#Social Security Expansion Act

[bobbiedlifeinphil]

Social Security Expansion | Act Could Change Everything #Shorts

[kleopatra45]

Degrees of Mars in the Natal Chart

Mars in Aries Degrees (1°, 13°, 25°):

These degrees suggest a highly passionate and driven approach to action and assertiveness. Individuals with Mars at these degrees may be impulsive, courageous, and quick to initiate new endeavors. They have a strong desire to lead and can be competitive, enthusiastic, and proactive in pursuing their goals.

Mars in Taurus Degrees (2°, 14°, 26°):

Degrees in Taurus imply a determined and persistent approach to action and physical energy. Those with Mars at these degrees may exhibit patience, endurance, and a methodical pace in pursuing their ambitions. They are grounded, practical, and focused on achieving tangible results, particularly in areas related to stability and material security.

Mars in Gemini Degrees (3°, 15°, 27°):

These degrees suggest a versatile and mentally agile approach to action and assertiveness. Individuals with Mars at these degrees may excel in communication, networking, and multitasking. They are curious, adaptable, and energized by intellectual challenges, often seeking variety and stimulation in their pursuits.

Mars in Cancer Degrees (4°, 16°, 28°):

Degrees in Cancer imply a protective and emotionally driven approach to action and assertiveness. Those with Mars at these degrees may channel their energy into nurturing and defending loved ones, home, and security. They are sensitive to emotional cues and may act from a place of instinctual protectiveness.

Mars in Leo Degrees (5°, 17°, 29°):

These degrees suggest a bold, expressive, and sometimes dramatic approach to action and assertiveness. Individuals with Mars at these degrees are confident, charismatic, and motivated by creative self-expression and recognition. They thrive in leadership roles and may exhibit a flair for theatrics in their endeavors.

Mars in Virgo Degrees (6°, 18°):

These degrees imply a meticulous, detail-oriented approach to action and physical energy. Those with Mars at these degrees may excel in tasks requiring precision, organization, and problem-solving. They are diligent, analytical, and motivated by a desire for efficiency and improvement.

Mars in Libra Degrees (7°, 19°):

Degrees in Libra suggest a cooperative and diplomatic approach to action and assertiveness. Individuals with Mars at these degrees may seek harmony, fairness, and balanced outcomes in their pursuits. They are skilled negotiators, value teamwork, and may act with consideration for others' perspectives.

Mars in Scorpio Degrees (8°, 20°):

These degrees suggest an intense, passionate, and sometimes secretive approach to action and assertiveness. Those with Scorpio at these degrees are driven by deep emotional intensity, determination, and a desire for transformation. They are resourceful, strategic, and may pursue their goals with unwavering focus.

Mars in Sagittarius Degrees (9°, 21°):

Degrees in Sagittarius imply an adventurous, optimistic, and expansive approach to action and physical energy. Individuals with Mars at these degrees are motivated by exploration, freedom, and the pursuit of knowledge. They thrive on challenges, seek new experiences, and may act impulsively in pursuit of their ideals.

Mars in Capricorn Degrees (10°, 22°):

These degrees suggest a disciplined, ambitious, and goal-oriented approach to action and assertiveness. Those with Mars at these degrees are driven by a strong sense of responsibility, determination, and a desire for long-term success. They are willing to work hard, endure challenges, and strategically advance towards their ambitions.

Mars in Aquarius Degrees (11°, 23°):

These degrees imply an innovative, unconventional, and sometimes rebellious approach to action and assertiveness. Individuals with Mars at these degrees are motivated by humanitarian ideals, social causes, and a desire for personal freedom. They are independent thinkers, catalysts for change, and may challenge traditional norms in their pursuits.

Mars in Pisces Degrees (12°, 24°):

Degrees in Pisces suggest a compassionate, imaginative, and intuitive approach to action and assertiveness. Those with Mars at these degrees may act from a place of empathy, creativity, and sensitivity to the needs of others. They are spiritually inclined, adaptable, and may find motivation through artistic or altruistic pursuits.

©️kleopatra45

[nianeyemystic]

Sextrology Observation 💦🤤😈

Where Saturn is placed in your chart, can show you what prevents you from being able to cum

- please keep in mind these are my OWN interpretations. they may or may not resonate with you, and that’s okay. I’m open to opinions & conversations however let’s keep it cute (rudeness is not acceptable in this safe space ) & learn from one another. Please do not copy of plagiarize , any reblogs & shares are greatly appreciated. This information may help somebody 🥰

Saturn in 1H:

You can be in your head alot during sex, you have to learn to let go so your body can feel & relax. it’s sometimes hard for you to experience emoting freely in front of others. Also how you feel about yourself & the person

Saturn in 2H:

Your self esteem. Your confidence an what you value can be a huge factor here. You should do affirmations, listen to sensual music before or even have your partner engage in praise kinks & compliment you during.

Saturn in 3H

Inability to communicate what you need & desire during sex. Communication is key here for you, you can limit yourself to cumming just based on lack thereof. Your partner may not know how to please you unless you say it.

Saturn in 4H:

Your emotional needs, home life & even sense of security with your partner. A lack of stimulation surrounding the home environment you’re in during. Maybe try changing up the atmosphere.

Saturn in 5H:

You place a lot of pressure on yourself during, there needs to be a balance of this is a devoted action & something fun & creative. Try new positions, have exploration in the bedroom & music / good vibes are needed.

Saturn in 6H:

You’re too focused on work maybe. Or your career is heavily on your mind during sex. Also if you’re not in good health mentally or physically this can hinder you as well in the bedroom. Try to meditate, do breathing exercises & completely change out of “work mode” before engaging

Saturn in 7H:

The need to feel secure in your relationship. Their needs to be reciprocal loyalty & commitment before you can release. Your relationships can deeply effect your sensuality so be careful who you’re getting into bed with

Saturn in 8H:

Your sexuality may have been something you’re ashamed of before. Maybe you’ve held onto view around sex as taboo, or have not gotten fully comfortable with exploring your sexuality. The right healing work & sexual expression will help you get there. Sacral chakra & Root Chakra yoga could help here

Saturn in 9H:

You may be too intense or focused on your intellectual pursuits. Sex has be to stimulating for your mind as well. So maybe conversations that lead to sec should involve topics like expansion, travel & self discovery. Or you could need to engage in more of those to feel sexually aroused

Saturn in 10H:

Reputation of the person your having sex with & maybe even their social status could effect you here. Maybe try finding partners who fit the ideal you’re attracted to in social world or simply forget about that & let go.

Saturn in 11H

The money & income of either yourself or your partner could effect your sexual stimulation. Even the social circles you hang in. If you’re attracted to a person but his/her friend group doesn’t align you maybe turned off. Also patience, you might be rushing the act to get there. Take your time

Saturn in 12H:

Your intuition will tell you everything. So if you’re not aligned spiritually, or have some sort of connection with a partner you could hav trouble cumming. Sex should be a sacred & devoted practice. Also your needs for solitude might be a huge indicator of not being able to cum

@nianeyemystic

[incognit0slut]

Much Ado About Nothing (Act III, Scene I: The Fake Dating)

It doesn’t occur to you how serious the situation has become until you're forced to sign your fake relationship on paper.

Part warning: none, this might be the slowest burn I have ever written Words: 2.4k A/n: The original plan was to update this series twice a week, but I overestimated myself, so I will be posting each Thursday around this time. I hope you understand <3

SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

Spencer wasn’t sure how he would go through with this. The idea seemed simple enough on the surface—pretend to date, fool everyone, and finally find peace. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more complex it became, and the more complicated it was, the more crazy it seemed.

