#is only the second person to be convicted of directing terrorism in the State. His ally Michael McKevitt was jailed for 20 years in 2003 for

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Could you talk about the Statute of Secrecy? Or the Ministry’s corruption in General :)

Well, those are two different things. Given that I believe I have an ask floating somewhere in my inbox on the Statute, I suppose we’ll talk about the Ministry of Magic today.

I feel like this is such a broad topic though that I’m not quite sure where to start. I guess I’ll just throw spaghetti at the internet wall and see what sticks.

The Ministry is a Reflection of Society Who Never Admitted They Were the Death Eaters

In the ministry of Harry Potter’s era the Ministry is hopelessly corrupt and filled to the brim with spies (more on this in a later section). Lucius Malfoy, very high up in an unofficial capacity in the Ministry and owner of the Ministry’s mouth piece: The Daily Prophet, was a known Death Eater with a very flimsy excuse.

How is he even able to wield so much influence, you ask? Well, I think it’s not just because of Fudge picking the wrong friends.

I think most the population probably does believe Lucius Malfoy is innocent the way Fudge does. I think it’s a very small subsection, i.e. Dumbledore’s lackies, who go “Nah, ain’t buying it.” I think that, in 1981, when it came time to reveal just how many were Death Eaters and how far this went many people just couldn’t handle it.

Because it was to the point where the nation wasn’t battling Death Eaters, Death Eaters were the nation. Look at the members, these are and were the most influential and prominent families in the country, who combined hold a non-small minority of seats in the Wizengamot. More, these were only the participants, combine those who given anti-muggle and muggleborn sentiment (which I believe are pervasive even among those who claim they fight for the rights of muggles and muggleborns) and you get a nation that is suddenly facing a huge cultural issue that was never previously acknowledged.

We’re talking an entire purge of the Wizengamot, of the Ministry, of the major families and cornerstones of this society. The Black family is completely and utterly destroyed.

People were and remain throughout the 1990′s, desperate to believe it was not as bad as it was or isn’t as bad as it is. If Lucius Malfoy says he was never really a Death Eater then he was never really a Death Eater.

The Ministry is Lousy With Corruption and Spies

What’s hilarious to me is not only is the Ministry incompetent. It is positively flooded with spies. Given the ministry’s overbloated, it’s not even a sizeable minority of employees, but nonetheless every major department has at least one person (if not more) who works for somebody else.

Most work for Tom Riddle. He seems to have intelligence in every department. Through Lucius, who is working pretty much as an unofficial aide to Fudge, he has access to Fudge, complete control of the Daily Prophet, and a voice on the Hogwarts’ board of governors.

Through Rockwood, Tom has direct access to the Department of Mysteries which Lucius is then able to take full advantage of.

Lucius is able to set up an ambush in the Department of Mysteries, getting escaped convicts into the building with the none the wiser, and, had his sole purpose not been a prophecy that only Harry Potter and the Dark Lord can touch, he would have been able to take what he liked. (Though it was always odd to me that the plan was to get Harry Potter to do it, when the better solution would have been to polyjuice Tom Riddle into someone else, set up a tour with the department, and then Tom wanders off conveniently to pick up the prophecy. My theory, I suppose, is that chasing after the prophecy was mostly an exercise in punishing Lucius. And then Lucius fucked up.)

And of course, in book seven, Tom Riddle makes a puppet minister. Point being, to me, it always said a lot that in Book Seven Tom just sort of walks into the building and says, “I’m in charge now” and everyone says “okay”. There was no second Wizarding War, it was a bloodless coup that met zero resistance from anyone but angry school children. 

But that’s Tom’s spies, we also have other spies. Who am I talking about, Dumbledore’s folks of course.

Shacklebolt, Moody, Tonks, and Arthur Weasley are all spies, they just don’t have the introspection to even realize it (which really tells you something about the state of corruption in the ministry). They all work for the ministry, yes, but they in fact pass on information to and serve another master, whose goals do not always align with the government and was a hop skip and a jump away from overthrowing the government at any given moment.

And they don’t even really realize they’re doing this! There doesn’t even seem to be a thought of “I’m doing this for the greater good”, they don’t seem to acknowledge that what they’re doing is very very very bad. Arthur, in fact, is appalled when Percy refuses to do this (well, he’s upset for a lot of reasons, such as that he thinks Percy is spying on Arthur for the minister, but in there is also that Percy refuses to help out with the Order or follow Dumbledore without question). 

Harry paints the Dumbledore’s Army threat that Umbridge saw as something utterly ridiculous, but honestly if I was the ministry I would be worried about this. Dumbledore’s people have infiltrated the ministry just as deeply and badly as the Death Eaters, Dumbledore’s known for recruiting children into his vigilante organization, I don’t know what he’s doing with an army of schoolchildren but I can smell a coup coming.

Anyway, I’m getting off track, point being though that corruption is not only expected and accepted by the ministry, they cannot recognize what it even is. They’re at the point where paying bribes is allocated in their budget.

I Don’t Blame the Ministry For Not Thinking Tom Riddle Was Anti-Jesus

Fudge is designed to get a lot of flack for his outright denial that Voldemort had returned from the dead. He, and other denier characters, are meant to be fools with their heads in the sand who can’t see the obvious.

I ask what about it was obvious?

The only witness to Tom Riddle’s resurrection, Harry Potter, has a known history of erratic behavior.

The previous year, he’d performed illegal magic on his muggle aunt and run away from home. During the previous school year, Harry was revealed to be a parselmouth in a time when the Chamber of Secrets was presumably opened and the mystery was never fully solved (remember, that it was a possessed Ginny never comes to light for more than a few people.) Beyond that, since his first day of school, Harry is routinely in and out of detention, constantly out after curfew, and only seems to not be in serious trouble because he’s openly favored by Dumbledore (who gives him hundreds of points for breaking one of his school rules, during the Philosopher’s Stone fiasco in first year). In 1994, Harry is entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament under very suspicious circumstances.

We know why all this happens to Harry but from the outside he looks like a delinquent. In fact, he kind of is a delinquent. 

Point being, the only witness is not only Harry Potter (who is already sketch) but it’s Harry Potter holding a dead body of a rival in the tournament.

And he’s claiming that a man who has been nearly fifteen years dead, a man who held the nation in terror and Harry Potter is beloved for destroying, has returned from the grave and conveniently murdered Cedric.

Why is Cedric dead? Well, you see, he and Harry both touched the goblet at the same time because they were going to share the reward. The goblet, a national treasure, was turned into a portkey so that Voldemort could kidnap him.

Why didn’t Voldemort just kidnap him at any other point during the year where he’s guaranteed not to get tag a longs or the wrong kid? Uh... VOLDEMORT IS BACK (for the record, I think it’s because Barty got hung up on the goblet scheme and was determined to ruin his father’s day.)

Where is Voldemort at this very moment? Being evil, somewhere, that is not right here. No, Harry has zero evidence this happened.

Frankly, I wouldn’t believe Harry either.

And when Dumbledore goes about promoting this as sound evidence that Tom Riddle has in fact returned, it starts to get even sketchier. Rather than sounding the alarm, Dumbledore is using this boy’s madness to stir the public into a panic that he, perhaps, plans to take advantage of.

After Dumbledore does that, I would suspect that, even if Harry does give me a memory of the graveyard scene that his head had been tampered with by Dumbledore.

And it’s so convenient that, of all the names Harry picked, it’s Voldemort who killed Cedric. It seems like a ploy to not only deflect the fact that he murdered Cedric but 

Harry’s very upset when some don’t take him at his word but Harry’s also a dumbass and a psychopath. He hates everyone who doesn’t agree with him.

More importantly, necromancy isn’t a thing in the Harry Potter universe. People don’t rise from the dead. Horcruxes exist, but they’re extremely rare, and it seems like no one ever really makes use of them.

So, yeah, not unreasonable that Fudge didn’t immediately go, “My god, Voldemort has risen from the dead! LIGHT THE BEACONS AND SUMMON ROHAN!”

So yeah, it’d take me seeing Voldemort waltzing through the Department Mysteries to go “... Goddammit, this man is more unkillable than Sheev Palpatine.”

After the Epilogue, I am Certain It’s Still the Same Damn Ministry

People hate the epilogue, but in a way, I love it, because it confirms many of my headcanons: these people don’t learn a goddamn thing.

Nothing in their society seems to have changed. Instead of one set of families holding all the power it’s now a new set of families and friends holding all the power. The difference being that they are now all in some way connected to Harry Potter.

Nepotism’s still the name of the game, we still see only human children boarding the Hogwarts Express so you know shit hasn’t changed for the goblins, Draco Malfoy’s alive and well and holds a position in the Ministry that Kingsly graciously allows him to have, it’s just now you have Hermione writing all your laws for you.

The Wizarding World is still the Wizarding World in every single capacity. The only difference is that Voldemort is dead again. Hooray.

Harry and friends simply don’t have the introspection to even realize it.

[combat-wombatus]

Anti-Asian Racism (Pt. 2)

so if you haven’t read my (long) post about historical anti-asian racism, you can find it here. i tried my best to put things in chronological order, so you might want to read that before you read this one!

i got really tired writing that one bc it was super long and i only covered up to like...the 1920s?? and so here’s a second part bc i couldn’t fit it all into one post oopsies

WARNING: this contains some graphic descriptions of violence. i don’t want to accidentally trigger anyone, so please read at your own discretion. however, i do feel that it is important to be educated on the parts of history that schools often overlook, so if you can handle this, please read it.

the watsonville riots—january 1930

as US nationals, filipinos had the legal right to work in the US, and employers exploited these workers relentlessly as they assumed the filipinos were unfamiliar with their rights. they were paid the lowest wages among all ethnic laborers. the immigration acts of 1917 and 1924 allowed filipinos to answer the growing demand for labor in the US, and many young filipino men migrated to the US. due to gender bias in immigration & hiring, filipino men courted women outside of their own ethnic community, contributing to mounting racial tensions. white men decried the takeover of jobs and women by filipinos and resorted to vigilantism to deal with the “third Asiatic invasion”, and filipino laborers in public risked being attacked by white men who felt threatened by them. eventually, on january 19, this culminated in 500 white men gathering outside of a filipino dance club—owned by a filipino man—with clubs and weapons intending to take the white women who lived there out and burn the place down. they were turned away by security guards and the armed owners, but returned later to beat dozens of filipino farmworkers. they dragged filipinos from their homes and beat them, threw them off the pajaro river bridge, attacked them at ranches—and at a labor camp, twenty-two filipinos were dragged out and almost beaten to death. the mob fired shots into filipino homes, killing 22-year-old fermin tobera: no one was ever charged for his murder. in stockton, a filipino club was blown up—the blast was blamed on the filipinos themselves.

many filipinos fled the country. filipino immigration plummeted. anti-filipino violence continued in california in the months after the violence ended.

japanese internment camps—1942–1945

established during ww2 by FDR through executive order 9066. shortly after the bombing of pearl harbor, FDR signed the executive order, supposedly to prevent espionage. military zones were created in california, washington, and oregon—states with a large population of japanese americans—and the executive order commanded the relocation of americans of japanese ancestry. it affected the lives of around 117,000 people—the majority of whom were american citizens. canada soon followed, relocating 21,000 of its japanese residents from its west coast. mexico did the same, and eventually 2,264 more people of japanese descent were removed from peru, brazil, and argentina to the camps in the united states.

even before the camps, discrimination ran rampant. just hours after pearl harbor, the FBI rounded up 1,291 japanese community & religious leaders, arresting them without evidence and freezing their assets. a month later, they were transferred to facilities in montana, new mexico, and north dakota, many of them unable to inform their families. most remained incarcerated for the duration of the war. the FBI searched the private homes of thousands of japanese residents, seizing “contraband” (looting).

1/3 of hawaii’s population was of japanese descent. some politicians called for their mass incarceration. 1,500 people were removed from hawaii and sent to camps on the US mainland. japanese-owned fishing boats were impounded.

lieutenant general john dewitt prepared a report filled with proven lies—such as examples of “sabotage” (cattle knocking down power lines)—and suggested the creation of military zones and japanese internment camps. his original plan included italians and germans (because we were at war with them too!) but the idea of rounding-up americans of EUROPEAN descent was not as popular.

california’s state attorney general and governor declared that all japanese should be removed at congressional hearings in february 1942. general francis biddle pleaded with the president that mass evacuation of citizens was not required, pushing for smaller, more targeted security measures. FDR didn’t listen, and signed the order anyways.

around 15,000 japanese americans willingly moved out of prohibited areas. inland states were not keen for new japanese residents, and they were met with racist resistance. ten state governors voiced opposition, fearing the japanese would “never leave”, and demanded they be incarcerated if the states were forced to accept them. eventually, a civilian organization called the “war relocation authority” was set up to administer the plan, but milton eisenhower (from the department of agriculture) resigned his leadership in protest over what he characterized as incarcerating innocent civilians. 

no one really cared back then, but we appreciate the sentiment. however, this led to a stricter, military-led incentive to incarcerate the japanese civilians, so you didn’t really win, mr. eisenhower.

army-directed evacuations followed, and people had six days notice to dispose of their belongings other than what they could carry. anyone who was at least 1/16th japanese was interned, including 17,000 children under 10, as well as several thousand elderly and handicapped. 

these camps were located in remote areas, the buildings not meant for human habitation—they were reconfigured horse stalls or cow sheds. food shortages and poor sanitation conditions were common. each center was its own town, with schools, post offices, work facilities, and farms—all surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers.

in new mexico, internees were delivered by trains and marched two miles, at night, to reach the camp. anyone who tried to escape was promptly shot and killed, no matter their age.

when riots broke out over the insufficient rations and overcrowding, the police tear-gassed crowds and even killed a japanese-american citizen. three people were shot and killed for “going too close to the perimeter”.

in 1942, fred korematsu was arrested for refusing to relocate to an internment camp. his case made it all the way to the supreme court, where he argued that the executive order violated the fifth amendment. the supreme court ruled against him.

the camps were finally closed in 1945, after mitsuye endo fought her way to the supreme court once again. the government initially offered to free her, but endo refused—she wanted her case to address all of the internment camps. she was successful; the court eventually ruled that the the war relocation authority “has no authority to subject citizens who are concededly loyal to its leave procedure.”

the my lai massacre—march 16, 1968

during the vietnam war, US army soldiers entered a vietnamese hamlet on a search-and-destroy mission. they didn’t encounter any enemy troops; they did, however, proceed to set huts on fire, gang-rape the women, and murder around 500 unarmed civilians—including approximately 50 children under the age of four. army leadership had conspired to sweep this massacre under the carpet—the my lai massacre triggered a cover-up by the army that served to keep the atrocities committed a secret from the american public for 20 months during an election year.

american soldiers stabbed, clubbed, and carved “C [for Charlie] Company” into the chests of their victims (alive); herded them into ditches and blew them to bits with grenades. they cut off victims’ heads and slashed their throats.

this was more than spontaneous barbarism; for years, the army had dehumanized the vietnamese people as “gooks” and depicted women and children as potentially lethal combatants.

army officers who heard eyewitness reports of a massacre were quick to discount them. they issued a press release that informed news coverage—with lies. they claimed that their troops had killed 128 viet cong forces, even though they had been met with no resistance and suffered only one self-inflicted wound.

after word of the massacre reached the general public, more than a dozen military servicemen were eventually charged with crimes, but lieutenant william calley (the leader of the charlie company who was the main perpetrator in the massacre) was the only one who was ever convicted. pres. richard nixon reduced calley’s sentence to a light punishment—three years of house arrest.

three years of house arrest, and for only one person. for slaughtering 500 unarmed civilians. you do the math.

deportations

in 1975, more than 1.2 million refugees from southeast asia fled war and were resettled in the US—the largest resettlement for a refugee group in US history. in 1996, the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act (IIRIRA) expanded the definition of what types of crimes could result in detention & deportation—this broader definition could be applied retroactively, resulting in more than 16,000 southeast asian americans receiving orders of removal—78% of which were based on old criminal records.

islamophobia (article 2 preview) (article 3)

after the 9/11 attacks, islamophobia was especially prevalent in the western world, although it was also prevalent in other places without large muslim populations. from a small percentage of violence, an “efficient system of government prosecution and media coverage brings muslim-american terrorism suspects to national attention, creating the impression that muslim-american terrorism is more prevalent than it really is”, even though since 9/11, the muslim-american community helped security and law enforcement officials prevent nearly two of every five al qaeda terrorist plots threatening the united states. globally, many muslims report feeling not respected by those in the west, including over half of those who live in the US. in late 2009, the largest party in the swiss parliament put to referendum a ban on minaret (a tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques) construction, and nearly 60% of swiss voters and 22 out of 26 voting districts voted in favor of the ban—even though most swiss say that religious freedom is important for swiss identity. a network of misinformation experts actively promotes islamophobia in america. muslims are more likely than americans of any other major religious groups to have personally experienced racial or religious discrimination in the past year—48%, compared to 31% of mormons, 25% of atheist/agnostics, 21% of jews, 20% of catholics, and 18% of protestants. 1/3 (36%) of americans say that they have an unfavorable opinion about islam (gallup polls).

in the aftermath of 9/11, the US government has increasingly implemented special programs with hopes of “curbing and countering terrorism” and “enemy combatants.” these policies—such as the USA Patriot Act and the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System—have been targeted towards and disproportionately affects arabs, south asians, and muslims in america.

of course, the most lethal terrorist groups active in america are white supremacist groups, but people tend to overlook that because it’s always easier to blame something you have zero understanding of.

the non-profit advocacy organization South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) cataloged 207 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric directed towards south asian, muslim, middle eastern, hindu, sikh, and arab communities between nov. 15, 2015, and nov. 16, 2016. approximately 95% of those instances were animated by anti-muslim sentiment. also, “approximately 1 in 5 of the documented xenophobic statements came from president-elect donald trump.”

that’s who america hired to run our country in 2016. this was way before his misdeeds in office, yet it took us so long—and such a hard fight—to oust him. did it really take that long for everyone to catch on?

police brutality—(christian hall) (angelo quinto) (tommy le)

“CHRISTIAN HALL was a 19-year-old chinese american teen who experienced a mental health emergency on december 30, 2020. pennsylvania state police were called and requested to help de-escalate the crisis. rather than providing aid or assistance, the troopers shot and killed christian. his hands were up in the air as he stood on the SR-33 southbound overpass to I-80, posing no threat to the armed officers.”

they shot him seven times, with his arms up in the air.

“I miss my son so much. I love him so much but if his death is the catalyst for change, then so be it. Let his name be remembered. His name is Christian Hall.” —Fe Hall, Christian’s mother.

a video, shot by his mother, shows ANGELO QUINTO, a 30-year-old Filipino immigrant, unresponsive on the floor after officers subdued him with a knee to the back of his neck. the video shows him bleeding form the mouth after police knelt on his neck when he was experiencing a mental health crisis in his family home. he died three days later in the hospital without waking up. the antioch police had no body camera footage, nor has the department named the officers involved.

“I was just hoping they could de-escalate the situation,” his sister said in an interview. she called 911 when her brother had been experiencing mental health problems and paranoia. she says that she remains conflicted about calling the police that night: “I don’t know if I will not feel bad. If it was the right thing to do they would not have killed my brother.”

“TOMMY LE, a 20-year-old Vietnamese-American student, died hours before he was scheduled to attend his high-school graduation in June 2017. He was shot multiple times by sheriff’s Deputy Cesar Molina after responding to reports of a man armed with a knife. Deputies discovered after the shooting that he was carrying an ink pen, not a knife.

The office reported that Le had lunged at the sheriff’s deputies with a knife and had been threatening residents, shouting he was “the creator.” An autopsy showed that two of the three bullets that struck Le were in his back, and a witness said that Le was shouting he was “Tommy the renter.”

despite the challenges our communities face, AAPI communities receive less than one percent of philanthropic funding.

covid-19

i’ll try to keep this brief. there have been so many instances of violence perpetrated against the asian community during covid-19—not to mention the casual snipes at our culture, the microaggressions we face every day, the verbal and sexual harassment we encounter, sometimes even on the way to the grocery store for a supply run.

VICHA RATANAPAKDEE: a thai-american, he became known as “grandpa” throughout his neighborhood, where he’d made it a ritual to go on morning walks each day. it was during one of those walks on january 28, 2021, when the 84-year-old was forcibly knocked onto the ground. he was transported to the hospital, where he died two days later.

“He never wake up again. He [was] bleeding on his brain,” his daughter said in an interview. “I called him, ‘Dad, wake up.’ I want him to stay alive and wake up and come and see me again, but he never wake up.”

between march and december last year, the organization Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate recorded nearly 3,000 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide. the new york city police department also reported a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes last year.

i think senator tammy duckworth put it very aptly.

“Most people, I don’t think, think of Asians as being the subject of racist attacks, but we have been. And we’re the one community that’s often always seen as the ‘other’. I—to this day—still get asked, ‘So where are you from really?’“

i don’t think i’ve ever related so much to something a senator said.

actor and activist daniel dae kim talked about an encounter he had with a pollster who said asian americans are “statistically insignificant” in polling models in a congressional hearing:

“Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means—statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.”

do we matter? are we really “statistically insignificant”? blips in the machine, to be used and then thrown away once we become too “fussy” or demanding?

testimonies from victims showcase the array of xenophobic and racist insults they’ve encountered. i’ll put an (x) next to the ones i’ve personally heard.

“Go back to Wuhan and take the virus with you.” (x)

“You are the reason for the coronavirus.” (x)

“Damn, another Asian riding with me. Hope you don’t have covid.”

*fake coughing* “Chinese b—” *more fake coughing* (x)

now for some really “creative” ones that i’ve personally encountered:

“Cock up my dad’s botton, Chinease cunt”

“You don’t got the kung-flu, do ya?”

“Ever ate a dog?”

Along the same vein, “ever had any bats? Heard they’re delicious.”

“Wouldn’t want ya to pet my dog. Ya might steal it and cook it for dinner!” *hyena laugh*

a little personal anecdote

i debated whether or not to wear a mask to school in early march. my aunt lives in china, and she’s a first-responder (trained paramedic & contact tracer) and we knew how bad the virus was going to be in late february when we facetimed her, quarantined in her apartment. her toddler was staying with her husband at her parents’ house because she was afraid of infecting them. she didn’t see them in person for four months, working 14-hour shifts in the back of an ambulance decked out in a hazmat suit.

my mom cried when she facetimed us the second week of her grueling shift. i couldn’t stop thinking about her when i went to school that day. my mom sent me another picture during art class, and i just couldn’t control myself. i started crying during class.

i asked my mom whether or not i should wear a mask to school, and she said that if i did, i would be singling myself out. i wouldn’t be protecting myself—far from it. if i wore a mask to school, people would think that i had the virus, not that i was trying to protect myself from it.

gossip spreads like wildfire, and the next day, everyone knew i had relatives in china. most of my friends were sympathetic, but they were wholly removed from the situation. it was early march, and they never believed that the coronavirus would spread here. they were firmly rooted in their opinion that it was an easy situation, grossly mishandled by the chinese government, and that we’d do much better if it ever washed up on our shores.

i do hate the chinese government, and back then, i didn’t think too much of their antagonism. yes, the situation was mishandled. it was like a repeat of the SARS outbreak in 2003—first a cover-up by the local government, then a cover-up by the national government, and finally, a realization that no, in fact, they could not handle it in secret. yes, the media had to get involved. no, dead bodies were not piling up in the hallways while they waited for doctors to triage care. yes, we have capacity! look at these documentary mini-videos, forcing doctors and patients to leave a wing of the hospital empty and operate below maximum capacity so they could shoot propaganda videos for the lunar new year, boasting about how well they’re handling it!

i won’t argue that in the beginning, this was mishandled. i will argue, however, against the idea that asian countries are incompetent. that western approaches are oh-so-much-better.

in wuhan, they built a makeshift hospital spanning three soccer fields in the span of a week, with properly-functioning utilities, hospital beds, decontamination, and security. people rallied together and donated everything from money and supplies to food and ventilators, from all across the country. doctors and medical staff shaved their heads so they could better wear masks and volunteered to go to wuhan, where the situation was much more dire than in other areas. thousands of medical students from shanghai were transported to wuhan to fill the personnel shortages.

china reopened in june.

what did we do?

we didn’t ask the asian countries for experience. china, japan, and korea had handled the 2003 SARS outbreak and knew what kinds of things needed to be done. from the beginning, they wore masks. they halted travel, they did routine testing, performed contact tracing, set up programs for bringing food to the immunocompromised, elderly, and disabled, and worked as a cohesive community.

on the other hand, we resorted to childish infighting, political games, shunning masks and blaming it on asians, when we could’ve learned from them instead. we didn’t do contact-tracing. our testing systems were sorely inadequate. borders were closed with china, yes, but the majority of the cases in the US arrived from italy and other european countries who had already been infected. banning travel between the US and china was nothing more than a political gimmick.

states fought each other for basic medical supplies. there was no national unity. we were fractured in two, and COVID became more fuel for the fire dividing the two parties, when it could’ve been something that unified us.

and instead of blaming china, we would’ve been better off recognizing our own failures.

you can say that the virus caught china by surprise.

it shouldn’t have done the same to us.

we knew it was coming. but we still botched it.

blaming the virus on asian communities is a sign of immaturity and a lack of accountability. own up to your failures.

anyways, my mom was right. whenever we wore a mask in public, people really did think that we were “dirty, foreign chinese.” we stocked up on groceries so we wouldn’t have to go out, because every time my mom did, people would look at her weirdly. they didn’t wear masks.

one time, she was accosted by a blonde woman when we were at a supermarket. i’d gone with her that time because it was right after practice, and i was in the car anyways. the lady came up to us (without a mask: this was in may) and said, “excuse me, you don’t have the virus, do you?” with a pointed look at my mom (who was masked up).

my mom, being the polite person she is, simply responded “no, i don’t.”

the woman didn’t let us go after that. she pushed even more. “well, you see, i was just making sure...with this chinese virus going around, it’s scary, you know?”

i wanted to ask her why she wasn’t wearing a mask if it was “so scary”, but i couldn’t get a word in before she asked another question.

