#her Independence Day speech in court

[dchan87]

The day after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was announced as Kamala Harris’s choice for vice president, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a crowd of lawmakers in Louisville, Kentucky, that a Harris administration would spell certain doom for the Republican Party. “Let’s assume our worst nightmare—the Democrats went to the White House, the House, the Senate,” McConnell said during his keynote speech at the National Conference of State Legislators Legislative Summit last week, according to Spectrum News. “The first thing they’ll do is get rid of the [Senate] filibuster. Second, you’ll have two new states: D.C., Puerto Rico. That’s four new Democratic senators in perpetuity.”

Puerto Rico will vote on a nonbinding ballot measure in November to determine the territory’s future political status, with voters being given three options, all of which would change its official status: statehood, independence, or independence with free association. It will be the seventh time that the island’s 3.2 million people vote to define their political relationship with the United States. Harris has not yet taken an official stance on the vote.

McConnell insisted that next on the historically moderate Democrat’s agenda would be to place as many liberal justices on the Supreme Court as possible, noting that doing so would be “unconstitutional”—while apparently ignoring the fact that that’s exactly what Donald Trump did to achieve SCOTUS’s current conservative supermajority.

“If they get those two new states and pack the Supreme Court, they’ll get what they want,” McConnell said.

Ultimately, McConnell believes that the Harris-Walz ticket “represents the far left of the Democratic Party.

“And by the way, that’s most Democrats today,” he added.

Following the address, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers broke down the Republican perspective on why Harris turned to Walz as her right hand.

“They’re trying to appeal to a rural voter that they have not appealed to in years,” Stivers said, reported Spectrum. “Now, whether they can or they can’t, that becomes a good question, and I think that will be based on the policies that they put forward. And hopefully, that’s what we get into.”

[simply-ivanka]

Now the Trump Jurors Can Be Told

Without the limits placed on witness testimony, they can now learn why the case was faulty.

Wall Street Journal - James Freeman

In the Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump, it seems that partisan judge Juan Merchan insisted on so many limits on the potential testimony of former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley Smith that the defense decided it was pointless to put him on the stand. But now the jurors can learn what Journal readers have known for more than a year—hush-money payments to alleged mistresses are not campaign contributions.

This weekend Mr. Smith noted this again on X and also explained in a series of posts why there was a big chronological hole in the claim that a 2016 payment to alleged mistress Stormy Daniels was improperly reported to avoid damaging news prior to that year’s election:

The payment to Daniels was made on Oct. 27. So the payment would not have been reported on the Pre-election report… The next report is the Post-Election Report…

In 2016, the Post-Election Report was required to be filed on December 8, one month after the election. So the prosecution’s theory, that Trump wanted to hide the expenditure until after the election, makes no sense at all…

Even if we assume, incorrectly, that it was a campaign expenditure, it wouldn’t have been reported until 30 days after the election. But again, none of this got to the jury, either through testimony or the judge’s instructions…

Merchan was rather obviously biased here, but I’ll give him the benefit of a doubt and say he was just thoroughly ignorant of campaign finance law, and had no interest in boning up on it to properly instruct the jury.

Mr. Smith sums up the issue under relevant federal law:

There was no illegal contribution or expenditure made, and no failure to report an expenditure. And even if we assume otherwise, the prosecution’s theory made no sense, suggesting no criminal intent.

Could this case look any worse? It seems that even if one made the error of regarding the hush-money payment as a campaign contribution, there would still be ample reason to question the constitutionality of the verdict. Steven Calabresi, who teaches law at Northwestern and Yale, writes for Reason magazine:

In 2010, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310, the Supreme Court held 5 to 4 that the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by closely allied corporations and groups like The Trump Organization. Under Citizens United, it was perfectly legal for The Trump Organization to pay Daniels $130,000 in hush money to conceal her alleged affair with Donald Trump…

Groups contributing to election campaigns can pay for advertising to promote candidates, and they can also pay hush money to keep bad or false stories out of the news. The effect either way is to help the candidate. You can contribute money to generate good publicity.  And, you can contribute money to avoid bad publicity.  The First Amendment protects freedom of speech in both cases.

Mr. Calabresi adds:

The U.S. Supreme Court needs to hear this case as soon as possible because of its impact on the 2024 presidential election between President Trump and President Biden. Voters need to know that the Constitution protected everything Trump is alleged to have done with respect to allegedly paying hush money to Stormy Daniels. This is especially the case because the trial judge in Trump’s Manhattan case wrongly allowed Stormy Daniels to testify in graphic detail about the sexual aspects of her alleged affair with Trump. This testimony tainted the jury and the 2024 national presidential electorate, impermissibly, and was irrelevant to the question of whether President Trump altered business records to conceal a crime. The federal Supreme Court needs to make clear what are the legal rules in matters of great consequence to an election to a federal office like the presidency.  A highly partisan borough, Manhattan, of a highly partisan city, New York City, in a highly partisan state, like New York State, cannot be allowed to criminalize the conduct of presidential candidates in ways that violate the federal constitution.

The Roman Republic fell when politicians began criminalizing politics. I am gravely worried that we are seeing that pattern repeat itself in the present-day United States. It is quite simply wrong to criminalize political differences.

Some readers were disappointed in your humble correspondent for suggesting on Friday that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D., N.Y.) should pardon Mr. Trump. Given the logical and constitutional flaws in the case, these disgruntled readers think it would be better to have this outrage exposed in the appeals process and completely repudiated, whereas a pardon might appear to some to be a merciful response to a legitimate prosecution for the sake of political comity. Perhaps such readers needn’t worry. Jon Levine reports for the New York Post:

A person close to Hochul said a pardon was “unlikely.” 

“I cannot image a world where she would consider doing this, this makes no sense,” said the insider.

[pessimisticpigeonsworld]

"https://www.tumblr.com/tbos-main/738719535451013120/for-the-scene-you-posted-that-is-from-the-other?source=share"

"I don't dislike Rhaenyra, I really don't. But it is BAFFLING to me that her struggles are 'I'm just a princess, I'm not even queen :(((( My life SUCKS :((('

Alicent's fans have the most mediocre opinions about Rhaenyra because they are only capable of victimizing Alicent. Also, during episode 7, when the eye incident occurs, Alicent and Rhaenyra haven't been friends for over 9 years. Alicent's only actions after the time jump are to pick on Rhaenyra and her children. Why should Rhaenyra care about Alicent? Alicent's speech in that episode is pure hypocrisy; she had already let Larys get away with murdering two people and stayed silent because it benefited her. Justice and duty can be forgotten as long as it benefits Alicent.

Alicent is also not the eternal victim that OP believes she is..

People who think Rhaenyra's struggles are "but I wanna be queen :(" really don't have good media comprehension. If we look at everyone else in HOTD the same way op is looking at Rhaenyra, then literally all of their struggles are "but I want that privilege!"

Rhaenys and Corlys want the throne or their blood to be on the throne. Viserys wants to be able to chill in his room with his figurines with no responsibility. Daemon wants to be Hand, the heir, or the prince consort. Alicent wants to chill with privilege and no responsibility at first, then wants her blood to be on the throne. Aegon wants to be prince with no responsibility or consequences. Helaena wants to chill alone with bugs and her kids. Aemond wants to be king.

Literally every person in this show wants to stay privileged but on their terms. That's not actually their issues and struggles, but if we're dumbing down Rhaenyra's story, everyone gets dumbed down too.

Rhaenyra has been demeaned and treated as less than because of her gender her entire life. She was forced into a marriage with a gay man who couldn't give her children while a majority of her worth still lay in her ability to give birth. Viserys never actually went out of his way to support her until his literal last day, he does the bare minimum to protect her or her children in court. She was abused by Alicent for a decade at least until she was driven from the capital. She was usurped, her children murdered, and was murdered by her brother. She is so much more than wanting to be queen, TG stans just hate to see that.

As for Alicent, she only cares about "duty and sacrifice" when it benefits her and/or her family. She clings to the morals of the Seven until it's her faction going against them. She's obsessed with her and Rhaenyra's former friendship until she can use it to try guilting/manipulating Rhaenyra.