This was not what he had signed up for when he joined the BAU. Chasing criminals? Sure. Analyzing behavioral patterns? Absolutely. But pretending to date you to avoid the relentless meddling from his friends? Insane wasn't a strong enough word for it. It was ludicrous.

And even that word wasn’t enough. It was downright preposterous. How had rational, analytical work turned into this bizarre social experiment? Yet, here he was, ready to play his part even when he couldn’t ignore the absurdity of it all.

“Well, well, well.” Spencer looked up to see you walking from the opposite direction, both of you stopping right at the entrance of the bureau’s expansive building. “If it isn’t my new boyfriend.”

He narrowed his eyes. Why did you seem… so normal about this? Weren’t you the one who hated his guts? Weren’t you the one who avoided him every time you had the chance? Were you really that desperate to get the team off your back?

“What? You’re not going to greet your girlfriend?”

He forced a smile, trying to hide his irritation. “Good morning,” he replied curtly, opening the door for you.

You walked past him, and Spencer tried not to stare at you, but it was impossible to ignore the way your hair shone under the morning sun or how your perfume subtly filled the air as you brushed by him. He cleared his throat and followed you inside, wondering how long he could keep up this act without losing his sanity.

“We need some ground rules,” he muttered, nodding towards security as you both passed through the entrance.

You raised an eyebrow. “Ground rules? You mean besides pretending to be madly in love?”

“We are not in love. We just started dating,” Spencer said, pressing the elevator button. “So no spontaneous public displays of affection. We don’t want to overdo it.”

“What’s your definition of overdoing it?”

Spencer waited until the elevator doors slid shut, giving you a little privacy. "No touching. Especially no hand-holding," he stated firmly.

You scoffed. "Who on earth wouldn't want to hold their girlfriend's hand?"

He replied without missing a beat. "Do you know how many germs are transferred when you hold hands? An average of 3,000 bacteria from 150 different species, not to mention the potential viruses.”

“Wow, remind me to never shake hands with you during flu season.”

He shrugged. “I’m just stating the facts.”

“Okay, germaphobe,” you deadpanned, leaning back against the elevator wall. “What’s acceptable then? A nod from across the room? Morse code blinking?”

He considered for a moment, then offered a compromise, “How about an arm around your shoulder when we’re sitting? Or a quick side hug?”

“Side hug,” you echoed, mockingly horrified. “How romantic. Our friends will believe we’re madly in love for sure.”

“We are not in love.”

“So you’ve mentioned,” you replied dryly, standing straight again and turning toward him. “Can we at least try to look like a couple who actually like each other?”

That was the problem. You both didn’t like each other. “Fine,” he sighed. “What do you suggest?”

You paused, considering the best way to make this look believable. “How about you hold onto my waist from behind as we walk? It’s a common gesture, and it looks natural.”

Spencer blinked, taken aback by the suggestion. “Hold your waist? As in, really close?”

“Yes, Reid, that’s generally where the waist is located.”

He frowned at you. “That sounds a bit too… personal, don’t you think?”

“Isn’t that the whole point? To convince them we’re a couple?”

He hesitated, the image of his hands on your waist flashing through his mind. He suddenly imagined the warmth of your body against his, the subtle, pleasant scent of your perfume enveloping him. He could almost feel the way you’d be tucked right to his side, your height fitting perfectly against him, your head nestled just below his chin.

His heart unexpectedly started to race. The idea of holding you that close, feeling the rise and fall of your breath, the slight brush of your hair against his cheek—it was almost too intimate, too real. And he didn’t want to acknowledge that. He wasn’t sure if he could trust himself to play the role convincingly without his emotions betraying him.

“Reid?”

Spencer snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he had been silent for too long. You were watching him impatiently.

“You know what? Do whatever you want.” You turned away, facing the elevator door, clearly frustrated by his hesitation. “Just stand there like a statue for all I care.”

His eyes slowly fell to your waist, considering his options... Maybe it wasn’t that bad. The idea of his hand resting there, guiding you, didn’t seem as unbearable as he initially imagined. The gesture seemed innocent enough. Not too much, not too little. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything, apparently. Because it happened all at once.

One, he reached his hand toward you.

Two, the elevator door swung open.

And three, as you started to move forward, his hand managed to slip before it landed onto your ass.

You shrieked at the top of your lungs.

"Reid!" 

Spencer's face turned red as he quickly retrieved his hand, stammering, "I-I'm sorry! That wasn't—"

But he wasn’t fast enough, because standing on the other side of the elevator door was Derek, witnessing the whole thing. His eyebrows shot up, and a slow grin spread across his face.

"What do we have here?” Derek drawled, crossing his arms. "Spencer Reid, getting a little too friendly?"

Spencer's mortification deepened as he tried to explain, "It's not what it looks like, I swear!"

Derek chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure, pretty boy. Whatever you say." He stepped to the side. “Well, aren’t you two lovebirds going to get to work?”

Trying to recover from the embarrassment, Spencer nodded quickly, his face still burning. He guided you out of the elevator with a brief, cautious touch on your back that stayed strictly in the safe zone.

You both hurried toward the glass doors, leaving Derek laughing behind you. You slightly leaned closer to him. “I could sue you for sexual harassment, you know.”

“It was an accident! You moved too quickly.”

“Sure, blame it on me,” you retorted, your voice dripping with sarcasm as you pushed through the glass doors ahead of him.

Spencer quickened his pace to keep up, matching your brisk walk. “I am blaming it on you. This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t suddenly decided to move forward.”

“Right, because clearly, I should have anticipated your clumsiness.”

He shot you a sideways glance. “My clumsiness? You’re the one who—”

“There you are!”

You both turned to see JJ walking toward you, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “Hotch is looking for you.”

You started to walk away. “Sure, I’ll go see him—”

JJ shook her head, her smile widening. “No, you don’t understand. He’s looking for you,” she pointed a finger at Spencer, then swung it back to you, “And you. Both of you, together.”

Spencer raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. “Both of us? Why?"

“Something about filling in paperwork?”

He frowned, but as the implication of Hotch calling you both at the same time for paperwork sank in, he snapped his head toward you, his eyes wide with realization. You turned toward him at the same moment, and the gravity of your seemingly innocent lie spiraled down on him, making the whole situation feel alarmingly real. 

The weight of it pressed on Spencer’s chest. How could he possibly forget about the most important thing in all of this? He had an eidetic memory, he was good at recalling even the smallest details, but how could he not remember the need to officially disclose workplace relationships?

The reality of potentially signing official documents to confirm this fake relationship made his palms sweat.

“This is stupid,” you whispered when JJ finally left the two of you. “Maybe we should think this through.”

Spencer looked down at you. You were right, this was stupid. It was getting out of hand. But as he noticed the way you stared up at him, with your wide, doe-like eyes sparkling under the light, something shifted. This whole lie had started as a means to an end, a way to fend off the relentless teasing. But now, standing there with you, it felt like more than just a plan. Maybe it was the thrill of the unknown, or the strange comfort of the lie. Maybe it wasn’t just about fooling the team.

Maybe he was starting to fool himself too.

Spencer took a deep breath. “No,” he said softly, more to himself than to you. “We started this, we should go through with it.”

Before you could respond, he placed his hand on your lower back, feeling the warmth of your body through the thin fabric of your blouse before his palm slid over to your waist. Your eyes widened in surprise at the sudden gesture, but you didn't pull away.

What have you done?

You couldn’t believe you had actually signed the papers. The weight of the pen felt so heavy in your hand, the ink seeming to dry slower than usual as you scrawled your name on the dotted line. This was supposed to be a simple, harmless plan, but now it was documented. Official.

How did it come to this?