“by the way, y’all aren’t chinese, right?”

yes i am. yes we are. why does it fucking matter. we’re wearing masks, you’re not, get the hell out of my face.

honestly, i don’t know how my mom does it. she has the patience of a saint. she said “mhm”, grabbed a gallon of milk, and walked to the self-checkout area. the lady looked at me and raised her eyebrow, and i said “so what if we are?”

she looked like she’d been slapped in the face. i turned and followed my mom, but she said “now hold on young lady!” i ignored her and kept walking.

i don’t owe her anything. why do people think it’s okay to talk to others like that? we’re human beings too. we’re allowed our basic dignity. basic respect. we’re not something for you to joke at, to laugh at, to fetishize or bully into submission. i don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to realize that. i don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to treat others like human beings.

to people like that lady in kroger:

why do you feel the need to do it? is your opinion of yourself really that high to think that you’re superior to others who are different from you? are you really that conceited to think that you’re the perfect image of a perfect human, and anyone not like you is unworthy, considered lesser? or is your opinion of yourself really that low, to think that whatever you say, it doesn’t really matter anyways? why do you find derogatory jokes and demeaning comments funny? why do you think it’s okay to harass a stranger just going about their day? is your life really that boring, and you have nothing else to do with your time? why? would it be okay if i came up to you and asked if you ate rotten shark meat, then laughed it off and said “oh, i thought you were from iceland”? is that okay? can i ask if you eat cockroaches? how would you respond if i asked “where are you from?”? you would say america, right? and if i asked again? europe? where in europe? oh, you don’t know? are you illegal? was your mother a prostitute? are you a communist? why are your eyes so big? do you speak europeanese? crut iveroij aeish poient. oh, those aren’t words? well i think they sound like european words. what’s your name? je-re-mi-ah? like jeeryyy-miiiaaaccchh? oh, that’s not right? sorry, my tongue just won’t bend that way. your names are so weird! why would your parents name you that? oh, it means something? well, i don’t know the language, so don’t expect me to say it right. have you ever eaten haggis? oh, that’s scottish? oh, you’re not scottish? sorry, you all look the same to me. scots and italians are just so similar, you know? what’s your name? your last name is anderson? i know an anderson! she lived in texas. are you related to her? oh, you don’t know her? sorry, i thought you were all related. yeah, like i said before, you all just look so much alike, you know? are you lazy? oh, nothing, i just heard from my dad that all french people are lazy. oh, you’re not french? well, you still look lazy. are you good at english? oh, nothing, i just assumed that all white people were english. i know you like to assume that we’re good at math. oh, you got an A in english? isn’t that normal? i can’t help it, you’re just smarter. you probably don’t even study. oh, you do? well, you’re smart anyways, so it doesn’t matter. you’re so good at math for an american! oh no, nothing, i just assumed that all americans were bad at math. *starts playing with her hair* oh, that’s making you uncomfortable? but your hair’s so silky, and it’s so smooth. what kind of hair products do you use? i want to learn how to make my hair look exotic like that. oh, you’re not exotic? but you’re foreign. of course you’re exotic. you know, *leans in and whispers* men like you this way, yeah? they just looveeee exotic ladies. *winks*

can you see how this is demeaning? can you see how this diminishes our culture, our hard work, our accomplishments?

racism isn’t funny. it’s not cool, it’s not a joke, and it’s hurtful. it makes us question our capabilities, forces us to have unrealistic expectations of ourselves, makes us feel unworthy and “other”. just stop? stop making hurtful comments. stop stepping on other people to feel better about yourselves.

[fandompitfalls]

Prodigal Son and why Living Shouldn't Be Controversial

Originally posted 1/27/2021

After my last post I wasn’t sure what I would write about.  Several of my upcoming posts are research intensive and potentially controversial so as far as I’ve gotten on them was to put them in my book for blog post ideas and that’s about it.

And then Season Two of Prodigal Son aired. So what am I doing?  A research (not so intensive) and potentially controversial post.  At least I’m on brand.

For those who don’t really know the show: In its second season Prodigal Son is the story of ex-FBI profiler Malcolm Bright who was fired for his risk-taking habits and came back to the NYPD at the request of Captain Gil Arroyo.  Malcolm Bright is also Malcolm Whitly, the son of the influential and extremely wealthy Whitley family.  The Patriarch of the Whitly family, Dr. Martin Whitly, a convicted serial killer known as “the Surgeon”, is currently in a secure psychiatric facility. His son Malcolm put him there.  Malcolm now works for the NYPD under Gil’s team that includes Detectives JT Tarmel, and Detective Dani Powell and Medical Examiner Edrisa Tanaka. While not solving crimes, Malcom must deal with his tenacious television reporter sister Ainsley Whitly and their wealthy, hovering mother Jessica Whitly.  As well as his father who is trying to make his way back into his family’s life via Malcolm by assisting via telephone with certain cases.

Except for the Whitly’s (who while wealthy are probably not very good role models), the entire main cast is made up of people of color:  Filipino, Black, Asian.  While the first season was introductions to everyone and dealing with Malcolm’s lost memories regarding his father, the father/ son dynamic, cultivating a loyal fanbase and potentially starting some ships both purposefully and accidentally (I’m looking at you Brightwell and Maldrisa shippers), this second season started off with a bang.  Something that might have been relegated to a side plot, I feel, had become larger than this season’s overarching plot and will end up and absolutely deserved to be in equal standing.

In the first season, we are introduced to JT, the by the book detective who doesn’t like Bright in the beginning but by the end of the first season, they’re…okay. We also meet JT frankly adorable wife Tally and discover that he’s going to be a dad.

In season two, months have passed, and JT is acting Captain while Gil is out on medical leave.  He brings Bright in on a case involving a justice killer. At the end while back up is being sent to Bright’s apartment for the final conflict, Dani rushes up while backup is on its way and JT is right behind her.  He arrives moments before the back up and when they arrive, he directs them up to the apartment.  What happens instead is something we’ve all seen on the news this past summer. The first cop that arrives tackles JT and presses him against the wall, baton at his throat telling him to stop resisting.  The terror in JT’s eyes is startling as he realized that these officers, the one holding him and the other five who have their guns trained on him are not going to let him explain that he’s a cop.  It isn’t until Dani runs out holding her badge and Malcom following close behind, both of them yelling to stand down, that he’s a cop does the office let go of JT and step back.  Back at the station, Gil is furious and wants to take it to I.A., but JT insists it won’t do any good and he needs to think about it.  He has a family now and he doesn’t want the retaliation.  The scene ends with Gil, Dani and Bright supporting his decision and telling him they have his back.  JT is emotional and for good reason.  The people who are supposed to be working with him just tried to kill him.

Episode two didn’t let up; in the middle of a chase, Gil tells JT to call for back up and what happens is enraging.  As JT calls on his police issued walkie for backup, the person manning the other end tells him that the line if for police use only and uses the term “boy” before disconnecting.  Later, it shows JT and Dani standing outside the office watching Gil yell at the dispatch for not sending officers for a potential hostile situation.  JT decides to not file a report mentioning that he has a family to worry about and he must work with these people. It is harassment and emotional terrorism at its worst.

In the first episode this season, Dani and Bright are talking and Dani mentions the institutionalized racism she’s been dealing with. With this show being categorized as a police procedural, showing this sort of dangerous institutional racism within the police force is both tricky and important.  While police shows have mentioned an episode or two of racism within the force, it’s usually an episode and the one bad cop is taken to task by the white Captain and the entire thing is brushed over.  The good thing about this show is so far, all the people in power we’ve seen on the force have been people of color.  It also makes it harder to pull the “white savior” role as Bright, while on the team, has no real standing with the NYPD and could be kicked off cases in a heartbeat. Jessica, with all of her wealth and ties (or not, make up your mind Jess) to Gil, can’t really do anything expect throw money at the issue.  The brunt of the conflict will lie between Gil and his team facing the police force including these cops who “are just doing their job” and the veil of secrecy that lies within the Thin Blue Line. It’s not something that can be erased in a five-episode arc and I really hope it’s not.  The racism within the department has been established, it can’t be erased with the firing of the cop who attacked JT and it can’t be addressed with the Commissioner coming in to make everyone go to training to make it all magically go away.

The showrunners spent the entire first season introducing us and making us love these characters and given the current climate of the world, this was a bold and correct decision, one that needed to be addressed.  I know there is talk on message board stating that this season is too “political”.  Black Lives Matter, is not political, institutionalized racism within the police force is not political. Men and women of color that are on police forces are risking their lives to do good and make streets safer and do not deserve to wonder if they’re going to take “friendly” fire from one of their own.  This year we’ve heard too many stories of officers who were threatened out of uniform and officers who spoke up only to be removed from duty. This isn’t a new thing. Nobody should be murdered for living their lives, for sleeping, for complying with proper police requests.

Personally, as a white person, watching these scenes hurt.  Watching JT’s reactions hurt. Hearing someone who was supposed to have his back use a term that has racist undertones when said as it was, made me furious.  Which is what it’s supposed to do.  But this is also a dangerous road the showrunners are taking.  There is no clean and easy way out of this, to have it discussed and “fixed” isn’t reasonable nor believable anymore, to ignore it after three episodes isn’t doing it justice. I don’t know how this will turn out, but it absolutely needs to be addressed this season.  To the extent of having it a plot equal to Malcom’s covering up a murder and hiding the body without getting caught.

If you want more information or want to get involved, please look at the websites linked. It shouldn’t take a television show to spread awareness, but if it does, so much the better. People are starting to get involved with activism because media and it’s good (sometimes).  Television should start a conversation, that’s when it’s working best.

[bangtanfancamp]

Of Dusk and Summer

✨ Teaser ✨

Sneak peak at my upcoming one shot!!!

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∴ one shot

∴ playlist/ soundtrack

∴ pairing : Park Jimin x reader

∴ teaser length: 1.8k words

∴ final length: at least 25k + words

∴ rating: Mature (is very soft. And probably doesn’t need one this high but just in case. I’ll amend if need be once story is complete)

∴ genre : coming of age, angst, fluff, romance, bf2l (best friends to lovers), high school au

∴warnings: mentions of emotional abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics, light smut? Sort of? (Intense makeout-still SFW)

Graduation and academic excellence is all Jimin has had his eyes fixed on for as long as he can remember. Today, it finally happens. Today, he finally walks the stage and graduates. Today, his goals finally become reality. Or at least, that’s what he thought-until the best friend he thought he knew inside and out shows up in his window while he’s getting ready, and his life is never quite the same.

Alt: Park Jimin and his best friend have one incredible night that changes what they are to each other forever.

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There it is again- that clattering sound.

That’s at least the fifth time he’s heard it. It’s almost like fingernails tapping against the glass behind him, but that can’t be possible- he’s on the second floor. Every time Jimin looks back at his bedroom window, there’s nothing there.

Not even a pollen drunk honeybee bumping against the glass- nothing. He’s beginning to feel like he’s losing his mind. Turning his attention back to his mirror, he chooses to ignore it this time- he’s finally almost got the knot right in his tie. It’s taken him the better part of twenty minutes to even get this close.

But there it is again.

That sound- the tinkling against the glass.

Before he can stop himself, he’s whipping his head back to look and...there goes the knot. Dang it. Brow furrowed, he frowns down at his tie before giving up completely, sliding it from beneath his collar to chuck it on the floor. Agitated and swearing under his breath, he stomps, disgruntled, toward the accursed window and flings it open.

“For the love of God, what is — Y/n??” Jimin looks positively gobsmacked, because there you are- your palm full of rocks, arm cocked mid-throw as your silky red graduation robes flutter in the breeze.

“There you are! Took you long enough.” You taunt him from the lawn.

“What the heck are you doing here? Graduation’s in less than an hour!” Jimin is a patient man, but this is not remotely the time for shenanigans.

“Don’t you think I know that? Why do you think I’m here?” You roll your eyes, striding across the lawn before hiking up your robe to reveal denim shorts and hoisting yourself up the ivy trellis on the front of the house.

“I don’t know why you’re here! That’s why I’m asking- y/n, what are you doing? My mom just fixed that trellis! You know she hates when you stomp through her garden! Why can’t you just use the front door like a normal person?” Jimin tips his head to the side in frustration, strands of his silky black hair falling into his eyes before he can push them away.

‘Because, Chim, I don’t need to go through the rest of the house when I have a direct route to the person i'm here to see. Now move- let me through.” You dip your head and crouch as Jimin resignedly steps back to give you room to slip through the window.

“You still haven’t told me why you’re here, y/n, or why you couldn’t just call to say whatever it was. We’ve got to get ready to go.” Turning back to his dresser, he begins to hunt for his black bow tie from Prom- maybe he’ll have better luck with that.

“That’s just it, Chim. That’s why I’m here.” You’re still standing resolute in front of the window, dodging as a pair of Jimin’s swim shorts fly past your face in his hunt for his bow tie.

“Do you need a ride to graduation?” His confusion is apparent in his tone as he moves to ransack his closet. “Goddamn it, where is my bow tie?! I don’t have time for thi-

“No, because I’m not going, Chim.” Your voice is so quiet, he almost misses it.

“I know i put it right— wait. You’re what?” His face goes slack as he turns back to face you. “What do you mean?”

Sighing, you cross the room to grip his shoulders. “I mean- I can't do this. I’m not going to graduation today, Jimin.”

“Are you crazy? You have to go!” He searches your eyes for some sign that this is a joke but doesn’t find one.

“No actually- we don’t have to go. It’s optional,” you say softly as Jimin frowns.

“I don’t think that means what you think it means, Y/n.”

“If you’ve completed all your finals and have a high enough GPA, you don’t actually have to walk. Pietro Salazar got strep last year the day before and didn’t attend and still got a diploma,” you shrug.

“Because he had strep! Do you? Are you ill?” He questions as he presses the back of his hand to your forehead. You swat it away and frown at him.

“No, I don’t have a fever! I’m serious.” There’s a grit in your tone that he’s not used to and doesn’t understand.

“Are you sure? Because you’re clearly either mad with fever or just plain lost your mind because this is crazy! You’re being crazy,” he huffs. He doesn’t mean to sound so belligerent- really, he doesn’t- but he doesn’t understand. The clock to graduation is ticking down, and you’re standing in front of him like a lost sheep while he has an aneurysm over the fact that he can maintain a 3.9 GPA but can’t manage to tie a goddamn tie. He loves you, he does, but he just doesn’t have the patience for whatever this is right now. Still, he thinks, She’s your best friend: word it better than that. He sighs and tries again when he realizes his frustration isn’t going to get through to you.

“Y/n, we’ve been looking forward to today for years. You can’t just decide to not go half an hour before-“ he glances at the wall clock behind you as his throat suddenly seizes up.” Oh my god, it’s only half an hour til four?? Y/n, we can talk about whatever alien tried to do a biopsy on your brain later, but we have got to go!” He tries to slip out of your grasp, but your grip around his biceps only tightens.

“I’m serious, Jimin. I’m not going.” You look more resolute than he’s ever seen you before- much too focused, with much too much clarity for a woman who’s clearly lost her mind.

“B-but you’re Valedictorian! I would’ve killed to make valedictorian. You know how hard I tried. Why in the world would you just not show up?” He looks at you like you’ve grown an extra head.

“Because! I’m just not. That’s all there is to it. I’ve got to get out of here, Chim. And I... came to see if you’d come with me.” Your eyes are softer then as you brace for his reaction.

“Come with you?” The words feel strange leaving his mouth.

“Yeah, I took the truck. It’s got a full tank of gas. I’ve got a backpack full of everything we’ll need- I just... need my best friend.” Your eyes meet his, and he realizes you’re serious.

“I - Y/n, what's really going on?” Brows pinched, his dark eyes search your face for a reason you aren’t ready to give him.

“Look, I know today is a big deal for you. I’m not a complete jerk. You know I know that. I just- I need to do this. And if you can’t come, I at least wanted you to hear it from me so-“

“Y/n where are you even gonna go?” He cuts you off. Breaking out of your grip to card his fingers through his hair, he studies you as he waits for your response.

“I don’t know for sure,” you say honestly. Jimin is not amused by how little you’ve prepared for this.

“ Are you leaving- like permanently? Or just like, going to hide out down at the froyo spot?” He frowns, wincing at how caustic his stress is making his tone. You look a bit hurt, and he tries to soften his voice to hide his impending hysteria as the clock ticks behind you.

“Cause if you’re asking me to run away with you indefinitely, I can’t leave my cat behind. You know my mom can’t stand her. Do I need to bring her? Cause if you’re thinking this is long term and I don’t bring her, I won't have a pet to come home to when we come galavanting back from Narnia.” His eyes are far off, detached as he rambles over the semantics of it all. That’s what he does. He’s the thinker. You’re the dreamer. He’s just doing his best to get a grasp on it all.

“What? No, Jimin- Calico’s gonna be fine. I have a couple of ideas- I just... know I need to get out of here, at least for today.” There’s something off. About all of this. This isn’t like you. You don’t do things like this. What is going on with you?

There’s a look in your eyes he’s never seen before. Five years of friendship and somehow there’s a panicked terror in your gaze that’s entirely brand new to him. Except, it’s not. Somehow, it’s strangely familiar. It’s just never been this bad. It makes him wonder…

“Y/n...is it your mom again?” His face is soft with concern and the second he sees your features shift he knows he has his answer. He catches the way your eyes harden, the way you swallow, the way it looks like you’re about to crawl out of your skin. There it is. Dang it. He can’t leave you like this. Not again.

Shaking your head, you plant your feet and try one more time to meet his eyes. Sniffling, you tell him in a voice laced with conviction, “It doesn’t matter. Chim, I’m leaving- are you coming or not?” You palm your keys in your hand as you pin him with a look.

A heavy sigh tumbles from his chest as he realizes what he’s about to do. “I know there’s something more to this that you’re not telling me…” he states calmly as your eyes fall away from his. “But I’m not gonna leave you alone with whatever this is.”

Your face snaps up to his, relief flooding you as you crash into him, embracing him in an excruciatingly tight hug. “Oh my god, thank you.”

He holds you back, arms firm around your waist, and gives himself a minute to realize what he’s committing to. No official cap and gown. No cheesy pictures with his parents. No walking with his classmates to receive the paper declaring that he’s finally, officially an adult. No final milestone of high school.

But there’ll be you….

And as he feels the warmth of you melt against his neck, maybe that’s all he needs.

His mother will probably kill him. No, she’ll definitely kill him. But if today is supposed to signify his transition into adulthood, then maybe it’s time he makes his first real stance in what kind of man he’s going to be.

To make his first proper adult decision.

Figures it would somehow be tied to you.

“All right, all right,” pulling himself out of your grip, Jimin tries to ignore the way your relieved smile and watery eyes tug at something in his chest. He’s never been able to explain his irrational soft spot for you, least of all right now. “If we’re gonna do this, then we’ve gotta go now. Just let me grab a few things,” he sighs.

(to be continued)

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Author’s note: hey guys!!! Hope you enjoyed. This piece is incredibly special to me. And I can’t wait to share the rest with you. The story will be told from both Jimin and Y/N’s perspectives and will hopefully be going through final revisions in the coming week. - christiana ✨

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list!!!!

[rohad93]

Sea Glass - CH 11

18+

At some point in the middle of the night, the crashing thunder and lightning roused Yellow from her fitful sleep. She frowned, looking out the dark window, the occasional flash of lightning lit up the barn, otherwise, it was black as pitch inside the building. The creaking wood and rain the only noises she could hear. 

She muddled through a yawn and sat up to check on Blue, who was still laying right where Yellow had left her.

The fabric on her forehead was warm and Yellow rewet it with the cool water falling outside the window. This seemed to rouse her some.

“No…,” the word was barely a whisper on Blue’s breath. Yellow blinked down at her in the darkness of the barn.

"Blue?” Yellow asked quietly.

Instead of an answer she merely flailed a limb beneath Yellow’s coat. A quick jerk, before going completely still and quiet again.

Yellow hummed and sat back against the wall, staring out into the darkness, but even in the quiet, she could never make her mind be quiet for long.

They still had seven days before The Menagerie was set to leave Grenada, moving on to its next adventure, without its famous captain. If it was even there to start with.

That all hinged on little Rose Doyle actually taking charge of the ship and making the crew do as they had been instructed

Yellow frowned to herself at that.

Rose was not the most commanding presence. If Yellow had to guess she’d say the only reason anyone followed the curly-haired young woman’s orders was that there would be real hell to pay with Blue if not. 

Yellow had met Blue's younger sister a handful of times and given the relationship she and Blue had, it had never exactly been the friendliest of meetings, though she wouldn’t call it hostile either. Rose stayed well out of her way, and she was smart to do so.

That being said Yellow had no problems with the younger Doyle sister. She was a girl in her early twenties who did not look like she belonged on a pirate ship. She could only guess as to how the Doyle sisters ended up plundering on the high seas at the ages they did. Blue was closer to her age, but Rose would have been little more than a child at the time Blue started to become well known. 

She’d never really thought about it much, or ever really.

She glanced in Blue’s direction.

Until now. 

From all their years of acquaintance, Yellow knew little about Blue personally, but she did know the woman was well educated, which even in the higher classes was strange for women. Yellow could only guess at the reasons. Even if she wanted to ask, right now that simply wasn’t possible.

She stayed sitting there in the dark, awake, and thinking as the sun slowly began to rise. The rain didn’t lessen any but the darkness did as the sun rose behind the clouds.

Yellow pulled one of the bottles of drinking water out of the sack and pulled Blue’s mouth open, slowly pouring water down her throat. She coughed and sputtered a little bit occasionally, but most of it went down smooth.

She grumbled under her breath, something Yellow couldn’t even begin to make out, but her eyes stayed closed and any tossing she was doing quickly stilled but into fevered sleep. 

She was still hot to the touch and Yellow sighed as she leaned her head back against the wall. Intermittently changing the cloth on Blue’s forehead and forcing water down her throat. 

At the moment that was all she could do, that and wait. She closed her eyes and let the rain lull her back to sleep. The last six days had made exhaustion settle in her bones it felt like.

She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep when she began to wake again. 

There was a noise.

She didn't open her eyes, but strained her ears to hear, listening for the sound that must have been coming from Blue.

Her blood ran cold the second she realized that she was hearing breaths other than Blues.

Carefully she peeked through her cracked open eyes to find a young man with long brown hair kneeling over Blue, his hand outstretched toward her face. 

Yellow lunged forward with a vicious snarl, grabbing up the knife that had been lying beside her in the straw.

The boy looked up, terror in his dark eyes as Yellow slammed him against the wall of the stall, the whole wall rattling with the force of the impact. Her left hand fisted into his shirt and the right held the knife up to his neck.

"Please, don't hurt me!" he squealed, shaking in her grip as she pressed the blade against the column of his throat. Yellow just growled in response to his panicked squealing.

Blue whimpered, drawing Yellow’s gaze for a moment, she frowned, she had jerked Blue by the arm when she had lurched forward.  

“Your friend looks really bad…” 

Amber eyes immediately darted back to the young man in her grip and she snarled, lips pulled back over her teeth. As she pressed the knife further into his neck, drawing a thin red line in his skin.

“I… I can help!” his voice trembled, Yellow could not only hear it, but feel it in the blade. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I have some herb mixes from the town doctor, it helps to bring down fevers.” He swallowed thickly.

Yellow’s grip on him tightened. She was at an impasse. If she killed him it probably wouldn’t take people in town long to notice and come looking for him, long before Blue was well enough to travel, and if she let him go chances were he was going to run straight to town and get help.

Damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.

With an irritated scoff, she dropped him, dropping back onto her hind end and leaning against the wall. 

He slid down the wall, trembling and clutching at his throat, looking at her with eyes still wide with terror. 

She kept the blade clenched tightly in her fist, in case he decided that he was brave, though just by the look on his face she knew he wasn’t. 

Without a word, he stood shakily and ran out of the barn, she listened to his frantic footsteps fade before her whole body sagged tiredly.