In Driftmark, Rhaenyra was right on about Alicent. Alicent has been far from the saint her fans view her as and far from the martyr she thinks she herself is. She has abused Rhaenyra and supported Larys, allowed Aegon's bullying of Aemond and Criston's of the Velaryon boys.

Alicent should be asking herself where duty is and asking her faction where their sacrifice is. Rhaenyra has done her duty, she married who her father told her, she had children to be her heirs and Laenor claimed as his own as well (even though she had a lot of trauma surrounding childbirth). She has served on the small council despite how the men on the council don't respect her and Alicent constantly undermines her. Rhaenyra's only crime is refusing to sacrifice herself to serve the men around her.

Op purposefully twisting the events of the show to support their view that Alicent "always defended Rhaenyra" and "only did what she was told" is so frustrating. That view deliberately ignores that Alicent stopped defending Rhaenyra in episode five, the same episode where she chose to declare war on Rhaenyra. The ten year gap was her acting entirely independently from Otto. It also ignores how Alicent raised her children to hate Rhaenyra and her children, that's not defending Rhaenyra or doing what she's told, since Alicent had the most control over her children's lives.

Alicent isn't a perpetual victim, she's victimized by the patriarchy (show only), but quickly becomes a perpetrator of abuse and a constant supporter of the patriarchy. She sacrifices her own daughter in the name of Aegon's ascension. She hates Rhaenyra for not bending to the men around her and punishes her for it. Alicent benefits from bending to the patriarchy by second half of the season, and doesn't stop until she causes the Dance. She may work for the betterment of the men around her, but she does it of her own freewill after marrying Viserys.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Nikki McCann Ramírez at Rolling Stone:

On Friday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a show of selectively exiting the presidential race and throwing his support behind Donald Trump, hailing the former president as a champion of free speech. Less than a week later, Trump is already promising to crush First Amendment protections if elected in November.  On Monday, Trump complained about pushback to a proposal to sentence people to a year in jail for burning the American flag.  “I wanna get a law passed […] You burn an American flag, you go to jail for one year. Gotta do it — you gotta do it,” Trump said.  “They say, ‘Sir, that’s unconstitutional.’ We’ll make it constitutional.”

People may tell Trump that jailing anyone who burns the flag is unconstitutional because burning the flag is protected by the First Amendment. In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson that while the desecration of the flag may be objectionable, “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” RFK Jr. has long claimed that the government is censoring him in various ways, and on Friday blamed his failed attempt at a viable run for the presidency on “16 months of censorship, of not being able to get on any network really except for Fox.”

Kennedy added that the Democratic Party had “become the party of the war, censorship, corruption, Big Pharma, Big Tech, big money.” He cited Trump’s stances on free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on children as his justification for endorsing the former president. “These are the principal causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump,” he said. The endorsement may have also had something to do with Trump’s receptiveness to bringing Kennedy into his administration if he wins. Earlier this month The Washington Post reported that Kennedy’s campaign had attempted to secure meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to discuss a potential role for him in her administration should she win the White House — to no avail. Kennedy held similar discussions with the Trump campaign in the time period surrounding the Republican National Convention. 

Avowed 1st Amendment enemy Donald Trump seeks to restrict the 1A if he is elected this November.

If you want to see the 1st Amendment protected, vote Kamala Harris!

[guess-ill-dye]

TODAY (10 of June) IS PORTUGAL DAY WOOOO🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹

More specifically Day of Camões and Portuguese communities

So who was Camões?

Luís Vaz de Camões lived in the 1500's and died 5th of July of 1580, and no-one is sure when he was born, but we think it was 500 years ago so that makes today extra special.

He was born into a lower class noble family, and was the man who wrote an epic poem called Lusíadas , (LIKE THE ODYSSEY OK??? ) one of the 2 WRITTEN BY THE PORTUGUESE!!!! (The other one was written by Fernando Pessoa, and it is very nice as well, and talks abt how amazing we are hehe)

It was finished in 1572, and talked about the discovery of the way to India by sea (we did that), and mixes it with some elements from the roman gods, and its amazing I 100% think everyone should read it. It was all written on 10 verse stranzas/strophes all with 10 metric syllables so yeah impressing. It contains a lot of history as well, and well known stories (atleast in Portugal) like the romance of Pedro and Inês.

THE ROMANCE OF PEDRO AND INÊS

This is a real Romeo and Julliet kind of story, where Pedro, the heir to the throne of Portugal, and he gets and arranged marriage with a Spanish princess, and in her court comes a lady named Inês de Castro, and they fall in love and she becomes one of his mistresses. Except she was special, and he spent a bunch of time with her and 2 kids with her. Then his wife dies and Pedro refuses to remarry (he had kids with his official wife too so no big deal right? wrong) and his dad is afraid that he marrys Inês, since their marriage would endanger the kingdom's independence, and it was church wrong cause they already had kids. So he murders her. Well he sends someone to murder her and she dies. Sad. BUT in Lusíadas it is VERY DRAMATIC AND SHE MAKES A SPEECH ASKING THE KING (D. Afonso btw) TO SPARE HER AND WOW ITS AMAZING

Irl she was assassinated in "Quinta das Lágrimas" (in Coimbra), which translates to "Farm of Tears" (it rlly was sad) and there are some stones on the fountain where she where she was killed (maybe) that are red and legend says it is her blood that stained those stones forever (heartbreaking ok)

THEN YOU THINK PEDRO WAS HAPPY?? NO. THAT MAN WAITED UNTIL HIS FATHER DIED AND HE WAS KING SO THAT HE COULD SAY THAT HE HAD MARRIED HER AND SHE WAS THE QUEEN.

I mean TRUE LOVE OK??

She was coronated post-mortem and her body was moved to a grave that Pedro had made for her and him where they forever would be together LIKE OMG TELL ME THATS NOT SWEET

And he also assassinated the man who killed her except one, who he later pardoned near his death

There is also a story (it's just a story, not real) that he pulled her out of her grave, gave her fancy clothes and a crown and made every noble person kiss her hand as a sign of respect to the queen (it didn't happen but IMAGINE THAT OK) When in reality he made a big parade while we was moving her body.

ANYWAY

It is an amazing book I won't say more because this is already too long but I CAN , JUST ASK!!

Yeah, good Portugal day to you!!!

Tagging some people because this took way too long for no-one to see ok

@anentirevaporeon @yuki-dreemurr @oatmealmcswagger @a-trench-coat-of-confused-worms

IF YOU READ THIS FAR PLS REBLOG TY!!!

🇵🇹

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

David Rowe, American Financial Review

* * * *

Harris and Walz work through Labor Day while Trump golfs and complains

September 3, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

The Democratic ticket and surrogates were out in force on Labor Day weekend—including Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, President Joe Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Gwen Walz. That is a formidable lineup. The Harris-Walz ticket is campaigning like they want to win. Kamala Harris continues to exhibit confidence and positivity as she refines her call-and-response stump speech while courting the labor vote. Tim Walz is on the offensive against Trump, while Gwen Walz is going “full English teacher” on Trump.

Joe Biden gave a spirited pro-union speech that attacked Trump's anti-union history. See Campaign Event in Pittsburgh | Joe Biden. Joe introduced Kamala with a warm embrace and a smile. Harris then gave her stump speech (with variations and riffs). See Campaign Event in Pittsburgh | Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump and JD Vance stayed off the campaign trail on Labor Day--which may be their best strategy to stop the erosion of their support among eligible voters. See The Independent, Harris, Biden court union vote at first official joint rally as Trump accused of ‘dodging’ Labor Day.

But Trump couldn’t help himself and spent much of the day on his vanity social media platform posting statements that appeal to people who subscribe to Truth Social—i.e., Trump's most hard-core supporters. But even on Truth Social, the Harris-Walz campaign was on the offensive, posting a “Labor Day” picture of Harris and Walz in split screen with Trump.

The Harris-Walz portion of the photo was superimposed with the words:

Vice President Harris with union workers in Detroit

Gov. Walz with union workers in Milwaukee

Vice President Harris and President Biden with union workers in Pittsburgh

The Trump portion of the split screen had the following words superimposed:

Trump . . . golfing?