You watched as Spencer took the pen from you, his hand brushing yours momentarily. He glanced at you before turning his attention back to the document. The hesitation was brief, but you saw it—the flicker of doubt before he pressed the pen on to the paper and signed his name next to yours.

What the hell are we doing?

“Alright,” Hotch said, taking the papers and giving you both a nod. “This is a bit formal, but it’s necessary under bureau policy. If there are any changes in your relationship status, you should report immediately.”

You nodded, barely hearing his words over the pounding of your heart.

“Again, congratulations.”

Your stomach churned. You were going to be sick.

“Thank you,” Spencer responded. Hotch then dismissed you both, and as you turned to leave, Spencer's hand gently touched your back. You were the one who urged him to act his part, but it felt too intimate, too real at that moment. You quickly increased your pace, putting some distance between you as you walked down into the bullpen.

Penelope was sitting on your chair, chatting animatedly with the rest of the team in the open space. She looked up when you both arrived. “Well, look who’s back!” Penelope called out. “How did it go?"

You weren't surprised everyone understood what being called in, together at that, by Hotch implied.

“It went… as expected,” you replied, forcing a smile. Spencer stood a bit awkwardly beside you, his usual composure slightly ruffled.

"This is amazing,” Penelope sighed. "Oh! you know what we should do?"

You eyed her warily. "What?"

"This totally calls for a celebration!"

Your eyes widened. "Let's not—"

"Are you guys free this weekend?" Penelope turned toward the rest of the team.

Derek leaned back in his chair with a wide grin. "You know I'm always up for a party."

Spencer looked between you and the rest of the team, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't think that’s necessary—"

"He's right, Spencer isn't much of a party freak," JJ chimed in, joining in the conversation from her desk. "We should do something more relaxing."

"No, that's not what I meant—"

"You know what we haven't done in a while?" Emily asked, walking closer with a thoughtful look before she settled onto your desk, leaning slightly against it. "We haven't gone to the pool lately."

Penelope perked up at the idea. "Rossi's villa?"

Emily confirmed her with a nod. "Rossi's villa. He’s always saying we should use it more anyway.”

At any given chance, you would jump at the idea. You loved relaxing by the pool. You loved basking under the sun with a cool drink in your hand, the smell of chlorine in the air, and the refreshing splash of water on your skin. And Rossi’s pool was the perfect place for that.

It was a villa located an hour’s drive away that seemed more suited to a resort than a private residence. It was far from the city, mostly unoccupied, but always welcoming. You had been there before, stayed overnight there too, and all those fun memories were still vivid in your mind. You even recalled the time Emily was caught skinny dipping at night. Or the time Derek kicked Spencer out of the pool after realizing he had been hustling him at basketball the week before.

It had been fun then, but the more you reflected on those memories, the deeper your frown became. They had happened way before everything fell apart, before the tension had strained your friendship. It was a time when everything felt simpler, when Spencer was one of your closest friends. And now, ironically, he was your boyfriend.

Fake boyfriend.

"So it's settled, then?" Penelope’s voice broke through your thoughts, snapping you back to the present.

Honestly, you didn’t want to go. How were you even going to pull this off? A weekend by the pool, while usually the perfect highlight for your summer, now felt like walking into a scripted play where your every gesture would be scrutinized. Not just by anyone, but by skilled profilers who could sniff out a lie like a shark smells blood in the water.

The fear of being exposed, of embarrassing yourself—or worse, damaging your career—was gnawing at you. It made you increasingly anxious. Yet backing out wasn’t an option either. It would raise too many questions and invite too much speculation.

So you closed the distance between you and Spencer and linked your arm through his, ignoring the slight panic in his eyes. “Sure,” you said, turning to Penelope as you mustered a smile. “Sounds fun.”

Penelope beamed at you. Spencer, on the other hand, felt the exact opposite. The idea of spending an entire weekend pretending to be in a relationship filled him with dread.

And he couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was bound to go wrong.

[astroa3h]

Juno through the houses ✨💖

Juno in the 1st House: If Juno is in your 1st House, your soulmate is likely someone who mirrors you. They're not just a partner; they're like your other half. They get your quirks, they match your energy, and they understand your need for independence and personal space. It's like finding someone who completes your sentences.

Juno in the 2nd House: Here, your soulmate is your rock. They're dependable, maybe even a bit traditional. They value stability and comfort, and they make you feel secure. They're the type who would rather have a quiet night in with you than a wild night out. It's all about building a solid, comfortable life together.

Juno in the 3rd House: Communication is key for you. Your soulmate is someone you can talk to for hours without getting bored. They're intellectually stimulating, curious, and maybe a bit of a chatterbox. They're the kind of person who loves to learn and share ideas with you. It's like having your best conversation partner for life.

Juno in the 4th House: Home is where the heart is for you. Your soulmate feels like home. They're nurturing, caring, and maybe a bit of a homebody. They value family and traditions. With them, you feel an emotional depth and security. It's like finding someone who wants to build a cozy nest with you.

Juno in the 5th House: Get ready for some fun! Your soulmate is likely creative, playful, and a bit of a romantic. They love to have a good time, and they bring out your playful side. They're the type who surprises you with a spontaneous road trip or a creative date night. Life with them is never boring.

Juno in the 6th House: Practicality rules here. Your soulmate is someone who's reliable and maybe a bit of a perfectionist. They're organized and love to take care of the details. They show their love through acts of service - think making you breakfast or helping you organize your closet. It's about finding joy in the day-to-day life together.

Juno in the 7th House: Balance and harmony are essential for you. Your soulmate is someone who seeks equality and partnership. They're fair, diplomatic, and maybe a bit of a peacemaker. They value relationships and are committed to making it work. It's about finding someone who's truly your equal partner.

Juno in the 8th House: Get ready for intensity. Your soulmate is passionate, maybe a bit mysterious. They're all about deep connections and aren't afraid to explore the darker sides of life with you. It's a transformative relationship, where you both grow and change together.

Juno in the 9th House: Adventure awaits! Your soulmate loves to explore, whether it's through travel, philosophy, or spirituality. They're open-minded and seek growth and expansion. They're the type who would love to go on a backpacking trip across Europe with you or explore different cultures and ideas.

Juno in the 10th House: Ambition is key here. Your soulmate is career oriented, driven, and maybe a bit of a public figure (especially if you have Juno at a fame degree). They're respected and maybe have a bit of a status. They inspire you to reach for your goals and support your ambitions.

Juno in the 11th House: Think of a relationship that feels like a friendship. Your soulmate is likely social, idealistic, and values freedom and equality. They're the type who loves to be part of a community and may be involved in social causes. It's about finding someone who shares your dreams for a better world.

Juno in the 12th House: This is a deep, spiritual connection. Your soulmate is intuitive, empathetic, and may have a strong inner life. They understand your need for solitude and introspection. It's like having a connection that transcends words. I also find this placement shows a soulmate with dark eyes and hair.

xox astro ash

Get your own Juno Soulmate Reading @ astroash.net

TikTok - astroa3h

[sensualnoiree]

astro notes: the trine

The separating trine represents a period of harmony and ease, following the intensity of the square. This phase symbolizes the resolution of polarity and conflict through a state of equilibrium and balance. It is a time to consolidate gains and prepare for the cycle's peak at the opposition. If the challenges from the square were effectively addressed, this phase allows for smooth progress and reinforcement of efforts. However, vigilance is essential to avoid complacency and ensure that the process remains sound. This period is marked by a creative, unresisting flow with universal energies, providing an opportunity to gather insights and strengthen one's position in anticipation of the opposition's culmination.

