equally imperfect individual — no better or worse than anyone else. As it says in Pirkei Avot (Chapter 2, Mishnah 5), “Do not judge your neighbors until you have stood in their place.”

Intention: Tochecha is not simply a matter of venting; rather, it involves a conscious effort to heal a breach in a relationship or to help others to awaken to their spiritual and moral deficits. Tochecha is most effective when we make use of our psychological capacity for integration — the ability to see ourselves and others as whole beings with strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices. With integration, we do not define people by their mistakes and flaws; rather, we point out specific criticisms at the same time that we remember the person’s essential goodness. When giving tochecha, it is helpful to express our loving concern, respect, and appreciation alongside any critique. Doing so reduces defensiveness and any sense that the criticism is an assault on the individual’s character.

Looking back now upon Moses’ words of rebuke in this chapter, we find that perhaps he could have done it a bit better. One of the amazing aspects of our tradition is that our prophets are not perfect and that we actually learn quite a bit from their failings. Moses’ tone seems overly harsh and the setting perhaps not ideal. In addition, I think there is one more major flaw in Moses’ rebuke.

The Baal Shem Tov (c.1698-1760), the founder of Chasidism, taught that if we see another person doing something ugly, we should meditate on the presence of that same ugliness in ourselves. He writes that we should, “know that it is one of God’s mercies that God brought this sight before our eyes in order to remind us of that our own faults, so as to bring us back in repentance…” He then gives examples such as, “if you saw someone desecrating Shabbat, or desecrating God’s name some other way, you should examine your own deeds and you will certainly find among them desecration of the Shabbat and cursing God’s name.”

According to the Baal Shem Tov sometimes when we judge others about a particular character fault, we might actually be subconsciously critiquing a character fault of our own. Since we’re uncomfortable doing a self-critique because it hurts too much, yet at the same time we don’t like that aspect of ourselves, we “project” that unwanted character trait onto another individual and critique the other person—which is a much more comfortable thing to do. What the Baal Shem Tov is asking us to do is to be aware that we might subconsciously do this, and to focus our critique inward instead.

Moses is near the end of his life, knows he won’t be going into the land and is working through some issues �� trying to come to terms with his own failings and thus projecting them on others. Yes, the people had anger issues, trust issues and complained a lot during the journey. But so did Moses! Moses claims that he won’t be allowed in the land because of the people’s sin. Here Moses is failing to see his own flaws and projecting them on his people.

When we practice tochecha, who are we doing it for? To what degree do we see our own failings in our loved ones? It is not always so easy in the moment but we most constantly ask ourselves before giving criticism, who is this for? Is the timing and tone right? What are my intentions? Will this person actually listen? How can I give feedback in the most thoughtful, least humiliating way?

I’ll end with a short story about the famous 19th century rabbi, Israel Kagan, also known as the Chofetz Chayim, which illustrates one possible, non-shaming way to give tochecha. A student at the yeshiva was caught smoking on the Shabbat. When he was called into the Chofetz Chayim’s office, he anticipated being harshly rebuked. Instead, the old rabbi took the young man’s hands into his own and gazed into his eyes with loving concern and sorrow. A tear fell from the rabbi’s eyes, landing on the student’s hand as he uttered three words: “Shabbos, Shabbos HaKodesh – Shabbat, Shabbat is holy.” The young man was deeply distressed to have caused his teacher such sorrow. On the spot, he repented and never broke the Sabbath again. The rabbi’s tears, an expression of his love and concern, left an indelible mark on the young man’s soul.

For further reading, Sefaria has you covered.

[deliciousangelfestival]

Counting Days - Lloyd Hansen Series

Character: Lloyd Hansen x Rich!Female Reader

Words Count: 1,525

A/N: This is an extra story before Lloyd and Reader met. I hope you like it. It’s hard to end the story with this couple. But I don’t want to drag the story too long.

Thank you so much for all the reblog, likes, and comments. 

This chapter is from Lloyd Hansen's Series - 3 Billion Divorce.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 (Extra Story)

And check out my other stories from Masterlist.

2190 days before they met.

