#cathy crenshaw | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

perpetuallylate1890 · 22 days

Text

Crisis of the Mind

As Ford slipped into his mindscape, he immediately realized something was wrong. Black tendrils threaded through the holographic screens and floating books. A sickly gray haze had overtaken the usual stars and galaxies. Looking at it for too long made him nauseous. If it weren’t for the pervasive sense of dread, the changes would’ve been fascinating.

Ford licked his dry lips and called out. “Bill, are you there?” No answer, but that wasn’t surprising. His muse was fickle, and often left days or even weeks between each visit. Sometimes, being Bill’s protégé felt like trying to hold water in his cupped hands.

Ford made his way to the front portion of his mindscape, where a chess board rested between two armchairs. Pulsing black growths crawled over the furniture. There was no sign of his triangular muse. Briefly, Ford wondered if Bill was playing a prank on him. If he was, Stanford couldn’t discern the punchline.

“Bill?” he chanced aloud. Only a ringing silence.Now this was a real enigma. Ford frowned, rubbing his chin. Gravity Falls had its fair share of supernatural oddities, though few of them possessed the ability to alter mindscapes. Ford considered the Dream Hipster, but as this dream was decidedly lacking in subpar puns, he highly doubted the specter’s involvement. This must be something new.

Ford grasped a nearby journal and tugged it from the vines with a snap. Writing always helped him to gather his thoughts. He jotted down his observations: mysterious tendrils, numbing fog, an inescapable feeling of doom. Though it was just a dream, his pulse quickened and his palms grew clammy. Well, nothing a little investigation couldn’t fix.

Ford mustered his courage and set out into the fog. It swirled around him, dulling his senses. His footsteps had a strange echoing quality. Every sound seemed to reverberate unnaturally.

Soon, he entered the deeper part of his mindscape. Bookshelves loomed on either side of him, shrouded in mist. Soft voices reached out to him. They sounded familiar, but were indistinguishable from a low hum that rose from the fog. Clutching his journal to his chest, Ford attempted to dismiss the sounds as the product of an overactive mind, though with every step he grew less sure.

He had entirely ruled out Bill as the culprit: his muse lacked the patience to let a joke run this long. The farther he walked the denser and more tangled the tendrils grew. He stepped over them like venomous serpents.

Stopping, he attempted to trace a growth back to its source. It wound through the bookstacks before disappearing off into the mist. How peculiar. Ford adjusted his glasses and continued on. Now, the sounds began to increase in volume. He distinctly heard his ma and pa engaged in a verbal clash, followed by the nasal drawl of Cathy Crenshaw. Six-fingered freak! Grimacing, he attempted to move past the unpleasant memory, but was stilled when he heard the familiar crunch of a toffee peanut bag. His heart plummeted.

That sound was a symbol of failure, of sabotage, of dreams grinding to a halt. Ford couldn’t stop the bitterness from welling up. A decade later, and he felt the betrayal like it had happened yesterday.

Stanford gripped the journal with white knuckles, clenching his teeth, and soldiered on. No use dwelling on the past. He had a muse who believed in him, who truly saw what he had to offer. Bill looked past his surface-level deficiencies and saw his potential for greatness. Stanford Pines, the man who changed the world. Bill had said it himself, and when had he ever been wrong?

Still, the doubt was eating him alive. What if he wasn’t enough? What if, in the end, he failed?

Suddenly, the voices doubled in strength. Ford stumbled under the onslaught of doubt. You were always just a freak! sneered the voices of his former bullies. I’m not impressed, commented his father. And worst of all, his own defeated voice, saying, I knew Bill was too good to be true.

Ford dropped the journal, flooded by a surge of inadequacy. His bullies were right, his father was right. How could someone like him deserve someone like Bill? Only a moment of doubt, and already he was losing resolve. Utterly shameful.

A chasm opened at his feet, its edges writhing with noxious tendrils. The voices reached a fever pitch until he couldn’t remember a time without them. Ford sank to his knees. He was outcast, unremarkable save for the extra fingers that marked him as other. Once Bill saw that, he’d abandon Ford and move onto someone more special, more deserving.

His gaze fell on the yawning abyss. Its call was a gravity he couldn’t escape. Ford climbed to his feet and stared down the gaping maw. It’d be simpler to give in. He swayed on his feet, dizzy, before something shiny caught his eye. The journal he’d dropped, once dull and unassuming, now bore a golden six-fingered hand.

He stooped to pick it up, matching his hand to the one on the cover. The journals, the portal were his life’s work. How could he ever think to throw them away? He dusted off the cover and stared at his reflection in the gold. Blue eyes, uncertain and afraid, peered back at him. He schooled his features into a semblance of heroism.

It didn’t matter if he was misfit or alien. He’d seize his destiny by the horns and prove he was worthy. With a shouting cry he clutched the journal tight and leapt into the hole, to follow the tendrils to their source and obliterate them.

Stanford Pines did not shy away from greatness.

_________________________________________

“So then you leapt into the giant hole?” Bill Cipher, reclined on a plush armchair, stirred sugar into his teacup. When he looked up, his slitted eye gleamed with approval. “Attaboy, Fordsy! I like your style!”

Ford flushed under the praise. He rubbed his neck self-consciously. “Well, it seemed like the right thing to do. I certainly feel better.” He frowned. “Although I never did figure out what caused it.”

Thoughtful, Bill sipped at his tea. “I have an idea,” he said finally.

“What is it?” asked Ford. “A spirit? An ancient curse? Some kind of emotion-sucking vampire?”