Mars Trine Mercury

The Mars-Mercury trine creates a smooth and effortless connection between your mental and physical energies. This aspect enhances your ability to think and act with precision and speed, making it an excellent time for projects that require both strategic planning and decisive action. Communication is assertive yet tactful, and your ability to persuade others is heightened. This is a period where your ideas flow easily, and you're able to execute plans with minimal obstacles. The trine's harmonious nature ensures that your actions and words are in sync, leading to successful outcomes.

Mercury Trine Venus

A Mercury-Venus trine brings a natural harmony between your intellect and your sense of beauty and pleasure. This aspect enhances your communication skills, making your words more pleasant, charming, and appealing. It’s an ideal time for socializing, artistic expression, and cultivating relationships. Conversations flow smoothly, with a focus on diplomacy, cooperation, and mutual understanding. Creativity is heightened, making this a great period for writing, art, or any activity that blends intellect with aesthetics. The trine facilitates an effortless connection between mind and heart, promoting peace and harmony in interactions.

Mars Trine Jupiter

The Mars-Jupiter trine combines ambition with optimism, creating a powerful and effortless drive for success and expansion. This aspect encourages you to take bold, confident actions toward your goals, with a strong sense of enthusiasm and a positive outlook. Opportunities for growth, travel, and learning are likely to arise, and you're well-equipped to take advantage of them. The trine's easy energy ensures that your efforts are met with success, often with less resistance than usual. It's a time of significant progress, where your courage and initiative lead to fortunate outcomes.

Moon Trine Saturn

The Moon-Saturn trine fosters a stable and harmonious connection between your emotional world and your sense of responsibility and structure. This aspect promotes emotional maturity, patience, and a realistic approach to dealing with personal matters. It’s a period where you feel more grounded and secure in your emotions, allowing you to handle challenges with calm and resilience. Relationships benefit from a steady, dependable energy, and you may find it easier to commit to long-term plans. The trine supports building emotional foundations that are both strong and enduring, creating a sense of inner peace and stability.

Jupiter Trine Mercury

A Jupiter-Mercury trine enhances your mental faculties and expands your communication abilities. This aspect encourages broad, optimistic thinking, making it an excellent time for intellectual pursuits, learning, and sharing knowledge. Your ability to grasp big-picture concepts is heightened, and you’re likely to communicate with clarity and enthusiasm. This is a favorable period for travel, education, writing, and public speaking, as the trine supports the easy exchange of ideas and cultural experiences. The harmonious energy ensures that your thoughts and words are expansive, positive, and well-received.

Sun Trine Mars

The Sun-Mars trine boosts your vitality, confidence, and ability to take action with ease and purpose. This aspect strengthens your sense of identity and willpower, making it an ideal time for pursuing personal goals and expressing yourself assertively. You’re likely to feel a surge of energy and motivation, enabling you to tackle challenges with enthusiasm and without unnecessary struggle. The trine's harmonious nature ensures that your efforts are met with success, as your actions align seamlessly with your core self. This is a period of productive activity, where your inner drive leads to achievements that feel both natural and fulfilling.

follow for more astro insights like this and head on over to @quenysefields or my etsy --> sensualnoiree to grab my new astrology guidebook on reading your own natal chart :)

[genderkoolaid]

I come late to organizing as a transgender activist. In doing so, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned transgendered people truly are everywhere and not just in New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. I’ve learned many want to quietly assimilate into the white, heterosexual, middle class status quo that is the dominant culture of our nation. I’ve learned quite a few of us have no wish or desire for such assimilation — that for some of us, our greatest desire is to shake up that dominant culture, to question gender and identity on every level — social, biological, political and personal. I’ve learned that perhaps right at this moment there is a transgendered person — most likely an MTF transsexual or crossdresser, most likely a person of color, being brutally murdered. I’ve learned people much younger than I are coming out as transgendered in ways I never believed possible when I was their age and are challenging not only the status quo, but also calling on “old” activists like me to take another look around and see the world through their eyes. And I’ve learned that, perhaps like all other communities, we love to eat our own. Some of you reading this are aware of the controversies and conflicts swirling within the transgender community, most of which focus upon the organization GenderPAC. For those of you who aren’t up on it, here’s an abbreviated version. A significant number of transgender activists and community organizations have taken issue with GenderPAC’s expansion of its mission and vision to incorporate a larger view of gender rights rather than a specific and focused emphasis upon civil rights advocacy for transgendered people. Depending on whom you ask, this reinventing of GenderPAC is either the logical extension of its organizational vision to secure the rights of all people to free gender expression — or the cold-blooded abandonment of the very community by whom and for which it was created, nurtured and financially supported. Being the baby TG activist I am, I come to this drama late. Long after the battle lines were laid down. Long after sides were chosen, opinions formed and set in stone. Long after wounds (both real and imagined) were inflicted.

I’ve watched carefully for the past couple of years as the battle has played out online, in internet chat rooms, and on mailing lists. I’ve read statements from individuals and organizations that have taken a stand on the issue. I’ve received press releases and announcements from one camp or another; a battle of media propaganda that would make the veterans of the Cold War proud. And through it all, I’ve tried to be a rather casual observer, if one can be casual as they watch some of the best and brightest of their community consumed in an internal battle that threatens to tear the entire community apart. Of course my being a casual observer hasn’t stopped a few folks from demanding to know where I stand. I’ve been pulled aside at conferences and been given “information,” primarily innuendo and accusation, so I am up to speed on the situation. I’ve been directed to websites that were little more than character assassinations in badly laid-out HTML. And I’ve been emailed privately and off-list by those concerned I was going to make the “wrong choice.” Want to know what my answer to these people is? Okay, here it is — I really don’t care. That’s right. I DON’T CARE. You see, I believe almost everyone entangled in this controversy is acting in what they believe are the best interests of the community with which they feel most closely aligned. I believe they’re doing the best they can with what they have. I believe mistakes have been made by everyone involved, that the personal has become political in the most destructive of ways. I also believe in change and evolution; that even organizations that have had to be forced to listen to me and to consider my issues can learn from their mistakes and realize they must make a seat for me at the table if they are to truly realize the dream of civil rights for themselves and for others. But most of all, I believe in hope. I was asked point-blank whose side I was on. This is my answer: I am on the side of whoever has the guts and initiative to end this thing and make a real effort to move our community forward out of this debilitating and destructive conflict. I’m on the side of anyone who is more interested in healing the wounds than in proving who is right. I’m on the side of those who have the ability and the willingness to put aside their personal and political animosities and seek some way to bring together everyone involved to begin a healthy dialogue, one without finger-pointing and name-calling. Until that happens, I guess I’m on the side of those who are the most negatively affected by this dysfunctional family feud. In case anyone needs a refresher course as to who those folks are and the issues they are dealing with, allow me to introduce just a few of them. The transsexual FTM who has lost custody of his child when he began transition; the butch lesbian who lost her job because she refused to wear makeup or shave her legs; the crossdresser whose wife is seeking a divorce and custody of the children he adores; the effeminate gay man beaten to death and crucified on a fence on a lonely Midwestern plain; the 17-year-old MTF doing tricks in the back alleys of San Francisco because her parents kicked her out when they found “him” wearing dresses; the FTM who died of uterine cancer because he couldn’t get insurance approval for a hysterectomy after he had completed sexual reassignment. Ultimately, it is these transgender, transsexual and gender- variant people who have the most to lose if someone doesn’t step up to the plate to end this.