They were as good as dead now.

She pressed a hand against her face, and an aggravated hiss escaped her lips.

They couldn’t run if they wanted to. Blue was unconscious and Yellow was tethered to her.

Yellow squared her shoulders. Stalwart as ever, she wouldn’t cut herself loose. She’d rather her convictions get her killed than prove herself a liar and a coward, even if no one else would ever know, she would know.  

Within a few minutes, the steps were back and Yellow steeled herself, knife in hand. She might go down, but she’d be damn to the darkest, deepest pits of the sea if she went down without a bloody fight.   

The boy appeared again, a bottle in one hand, but nothing else, much to Yellow’s surprise. He eyed her nervously as he knelt down on Blue’s other side.

“I can give her this…” His voice shook as he held it up for her to see. Yellow only growled in response. As good of an answer as he was going to get. 

He carefully lifted Blue’s head and pulled the cork on the bottle and slowly poured some of the dark green mixture into Blue’s mouth. It’s thick, medicinal smell filled the small space between them.

Yellow watched his every move and he seemed hyper aware of this by the slow and carefulness of his movements as he plugged the bottle back up and slowly set it over by Yellow.

“Give her some of this every few hours until her fever breaks.” He instructed, glancing up at her nervously from beneath his hair that was sliding in front of his face. "I'll come check on both of you later…" he slinked out of the stall and Yellow listened to his steps fade before she let herself relax.

She couldn’t even begin to understand what that was or why he wanted to help two ragged looking strangers squatting in his barn, if that was in fact, what he was actually doing. She picked up the bottle and inspected it. It certainly looked like any bottle she’d ever see a doctor use. She set it back down at her side and turned to Blue. 

She seemed to be partially conscious now, awakened by the no doubt foul liquid being poured down her throat.

Her eyes were cracked open and they were looking around sluggishly before they fell on Yellow.

Her mouth moved like she was trying to say something, but no words came out. Yellow turned too better face her, waiting to see if she would say anything. 

"You can't put the rum there…," she grumbled under her breath, eyes flickering around.

What?

Yellow stared, face contorting into clear confusion as Blue gurgled under her breath. 

"Whales will drink it…,” she warned, voice low and scratchy.

Yellow blinked at that. 

Her fever was making her delirious. That was Yellow’s only explanation for the absolute nonsense coming out of her mouth.

“Go back to sleep,” she grumbled, pulling her coat back up to Blue’s neck. Luckily she did just that a few minutes later after more nonsensical mumbling about barrels and whores.

Yellow leaned back but there wasn’t going to be any relaxing, not now that that boy knew they were here. 

Whatever was in the bottle didn't smell like poison to her, it did however reek of very strong herbs though. She hummed thoughtfully to herself. 

It was some hours later when a sharp pain in her wrist dragged her out of her half asleep state. She opened her eyes to see Blue looking up at her, though Yellow could already tell by her eyes that she was no more lucid then she had been before. She was moving around, jerking on their linked cuffs, wincing as well whenever it seemed to dig into her wrist, but her eyes were locked on Yellow’s bare right arm.

This was further proven when Blue reached her left hand up, slowly, like her arm was too heavy to lift.

She reached over and ran her trembling fingers down the raised up scars on her arm.

“Notice that did you?” Yellow grunted quietly, gazing down at Blue before glancing at her arm.

The seared impression of a crude skull and crossbones with the words ‘Momento’ above it and ‘Mori’ below it.

A brand, old and seared into her flesh long ago. 

Blue ran her trembling,clammy fingers over the raised up scars. 

“Do you even know what that is?” Yellow cocked a brow as she looked down at her companion, who didn’t seem to be listening; lost in her fever clouded mind. “It’s the brand of indentured servitude in Martinique.”

Blue didn’t say anything, not that Yellow expected her too, though her cloudy cerulean eyes moved away from the rough, healed brand to look at Yellow, her soft fingertips dragging over the scars sent a chill up Yellow’s spine.

Something about Blue’s faraway gaze and the way her face seemed to sag as she started slipping back into unconsciousness spurred Yellow to keep talking, if no other reason then to fill some of the silence that had been so oppressively hanging over them as of late, even before Blue had gone unconscious. 

“I’ve had this a long time…,” she trailed off, thinking. It had been a long time since she had let herself think about this in great detail.  “Since I was a child in fact... To get by I stole anything I could get my hands on if it meant I didn’t go without… and there were still plenty of nights I went to sleep hungry. It’s like that, being an orphan on any of these islands,” she snorted, more to herself than to Blue. 

“I let myself be taken in by someone, thought of them as a mentor, someone I could trust. The same woman who taught me all those tricks you were so interested in…” Yellows face screwed up. “They convinced me to steal for them…petty things at first, just like I had done before, but eventually it became less petty and reached the point of no return, and when I got caught she threw me to the wolves and I wound up with a life sentence of indentured servitude.” she scowled to herself, looking at a point in the distance, caught up in her memories, reaching up to run her arm.

Blue hummed, drawing her attention, her eyes were open, gazing up at Yellow, but the blonde knew she wasn’t there. Something about speaking this aloud gave Yellow some sort of relief, though she couldn’t pinpoint what about it exactly. 

“Obviously that didn’t last. Pirates attacked the ship I was enslaved on and I went with them when it was over…” She smirked to herself, but Blue squirmed, flushed face contorted and she frowned as she looked down at her.

“That sly, seductive way you manipulate people reminded me of her. It’s why from the moment we met I didn’t trust you…,” she mumbled, as she fingered the cuff on her wrist, dried blood flaking off the metal as she ran her hand over it. She glanced over at Blue’s right arm, which had slid from beneath her coat, much in the same worn and bloody condition as her own. 

“Maybe I was wrong…,” she grumbled under her breath, covering her arm back up. 

She had been so caught up in her thoughts that Yellow never heard the approaching footsteps until the same young man from before was standing in front of her a loaf of bread in hand.

“Um, am I interrupting?” he asked nervously, gaze flickering quickly between her and Blue.

Yellow just grunted, biting her tongue when the urge to tell him to get lost rose automatically to it’s tip. 

“I brought you some food.” He slowly held the food out to Yellow. Who narrowed her eyes at him, staring hard at him for a few long seconds before he seemed to get what the look was about and ripped a chunk out of it and ate it himself before holding it back out, this time Yellow took it.

Seeming to accept this as some sort of invitation he knelt down, though smartly, beyond Yellow’s reach, which made the blonde’s lips twitch at the corners. He had some brains at least.

She tore into the bread. She was sick to death of hardtack.

“I’m Greggory, but you can call me Greg.” He introduced himself with a smile. Yellow chewed on the bread silently. He didn’t seem to recognize her or Blue. No reason to chance it by giving out names. She just gave a quick nod and he seemed to deflate a little realizing she wasn’t going to return the introduction. 

“What happened to her?” He nodded to Blue.  

“We were caught in the storms for days,” was her curt reply as she gnawed on the bread. 

He looked at them both carefully.

“Are you sailors?” he finally asked, eyes wide and Yellow nearly choked on the food in her mouth. 

“Yeah…,” was all she said once she’d managed to swallow it. She and Blue were sailors after all; the semantics were unimportant. 

“I’ve always wanted to be a sailor…” Greg grinned brightly. “Adventure on the high seas… instead of being stuck here, plowing…” 

Yellow snorted and he frowned. 

“Not everyone is cut out for life on the sea, boy.” She smirked and he flushed. With anger or embarrassment Yellow was unsure. 

“I’d be great on a ship!” he insisted. “It’s not like I’m not used to taking orders for nearly nothing here on this farm.” He scowled.

“Being a farm hand is better than starving.” Yellow shrugged, taking another bite of bread.

“Not here…,” he grumbled. “I need excitement, adventure, not potatoes! I’d give anything to get on a ship and sail away from here…” 

Blue chose that moment to groan, making them both turn to look at her as she squirmed in place.

“Do you need anything for her?” he asked, looking back to Yellow. 

“Why do you want to help?” Yellow couldn’t stop herself from asking, distrustful and direct was simply her nature.

He blinked back at her, surprised.

“Well…” He scratched her head thoughtfully. “If I can, why shouldn’t I?” he shrugged. 

Yellow narrowed her eyes, staring intently at him for a long moment before exhaling sharply  through her nose and grunting in acknowledgment.

“There’s nothing to be done until she gets well enough to walk again…” Yellow grumbled. 

“Ahh.” He nodded to himself. “Guess you two must be close if you won’t leave without her, care about her,” Greg said more to himself than to Yellow but the blonde’s face lit up at the statement, head whipping to face him, mouth open, about to start shouting but she couldn’t think of anything to say, jaw working soundlessly before it shut with a snap. 

Greg just blinked at the odd reaction.

Yellow scoffed. She didn’t have the patience to explain herself to anyone, much less some clueless farmhand. It also occurred to her that from their current position he couldn’t see the shackles that linked them together.  

It was better he didn’t, lest that raise a lot more questions. 

“Even deathly ill, she’s really pretty…” Greg cocked his head and again amber eyes settled on him, though he quickly picked up on the glare. 

“I, uh… better get back… I’ll come check on ya later…” With that he quickly scampered away   

Once she was sure he was gone Yellow relaxed again. He seemed fairly harmless but that was no reason to let her guard down. She took the fabric off Blue’s still hot forehead and rewet it, then leaned back, still chewing on the bread as the rain continued to fall outside.

[adultswim2021]

The September 11th Attacks September 11th, 2001 - 8:46:40 A.M | S01E01

The September 11 attacks, often referred to as 9/11,[a] were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Wahhabi[3] terrorist group Al-Qaeda[4][5][6] against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term health consequences, in addition to at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.[7][8] It is the deadliest terrorist attack in human history and the single  deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 340[9] and 72 killed,[10][11] respectively.

Four passenger airliners which had departed from airports in the northeastern United States bound for California were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. Within an hour and 42 minutes, both 110-story towers collapsed. Debris and the resulting fires caused a partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the World Trade Center complex, including the 47-story 7 World Trade Center tower, as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense) in Arlington County, Virginia, which led to a partial collapse of the building's west side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was initially flown toward Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, after passengers thwarted the hijackers.

Suspicion quickly fell onto al-Qaeda. The United States responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had not complied with U.S. demands to expel al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite their leader Osama bin Laden. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although bin Laden initially denied any involvement, in 2004 he claimed responsibility for the attacks.[2] Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives. After evading capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located in Pakistan in 2011 and killed during a U.S. military raid.

The destruction of the World Trade Center and nearby infrastructure seriously harmed the economy of New York City and had a significant effect on global markets. The U.S. and Canadian civilian airspaces were closed until September 13, while Wall Street was closed until September 17. Many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. The construction of One World Trade Center began in November 2006, and the building opened in November 2014.[12][13]Numerous memorials have been constructed, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial at the Pennsylvania crash site.

Background

Al-Qaeda

The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden travelled to Afghanistan and helped to organize Arab mujahideen to resist the Soviets.[14] Under the guidance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden became more radical.[15] In 1996, bin Laden issued his first fatwā, calling for American soldiers to leave Saudi Arabia.[16]

In a second fatwā in 1998, bin Laden outlined his objections to American foreign policy with respect to Israel, as well as the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War.[17] Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans until the stated grievances were reversed. Muslim legal scholars "have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries", according to bin Laden.[17]

Osama bin Laden

Bin Laden orchestrated the attacks and initially denied involvement but later recanted his false statements.[2][18][19]Al Jazeera broadcast a statement by bin Laden on September 16, 2001, stating, "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation."[20] In November 2001, U.S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden is seen talking to Khaled al-Harbi and admits foreknowledge of the attacks.[21] On December 27, 2001, a second bin Laden video was released. In the video, he said:

It has become clear that the West in general and America in particular have an unspeakable hatred for Islam. ... It is the hatred of crusaders. Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, which kills our people. ... We say that the end of the United States is imminent, whether Bin Laden or his followers are alive or dead, for the awakening of the Muslim umma (nation) has occurred but he stopped short of admitting responsibility for the attacks.[22]

Shortly before the U.S. presidential election in 2004, bin Laden used a taped statement to publicly acknowledge al-Qaeda's involvement in the attacks on the United States. He admitted his direct link to the attacks and said they were carried out because:

we are free ... and want to regain freedom for our nation. As you undermine our security, we undermine yours.[23]

Bin Laden said he had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.[24][25] Another video obtained by Al Jazeera in September 2006 shows bin Laden with Ramzi bin al-Shibh, as well as two hijackers, Hamza al-Ghamdi and Wail al-Shehri, as they make preparations for the attacks.[26] The U.S. never formally indicted bin Laden for the 9/11 attacks, but he was on the FBI's Most Wanted List for the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.[27][28] After a 10-year manhunt, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that bin Laden was killed by American special forces in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 1, 2011.[29]

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Journalist Yosri Fouda of the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera reported that in April 2002, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted his involvement in the attacks, along with Ramzi bin al-Shibh.[30][31][32] The 2004 9/11 Commission Report determined that the animosity towards the United States felt by Mohammed, the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks, stemmed from his "violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel".[33] Mohammed was also an adviser and financier of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the uncle of Ramzi Yousef, the lead bomber in that attack.[34][35]

Mohammed was arrested on March 1, 2003, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, by Pakistani security officials working with the CIA. He was then held at multiple CIA secret prisons and Guantanamo Bay where he was interrogated and tortured with methods including waterboarding.[36][37] During U.S. hearings at Guantanamo Bay in March 2007, Mohammed again confessed his responsibility for the attacks, stating he "was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z" and that his statement was not made under duress.[32][38]

A letter presented by the lawyers of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed in the U.S. District Court, Manhattan on July 26, 2019 indicated that he was interested in testifying about Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks and helping the victims and families of the victims of 9/11 in exchange for the United States not seeking the death penalty against him. James Kreindler, one of the lawyers for the victims, raised question over the usefulness of Mohammed.[1]

Other al-Qaeda members

In "Substitution for Testimony of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed" from the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, five people are identified as having been completely aware of the operation's details. They are bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Abu Turab al-Urduni, and Mohammed Atef.[39] To date, only peripheral figures have been tried or convicted for the attacks.

On September 26, 2005, the Spanish high court sentenced Abu Dahdah to 27 years in prison for conspiracy on the 9/11 attacks and being a member of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. At the same time, another 17 al-Qaeda members were sentenced to penalties of between six and eleven years.[40] On February 16, 2006, the Spanish Supreme Court reduced the Abu Dahdah penalty to 12 years because it considered that his participation in the conspiracy was not proven.[41]

Also in 2006, Moussaoui—who some originally suspected might have been the assigned 20th hijacker—was convicted for the lesser role of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism and air piracy. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the United States.[42][43]Mounir el-Motassadeq, an associate of the Hamburg-based hijackers, served 15 years in Germany for his role in helping the hijackers prepare for the attacks. He was released in October 2018, and deported to Morocco.[44]

The Hamburg cell in Germany included radical Islamists who eventually came to be key operatives in the 9/11 attacks.[45]Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, and Said Bahaji were all members of al-Qaeda's Hamburg cell.[46]

Motives

Osama bin Laden's declaration of a holy war against the United States, and a 1998 fatwā signed by bin Laden and others, calling for the killing of Americans,[17] are seen by investigators as evidence of his motivation.[47] In bin Laden's November 2002 "Letter to America", he explicitly stated that al-Qaeda's motives for their attacks include:

U.S. support of Israel[48][49]

support for the "attacks against Muslims" in Somalia

support of Philippines against Muslims in the Moro conflict

support for Israeli "aggression" against Muslims in Lebanon

support of Russian "atrocities against Muslims" in Chechnya

pro-American governments in the Middle East (who "act as your agents") being against Muslim interests

support of Indian "oppression against Muslims" in Kashmir

the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia[50]

the sanctions against Iraq[48]

After the attacks, bin Laden and al-Zawahiri released additional videotapes and audio recordings, some of which repeated those reasons for the attacks. Two particularly important publications were bin Laden's 2002 "Letter to America",[51] and a 2004 videotape by bin Laden.[52]

Bin Laden interpreted Muhammad as having banned the "permanent presence of infidels in Arabia".[53] In 1996, bin Laden issued a fatwā calling for American troops to leave Saudi Arabia. In 1998, al-Qaeda wrote, "for over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples."[54]

In a December 1999 interview, bin Laden said he felt that Americans were "too near to Mecca", and considered this a provocation to the entire Muslim world.[55] One analysis of suicide terrorism suggested that without U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, al-Qaeda likely would not have been able to get people to commit to suicide missions.[56]

In the 1998 fatwā, al-Qaeda identified the Iraq sanctions as a reason to kill Americans, condemning the "protracted blockade"[54] among other actions that constitute a declaration of war against "Allah, his messenger, and Muslims."[54] The fatwā declared that "the ruling to kill the Americans and their allies—civilians and military—is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque of Mecca from their grip, and in order for their [the Americans'] armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim."[17][57]

In 2004, Bin Laden claimed that the idea of destroying the towers had first occurred to him in 1982, when he witnessed Israel's bombardment of high-rise apartment buildings during the 1982 Lebanon War.[58][59] Some analysts, including Mearsheimer and Walt, also claimed that U.S. support of Israel was one motive for the attacks.[49][55] In 2004 and 2010, bin Laden again connected the September 11 attacks with U.S. support of Israel, although most of the letter expressed bin Laden's disdain for President Bush and bin Laden's hope to "destroy and bankrupt" the U.S.[60][61]

Other motives have been suggested in addition to those stated by bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Some authors suggested the "humiliation" that resulted from the Islamic world falling behind the Western world—this discrepancy was rendered especially visible by the globalization trend[62][63] and a desire to provoke the U.S. into a broader war against the Islamic world in the hope of motivating more allies to support al-Qaeda. Similarly, others have argued that 9/11 was a strategic move with the objective of provoking America into a war that would incite a pan-Islamic revolution.[64][65]

Planning

The attacks were conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who first presented it to Osama bin Laden in 1996.[66] At that time, bin Laden and al-Qaeda were in a period of transition, having just relocated back to Afghanistan from Sudan.[67] The 1998 African Embassy bombings and bin Laden's February 1998 fatwā marked a turning point of al-Qaeda's terrorist operation,[68] as bin Laden became intent on attacking the United States.

In late 1998 or early 1999, bin Laden gave approval for Mohammed to go forward with organizing the plot.[69] Mohammed, bin Laden, and bin Laden's deputy Mohammed Atef held a series of meetings in early 1999.[70] Atef provided operational support, including target selections and helping arrange travel for the hijackers.[67] Bin Laden overruled Mohammed, rejecting potential targets such as the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles for lack of time.[71][72]

Bin Laden provided leadership and financial support, and was involved in selecting participants.[73] He initially selected Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, both experienced jihadists who had fought in Bosnia. Hazmi and Mihdhar arrived in the United States in mid-January 2000. In early 2000, Hazmi and Mihdhar took flying lessons in San Diego, California, but both spoke little English, performed poorly in flying lessons, and eventually served as secondary—or "muscle"—hijackers.[74][75]

In late 1999, a group of men from Hamburg, Germany arrived in Afghanistan; the group included Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh.[76] Bin Laden selected these men because they were educated, could speak English, and had experience living in the West.[77] New recruits were routinely screened for special skills and al-Qaeda leaders consequently discovered that Hani Hanjour already had a commercial pilot's license.[78] Mohammed later said that he helped the hijackers blend in by teaching them how to order food in restaurants and dress in Western clothing.[79]

Hanjour arrived in San Diego on December 8, 2000, joining Hazmi.[80]:6–7 They soon left for Arizona, where Hanjour took refresher training.[80]:7 Marwan al-Shehhi arrived at the end of May 2000, while Atta arrived on June 3, 2000, and Jarrah arrived on June 27, 2000.[80]:6 Bin al-Shibh applied several times for a visa to the United States, but as a Yemeni, he was rejected out of concerns he would overstay his visa.[80]:4, 14 Bin al-Shibh stayed in Hamburg, providing coordination between Atta and Mohammed.[80]:16 The three Hamburg cell members all took pilot training in South Florida at Huffman Aviation.[80]:6

In spring of 2001, the secondary hijackers began arriving in the United States.[81] In July 2001, Atta met with bin al-Shibh in Spain, where they coordinated details of the plot, including final target selection. Bin al-Shibh also passed along bin Laden's wish for the attacks to be carried out as soon as possible.[82] Some of the hijackers received passports from corrupt Saudi officials who were family members, or used fraudulent passports to gain entry.[83]

There is some idea that 9/11 was selected by the hijackers as the date of the attack because of its resemblance to 9-1-1, the phone number to report emergencies in the U.S. However, Lawrence Wright wrote that the hijackers chose it because September 11, 1683 is when the King of Poland began the battle that turned back the Muslim armies from the Ottoman Empire that were attempting to capture Vienna. For Osama bin Laden, this was a date when the West gained some dominance over Islam, and by attacking on this date, he hoped to make a step in Islam "winning" the war for worldwide power and influence.[84]

Prior intelligence

In late 1999, al-Qaeda associate Walid bin Attash ("Khallad") contacted Mihdhar, telling him to meet him in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Hazmi and Abu Bara al Yemeni would also be in attendance. The NSA intercepted a telephone call mentioning the meeting, Mihdhar, and the name "Nawaf" (Hazmi). While the agency feared "Something nefarious might be afoot", it took no further action. The CIA had already been alerted by Saudi intelligence about the status of Mihdhar and Hazmi as al-Qaeda members, and a CIA team broke into Mihdhar's Dubai hotel room and discovered that Mihdhar had a U.S. visa. While Alec Station alerted intelligence agencies worldwide about this fact, it did not share this information with the FBI. The Malaysian Special Branch observed the January 5, 2000 meeting of the two al-Qaeda members, and informed the CIA that Mihdhar, Hazmi, and Khallad were flying to Bangkok, but the CIA never notified other agencies of this, nor did it ask the State Department to put Mihdhar on its watchlist. An FBI liaison to Alec Station asked permission to inform the FBI of the meeting but was told: "This is not a matter for the FBI."[85]

By late June, senior counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke and CIA director George Tenet were "convinced that a major series of attacks was about to come", although the CIA believed the attacks would likely occur in Saudi Arabia or Israel.[86] In early July, Clarke put domestic agencies on "full alert", telling them, "Something really spectacular is going to happen here. soon." He asked the FBI and the State Department to alert the embassies and police departments, and the Defense Department to go to "Threat Condition Delta".[87][88] Clarke would later write: "Somewhere in CIA there was information that two known al Qaeda terrorists had come into the United States. Somewhere in FBI there was information that strange things had been going on at flight schools in the United States... They had specific information about individual terrorists from which one could have deduced what was about to happen. None of that information got to me or the White House."[89]

On July 13, Tom Wilshire, a CIA agent assigned to the FBI's international terrorism division, emailed his superiors at the CIA's Counterterrorism Center (CTC) requesting permission to inform the FBI that Hazmi was in the country and that Mihdhar had a U.S. visa. The CIA never responded.[90]

The same day in July, Margarette Gillespie, an FBI analyst working in the CTC, was told to review material about the Malaysia meeting. She was not told of the participants' presence in the U.S. The CIA gave Gillespie surveillance photos of Mihdhar and Hazmi from the meeting to show to FBI counterterrorism, but did not tell her their significance. The Intelink database informed her not to share intelligence material on the meeting to criminal investigators. When shown the photos, the FBI were refused more details on their significance, and they were not given Mihdhar's date of birth nor passport number.[91] In late August 2001, Gillespie told the INS, the State Department, the Customs Service, and the FBI to put Hazmi and Mihdhar on their watchlists, but the FBI was prohibited from using criminal agents in the search for the duo, which hindered their efforts.[92]

Also in July, a Phoenix-based FBI agent sent a message to FBI headquarters, Alec Station, and to FBI agents in New York alerting them to "the possibility of a coordinated effort by Osama bin Laden to send students to the United States to attend civil aviation universities and colleges". The agent, Kenneth Williams, suggested the need to interview all flight school managers and identify all Arab students seeking flight training.[93] In July, Jordan alerted the U.S. that al-Qaeda was planning an attack on the U.S.; "months later", Jordan notified the U.S. that the attack's codename was "The Big Wedding" and that it involved airplanes.[94]

On August 6, 2001, the CIA's Presidential Daily Brief ("PDB"), designated "For the President Only", was entitled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S." The memo noted that FBI information "indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks".[95]

In mid-August, one Minnesota flight school alerted the FBI about Zacarias Moussaoui, who had asked "suspicious questions". The FBI found that Moussaoui was a radical who had traveled to Pakistan, and the INS arrested him for overstaying his French visa. Their request to search his laptop was denied by FBI headquarters due to the lack of probable cause.[96]

The failures in intelligence-sharing were attributed to 1995 Justice Department policies limiting intelligence sharing, combined with CIA and NSA reluctance to reveal "sensitive sources and methods" such as tapped phones.[97] Testifying before the 9/11 Commission in April 2004, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft recalled that the "single greatest structural cause for the September 11th problem was the wall that segregated or separated criminal investigators and intelligence agents".[98] Clarke also wrote: "There were failures in the organizations failures to get information to the right place at the right time."[99]

TLDR; it was an inside job

[serenagaywaterford]

was I the only one who thought tuello was going to mention the 2x10 rape and not the nick thing when he arrested serena??? like, obviously I understand the thing with nick was rape regardless, but she did ask them both and june would've ended up in the colonies had she not gotten pregnant while the 2x10 rape doesn't really have any sustainable justification behind it. I don't see "I was in a mood and wanted the baby to come faster" working in court (1/2)

and I guess you can argue there's no way to prove that that rape happened, but serena got arrested before any paternal test was done so it seems as if fred's word is enough?? I guess they can get the test done later and confirm it, but I don't know, I feel like there's a way out of this for serena whilst I don't think there would've been a way out if they had proof of what happened in 2x10. I just find this flimsy. (2/2)

---

No, you weren’t! I honestly... I thought it was going to be about her actual war crimes, like her blatant terrorism against the US, conspiracy to blow up state capitols, and overthrowing a democratic government via war. But hey, that’s too easy lol. Like, why on earth Fred wouldn’t turn her in for THAT, which are HUGE crimes that the ICC/Americans/etc would actually be interested in is beyond me. Oh wait, no it’s not, cos this is The Handmaid’s Tale and they don’t know shit about law or politics, or at this point common fucking sense. It’s a soap opera now.