Does it matter that the Harris-Walz campaign is trolling Trump on his social media platform? Yes. Trump is famously thin-skinned and easily provoked. When provoked, he makes unforced errors—a lot of them. Over the next two months, Trump will continue to remind voters why they are tired of his stale agenda of hate and division.

But . . . as we enter the final two months of the campaign it would serve us well to recall the words of Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention:

So, no matter how good we feel tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle. So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies. . . because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

The Trump-Vance campaign has fumbled for an attack line on Kamala Harris for weeks. They have now settled on an attack strategy: pure ugliness and hate. Expect it, ignore it, and focus on registering new voters and urging registered voters to turn out.

It will be difficult to ignore the ugliness, in part, because it will be pervasive—and the media will be complicit by treating Trump's ugly attacks as “politics as usual.”

Elon Musk has turned Twitter into a Trump campaign attack platform against Kamala Harris. Musk is personally posting outright propaganda against Harris. For example, on Monday, Musk posted a picture of Kamala Harris in communist garb with the words:

Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit!?

With his 200 million followers (albeit many of them bots), Musk’s ridiculous ideas will spread like a virus through the hateful MAGA ecosphere.

The good news is that Trump and Vance are “underwater” with favorability ratings, while Kamala Harris has seen a 17-point surge in her favorability rating (to a slight net-positive).

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo explains that the difference in favorability ratings will help Kamala Harris withstand the ugly attacks to come:

[F]avorability is the prism through which all of us see new attacks, new news. The more positive impression we have of a person, the more we see new information about them in glass-full more than glass-empty terms; we revolve benefits of the doubt in their favor. So, it can be both predictive and protective

See Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo, Keep an Eye on Those Favorability Numbers.

I would add to Marshall’s comments that Kamala Harris has momentum, likability, decency, and dozens of other positive attributes that will cause voters to give her the benefit of the doubt—while Trump and Vance are increasingly desperate. Just as Kamala Harris will benefit from the “positive lens” of favorability, Trump and Vance will suffer from the “negative lens” of their mean-spirited, misogynistic, judgmental style.

Here's my point: Don’t wince and cringe with every ugly attack thrown at Kamala Harris and Tim Walz over the next two months. Trust that most Americans see through those attacks for what they are—signs of desperation by Trump. We have two months to drive more voters to the polls. There is no time to worry or fret. As Michelle Obama told us at the Democratic convention, “Do something!”

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[belit0]

What if Madara and Izuna (can u add itachi and shisui if you can! If not that's okay! :)) both ended up having the same soulmate?😳

The reader is beautiful, people literally worship the ground she walks on, also strong and independent (such a strong person and has good strength too, her strength like tsunade.) she even has her own clan, so strong, people would drop to their knees and bow down cause of the fear, and also she wouldn't go for any guy, so how would they react to being HER soulmate?😯

I love this request because I feel you described Indra's female version🤣💕

Madara and Izuna

- Madara is totally intimidated, even if he doesn't say so, but Izuna sees it as a challenge. Both are happy to have the same soul mate, having built an intrinsically interdependent relationship after losing their siblings. As a survival method, they built a safe place between the two, divine ground, where they know everything is fine.

- When the Uchiha leader finds out, feels that divine calling, the signs that his soul bond is awakening, the last thing he expects is to share it with (Y/N). Of course not because of anything bad, but because we are talking about the strongest woman in the whole fucking village, imagine saying something that annoys her and getting punched in the face? No thanks.

- What he doesn't expect is that Izuna feels it too, with exactly the same person, and comes with a huge smile to tell him about it. Once they both define being linked by fate, they have to agree on what to do.

- Izuna, the complete opposite, wants to rush out to find her, win her over, seduce her, ignoring the fact of probably ending up sunk in the ground with a few broken teeth. They can't just propose to (Y/N) like that, and she probably felt the call too, so Madara convinces him to wait.

- When a week passes and there is no news, Madara is equal parts calm and frustrated. He wants to have her, of course he does, she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, a privilege to be bound for life to her, but it's terrifying to have to go in search of her love.

- Izuna, getting ruled by annoyance, insists on going himself in person, but the Uchiha leader prefers to send a letter first. Of course, they receive no reply, and his younger brother sneaks out in the middle of the night to woo her with his incredible seductive skills.

- Needless to say, Izuna returns with a bruised face and some broken teeth, as Madara anticipated, but this only excites him even more. He loves rough girls.

Shisui and Itachi

- Similar to the previous couple, Itachi and Shisui share a bond that escapes any kind of rational analysis, essential to each other, necessary to exist. Sharing is something they do every day, always together.

- Itachi is prudent in the face of the divine bond, knowing the reputation and glory (Y/N) maintains, with no desire to earn a capture request from her clan. First, he talks it over with his best friend, out of habit, as he always does with absolutely everything that happens to him, and then they both realize to be in the same situation with the same person.

- Shisui, a bit more mindless and adventurous, suggests they both go to visit her with a bouquet of flowers and declare themselves to her. Nothing better than some good old-fashioned seduction.

- Itachi fails to persuade him of his foolishness, but in fact, his ability to sweeten (Y/N) ears is so good he gets them both an interview with her, explaining a bit of the whole situation. The trick was not to try to flatter her for her wonderful beauty or the power of her raw strength, but to give nice words for all her effort with the clan, for the respect people have for her, for the quality of warrior she is.

- Shisui, unlike Izuna, uses politically correct words and a fine and sober speech, avoiding mentioning the obvious and looking for the stilted points she will enjoy. His wit allows them to sit down for tea with their soul mate.

- (Y/N) allows herself to be courted, but with delicacy and class, no crude attempts to get into her bed or become distasteful because of her beauty. She proposes to both Uchiha that they earn her people's respect, build a positively popular image among her folk, and should they do so, she will accept them both.

[mariacallous]

As survivors and victims’ families await this week’s vote at the UN General Assembly on a resolution condemning the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, Bosnian Serbs and their allies have been campaigning against it, claiming it demonises all Serbs.

“It really hurts to read those lies, to hear the denial of genocide on a daily basis, those insults.”

Sabina Mehmedovic is talking about the backlash in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity and in Serbia itself against the proposed United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, which will be voted upon in New York on Thursday.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mehmedovic is the mother of two girls. One of them is a similar age to Mehmedovic in July 1995, when she hugged and kissed her father for the last time. She gave him her Kinder Surprise toy so he could keep it safe until their next meeting.

But they never met again.

The toy would become the clue that helped her to identify her father’s remains. He was one of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys killed during the massacres by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995, which have been classified as genocide by international courts. Mehmedovic lost all the male members of her immediate and extended family over the course of a few days.

She, like the thousands of other survivors and victims’ family members, are expecting the UN General Assembly to vote positively on the resolution on Srebrenica genocide on Thursday. They hope it will contribute to tackling the problem of genocide denial, which remains widespread in the region.

But while waiting for the vote on the resolution proposed by Germany and Rwanda, the Bosnian Serbs and their political allies, particularly in Serbia, are campaigning against it, claiming it would “demonise” the entire Serb population.

If approved, the resolution will declare July 11 the International Day of Remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, state that the UN unreservedly condemns any denial of the genocide in Srebrenica, and call on member states to ensure the court-established facts are taught in their educational systems.

“This is why the resolution is important for us, the genocide victims,” Mehmedovic explained.

“No one would be able to deny that genocide happened in Srebrenica again, like they do now in spite of the court verdicts, and everyone would have to respect our pain and the lives that have been lost,” she added.

‘They are threatening Serbs’ interests’

As soon as news of the proposed resolution broke at the end of March, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic responded on Instagram by saying that “hard days are ahead of Serbia”.

“They are directly threatening our vital national interests, both of Serbia and Republika Srpska. It will be difficult, the hardest thing yet [to stop the UN resolution]. We will fight. Serbia will prevail,” Vucic said.

Milorad Dodik, president of the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity, stepped up his resistance to the resolution by organising a rally on April 18 in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska’s administrative centre.

Under the slogan “Srpska is calling you”, Dodik massed thousands of protesters to publicly oppose the resolution and deny the existence of any genocide, once again.