Bored. 

That's what Lloyd felt right now. Today he's attending Economic Summit, where rich people gathered. His job today is to guard his top client, a French Millionaire, Monsieur Gentry. 

"Brightened up your face a bit Hansen. You are scaring them."

Lloyd growled, "Most of the attendance have bad record, you don't have to waste time talking to them." 

The French millionaire sipped his champagne. "Hmm, you never know perhaps in the future, they could be your client."

Suddenly, everyone murmurs, making a space like Moses split the Red Sea. 

"Fix your posture Lloyd, someone important is coming."

Lloyd doesn't understand who the giant shark is. He sees a group of people walking behind the older man. He seemed around 80, but Lloyd could sense this older man was a leader from afar. 

"Mr.Benjamin L/N. Good to see you." Gentry approaches the older man. 

When Lloyd heard the name, he finally understood why everyone inside the room changed their attitude immediately. 

Benjamin L/N, also called Hand of Midas, he's the CEO of L/N&Co. His name has always been mentioned at Harvard. He started as a delivery man and now owns a billionaire company. Lloyd looked at Gentry; he looked smaller than Benjamin. 

"Monsieur Grently." Benjamin nodded his head.

This is the first time Lloyd sees his top client being nervous. 

Gentry didn't want to lose his face because everyone kept glancing in their direction. He cleared his throat "Ehem, do you find interesting company to invest?"

Benjamin clicked his tongue "No, just c*cksucker."

"Father… don't say it out loud." It seems like he's Benjamin's son. From the look of it, Lloyd could see that man being scared of his father. 

"So what? You told me there will be potential company but all I can see is pointless presentation."

"Pfft." Lloyd couldn't hold his laugh. 

Benjamin turned his head towards Lloyd. He snapped his fingers. "Who the f*ck are you?"

Before Gentry could explain, Lloyd said, "The only person here who won't try to impress you."

"I'm sorry Mr. Benjamin, he's my bodyguard that I hired for today."

Benjamin looks at Lloyd closely from head to toe. "What's your name?"

"Lloyd Hansen from Hansen Security."

"Still young but have established his company." Benjamin whispered.

"Why did you hired him?" He asks Gentry. 

Gentry was nervous because if he said the wrong things, his money would lose money. "He's smart, cunning, ex-CIA and a problem solver sir."

Benjamin raised his eyebrows. "Man with his own rules."

"Are you single Mr.Hansen?"

"What's the point of asking that? Are you going to introduce him to your eldest granddaughter?" Gentry tries to brighten up the mood. 

"No, his attitude reminded me of my youngest granddaughter."

"Ahh yeah, smart kid." 

Benjamin's face started brightening when he talked about his youngest granddaughter. He begins to brag about her accomplishments. He finally stopped talking when his son told him to greet other people. 

"See you again Gentry." Benjamin looked at Lloyd and said, "You too, rude man."

Lloyd raises his champagne glass. After Benjamin and his entourage go, Gentry feels relieved. 

"Lloyd, he probably interested with your skill."

"Ooh, I thought we want me to be his grandson-in-law."

Gentry scoffed. "In your dream."

2188 Days left before they met. 

After finishing his job with Monsieur Gentry, Lloyd asks his IT team to find out about Benjamin L/N's youngest granddaughter. 

When he got home, the files were already put on his desk. 

Lloyd read the file and lost interest; he had already assumed she was a nerd. She won't be able to stand with him because of what he does. 

He threw away the files and said, "Sorry old man, she's not my type."

1825 days left before they met. 

"Huufft." 

You were exhausted every night from fixing every problem your relatives had made that could hurt the company's reputation. 

You are supposed to handle the car manufacturers just like your father, but after you got the master's degree from Harvard, your grandfather appointed you to be the problem fixer. 

Every day is always a new problem; it seems they did it intentionally. 

But you won't give up because your grandfather trusts you. 

"Y/N, we have arrived." Jimmy spoke from the driver's seat. 

"Thanks Jimmy." Like every night, you always drop by the hospital to visit your grandfather. 