“Woah-hoh, hold your horses,” Bill said. “Nothing that exciting. What you experienced was just a stress dream.”

“Oh.”

Bill laughed at Ford’s disappointed expression. “What, you don’t appreciate the inner workings of your own mind? Geez, IQ, and here I thought you were smart.” He laughed again as Ford opened his mouth to defend his intelligence. “Kidding, I’m kidding!”

Mollified, Ford took a moment to process. “So all that was just… me?”

“Yup.” Bill reached out to ruffle the scientist’s hair. “When you’ve got a mind as brilliant as yours, it doesn’t take much to set it off. One tiny doubt spirals into another, and before you know it, boom!” He waved his hands in the air. “Identity crisis.”

“Identity crisis,” repeated Ford.

“It’s the little things that get you.” Bill poured Stanford a cup of tea and handed it over. “So, what kinds of things were ya stressing about?”

“Some unpleasant memories,” Ford said dismissively. “Family squabbles and the like.”

“Oh, is that all?”

Of course, Bill had seen right through him. Unable to meet his muse’s searching eye, Ford stared into his teacup. “The voices mentioned you,” he admitted.

“And?”

Ford swirled his tea. “I suppose I was worried I’m not… good enough for you. That there’s someone out there more deserving of your guidance.” There, he’d said it. He squeezed his eyes shut, fully expecting Bill to laugh it off. Instead, he felt a tiny hand under his chin.

“Hey, Fordsy, look at me.”

He did so. Bill was hovering directly in front of his nose, his slit pupil burning into Ford’s. Stanford froze, transfixed.

“Listen up,” Bill said, and squished Ford’s face in his hands. “I need to drill this through your thick skull. You are worthy. You’re one of the greatest minds in existence. Just stick with me, and you’ll change the world.” He paused. “No, scratch that. You’ll change the multiverse.”

His muse’s words were a balm to Stanford’s anxieties. He felt the tension leave his body, the tendrils releasing their hold. Confronting his doubts had helped, but having Bill’s full attention, receiving his validation, was something else entirely. Ford released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

Bill gave him a little shake. “Better?” he asked.

“Better,” Ford replied, and meant it.

“Good.” Bill released him and floated over to his armchair. “Now, how ‘bout a game of chess?”

With a click of his fingers, he summoned the pieces and made the first move. Ford leaned forward, settling into the rhythm of the game. Everything would be alright. He just knew it.

(Spoiler: it wasn't)

#stanford pines #bill cipher #gravity falls #fanfiction #writing

7 notes · View notes

dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

Text

BY CHAUNCEY DEVEGA

Ron DeSantis is not a "mini-Trump" or some other diminutive. He is much more dangerous. Donald Trump has no "ideology" beyond megalomania and a deep desire to be an American god king. By comparison, DeSantis is far more intelligent and devious; he is an ideological fascist and racial authoritarian.

In a recent essay at Raw Story, Thom Hartmann summarized the danger to American democracy and society embodied by DeSantis:

Historians and political observers have been predicting that America would get our very own Mussolini ever since the days of Barry Goldwater. And there's been no shortage of candidates: bribe-taking Nixon; Central American fascist-loving Reagan; Gitmo torturing and war-lying Bush; and, of course, Trump.

But with Ron DeSantis, we may finally be facing an all-American politician who has Mussolini's guile, ruthlessness, and willingness to see people die to advance his political career, all while being smart and educated enough to avoid the easily satirized buffoonishness of Trump.

DeSantis and other Republican fascists have proclaimed Florida to be a bastion of "freedom" and "liberty." In reality, Florida is now a laboratory for fascism. As part of his authoritarian project, DeSantis is enforcing thought crime laws that forbid the teaching of AP African-American studies in high school and other courses and programs across Florida's school system (including at the college and university level) that examine questions of power, race and systemic inequality. DeSantis and his agents recently declared that the AP African-American studies course was inappropriate and will not be taught in Florida's schools because it has "no educational value" and is "indoctrinating" (white) young people. DeSantis and his regime's thought crime attacks on African-American studies are Orwell's "1984" meets "Birth of a Nation."

The purpose of DeSantis' thought crime laws is to intimidate and terrorize all teachers, educators, librarians, and others who are committed to education, critical thinking, and the truth in Florida (and beyond). In DeSantis' Florida — and soon to be across "red state" America if he and the other fascist Republicans get their way — there will be censors who review books and other material for thought crimes and other "dangerous" ideas that are contrary to the interests of conservatives. These censors and party officials and their designated agents will also rewrite history – and reality itself – to fit the demands of the regime. The public will no longer be able to discern truth from lies and fantasies from facts and fiction. The subversion and destruction of reality, facts, and the truth are a precondition for, and one of the primary ways that fascist and other authoritarian regimes obtain and keep power.

DeSantis' goal is to make America into a new Jim Crow Christofascist plutocracy. Donald Trump and Trumpism were just intermediate stops on that evil journey.

This is the power of censorship: people quickly learn to police their own behavior and that of their family, friends, neighbors, and yes, strangers. The public's intellectual, creative, ethical, and moral lives quickly become impoverished. The result is the ideal fascist authoritarian subject: a compliant person who does not resist.

Here is a partial list of the dozens of scholars, authors, and other public thinkers whose work has now been declared "illegal" and a "thought crime" by DeSantis and his agents and subsequently marked for removal from the AP African-American Studies course:

Kimberlé Crenshaw

Angela Davis

bell hooks

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Nell Irvin Painter

Manning Marable

Cathy Cohen

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

James Cone

Nikki Giovanni

Barbara Fields

These are not just names on a banned books list. These are real human beings who are committed to helping the public and their students be engaged and responsible members of a larger community and to develop critical thinking skills that they can use to challenge and interrogate Power with the goal of making a better, more just, and truly democratic society.