Ahead of the rally, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska adopted a report on “sufferings of all peoples” from the Srebrenica area created by what it claimed was an independent commission. Its intention appeared to be to play down the crimes committed against Bosniaks by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995.

In a speech at the rally, Dodik acknowledged that “the operation by the Army of Republika Srpska in July 1995 was a mistake in Srebrenica. A mistake that left behind an enormous crime.”

“This is the moment when, on behalf of Republika Srpska, I want to express special respect to all the victims and offer my condolences to their families,” he continued.

However, although he admitted that Srebrenica was a crime, he insisted that “it was not genocide”, once again rejecting the verdicts handed down by the UN court in The Hague.

He continued his speech by claiming that the West is aiming to “finish off Republika Srpska” with the resolution, which would “demonise the entire Serb population”, he argued.

However, the resolution’s draft does not accuse Republika Srpska, Serbia or Serbs of being responsible for the crimes against the Bosniaks of Srebrenica in July 1995, and only names individuals who have been convicted of genocide.

Despite this, Serbian President Vucic has been campaigning for weeks against the resolution, and flew to New York on Monday to continue the struggle in person. “I am going to New York to fight with all my strength and heart for the future of our country,” Vucic wrote on Instagram.

Before setting out on his trip, Vucic even asked Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije to bless his mission. The patriarch responded by giving an early-morning sermon that was shown on Serbian television, in which he declared that the resolution was “an attempt to declare that Serbs are a nation that committed genocide”.

Serbia’s opposition to the resolution is being backed by representatives of Russia, China, Hungary, Venezuela, North Korea and Nicaragua at the UN.

But the resolution has also attracted strong support. Besides its initial sponsors, Germany and Rwanda, more than 30 other countries are now co-sponsoring it.

In the former Yugoslavia, its backers include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia and Slovenia. But the issue has caused major controversy in politically-divided Montenegro, where Serb political forces are strong.

Peace hopes undermined by divisions

The proposed resolution is intended by its sponsors to help prevent future atrocities and lay the ground for lasting peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But at a time of intense political and social crisis in the country as well as enduring post-war ethnic divisions, all of which have been exacerbated by Dodik’s secessionist rhetoric, experts are sceptical.

Mladen Bubonjic, a professor of communications from Banja Luka, said thinks that “the damage to Bosnian society” has already been done.

“No matter what the outcome of the vote is, the campaigns against it… will continue to polarise the country,” Bubonjic told BIRN.

“Even if it is adopted, the division and tension will continue. Based on the current system of values in this area, it is hard to believe that it will bring true peace,” he predicted.

“And Bosnia and Herzegovina can’t be seen as an isolated example in this case, this is something we have been seeing since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Since then, it has always been ‘us and them’, everywhere,” he added.

He noted that this was reflected in the east-west blocs that oppose and support the Srebrenica resolution.

The UN General Assembly consists of 193 member countries, which have equal voting rights. A simple majority, meaning 97 votes from member countries, is required for the resolution to be adopted.

In July 2015, the UN Security Council rejected a resolution on Srebrenica when Russia, as a permanent member, vetoed its adoption. At the General Assembly however, there is no possibility of a veto.

In a statement, two Bosnian war victims’ associations, the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide and the Mothers of the Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves, appealed to UN member countries to adopt the resolution because it “honours the victims of serious violations of international law”.

For survivors like Sabina Mehmedovic, whose childhood was marred by the trauma of the genocide, the adoption of the resolution would also bring some satisfaction.

“And for those who still deny [the Srebrenica genocide], I have only one message,” she said.

“Walk up the hill above Potocari [Srebrenica Memorial Centre, where the victims are buried in a huge cemetery], and just take a look at the thousands of white graves. That should be enough.”

[irismitchells]

✦ HAVANA ROSE LIU, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER ✦ IRIS MITCHELL the TWENTY-SIX year old has been in willow’s edge for TWENTY YEARS ON AND OFF and was a FRIEND to JUNE, from the deceased family. whispers on the streets are that the WAITRESS AT SUNRISE DINER who lives in WINSLOW are said to be INQUISITIVE and SELF-ABSORBED but i guess we’ll find out for ourselves.

PINTEREST | PLAYLIST

full name — Iris Hui Mitchell nickname(s) — Her family calls her Mo for a reason she shall never divulge xx age — 26 date of birth — June 20th place of birth — Charleston, SC education level & job — Currently enrolled in a Speech Language Pathology graduate program with only a semester left. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and worked as a Child Life Specialist in the Charleston school district for 3 years. After returning to Willow's Edge a year and a half ago, she became a waitress at the local greasy spoon to help support herself through grad school. residence — Winslow (with two roommates... wanted connections incoming) family — Her father Ricky Mitchell is a local car salesman, and her mother Lisa Mitchell (nee Yue) is a reading teacher at the elementary school. Iris also has an older sister, Scarlett, who is an Occupational Therapist in a nearby town.

overview. 

Always hovering somewhere between blue-collar and middle-class, The Mitchell family has always prided themselves on self-sufficiency, independence, and a strong sense of community. They're townies through and through.

Ricky Mitchell is known for dressing up for every major holiday (Santa at Christmas, a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day, etc.) and holding court at Smokey's. He's a bit of a Character. Lisa, by contrast, is a bit of an introverted neurotic — she most often ventures out into town to participate behind the scenes of town events. Each of their daughters was brought up with a strong proclivity for Getting Shit Done and lowkey.... loving attention and control.💗

Both Iris and Scarlett attended Willow's Edge public schools through 6th grade before they finished their junior and high school experience at a Catholic school a few towns over, so while her parents continued to be deeply entrenched in Willow's Edge society, Iris and Scarlett fell a tiny bit to the wayside as they got older.

The Mitchell family are devout Catholics in name only. The type of people who primarily attend church on major holidays and when it was any run-of-the-mill Sunday Mass, they attended for social reasons. Keep up with town gossip, trade popovers, and sip on sweet tea down in the church basement. As an adult, Iris only goes for Midnight Mass. Lapsed Catholic vibe.

But it was a boy at church that Iris fell in love with when she was 15. Sitting around in the pews during one of their Confirmation classes, each whispered joke Mason Goodwin told about Monsignor Martinez was met with nervous giggles and flushed cheeks from Iris.

They didn't start dating until they were 17 and he was her first, and still only, boyfriend. The relationship lasted for 8 years. They didn't talk about things like marriage or kids or a very defined future until that future snuck up on them. Mason's degree took him west, and he ultimately decided for the both of them that she wouldn't come with. Devastated, Iris returned to Willow's Edge.

Since her return, and nursing a broken heart, Iris took a job at Sunrise Diner. She was one of the very few people willing to wake up at the crack of dawn for the early breakfast shift, after all. Finishing up her Master's, and trying not to still think about Mason, Iris found a lot of comfort in her friendships -- and that included the one with June.

They weren't super close before Iris left for college, but they'd grown increasingly fond of each other as the months passed. June's friendship was one of the things that helped pull Iris out of her breakup blues. In turn, a kind, sweet-tongued comfort when Iris was sad and then a fun-seeking partner on the weekends when Iris needed a distraction. She was a good friend to Iris.

Which made some things difficult... Iris is bad at secrets. She loves to learn them, of course, but she isn't so good at keeping them. She doesn't run her mouth around town, but it's almost always certain that if one friend tells her something semi-secret then Iris is passing that info on to one other friend. She can't help it. And when the secret is her own, it's somehow worse. Her compulsion tells her to come clean immediately or to whisper it into several friends' ears. But her most recent secret was a little more complicated...

Iris kissed June's boyfriend Caleb. And June died before Iris could tell her.

personality.

Iris is a princess of sometimes saying out-of-pocket shit and staring at slight blemishes on your face until you're like, WHAT skjdfns. And, with her background in speech, she often analyzes your speech in her head too. Sometimes outside of her head too.

She's a bit shameless with the people she's close with, a fan of meeting and getting to know new ones, and... on a heavy dose of anxiety meds! She talks a lot because 1) she likes conversation and 2) it's half-compensation for said aforementioned anxiety.