He was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago, already in stadium three. It made everyone panic, including the company and the main family. 

You cannot visit your grandfather at lunch hour because your aunties were there and you always avoided them.

When you opened his door, Benjamin woke up and ate fast food. 

You knew him as strong, but now he looks as skinny as bones because of the cancer. 

Today he seems relaxed. Yesterday he was fierce and mad. You heard your aunt had another problem, and he cursed at them. Some say the whole hospital could listen to him. 

Right now, he doesn’t look scary. He enjoys eating ice cream. 

"Grandpa, doctor told you not to eat sugar."

"What's the point of preventing it? The cancer has spread all over my body."

"Didn't you make a declaration to the doctor that you will live until 100 years old."

"Haha, I did." He let a fake laugh. Your grandfather knew his time was near. 

Benjamin sighed heavily ."Who's going to protect you when I'm gone?" Then he suddenly remembered, "Last year, I meet a young man that a security expert. I forgot his company name, but his name is Lloyd."

"He reminded me when I was young. Ambitious and ruthless."

"Perhaps you could hire his company."

You shook your head. "Yeah, yeah, why would I need a bodyguard when I'm stuck at the office the whole day."

"You never know what will happen, Y/N. I have assigned Jimmy to stay beside you. Ooh wait, I will ask James. Perhaps he knew. Because it's just not anybody who could stand beside Monsieur Gentry."

"Grandpa… Your presence is enough to make me feel safe."

"Ooh my granddaughter. I'm sorry." He puts down the ice cream and brings you to his arm. You can feel his bones; he's not as strong as he used to be. 

"Don't cry, grandpa or you will fainted."

"You brat." 

You could see his medicine start working because he kept yawning. You fix his pillow and blanket. "Time to go to bed."

He grabs your hand and says, "Y/N, I'm proud of you. And your parents too. The company will be safe in your hands." 

You smiled and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow."

That was the last time you talked to him.

The next day he couldn't breathe because the water filled his lungs. 

The next day the doctor announced his death. 

The next day after the funeral, your grandfather's notary asked you to be in the same room with other relatives because he would read your grandfather's final wish. 

1821 day before they met, 

Y/N L/N's life turned hell when her grandfather wrote her name as the new CEO. 

7 days before they met. 

When his IT team got an encrypted message, Lloyd had just returned from his mission. 

"Boss, you have to see this."

Lloyd looked at the screen and laughed hysterically. 

40 million?!

That's the most significant contract he ever received. 

Whose target made someone want to spend this kind of money?

When he looked at the files, he couldn't believe the coincidence. He read your file perhaps five years ago. Y/N L/N, 34 years old, granddaughters of the former CEO of L/N & Co, Single. 

Lloyd remembers the older man that made Gentry scared. Benjamin L/N also wants to introduce him to his granddaughter. 

He did ask for her file, but he lost interest. 

He tapped his chin and looked at her picture on the screen. "I can't wait to meet you Y/N L/N."

The day they met. 

"Boss we got the target."

Lloyd had been waiting for the call. He smiled. "Bring her here."

"What about the bodyguard?"

"Just throw him outside." Why should he care for a mere bodyguard?

The moment Lloyd saw you when his soldier carried you, who still fainted. You look weak.

'I don't want to kill her.' That was his first thought.

He wonders what you are going to do when you wake up. Cry, scream, curse, or beg for your life? 

But you didn’t do one of those things. Instead, you look straight at him; he can sense you are frightened of him. Anyone would do the same when they got kidnapped. 

"3 billion."

"Be my husband for a year and you will get other 2 billions."

Lloyd smirked; you’re not weak; he could see the fighter spirit in your eyes. Your survival instinct is strong. Your cockiness reminded him of your grandfather. 

No wonder why your grandfather was so proud of you. Now this is the type of woman he likes. 

He knelt and said, "You got yourself a husband Mrs. Hansen."

Author Note: It turned out they were destined to meet.

This chapter is from Lloyd Hansen's Series - 3 Billion Divorce.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 (Extra Story)

And check out my other stories from Masterlist.