I’m just so irritated by that whole “Let’s arrest Serena for rape!” concept because it’s entirely based on a) an individual and singular crime against a single person on foreign (sovereign) soil; not a war crime (so why the ICC would have ANYTHING to do with it is beyond me) and b) FRED WATERFORD’S WORD. Because suddenly they believe everything an admitted war criminal is saying against the woman who literally turned him in???? No, nothing suspect about that at all.

(The American government may have an interest because they do get involved in individual crimes against Americans on foreign soil. But then it gets into whether June is still an American, legally. And whether Serena is. Which is super confusing and murky. I’d say June is, and Serena likely isn’t since she probably renounced her US citizenship, but I’m also not a legal scholar or lawyer. And whether the international community even considers Gilead its own country, or just some type of military occupation on American soil. SO COMPLICATED. This is why the show should have just stayed away from all of this trash.)

I mean, we know Fred’s not lying about what happened to June then but the fact Tuello & Co. just take his word at face value with NO corroboration is absolutely fucking mental. 

Not to mention, how the FUCK does Fred even know about that? All he knows is that June got pregnant with Nick’s baby. Was he secretly listening the entire time to everything Serena has said? Cos, let’s take a step back for a second and think rationally about how the hell Fred would have access to that information lol. Serena, from what we saw, was incredibly discreet about setting it up. Was Fred actually lurking in her bushes when she talked to June about it? Was he around when Serena supposedly spoke to Nick about it? (We don’t know where that was but probably either in Nick’s apartment or in the car.) So, does Fred actually have the whole house bugged? LOLOLOLOL. Even if he saw Serena bringing June out to Nick’s apartment, he has no idea what anybody’s thoughts or feelings were about that. Serena and June could have easily been in on it together, and there was no rape involved at all! He doesn’t know that. Did he sneak up to Nick’s second floor window and watch how fucking WEIRD that whole thing was? LMAO.

To me, the fact Fred knows all that is a fucking big plot hole. He didn’t before. But suddenly he knows Serena set up Offred’s rape by Nick? Did she tell him that? Cos that would be insane of Serena to do and completely OOC. All Serena’s said is that “HA HA! The baby isn’t yours, you manky chode!”

Anyway...

To be frank, I have a post--quite a long one--sitting in my drafts about how incredibly asinine and unrealistic that charge against Serena is as a “war crime”, not to mention how weak it is just from a legal standpoint, even if we would take it as a regular rape charge. (She would literally never be found guilty, lbr. There is no solid legal basis for it (there is a flimsy one) and when you consider her defense--which is way more solid than the charge--the chances of anybody ever prosecuting her for that, let alone convicting her, are so incredibly thin, even if it was just as a regular rape crime, not a war crime.) She’d be more likely charged with something like sex trafficking or procuring (prostitution) or coercion or accessory to rape and/or conspiracy to rape. (And she’s clearly guilty of those things). Not the rape itself. It’s so! fucking! stupid! Sex trafficking would be SO much more solid of a charge cos essentially that is what she did...

She didn’t rape June in that instance much more than she murdered those kids Fred shot in the woods. She’s a shitty fucking person for putting that idea in his head, and basically saying, “Go do this for me, you pathetic little man” but she didn’t actually say the words, nor did she commit the actual crime herself. (Heyyyyaaa Lady Macbeth!) Both Fred and Nick were acting of their own free will. 

(Honestly, I will go on forever about how Nick is NOT some innocent, helpless creature. He’s a MAN (aka automatic superiority over any woman), and an EYE (AN EYE, YOU GUYS!!!! The most elite of the Gilead intelligence forces!!!), and to refuse Serena’s request would be EXPLICITLY FOLLOWING THE LAWS OF GILEAD and there is NO WAY he would ever, ever be punished by Gilead for that lmao--for following the law. If he reported Serena to Fred or even Pryce, Serena would be fucking punished--probably with death or Colonies (which is just prolonged death). And he’d have June’s supporting testimony too! What part of this misogynistic fascist state are you people missing? A lowly woman trying to make a man break the law and defile another man’s property?! HAHAHAHA. As if they’d take Serena’s side. Nick is a fucking Eye. There are instances where they do take a woman’s side, like with Janine’s random accusation--but significantly: Warren was BREAKING the law, not upholding it as Nick refusing to rape Offred and turning Serena in would have been following the law. To me, it never ever made sense that the men would just turn on their own like that over a literally mentally-ill Handmaid’s suicidal admission. I think, when it comes down to it, Naomi’s contribution made it “two witnesses” to the crime. Like, if you look at most religious texts or cult texts, they generally require more than just the victim. Some require at least 2, some 3 individuals. So for Gilead to require nothing but victim outcry is bonkers and not consistent with the type of society they claim they’ve built in the series. BUT ANYWAY, that’s a big digression...

Like miss me with that complete utter rape-apologist bullshit. He literally took advantage of the situation to put his dick inside a woman who did not essentially consent to it in that particular situation. Or, if you’re going to argue she did cos she wuvs Nick and wanted to anyway, then your case against Serena falls apart too.)

The only thing I don’t see as being up for debate is that June was raped. That’s it. That is clear and certain. It’s fact. June was raped in that apartment. (She’s raped a lot, obviously, but this was also rape. Nothing else.)

And the creepy part is by doing that she actually did save June’s life. Which is all shades of massively fucked up, and probably not her intention, but here we are. And it seems to be a big part of why June went along with the plan. If Serena hadn’t set up a rapey fuck session for Nick (which he LITERALLY COULD HAVE SAID NO TO AT ANY TIME WITH ZERO CONSEQUENCES and they could have fucked completely consentually another time), June never would have started sleeping with Nick (they had almost 2 years and never made a move on each other lbr), never would have become pregnant, and in a few months would have been sent off to the Colonies to rot. Serena is just going around saving June’s life and not even trying to lmao. Stupid gross idiot. Yes, June agreed under threat of death otherwise. So, that is NOT consent in any universe. If you must do it for survival, it’s rape. If you’re gonna die or agree to sex, that’s rape. Would she have agreed to get raped by Nick if the threat of the Colonies was not hanging over her head? No. Probably not. And Serena used that for her own ends. There is no way Serena is not a shitty criminal person for what she set up. But it’s also not a fucking crime against humanity, by definition.

So, anyway, without going into all the complexities and bullshit about Nick’s role any further, Serena’s role, etc in all this, it’s just absolutely motherfucking insane that any international law enforcement agency would charge Serena with THAT based on the word of a scorned husband who is also a massive rapist, liar, abuser, and war criminal himself. Like, give me a fucking break already.

And... I’m not gonna lie... if this was even remotely based on history/reality, they would turn a blind eye to anything Serena has done, especially if it was on such a small scale as one instance of sex trafficking. Sounds terrible to put it that way, but that is how these things roll. She’s a small little fish, comparatively. In the grand scheme of things, she’s FAR more valuable as a witness/asset against the Big Fish (Fred) and as a tool for their anti-Gileadean use. Unless they had significant evidence about ALL her crimes. She’s so much more useful as someone who has direct experience and witness to the entire rise of Gilead, including all the massive fucking terrorist crimes against an entire government and mass murders, that Fred et al. committed. To go after Serena so soon is just kneecapping their own damn case against Fred/Gilead lmao.

[This is where the rumours about Rita come in, but here’s the thing, Serena was already granted immunity for what she did under the guise of being a “Wife”. And seriously, what does Rita really know anyway? Serena’s smacked some people around. She’s locked June in her room. She makes June cry and drink gross smoothies. She helps with the Ceremony. She--with the entire system--forced surrogacy and basically kidnapped a baby. Those things, from what I can tell, are perfectly legal in Gilead for a Wife to do, just like it’s perfectly legal for Fred to whip the shit out of Serena--and Serena has been granted immunity for that shit (which is sorta funny in a way cos she basically used the Nuremberg defense, but it’s layered because she was actually a victim of Gilead too. Tricky shit). 

Now, that 2x10 rape is pretty fucking awful (and likely NOT Gilead-legal) and I’m almost certain Rita would have known about that in some way--but she also wasn’t a direct witness. But maybe she doesn’t? It would be fucking stupid of the Waterfords to be like, “Hurr durr let’s illegally pregnancy rape the Handmaid with a Martha an/or Guardian around even tho it comes with a punishment of DEATH!” But I suppose they are not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed either... 

Maybe she knows about the Rapey Sex Date Serena set up for Nick, maybe not, also not a witness to it. We can make assumptions about what Rita knows and doesn’t know, but also... like, none of that matters? (Yet.) Those are just regular fucking crimes on foreign soil and the American and Canadian governments have no jurisdiction to prosecuting them. War crimes require different criteria and Serena smacking Rita in the face isn’t a war crime. It’s shitty assault, but not something any international body would EVER go after.]

Anyway, the show is stupid af for suggesting they’d go after Serena for that singular instance of rape as a war crime. Crimes against humanity--of which YES sexual slavery (sex trafficking in this way) is--require widespread and/or systematic implementation. Serena was NOT going around making all Guardians rape Handmaids for her to get a baby. (Gilead however, and FRED WATERFORD specifically, were directly responsible for the SYSTEM of massive sexual slavery that they created AND maintained. Serena didn’t even come up with the Handmaid idea--THAT WAS THE MEN IN THAT DAMN CAR (Hi Nick, you were there too!).) 

Like... ugh. Stick with what you know, THT. Cos clearly it isn’t anything remotely in the legal realm.

But hey, they had to make up some way to either put Serena on trial for an entire season (YAWNNNNN), or send her back to Gilead. If it’s for the latter reason, and it means we’ll revisit the June/Serena dynamic as the core component of the show, then I’ll let it slide but if it’s to set up the Miller Wet Dream Trial Season and keep Fred/Serena forced together, then I’m livid.

Not that I should care at all considering how many times I’ve said I’m not even watching it anymore, heh.

[phroyd]

LENDON SCOTT CRAWFORD was a mechanic at General Electric in Schenectady, New York. A tall, slender, middle-aged man with rectangular eyeglasses, he was married with three children. By appearances, he was an unremarkable middle-class American.

But beneath Crawford’s vanilla exterior lurked a white supremacist angry about President Barack Obama’s election and contemptuous of upstate New York’s sizable Muslim community. And he had ambitious plans to transform his hatred into violence.

He wanted to build a “death ray,” a portable, remote-controlled radiological weapon made from medical equipment and off-the-shelf electronics. He’d load the weapon into a van with tinted windows, drive it to a nearby mosque, scurry away to a safe distance, and switch it on remotely using a smartphone. Anyone in its path would be radiated and left to die a slow, mysterious death. He even had a pithy nickname for his weapon: “Hiroshima on a light switch.”

Crawford’s killing machine was never built. He was convicted at trial in August 2015 of attempting to use a radiological dispersal device and a weapon of mass destruction. He is serving 30 years in prison.

His case is remarkable not so much for its absurdity — federal agents admitted that his imagined weapon was likely impossible to make — but for how prosecutors handled it. Crawford’s co-defendant, an engineer named Eric J. Feight who had agreed to build the weapon’s remote control, pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorism — the first and only time federal prosecutors have used the material support law against a domestic extremist since 9/11, according to a review of federal prosecutions by The Intercept.

The material support law is prosecutors’ tool of choice for hauling international terrorists into federal court — more than 400 international terrorism defendants have faced material support charges since 9/11. But the Justice Department has been reluctant to use this expansive and powerful law, which allows defendants to be prosecuted for providing minimal, and at times, inconsequential, support to a violent plot, against domestic terrorists.

The rarity of such charges has helped drive a false narrative that domestic terrorism is not punishable under existing anti-terrorism laws. “Why is there no criminal statute for domestic terrorism?” CBS News asked in October 2017. “Americans Are Surprised Domestic Terrorism Isn’t A Federal Crime,” HuffPost declared last April.

In fact, the government has ample room to go after domestic terrorism under existing laws. The material support law has two parts. The first can be applied to anyone who commits or assists with a terrorist attack, including one rooted in a domestic ideology, so long as the crime involves one of about 50 proscribed offenses, including bombing government buildings, murdering government employees, using weapons of mass destruction, and hostage taking. The second and more controversial allows the Justice Department to prosecute anyone supporting or working with a State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization, however minor their role in an attack or plot, including even unwitting targetsof FBI undercover stings who never were in contact with actual terrorists. Civil libertarians have for two decades criticized the material support law, but primarily for the abuses possible in the more expansive provision for international terrorists. The more limited provision for domestic terrorism is harder for prosecutors to abuse.

Although the part of the material support law that can be used against domestic extremists is limited in some important ways — mass shootings not involving the death of government employees are notably absent from the list of offenses eligible for material support charges — Feight’s conviction in the “death ray” plot shows that domestic extremists can in many cases be prosecuted using the same aggressive laws that federal prosecutors wield against international terrorists. But the Justice Department has been reluctant to use that authority against white supremacists and followers of other domestic ideologies.

This double standard has little to do with existing laws. Instead, it is a result of decisions within the Justice Department, which since 9/11 has prioritized international terrorism prosecutions at the expense of domestic ones.

“After 9/11, the FBI’s and the Justice Department’s resources were directed to international terrorism. The prosecutions against domestic terrorists suffered,” said Henry E. Hockeimer Jr., a former federal prosecutor who served on the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Task Force in the 1990s. “I follow the domestic terrorism cases, and I sometimes wonder why prosecutors aren’t going after more significant statutes with these guys, using the anti-terrorism laws. On one hand, I suspect the average person thinks of terrorism in the international sense, and to some degree, the Justice Department has come to think of terrorism in that way as well.”

A Domestic Anti-Terrorism Law

Among the first known instances of the material support law being used against domestic extremists came in 1996, when federal prosecutors charged seven men with assembling explosives and plotting to blow up an FBI building. Prosecutors filed material support charges against two of the seven men, Floyd Raymond Looker and James R. Rogers. Looker, the leader of a group known as the West Virginia Mountaineer Militia, and Rogers, a lieutenant in a local fire department who provided blueprints of the FBI building, pleaded guilty.

Five years later, in February 2001, federal prosecutors brought material support charges against Connor Cash, an environmental activist accused of being a leader of the Earth Liberation Front, a radical environmental group that had claimed responsibility for arsons and vandalism throughout the United States. The Justice Department alleged that Cash had assisted in the arson of five homes under construction on Long Island, as well as an unsuccessful plot to burn down a duck farm and release the animals. A jury acquitted Cash of all counts in May 2004.

After the 9/11 attacks, when federal prosecutors began to turn to the material support law as the statute of choice in prosecuting international terrorists, the Justice Department created the National Security Division, which absorbed the counterterrorism and counterespionage sections and created a powerful bureaucratic node responsible for national security prosecutions. Under a policy created at the time, and still in effect today, all terrorism-related charges — including material support and the use of weapons of mass destruction — must be approved by the National Security Division. After the policy took effect, the Justice Department’s tentative experiments with using the material support law against domestic terrorists hit a wall.

In the years immediately following the 9/11 attacks, the Justice Department and the FBI reoriented to focus significant resources on international terrorism threats, with the prevention of another terrorist attack from Al Qaeda or other groups as the top priority for both agencies. White supremacists, right-wing extremists, and other domestic terrorists were not a pressing concern. “If you took yourself back to 2006, when the National Security Division was first started, the country was still in the throes of responses to 9/11,” said Mary B. McCord, the Justice Department’s acting assistant attorney general for national security from 2016 to 2017 and a principal deputy assistant attorney general for its National Security Division from 2014 to 2016.

McCord and other former federal prosecutors maintain that the Justice Department has always taken domestic terrorism seriously. But in the years since 9/11, the difference between how domestic and international terrorists are prosecuted and punished has been striking.

The case of William “Bill” Keebler is an example. He came to the FBI’s attention after spending two weeks in Nevada during the 2014 armed standoff between the Bureau of Land Management and rancher Cliven Bundy and his supporters. Keebler helped organize Bundy’s supporters by posting on social media and YouTube under the handle “Th3Hunt3r.” After returning home to Utah, Keebler started organizing a militia of his own, recruiting like-minded people on Facebook and at local gun shows. “We are now being taken by a rogue government,” he wrote in a May 2014 Facebook post.

Keebler called his militia the Patriots Defense Force. FBI informants who joined the group told federal agents that members were preparing for future standoffs with the government, operations to rob drug dealers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and violent attacks targeting Muslims. The FBI then inserted two undercover agents into Keebler’s militia. One agent told Keebler that he had experience with explosives.

By June 2016, the Patriots Defense Force had eight members, including two FBI undercover agents and a government informant. Members of the militia had talked about killing Muslims, and Keebler and the undercover agents drove to a mosque to consider it as a target. But Keebler was most interested in an attack on the Bureau of Land Management. He and one of the FBI agents concocted a plot to bomb a cabin in Utah used by the bureau. The FBI built the bomb, which was fake, and Keebler planted it in the cabin. The bomb simply fizzled, as designed, and in July 2016, Keebler was charged with attempting to damage federal property with an explosive device. Despite a federal prosecutor describing Keebler as a “would-be terrorist,” the militia leader did not face terrorism-related charges.

Because Keebler had tried to bomb a government building, the material support law could have applied and with it, a possible 15-year prison sentence. Instead, Keebler spent two years in prison while his case was pending, and after pleading guilty to the lesser charge federal prosecutors had chosen, he was sentenced to time served and three years of probation. Prosecutors did not ask for a “terrorism enhancement” at sentencing — a request that, if approved by the judge, could have resulted in a more significant sentence. Keebler, now on probation in Utah, declined to comment for this article.

By contrast, federal prosecutors charged Nicholas Young, a 36-year-old Muslim police officer in Washington, D.C., with material support when he sent a $245 gift card to a man he believed was with the Islamic State. The gift card recipient was in fact an FBI informant. Young was found guilty at trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Last month, an appeals court vacated his convictions on two charges of attempting to obstruct justice, but upheld his conviction for material support. Young will be re-sentenced soon, but his original 15-year term was in line with those of the more than 400 other Muslim terrorism defendants convicted of material support.

Current federal prosecutors, including Thomas E. Brzozowski, the Justice Department’s counsel for domestic terrorism, declined to comment for this article. In an interview with The Intercept, McCord said that in retrospect, she and other prosecutors had underutilized the material support law for prosecuting and punishing domestic terrorists.

“I’ve been a cheerleader for the fact that, hey, this is the same stuff — extremism is extremism,” McCord said. “The white supremacist extremism we’re seeing right now, they’ve taken the playbook from the foreign terrorist organizations in terms of who they’re trying to recruit and who can be easily drawn to feel like they’re working for something bigger than themselves. To me, the parallels are very close.”

Despite the material support law being used predominantly against Muslim extremists during her tenure at the Justice Department, McCord said religion was never a factor in charging decisions. “I think, frankly, because of 9/11 and Al Qaeda and ISIS and Islamic extremism, we have been overly focused on those threats,” McCord said. “But I would be a happy to call a domestic terrorist a domestic terrorist. I will shout it from the rooftops.”

Read More ...

Phroyd

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.wired.com/story/john-ratcliffe-dni-trump-nominee-danger/

What could go wrong with a DNI who misleads about his own resume?

. @Wired "The idea that a person prone to wild conspiracy theories might soon occupy the role legally designated to be the final voice in the president’s ear on intelligence matters should terrify Americans—as well as both our allies and adversaries the world over." https://t.co/hsqdaD1ISK

THE DANGER OF JOHN RATCLIFFE

By GARRETT M. GRAFF | Published July 30, 2019 6:30 PM ET | Wired | Posted July 31, 2019 11:01 AM ET |

THE PRESIDENT’S INTENT to nominate Robert Mueller’s chief Capitol Hill inquisitor to head the nation’s intelligence community might just be the Trump administration’s most alarming personnel decision yet—even in an administration whose list of departed, disgraced, and indicted former top officials reads like a casualty list from Game of Thrones.

The news Sunday that Trump planned to tap representative John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) as director of national intelligence, replacing former senator Dan Coats, left many even on Capitol Hill scratching their heads: Who? “I don’t know John. I’ve met him a couple times, seen him on TV,” Senate Homeland Security Committee chair Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) toldPolitico, among other choice quotes it gathered.

Indeed, very few Americans had ever heard of the congressman from Texas’s fourth district until last Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, when Ratcliffe lambasted former special counsel Robert Mueller about “not exonerating” Donald Trump. Watching the hearing on TV with a group of journalists, I turned to my colleagues and said, “He’s auditioning to be DNI.”

Days later, Axios scooped the news of Ratcliffe’s impending nomination, saying Trump was “thrilled” by the congressman’s performance at the Mueller hearing.

That the administration is so predictable in its terrible choices should not make those terrible choices any less troubling.

The men who have occupied the relatively new role of DNI so far are among the most experienced intelligence leaders and diplomats in the country. After the job was created as part of the post-9/11 reshuffling of the US national security apparatus, George W. Bush tapped an experienced hand to fill it: John Negroponte had served as an ambassador in four countries, including Iraq; been UN ambassador; and worked at the National Security Council. His successor, Mike McConnell, was a vice admiral in the Navy and a former director of the National Security Agency. Barack Obama’s first DNI was another admiral, Dennis Blair, who had led Pacific Command and served as associate director of the CIA.

James Clapper, Obama’s second pick as DNI, was arguably the most experienced intelligence officer in the entire country—a career Air Force intelligence officer who had served for four decades, risen to the rank of lieutenant general, and personally headed two of the nation’s most critical intelligence agencies, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Clapper had also served as undersecretary of defense for intelligence, where he oversaw all three of the Pentagon’s intel agencies: DIA, NGA, and the National Reconnaissance Office, which runs the nation’s spy satellites.

And even though Coats, the outgoing DNI who Ratcliffe may replace, had no field intelligence background, he served in the Army during the Vietnam War, spent nearly 30 years in Congress—in both the House and the Senate, including stints on the intelligence committee—and had served as ambassador to one of America’s top allies, Germany.

Ratcliffe’s experience pales in comparison to any of his would-be predecessors. He served as the mayor of Heath, Texas—population 8,000—for a decade, and while he did a brief stint as a politically appointed US attorney in Texas in the final months of George W. Bush’s administration, his résumé on national security matters is practically nonexistent.

He had previously claimed to be involved in a single terrorism-related case, against the Holy Land Foundation, but appears to have far overstated his role. As ABC News’ James Gordon Meek reportedTuesday, “The fact is that @RepRatcliffe did not convict anyone in the Holy Land Foundation trial. His staff now admits he simply reviewed the first mistrial and issued no report to [attorney general Mike] Mukasey, which is why no one we contacted remembers him at all.”

Similarly confounding, he asserts on his House website that he once “arrested 300 illegal aliens in a single day,” which would have been quite a feat, since US attorneys don’t have arrest authority.

That lack of experience is almost certain to make Ratcliffe an ineffective DNI, a position that has little direct power and whose few levers and moral suasion only Clapper—the longest-serving DNI yet—managed to handle effectively.

But while Ratcliffe will likely have trouble herding the cats that make up the nation’s 17 sprawling intelligence agencies, ranging from the Justice Department to the State Department to the Pentagon to even the Energy Department, that’s not what seems primed to make him a dangerous DNI.

The biggest danger Ratcliffe poses is to the integrity of the job of director of national intelligence in the first place; the core principle of the intelligence professional is to speak truth to power.

The US spends $60 billion a year on the nation’s intelligence apparatus, a workforce of tens of thousands ranging from CIA officers and FBI agents to NSA cryptologists and hackers, NGA analysts, interpretation experts at the NRO, financial wizards at the Treasury Department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and much more.