When your anxiety manifests as a desire to be liked and friends with everyone which then reveals a real sense of self-absorption and, every once in a while, leads to weird drama... love it!

positive: organized, passionate, charismatic, loyal, curious, expressive, social

negative: condescending, impulsive, gossipy (can't keep a secret), scattered, fidgety, approval-seeking, overly sensitive

misc headcanons.

Quick list: ❤️'s weed, cooking, surfing, hiking + camping, sharing facts and feeling a little more well-informed (Wikipedia page memorizer), talking through movies, weekend trips, skinny dipping, hanging out with old people, doing Randy Newman impressions, waking up early, showing the people she loves new things, sharing experiences, watching reality tv a la Sister Wives, etc.

Oh -- and she's a Swiftie.

[ridenwithbiden]

President Joe Biden on Saturday paid tribute to the late former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as "an American icon."

“She spent her career committed to the stable center, pragmatic and in search of common ground. I did not agree with all of her opinions, but I admired her decency and unwavering devotion to the facts, to our country, to active citizenship and the common good,” Biden said.

O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday morning in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 93.

“As a U.S. Senator on the Judiciary Committee, I remember the hope surrounding her historic nomination to the Supreme Court. The Senate voted 99-0 in her favor, proof that our nation can come together to move history forward,” Biden said.

O'Connor was appointed to the bench in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan. At her Senate confirmation hearing, then-Sen. Joe Biden quickly voiced his support for her. A senior member of the Judiciary panel at the time, Biden encouraged the first woman Supreme Court nominee to remember her sex, particularly when it came to speeches and other activities outside of the courtroom as a newly high-profile figure.

"It is your right, if it were your desire, to go out and campaign very strongly for the [Equal Rights Amendment],” Biden told her. “It is your right to go out and make speeches across the country about inequality for women — if you believe it. Don't wall yourself off. Your male brethren have not done it. Don't you do it."

Initially, O’Connor pushed back, saying it would be a potential violation of judicial ethics for her to do so. Biden disagreed, calling it an “obligation” to American women to speak out on issues important to them, as long as her speech conformed to judicial ethics.

"You are a singular asset. And you are looked at by many of us not merely because you are a bright, competent lawyer but also because you are a woman. That is something that should be advertised by you,” he said. “Don't let us intimidate you into not doing it.”

When O'Connor retired from the court in 2005, Biden acknowledged the role she played in “steering us through some very rough waters” during her time on the bench.

"Though I have not always agreed with her, I have always held JusticeO'Connor in the highest regard,” he said.

In his Saturday statement, Biden also praised O'Connor's dedication to public service and the “bedrock American principle of an independent judiciary," and cited her institute’s work to promote civics education and civil discourse.

“She knew that for democracy to work, we have to listen to each other, and remember how much more we all have in common as Americans than what keeps us apart,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris also released a statement Saturday calling O'Connor a "trailblazer."

"As an associate justice of the Supreme Court, as a state senator, and as a proud daughter of Arizona, Justice O'Connor dedicated her life to public service. A champion of civics education, Justice O’Connor helped countless young Americans better understand the nature and importance of our democracy," Harris added.

[brettdoesdiscourse]

She said she does'nt want young people to to be taught to automatically assume they're trans, she did'nt say "All transition is comparable to conversion therapy" but rather allowing MINORS to get transition surgery is like that. The bills she supports are for having age limits on transition surgery, NOT banning transition surgeryaltogether. And in order to be malevolent, you have to actually KNOW that what you're doing is harmful and set that as goal. And you seem to define "hate" as 'disagreeing with you" rather than "Loathing". Maya Forstater said her motive was to "Not express a belief she does not have", not "to express loathing". Albino black or mixed race people may ethnically be black or mixed race, but that's why I specifically mentioned skin/hair color. Color, like being a man or a woman, is something that exists objectively in the mind independent, tangible world of DNA, just as colors really do exist out there instead of being in our heads. So no, I don't see Rowling's words as hateful or malevolent given the actual definitions of those words.

The merch did not say that. It said and I quote "transition=conversion therapy."

Who is teaching kids that they're automatically trans? Who is performing gender-affirming surgeries on minors? Are you aware similar bills support breast augmentation for cis minors while banning breast augmentation for trans minors? You do not have to be intentionally harmful in order for your actions to be harmful and dangerous.

She knew her language was disrespectful and offensive. She was also found to be in violation of hate speech guidelines, both by her company and by a court of law. You may disagree with it all you want, but her actions and words were deemed hate speech.

And again, black people can have naturally blonde/white hair as well as naturally white/light skin and they are still black. You're also not arguing the science supporting trans people which I find interesting.

Also, chromosomes and DNA is much more complicated than: boys have XY and girls have XX. Genes are odd and weird and not as simple as your basic level of biology would have you believe.

Additionally, there is a difference between sex and gender. No trans people argue that sex isn't different from gender. You have no idea of a person's sex unless they tell you. They could be afab, amab, intersex, an afab person who has completely transitioned to male, an amab person who has completely transitioned to female, an afab or amab person who has transitioned to a mix of both, an intersex person who has transitioned to male or female.

A person's sex is not your business and never will be unless it's someone who desires to have sex with you.

This will be the last ask I post of yours because frankly, I don't know how else to explain to you that you should stop riding JKR's dick so hard. So, you have a fantastic day and I sincerely hope your views change in the very near future. Because bigotry is an ugly path to go down.

[kyndaris]

A Jaded Bookstore

A week or so after my date with Spring, I met up with bachelor number 6. Tall, Caucasion, with a head of wild unruly curls and younger than me by four years, he was the only one to offer the date that I’d been craving from the start. A first date at Kinokuniya - the Japanese bookstore in the heart of the city. So, you can imagine the dilemma I found myself in. How could I say ‘no’ to books? Even if the date turned out terribly, it was simply impossible to tear myself away from the bait that had been lain before this bookworm.

Not that there were any immediate red flags when it came to Mr 6 - who shall henceforth be called Benoit. Plus, it was going to be a date in the middle of the day AND it was in a populated store. No chance of being brutally murdered. I hoped.

Benoit met me outside the store. Or, at least he tried to, but since I’m a slippery eel of a bookworm, I’d managed to sneak in and head to my favourite section: Fantasy and Science Fiction. After looking through a few titles, I saw a notification on my phone and responded sheepishly that I had slipped into the store but would try to meet him at the entrance. Once introductions were properly made, we resumed roaming the shelves of my favourite genres and chatted generally about our lives.

Much of the conversation devolved into him - Benoit - asking me a few questions and me responding. Once I had finished, I often had to remind myself to reverse the question and learn more about him as well. You know, simple getting to know each other stuff. A dance one would think I’m already aware of having gone on quite a few first dates.

Alas, I can see why people want to skip the small talk.

Regardless, somehow the conversation came round to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out film. It was probably because I was recounting how utterly disappointing Amsterdam was. In any case, we both expressed our delight at the upcoming Glass Onion film (yes, this was in early November 2022. I know the post is up in February 2023 but give a girl a break when it comes to detailing the adventures of her love life, will you?), even as we strolled through the Fantasy and Sci-Fi section for several long minutes as I pondered what books to buy.

Was I disappointed that he didn’t offer to buy my books for me? A bit. But in our current economy (or the economy of November 2022), it didn’t feel appropriate to demand such favourable treatment. Especially when Benoit was still studying to be a speech pathologist. 

Can you imagine? Truly? Me, the woman was raking in more dough - albeit saddled with a hefty mortgage - requesting a poor penniless University-aged boy (okay, they probably aren’t that destitute nor is the world so Dickensian) to buy me gifts on the first date? It just wouldn’t be fair. 

After all, I’m a strong independent woman who don’t need to man. Except maybe Henry Cavill’s depiction of Geralt of Rivia. Or Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of Aragon?

Phew! When did it get so steamy in here? And what was I talking about again?

Ah, that’s right. The date with Benoit. So, because we both liked our mystery thriller films and Benoit himself was fascinated by accents, especially the ridiculous one affected by Daniel Craig, his codename was formed.

Once I had roamed my fill, I walked away with two novels. Benoit, too, had also picked out a novel he had been eyeing for a while. Jade City by Fona Lee. Apparently he, like a bookish online friend that I know who reads this blog but doesn’t like or comment on these posts, had also fallen for quite a few Chinese authors and was also dabbling with their online works. He also heaped quite a bit of praise on Cixin Liu and the Three-Body Problem. 