"Gender, Identity Politics, and Eating Our Own" by Alexander John Goodrum (2001)

[astrow0rldx]

Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump Astrology Reading (PART ONE)

Birth Charts, Synastry & The Astrology of the Election Day <33

Small notes: Humanitarian vs Money-Man?? 2 Clowns?? (not in a bad way. funny but could be 2 faced) Pretty Party Girl vs Popular Rich Man?? (THIS IS ALL FROM THE BIRTH CHART)

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:· Experienced Astrologer for 7-8 years now. I'm new to networking, tumblr and having an astrology content account & paid readings so just follow my private Instagram account universalstarbaby00 for any inquiry ·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·

PARTY GIRL. Kamala Harris Sun (Who she is/Self-Identity & ego) is in libra (love/romance/beauty/art/attraction) pretty girl! also an air sign so her personality & ego is just a loving, aesthetic, attractive, sensual girl who needs mental stimulation and is probably social & connecting. Moon (Inner self/what she does to feel comfortable & secure/Deal with her emotions) is in Aries. Adrenaline, Taking Initiative, Beginning/Starting, Daredevil, Doing, Risk-Taking. Also a fire sign. So to her inner soul, naturally acts as a fiery Aries for comfort & security within. Her Rising sign (outlook on this world, her perception & how others perceive her, her interactive body) is in Gemini clever, witty, funny. they can be either over thinkers, and cause a lot of anxiety & thoughts. or they can just be really quick, witty & clever because their mind is racing, & smart. likes to be mentally stimulated. Double Air & Ruled by Mercury she is definitely a great conversationist, writer, speaker, debater. That Aries Moon her natural self, and her mars planet being in the 3 house of where she has to communicate, process, think, speak. WHAT SHE SAY. if Donald trump has to say something SAY IT TO MY FACE. she wasn't playing, people tend to not take Gemini Risings serious sometimes & Look at them as clowns lol. (Donald Trump is a Gemini Sun also). they could have mask personalities, 2 faced, and their mind is crazy. but she is READY for a debate with Donald trump, that's just who she is. Her mars sign in that house, it's what she primally desires, and rules her chart so naturally comes to her.

Big 3 definitely makes her an exciting, stimulating, person to be around. that's her literal outlook on life as a Gemini rising. While her sun her core personality, will in this life, her sense of self & ego is placed in the area of life where her pleasures & joy is. sex, romance, creativity, partying, drinking, having fun, inner-child, getting loose. 5th house sun baby. Her literal chart ruler is in the 5th house (Mercury), and mercury is how you process, think, your mindset, how you talk & communicate, what stimulates your mind. Definitely seeing her in the spotlight more, we get a taste of how she campaigns. a dive into what makes her comfortable (her Aries moon behavior). but its expressed in the 11th house, of networking, Humanitarism. coming together as a group to revolutionize, invent, wishes. its the house of social media, politics. I SAY WE SHOULD TRUST HER. plus her libra sun she definitely makes it her motive to GET US. to come together, and she's very smart mercury ruled.

Her Chiron is placed in the 10th house. Your Chiron is your trauma & wounds that you become an expert to heal people on. In the 10th house of public image, reputation, social status, career, success, responsibility & place in this world. All while her North Node is your life purpose & who your here to become is in the 1st house of self & self discovery. FIRST BLACK WOMAN (POTIENTIAL) PRESIDENT!!! Saturn is your lessons, karma, responsibility, depression, authoritative, president. Placed in the 9th house of the god house, the house of faith & optimism, the house of mind expansion & learning, the house of traveling & experiencing. With her Lilith being placed in that house. Lilith brings destruction & trauma but it brings power, revenge & liberation!!

Okay Mr. Trump. Your birth chart comes with originally 12 placements (not including adding extra lots/parts, asteroids, etc) which is your planets, north node, & rising sign. WHY IS 6/12 OF THEM SITTING UP THERE, STELLIUMS IN HIS 10TH/11TH HOUSE. (His Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, & North Node) All while having his chart be ruled by his Leo Ascendant. MANS MEANT TO BE FAMOUS & KNOWN & SHINE. I mean the other placements like Jupiter, Neptune & Chiron is all in his 2nd house of receiving money, material possessions, value & worth. Jupiter is where your blessings & prosperities. Your luck, optimism, & faith. While Neptune is your fantasies, inspiration, dreams, subconscious, spirituality. But your Chiron is that wounded healer, the traumatized that becomes the expert to help people. (which I heard from a debate, and a trump supporter showed data of him putting JOBS IN THE COMMUNITIES. He was president during the STIMULUS CHECKS I believe. His 10th house of public image, & reputation. your place in this world, responsibility, career & success. Is in his sun WHAT RULES HIS CHART (who he is, his will, his personality, his ego & sense of identity/self.) DUHHHHH mr. cocky popular. and his uranus in the 10th, uranus is freak, weird, inventive, revolutionizing stuff. thats definitely his public image is weird & different. His mercury (communication, mindset, processing skills, writing, internet, local environment, social media/neighborhood.) in his 11th house LMFAOOO. Bruh that's why the network & broadcast EVERYTHING THIS MAN SAY. you cannot change a news channel MSNBC, FOX, always quoting something or just talking about him in general. and that's why he's so good with his words, and connecting his mindset, communication & stuff to groups of people. His Venus is also there so he gets love from groups, communities. Really good at making friends & fans. But his Saturn is also there where his lessons, karma, responsibility, CAREER, PUBLIC IMAGE, is.

[crystalsenergy]

Juno in signs ✨🤝✨ (unraveling asteroids #3)

Juno is an asteroid strongly related to commitment, agreements, long-lasting relationships established through some form of partnership.

Because of this, we can look to Juno both to understand

our ideal partnership style for business

and for serious, long-term romantic relationships.

This is because I see Venus as the love that is built, our actions , ways, when it comes to demonstrating and living love. Juno, in my view, represents the solid relationship we want to achieve. Therefore, it doesn't represent as much our expressions within the relationship but rather how we want the relationship to be. Any doubts, please ask, and I'll respond!

Below, I've brought Juno in each of the signs in the context of partnerships.

Juno in Aries: Those with this placement seek partnerships with independence, with individuals who value initiative, the importance of trying, individuals with courage. They tend to have a tendency toward independence in their most solid partnerships.

Juno in Taurus: Here, there's no rush; it's expected that each person acts and lives at their own pace, enjoying the rhythm and steps being taken. Those with this placement seek partnerships that bring stability, calm, security, and often have a keen sense of aesthetics and attachment.

Juno in Gemini: Those with this placement seek partnerships that bring movement, especially mental stimulation, and a certain air of intellectualism and variability. They seek partnerships that are highly adaptable and communicative individuals who are curious.

Juno in Cancer: Those with this placement seek relationships with emotional security, where they can share their inner life. They will only feel secure and comfortable with individuals who bring this emotional security. Partnerships need to be primarily emotional; emotional connection is very important.

Juno in Leo: Those with this placement seek partnerships that express more of their inner desires, what's in their hearts and egos. They aspire to partnerships with protagonism, self-confidence, and expression of inner life.

Juno in Virgo: Individuals with this placement seek partnerships that have a strong sense of organization, problem-solving, and an understanding of the importance of commitment and logic. They seek adaptable partnerships but ones that keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Juno in Libra: Those with this placement prefer partnerships with diplomatic, kind individuals who seek harmony and balance, are sophisticated in some way, always looking for a middle ground rather than extremes. They appreciate people who listen to more than one opinion before making decisions.

Juno in Scorpio: Those with this placement seek deep, sometimes intense, transformative partnerships with individuals who can somehow provide that. They seek all-or-nothing partnerships with loyalty and a readiness to delve into deeper matters without fear.

Juno in Sagittarius: Those with this placement seek expansive, optimistic, sincere partnerships that are somewhat philosophical or interested in seeking the meaning of life. These are partnerships that aim to expand, grow, and find something meaningful.

Juno in Capricorn: Those with this placement seek partnerships with responsible, solid individuals who bring some form of stability, especially on a material level. These are individuals who are strongly inclined to seek partnerships with traditional, conservative values.