Taglist:

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@chibijusstuff

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@alchemxx

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[luca-armed-and-neurodivergent]

Haha oh boy two Limbus text posts with moderate but not negative reception and I’m already going into controversial territory

My picks for distortion detective ids :) … oh boy I’m gonna be put in the singing machine for there but THEY ALL HAVE REASONINGS YOUR HONOUR

Let’s just start with the easy ones

Ezra and Dias : Ezra don/Dias Faust … do I need to explain these ? Well Ezra is very energetic and a big fan of Workshops just like don but exchange workshops with fixers. And Faust and Dias just click … ya dig ?

The one where there isn’t an obvious choice but which will need an explanation

YuRia I believe should be ryoshu, her „interest“ in psychomends mirrors ryoshus „interest“ in „art“ her personality also fits onto ryoshu more than other options (yi sang because smart and an inventor… and that’s about it Faust is already given to dias)

Oh boy this is gonna have people look at me weird

Vespa crabro: now meursault is the obvious pick and one I’d agree with, one small issue tho… I believe SINCLAIR is a better pick in all honesty. Why ? Let’s start superficial, young and a powerhouse (especially when they experience strong emotions).and for the more story aspects. They were forced out of a rather good position in life without any choice. Vespa losing his job and Sinclair losing his family and they both have a bad history with an evil group (we don’t know if Vespa was traumatized by the thumb like Nagel und Hammer traumatized Sinclair but it’s clear he holds distain for the syndicate)

And now for the grand finale the thing I might get hate for

Moses

And no it is NOT outis … stop booing me I’m right „but old woman“ „but smoke war“ well guess what. The person I’m thinking off neutralizes both points and yes ITS GREGOR first the superficial points… Gregor is old too bro is 35 he’s already standing with two feet in his grave and yeah smoke war and stuff… also both Gregor and Moses are missing an arm and they both smoke… now for the story THE BIG THING why I believe Gregor is a better pick. It’s because they resemble each other. Just on different sides of the war. Both were essentially brainwashed by a powerful entity on their side of the war. Hermann the head scientist of g Corp and Dias the cult leader of the Udjat. Both also were the favorite underling of said powerful figure and both Moses and Gregor were put into a leadership position Gregor being the mascot and war hero of g Corp, Moses the captain of the udjat and both now have major ptsd from the war also holding distain for their respective brainwasher. And let’s not forget both have been on record for turning into a creature when in emotional distress

Or in short: Ezra/don Dias/Faust YuRia/ryoshu Vespa/Sinclair Moses/Gregor

[persepor]

Let's talk about my favorite villains pt 1

Let's face it, sometimes the villains are better than the heroes or they are just as compelling as the heroes. So I want to go over some of my favorite villains which spans back to my childhood, I'll also put villains in quotation marks because some are framed as villains when they really are not (you'll see why).

So let's get into this!!

Eris

Eris is first on my list and- hoo boy! Do I love her so much. I need to re-watch this movie because the last time I saw this was when I was 8 or 9. First off she's a badass and I mean that, she has a plan and she'll do whatever it takes to make that plan work.

Eris is the goddess of discord, and she strikes a deal with Sinbad for him to get the Book of Peace for her. He backs out of the deal though, so she uses her powers to frame Sinbad for stealing the book. Sinbad must now track down the book and return it.

Eris' design reflects her personality and how she stirs up discord and chaos. She's designed as if she were simply smoke, with her form constantly shifting and being able to change her shape and grow. She can make herself tower over humans or make herself the same height as humans.

I always loved her for how she was simply herself while being an unforgettable villainess, her personality is unmatched and adds to why i love her so much.

Ramesses

If you haven't seen the Prince of Egypt please give it a watch it's really good. As someone who doesn't care about religion I feel DreamWorks struck gold with their adaptation of the story of Moses. They paint Rameses as a complicated villain with conflicting emotions.

Rameses doesn't want to let Moses' people go because he wants to uphold the legacy their family's dynasty has built. But, he wants his brother, Moses, back. This culminates in their sibling relationship shattering.