It’s probably a sign that I ought to buy a few of his novels and give them a spin myself. See what the fuss is all about.

By the time we had shopped to our hearts content, our stomachs were grumbling for food. Eager to have a variety of options for lunch, we headed towards Pitt Street Mall and the food court on the upper levels rather than the one down underneath Myers. After all, this was a first-rate date. It needed to be fancy. No expensive McDonalds burgers for us!

Though Benoit was able to settle for a karaage rice bowl, I was less decisive with my food options. It wasn’t after a few minutes of looking through everything that was on offer before I settled on going Greek and grabbed a pita wrap from Zeus Street Greek.

FANCY!

And just like our conversation in the bookstore, Benoit would ask me question after question. I suppose the one thing I felt could have been better was if he allowed some topics to breathe. Instead of dissecting more on the lore of World of Warcraft, he would jump to the number of pets I had rather than allow for a sizable rant about what the writers had done to poor Sylvanas character and the blatant favouritism shown to the Alliance over Horde leaders.

Not that I’ve played World of Warcraft much over the years. I’ve dabbled with it but each new expansion seems to retcon backstory or walk back character developments so quick as to give anyone that wants to follow the lore whiplash.

Regardless, I learned that he had an older sister that had gotten him invested into the Warcraft universe, that he wasn’t much of a comic reader and that he had gone back to university to pursue something he was passionate about instead of coasting on his first degree that had proven to be less than enjoyable.

Once lunch was done, we even had pancakes at gram!

Big fluffy pancakes that left me stuffed and unable to move.

But as with all good things, the date had to come to an end. As we both took the train, we headed to the closest train station. And as we said our goodbyes, Benoit leaned over and gave me a hug before I could duck out of the way! The sheer nerve of the man! How dare he! 

Still, trying to be polite, I patted him awkwardly on the back and so, the date concluded.

While I like to keep an open mind, a part of me wonders if Benoit will be the one. He did offer a second date to watch Glass Onion when it was in cinemas but I was busy during that time. A disappointment, to be true, but after I’d managed to catch it on Netflix, I was able to provide him with quite a few insights on what I thought about the sequel movie to Knives Out. 

Can I just say that the ending, as they were smashing the glass statues, I was honestly terrified for Helen’s feet. She was wearing open-toed sandals for goodness sake! She could have totally cut herself up if she hadn’t been careful!

Other than that, my favourite character was Peg and her ‘so done with this bullshit’ attitude when it came to dealing with Birdie. I don’t think I could ever willingly get into such a toxic codependent relationship - be it with a partner or friends - but I loved how Jessica Henwick portrayed Peg in the film. Including her outfits that weren’t quite cool enough.

Don’t get me started on the stretching in the background when everyone was still getting introduced. So good!

Long story short, I just wanted an outlet to talk about Glass Onion following everyone falling in love with Daniel Craig as the gay southern detective. And maybe ruminate on relationships? I don’t know. Probably not.

It just felt good to chat with someone that I can connect with when it came to talking about mystery who-dunnits. Now we just need Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot (I’ve honestly been loving the Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. The fact that Emma Mackey got to display her acting chops beyond Sex Education is GREAT!) to go up against Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc and see who is the superior scenery chewing detective with a ridiculous accent.

What? You want more? You're saying that it's not enough to just chat about something I like and that you want a deep discourse about the human condition or something something connection with another being?

Fine. Well, there’s still the second date with Spring that I can ruthlessly dissect for your reading leisure. Stay tuned to the next episode of...

DATE 2.0: The Kyndaris Story.

Yes, I’ve even added a secondary title to it. I hope you’re happy about living vicariously through my relationship failures.

[strangerthingfanfic]

Chapter 1&2

Fandom - Stranger Things

Rating - Teen and Up

Couples - Steve x Eddie

Nancy x Jonathan

Summary - it's been three weeks since the destruction of Star Court Mall and Steve Harrington is trying to get back to normal. But his life becomes nothing but normal when Eddie Munson walks into it

--------------------------

Chapter 1: 3 weeks

July 25, 1985

Speech by The Mayor of Hawkins

“Three weeks have passed since that Fourth of July.

The Fourth is to celebrate our independence but after this year it will mean so much more to the people of Hawkins.

It will be a day to remember the people who stood up to unimaginable evil and sacrificed themselves for others.

We will remember Sheriff Jim Hopper as a valuable member of our police force, a caring individual, and most of all a wonderful father to his daughter Jane.

He died while trying to save the lives of others when the explosion at the mall happened.

We will remember the young lives of Billy Hargrove and Heather Holloway who were taken too early by an unimaginable tragedy that befell them at Star Court Mall.

As Mayor of Hawkins I promise I will find the culprits who set the explosives in the basement of the mall and the will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I also pledge that the mall will be rebuilt bigger and better.

Today we move forward. The shops reopen. Schools will open again in a month. Let's make the rest of summer as memorable as we can for the children returning to school.

Thank you all for coming”

Family Video after the speech

Steve sighed. Standing outside of the video store he couldn't help but want to scream “ the speech was all a bunch of horseshit to save the mayor's ass”.

But he didn't. He just thought about what really happened that night.

Robin and him here captured and drugged by Russian spies and Erica and Dustin we're almost captured themselves.

Not only were Russian spies trying to open a gate to the upside down in the basement of the mall but Billy died a fucking hero. He gave his life to make sure Max and the rest of them survive. Hopper gave his life shutting down the damn gate.

But they also lost living people.

The death of Hopper was the last straw in Joyce’s haystack. First there was Bob who she saw die right in front of her and then there was the last person in the world she could lose, Hopper.

She had packed up Jane, Will and Jonathan and moved to Lenora Hills, California.

It didn't end there though. Nancy also moved with the Byers to California. She was offered a job at one of the leading papers there and she couldn't refuse so Joyce told her she could live with them.

He finally was ready to open the store but his hand was shaking. Half out of sadness and the other half anger.

Sadness at losing friends in such a way. Sadness for Dustin and friends who had to say goodbye to Will. Sadness for Max who was dealing with guilt and anger of her own. He let her know she could talk to him anytime.

Then there was the anger.

Anger at the town for ignoring Billy and not even attending the small service his parents had. Only him and the gang showed up but they showed up for support towards Max.

Anger at Neil Hargrove for taking off and leaving his wife and daughter to fend for themselves. Thankfully a kind benefactor bought their house and turned the deed over to Max.

They will never know that Billy had given Steve the money to buy the house if he died and Neil pulled some stupid shit like he did.

Billy was rough around the edges and his fists hurt like hell but Steve would fight anyone who tried to tell him he didn't love Max.

He finally got the door unlocked and he went inside, locking the doors behind him so he could get ready for the days.

The store wasn't set to open for another half hour so he got the registers ready, the displays set right, and did some basic cleaning.

Robin would be in an hour after opening so he would have some quiet time to set himself right.

When the clock hit 10 am he opened the doors and went to his spot behind the counter.

Between it being summer and the fact everyone probably was back home sleeping after that riveting pile of lies, he doubted anyone would be in until the afternoon.

Taking in a deep breath and reminding himself it was time to let it go he started messing around with the displays on the counter.

That's when he heard the ding.

The sound announced that a customer had just entered the store.

He looked up and he almost fell backward.

There at the front the door was Eddie Munson. Steve couldn't help but be mesmerized by the guy's smile and his very beautiful hair. The curled-filled strands fell beneath his shoulders making him even more tantalizing to look at.

Shaking himself out of his daze, Steve said “welcome to Family Video where everyone is family. Anything I can help you find”?

Giving his award-winning smile Eddie cleared his throat and said “I found what I'm looking for”.

Chapter 2: Eddie

Steve blushed brighter than a tomato making Eddie laugh. His laugh was so childlike and beautiful.

“So big boy, are you free after work tonight? I thought you could come by place and watch a movie of your choosing” Eddie said as he came closer to the counter.

‘He already has a nickname for me,’ Steve thought to himself. He wanted to say yes so badly. He should say yes.