I personally have interviewed, been in dialogue with, enjoyed the company of, had meals with, or otherwise interacted with a good many of these "banned" authors and scholars. I and many others have greatly benefitted from their scholarship, wisdom, time, and concern.

Why are DeSantis and his agents (in Florida and across the country) targeting African-American studies and other such programs?

There are many reasons.

The Black Freedom Struggle is one of the most successful pro-democracy resistance movements in American (and world) history. DeSantis and the other Republican-fascists and their forces do not want these lessons to be known, learned, or otherwise disseminated. DeSantis is working to create a type of "regime of knowledge" where Black, brown and other marginalized people's triumphs and experiences are outright erased and/or grossly distorted as a way of literally removing their personhood and existence. History has repeatedly shown that "thought crimes," banned books and other forms of intellectual violence are precursors to and do the work of interpersonal and intergroup violence on a large scale by the State, and those empowered to act in its name, against those deemed to be "the enemy."

In all, Power intersects with and is an extension of knowledge production. And knowledge is not "neutral." Philosopher Michel Foucault explained as much. "There is no power relation without the correlative constitution of a field of knowledge, nor any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute at the same time power relations." Foucault also explained that "Truth is linked in a circular relation with systems of power which produce and sustain it."

DeSantis attended Yale for his undergraduate degree. In all likelihood, he encountered the work of Foucault during his studies there. Now DeSantis is putting Foucault's powerful insights to work in ways contrary to their original intent.

In a recent interview at The New Yorker, contributing writer Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor spoke with historian Robin D.G. Kelley about DeSantis' thought crimes regime and the targeting of African-American studies. Both Professor Taylor's and Professor Kelley's work was purged from the Advanced Placement African-American studies course. Kelley's comments merit being quoted at length:

There's two levels. One is that it's about Ron DeSantis possibly running for President. I think that's the most important thing, because, no matter what we think about DeSantis and his policies, we know he went to Yale University, and majored in history and political science with a 3.7 G.P.A., which means that he was at one of the premier institutions for history. That's why I get frustrated when people say he needs to take a class. He took the class. He knows better. He knows that the culture wars actually win votes. He's trying to get the Trump constituency.

So I think this is about Ron DeSantis wanting to run for President. But I also think that the focus on Florida occludes a bigger story. As you know, this goes back to the Trump years—well before Trump, but let's just talk about the Trump years—the attack on the 1619 Project, Chris Rufo's strategy of turning critical race theory into an epithet by denying it any meaning whatsoever. And creating a buzzword. That's actually a strategy that has nothing to do with the field of African American studies; it has everything to do with vilifying a field—attacking the whole concept of racial justice and equity. So, to me, if DeSantis never banned the class, we would still be in this situation. And although it is true that a number of states did accept the pilot program for the A.P. class, some of those same states have passed, or are about to pass, laws that are banning or limiting what they're calling critical race theory. So there is a general assault on knowledge, but specifically knowledge that interrogates issues of race, sex, gender, and even class.

It's an ongoing struggle to roll back anything that's perceived as diminishing white power. They want to convince white working people—the same white working people who have very little access to good health care and housing, whose lives are actually really precarious, as they move from union jobs to part-time, concierge labor to make ends meet—that somehow, if they can get control of the narrative inside classrooms, their lives would be better. Racism actually damages all of our prospects and futures.

I don't think it's an accident that the people who are targeted are you, Angela Davis, myself, bell hooks. To say that we're not radical would be a lie. What does radical actually mean? What it means, what Black studies is about, is trying to understand how the system works and recognizing that the way the system works now benefits a few at the expense of the many. It's easy to allow someone to come in, in the name of Black studies, and say, "We're going to talk about ancient Africa, and the great achievements of the Kush of ancient Egypt." That's not a threat—not as much as the idea of critical race theory saying that, no matter what policies and procedures and legislation are implemented, the structure of racism, embedded in a capitalist system, embedded in a system of patriarchy, continues to create wealth for some and make the rest of our lives precarious. Precarious in terms of money, precarious in terms of police violence, precarious in terms of environmental catastrophe, precarious in many, many ways. And I think people could agree with me that that's why we do this scholarship: because we're trying to figure out a way to make a better future. You know, that's the whole point. And if that's subversive, then say it, but it's definitely not indoctrination, because indoctrination is a state that bans books.....

[T]he subject of African American studies, even before it was called that, has been not just the condition of Black people but the condition of the country. And not just narrating that oppression and understanding it, and not just trying to think about ways to move beyond it—to transcend it, to come up with strategies to try to live—but also understanding what's wrong with this country, with the system.

We're not just interrogating our lives, we're interrogating knowledge production itself.

Dangerous thinking is a good thing and those with power want to socialize us into learned helplessness so that we will not see (and achieve) the radical possibilities of a true social democracy.

Years ago, when I was in high school and then college, I was lucky enough to have very generous teachers who took me on trips to conferences and other events at leading universities and institutions such as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. In fact, I was very lucky to have attended several conferences where Yosef Ben-Jochannan ("Dr. Ben"), who was one of the founders of African Studies, was the featured speaker. Those years that saw the Million Man March(es), debates about the merits of multiculturalism, diversity and "affirmative action" at America's colleges and universities, boiling ethnic, racial and class tensions in Los Angeles and New York's Crown Heights and Howard Beach neighborhoods (among others), the golden age of Hip Hop Music and Culture, and so many other political and cultural formations and events. It would be an understatement to say that those years were quite an exhilarating time to be a young black politically engaged person in America.