Juno in Aquarius: In contrast, those with this placement seek partnerships with original, innovative, rational, open-minded individuals who have a greater social empathy and altruism and are focused on social issues. Aquarius can also manifest through a tendency toward technology.

Juno in Pisces: Those with this placement seek emotionally deep partnerships with connections, empathy, and vulnerability. They prefer sensitive, empathetic, adaptable, and creative individuals to establish solid relationships and partnerships.

[tdicksupreme]

i'm v happy to discuss my partial & conditional male privilege as a trans guy. my frustration is that people are never asking this question in good faith.

by good faith i mean genuine curiosity and expansion of our shared understandings as people: these discussions never seem to be about how my experience can help illuminate the oppression of being a woman or what that consists of, where the line is, what our lived experiences are like. i have never seen people ask/assert "trans men have male privilege" in ways that weren't v obviously trying to give people permission to not think about us. trans men have male privilege i'd argue can be partially true, depending on contexts, but it should be pretty blatantly bad-faith that such a complex topic is treated as a settled issue.

we have male privilege, it's settled, that's it, and you never have to think about effeminate trans men, flamboyant gay trans men, the complexities of how we move through the world, what it means (in my case, for example) to be a guy who's generally seen as a guy, but has not had top or bottom surgery, has long hair, & what that means for how i get treated in different contexts.

what are we talking about? the privilege to not be seen/treated as a woman on sight? reproductive freedoms? respect in the workplace? economic security? etc.?- so many trans guys, even guys who have passed for quite some time, never experience so many of these things, and instead of having genuine curiosity about our unique experiences you want to slot us all categorically into the cis-het-white-man box so you don't need to think of us as people who can ever have power leveraged against us

people seem to have two settings, either "trans men are women and don't know what it's like to be a guy" or "trans men are cis men and never experience their own unique challenges," even though i think it's pretty obvious that we have a mixed/complicated gender experience simply by virtue of being trans

and every tguy i've ever seen say "i have male privilege all of the time" never brings up all the things he had to do to get & retain patriarchal power. having- idk, been a guy, it's so fucking disingenous to pretend like being a man doesn't involve a performance of ten thousand different choices & behaviors to make sure other guys continue seeing you as a dude. it's not just "having facial hair" or w/e, and if that's what you think then you are literally by definition a transmisogynist lmao. it's the high-and-tight haircut, the gym shirt, the workouts you did to build those arms, the ways you learned to socialize with straight-acting men so they feel comfortable, the things you don't express & feminine mannerisms you stopped using because it would get you clocked. IMO, participating in sexism is a system men participate in so they don't become targets of it.

like, insisting trans guys universally attain male privilege isn't an innocent statement, it's one that in my experience gives dudes a skewed idea of their own safety. what do you think happens when i have a scruff, deep voice, and people realize my boobs are not cis guy moobs? why do so many people think that i'm seen unilaterally as a cis straight man, rather than a mostly-man sort-of-woman you're allowed to condescend to & also physically fight?

[carlyraejepsans]

I was looking back through your character analysis stuff bc you are great(!) at this kinda thing and you said a sentence that has me curious in so many different ways.

"and what better scenario for this than one where 1) everyone he truly loved is already dead, and 2) there's a brand new unethical system of power ready to be taken advantage of now that he's got nothing left to lose."

In the best possible way, what the hell does this mean? What *could* this mean? I'd it referring to the obvious answer of "He starts getting LV"? Is it referring to him working up the underground's political system (becoming King for some reason)? Is it some secret third option???

Even if this is obvious or meant to be left to suggestion, I would love an expansion and/or exploration of this idea further because it is so captivating.

(Anyway, love your work! Keep it up)

BAHAHAHA, nothing that drastic, don't worry! but... sorta the second option there? not all the way to king though

king mtt ending: dystopian, celebrity king with zero leading experience and dubious mental stability (he is one stage of grief away from killing himself at any moment), takes power in his own hands, sets off a countrywide brainwashing campaign, ignores the kingdom's multiple crisis and if anyone opposes him too much they "disappear". what does sans do? why, he climbs up the social ladder (either by kissing his ass or making himself useful) and secures himself a place as his agent. he neither fights or miss l nor survives the system, he exploits it to cover his own ass, and rip bozo to the poor bastards underneath. now, with papyrus still around he'd obviously have something else left to care about and dedicate himself to after securing their own safety in the system, but if papyrus is gone, well. i don't see why he should give a fuck and not go along with whatever plans mtt has

empress undyne ending: undyne seizes power, declares war (again), expands the royal guard massively, and turns the underground into a massive military state hoping to crush humanity. what does sans do? ...well, we don't know for sure. he ends the phonecall on a rather vague threat

lots of people take this to mean that he's really, REALLY hoping undyne will kick your ass, but still acts as a passive observer. which i think is a perfectly good reading. now, i wouldn't say what I'm about to propose is canon, more like a personal theory/hc of mine... but there's another line in the phonecall I'd like to call attention to. and well. when you connect the two? considering sans' background as a scientist?

...i think they have some REALLY fun implications :]

[probablyasocialecologist]

According to Genocide Watch, dehumanization and the representation of target groups as animals or insects represents state 4 of the 10 stages of genocide. Staging the racialized human as animal was incremental during the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide and many others. In the more recent genocide case brought to the ICJ by South Africa against Israel, the framing of Palestinians as animal-like was used as evidence. Furthermore, such Israeli incitements also have historical precedents: As Darryl Li recently wrote, “the UN General Assembly recognized the 1982 Israeli-sponsored massacre of Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon as an act of genocide”, yet little has changed to protect Palestinians. In fact, some might argue, Israel grew more and more emboldened by the inaction of the “international community”, that as Li argues, witnesses a war over semantics that “gesture to a future in which the powerful decide that if they can’t control the use of the word genocide, it shouldn’t be used at all”. Denying people’s humanity and framing them through animality is often the pretext to materialize the imposition of unspeakable violence, cruelty and degradation through the optics of a security/health necessity and a larger argument about the defense of humanity. It is thus no coincidence, that during Israel’s 2014 war on Gaza, for instance, the then Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Moshe Feiglin, wrote a letter to Netanyahu in which he discouraged “civilians from staying in Gaza” by cutting off the “electricity and water supply”. He argued for the “conquest of the entire Gaza Strip”, the “annihilation” of Hamas and the “concentration” of civilians into camps marked for deportation to other countries. Finally, he also propsed that “formerly populated areas will be shelled with maximum fire power”. These proposed fantasies of annihilation existed within a larger context where Palestinian life has already repeatedly been called “human animals” or “cockroaches” in 2023, or snakes in 2014, or “drugged cockroaches in a bottle” in 1983.

[...]

According to the theorist of settler colonialism, Patrick Wolfe, by decimating native peoples and their resistance, the ultimate goal of settler frontier violence is to “constitute its principal means of expansion”. In further steps, the transfer, incarceration, replacement and/or elimination of the native population takes place. In this scenario, frontier violence and its racializing semantic taxonomies structure settler colonial societies and the way they operate. Within such verbal power displays, taxonomies classifying the value of sentient life, in this case animals, are produced to signify brutality, violence, but also hypersexuality and beastiality in the racialized Other. While “invasion is a structure and not an event”, the genocidal nature of frontier wars and settler colonial expansion simultaneously separate and collapse into each other in the name of capitalistic reproduction and premature death the minute there are profits to be made from war. Within such settler colonial logics, there has also been a deeply ingrained interplay between figurations of the native, animal and plant life to structure their exploitation, dispossession, elimination and/or replacement. Hence, whether native or racialized life is metaphorized as plant life or as animalistic, both foils function to frame the Other’s personhood as devoid of social, political, or historical human context, and thus also do not need explanation or empathy during states of war and conquest.