Rameses is not a black-and-white villain, he is 3 dimensional. But, he is still evil in wanting to keep the Hebrews as slaves. He is the reason all the plagues are set upon Egypt, resulting in his sons death.

Rameses is an interesting villain you'd have to watch the movie to really get what I'm saying about his character.

Ratchet and Madame Gasket

Putting these two together because they are a Mother-Son duo. Ratchet deals with things on the outside while his mother, Madame Gasket, deals with things on the inside with her chop shop. They both want to take over Big Weld Industry and the whole city.

These two are HILARIOUS, Ratchet acts as a sophisticated, well-put together person with a plan, but is actually a scared mama's boy. He has very hilarious scenes and lines, his interactions with his mother are also hilarious. One of my favorite scenes of his is the one where he knocks out Big Weld and says this: "Oh my god I'm as crazy as my mother!!....HYAH"

Madame Gasket used to terrify me as a child, and I can see why. She is ruthless in her approach while also being a doting mother to Ratchet. She collects 'Out modes' with her sweepers to turn them into metal to create new, shiny parts. She even got her husband out of the way so she can focus on her plan of taking over Big Weld Industries. A villain who will get rid of anything in their way is terrifying.

They are both defeated with Ratchet being chained up by his father and Madame Gasket being thrown into one of her machines.

Tatiana

A character that's posed as a villain but is put into that light. Yes she is wrong for Vinyl City's power outages, but she knew what kept the city going. She used to be Kul Fyra, leader of the rock group the Ghoulings.

I won't go much about her her because I want to talk about her in full but she is so well written. Am ex rock star that switched to EDM now has to deal with a musical revolution. She sees B2J's revolution as irrelevant because nothing will come of it.

As she points out they made the same amount of energy as EDM and that they went into this without a plan. They would put people out of jobs and cause a revolution from people who live EDM. She's the common sense B2J needed.

Fairy Godmother

You should not be surprised she's on here. She is an icon when it comes to DreamWorks villains. When DreamWorks villains are mentioned, she's the first one to be brought up.

She is portrayed as a caring individual but is a selfish person who wants her darling son Prince Charming to be king. She uses the fact Shrek took a potion to make him and Fiona human to her advantage. She makes Charming pretend to be Shrek so he can get closer to Fiona.

She also is a master manipulator, basically threatening the king to do what she wants him to do. She wants Shrek out of the picture because "Ogres don't get happily ever afters." She wants Fiona to have the picture perfect happily ever after married to charming.

Yes her entire scene at the ball is stunning. The red dress is so good and fits her character perfectly. The rendition of Holding Out for a Hero is absolutely a banger and is a go-to song of mine.

Iconic villain and has had a lasting impression on me.

Mother Gothel

I grew up with Morher Gothel as a character. Both her Disney and barbie version, which I'll talk a bit about here and in a dedicated post about early 2000s barbie. I love her character very dearly. We are talking about a gaslighting, manipulative person.

She kidnapped Rapunzel because of her hair, she doesn't love Rapunzel she loves her hair. Meanwhile, in the Barbie version, she's a cold, distant person who kidnapped Rapunzel as revenge. But we're focusing on the Disney version here.

She makes Rapunzel believe she loves her, makes the outside world to be dangerous, and manipulates her into thinking Flynn Rider abandoned her. She was willing to murder to keep Rapunzel's hair to herself. As all she cares about is her beauty and youth.

She is a master manipulator and an amazing villain as well.

Preminger

Ah Preminger one of the best Barbie villains. A villain with a great plan that fails miserably. A villain with hilarious scenes.

Preminger wants the crown to himself amd at first plans to marry Annaliese. But when that goes wrong, he tries to marry the queen. But that also goes wrong.

He has hilarious scenes such as him knocking on the cabin door to see if Annaliese is still locked in there. To the hilarious scene where he almost faints when finding out the princesses wedding will be next weak.

Preminger is the most loved barbie villain for a reason. He's dramatic, funny, and cunning. His sidekicks are hilarious and give a lot of laughs. His dog is also a great component of his character as he is an extension of Preminger.