In so many ways, I am very much a product of that time period.

I learned that I have no taste for racial chauvinism; such beliefs are the mind killer. I also came to the conclusion that American and Western society is profoundly sick with white supremacy and racism. Those forces will likely bring the ultimate destruction of American society and its so-called democracy.

A more humane and good society are possible if we want it badly enough on both sides of the color line. Racism and white supremacy are a choice. America is structured around such forces and too many white Americans and others are deeply invested in such an arrangement of things -- even if it causes them great harm. DeSantis and the larger white right are using thought crimes and other tools of censorship and intimidation as weapons to limit how we conceptualize freedom, democracy, justice, and the boundaries of the possible. DeSantis and those of his ilk wouldn't be trying to ban books and authors (and by implication whole groups of people) if they were not deeply afraid of them – and the possibilities of achieving a more democratic and free and humane society.

15 notes · View notes

stlhandyman · 1 year

Text

Supreme Court, U.S FILED In The OCT 2 2022 Supreme Court ofthe United States RALAND J BRUNSON, Petitioner,

Named persons in their capacities as United States House Representatives: ALMA S. ADAMS; PETE AGUILAR; COLIN Z. ALLRED; MARK E. AMODEI; KELLY ARMSTRONG; JAKE AUCHINCLOSS; CYNTHIA AXNE; DON BACON; TROY BALDERSON; ANDY BARR; NANETTE DIAZ BARRAGAN; KAREN BASS; JOYCE BEATTY; AMI BERA; DONALD S. BEYER JR.; GUS M. ILIRAKIS; SANFORD D. BISHOP JR.; EARL BLUMENAUER; LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER; SUZANNE BONAMICI; CAROLYN BOURDEAUX; JAMAAL BOWMAN; BRENDAN F. BOYLE; KEVIN BRADY; ANTHONY G. BROWN; JULIA BROWNLEY; VERN BUCHANAN; KEN BUCK; LARRY BUCSHON; CORI BUSH; CHERI BUSTOS; G. K. BUTTERFIELD; SALUD 0. CARBAJAL; TONY CARDENAS; ANDRE CARSON; MATT CARTWRIGHT; ED CASE; SEAN CASTEN; KATHY CASTOR; JOAQUIN CASTRO; LIZ CHENEY; JUDY CHU; DAVID N. CICILLINE; KATHERINE M. CLARK; YVETTE D. CLARKE; EMANUEL CLEAVER; JAMES E. CLYBURN; STEVE COHEN; JAMES COMER; GERALD E. CONNOLLY; JIM COOPER; J. LUIS CORREA; JIM COSTA; JOE COURTNEY; ANGIE CRAIG; DAN CRENSHAW; CHARLIE CRIST; JASON CROW; HENRY CUELLAR; JOHN R. CURTIS; SHARICE DAVIDS; DANNY K. DAVIS; RODNEY DAVIS; MADELEINE DEAN; PETER A. DEFAZIO; DIANA DEGETTE; ROSAL DELAURO; SUZAN K. DELBENE; Ill ANTONIO DELGADO; VAL BUTLER DEMINGS; MARK DESAULNIER; THEODORE E. DEUTCH; DEBBIE DINGELL; LLOYD DOGGETT; MICHAEL F. DOYLE; TOM EMMER; VERONICA ESCOBAR; ANNA G. ESHOO; ADRIANO ESPAILLAT; DWIGHT EVANS; RANDY FEENSTRA; A. DREW FERGUSON IV; BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK; LIZZIE LETCHER; JEFF FORTENBERRY; BILL FOSTER; LOIS FRANKEL; MARCIA L. FUDGE; MIKE GALLAGHER; RUBEN GALLEGO; JOHN GARAMENDI; ANDREW R. GARBARINO; SYLVIA R. GARCIA; JESUS G. GARCIA; JARED F. GOLDEN; JIMMY GOMEZ; TONY GONZALES; ANTHONY GONZALEZ; VICENTE GONZALEZ; JOSH GOTTHEIMER; KAY GRANGER; AL GREEN; RAUL M. GRIJALVA; GLENN GROTHMAN; BRETT GUTHRIE; DEBRA A. HAALAND; JOSH HARDER; ALCEE L. HASTINGS; JAHANA HAYES; JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER; BRIAN HIGGINS; J. FRENCH HILL; JAMES A. HIMES; ASHLEY HINSON; TREY HOLLINGSWORTH; STEVEN HORSFORD; CHRISSY HOULAHAN; STENY H. HOYER; JARED HUFFMAN; BILL HUIZENGA; SHEILA JACKSON LEE; SARA JACOBS; PRAMILA JAYAPAL; HAKEEM S. JEFFRIES; DUSTY JOHNSON; EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON; HENRY C. JOHNSON JR.; MONDAIRE JONES; DAVID P. JOYCE; KAIALPI KAHELE; MARCY KAPTUR; JOHN KATKO; WILLIAM R. KEATING; RO KHANNA; DANIEL T. KILDEE; DEREK KILMER; ANDY KIM; YOUNG KIM; RON KIND; ADAM KINZINGER; ANN KIRKPATRICK; RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI; ANN M. KUSTER; DARIN LAHOOD; CONOR LAMB; JAMES R. LANGEVIN; RICK LARSEN; JOHN B. LARSON; ROBERT E. LATTA; JAKE LATURNER; BRENDA L. LAWRENCE; AL LAWSON JR.; BARBARA LEE; SUSIE LEE; TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ; ANDY LEVIN; MIKE LEVIN; TED LIEU; IV ZOE LOFGREN; ALAN S.LOWENTHAL; ELAINE G. LURIA; STEPHEN F. LYNCH; NANCY MACE; TOM MALINOWSKI; CAROLYN B. MALONEY; SEAN PATRICK MALONEY; KATHY E. MANNING; THOMAS MASSIE; DORIS 0. MATSUI; LUCY MCBATH; MICHAEL T. MCCAUL; TOM