“That sounds fun,” Steve said, putting a hand on top of Eddie’s. He could feel the rings on each of his fingers. His hands were calloused from helping his uncle fix cars.

Eddie didn't move his hand which made Steve even happier and then out of nowhere Eddie leaned over the counter and gave Steve a kiss on his cheek.

“That's to keep you going big boy,” Eddie said with a bright smile and as he walked out Robin walked in and smiled wickedly.

When she got her stuff put away in the back and her name tag on Robin headed back out to the front.

“So straight Steve isn't so straight after all” Robin teased as she got situated.

Steve looked at her confused and asked “whoever said I was?”

“The whole school dingus. Whenever rumors popped up about you and Tommy, Billy and Jonathan the natural answer was ‘straight as a ruler Steve’.

Though I never truly believed that especially watching you around Jonathan but I wasn't going to make assumptions since you were so hooked on Nancy.

But don't worry dingus, your secret is safe with me” Robin said in one breath.

Steve places his head on the table and groans. “I don't know Robin, I've never felt the way I do about Eddie around others, even Nancy.

He is like walking in the sunlight. His smile makes me smile.

His eyes never stop beaming with a childlike wonder that I wish I could have.

He is like a rock. I never knew I needed Rob.

He also likes kids which means he isn't going to mind my dream of having a bunch of kids and going on a family trip, or at least I don't think he will” Steve said into the counter.

Robin rubbed his back and said, “you've got it bad and my guess is that this is the first time you've actually spoken to him”.

Steve nodded and slapped his forehead and said “I don't even know if he feels the same. I mean he kissed my cheek but that doesn't mean anything. He could kiss everyone's cheek.

Maybe he just knew I was down and was offering to be a friend and here I am planning out our entire future together even though I don't even know if he likes me like that.

What's wrong with me”?

“That is a loaded question dingus and would take hours and maybe days to answer but that guy was hot on you.

He never lost eye contact with you even as he was walking out.

Just relax, finish work, and then get the guy of your dreams. I will take on your babysitting duties at the Sinclair home tonight” Robin said with a grin.

“Damn I forgot about that. I should just call Eddie and say I can't make it” Steve said and reached for the phone.

Robin slapped his hand and said, “I have Erica, you take care of Eddie”.

Steve opened his mouth to protest but Robin put her hand over it. It was the end of that conversation.

The rest of the day Robin wouldn't let him near the phone.

She didn't want any chance of him calling and canceling. The only call he was allowed to make was to Sue Sinclair letting her know Robin would be watching Erica since something came up.

Thankfully Sue knew Robin and Erica liked it better anyway when Robin watched her because she was more relaxed with the rules, so it wasn't a big deal.

And then there was Dustin. He decided to pop in and say hi and of course, Robin told him everything about Eddie and him inviting Steve over.

“Oh my God Steve, Eddie is like a God to D&D players. His campaigns are epic and he is the highest-rated dungeon master I know” Dustin said super excited.

“You know Eddie Munson Dustin?” Steve asked his jealousy of how amazing Dustin thought Eddie was showing.

“Yeah. Met him when he came to the middle school to do a campaign there. I can't wait to be part of The Hellfire Club. Also, you dating him would mean I have a pass in” Dustin said still excited.

Steve moaned and when Dustin dashed out to tell the others, went back to cleaning racks and things while Robin laughed at his jealousy.

As 6 pm approached, Steve's stomach began to churn with nervousness.

“I can't do this Robin,” Steve said as they headed to his car. He was going to drop her off at the Sinclairs and then head to Eddies.

“You will be fine. Just be yourself and things will happen as they are supposed to, " Robin said, rubbing his shoulders.

Steve tried to believe her but it was hard since he was about to go and try to make something work with his polar opposite.

When they got to the Sinclairs house Robin told Steve to be brave and headed inside.

He was glad she would be spending the night since she didn't drive.

Looking over he saw the two movies Robin had picked out for them to watch. One was an animated cartoon called Ewoks and the battle for Endor and the other was Tommy.

Steve liked the cuddly Ewoks but he wasn't sure that Eddie would feel the same so they would probably end up watching Tommy since it's his kind of music.

As soon as she was in he started the car and headed to the scariest place he had ever been, Eddie Munson’s house for a movie date.

[pashterlengkap]

Was the DNC’s silence on trans rights at the an omen for Kamala Harris’ presidency?

The Democratic convention was, by any measure, a huge success. The party faithful were bursting with energy when it was over, which will translate into help getting out the vote. Fundraising went through the roof; the campaign raised $82 million last week, with the single best hour for fundraising the hour immediately after Vice President Kamala Harris finished her acceptance speech. And the television ratings far outstripped the GOP convention’s, much to the annoyance of Nielsen-obsessed Donald Trump. From the pundits’ perspective, what made the convention such a hit was that Democrats used their weeklong jamboree to aim for the political middle. That effort started with the campaign’s decision to embrace “weird” as the description of MAGA. But the convention amplified that message a thousandfold. Democrats were suddenly the party of freedom and patriotism. In her acceptance speech, Harris promised the U.S. military would be the “most lethal fight force in the world,” language typically associated with Republican hawks. Related A Biden official at the DNC explains the secret ways Democrats fight for equality Matt Hill, a gay former White House official at the Democratic National Convention, explains the ways Democrats will keep advancing LGBTQ+ rights. As much as Democrats were ecstatic during the convention, Harris’ speech made it clear that she wasn’t there to cater to the base. She was aiming for the relatively small number of swing voters that she needs to win. And nowhere was the focus on that group sharper than when it came to the silence on trans issues. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Unlike the past two Democratic conventions, this year’s convention did not feature a trans speaker. That’s shocking, considering how much the right has made the trans community a focus of attack in the past four years. The Republican National Convention made attacking trans people a theme, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) getting applause for declaring, “There are only two genders.” In their effort to tack to the center, Democrats were a lot more subdued than in the past. Yes, lesbian Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wowed the convention by telling the Supreme Court, “You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand!” But a lot of rhetoric in support of trans rights was a little less straightforward. For example, Michelle Obama talked about “demonizing our children for being who they are.” If you are sufficiently tuned in, you’ll know what she’s talking about. If not, well… Melissa Michelson, a professor of political science at California’s Menlo College who studies LGBTQ+ politics, said the DNC’s avoidance of mentioning trans rights was part of a wider strategy to seek out independent voters. Avoiding trans issues was seemingly a conscious strategy by the Democrats. “If you look at who was featured in the prime-time slots, it’s middle-of-the-road people,” Michelson told NBC News. “It’s people who are going to appeal to that chunk of swing voters in the Sunbelt, in the Rustbelt, those swing states, and transgender rights are not a high-priority issue for those voters and not the way they’re going to decide their vote.” Instead, Democratic leaders apparently believe that those voters are motivated by appearing a lot less woke and a lot more centrist. Harris has been able to benefit from this because of the bizarre circumstances of her ascent. Typically, in a primary, candidates have to appeal to the base and then try to move to the center for the general election. Harris didn’t have to do that. So she’s a blank slate for most people, who barely (if at all) remember her failed presidential campaign four years ago. Harris has gotten an assist from Trump in this regard. Because Trump has been so rattled that he’s not running against Joe Biden anymore, he has wasted critical time he could… http://dlvr.it/TCP1kZ

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Aided by Father James Robinson, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., center, and John Lewis of the Voter Education Project, a crowd estimated by police at 5,000, march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma, Ala., on March 8, 1975.  ::  [Scott Horton]

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 5, 2023 (Sunday)

Heather Cox Richardson

President Joe Biden spoke this afternoon in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when law enforcement officers tried to beat into silence Black Americans marching for their right to have a say in the government under which they lived. Standing at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which had been named for a Confederate brigadier general, Grand Dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan, and U.S. senator who stood against Black rights, Biden said: “On this bridge, blood was given to help ‘redeem the soul of America.’”

The story of March 7, 1965, commemorated today in Selma, is the story of Americans determined to bring to life the principle articulated in the Declaration of Independence that a government’s claim to authority comes from the consent of the governed. It is also a story of how hard local authorities, entrenched in power and backed by angry white voters, worked to make the hurdles of that process insurmountable.