End

Well that's the end of part 1, I have 4 more I'll discuss in part 2 so keep an eye out for that.

[todaysjewishholiday]

6 Elul 5784 (7-8 September 2024)

The fifty fourth century was a golden age for the Ashkenazim of Bohemia, Moravia, Galicia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. As with all such golden ages for the Jewish people, it was not without dangers, and it ended in a devastating conflagration, but while it lasted it was a time of a great flowering of rabbinical study and remarkable freedom of movement for Jews across the eastern lands of Europe. More than anything else, it was this age that established the strength of Ashkenazi Judaism from which modern Jewish orthodoxy has fed. And one of the great lights of this time, whose rabbinical career carried him across the full breadth of Ashkenaz, was Gershom Shaul Lipmann ben Nathan haLevi Heller, known to his contemporaries as the Tosfot Yom Tov.

Heller was born in 5339 in Bavaria, days after his father's sudden death at the age of 18. Despite Nathan Heller's brief life, he had fathered four children. Gershom was taken under the wing of his paternal grandfather, Rabbi Moses, who began his education in Torah study. After several years of study in a yeshiva near home, the adolescent Heller traveled on his own to the beit midrash of the Maharal of Prague, a giant of both Torah and secular studies who regularly debated with the great gentile scholars of his time. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Heller received semicha from the Maharal and an appointment as a dayan in Prague. He remained there for 27 years, producing a number of treatises including the one whose title became his rabbinic eponym, before journeying to Moravia to take up a rabbinical post there, and being offered the position of Chief Rabbi of Vienna after barely a year in the region.

Yom Tov was of great service to Vienna's scattered Jews, receiving permission to establish a centralized community, and creating a communal constitution and various communal institutions for the good of all. However, his organized and thoughtful approach soon made him enemies among the wealthier members of the kehilla. When the Gentile authorities imposed harsh taxes on the city's Jews, Heller led the community's leaders in deciding to collect the tax progressively as a percentage of individual wealth, rather than as a simple poll tax, to lighten the burden on the community's poor. The rich, however, were not happy being asked to pay their share, and accused their chief rabbi of slandering Christianity. Heller was arrested and sentenced to death, but his allies were able to persuade the Emperor to reduce the sentence to a fine of 10,000 thalers, and a ruling that he was not to serve as a rabbi anywhere in the Emperor's realm. As soon as the fine was paid off, Heller left for the eastern border.

He was warmly welcomed into the Jewish community of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and soon appointed to the Council of the Four Lands, which functioned as a Jewish proto-legislative body and as a gathering for Jewish leaders to discuss issues for which they needed to collectively appeal Gentile authorities. Yom Tov served for three years as a rabbinical authority in Nemirov, then moved to Ludmir, and from there to Krakow, where he served as one of the Av Beis Din of Krakow's rabbinical court, and also as head of the Krakow yeshiva. It was during his two decades in Krakow that the horrors of the Chmielnicki Revolt passed through the Commonwealth. He survived the massacres, and passed away six years later on 6 Elul 5414. He was laid to rest in a humble grave in a corner of Krakow's Jewish burial ground.

[fuglyjeans]

Hi please take a few minutes to read this 1953 speech by Dale Jennings (pre-stonewall gay rights advocate, founding member of the Mattachine Society) addressing a room full of queers who couldn't stop their infighting:

"I’m going to embarrass you.

It has to be done because not all of us are positively sure why we’re here tonight. If we’ve come to kindly congratulate a few strangers with whom we feel no identity, then there has been a mistake and we are merely imposing ceremony upon one another. This is most decidedly not just another meal. Nor are we here to applaud Society at large for loosening a jot more of its infinite prejudice — or the Law for a smattering more of acquittals and dismissals — or Religion for rattling a few less tooth on its bone necklace. No, we applaud no group called “Them” — but we do applaud, frankly, us. We ourselves here tonight! Those on either side of you and you, you yourself sitting there in unsuspected glory. Each of us here tonight is a hero, each has a place in history — if only for being here tonight.