MCCLINTOCK; BETTY MCCOLLUM; A. ADONALD MCEACHIN; JAMES P. MCGOVERN; PATRICK T. MCHENRY; DAVID B. MCKINLEY; JERRY MCNERNEY; GREGORY W. MEEKS; PETER MEIJER; GRACE MENG; KWEISI MFUME; MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS; JOHN R. MOOLENAAR; BLAKE D. MOORE; GWEN MOORE; JOSEPH D. MORELLE; SETH MOULTON; FRANK J. MRVAN; STEPHANIE N. MURPHY; JERROLD NADLER; GRACE F. NAPOLITANO; RICHARD E. NEAL; JOE NEGUSE; DAN NEWHOUSE; MARIE NEWMAN; DONALD NORCROSS; ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ; TOM O'HALLERAN; ILHAN OMAR; FRANK PALLONE JR.; JIMMY PANETTA; CHRIS PAPPAS; BILL PASCRELL JR.; DONALD M. PAYNE JR.; NANCY PELOSI; ED PERLMUTTER; SCOTT H. PETERS; DEAN PHILLIPS; CHELLIE PINGREE; MARK POCAN; KATIE PORTER; AYANNA PRESSLEY; DAVID E. PRICE; MIKE QUIGLEY; JAMIE RASKIN; TOM REED; KATHLEEN M. RICE; CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS; DEBORAH K. ROSS; CHIP ROY; LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD; RAUL RUIZ; C. A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER; BOBBY L. RUSH; TIM RYAN; LINDA T. SANCHEZ; JOHN P. SARBANES; MARY GAY SCANLON; JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY; ADAM B. SCHIFF; BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER; KURT SCHRADER; KIM SCHRIER; AUSTIN SCOTT; DAVID SCOTT; ROBERT C. SCOTT; TERRI A. SEWELL; BRAD SHERMAN; MIKIE SHERRILL; MICHAEL K. SIMPSON; ALBIO SIRES; ELISSA SLOTKIN; ADAM SMITH; CHRISTOPHER H. V SMITH; DARREN SOTO; ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER; VICTORIA SPARTZ; JACKIE SPEIER; GREG STANTON; PETE STAUBER; MICHELLE STEEL; BRYAN STEIL; HALEY M. STEVENS; STEVE STIVERS; MARILYN STRICKLAND; THOMAS R. SUOZZI; ERIC SWALWELL; MARK TAKANO; VAN TAYLOR; BENNIE G. THOMPSON; MIKE THOMPSON; DINA TITUS; RASHIDA TLAIB; PAUL TONKO; NORMA J. TORRES; RITCHIE TORRES; LORI TRAHAN; DAVID J. TRONE; MICHAEL R. TURNER; LAUREN UNDERWOOD; FRED UPTON; JUAN VARGAS; MARC A. VEASEY; FILEMON VELA; NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ; ANN WAGNER; MICHAEL WALTZ; DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ; MAXINE WATERS; BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN; PETER WELCH; BRAD R. WENSTRUP; BRUCE WESTERMAN; JENNIFER WEXTON; SUSAN WILD; NIKEMA WILLIAMS; FREDERICA S. WILSON; STEVE WOMACK; JOHN A. YARMUTH; DON YOUNG; the following persons named are for their capacities as U.S. Senators; TAMMY BALDWIN; JOHN BARRASSO; MICHAEL F. BENNET; MARSHA BLACKBURN; RICHARD BLUMENTHAL; ROY BLUNT; CORY A. BOOKER; JOHN BOOZMAN; MIKE BRAUN; SHERROD BROWN; RICHARD BURR; MARIA CANTWELL; SHELLEY CAPITO; BENJAMIN L. CARDIN; THOMAS R. CARPER; ROBERT P. CASEY JR.; BILL CASSIDY; SUSAN M. COLLINS; CHRISTOPHER A. COONS; JOHN CORNYN; CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO; TOM COTTON; KEVIN CRAMER; MIKE CRAPO; STEVE DAINES; TAMMY DUCKWORTH; RICHARD J. DURBIN; JONI ERNST; DIANNE FEINSTEIN; DEB FISCHER; KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND; LINDSEY GRAHAM; CHUCK GRASSLEY; BILL HAGERTY; MAGGIE HASSAN; MARTIN HEINRICH; JOHN HICKENLOOPER; MAZIE HIRONO; JOHN HOEVEN; JAMES INHOFE; RON VI JOHNSON; TIM KAINE; MARK KELLY; ANGUS S. KING, JR.; AMY KLOBUCHAR; JAMES LANKFORD; PATRICK LEAHY; MIKE LEE; BEN LUJAN; CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS; JOE MANCHIN III; EDWARD J. MARKEY; MITCH MCCONNELL; ROBERT MENENDEZ; JEFF MERKLEY; JERRY MORAN; LISA MURKOWSKI; CHRISTOPHER MURPHY; PATTY MURRAY; JON OSSOFF; ALEX PADILLA; RAND PAUL; GARY C. PETERS; ROB PORTMAN; JACK REED; JAMES E. RISCH; MITT ROMNEY; JACKY ROSEN; MIKE ROUNDS; MARCO RUBIO; BERNARD SANDERS; BEN SASSE; BRIAN SCHATZ; CHARLES E. SCHUMER; RICK SCOTT; TIM SCOTT; JEANNE SHAHEEN; RICHARD C. SHELBY; KYRSTEN SINEMA; TINA SMITH; DEBBIE STABENOW; DAN SULLIVAN; JON TESTER; JOHN THUNE; THOM TILLIS; PATRICK J. TOOMEY; HOLLEN VAN; MARK R. WARNER; RAPHAEL G. WARNOCK; ELIZABETH WARREN; SHELDON WHITEHOUSE; ROGER F. WICKER; RON WYDEN; TODD YOUNG; JOSEPH ROBINETTE BIDEN JR in his capacity of President of the United States; MICHAEL RICHARD PENCE in his capacity as former Vice President of the United States, and KAMALA HARRIS in her capacity as Vice President of the United States and JOHN and JANE DOES 1-100.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-380/243739/20221027152243533_20221027-152110-95757954-00007015.pdf