[phoenixyfriend]

Suggested topics to call your reps about today, 1/30/24!

I’ve been doing two subjects per call recently; one is almost always about the events in the middle east, and then one is domestic policy. I’m including a bit of verbiage you can use as basis for what you say (if you agree with me), for a few of these.

BOTH SENATE AND HOUSE:

Foreign Policy: Reinstate funding for UNRWA. While the claims made by Israel that employees of the relief agency were involved in Oct. 7th are troubling, this arm of the UN is currently providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to the 2.3 million displaced peoples of Gaza. It is especially disturbing and concerning that the many children of Gaza, who are already suffering due to this conflict, are now having this support revoked.

Warn Congress to reaaaaally think about whether a strong response to the incident in Jordan, currently attributed to an Iraqi group backed by Iran, if we're truly looking to avoid a wider regional war as claimed. There is already growing unrest in Yemen and the threat of another civil war, fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and now the situation with the Islamic Resistance. Caution them against an overreaction of the kind that the US has a tendency towards.

FOR THE SENATE: Urge your senator to put their support behind Bernie Sanders and his motion to restrict funding to Israel until a humanitarian review of the IDF’s actions in Gaza has been completed.

FOR THE HOUSE: Urge your representative to put their support behind Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s petition for the US government to recognize the IDF’s actions in Gaza as ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, and put a stop to it.

Domestic Policy

House of Representatives:

Expansion of the child tax credit. The House of Representatives is currently voting on whether or not to expand the child tax credit that was instated during COVID-19. This credit offers a return on taxes for individuals with children, but currently does not apply to families that are too poor to qualify. During COVID, this tax credit was expanded to include those families, and child poverty fell to record lows, but as it was a temporary measure, those children are getting left behind again. Given the effectiveness the expansion of this tax regulation showed in the past, it would be a net positive for the country as a whole to codify it more permanently.

Other things coming up in the next week if you think your rep might be receptive:

H.R. 6976: Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act: Vote no. This act is discriminatory and enforces harsher penalties on immigrants than in legal citizens. While DUIs are a significant issue, enacting stronger guidelines on a small portion of the population that is already at risk from discriminatory police action is not a solution.

H.R. 6679: No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act - Vote no or dismiss if possible. Terrorism is already considered a reason to reject immigrants. This bill is pointless peacocking. You have better things to do with your time.

H.R. 6678: Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act - Vote no. This proposed act is discriminatory and enacts unduly harsh sentences against minorities. The system already has punishments for fraud; this specific act is unnecessary.

H.R. 5585: Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act - Are you sensing a pattern? It's discriminatory! Evading law enforcement on a motor vehicle is already illegal, you do not need to ADD IMMIGRATION PENALTIES.

Senate:

Abortion rights. Domestically, for the senate, push for abortion rights.

Specific things coming up in the next week if you think your Senator might be receptive:

H.R. 6914: Pregnant Students’ Rights Act - Call to ask that the resolution EXPLICITLY include abortion access, or otherwise vote against. This passed the house on strict party lines; other than a handful of abstentions, the vote was all republican for and all dems against. The text of the proposal is explicitly anti-abortion.

H.R. 6918: Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act - same as above, it was very partisan in the house vote, though less explicitly anti-abortion in the text. Nonetheless, it focuses explicitly on protecting funding to "pregnancy centers," which are often anti-choice and dedicated to pushing patients towards keeping a baby they don't want.

DOMESTIC POLICY, BOTH BRANCHES OF CONGRESS: Border policy is currently being hotly debated and negotiated. A very strong policy in favor of the Republican party is the status at the moment. Even some democrats are in favor of it due to small border communities being ill-equipped to handle large numbers of migrants, and states usually removed from the situation getting migrants bussed in from Texas despite telling Texas to knock it off. Despite some Republicans saying that they have gotten everything they could want out of the current deal, the party at large is refusing to pass it as the politics of the debate are more useful to the coming election than actually passing policy. This is also causing delays in passing the federal budget.

I... don't actually want to tell anyone WHAT to think of the border policy since I do not have any real knowledge on the budget impacts and resources dictating the actual problems (nor the racism or xenophobia, that part is obviously bullshit). I can recognize that too some degree, there is a genuine issue of manpower and budget restriction impacting the ability to house and process immigrants.

However, DREAMers are not being considered in the current deal, the delays in the deal are impacting the federal government and threatening a partial shutdown, and people are STILL getting hurt and even dying at the border.

I would focus on protection for DREAMers, chastising the Republicans for deliberately delaying the budget in order to use the border as a reelection premise instead of actually working on the policy they claim to want (emphasize that they are going to lose votes for focusing on reelection at the expense of their people), and protection for children, parents with those children, and nonviolent migrants in general.

[lokiinmediasideblog]

FISA 702 HAS PASSED THE HOUSED. WE MUST STOP IT!

Fax your legislators! TELL THEM YOU WON'T VOTE FOR THEM IF THEY VOTE YES ON FISA (Fy-zah) 702!

You can also fax your legislators for FREE at:

From Edward Snowden's Twitter:

If you were mad about your House rep voting to let the government spy on you without a warrant ("FISA 702" - fy-za seven-oh-two), we may have one last shot. CALL YOUR REP @ (202) 224-3121 and say "𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟳𝟬𝟮, 𝗜 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂."

From the article link:

House lawmakers voted on Friday to reauthorize section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or Fisa, including a key measure that allows for warrantless surveillance of Americans. The controversial law allows for far-reaching monitoring of foreign communications, but has also led to the collection of US citizens’ messages and phone calls.

Lawmakers voted 273–147 to approve the law, which the Biden administration has for years backed as an important counterterrorism tool. An amendment that would have required authorities seek a warrant failed, in a tied 212-212 vote across party lines.

Donald Trump opposed the reauthorization of the bill, posting to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday: “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!”

The law, which gives the government expansive powers to view emails, calls and texts, has long been divisive and resulted in allegations from civil liberties groups that it violates privacy rights. House Republicans were split in the lead-up to vote over whether to reauthorize section 702, the most contentious aspect of the bill, with Mike Johnson, the House speaker, struggling to unify them around a revised version of the pre-existing law.

Republicans shot down a procedural vote on Wednesday that would have allowed Johnson to put the bill to a floor vote, in a further blow to the speaker’s ability to find compromise within his party. Following the defeat, the bill was changed from a five-year extension to a two-year extension of section 702 – an effort to appease far-right Republicans who believe Trump will be president by the time it expires.

Section 702 allows for government agencies such as the National Security Administration to collect data and monitor the communications of foreign citizens outside of US territory without the need for a warrant, with authorities touting it as a key tool in targeting cybercrime, international drug trafficking and terrorist plots. Since the collection of foreign data can also gather communications between people abroad and those in the US, however, the result of section 702 is that federal law enforcement can also monitor American citizens’ communications.

Section 702 has faced opposition before, but it became especially fraught in the past year after court documents revealed that the FBI had improperly used it almost 300,000 times – targeting racial justice protesters, January 6 suspects and others. That overreach emboldened resistance to the law, especially among far-right Republicans who view intelligence services like the FBI as their opponent.

Trump’s all-caps post further weakened Johnson’s position. Trump’s online remarks appeared to refer to an FBI investigation into a former campaign adviser of his, which was unrelated to section 702. Other far-right Republicans such as Matt Gaetz similarly vowed to derail the legislation, putting its passage in peril.

Meanwhile, the Ohio congressman Mike Turner, Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told lawmakers on Friday that failing to reauthorize the bill would be a gift to China’s government spying programs, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah.

“We will be blind as they try to recruit people for terrorist attacks in the United States,” Turner said on Friday on the House floor.