All of that money and all of those workers share a simple uniting goal: To ensure that the president of the United States is, in every conversation and decision, the most informed, knowledgeable, best-prepared person in the room. They enable the president and his advisers to anticipate problems and opportunities; understand the mind, decisionmaking, and internal pressures of foreign leaders far and wide; know from satellites overhead, cables underground, and agents in the field what’s happening the world over—and why.

The career analysts, agents, officers, and leaders of the intelligence community work every day to ensure that the information flowing up to the Oval Office is the most thorough, accurate, and best-analyzed it can be. That mission requires that the information presented to the president be presented in a fair, objective, nonpartisan, and apolitical manner. (The rare instances where the CIA or other agencies have skewed their intelligence toward political ends, as with the run-up to the Iraq War, only underscore the devastating consequences of anything less than fair-eyed analysis.)

It’s here that the DNI plays his most important role. By statute, the DNI is the president’s lead intelligence adviser. That’s supposed to mean that the DNI leads the effort to provide the President’s Daily Brief—the world’s most elite newspaper—filled with daily intelligence and big-picture analysis of global, geopolitical trends affecting the US, its allies, and its adversaries. That role of chief intelligence adviser is one that Coats, Trump’s outgoing DNI, never quite grew into. Mike Pompeo arrived first in the administration as CIA director, before Coats was confirmed, big-footed the PDB, and hit it off with Trump before Coats could really establish a bond with the commander-in-chief.

Yet Coats did try to speak truth to power. He spoke up when it mattered, was honest about Russia’s attack on the 2016 election, and was willing to contradict Trump publicly on the future of North Korea’s nuclear program. One of Coats’ final acts as DNI actually was to appoint the nation’s first election security czar. That honesty appears to be a not insignificant part of why Coats was shoved aside, and ultimately out the door.

With a president so divorced from daily reality as Trump, it’s all the more important to fill the role of DNI with someone whose first duty is to puncture the Fox News fever swamp bubble that surrounds the White House, provide real facts and grounded analysis, and ensure—to whatever extent possible—that the information that flows into the Oval Office and the decisions that flow out of it are informed and strategic.

There’s little evidence that Ratcliffe is the man for the job. Beyond his antics cross-examining Mueller last week, he’s long been on the leading edge of criticizing the Russia investigation writ large. He was even the congressman who started the completely false rumor that the FBI—one of the intel agencies he is set to oversee—had an anti-Trump “secret society.”

Ratcliffe seems to appeal to Trump for the same reason most of the sycophants around him do: Loyalty first and foremost to No. 1. But the DNI is not supposed to walk through the door of the Oval Office attempting to please the president—he is supposed to tell the president whatever he needs to hear, consequences be damned.

Trump wants nothing of the kind. Instead, as he told reporters Tuesday afternoon, “We need somebody strong that can really rein it in. Because as I think you've all learned, the intelligence agencies have run amok. They've run amok.”

The fact that Trump, who has  skirmished with the  intelligencecommunity ever since the campaign, still sees the truth-telling tradition of the intelligence world as making them his adversaries rather than his allies underscores how little Donald Trump has risen to the role of the commander-in-chief. As The New Yorker’s David Rohde wrote this week, the message Trump sends with Ratcliffe's appointment is clear: Be loyal or leave.

That’s a recipe for the type of geopolitical mistake that gets Americans killed.

The idea that a person prone to wild conspiracy theories might soon occupy the role legally designated to be the final voice in the president’s ear on intelligence matters should terrify Americans—as well as both its allies and adversaries the world over. The fact that Senate GOP members have so far been relatively muted in their support for Ratcliffe encourages hope that maybe this disaster-in-waiting might be averted.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.29

904 – Sergius III is consecrated pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. He is succeeded by Al-Muti as caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate. 1258 – First Mongol invasion of Đại Việt: Đại Việt defeats the Mongols at the battle of Đông Bộ Đầu, forcing the Mongols to withdraw from the country. 1814 – War of the Sixth Coalition: France defeats Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne. 1819 – Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore. 1845 – "The Raven" is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe. 1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress. 1856 – Queen Victoria issues a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to recognise acts of valour by British military personnel during the Crimean War. 1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state. 1863 – The Bear River Massacre: A detachment of California Volunteers led by Colonel Patrick Edward Connor engage the Shoshone at Bear River, Washington Territory, killing hundreds of men, women and children. 1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile. 1891 – Liliʻuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii. 1907 – Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator. 1911 – Mexican Revolution: Mexicali is captured by the Mexican Liberal Party, igniting the Magonista rebellion of 1911. 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kyiv, is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty. 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army begins at the Kiev Arsenal, which will be put down six days later. 1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced. 1940 – Three trains on the Nishinari Line; present Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station. One hundred and eighty-one people are killed. 1941 – Alexandros Koryzis becomes Prime Minister of Greece upon the sudden death of his predecessor, dictator Ioannis Metaxas. 1943 – World War II: The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, USS Chicago (CA-29) is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers. 1944 – World War II: Approximately 38 people are killed and about a dozen injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania) is attacked by Soviet partisan units. 1944 – In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical theatre of the Archiginnasio is completely destroyed in an air-raid, during the Second World War. 1959 – The first Melodifestivalen is held in Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden. 1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced. 1980 – The Rubik's Cube makes its international debut at the Ideal Toy Corp. in Earl's Court, London. 1989 – Cold War: Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so. 1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins. 1996 – President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear weapons testing. 2001 – Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals. 2002 – In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea. 2005 – The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing. 2009 – The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions, while not allowed to list any belief outside of those three, are still eligible to receive government identity documents. 2009 – Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. president-elect Barack Obama. 2013 – SCAT Airlines Flight 760 crashes near the Kazakh city of Almaty, killing 21 people. 2017 – Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette opens fire at mosque in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, killing six and wounding 19 others in a spree shooting.

[writersindigestion]

hostess || jerome valeska x reader

“he keeps you in a box by the bed - alive, but just barely.”

reader gender: female

words: 7919

warnings: violence, NSFW, abuse. He’s evil, folks!

also available on: AO3

The fact that she was lucky was fortunate for [Y/N]. When she cheated on a test, she didn’t get caught. When she ran red lights, she didn't get caught. When she rolled dice, she got Yahtzee every time. When she stole expensive things from high-end retailers, the staff practically helped her pocket their merchandise. And she supposed it was some sort-of luck that she ended up in the same department store as a recently escaped convict.

She’d been in the process of casing the building, planning on returning at a later date to commit a felony, when a man strode in her direction. [Y/N] paid him no mind - she didn’t know him, and there was no reason to assume that he knew her, so she figured he’d carry on without much incident. How surprised she was to glance up from her cell phone only to be engulfed by a pair of strong, unfamiliar arms.

Instinctually, she made a move to scream, but her face was entirely smothered by a broad shoulder. Before she could even begin to struggle, the arms held tighter.

There was a hot whisper in her right ear, breath wafting down her neck. “If you don’t play along, it’s gonna mean big trouble for you, toots.”

She felt herself being rocked from side-to-side like he was an affectionate lover and not some malevolent stranger.

“Understand?”

Withholding a whimper, she nodded minutely, her face chafing against the person’s jacket.

He pulled back, raspy voice full of ‘sincere’ joy. “Sorry about that, babe. It’s been a long day. How’ve ya’ been?”

[Y/N] ran her eyes over the man’s face in a frantic grab for recognition, but the only recognisance she found made her absolutely sick to her stomach.

Still, she cracked a nervous smile. “I’ve been okay. A little tired, but I’m alright.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. What was she going to do? This had got to be a nightmare. There’s just no other explanation.

Jerome Valeska grinned, lips spreading wide across his cheeks. The murderer brought his hood in closer to his face, the beanie beneath covering a shock of fiery hair. “You too, huh? Let’s get home then!”

His hand found its way to hers, the grip bordering on painful - a reminder, probably, to not to do anything stupid. She forced her feet to match his pace as they made their way to the nearest exit, feeling him rest his head near her shoulder for a moment.

“Don’t you dare even look at anyone else.”

[Y/N] didn’t, keeping her eyes straight ahead of her the whole walk to the car.

He snatched the keys from her quivering fingers, not letting her go as he opened the passenger door. She made a sound of surprise as he shoved her in, forcing her over the middle console before climbing in as well. He slammed the door shut, tossing the keys into the cupholder and turning to his new captive with a flourish. “Well then - your house? Or mine? Better make it yours, now that I think about it,” He giggled nonsensically to himself, playing with the dice hanging from her rearview mirror, “These are kinda corny, you know?”

The terrified woman had no idea how to respond, but she swallowed thickly and tried to anyways. “M-My house? You want to go there?”

Jerome didn’t reply for a moment, shuffling through her glove compartment for something worth looking at. “Huh? Oh, yeah - your house.”

“Um, isn’t there somewhere else you want to go?” [Y/N] asked shakily, starting the car with a definite reluctance.

He stopped rummaging for a moment, looking at her with disbelief. “Where do you suppose I should go? Besides back to Arkham - that shit is painfully boring.” For another few moments, he continued snooping, until he paused once more, “You don’t have a roommate, do you?”

She drew in a sharp breath, but shook her head.

“That’s fortunate,” Jerome chimed, sounding like he chewed on gravel for a living, “For you and for them - they’d definitely have to die.”

She didn’t reply, and he didn’t continue, humming absently to himself as [Y/N] drove him to her apartment. And surprisingly, that was all he had to say - that is, if you don’t count the occasionally pensive expression followed by maniacal giggling. That wasn’t so much talking as it was spazzing, but she wasn’t about to make any verbal complaints.

When the car came to a complete stop, and the keys were out of the ignition, the hostage woman could hardly find the strength to get out of the car. It didn’t seem to matter either way, because he sidled over to the driver’s door and practically ripped it off its hinges, gesturing for her to exit. She did, clumsily.

And now the pair sat at her small, round dining table, a bowl of Cheetos between them. [Y/N] hadn’t the stomach to eat anything at the moment, and so her captor had coveted the bowl into his arms, chomping noisily while she looked on in silent terror.

After several fistfuls of cheesy snacks, the redheaded male piped up, “What’s your name, sweetcheeks? Mine’s Jerome, but I guess you know that already!” His snickered, watching her grip the tabletop as if to steady her poor, shaking hands.

“Uh… Um…”

He kicked her chair, earning a shriek. “What wazzat, girly? Can’t hear you when you won’t open your mouth.”

The female in question got her answer out much quicker this time, “[Y/N].”

Jerome made a long noise of acknowledgement, cheeks full of Cheetos and fingers lightly coated in orange dust. “Alrighty then - tell me about yourself. None of the boring shit, please.”

She was silent, blinking in disbelief. What the fuck did he want her to say? What was there to say in the first place?

His eyelids sunk, and he rose from the table, snorting as she flinched at his sudden movement. After unnecessarily using about half her bottle of dish soap in washing his fingers, he sat back down, her sink overflowing with suds. The murderer pulled his hat off, tossing it haphazardly behind him and letting his somewhat-flattened red hair float around his head. He rested his chin in his hands, blinking owlishly at the woman before him. “Okay - get it off your chest. Go ahead and beg for your life, or whatever. I know it’s bugging you,” Jerome sighed, absently checking his nails.

[Y/N] inhaled sharply, feeling a sob creeping up her throat, but she pushed it back down, still unable to stop the tears from winding down her cheeks. “I-I don’t know what you want, or what you’re looking for. I have money, I have jewelry, I have some nice things - whatever it is you want, you can have,” She offered hastily, her entire body alight with fear.

“I don’t want or need those things,” Jerome deadpanned, “I need somewhere to stay.”

The woman was quick to strike a new deal, “I can get you a hotel room, or a motel - anywhere you want!”

“Mhmm, and where are you going to find a place that will take me as a tenant?”

“Do you want weapons? I don’t really have anything of use, but I know people who do. Do you want to get out of the city? Out of the state? Country? Continent?”

“Tempting, but I’m pretty comfortable riiiiight here in Gotham.”

A few moments of silence passed the both of them by.

“Is there anyone that knows you that would let you stay with them?”

“You know me,” He commented, grinning toothily.

[Y/N] gulped, “I meant, like, friends?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Family?”

Jerome cackled. She took that as a negative.

“... Your, uh, cult, maybe?”

“Great people, lotsa fun,” He started, gesturing to his visage, “Totally untrustworthy. One of em’ tried to steal my look.”

She was at a loss.

“You done yet?” He inquired, leaning back in his seat.

The woman wiped at her tear-stained face with the sleeves of her sweater, and nodded minutely.

“Did that make you feel any better?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off almost immediately.

“Don’t answer that - I really don’t care,” Jerome interjected, “Now… Lemme hear about my wonderful host.”

A few minutes had passed by since the first time he’d asked her that, and she had no better insight into what exactly he wanted to hear. He seemed to take her silence as further confusion, and though he was exasperated, he didn’t seem close to violence - yet.

“Are you really going to make me do all the work here?” The criminal croaked, rolling his eyes to the ceiling, “Let’s start with something easy - you gotta job?”

Why, yes, Mr. Terrifying Serial Killer, I have a job stealing stuff from stores I don’t shop at! [Y/N] stumbled around her answer, “I work for a pawn shop, mostly for the owner’s wife. She’s a jeweler.” That was a safe reply - not a lie, but not the whole truth. Unfortunately, the man was much more perceptive than she had previously imagined. His eyes narrowed in her direction, and she could feel her stomach sink. What was the price for lying to Gotham’s resident scourge?

“Mhmm, yeah, and I murdered my parents,” Jerome retorted, making a big, pointless show with his hands as he spoke.

“But, uh, you actually did that, didn’t you? Or did I read the wrong tabloid?”

He let out a rapturous guffaw that had her nearly jumping out of her seat, but as soon as it came, it went, and he was back to being ‘serious’. “Yeah, no, I definitely killed them - I was just gloating.” The man suddenly bent forward, grabbing his hostage’s arm and yanking her towards him.

She yelped, taking ahold of his arm as well, but made no move to further the altercation. It was a fight that she would lose, no matter how lucky she usually was. Her breaths were short as he leaned in closer to her face, his still-healing scars able to be seen in great detail now that he was practically stealing the air she needed.

“I don’t know what those tabloids told you, but I’m not an idiot, sweetcheeks, and I know a lot about liars - one of them killed me, believe it or not!” Jerome whispered throatily, not moving away, “You’re definitely a liar, and lemme tell you something - you can’t lie to me, not even for a second.” He hooked his foot around the leg of her chair, drawing her even further into his grasp. The redhead’s voice darkened the more he spoke, “And if, by chance, you manage to lie to me, the next place you’ll find yourself lying is in the garbage disposal. Got it?”

He needn’t have asked, she was already scared shitless.

“Great, now that we’re on the same page, why don’t you tell me where you really work. This apartment is pretty middle-of-the-road for someone who claimed to have enough money to buy her life from me.”

[Y/N] wet her lips, eyeing her trapped arm nervously. He’d dragged her chair so far forward that their knees were touching, and she silently cursed her tiny choice in eating surfaces. It worked out so that she had to bend her torso across the table to reach him, and she found that the smooth edge digging into her stomach made it slightly painful to take breaths. She didn’t complain, she wouldn’t complain. It just wasn’t worth it. “Ah… I really do work for a pawn shop-”

“Did you not just listen to anything I said?”

The glint of malicious intent in his eyes grew larger, and so she hurried along with her explanation, “Hear me out - legally, on paper, I am a 24-hour consultant for this pawn shop. That’s how I do my income tax returns and shit. What I really do is… Uh… I steal expensive things from nice stores, and take them home.” Jerome stared at her in disbelief, and she took it as a sign to continue. “I go into the store a month or so beforehand to check for security cameras and exits and so-on - I was actually doing that when you… So kindly kidnapped me. I go back later, finesse the employees a little, and take home the goods.”

He blinked, still not believing what she said, but inveritably entertained by the idea. “And…?”

She swallowed. “I bag up what I stole, and stick it in envelopes to send to the pawn shop. What I send them is usually jewelry, so the wife disassembles it, keeps the stones, and liquidates the metals. They mail me checks every week, and again, strictly on paper this-” [Y/N] stiffly gestures with her free hand to the apartment around her, “Is the type of life that I can afford to live. The rest of the money finds its way here eventually. One of their friends is a mailman, so he usually delivers it by hand. It all works out pretty conveniently.”

“Why have money if you can’t spend it? Ya’ got it buried in the community garden or something?”

“Insurance? Greed? I don’t know. I’m actually working with another one my friends on that - she keeps a lot of my money for me, ‘cause she’s one of those rich-y types - I was planning on moving up in the world in a few months time…” She replied, watching her hand blanch from the lack of blood flow. He didn’t respond immediately, and the back of her neck began to sweat.

Finally, after what felt like years and years of waiting, the terrorist burst into a horrible peal of laughter, going so far as to release her arm in favor of falling the fuck out of his chair. She watched him cackle on the floor for at least a good two minutes before he snapped out of whatever psychotic trance he was in, rolling back onto his feet to sit at the table once more.

“I’m gonna be honest, babe, I was a little worried that you were going to be a real snooze-fest, but I think we’re going to get along just fine,” He reassured, only serving to make her more uncomfortable.

She didn’t know if it was worse to be ‘friends’ with the man who tore Gotham apart, or to be his enemy - either way, she was his victim.

Later, [Y/N] found herself sitting on the floor of her bathroom while Jerome used the shower. Just a few minutes beforehand, he’d taken the time to break her landline phone in half, and confiscate her cell phone, as well as several burner phones. He’d only been in her house for a little over two hours, and she had no idea where he could have possibly hidden her things. The man had then insisted that she not leave the room he was in so that she couldn’t do something productive - like run for her life, call for help, roll a joint, or knit a sweater.

In the meantime, the hostage woman read an old fashion magazine, and Jerome rattled her ears off.

“‘Strawberry Sunset’, huh? Ya’ know - I always thought girly products smelled better than men’s,” He rambled, a squashing sound following his words as he wasted her bathroom goods.

[Y/N] deadpanned back to him, “Be sure to rinse and repeat.”

The redhead made a noise of deliberation before he spoke again, “Does that shit really work? Isn’t it just a ploy to get people to buy more soap goo?”

“Nope,” She responded, popping the ‘p’, “First wash breaks down the dirt, second takes the debris out. Don’t believe me? It’ll lather more the second time.”

A few minutes passed by before the murderer let out a short shriek of laughter, “I’ll be damned! You’re right!”

Too busy rubbing her bruised head that she earned when his outburst startled her, [Y/N] could only manage to comment, “Conditioner should be left on for at least three minutes before a rinse.”

He poked his head out from behind the curtain, scarred lips pulled into a mirthful grin, “Thanks, babe. Maybe you should come in here and help me wash up. Whaddaya say?”

She immediately shriveled, clutching her magazine tighter as she stared at him. “Uh… No, thank you. I think I’ll have a shower after you.”

After a little wink, he pulled his head back behind the curtain. “And what am I supposed to do to entertain myself while you shower…?”

The woman cringed. “I don’t know - when you get out, I’ll get in. I’ll hurry, I promise.”

He chuckled darkly, coughing a few times. “Don’t sweat it, chica - I’ll spend a while smelling the rest of your girl-products, so you’ve got a few minutes before I get bored and start breaking shit.”

[Y/N] made a grunt of acknowledgement, looking up from her magazine a few moments later to see that Jerome had abruptly stepped out of the bathtub - completely nude.

“Oh - GOD, dude, you couldn’t have given me a little warning?” She shrieked, averting her gaze to hastily dig for a towel in the cubby behind her. With a timid, but urgent hand, the linen was held out to him, her eyelids cinched shut.

Jerome giggled the entire time he dried off, only stopping once to give his captive a long, pointed stare. “You got virgin eyes, or something?”

The woman ground her teeth together, “No - I just don’t get up in the morning hoping that some murderer will show me his cock.”

“C’mon, what’s a little nudity amongst friends?” He crooned, taking great care in going through her personal soaps and lotions, “Speaking of which, you might wanna strip now if you expect to have a shower tonight. I’d be glad to pull you out of there naked if you take too long.”

She still hadn’t opened her eyes, but reluctantly shucked off her clothing, jumping into the tub before he could so much as glance at her body. What followed was possibly the fastest washing she’d ever done - totalling about two minutes - as well as the quickest drying she’d ever done. When she was securely wrapped in a towel, she found that the redhead was unabashedly using her toothbrush.

[Y/N] didn’t even blink at his rudeness, opening up the bathroom cabinet and ripping a new brush straight from the package. If she was going to be slaughtered anyways, she’d make sure he wouldn’t have half as much fun as he hoped he would.

Jerome then turned to burn his old clothes in her kitchen sink, watching with glee as the ashes were swallowed by the drain. “It’s a new, new, new beginning for me, toots.”

Feeling horribly pessimistic, the hostage frowned, eyeing the fresh garments he’d borrowed from the things old flames had left her - a pair of weathered boxers and a large, dark-green t-shirt. He’d egged her on about it, wondering if she had a ‘ball-and-chain’ and if she knew they’d have to die. “More like the beginning of the end, for me,” She grumbled.

“Ah, but a beginning nonetheless!” The man exclaimed, shutting off the faucet so hard the handles nearly came loose, “Now - there any beds around here, babe?”

Her grimace deepened. Babe. She hoped he choked to death in his sleep. “My room is right over there. I suppose you won’t be staying on the couch?”

Jerome raised his eyebrows at her pointedly. “Do I look like the kinda guy that crashes on my victim’s couch?”

She didn’t reply, turning towards her futon. “I’ll take the couch, then.”

His voice called out from her bedroom, “Ah, ah, ah! You know I can’t leave you unattended out there, sweet cheeks.”

[Y/N] grew endlessly more frustrated, “Alright, awesome! I’ll just pass out on the fucking floor over here, then!” In a fit of uncontained rage, she stormed past the redhead, tearing a blanket off her bed and collapsing in a heap by the window.

No sooner than her body had hit the ground, a fist snaked its way into her hair, wrenching her half-upright. He growled in her ear, dragging the woman towards her own bed, “Listen, honey, it’s been over a year since I’ve slept in a bed this nice - let alone with a woman. So you’re going to lay here and keep your mouth shut, if you know what’s good for you.” Haphazardly, the criminal tossed her onto the mattress, climbing in after her. Bemused, he watched as she sunk beneath the covers, teetering on the very edge so as to avoid being near him.

A low groan exited her lips as she felt a large hand close around her upper arm, pulling her against the murderer behind her. She didn’t protest, didn’t complain, she only buried her face in her hands, breathing shallowly. What the fuck was going on? His arms snaked around her middle, his face in the crook of her neck. Minutes passed, and her shock continued to wear off - there was no getting out of this situation, was there? [Y/N] was going to be gutted and stuffed down her shower drain, or at the very least strung up by her intestines.

The minutes blended together, and over an hour later, she found herself still lying wide-awake against his snoozing form. But Jerome wasn’t really snoozing, was he? Everytime she shifted, everytime she shivered, every time she whimpered - he would tighten his hold around her ribcage, or would grumble unfriendly things against her skin.

After another half-hour of fidgeting, the redhead grew tired of her constant movement. “You’re not going to fall asleep, are you?” He deadpanned, slowly reaching to grab both of the female’s wrists in one hand, “If you insist on being difficult, I guess I’ll be difficult, too.”

Fingers wrapped around her throat, squeezing until she could only take the most uselessly tiny breaths. Jerome had rolled onto her just slightly, trapping her legs beneath his body. There didn’t appear to be any real leverage in struggling.

Rhythmically, he would tighten and loosen his grip, allowing her the precious fragments of air that she needed to stay alive. Tears bowled down her cheeks as she gasped and spluttered, only getting faux-comforting hushes from the man in her bed. It took just a few minutes before her body got tired of fighting, and she succumbed to the darkness that surrounded her.

Two weeks later, and she was having an incredibly hard time keeping the terrorist entertained. At first, violent books and movies kept him sated - so long as she provided him with a healthy dose of alcohol to wash down the fictional atrocities. Then it progressed to board games and card games, most of which he won. Finally, she reached a point where the only things that held his attention were pain games.

Who can stand under the steaming spray of water the longest? How about sitting in an ice bath? Who can hold their breath the longest? Who can sit upside down the longest? Who can eat more spicy foods without needing water? Who can do the most push ups? Sit ups? Jumping jacks? The longest plank? The longest wall sit? The most 5-pound reps? How about we just hold our arms up for as long as possible?

The most recent, taxing, and upsetting game he’d come up with was a game of chance. Jerome and [Y/N] would play ‘War’, each laying down a card to see who had the highest number, and the winner would get to clamp a clothespin on the other person’s skin - wherever they pleased.

Neither of the pair seemed to be winning, each having an array of pins stuck to themselves, but the murderer didn’t appear to mind the constant, stinging pains as much as the thief did.

“Fuck,” She groaned, resisting the urge to rip off the clothespin that her opponent had just attached to her nostril, “I think I need to be done with this game for right now. It’s about dinner time - you hungry?” Carefully, she pulled her skin free from the jaws that pinched her so tightly, and rose from her seat.