4 notes · View notes

ramblingaro · 1 year

Text

a rather long rant on my feelings about education in Florida rn (with some fun reading reqs though because I could not help myself)

I left Florida several years ago, right when I graduated high school, because I had to leave to live. It never was and never will be a home for me; I hate the climate, I hate the politics, and the people traumatized me. And yet, every headline I see with DeSantis's name feels like a knife twisting in my gut – as though I still live there.

I could talk for years about him and everything I hate about him, but nothing hurts quite like watching him eviscerate the education system, bit by bit.

I grew up in that system, I know how bad it is. Getting out of Florida for college kept me alive and the knowledge that I could do that got me through high school. But I know not everyone has that ability. At least in the past, there were places of solace in the Florida college system. Several of my queer friends from high school stayed in-state and found communities and the education they wanted.

And for me, I chose a liberal arts college because I didn't have a lot of academic freedom in high school. I was certain (or so I thought) of what I wanted to focus on, but I really wanted the freedom to take whatever piqued my interest. And it paid off. On basically a whim, I took a course on Native American Studies and a course on Queer Studies which resulted in me hard pivoting away from the natural sciences and immersing myself in the humanities. While I still may not have gotten to "see" myself in the curriculum (queer theory is dear to me but she can regrettably still be rather focused on cis, white, gay men), I developed the language to describe myself and my experiences. I have always loved reading, writing, and thinking; but this introduced me to entirely new ways of thinking, writing, and reading.

I was overcome with joy when I briefly saw bits of the pilot curriculum for AP African American Studies. It's hard to even imagine what it would've been like for me to be introduced to a curriculum like that in high school. And I'm white, I'm not even the primary audience for the course! If it would've been that huge to me, how big would it be for Black students?

And then DeSantis banned it. And then College Board gutted it. I've been trying to find a complete list of what and who were cut, but have not found one yet. What I have found though is that they cut: Patricia Hill Collins, Cathy Cohen, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Roderick Ferguson, bell hooks, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, BLM, mass incarceration, and queer theory. And I'm sure there's more that got axed too.

Alice Walker is someone who's still on my "to read" list but I've read works by all the other authors I mentioned, and it's all incredible. Collins and Crenshaw were at the forefront of intersectional theory, developing the language of "interlocking matrices of oppression" that defines so much of the humanities today. I've read sections of bell hooks's Where We Stand: Class Matters and it's such a vibrant and rich text with theory derived from her experiences. It was instrumental in building the foundation of my class analysis. Ferguson was at the forefront of developing Queer of Color Critique with book Aberrations in Black: Towards a Queer of Color Critique [side note: if you get to read this book, when it talks about Marlon Riggs's film Tongues Untied (I think this is at the start of the book iirc?) because it's a work of art. I'd recommend the film to anyone, but especially so if you're picking up Aberrations in Black].

And that brings me to Cathy Cohen and Audre Lorde. They are, hands down, two of the writers with the biggest influences on me today. There's three works by them that have not left my head since I first read them almost 4 years ago. Cathy Cohen's essay "Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical potential of Queer Politics?" If you want to talk about queer positionality, queerness as a politic, please give this a read. (She also has a follow up essay, "The Radical Potential of Queer?: Twenty Years Later" and I'd also heavily endorse that). Audre Lorde's Zami: A New Spelling of My Name and it is one of the best things I have ever read. She calls it "a biomythography" because it combines history, biography, and myth. Her prose is stellar as always, and the content of it hits hard – if you ever read it, there's a scene of her in the kitchen with a mortar and pestle and it's such a scene of deep feeling. Zami also revealed to me that one of my favorite genres are memoirs and books that blend memoir and myth. (If that piques your interest, consider checking out: Deborah Miranda's Bad Indian, Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, and Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior). Lorde also has this essay, from her book Sister Outsider, titled "Uses of the Erotic: the Erotic as Power" and it is incredible. I could write about this essay for all of eternity (it did underlie a large portion of my undergrad thesis lol) but this post is already about 50x longer than I intended. So I'll just say this: this was the text that showed me a point of entry for my asexuality into queer theory. The erotic here, the "Lordean erotic" is one that is not explicitly sexual, but rather it is an unknowable and vast inner source of intimacy. It was this concept, that gave me (and other, actual scholars) a way to push back against queer theory's over emphasis on the sexual. (yet another side note: if this idea interests you, Ela Przybylo's Asexual Erotics is an entire book dedicated to the theory of an asexual erotic).