And how much more than that have we done! We are that little band that the Future will celebrate. But in today’s absence of tomorrow’s laurels, let us immodestly crown ourselves. And how realistic, how crystal-clear-eyed we are to do so, for we are most surely making history. We most surely are leaders, historic fighting leaders! Our only mistakes occur when we forget that fact.

What we have gotten, we have earned. Even our smallest victories have not been gifts. We’ve wrenched then from unwilling hands and now hold them only as concessions. We are despised, yet we sit here tonight in courageous defiance of a society given to lynching.

The early Christians never had it so bad: their persecution ended. Ours started long before theirs, and still isn’t over. And more of us have fallen. Then were we to fully realize how well we deserve this immoderate praise, were we to live in the expectation of highest respect, we could never err and we would accomplish our dream with a speed surprising to only ourselves.

Yes, these are the words of an immoderate man. Wholly unrestrained, more than a little vulgar and shockingly belligerent. Standing so labeled, it is quite natural to look around for company — and there’s plenty.

The Allies in revolting against a Nazi reign did not say, “We will avenge Beuchenwald moderately.” Lincoln in revolting against established slavery did not say, “This must eventually be destroyed.” The revolting nobles did not gradually educate the King into signing the Magna Charta.

Nor was the vulgarian [sic] who revolted against paganism and rudely tossed the money-changers from the temple primarily interested in good taste. All leaders have an immoderate sense of their place in history — they know precisely what they’re doing — and they have the courage that stems from being able to say, Why fear? We do no wrong!

Moderation is a form of fear. When we avoid action by pleading its imprudence, we in our fear forget those most imprudent men at Valley Forge. The hungry, freezing men who revolted against an order no tiny whit more menacing than the order against which we here in this room now revolt. They did not say, “Forward men, but try not to give offense!” Nor were the Ten Commandments written by a hand not wishing to disturb the majority of society. The Jew Moses did not say, “Thou shalt commit less adultery.” Yet the established order against which he revolted was no more primitive than the identical bigotry which we face.

Before smiling away these grand comparisons, think for a moment how gigantic is the oppression under which we live. None has ever equalled it in completeness. We are dictated to in every facet of human behavior. Where we live, whom we shall have for friends, how we shall express that friendship, the color of our friends, their number: we shall not have physical satisfaction of any kind not approved by courts of law, what we wear, how we wear it, how we move, our facial expressions, gestures, vocabularies and what we say with them, our very tones of voice — and even the way we think! We know well the punishments for non-conformity. This is a tyranny beyond any tyranny ever known! Then is it immoderate to say tonight that those who fight this tyranny deserve the highest praise?

And is it rash to say, “Why fear? We do no wrong!” Is it merely rabble-rousing to insist we must be roused? Some say yes. Some are prudent. Some say this very sober, profoundly moral banquet should not be publicly announced until it is over. We might be raided. But what would we be raided for? What have we done? What are we now doing that we would not courageously, proudly do before our very God! What is improper here — what is unnatural and unlawful!

Don’t say that the police need no valid charges to clean up such a gathering. The answer to that must inevitably be, “Then all the more reason for challenging them and fighting then with all our resources, all our strength, and all our great number.” Legions would rise for us. So why fear? We do no wrong!

We accept the enemy’s own evaluation of us when we fear. Let them circle the building, let them burst in grandly and arrest us all, and then, by God, let them try us!

The reason they haven’t done this yet in all the years of Mattachine is because they know we’re unafraid — they know we’d stick together they know we’ve done no wrong — and they know they’d get the biggest fight they ever ended up running from!

And the Law/must be faced squarely, too. He who denies that our present laws against “unnatural acts” are not an abomination — he who denies these laws are not themselves unnatural perversions of justice, is himself a fool — or a hypocrite — or an enemy. To attack the immoderate bestiality of such lave with moderation is to prove that we are as mild as prejudice claims us, as meekly effeminate as tradition brands us and as silly as even our well-wishers must at times concede. These primitive laws must go and there a no one to erase them but us. No one else is quite this interested. Foolish hets [heterosexuals] think it doesn’t concern them — until they get that phone call from Lincoln Heights.