The California Democratic representative and former speaker Nancy Pelosi also gave a statement in support of passing section 702 with its warrantless surveillance abilities intact, urging lawmakers to vote against an amendment that would weaken its reach.

“I don’t have the time right now, but if members want to know I’ll tell you how we could have been saved from 9/11 if we didn’t have to have the additional warrants,” Pelosi said.

Debate over Section 702 pitted Republicans who alleged that the law was a tool for spying on American citizens against others in the GOP who sided with intelligence officials and deemed it a necessary measure to stop foreign terrorist groups. One proposed amendment called for requiring authorities to secure a warrant before using section 702 to view US citizens’ communications, an idea that intelligence officials oppose as limiting their ability to act quickly. Another sticking point in the debate was whether law enforcement should be prohibited from buying information on American citizens from data broker firms, which amass and sell personal data on tens of millions of people, including phone numbers and email addresses.

Section 702 dates back to the George W Bush administration, which secretly ran warrantless wiretapping and surveillance programs in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. In 2008, Congress passed section 702 as part of the Fisa Amendments Act and put foreign surveillance under more formal government oversight. Lawmakers have renewed the law twice since, including in 2018 when they rejected an amendment that would have required authorities to get warrants for US citizens’ data.

Last year Merrick Garland, the attorney general, and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, sent a letter to congressional leaders telling them to reauthorize section 702. They claimed that intelligence gained from it resulted in numerous plots against the US being foiled, and that it was partly responsible for facilitating the drone strike that killed the al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in 2022.

[kp777]

By Maya Goldman

Axios

Aug. 5, 2024

Conservatives are targeting the hundreds of billions of dollars infederal spending that's led to the highest insured rate in U.S. history — and no program is more in the crosshairs than Medicaid.

Why it matters: The Affordable Care Act expansion of Medicaid for low-income adults helped drive enrollment to nearly 75 million people as of April.

But the safety-net health program now costs more than $800 billion annually, with the federal government footing about 70% of the bill.

State of play: Former President Trump's presidential policy platformis conspicuously silent on Medicaid while he's pledged not to touch Medicare or Social Security.

Still, conservative groups from the Republican Study Committee to the Paragon Health Institute to the Heritage Foundation want to turn Medicaid into block grants, impose work requirements or reduce the federal share of program costs for states where coverage has been extended.

The conservatives' beef: The ACA opened up eligibility for able-bodied, working-age adults and offered states extra money to do so, driving up program costs that are swelling federal deficits.

A playbook from Paragon, co-written by former Trump administration economic adviser Brian Blase, would phase out the 90% federal share of Medicaid costs for the expansion population, giving states the same federal funding for all Medicaid enrollees.

Under the plan, only households below the federal poverty level could still qualify for Medicaid, while those above the poverty level would instead be eligible for tax credits to buy coverage on Affordable Care Act exchanges.

The changes would save the federal government between about $252 billion and $530 billion over eight years, depending on how states respond. But states' costs would increase by at least $110 billion over that time — likely forcing some to pare benefits or enrollment.

The Paragon blueprint is a contrast to Heritage's Project 2025, which would cap the federal Medicaid funding available to states. However, Paragon's document says the think tank will release future briefs examining options to set fixed federal Medicaid rates.

The latest: The Trump campaign remains mum on its plans. As president, Trump backed an ACA repeal bill that called for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid.

Campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios that Trump wants to "end the financial drain on our health care system and ensure that our country can continue to care for American citizens who rely on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security."

Reality check: Overhauling Medicaid isn't necessarily a political slam-dunk for Republicans, said Chris Jennings, a Democratic consultant.

Republican candidates not explicitly raising Medicaid cuts "suggests that they're already beginning to get concerned that it may not be easy," he said.

Nearly 9 in 10 Medicaid enrollees said in a recent KFF poll that the program should stay largely the same as it is today. More than 70% of adults overall agreed, including more than half of Republicans surveyed.

North Carolina's adoption of a Medicaid expansion plan last year brought the number of states with expanded programs to 40, making a major overhaul more complicated.

The other side: Medicaid changes floated by conservative think tanks "would have a dramatic effect on beneficiaries' access to health coverage and to needed health care services," Edwin Park, a research professor at Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, told Axios.

Park called the notion that Paragon's proposal would protect vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries "preposterous." States that keep Medicaid expansion under the plan would have to cut other parts of the program or other state spending such as education, according to a blog post he co-wrote.

Expanding Medicaid to able-bodied adults earning up to 138% of the poverty level improved access to health care, and has been linked to better health outcomes and better health care system finances.

Meanwhile, Democrats used last week's 59th anniversary of the program to showcase Medicaid as a campaign talking point.

"This November, Medicaid is on the ballot. … That's why we must elect Democrats up and down the ballot and protect Medicare and Medicaid from Republican extremism," Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement last week.

[theoreticallysensible]

The Power and Purpose of Strikes

Simone Weil, the philosopher/anarchist/mystic, describing an ideal political future for France after WW2, lamented that trade unions have become primarily concerned with wages. This might seem strange to us now, when even this activity is so contested by conservatives, but Weil saw it as playing too much into the capitalist spirit.

She saw this as just one of trade unions’, and the worst of the lot, because it encourages workers to think about personal monetary gain rather than justice, solidarity, and even their own needs beyond the material. It also risks the union becoming institutionalised through frequent direct interactions with established economic forces. Again, this will sound weird today, given how unions fighting for wages represent one of the few remaining avenues for working class justice, and yeah Weil was a Catholic with strong convictions about the importance of moralism, but I think fundamentally she had higher hopes than we can easily imagine today.

I think a lot of people sense the truth of what she says today - though unfortunately it’s usually conservatives, who would turn back on it immediately if they recognised what it was they were saying. You see it when they say “Why are train drivers striking? Why are writers striking? Why do they think they deserve more than nurses, or posties, or actors?” And of course, the answer is: “They should strike too!” (As some of them now are 🎉). But it’s true that the narrow focus on wages does foster a sort of competitive individualism which can undermine solidarity with other industries. This means that a more revolutionary conception of unions is needed, which is not what these critics have in mind, but it is what Simone Weil has in mind.

What Weil sees in trade unions is the potential for fostering community, freedom of intellectual and spiritual thought, and a degree of independence from capitalism, all of which amount to a greater degree of what she calls ‘rootedness’ - something involving confidence in truth, having material needs met, security in community, and relative freedom (among other things). She saw them as being able to foster solidarity to meet workers’ need for community, free them from the corrupting influence of monetary concerns, and fight for justice as a group. She also hoped that they could provide a space for freedom of thought, to avoid the fetishisation of community she saw in both the French and Russian revolutions.

Trade unions then should not merely concern themselves with accumulating resources, but also with accumulating time and freedom - with the expansion of what Henri Lefebvre called everyday life, the time in which we are free to do what we want and create new types of experiences. When we have enough of it, we can build our own institutions free from capitalist influence which can form the infrastructure for disruptive situations. This can be mutual aid groups, creative projects, intellectual and spiritual communities, and reimaginings of what it means to work, through permablitzing, learning crafts, and starting co-operatives.

The ideal version of this is the general strike. Walter Benjamin described the general strike as a form of divine violence, violence which acts instantaneously, bloodlessly, without coercion. Rather than sort of blackmailing capitalists, as most strikes do, the general strike is (ideally) a complete disengagement with the entire capitalist system. It asks nothing of it, and simply makes it irrelevant by building entirely new social relations in its place. This is not at all feasible with where we are at the moment, but I like to think that it can be used as an inspiration for incorporating more utopian ideas into our more limited actions, all of which are still so radical in this current climate.