But back to my point, these are some of the people they axed. How do you talk about African American Studies without their writings? How can you remove queerness from it? Black queer people have always been thinking, creating, and advocating – even if it was sometimes held from public view. How many people are familiar with Bayard Rustin, the Black gay man who was a close confidant of MLK's and was even involved in the writing of some of King's famous works? They removed BLM from the curriculum – not only a major piece of contemporary Black politics, but a movement initiated by Black queer people (check out Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele's When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir).

My point is not just that these are all incredible theorists and I want everyone to read the things I've listed and more, it's also the fact that this is what was on the table for our high schoolers to get. And it was stolen from them. It was stolen from them by a man who's newest political move is to "eliminate ideological conformity" by......legislatively banning all ideologies he dislikes. Public colleges are losing funding for their humanities, professors are losing the protections of tenure, DEI offices are being deleted, and college admin are being forcibly removed and replaced with mini DeSantises. All the while, anything related to queerness or race is being deleted from high schools and below, DeSantis is trying to detransition minors, and they're using political pressure and legislation to prevent these students from getting access to monumental curriculums.

I hate it all. I had a terrible time growing up; I desperately wish I could make it better for all the kids now and to come. But, for my own sake, I can't go back to Florida, at least not now. And even then, I still wonder what would I be able to do? How can we protect these kids when a system that was already against them is arming itself more and trying to prevent them from arming themselves?

#I just needed to get this out #fuck desantis #ramble

1 note · View note

mother-ofthe-universedraws · 1 year

Text

More Twinwalkers!

Since Hunter doesn’t show up until season 2 in The Owl House, I thought it would be fun to give Stan his own season 1 story line.

Also, we got some new characters with rolls! Candy as Hexide’s principle Bump, Crampelter and Pricilla as Bosha and Skara respectively, and Gideon as Kikimora. Also we got Mabel’s house demon; Mr. Summerween.

127 notes · View notes

duchessofpuzzles · 2 years

Text

Thank you @sovonight! 💖💕🥲

#gravity falls #commission #sovonight #ford x cathy #ford pines #cathy crenshaw #stanford pines

172 notes · View notes

anthophilafalls · 3 years

Text

Whats the deal with Pines boys and Redheads with fruit punch? (At least Dipper had slightly better luck ;) haha)

#my posts #gravity falls #stanford pines #ford pines #dipper pines #wendy corduroy #cathy crenshaw

22 notes · View notes

stephreynaart · 4 years

Photo

LITTLE CATHY WHAT A DREAM

HELD HER HAND MADE HER SCREAM 

 I hate hurting my beautiful boy, I’m sorry honey. This is based off of something in Journal 3. I had a script for Ford and Cathy’s date, but it hurt worse to break his heart than it did to console his heartbreak.

CREDIT MUSIC (Cathy’s Clown)

#gravity falls #Gravity Falls Fanart #gravity falls comic #STAN TWINS #young stanley pines #stan pines #Stanley Pines #grunkle stan #young stanford pines #ford pines #stanford pines #grunkle ford #pines twins #cathey crenshaw #journal 3 #LITTLE CATHY WHAT A DREAM HELD HER HAND MADE HER SCREAM

690 notes · View notes

beardedmrbean · 2 years

Text

Democrats voted down a motion to consider GOP legislation that would reverse several Biden administration energy policies, according to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

During the vote Wednesday evening, 219 Democrats voted against consideration of the American Energy Independence from Russia Act offered by Republican Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, McCarthy’s office said. The legislation was introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman on Feb. 28.

“This week our president – our American president – asked Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to increase oil production,” Crenshaw said during remarks on the House floor. “Asked them to boost their output so that American consumers wouldn’t see a spike in gas prices.”

“Surely (President Joe Biden) knows we can also boost domestic production right here at home. Surely he knows that domestic production supports American jobs,” Crenshaw continued. “And surely he knows that domestic production is cleaner, by far, than foreign production.”

(RELATED: ‘What Additional Permits Do They Need?’: Psaki Mocks Question About Oil Drilling Regulatory Hurdles)

The legislation would immediately approve the Keystone XL pipeline, remove restrictions on natural gas exports, restart the oil and gas leasing program, protect “energy and mineral development” and require the White House to issue plans for energy security and replacing oil tapped from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The bill was introduced in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has disrupted global energy markets and exposed Western reliance on Russia for oil and gas. Republicans and fossil fuel industry groups have urged Biden to reverse course on his energy agenda and incentivize greater domestic production.

“Putin and Russia’s economy are dependent upon dominating energy production and exporting to other nations,” Rodgers and Westerman said in a joint statement after introducing the bill. “He gains power by doing so, and it’s what funds his military and aggressive behavior.”

“To counter Putin, our bill flips the switch to promote American energy jobs, production, and exports,” they said.

#nunyas news

36 notes · View notes

crossdreamers · 3 years

Text

Here are the US representatives who voted against the US pro-LGBT+ Equality Act

The US Equality Act is to outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing, credit, jury service, public accommodations, and federal funding.

The House of Representatives passed the legislation yesterday, but it is unlikely that the Senate will follow up, given the Republican Party's increasing hostility to queer people. They are currently weaponizing transphobia in an attempt at mobilizing their base.