Jerome sighed, taking the idle time to stick more pins to himself, but didn’t object to [Y/N]’s request to stop their little game. While she looked in the pantry for something to cook, the sadistic wheels in his head started turning. “I was getting kinda bored with that game anyways…” He grumbled, putting the clothespins in a pile on the table. Glancing around the room, he tried to find a new source of entertainment. As he watched her figure flit about the floorboards, all of the gears finally clicked into place. “Forget about dinner for now,” He commanded, starting to dig through her cupboards and drawers, “You got any duct tape?”

The woman furrowed her eyebrows, setting a saucepan down on the counter, “Yeah, it’s somewhere around here. What do you need that for?” She started towards her bedroom, wondering if she’d left the tape in another area of the house. As she rummaged around in her closet, she could still hear the murderer humming to himself in the other room.

A snicker crept its way from between his lips, and he called out towards his captive, “Hey - you said you weren’t a virgin, right?”

[Y/N] clammed up both physically and verbally, silently pulling her body from the bulk of clothes and coat hangers that existed in her closet. She didn’t bother trying to reply, a shudder running up her spine and back down. His cackles seemed to exist in surround sound, coming from every corner of the apartment. Jerome’s laughter slowed, deepened, until his voice practically vibrated the walls around her. Her hand crept up towards her mouth, and she grasped the handle of a locationally useless fire-poker with her free appendage.

“I bet you scream like one.”

Immediately, she jumped into action, slamming her bedroom door shut before he could get any closer. [Y/N] had already been preparing for the day that he’d get bored with mundane, everyday interactions and start reaching for her panties. She’d gotten the inkling that he was interested in sex when he started rubbing his morning wood along her backside, finding release against her prone, sleepy body. An even bigger tip-off was when he promptly offered to clean out her coochie with his ‘magic stain stick’.

With the lock in place, she scrambled to shove heavy objects in front of the door - her dresser, a chest of linens, an antique vanity - anything to slow his advance to her pants. The hostage knew it was inevitable, but she figured that the noise he made trying to break in would perhaps alert the neighbors, if they cared at all. She pushed her bed against the wall, crawling beneath it with the fire-poker still tightly grasped in a shaky fist. Three solid knocks followed a grumble of frustration as Jerome jiggling the door handle. She cowered in anticipation, shrinking to the farthest corner of her bed as he tried to get in.

“Alright… I’ll make this a little challenge to myself, [Y/N],” He started, his voice scratchy and somewhat annoyed, “If I can’t get this door open within two minutes, I won’t totally fuck you senseless.”

God, why do you hate me? The woman inwardly groaned, her eyes rolling so far backwards she could she her own ass. About 30 seconds passed by while the criminal in the other room rattled around with the doorknob. She was beginning to feel hopeful when she heard the shrill ring of a power drill echoing back into her ears. Moments later, there was a heavy thud against her floorboards.

He cracked open the door, sticking his head through to peer around the bedroom. “I’d say something classic like ‘Here’s Johnny!’, but my name doesn’t end with quite the right sound for that, ya’ know?” Jerome quipped, using a single hard push to completely negate the barricade she’d set up, “Also - is there really any use in hiding in here? You’re either in the closet, or you’re under the bed. I already know you’re under the bed, but I’ll check the closet first if it’ll make you feel better.”

[Y/N] cringed at his words, already feeling embarrassed as he looked around her linens, feigning surprise that his captive wasn’t tucked between the laundry. Her whole body quivered as he stepped to the bed, a jaunty whistle on his lips.

The man stooped down, about to peek behind the hanging sheet, when something else caught his attention. “Hm? And what might this be?” He queried, his hand diving towards a drawer that sat nestled in the upper left corner of her bed, “I know for a fact that I’ve snooped through all of your shit at least twice now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this little treasure chest.”

This. This was the worst possible thing that could have happened in this situation. Her bed had been carefully positioned against her nightstand for months now, hiding her little drawer of toys from prying eyes. In her haste, she’d completely forgotten that they’d been there. It wasn’t as if she’d had time to rub one out while Jerome was taking up space in her apartment. As she settled a palm over her face, she heard the drawer open.

“Oh, shit, babe, and here I was thinkin’ that you were a prude!” He exclaimed, rummaging unabashedly through her sex toys. After several moments of rude comments and cackling, a new sound entered the room around them. Vibrating. “Oh-ho-ho… [Y/N], you are exactly the type of freak I need.”

Holy fucking shit. The woman hardly had time to get that thought out before a hand wrapped around her ankle, dragging her from under the bed. She squealed, feeling the skin of her knees begin to burn as they were pulled across a throw rug. Immediately, she grasped onto his calves, dragging him down to the floor with her. Their limbs tangled together, each person fighting for dominance. Frantic fingers grasped for the iron poker that she’d dropped in her panic, quickly maneuvering it back into grip.

Woosh. SMACK!

From her unfortunate place beneath him, [Y/N] took a swing at Jerome, only to find that her much longer weapon had simply collided with the vibrating dildo that he’d pulled from her stash.

“Eh… En garde?” The criminal teased, nearly choking on his own laughter. He reactivated the vibrations, setting them to full speed, and the waves passed easily through the poker. She dropped it almost immediately onto her chest, too stunned to react in the appropriate life-or-death manner. This time, he reached it first, his hand wrapped close to the sharp end as he pointed it at her throat. The vibrations quieted.

The woman was tired. Tired of his antics, of his bullshit, of his jokes, of his lustful gaze drinking in her form. “Didn’t know you were a necrophiliac, ‘Romey. How about we get this over with? We had a good run.”

He scoffed, practically spitting in her face as he did so. Jerome sat upright, letting all his weight rest on her hip bones as he tossed the iron object behind him. “Necrophilia? What’s the fun in fuckin’ a dead body, baby? Wasn’t planning on that,” He chuckled, like the whole situation was no big deal.

“Well, you’re not fuckin’ me, so make a decision. Death or roommates?” [Y/N] deadpanned, laying limp beneath his body, her arms lazily at her sides.

“Aw, babe. Isn’t there anything I can do to convince you?” He swooned, leaning back down to her level, shifting his weight to his knees. A hand snaked down between her thighs, resting a thick, purple toy lightly against her pajama-clothed core.

She didn’t appear to notice, staring directly at the ceiling as if to avoid his presence. “Uh-uh. Nope. Notta.”

“Is there anything I can do to make you,” He breathed, turning the violet vibrator on, feeling it resonate through her garments, “Reconsider…?”

Almost immediately, she shivered and writhed beneath him, the machinations being directly on her clitoris felt borderline uncomfortable. “Ah - ah - I don’t know about that, this is already a little much - shit!” [Y/N] felt him shift the toy just slightly upwards, taking the powerful waves of pleasure just a touch away from the bundle of nerves.

She practically melted into the floorboards the both of them were laying on, she was so horny. Jerome started to giggle at her embarrassing little feat of desperation, and watched as her face went between anger and ecstasy. “You’re kind of a whore, you know that?” He asked nonchalantly, rolling the dildo around her core as she hissed and cursed at him, “What, with all these toys - you probably get around, don’t you?”

The woman tried to stifle her gasps and moments of breathlessness, but they were apparent even on her face as he worked her clit like he’d done it a million times before. Still, she managed a grimace, an unimpressed glare. “Don’t need to get around when I’ve got that drawer stocked full. Also - it’s none of your business!”

“Oh, but I think it is,” He purred, setting the toy aside to let his fingers peel back her pants, “C’mon, how many guys? Two? Twelve? Twelve-hundred?”

She gave him a cheeky smile, pulled her legs towards her body to stop him from getting her clothes all the way off. “Guys? Honey, it’s mostly girls. I didn’t take you for a terrorist and a homophobe!”

Jerome rolled his eyes, “You know what I meant.” He fumbled with the waist of her pants, hardly able to get them past her hipbones. She wiggled and folded her figure like a wet noodle, endlessly slipping from his strong hands. “I’m beginning to think that killing you would be more fun…”

[Y/N] cackled, having reached a certain point of mania that had been boiling in her system ever since she’d become a prisoner in her own home. “The more you squeeze, the more it slips away, ‘Romey-o!” She wrapped her arms around her knees in a vice-like grip, curled into an unbreakable fetal position, still giggling, still wiggling.

Now laughing too, to the point of snorting, Jerome abandoned his attempts to remove her clothing and shucked off his own, bearing his entirely naked self to the woman beneath him.

She choked on her chuckles, the sight of his hard cock against his stomach was almost enough to snap her out of her manic episode. Still, she remained wrapped in herself, intent on making the next several minutes as difficult as possible for him. What a schmuck! Did he think the sight of his dick would be hypnotizing? She’d seen some that were just as big, and used silicone ones that were definitely bigger. This thought make her break out into another fit of giggles.

Normally he’d be howling along with someone so deep in hysteria, but the notion that she was laughing at his manhood was emasculating. A scowl painted across his face, and he took ahold of her t-shirt, yanking her upright until they both sat face-to-face, one of them much more jovial than the other.

“Listen, I know funny. What’s so fucking funny right now?” He growled, the muscles in his arms twitching with fury.

Still, tears of pure hilarity leaked from her eyes, her laughs now so tiring that they were dead silent. Small gasps went into and out of her system, but she struggled out a sentence, “Ha… Ha… Oh my god, you’re insane! You’re absolutely nuts! By the way, you’ve got some big ones!” [Y/N] broke into another peal of laughter, not even blinking when the man before her started shaking her senseless.

After this went on until she was too dizzy to laugh anymore, Jerome felt the gears in his head begin to click, “You’re not too sane yourself, you cheeky bitch.” He pulled her closer, “Now take off your clothes.”

She weakly began to take off her shirt, still trying to catch her breath by the time she got to her bra. The man that had suddenly become so aggressive had already torn her pants and underwear off, waiting impatiently to see her luscious, bare breasts - as if he hadn’t seen her naked already.

Without a word of want or warning, Jerome ran his hand through her hair, snagging a large knot of it between his fingers. He stood up in front of her, pulled her locks backwards as he forced his balls into her mouth, crushing her nose against his pubis.

She immediately began to choke and splutter, pushing on his thighs as if the woman could ever match him in strength. [Y/N] glanced up at him through teary eyes, only getting tiny sniffs of breath as she struggled to get away from the redhead.

“Hey, c’mon, baby,” He hushed, pressing her harder still against his crotch, “You were saying how much you liked my giant balls, weren’t you? I thought you’d enjoy a little taste.” A fit of cackling wracked through his body, allowing just a few moments of air before he shoved her closer once again, eyeing the copious amounts of drool that dribbled down her chin. “While you’re there, though, why don’t you do me a favor and give me a little oral massage?”

All she could do was grimace at him as she rolled her tongue over his hairy nutsack, hollowing out her cheeks just slightly.

A few curse words flung from his lips, followed by more unwarranted teasing, “That just feels so damn good, sweetcheeks. Carrying around these heavy, huge balls all day is tiring. I’m so glad you care, but we’ve got bigger problems here.” Jerome suddenly released her from his grasp, watching her sink farther to her knees as heaved and wiped at her face.

No sooner than she had been let go, a light smack on her cheek jolted her out of the air-desperate haze she’d been in. Glancing up at him, [Y/N] was disappointed to see his hand wrapped around his cock. She noticed the precum leaking from its tip, and felt a bit of thick, creamy residue on the side of her face. Opening her mouth with disbelief, she made a move to accuse him, “Did you just hit me in the fucking face with your fucking ugly dic-”

He took the opportunity to shove his length down her throat, not bothering to let her finish her sentence. In fact, Jerome could hardly be bothered with her immediate satisfaction at all. What he really cared about was getting an ‘A+’ blowjob, complete with a gold star. “If this goes well,” He paused, adjusting her so his cock could reach further back in her throat, “Maybe I’ll give you a little treat.”

[Y/N] grumbled around his manhood, almost daring to drag her teeth along his length, but out of simple fright, she kept the reins on herself tight.

“If this goes really well, you’ll get two treats! One of them you’ll have to swallow to enjoy,” He giggling before breaking out into a coughing fit, jostling the woman around as he moved. The redhead laughed harder when she started gagging, giving him a stern glare. Jerome heard her mumble something unintelligible around his cock, eliciting a deep groan from his chest as he felt his balls draw upwards. “Shit, I’ve needed this for about two years now, did you know that?”

She didn’t, having never asked him when the last time some girl had her lips wrapped around his penis while they were held hostage in their own home. About to mumble another sarcastic reply, she was greeted by a shocking wave of seed spilling down her throat, completely cutting off her air as he dug deeper to make sure she had no choice but to swallow. Several seconds passed by before she felt his grip on her hair loosen, and she [Y/N] immediately pulled away, coughing, heaving, and drooling all over the floor. A moan came from behind her, and she watched as his eyes rolled back in post-orgasm bliss, feeling incredibly grumpy (but also turned on) by his attitude. Where was her orgasm? That felt like the question of the century.

Finally, he snapped back into action, hardly needing any time to recover, though his dick was soft now. “Alrighty, that was excellent - now, I was supposed to give you a treat, but guess what?” Jerome exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands, “I’m not hard anymore! So you’ll have to wait awhile, and I’ll go watch some porn-on-demand? You okay with that?”

She opened her mouth to express how offended she was by the offer, but was interrupted, as she usually was when dealing with him.

“Don’t answer that, I don’t care,” He dismissed, turning around to grab something off of the dresser that still stood in front of her door, displaced by the shove it had taken to break the barricade. When he turned back around, a roll of duct tape was in his hands, and he yanked a long length of it off, using his teeth to cut through the adhesive.

[Y/N] had just gotten herself off the floor when she noticed his advancements, and she hurriedly stumbled backwards to avoid his grasp, once again reaching for the fire-poker to defend herself. Unfortunately, he was too fast, she was too light-headed, and the room was too small to find any source of real escape.

So they were pressed together, naked as they were before, but the roll of duct tape was empty, and the woman was in a tight predicament. She tried to scream through the tape on her mouth, muffled both by the numerous lengths he’d wrapped around her head, and by the used panties stuffed in between her cheeks. Her hands were tightly bound together, and then folded closed until they looked like little stubs at the ends of her forearms. Lower on her body, [Y/N]’s feet shared the same fate, leaving her unable to walk even single steps, or stand whatsoever. After all that work and tape, Jerome had still taken the time to bind her knees and elbows, leaving her halfway mummified and incredibly pissed off.

“Now, I go watch porn, and you can… Roll around like a baby, or take a nap! Either way, you’d still be my helpless, pathetic lady-captive - and you will be for an indefinite amount of time,” He watched her struggle and beg from behind locked lips, and after a moment of thought, he gave in, “Fine, if you wanna be difficult, I’ve got a couple strips of tape left.”

Without hesitation, she shook her head adamantly, watching him grab a few smaller strips of adhesive to do… Whatever the hell he was going to do. He ambled behind her bound form, and she could hear him rummage through her little drawer once more. She began to sweat, using her knees and elbows to try and crawl away from his malicious fingers.

Like a slithering, slimy snake, he was quick and nimble to grab her taped feet, dragging her against the carpet like he’d done before. In just seconds, he had two bullet vibrators stuffed between her pussy lips, and one in her puckered ass, the wires streaming out from within her body, holes both covered with the last of the tape. He wiped his hands together to congratulate himself for the job well done, and gave her sides a little tickle before he strode back to the door. “Hope you’re more comfortable, now, chica, I’ll check on you later!”

Before she could mutely protest, Jerome had shut the door behind him, leaving her to suffer on her bedroom floor. She breathed heavily through her nose, the vibrators making her inner walls flutter and clench. [Y/N] cringed against the sensations, angry with herself for even owning sex toys at this point. She should’ve just gotten a date to take care of her troubles - not that it was a good idea either, considering they would be dead by now.

There was hope, though, and she wasted much energy trying to achieve that little glimmer of promise. The moisture that naturally came from her mouth and nose should loosen the tape around her mouth, and eventually, when she can spit out her panties, she’d be able to… Basically beg him to let her out. It was the only alternative, her hands, feet, and everything else were completely useless.

Several minutes passed, then several more, then several more. She tongued at and licked around her lips, poking at the tape from behind. Eventually, with much relief, she found success. With the tape still clinging to her head, she spat out her underwear, and crawled over to the door, banging on it weakly with her stubby hands. “Jerome! Let me the fuck out of this room right now! I’m warning you! I may be tiny, but I’m pissed and horny, so I’ll at least draw some blood.”

Silence.

She pressed her ear to the door. The TV could be faintly heard, but little else. Shit. Had he left the apartment? Had he left her, tied up, on the floor, with no one to save her? Was she going to starve to death with her cunt and ass plugged?

Finally, she heard a noise. It was the sound of him smacking the door right where her face was, making her fall away from required listening position.

“Listen, sweetcheeks, it’s almost been an hour. I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’ve been rock hard since I closed up your little holes - I just like knowing that you’re suffering on my account,” He admitted, tapping his fingers absently on the door panels, “And the threats certainly aren’t doing you any favors. I might leave you in there for a few more hours, see how you’re feeling then.” Jerome made a huge effort in making his footsteps audible, so she’d know he’d walked away.

Close to tears with frustration, she called out again, “Jerome - please, no. What can I do for you to let me out?”

His footsteps stopped, then reversed, and he tried to conceal his giggles of excitement as he ground out, “What are you willing to offer?”

This was a trap. She knew what he wanted her to say, and she knew she’d say it. The pulsing between her legs was too much, her body ached, and quite frankly, she needed to take a piss pretty badly. With a sigh, she replied, “Anything, Jerome, what do you want? I’ll give anything.”

A deep, unsettling chuckle vibrated up through his body, and he leaned closer to the door so she could properly feel the ice in his voice. “I want everything, baby. Are you willing to give it to me?”

[Y/N] blanched. It’s a trap. It’s a trap. He’s going to do something fucked up to her, and she was completely aware - maybe a little intrigued, as well. Defeated, she whispered, “Yeah… Yeah, I’ll give you everything.”

“What was that?”

More forceful, now, she repeated herself, “I said I’ll give you everything.”

“One more time?”

“Everything, Jerome, if I can give it, you can take it from me.” She shut her eyes, slowly relaxing her prone body to the floorboards once again.

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

-

I didn’t proofread the sexy part of this, sorry. Wanted to get this late, late, late post out to you guys. Lemme know if you’d wanna see more! - writersindigestion

[sage-nebula]

The more I think about it, the more I realize how much sense it makes that Giovanni was the one to take charge in Team Rainbow Rocket, as well as how honestly easy it would be for him to get all the others to listen to and cooperate with him (at least for the time being).

I think the reason a lot of people don’t take Team Rocket as seriously as they should is---well, there are a few reasons. The first is the TRio’s comedic presence in the anime, the second is that they’re underutilized, and the third is that people very often equate “yakuza” to “gang” which is just . . . it’s like comparing a wolf to a chihuahua. Thinking that the yakuza are an underground gang and aren’t that threatening is laughably incorrect (and I’m talking incredulous laughter here). As far as the TRio are concerned, it should be noted that they’re the exception rather than the rule as it pertains to Team Rocket in the anime. Jessie, James, and Meowth are especially incompetent for their positions. Other Team Rocket operatives (whether we’re talking Butch and Cassidy, or Domino, or even unnamed grunts) are always shown to be far more competent and capable than Jessie and James. So judging game!Rocket on the TRio is a mistake on every level. Actual Rockets are far more dangerous.

And while it’s true that Team Rocket was severely underutilized in the games in which they starred, that’s largely due to the first generation being severely limited when it comes to how much data they could contain. Both generations (particularly Gen II) had their cartridges packed to the limit as it was; considering they were already struggling to contain everything, Game Freak decided to focus more on the gameplay, graphics, music, et cetera than they did the story. Gen I barely had a story at all as a result of this, and Gen II’s story was a direct sequel to Gen I’s, meaning that it didn’t have much to work with (and therefore did the best it could). Because of this, while all of the hallmarks of Team Rocket being based on the yakuza are there (e.g. they run a Game Corner, they murder the marowak in Lavender Tower, Giovanni is directly involved in politics by being a Gym Leader, et cetera), we don’t get to fully explore what exactly that entails. Had Gen I focused on, say, Sinnoh and Galactic instead, they would have met the same exact fate. Had Kanto and Team Rocket come in a later generation, I can promise you the story would be a lot deeper (and, uh, probably way too dark for a kid’s game).

It can be very easy to equate the yakuza to a gang, but in all honesty, yakuza are far more than that. While it’s true that yakuza are known for operating within the criminal world (in things like drug trade, human trafficking, assassinations, gambling, you name it), they also have a lot of dealings with politics (both Japanese and international), as well as dealings within the private sector. For instance, one of the most famous (infamous?) yakuza, Kodama Yoshio, was known for not only aiding the rise of organized crime in Japan (and being a prominent figure for moving opiates into Japan for distribution and sale), but also assisted both the Japanese government and the United States government at different times. Specifically, during World War 2 the Japanese government contracted Kodama to smuggle supplies (including weapons) from China into Japan in order to aid with the war effort (and this was also when he began his opiates trafficking in order to line his pockets). After the war he was arrested by the United States for being a war criminal, but the United States government later secured his release so that he could assist them in rooting out communist and socialist sympathizers in Japan so that the U.S. could fight communism. In this way, Kodama (and his very large yakuza network) played a huge part in international politics and really made a mark on history.

And this isn’t isolated. There are divisions of the yakuza all over the world, to the point where they’re recognized as a transnational crime syndicate despite how they originated in Japan (and have history there dating all the way back to the Edo period). And while the yakuza might have started in the criminal “underworld”, they’re really . . . not that underground anymore. Instead, yakuza divisions are seen as somewhat legitimate organizations within Japan, to the point where the Yamaguchi-gumi were able to openly and immediately assist with disaster relief following the Kobe earthquake in 1995, responding even faster than the actual Japanese government did. (And they did the same thing after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.) And as I said, they do work in the private sector as well, such as by operating protection rackets in which they’re hired by corporations to attend stakeholder meetings in order to pressure rival companies or employees into folding or giving in to what the person who hired the yakuza operatives want. If the yakuza were purely underground that . . . wouldn’t really happen.

All of this is to say: Yakuza are not “just yakuza,” and if Team Rocket---particularly a Team Rocket that succeeded and thrived in their universe---is truly meant to be yakuza, that is a huge deal. There are yakuza divisions not only in Japan, but also in the Philippines (they’re apparently a huge source of human trafficking there), Korea, the United States, and potentially others. Since they’re semi-open, they have heavy influence in politics and businesses. They still commit heinous crimes (obviously), but they also offer protection services and the like in order to gain public favor. They’re extremely influential and extremely dangerous, even if they’re not dipping into the realm of fantasy by trying to start the apocalypse.

So, with that said? In my opinion, they’re way more terrifying than most of the villainous organizations we’ve had so far.

Team Aqua and Team Magma both wanted to start the apocalypse, yes. But they needed the legendary pokémon in order to do that, and they only managed to succeed in that through honestly contrived circumstances that occurred because the plot necessitated it. However, particularly because they were so focused on this one goal, if anything prevented them from getting at the legendary pokémon, they’d be powerless to do jack about it. Not to mention that, since Team Rocket would have plenty of political influence and power, should they need to, they could probably have Archie and Maxie arrested, tried, and convicted on charges of domestic terrorism (or at least conspiracy to commit). Yeah, Team Rocket obviously commits their fair share of crimes as well, but so do the yakuza in the real world, and yet they still manage to influence the political and criminal justice systems. Not always to their favor, depending, but when money changes hands and pressure is applied, things happen. Neither Archie nor Maxie have even a shred of political clout to fight back against that. If Giovanni, as Gym Leader, has words with whoever the Kanto Champion is at the moment (Lance, I’m assuming), and gets him to talk to Steven (who wouldn’t reasonably be able to say “nah” if there is evidence, real or contrived, that Archie and Maxie want to commit the apocalypse), then the Hoenn government might actually have to get off its ass and do something about those two eco-terrorists. That threat would be neutralized. On the other hand, if Archie and Maxie want to cooperate, then Giovanni can help ensure that they and theirs are cut deals and receive reduced sentences, if any at all. In fact, depending on the deals that are made, it’s likely even possible to convince them that if they cooperate for now, they can get their way later, particularly once they get their hands on their respective legendaries (because they never actually caught Kyogre or Groudon even if they succeeded in their respective universes, so they’d need to reawaken this universe’s Kyogre and Groudon to get what they want). Of course, joke’s on them, because Giovanni would never allow them to do that---but the idea would be there nonetheless. So, there’s Archie and Maxie.