In the 1960s, despite the fact Black Americans outnumbered white Americans among the 29,500 people who lived in Selma, Alabama, the city’s voting rolls were 99% white. So, in 1963, local Black organizers launched a voter registration drive.

It was hard going. White Selma residents had no intention of permitting their Black neighbors to have a say in their government. Indeed, white southerners in general were taking a stand against the equal right of Black Americans to vote. During the 1964 Freedom Summer voter registration drive in neighboring Mississippi, Ku Klux Klan members worked with local law enforcement officers to murder three voting rights organizers and dispose of their bodies.

To try to hold back the white supremacists, Congress passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, designed in part to make it possible for Black Americans to register to vote. In Selma, a judge stopped voter registration meetings by prohibiting public gatherings of more than two people.

To call attention to the crisis in her city, voting rights activist Amelia Boynton traveled to Birmingham to invite the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the city. King had become a household name after the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech, and his presence would bring national attention to Selma’s struggle.

King and other prominent Black leaders arrived in January 1965, and for seven weeks, Black residents made a new push to register to vote. County Sheriff James Clark arrested almost 2,000 of them on a variety of charges, including contempt of court and parading without a permit. A federal court ordered Clark not to interfere with orderly registration, so he forced Black applicants to stand in line for hours before taking a “literacy” test. Not a single person passed.

Then, on February 18, white police officers, including local police, sheriff’s deputies, and Alabama state troopers, beat and shot an unarmed man, 26-year-old Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was marching for voting rights at a demonstration in his hometown of Marion, Alabama, about 25 miles northwest of Selma. Jackson had run into a restaurant for shelter along with his mother when the police started rioting, but they chased him and shot him in the restaurant’s kitchen.

Jackson died eight days later, on February 26. Black leaders in Selma decided to defuse the community’s anger by planning a long march—54 miles—from Selma to the state capitol at Montgomery to draw attention to the murder and voter suppression.

On March 7, 1965, the marchers set out. As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state troopers and other law enforcement officers met the unarmed marchers with billy clubs, bullwhips, and tear gas. They fractured the skull of young activist John Lewis and beat Amelia Boynton unconscious. A newspaper photograph of the 54-year-old Boynton, seemingly dead in the arms of another marcher, illustrated the depravity of those determined to stop Black voting.

Images of “Bloody Sunday” on the national news mesmerized the nation, and supporters began to converge on Selma. King, who had been in Atlanta when the marchers first set off, returned to the fray.

Two days later, the marchers set out again. Once again, the troopers and police met them at the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but this time, King led the marchers in prayer and then took them back to Selma. That night, a white mob beat to death a Unitarian Universalist minister, James Reeb, who had come from Massachusetts to join the marchers.

On March 15, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed a nationally televised joint session of Congress to ask for the passage of a national voting rights act. “Their cause must be our cause too,” he said. “[A]ll of us…must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.” Two days later, he submitted to Congress proposed voting rights legislation.

The marchers were determined to complete their trip to Montgomery, and when Alabama’s governor, George Wallace, refused to protect them, President Johnson stepped in. When the marchers set off for a third time on March 21, 1,900 members of the nationalized Alabama National Guard, FBI agents, and federal marshals protected them. Covering about ten miles a day, they camped in the yards of well-wishers until they arrived at the Alabama state capitol on March 25. Their ranks had grown as they walked until they numbered about 25,000 people.

On the steps of the capitol, speaking under a Confederate flag, Dr. King said: “The end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man.”

That night, Viola Liuzzo, a 39-year-old mother of five who had arrived from Michigan to help after Bloody Sunday, was murdered by four Ku Klux Klan members who tailed her as she ferried demonstrators out of the city.

On August 6, Dr. King and Mrs. Boynton were guests of honor as President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Johnson recalled “the outrage of Selma” when he said, "This right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless. It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own destinies."

The Voting Rights Act authorized federal supervision of voter registration in districts where African Americans were historically underrepresented. Johnson promised that the government would strike down “regulations, or laws, or tests to deny the right to vote.” He called the right to vote “the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men,” and pledged that “we will not delay, or we will not hesitate, or we will not turn aside until Americans of every race and color and origin in this country have the same right as all others to share in the process of democracy.”

But less than 50 years later, in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. The Shelby County v. Holder decision opened the door, once again, for voter suppression. Since then, states have made it harder to vote. In the wake of the 2020 election, in which voters handed control of the government to Democrats, Republican-dominated legislatures in at least 19 states passed 34 laws restrict­ing access to voting. In July 2021, in the Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee decision, the Supreme Court ruled that election laws that disproportionately affected minority voters were not unconstitutional so long as they were not intended to be racially discriminatory.

When the Democrats took power in 2021, they vowed to strengthen voting rights. They immediately introduced the For the People Act, which expanded voting rights, limited the influence of money in politics, banned partisan gerrymandering, and created new ethics rules for federal officeholders. Republicans in the Senate blocked the measure with a filibuster. Democrats then introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would have restored portions of the Voting Rights Act, and the Freedom to Vote Act, a lighter version of the For the People Act. Republicans blocked both of those acts, too.

And so, in 2023, the right to vote is increasingly precarious.

As Biden told marchers today, “The right to vote—the right to vote and to have your vote counted is the threshold of democracy and liberty. With it, anything is possible. Without it—without that right, nothing is possible. And this fundamental right remains under assault.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[bllsbailey]

RFK Jr. To Address His Campaign On Friday, Possibly Dropping Out To Endorse Trump

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Libertarian National Convention

Speculation is rising in regards to the possibility of Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing that he is dropping out of the race on Friday in order to support GOP candidate Donald Trump.

Kennedy announced his plans to hold a campaign speech on Friday, highlighting “his path forward,” which followed after his running mate, Nicole Shanahan,

stated that the duo was contemplating dropping out of the race.

“There’s two options that we’re looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump,” Shanahan said. “Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.”

Kennedy’s campaign has announced that an event will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, leading to speculation that Kennedy may be officially endorsing Trump, who will also be in Phoenix for a separate event that same day.

Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), also remarked on the ongoing talks between the two campaigns.

“I haven’t spoken to RFK personally, but I know there’s been a lot of communication back and forth between RFK, between the campaign, between this campaign,” Vance stated. “Look, our argument to RFK, and I’ll make it right now, because, of course, he hasn’t dropped out yet, is, look: If you want a Democratic Party that protected American workers and stood for strong borders, maybe disagreed with Republicans on things like tax policy, that party doesn’t exist anymore.”

Trump was asked by CNN on Tuesday if he would consider a cabinet position for Kennedy if he supported Trump, to which he replied, “I probably would. I like him a lot. I respect him a lot.”

Shanahan has stated that the Kennedy campaign has been sabotaged at every turn by Democrats attempting to keep them off of ballots.

“I will say that Clear Choice, this PAC, this DNC aligned PAC that was created specifically to take us out has spent millions of dollars to take us out,” Shanahan stated. “We wanted to win, we wanted a fair shot. The DNC made that impossible for us.”

— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) August 20, 2024

Shanahan has continued her criticism of the Democrat Party’s unethical tactics in a post on X (Twitter).

“Trump has had 6 court battles to fight during this election, while we have 9 and counting across the country. By bringing these suits against political opponents, the Democrats bankrupt the underpinnings of democracy. What the Democrats consider common course to win elections is the kind of “normalcy” that leads to famine, sickness, and civil war. The country is ready for an administration that represents unity,” She wrote.

Trump has had 6 court battles to fight during this election, while we have 9 and counting across the country. By bringing these suits against political opponents, the Democrats bankrupt the underpinnings of democracy. What the Democrats consider common course to win elections is… pic.twitter.com/VrGWO9MH7k— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) August 21, 2024

Kennedy also criticized the Democrat Party’s shift to Kamala Harris after ousting Joe Biden. The party who labels themselves as being “pro-choice” and “pro-democracy” did not think it would be necessary to hold any primary or public voting process.

“She went in four weeks from being the worst liability for the Democratic Party to the second coming of Christ without giving one interview, without showing up for a debate, without a single policy that anyone thinks isn’t ridiculous,” he stated. “It’s not democracy.”

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