But while moderation is a form of fear, fear takes the form of many immoderate acts. Of these we are all guilty. I have purposely been using the awful word revolt, summoned up the idea of revolution and — knowing very well what I was saying — advocated overthrowing certain violent laws. At any other time in our lives this would be recognized as reform and my right to speak out such ideas also recognized.

But not today. Not even tonight for there has been wincing. We, in our great category, are deathly afraid of categories. We are afraid in precisely the way our enemies wish us to be afraid. For in 1953, it is quite fashionable to call all opposition by a certain name pre-filled with odium. Not only are proven spies this awful thing but school-teachers, too, ministers, most movie actors and writers and whomever opposes us at the polls. It’s used when anyone — I say anyone — suggests a change including babies in diapers. This Readers’ Digest version of a four letter word is thrown about like rice at a wedding. Take a handful and let go; you’re sure to hit someone.

Today, in 1953, no longer must the accusers prove their charges. The burden of proof has been, pardon the expression, changed. Today, in 1953, the accused himself — and this will seem incredible in future times — the accused must prove himself innocent. Anyone can with impunity stand up and say, “I think that man is one of those.”

It is not really for any specific act, not on any concrete charge, mind you, that one might be accused but merely on the principle of state-of-being. This is in spite of the fact that state-of-being in normal times does not constitute a valid charge! No one can be legally found guilty of being a criminal or a homosexual. She or he must be accused of a specific act of criminality or homosexuality, and that act must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt before the accused can be found guilty.

But this is not so with the suspected homosexual or his shockingly close kin, the alleged subversive. They are both so vile and low that we deny them the due process of law automatically given rapists and kidnap-murderers.

Now it may be that I am merely brazenly avoiding the very question that is supposed to be the essence of the whole matter. Am I or have I ever been a Communist? In normal times this would deserve no answer whatsoever. Today it is different and I will give four answers, none of which will satisfy any but my constituents.

1: No man, woman or mixture has to answer that question constitutionally.

2: Those who do ask it are convinced of what the answer should be before they hear it and intend only slander.

3: If you think I am, prove it, prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Confronted by the overpowering evidence that should legally accompany such a charge, it won’t matter whether I “hide” behind the 5th Amendment or not, will it?

4: Before you start the whispering, remember that if you don’t prove my guilt beyond a reasonable doubt — if you don’t successfully slander all of my work—you’ve proven yourself the real subversive, proven that you don’t belong in this organization or in this country.

But we do, nevertheless.

We accuse without proof, make claims without sources, hold trials in the absence of the accused and destroy ourselves more efficiently than any thuggish fairy-hater.

In this we are not moderate. In this we show vulgar zest, a tasteless zeal, a thoroughly ungentlemanly belligerence as we think, talk, and act against ourselves.

We immoderately create factions in which everyone would rather be right than present at a meeting.

The good rich life attained lies in proving someone out of order or tabling his motion. We couple mightily with protocol for endless hours and give birth to only minutes — piles of them!

We wrestle in admirable earnestness with the problem of nature and nurture, totally unaware that it’s not of overwhelming consequence whether you were born or made that way when you look at the world through bars.

(You don’t cling to them incidentally, as in movies. They’re too cold. Anyway, you feel there’s nothing left in a jellied world to cling to.)

We are exuberantly immoderate in our pastimes as we forget how infinitely safer it is here or at a chapter meeting or discussion group than in a known bar or on a beach, in a bed, under a bush. Yet we do haunt these places and take the Society’s name and work right along with us to jail. Danger and risk mean nothing to the sexually excited — but a great deal to those with another darned meeting to attend.

Yes, there is a certain amount of confusion here. It comes of humility. We’re too damned modest. We do actually great things and still blush like maidens. Incredible!

How can we be so humble as to bicker, accuse, cross dangerous wires, aspire to little and be contented with anything less than the tremendous! How can we forget that we here tonight need not fear! We do no wrong!

Smile an embarrassed smile if you will at the thought of tomorrow respecting you as heroes. But you are. We here in this ordinary room are history’s darlings!

Let’s applaud ourselves!"