In the Senate the bill will require at least 10 Republicans to vote with all Democrats to advance past the so-called filibuster.

Metro Weekly has listed the representatives that voted against the law in the House.

Photo of Rep. Marie Newman.

Alabama:

Robert Aderholt

Mo Brooks

Jerry Carl

Barry Moore

Gary Palmer

Mike Rogers

Alaska:

Don Young

Arizona:

Andy Biggs

Paul A. Gosar

Debbie Lesko

David Schweikert

Arkansas:

Rick Crawford

French Hill

Bruce Westerman

Steve Womack

California:

Ken Calvert

Darrell Issa

Mike Garcia

Young Kim

Doug LaMalfa

Kevin McCarthy

Tom McClintock

Devin Nunes

Jay Obernolte

Michelle Steel

David G. Valadao

Colorado:

Lauren Boebert

Ken Buck

Doug Lamborn

Florida:

Gus M. Bilirakis

Vern Buchanan

Kat Cammack

Mario Diaz-Balart

Byron Donalds

Neal Dunn

C. Scott Franklin

Matt Gaetz

Carlos A. Gimenez

Brian Mast

Bill Posey

John Rutherford

Maria Elvira Salazar

W. Gregory Steube

Michael Waltz

Daniel Webster

Georgia:

Rick Allen

Buddy Carter

Andrew S. Clyde

A. Drew Ferguson

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Jody Hice

Barry Loudermilk

Austin Scott

David Scott

Idaho:

Russ Fulcher

Mike Simpson

Illinois:

Mike Bost

Rodney Davis

Darin LaHood

Adam Kinzinger

Mary E. Miller

Indiana:

Jim Banks

James Baird

Larry Bucshon

Trey Hollingsworth

Greg Pence

Victoria Spartz

Jackie Walorski

Iowa:

Randy Feenstra

Ashley Hinson

Mariannette Miller-Meeks

Kansas:

Ron Estes

Jake LaTurner

Tracey Mann

Kentucky:

Andy Barr

James Comer

S. Brett Guthrie

Thomas Massie

Harold Rogers

Louisiana:

Clay Higgins

Garret Graves

Mike Johnson

Steve Scalise

Maryland:

Andy Harris

Michigan:

Jack Bergman

Bill Huizenga

Lisa C. McClain

Peter Meijer

John Moolenaar

Fred Upton

Tim Walberg

Minnesota:

Tom Emmer

Michelle Fischbach

Jim Hagedorn

Pete Stauber

Mississippi:

Michael Guest

Trent Kelly

Steven Palazzo

Missouri:

Sam Graves

Vicky Hartzler

Billy Long

Blaine Luetkemeyer

Jason Smith

Ann Wagner

Montana:

Matthew M. Rosendale

Nebraska:

Don Bacon

Jeff Fortenberry

Adrian Smith

Nevada:

Mark Amodei

New Jersey:

Chris Smith

Jefferson Van Drew

New Mexico:

Yvette Herrell

New York:

Andrew R. Garbarino

Chris Jacobs

Nicole Malliotakis

Elise Stefanik

Claudia Tenney

Lee Zeldin

North Carolina:

Dan Bishop

Ted Budd

Madison Cawthorn

Gregory Francis Murphy

Virginia Foxx

Richard Hudson

Patrick T. McHenry

David Rouzer

North Dakota:

Kelly Armstrong

Ohio:

Troy Balderson

Steve Chabot

Warren Davidson

Bob Gibbs

Anthony Gonzalez

Jim Jordan

Bill Johnson

David Joyce

Robert E. Latta

Steve Stivers

Michael Turner

Brad Wenstrup

Oklahoma:

Stephanie I. Bice

Tom Cole

Kevin Hern

Frank Lucas

Markwayne Mullin

Oregon:

Cliff Bentz

Pennsylvania:

John Joyce

Mike Kelly

Daniel Meuser

Scott Perry

Guy Reschenthaler

Lloyd Smucker

Glenn Thompson

South Carolina:

Jeff Duncan

Nancy Mace

Ralph Norman

Tom Rice

William Timmons

Joe Wilson

South Dakota:

Dusty Johnson

Tennessee:

Timm Burchett

Scott DesJarlais

Chuck Fleischmann

Mark Green

Diana Harshbarger

David Kustoff

John W. Rose

Texas:

Jodey Arrington

Brian Babin

Kevin Bady

Michael Burgess

John Carter

Michael Cloud

Dan Crenshaw

Pat Fallon

Louie Gohmert

Tony Gonzales

Lance Gooden

Kay Granger

Ronny Jackson

Michael T. McCaul

Troy E. Nehls

August Pfluger

Chip Roy

Pete Sessions

Van Taylor

Beth Van Duyne

Randy Weber

Roger Williams

Utah:

John R. Curtis

Blake D. Moore

Burgess Owens

Christ Stewart

Virginia:

Ben Cline

Bob Good

Morgan Griffith

Robert J. Wittman

Washington:

Jaime Herrera Beutler

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Dan Newhous

West Virginia:

David McKinley

Carol Miller

Alex Mooney

Wisconsin:

Scott Fitzgerald

Mike Gallagher

Glenn Grothman

Bryan Steil

Thomas P. Tiffany

Wyoming:

Liz Cheney

All Democrats voted for the legislation, as did three Republicans.

#lgbt #lgbtqa #trans #bisexual #lesbian #gay #lgbtqi #lgbt+#equality act #republican party #homophobia #transphobia

572 notes · View notes