Cyrus is in an even worse position than Cyrus and Maxie. Aqua and Magma are potential terrorists, but Galactic are actual terrorists, as seen by how they bomb the lakes as part of the game’s natural storyline. If it would be possible to lay pressure on Hoenn to prosecute Aqua and Magma for conspiracy to commit, then it would be more than possible to do the same to Sinnoh. (And even though Kanto is a different region, Kanto could reasonably pressure both Hoenn and Sinnoh to act based on the threat to the world at large, rather than just those specific organizations.) Cyrus has a god complex and so we know that he doesn’t care very much when Cynthia tries to stop him, but nonetheless, Galactic manufacture and use actual explosives even before the climax of the story, among other things. And while Rocket is no stranger to this, again, they have political clout and influence, they’re semi-public with things like their Game Corner, they have power within the law that Galactic simply does not. While Cyrus is trying to remake the entire universe, he requires legendary pokémon in order to actually do that, and if he never gets the legendary pokémon, Team Rocket actually overpowers him due to the influence they have if they’re truly meant to be yakuza. I mean, ffs, they were able to take over Saffron City and Silph Co., and the police weren’t really called on them either because the employees of Silph Co. were too terrified to call the police, or because the police in Saffron City were on the payroll and thus weren’t about to do anything about it. Galactic doesn’t have that kind of influence, because Cyrus has never tried to go after it. They’re not that kind of organization.

And that said, you might be thinking, “But if Cyrus also succeeded, then he should have the legendary already, and thus he’s more powerful than Giovanni, since Team Rocket never cared about legendaries!” I see that point, but I raise you the same secondary point posed to Archie and Maxie, at least to a similar degree. Giovanni, as yakuza, is very, very open to making deals. Cyrus, as a purely logical man who detests emotion, is open to rationale and hearing others out. It’s entirely possible (probable, even) that when Giovanni approached him, he offered to cut him a deal in some way, shape, or form that Cyrus felt would benefit him until he can carry out his plans. Perhaps Giovanni offered to allow Cyrus and his Galactic grunts to make use of a portion of Team Rocket’s resources (money, weapons, pokémon) in order to further his plans in exchange for Cyrus’ cooperation. Cyrus would be getting free weapons and ammunition out of this (well, seemingly free), while Giovanni would have Cyrus’ ensured cooperation for the time being. Again, not permanent---but whereas Cyrus just has a world full of emotionless zombies, Giovanni is filthy rich and has all of the resources of his world at his disposal. Those are resources Cyrus could use if he wants to spread his ideals to another universe. Therefore, it’s entirely possible he would be willing to make a deal, thinking that it’s only temporary until he gets what he wants. He thinks he’s using Giovanni, but he doesn’t realize that Giovanni sees it as the other way around.

As for Plasma, I’m going to be blunt: Ghetsis is a punk-ass bitch who has no problems playing the long game and pretended to be the most devoted advisor to a young boy until he got to say “you thought you were king, but it was I, Ghetsis!” at the end of the game. Ghetsis would have absolutely no problem whatsoever “taking orders” from Giovanni if he thought it would get him what he wanted. Particularly since Plasma likes to pretend that they’re a bunch of pokémon rights’ activists (at least until the second game), it would be very natural for him to pretend to serve and assist Giovanni, acting as though he’s perfectly content to be the one whispering secrets into his boss’s ear, while at the same time scheming and manipulating behind the scenes to wrest power away later once he finds a way to (you guessed it) get a legendary pokémon on his side. Joke’s on him because Giovanni is part-politician and can scheme with the best of them, but again, it’d be even easier to make a deal with Ghetsis than it would with Cyrus.

Lysandre is literally coming from a world where the vast majority of humans and pokémon are dead. He did this in the name of “saving resources” and “preserving beauty,” but considering that humans and pokémon are needed to actually create things, his thought of “I know, genocide is clearly the best solution!” was one of the most poorly conceived plans in existence, the point being that he, in particular, has nothing aside from whatever wealth he accumulated while building Team Flare (which tbh is a lot, considering each grunt had to pony up five million bucks in cash to join). Even if he, for whatever reason, wants to unleash this Hell on another universe, he’s going to have to go through a lot to do that. The ultimate weapon is still all the way in Kalos, while he’s in Alola. He is rich, unless he wasted all that money, but aside from that he really doesn’t have very much. He especially doesn’t have very much in comparison to Team Rocket, all of whom are not dead, have transnational influence in the world where they succeeded, and have plenty of pokémon and actual, portable weaponry at their disposal. So considering that, yeah, once again, we’re seeing a power skew here. But Giovanni would be willing to make a deal, and Lysandre---a businessman himself---would see the value in that kind of deal. He forms a partnership between Fleur-De-Lis Laboratories and Team Rocket, and Team Rocket will provide him with the resources he needs to restart Team Flare in this new universe. Both Lysandre and Giovanni are (once again) no doubt thinking of double-crossing each other at some undetermined point in time, but nonetheless, provided Lysandre upholds whatever part of the bargain he agreed to, they have cooperation for the time being.

The Aether Foundation had terrifying potential, but they’re not actually villainous in canon. It’s tragic, but true. They were “evil” for all of about five minutes, and it’s implied (though truthfully not outright stated) that this was because of neurotoxins. Most of their efforts are pokémon conservation, and they seem to be largely non-profit. They’re nothing in the eyes of the yakuza. If anything, it’d be more likely that Giovanni and Lusamine would become involved in a business sense, in that Team Rocket would traffic pokémon from other parts of the world into the Aether Foundation in order to boost the Aether Foundation’s reputation as a charitable organization dedicated to pokémon conservation. In that way they would become corrupt, but they would be able to actually become a profitable organization and spread their influence to regions other than just Alola. All the while, no one knows that they’re actually cooperating with a crime syndicate. So there you have it: Lusamine is on board. (And if not Lusamine, then Faba, who would love to have Giovanni give him even more power and prestige than he already is, given what a pretentious little fuck he is.)

And as for Skull? Skull are chinpira. Chinpira are (usually underaged) street gangs in Japan that are sometimes called “baby yakuza” or “yakuza in training.” Particularly considering that all Guzma does is yell at and abuse his underage grunts, it would be too easy for them to be swept over to Rocket instead. Team Skull already has literally nothing, and Guzma already has no power (hence why he’s so easily used and discarded by Lusamine). He is of absolutely no threat or concern to someone like Giovanni. There’s no benefit in even trying to bother with him. He’s like a fly easily batted aside. He’s all bark, no teeth.

So all things considered, it makes perfect sense that Giovanni would be in charge. Yes, Game Freak wanted to make things more and more interesting by saying “OMG APOCALYPSE!!1!!” in future plots, but aside from Flare (who were not treated seriously by the narrative, which is disgusting considering Lysandre’s plan was genocide), none of the teams really had realistically frightening potential. Galactic’s smaller acts of terrorism were more frightening than Cyrus’ overall goal, because his overall goal is not something that really translates to the real world. But the yakuza does. The yakuza has transnational influence, and they’re semi-public in their dealings, affecting both public and private sectors and, at some times, gaining some measure of public favor (such as with their disaster relief efforts). Much like how Umbridge is more terrifying than Voldemort because of her realism, Giovanni is arguably the most realistic of the Pokémon villains (with the other realistic one being Guzma, but again, he has absolutely no teeth; he’s a thirty-year-old man who never grew out of his chinpira stage, he’s pathetic). Part of what the yakuza does is cut deals, and so it makes perfect sense to me that he would be able to have conversations with the other bosses that makes them think they’re going to get what they want (and that he’s going to assist them in getting what they want with the vast resources he has), when in all actuality he’s planning on playing them from the start, because yakuza don’t do things that don’t benefit them (and Team Rocket certainly doesn’t).

So yeah, it makes perfect sense to me that Giovanni is the one in charge. It makes perfect sense to me that he has decided to spread the political, financial, and criminal influence he already has to another universe, and that he has struck up contracts with the others in order to further expand his enterprise. I can easily see it playing out, particularly if the other bosses have a “we’re cooperating for now, but once we get what we want you’re screwed” attitude, while Giovanni has a, “it’s so cute you think you’re going to get what you want, so I’m going to just let you keep thinking that” attitude in turn. If Team Rocket is truly the PokéWorld’s yakuza (and they truly seem to be), then yeah, it makes perfect sense.

[districofcolumbiaprelawland-blog]

The ICC’s International Standing: What The Case Of Omar Al-Bashir Can Tell Us

By Alessandra Ruano, George Washington University Class of 2021

September 10, 2020

Since 2003, the city of Darfur, Sudan has been entrenched in a war that began when rebels began carrying out attacks, citing the oppression of non-Arab ethnic groups. As president when the fighting broke out, Omar al-Bashir responded with force against both rebels and civilians that left an estimated 300,000 dead and caused some countries, including the United States, to label it a genocide. Although his actions have not been recognized by the UN as such, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest in 2009 for several crimes, including genocide. After being deposed last April, Bashir was imprisoned in Khartoum, but the violence in the region has continued in his absence.Last week, however,Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdock announced his willingness to work with the ICC in order to bring Bashir to justice for his alleged crimes [1].

Under international law, genocide is considered a crime against humanity. Since the end of World War II, many genocides have been recognized and punished accordingly, although there is often a failure to act sufficiently to stop these atrocities from taking place. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Genocide Convention in response to the Holocaust, which remains the deadliest genocide in history. The treaty defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” [2]. In practice, this definition is not as straightforward as it appears. Several genocides remain unacknowledged by significant world powers, sometimes due to technicalities based on the definition’s wording, and sometimes due to political complications. The most notable example is the Armenian genocide, which has been recognized by historians but not by Turkey, the perpetrating country. The U.S. has also failed to acknowledge it as a result of pressure to maintain a strong relationship with Turkey. Given the obstacles in recognizing a genocide that occurred over a century ago, it should come as no surprise that the designation of Bashir’s actions as genocide stirred controversy. In order to understand why, it is important to first examine the structure of international law enforcement.

The international community has a number of ways in which to take action against genocide, but the most unified method is through the International Criminal Court, which can investigate genocide under its Rome Statute. The statute sets out a specific procedure for the prosecution of genocide and other crimes under the Court’s jurisdiction. After a crime has taken place, the Court holds an examination to decide whether the evidence warrants an investigation. Before a trial can occur, there must be a thorough investigation into the crime and the suspect must be found. They must then appear before the court to hear the charges against them. In some cases, such as with the genocides in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, the UN Security Council may opt to create specific tribunals for the prosecution of crimes, but these procedures follow a similar path as those going through the Court [3].

This approach, while legitimate in that it is internationally agreed upon, poses some challenges. First, as is the case with many other legal proceedings, a full prosecution can take years, and sometimes, decades. Since the birth of the ICC, Bashir is the only person who has been indicted on counts of genocide, although others have been tried and convicted at the tribunal level. Despite the Prime Minister’s new willingness to collaborate with ICC authorities, there is still no guarantee that Bashir will be transferred into custody. Before this can occur, Hamdock must negotiate with rebels. An agreement is expected to be reached in the coming days, but given the ongoing tensions in the region and complications due to COVID-19, things may not go as planned [4]. Bashir’s case thus demonstrates the difficulty with enforcing international law in a timely manner.

The second challenge is unique to cases taking place at the international level. Because each country defends its own interests, reaching an agreement on anything can easily become complex. As in the case of Armenia, the label of genocide for the situation in Darfur has proven problematic, although the reasoning differs significantly. In this case, it is the United States that has been vocal about calling Bashir’s action a genocide while the UN has not. More important than the U.S. perspective, though, is the position of the ICC prosecutor who oversaw Bashir’s arrest warrant, Luis Moreno-Ocampo. The warrant originally charged Bashir on counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, but the genocide charges were dropped because the case was too weak. They were only reinstated after Ocampo appealed [5]. These results sparked outrage in many Arab countries, which asserted that there is not sufficient evidence of these charges and that their existence is another example of Western anti-Islam efforts [1]. Under Ocampo’s leadership, all ICC cases were focused on countries in Africa [6]. Thus, in addition to angering Arab countries, the decision to prosecute an African head of state, especially for a genocide whose existence has been widely debated in the international community, left the ICC with an even more fractured relationship with the African Union [7].

Despite regional disagreement with Bashir’s harshest charges, Sudanese officials plan to move forward with Bashir’s extradition. Turning in Bashir would move Sudan in the direction of being removed from the United States state sponsors of terrorism list, something the country has wanted for years. Inclusion on the list bars Sudan from receiving aid from key organizations such as the World Bank and the IMF [4]. Nevertheless, the ability of the ICC prosecutor to defend the charges against Bashir are not guaranteed. The ICC’s successes in its early years were accompanied by several high-profile failures in securing convictions [6]. As the ICC prepares to welcome a new chief prosecutor in 2021 who will likely be from Europe, tensions are high. Although the current chief prosecutor is from the Gambia, the Court has not experienced much success in repairing relations with Africa since Ocampo’s years in the role. Now, African countries fear that the new prosecutor will further damage the relationship. For a young institution like the ICC, it is unclear whether it will be able to survive a failure in prosecuting a high-profile case like Bashir’s or another nine years of a strained relationship with Africa [7]. As the first head of state to face charges before the Court, the future of Bashir’s case could be intertwined with the future of the ICC.

________________________________________________________________

1.     Copnall, James. “Darfur Conflict: Sudan’s Bloody Stalemate.” BBC News, April 29, 2013. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-22336600.

2.     “The Genocide Convention.” United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide-convention.shtml.

3.     “How the Court Works.” International Criminal Court. https://www.icc-cpi.int/about/how-the-court-works.

4.     “Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir a Step Closer to Facing War Crimes Charges.” Al Jazeera, August 22, 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/sudan-cooperate-icc-war-crimes-charge-bashir-200823011112955.html.

5.     De Waal, Alex. “Omar al-Bashir: Will Genocide Charge Against Sudan’s Ex-President Stick?” BBC News, February 14, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/51489802.

6.     Bradfield, Paul. “International Criminal Court Must Prove Its Worth.” Irish Times, December 4, 2019. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/international-criminal-court-must-prove-its-worth-1.4103614.

Soumaré, Marième. “Will Bensouda’s Successor Bridge Gap Between Africa and the ICC?” The Africa Report, June 17, 2020.

https://www.theafricareport.com/30061/will-bensoudas-successor-bridge-gap-between-africa-and-the-icc/

[mmoxie]

I don’t even know how to begin talking about Charlottesville. That’s like half a day’s drive from where I grew up. I’ve watched the rhetoric go back and forth over whether it was rural whites or well-off whites- it was well-off whites at the protest, surely, but what troubles me is that they command a sphere of influence, and their actions- successful or otherwise- will draw the attention of rural whites and embolden them into ever more direct and aggressive forms of bigotry.

Some guy in a polo shirt is inventing clout for himself by looking like that. If he can get fifteen seconds at six o’ clock to say something about how important it is to, you know, “protect slash secure a future for white people,” all that shit they say, he’s in a costume of credibility that is liable to provoke a “hell yeah” or two from a rural white at home watching the evening news.

You don’t start at zero with racism when you’re white and rural. The language around you- “alright class, sit indian-style,” “hand me a roll of duct tape and i’ll n*****-rig the pipe back together,” and so on, it plants ideas in your head about how people other than you behave. You may grow up white, in a rural town, and never actually hear a single thing about how white people are supposed to be- but you’ll surely hear every little thing about every other kind of person there is. Some little boy playing tee-ball for the first time won’t think twice when his father says “choke up on the bat, son, don’t hold it like a fruit,” but from that moment onward, that kid knows that whatever a “fruit” is, his father finds it unfavorable. And as he grows up and learns what words mean, that lesson doesn’t leave him, and it ends up being a stepping stone on his path toward being a bog-standard homophobe, just like dear ol’ dad.

But then you put a man on television whose shirt is clean, whose diction is crisp and deliberate, and he’s telling them the first thing they’ve ever heard about being white. The first moment that “whiteness” becomes something material to them, instead of the negative space that exists within a dialect cobbled together out of bigoted ideas. That negative space in the dialect, by the way, is a massive contributor to why a great deal of white people consider their whiteness to be neutral and default. The language around them does not address it.

It’s easy for them to believe what they’re hearing from these nazis. They’ll absolutely buy into it, because there’s no position they can form in their head that’s contrary. After all- they’re white, and this man on television is saying positive things about their whiteness. They’ve never thought about it, but it makes them feel good or strong to hear it, so surely it can’t be all bad. It’s the first time someone’s told them that they’re being oppressed. Nevermind anything like being poor or disabled- “that’s life,” they’ll tell you, they’ve learned to live with it. But for them to think they’re suddenly being discriminated against- replaced, as the bigot on television puts it- scares them to death for reasons they may not always have the language for. So they buy it, because if they’re scared of what the man said, the only way for them to think they’re safe is to join his cause.

And that’s when they start doing a little history. Loading up Ancestry and finding out who was in the Klan. Getting in touch with ol’ papaw to talk about his cross burning days in the sixties and seventies. Turns out ol’ papaw was just “interested in preserving their way of life” too. Turns out he’s got a couple of white robes he’s been saving for a special occasion like this.

Just seeing a credible-looking white supremacist on television is enough to get them to dip their heads under the surface. To get curious. David Duke still relies on that strategy to this day. It’s so important to him that he be seen as this thoughtful man in a sort of “philosopher king” position, sounding every bit like he’s telling his audience exactly what they needed to hear.

These polo shirts at the Charlottesville nazi rally were a stampede of evil men who could be interchangeably slotted into that position on the six o’clock news. No matter who got put on camera, it would be someone capable of provoking active cruelty out of passive bigotry, by planting those ideas in the minds of the folks at home.

Do I think that the folks who live where I come from are dull-witted enough to fall for it every time? Absolutely not. Some of them- the ones who really know their history, not the ones who frequently and loudly claim to “know their history,” will look you square in the eye and say “that man on the television is a nazi, and he doesn’t represent me or my interests.” But the ones who need the “rebel flag” on their truck, their porch, their wall, their shirt, their wallet, the throw on their couch, their skin- they’ll fall for it every time. And there’s a whole lot of them who are watching this and looking at their buddies and saying “I told y’all the south would rise again. Look how he defends General Lee from these violent liberals trying to tear down our history.”

And living the life I’ve lived, knowing what I know, that’s the same sort of man who’ll feel every bit like a cowboy or a confederate as he puts his rifle up in the gun rack of his truck and drives north over the state line to the next rally.

The potential waves of violence that these polo shirts can stir up are cause for more than just the baseline levels of heartfelt concern. They have got to be confronted on every patch of earth where they try to stake a claim. If they aren’t driven out repeatedly, headed off at every pass, interrupted every time they open their mouths, they will keep getting on the news, and keep generating press, and keep generating believers. I cannot emphasize enough that this is unlike any other fashion of rally. This isn’t like legalizing pot, or trying to get rich people to pay back into the economy, or protecting the rights of our beloved peers. This rally and rallies like this are about promoting the supposed supremacy of a single race in order to build a following and work against the safety and well-being of other human beings as a political swarm.

They’ve weaponized a culture of authority worship as a means to reach across the aisle- from rich to poor- in order to “unite the right” against every other race and culture they encounter. And unless we resist every single thing they do and refuse them even the slightest bit of forward momentum, they will mobilize and vote and physically assault and terrorize as a group until they get what they want.

Unless I haven’t made this abundantly clear- now is the time to be direct. If you have a public platform, speak from it, and speak with conviction. If you have a great right hook, you need to plant it in some nazi teeth. If you have legs that can trip, a voice that can overwhelm, if you can make a website that’s a nazi honeypot, for goodness’ sake, do what you do best to resist and rebuke every nazi effort that you encounter.

Please. Before they make more.

[targetedindividualsnow]

Psychotronic Terror, ‘New’ Physical Principles Weapons, Uranium One Deal, and the Case of Lisa Tishkina

Table of Content

This is a bit edited machine translation from Russian to bring it to a readable state. Time permits, we will improve translation’s quality. As of now, our goal is to make public the major facts. Here we will present you with the results of own investigation based on the data from open sources. We will also give you the facts that have not been mentioned earlier anywhere else.

Introduction. Disappearance of People

‘New’ Physical Principles Weapons

‘New’ Physical Principles Weapons: Children

Uranium One Deal. Disappearance of Uranium. Disappearance of Children and International Pedophile Ring

Case of Lisa Tishkina

What We Have

Questions, Police Investigation Included

Discussion and Conclusion

Afterword

Notes

Sources​

Introduction. Disappearance of People

It is necessary to start by saying about people disappearing annually and ‘without a trace’ in those cities where ‘new’ physical principles weapons, that have a direct connection to psychotronic terror, are constructed. In respect to this, we will talk about the city of Sarov and about a resonant case of disappearance of a schoolgirl, a 10-year-old Lisa Tishkina in a broad daylight. Lisa Tishkina is not the only person who has disappeared in the closed city of Sarov. There recently has been one more person, the second since the beginning of the year, Sapozhnikov Victor Pavlovich, with Alzheimer’s disease, who had for a long time worked at the major enterprise there. He had left his house on August 23 and only after a week his corpse was found in the forest. The company of Rosatom, where he had worked before, has not even created a group of volunteers to help with the search. The same situation had occurred also several years before when a former employee of this Rosatom’s company, Korotkin Igor Savelyevich, had disappeared without a trace and a search of whom was performed only by his relatives and whose name has not been even put on the wanted list. There is a considerable (for a small and closed, regime city) statistics on the people who are missing. In all cases as well as in the case with Lisa Tishkina, there is no police sniff dog, nobody during the first hours of person’s disappearance responds with the cynologist. Moreover, in the local branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations the quantity of dogs has been reduced to one.

‘New’ Physical Principles Weapons

What is the specificity of what is going on in Sarov? In order to understand this, it is necessary to be engaged in self-education process and to know history of the city a little. What is Sarov famous for? Many people know that the city-forming company and the largest company there is the nuclear center, one of the leading enterprises of Rosatom state-owned corporation, in its name is the word “nuclear”, even Wikipedia talks about the same. However, it is only one half of the truth. At the forum “Army-2017”, according to the MSM, between the nuclear center in Sarov and the Ministry of Defence a contract regarding the ‘new’ physical principles weapons has been signed. In short, this is a weaponry that hits with radiation, but not nuclear. It is electromagnetic radiation, radio-frequency waves, ultra and infrasonic waves. This weaponry is also called psychophysical or psychothronic. There is no widely accepted, used by everyone terminology to describe these weapons because all research in the area has always been classified, top secret, even more secret than the Manhattan project. These weapons are also called nonlethal weapons, according to the NATO classification. The label is not so important, the fact that it means the same hidden and ‘sacral’ sense is important. These weapons by their nature can influence not only a physical state of people, but also their mind. This is in brief what kind of research and production now the ‘nuclear’ center in Sarov is participated in. Those who are interested to learn more about these weapons can be advised to go to the website of the Moscow Housing Ecology Committee and to the descriptive part of the petition at avaaz.org on termination of use of psychophysical weapon to the innocent civilians. And also here: www.imxprs.com/free/astop/criminal-science

Any weapon before it is brought to mass production, has to pass tests. In this case, considering very specific character of this weapon influencing people’ minds, nobody is going to be discouraged to use human subjects for experimentation instead of rats. Weapons are tested on people who live where research is conducted. Why go too far? In Sarov on general population and employees of its main company tests are being carried on and there is a strong evidence for that. This evidence consists in part of stories of the victims and in part on the indirect and direct facts of the use of these weapons.

The history of ‘new’ physical principles weapons is long, old and not in any way it originates starting with the forum “Army-2017”. This story starts at least in fascist concentration camps. Further it was continued in the USA in accordance with the project of  the CIA “MK Ultra” and its children’s subprogram “Monarch”, and the “Paper Clip” project when after the defeat of fascist Germany about 9 thousand fascist scientists has arrived to the U.S.A.. History of these weapons’ creation in the USSR is less well known partially because there was in the late seventies an official investigation of the Congress in the U.S.A. when the CIA for experiments on humans was forced to pay the biggest claim in its history. After that investigation of the U. S. Congress experiments on humans have never stopped, they have become even more secret and, in comparison to  50th and 70th, the opportunity has surfaced to carry them out remotely.

Briefly, an unsuspected victim or Targeted Individual  is selected. Then in the neighboring apartment from the lower or upper floor or both, the psychophysical weapons are installed .The pictures taken by the hidden camera below show an example of such an apartment from where the neighbors who live in the apartment at the upper floor are being subjected to irradiation by such weapons. Two white cone-shaped instruments directed at the upper apartment are located under the ceiling and clearly visible, two of others are located on the floor (see: www.imxprs.com/free/astop/evidence. If the site is not available: https://targetedindividualsnow.tumblr.com/post/168252262558/psyterrorphotoevidence. )

.The victim does not suspect anything because these weapons work silently for human ear, their beams are invisible to human eye and are not registered by human sense organs, therefore, such  irradiation of victims or, the by international ‘classification’, of Targeted Individuals, can go on for years or even decades. There is a long list of what this irradation can do to victim’s health from a heart attack, a stroke, an Alzheimer to creation of symptoms of artificial schizophrenia or ‘voices in the head’ which can be silent as well but the subconsciousness nevertheless perceives them as its own thoughts and obeys orders given by the operators of the psychotronic equipment.

‘New’ Physical Principles Weapons: Children

Worst of all is the situation with children.  To the children’s part of the subprogram children with the high level of intelligence are being selected,  further on the basis of the traumatizing event, near to death experience, it is possible to achieve a split of personality in 20 percent of such children, multiple personalities then are created and programmed. Satanism, sadism and pedophilia is the main distinctive features of these experiments on children. 80 percent of the remained  children victims cannot endure this,  as these ‘scientists’  put it, their experiments are terminal. The victim may survive or may not, it concerns them a little.

Further. From children with multiple personas an alpha, beta and  theta slaves are programmed. For instance, the beta slave is usually a female sexual slaves. In the USA there are auctions for sale of such slaves, price of one beta slave with whom professional hypnotists worked, can reach millions of dollars. The price of ‘raw material’,  according to the former director of FBI (Los Angeles), is about 50 thousand dollars. Children for these purposes are stolen worldwide…

Uranium One Deal. Disappearance of Uranium. Disappearance of Children and International Pedophile Ring

In November of 2005 Kirienko came to Rosatom as a CEO even-though he had never previously worked for the atomic industry before. 

Starting 2016 he has left Rosatom, but remains on the board of directors, he is the first Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation now. Adamov who had headed the industry prior to Kiriyenko was arrested in Switzerland in 2005. Нe is in Russia now. In 2006 in Georgia Americans have arrested 10 grams of the enriched uranium stolen somewhere in Russia. Russia sent a request for 10 grams of HEU to be returned back in 2007 and only in 2009, according to the instructions given by Hillary Clinton, the head of the State Department, the director of the FBI Mueller had to bring these 10 grams of uranium back to Russia in April, 2009. However, he did not bring them in April. He nevertheless brought them back to Russia, but in September, 2009. All of this follows from the official correspondence of State Department published by WikiLeaks:

Canonical ID: 09STATE85588_a

Subject: ALERTING GOR OF DELIVERY OF SEIZED HEU DURING

SEPTEMBER 21 FBI DIRECTOR’S TRIP TO MOSCOW

http://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09STATE85588_a.html .

In 2016 before the presidential elections in the USA the largest pedophile scandal of PizzaGate or PedoGate,  in which Hillary Clinton, her husband Bill Clinton,  head of her election’s campaign Podesta turned out to be involved completely, began . Clintons became suspects of kidnappings of children and of close ties to the convicted  billionaire pedophile Epshtein. Podesta and his brother were suspected of the kidnapping of  4-year-old Madeleine McCann in the resort in Portugal in 2007. There is a video available on Youtube on how the police sniff dogs helped the police in Portugal to solve this crime where child’s body has not been found. At the same time other pedophile  scandals in which the elite of the West, in particular the Great Britain, has been involved. In Great Britain it is the grandson of the founder of psychoanalysis Freud, the convicted pedophile and the friend of Podesta brothers, Klement Freud, the royal family, financial oligarchs Rothschilds, the former prime minister of Great Britain and others. It is not just pedophilia, it is sadism and Satanism. Stories of the survived victims of elite pedophile Satanists of the West are available on the web.  In Russia almost no MSM has reported on Pizzagate scandal, despite the fact that it has a direct relationship to them. In Russia children go missing as in the USA in large quantities annually and nobody can find them. In Russia there a strong pedophile lobby exists which blocks acceptance of the anti-pedophile law by the State Duma. There is no list of convicted  pedophiles in open access in Russia, as in many other countries. Kirienko and Clinton have old ties, except for business on 10 grams of stolen uranium, she has sold to him 20 percent of uranium deposits in the USA (!), and with his help 145 million dollars, including from pockets of the state-owned corporation Rosatom, were contributed to her election campaign. Some of the American press wrote about it and almost none of the MSM in Russia did.  With Kiriyenko’s arrival to Rosatom  the company’s  management in Sarov has exchanged. Since 2008 the nuclear center has been headed there by the new person who knew Kiriyenko and who is from Nizhny Novgorod too.

Case of Lisa Tishkina

What We Have:

-Who? - When? Lisa Tishkina, born in 1998, gone missing on March 7, 2009 at around 10 a.m.

-Under which Circumstances? After the concert in her school for celebrations of the coming Women’s Day in Russia (celebrated on March 8 each year) and on her way to another school, music school, where she took music lessons and learned to play instruments.

-Where? In the closed city of Sarov. -Geographical Location of Disappearance? Let us have a close look at the area where Lisa Tishkina has been seen for the last time:

The area where presumably Lisa Tishkina has been seen the last time is specified by a red arrow. Nearby river, private houses, “Avangard’ stadium of the nuclear center, House of Scientists and the forest area are clearly seen.

This area once again, from other angle and scale, where:

1 – the area of presumable disappearance corresponds to an arrow of the previous satellite map

2 – secondary school № 1 Lisa was attending and after the concert in which she was gone missing

3 – music school where had to go after the concert at school № 1

4 – private houses of the management of the city-forming company of Rosatom, approximate location

Here is how everything there looks like on the ground. The Satis River and the nearby “Avangard” stadium are shown under the number 1 of the satellite map above.

House of the security service (second picture from the bottom) and the house of management (last photo from the bottom), this place corresponds to the number 4 of the satellite map above.

Questions, Police Investigation Included:

The managers’ (number 4 of the satellite map) houses are located at the same street as the secondary school №1 where Lisa went (2 of the satellite map) is located. It is directly after the intersection and behind the drugstore and the wooden two-story house. Lisa had to go there  every day, could they possibly not notice her?

Lisa in the day of disappearance had to to go the to music school (3 of the satellite map above). At this school the wife of the new (since 2017) research supervisor of the Rosatom’s nuclear center jn Sarov and, who was a deputy director earlier, worked. These people lived or still live somewhere in this neighborhood.

People at the music school, as well as the secondary school, are the second direct circle of contacts for Lisa after her family. Has somebody checked them on the lie detector? It is known that Lisa’s family has been brought to pass the test of the lie detector to Nizhny Novgorod. Has somebody searched the basements of the houses of management and the surrounding houses? It is known that the abandoned house on the opposite side of the river has been examined. The son of the new (since 2008) director of Rosatom’s company in Sarov who has arrived in Sarov after Kiriyenko in Rosatom from Nizhny Novgorod, according to rumors, is connected to the criminal world. Has this fact somehow influenced the investigation of this case? In the day when Lisa went missing there was a subzero temperature which can be checked by reviewing of the weather archives, the river was under a strong ice cover, then why has the hypothesis of Lisa’s drowning in the river became one of the main ? Water in the river has been emptied  several times. In the summer of 2017 the river and the same drowning hypothesis were again checked. And why has the cynologist with the sniff police dog been brought to the scene only after three (!) weeks from the day of disappearance?

The satellite map above shows the whole surrounding area including the building where Lisa lived. where:

5 – secondary school № 16

6 – a building where Lisa Tishkina with her family lived

At once the fact that the distance from that building to the secondary school №1 is not very short is evident. Why Lisa went to school so far? There directly near the building’s entrance across the crosswalk schools’ N16 yard is, as shown above (5). It makes much more sense to go to the closest school № 16 and not the school №1 which is located too far away from Lisa’s home.

The satellite image above shows  the building where Lisa lived before disappearance and the next to this building the school №16 is. Everything is very close. Besides, bus stops there from Lisa’s home and from school №1 are at a remote distance…

DISCUSSION AND Conclusion

More than 8 years have passed, there are no results, and the search has not led to anything. It is impossible to refer to the ‘secrecy of investigation’ any longer.

The favorite places of work for pedophiles are the places where children are (schools, summer camps, etc.). The pedophile hypothesis had to be considered first of all in this case and not only convicted pedophile criminals had to fall under suspicion. A clever pedophile can have a Ph.D. degree and not be suspected of wrongdoings for decades…

If this case has in its basis experiments on people when special equipment and devices for psychotronic mind control crimes are utilized, then a special division within the local police department equipped with the state-of-the-art technology and professionals has to be created specially. If you deal with the scientific crimes of white collar criminals, you have to have the corresponding level of training and detecting equipment. Though in most cases when ‘new’ physical principles weapons are used on victims, victims are completely lonely. Everywhere, at schools, in hospitals and policlinics, and also in law enforcement entities there are people who cover it all, all of them are bounded by the nondisclosure agreements. In Sarov and not only it is the time for victims of experiments to realize what is happening to them and to come together. Experiments on people are against the law; the use of psychophysical weapons is prohibited too according to the Art. 6 part 1 par. 7 of the Federal Law “On Arms”. The victims and children-victims of psychotronic white collar crimes need help and rehabilitation.

Afterword.

In 2016 in the area of disappearance of Lisa Tishkina construction of the bridge across the river has begun. Many parts of the surrounding landscape have been changed or destroyed. The stone shed which was in the same area was demolished the same year. In the fall of 2017 a construction roadwork near music school where Lisa Tishkina had to go on the day of her disappearance has unexpectedly begun. The construction work has been related to a considerable widening of the road in this area, removal of the adjacent forest, educational process at two schools, musical and art nearby, has had to be interrupted.

Notes

Lisa Tishkina’s photo given here differs from that which was initially published in the announcements for search. In that initial photo the girl is about 10 years old, and the one used here shows her at the age of about 6. The hair color differs on both photos for the reason that, as her mother has explained it, hair has burned out during the summer, it is that same photo where Lisa is 6 years old and which is given here.

In Sarov there are two secondary schools labeled with a digit “1”. It is a boarding school numbered “1” and the secondary school, attended by Lisa, which is also labeled under the number “1”, now there is an orthodox gymnasium there. Both of these schools are located in different parts of the city and are not connected with each other in any way. The fact that these are two completely different schools under the same number can be confusing for people who are not originally from the city of Sarov.

Sources

Publications of the American press, WikiLeaks, personal archive, publications of the Russian press, A. Malakhov’s “Let them speak” on the Channel One of ORT “Lisa Tishkina’s Riddle”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9YPt5MgA1aY, pages of VK “Find Lisa”.

This is a duplicate of original article at imxprs.com/free/astop/criminal-science-kids/articleengl

According to the Kremlin Report of January 2018, Kirienko is the first deputy head of presidential administration. https://twitter.com/christinawilkie/status/958212137129775105

[loyallogic]

AIBE: Mock Test for Bar Exam Preparation- Part 5

AIBE: Mock test 5, Solve the Mock Test to strengthen your Preparation for All India Bar Exam and increase your chances of clearing the paper.

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Mock Test 

1.) State practice for the formation of the customary rule includes 1. State Action 2. State claims 

A.) only 1 

B.) only 2 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) neither 1 nor 2 

2.) The controller certifying authorities in India must maintain a database of the disclosure records. 1. Certifying authority 2. Cross certifying authority 3. Foreign Certifying authority 

A.) 1 and 2 

B.) 2 and 3 

C.) 3 and 1 

D.) 1,2 and 3 

3.) Under section 37 of the IT Act, the certifying authority can suspend the digital signature certificate if-: 1.the subscriber is found guilty of malpractice, 2-: the subscriber is involved in cyber-terrorism, 3-: the subscriber request for the same, 4-: in public interest 

A.) 1 and 2 

B.) 2 and 3 

C.) 3 and 4 

D.) 4 and 1 

4.) In the cases before cyber appellant tribunal, the appellant-

A.) Cannot appear in person without a legal practitioner 

B.) cannot authorize a legal practitioner to appear on his behalf 

C.) cannot authorize his officer to appear on his behalf 

D.) cannot authorize his relatives who is neither his officer nor a legal practitioner to appear on his behalf 

5.) In the light of the criminal amendment Act,2013, which of the following is not correct-

A.) the word rape in section 375 of indian penal code,1890 has been replaced with sexual assault. 

B.) rape is now gender neutral offence 

C.) the amendment has fixed the age for consensual sex as 16 years 

D.) all of the above 

6.) The offence of stalking upon second or subsequent conviction is-

A.) non cognizable and bailable 

B.) cognizable and bailable 

C.) cognizable and non bailable 

D.) non cognizable and non bailable 

7.) In kidnapping the consent of minor is-

A.) wholly immaterial 

B.) partly immaterial 

C.) wholly material 

D.) partly material 

8.) Under the provisions of the trade union Act,1926 any person who has attained the age of…. may be a member of a registered trade union subject to any rules of trade union to the contract-

A.) 14 years 

B.) 15 years 

C.) 18 years 

D.) 21 years 

9.) Spurious goods under the provisions of the consumer protection Act 1989 imply- 

A.) such goods and services which are of poor quality 

B.) such goods and services which are claimed to be genuine but they are actually not so 

C.) such goods and services which might be stolen in nature 

D.) such goods and services which are not usable in nature 

10.) Who is liable to pay compensation in cases of death or permanent disablement? 

A.) owner of the vehicle 

B.) state government 

C.) driver 

D.) insurance company 

11.) Indian Evidence Act applies to-

A.) proceeding before tribunals 

B.) proceeding before the arbitrator 

C.) judicial proceeding in court 

D.) all of the above 

12.) Fact in issue means-

A.) fact existence or non existence of which is admitted by the party 

B.) fact, existence or non existence of which is disputed by the parties 

C.) fact, existence or non existence of which is not disputed by the parties 

D.) all of the above 

13.) In a bailable offence bail is granted as a matter of right-

A.) by the police officer 

B.) by the court 

C.) both by the police officer and the court 

D.) either 1 or 2 

14.) The conciliation proceedings______ 

A.) can be used as evidence in any judicial proceeding 

B.) can be used as evidence only in arbitral prpceeding 

C.) cam be used as evidence only on the discretion of the judge or the arbitrator 

D.) cannot be used as evidence in any judicial or arbitral proceedings 

15.) The serious fraud investigation office 

A.) takes up cases suo motto 

B.) takes up cases for investigation on the basis of application made by the people concerned 

C.) takes up cases for investigation referred to it by central government 

D.) all of the above 

16.) Directive principles are ________

A.) justifiable as fundamental right 

B.) justifiable but not as fundamental right 

C.) decorative portions of indian constitution 

D.) not justifiable, yet fundamental in the governance of the country 

17.) Who has the power to dissolve the lok sabha ?

A.) president 

B.) prime minister 

C.) speaker of lok sa 

D.) council of ministers 

18.) An amendment of the contitution can be initiated by introduction of bill for such purpose in 

A.) council in states 

B.) house of people 

C.) either in council of states or house of people 

D.) none of the above 

19.) The india independence Act,1947 came into force –

A.) 1947-07-18 

B.) 1947-08-14 

C.) 1947-06-03 

D.) 1947-07-26 

20.) Sovereignty under constitution belongs to- 

A.) the president 

B.) the parliament 

C.) the people 

D.) the executive, judiciary and legislative 

21.) Expression socialist in the preamble has been added by taking the view of 

A.) Marx and Laski 

B.) Marx and Gandhi 

C.) Rousseau and Gandhi 

D.) Gandhi and Hegel 

22.) Quit India movement was declared by the Indian National congress after the failure of the-

A.) Cripps mission 

B.) August offer 

C.) Wavell plan 

D.) none of the above 

23.) The first session of the constituent Assembly was held on 

A.) 1946-12-09 

B.) 1949-11-26 

C.) 1947-08-15 

D.) 1946-01-26 

24.) The indian constitution has borrowed the ideas of preamble from 

A.) Italian constitution 

B.) Canadian constitution 

C.) French constitution 

D.) Constitution of USA 

25.) The president of the constituent Assembly was 

A.) Jawaharlal Nehru 

B.) Jai prakash narayan 

C.) C. Rajgopalachari 

D.) Dr. Rajendra prasad 

26.) Which of the following Articles of constitution of india provides freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion 

A.) Article 25 

B.) Article 27 

C.) Article 28 

D.) none of the above 

27.) The service of a priest can be regulated under 

A.) Article 24 

B.) Article 23 

C.) Article 25(2) 

D.) none of the above 

28.) The directive principles are aimed at 

A.) securing political freedom 

B.) securing social and economic freedom by appropriate action 

C.) executive supremacy 

D.) judiciary supremacy 

29.) Fundamental duties are enshrined in 

A.) part IV, Article 51 

B.) part IV , Article 51A 

C.) part IV A , Article 51 

D.) part IV A , Article 51 A 

30.) The power of declaring any community as schedule caste or schedule tribes is with 

A.) Parliament 

B.) Home minister 

C.) President of India 

D.) Chairman of SC/ST Commision 

31.) The power of president of India to issue ordinance is a 

A.) executive power 

B.) legislative power 

C.) constituent power 

D.) quasi judicial power 

32.) The council of ministers are selected by 

A.) speaker of lok sabha 

B.) prime minister 

C.) President 

D.) vice president 

33.) Representtation of House of People is based on 

A.) Area of the state 

B.) population 

C.) community 

D.) literacy rate 

34.) Money bill can be 

A.) invalid by Rajya sabha 

B.) invalid by both the houses 

C.) Rajya sabha can reject the money bill 

D.) none of the above 

35.) The supreme court struck down a part of the preventive detention Act in the case 

A.) Gopalan case 

B.) Golaknath case 

C.) Ramesh Thappar case 

D.) Kochunni case 

36.) A retired judge of high court cannot 

A.) practice in the supreme court 

B.) practice in any other High court in India 

C.) practice in the High court from where he has retired 

D.) none of the above 

37.) Indian constitution reserves the residuary power to 

A.) union 

B.) states 

C.) parliament 

D.) president 

38.) The proclamation of emergency at the first instance can be restricted to 

A.) 3 months 

B.) 15 days 

C.) 6 months 

D.) 60 days 

39.) Which of the following are included in the concept of “state” under Article 12 

A.) Railway board and electricity board 

B.) judiciary 

C.) university 

D.) all of the above 

40.) The word procedure established by law in Article 21 is 

A.) that due process of law must be followed 

B.) A procedure laid down or enacted by a competent authority 

C.) the same thing as a due process of law 

D.) a law which is reasonable, just and fair 

41.) Objection as to non-joinder or mis-joinder of parties under order 1, rule 13 of CPC 

A.) can be taken at any stage of the proceedings 

B.) should be taken at the earliest possible opportunity or shall be invalid 

C.) can be taken in appeal or revision for the first time 

D.) either 1or 3 

42.) objection as to the place of suing 

A.) can only be taken before the court of first instance at the earliest possible opportunity 

B.) can also be taken before the appellate court for the first time 

C.) can also be taken before the court of revision for the first time 

D.) all of the above 

43.) On the retirement, removal or death of a next friend, under Order XXXII, rule 10 of CPC, the suit is liable to be 

A.) stayed 

B.) dismissed 

C.) rejected 

D.) either 1, 2 or 3 

44.) In India which of the following authorities has the power to block websites? 

A.) CERT-in 

B.) MCIIPC 

C.) C-DAY 

D.) Ministry of IT 

45.) The right to private defence is 

A.) available under all circumstances 

B.) available when there is time to have recourse to the protection of public authorities 

C.) available when there is no time to have recourse of public authorities 

D.) all of the above 

46.) which of the following can be considered retrenchment under the provision of the Industrial Disputes Act,1947? 

A.) termination due to ill health 

B.) abondonment of job byan employee 

C.) termination on account of reaching the age of superannuation 

D.) none of these 

47.) Which of the following statement holds true regarding imprisonment under the provision of section 14(3) of the child labour (prohibition and regulation) Act,1986. 

A.) it may extend to one year 

B.) it may extend to two years. 

C.) it may extend to six months 

D.) it may extend to one month 

48.) Onus to prove reasonable excuse for withdrawl from the society of the other is on 

A.) petitioner 

B.) respondent 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) either 1 or 2 

49.) A proclaimed person whose property has been attached can claim the property or the sale proceeds on appearance 

A.) within 6 months of attachment 

B.) within 2 years of attachment 

C.) within 3 years of attachment 

D.) within 1 year of attachment 

50.) The question whether a statement was recorded in the course of investigation is a 

A.) question of law 

B.) question of fact 

C.) mixed question of law and fact 

D.) question of law or of fact depends on facts and circumstances 

51.) Where the police submit a final report under the section 173(2) of the Cr.P.C for dropping of proceeding to a magistrate,the magistrate? 

A.) may accept the same 

B.) may reject the same 

C.) may reject the same and order further investigation 

D.) any of the above 

52.) The order under section 125 of cr.pc are 

A.) summary in nature but finally determine the rights and the obligation of the party 

B.) summary in nature and do not finally determine the rights and obligations of the parties which are to be finally determine by the civil court. 

C.) substantive in nature and finally determine the rights and obligations of the party. 

D.) substantive in nature and are not subject to determination of a right of a party by civil court. 

53.) A contingent contract based on the specified uncertain events not happening within a fixed time under section 35 

A.) remains valid even if the event does not happen within that fixed time 

B.) becomes void at the expiration of the time fixed 

C.) becomes void if the happening of that event becomes impossible before the expiry of time fixed 

D.) both 1 and 3 

54.) which among the following is authorised under the Information Technology Act, 2000 to prescribe the security procedures and practices for the purpose of sections 14 and 15 of the Act. 

A.) central government 

B.) state government 

C.) certifying authority 

D.) issuing authority 

55.) The essential ingredient of the tort of negligence are-(1) when one owes a duty of care towards the other. (2) when one commits a breach of that duty and. (3) the other persons suffers damages as a consequence thereof. choose correct response for below. 

A.) none of them are essential ingredient 

B.) only the first is an essential ingredient 

C.) all of them are essential ingredient 

D.) even if the first is absent the tort of negligence is committed. 

56.) vicarious liability includes 

A.) liability of the principle for the tort of his agent 

B.) liability of the master for the tort of his servant 

C.) liability of the partners for each others tort 

D.) all of the above 

57.) Necessity rule as to admissibility of evidence is applicable when the maker of a statement 

A.) is dead or has become incapable of giving evidence 

B.) is a person who can be found but his attendance cannot be procured without unreasonable delay or expenses 

C.) is a person who cannot be found 

D.) all of the above 

58.) secondary evidence of a document means 

A.) copies of the document 

B.) oral account of the contents of the documents 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) none of these 

59.) A will required to be proved by calling at least one attesting witness 

A.) when it is registered 

B.) when it is unregistered 

C.) when it is admitted 

D.) all of the above 

60.) Any person in section 106 of Evidence Act refers to 

A.) a party to the suit 

B.) a stranger to the suit 

C.) a person who is not a party to the suit but interested in the outcome of the suit 

D.) all of the above 

61.) In a cognizable case under IPC, police have the 

A.) authority to arrest a person without warrant 

B.) authority to investigate the offence without the permission of the magistrate 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) either 1 or 2 

62.) During the investigation a search can be conducted without a warrant by 

A.) any police officer 

B.) by the investigating officer 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) either 1 or 2 

63.) Committal proceedings under section 209 of Cr PC are in the nature of 

A.) aid in the investigation 

B.) inquiry 

C.) trial 

D.) either inquiry or trial 

64.) which is correct 

A.) proposal+acceptance=promise 

B.) promise+consideration=agreement 

C.) agreement+enforceability=contract 

D.) all of the above 

65.) communication of acceptance is complete as against the proposer 

A.) when it comes to the knowledge of the proposer 

B.) when it is put in course of transmission to him so as to be out of the power of the acceptor 

C.) when acceptance is communicated to the proposer 

D.) all of the above 

66.) in case of a general offer, for a valid contract 

A.) the acceptor need not have the knowledge of the offer 

B.) the acceptor need not have the knowledge of the offer before acceptance by performance 

C.) the acceptor may require the knowledge of the offer after the performance of the condition for acceptance 

D.) knowledge does not matter so long as the condition is performed with or without knowledge 

67.) under the provision of the transfer of property Act, 1882 the unborn person aquires vested interest on transfer for his benefit 

A.) upon his birth 

B.) 7 days after his birth 

C.) 12 days after his birth 

D.) no such provision is made 

68.) Every transfer of immovable property made with intent to defeat or delay the creditors of the transferor shall be voidable 

A.) at the option of the creditor so defeated or delayed 

B.) at the option of the debtor 

C.) at the option of court 

D.) none of the above 

69.) where co-judgment debtors are in the position of joint promisors, each is 

A.) not jointly are severally liable to the decree-holder 

B.) jointly and severally liable to the decree-holder 

C.) jointly liable to the decree-holder only 

D.) severally liable to the decree-holder only 

70.) At sight under section 21 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.1881 means 

A.) on presentation 

B.) on demand 

C.) on coming into vision 

D.) none of the above 

71.) Section 5 of the Limitation Act applies to-: 

A.) suits 

B.) execution 

C.) election petitions 

D.) none of the above 

72.) which of the following companies will have to constitute the corporate social responsibility committee under the Companies Act,2013 

A.) A company having a net profit of 2.5 crores in a financial year, a net worth of 300 crores and a turnover of rupees 800 crores. 

B.) A company having a net profit of 3 crores in a financial year, a net worth of 300 crores and a turnover of rupees 600 crores. 

C.) A company having a net profit of 5 crores in a financial year, a net worth of 500 crores and a turnover of rupees 1000 crore and more. 

D.) A company having a net profit of 5 crores in a financial year, a net worth of 500 crores and a turnover of rupees 5000 crores or more 

73.) A disqualified person/heir 

A.) Transmit an interest to his or her own heir 

B.) transmits no interest to his or her own heir 

C.) may or may not transmit an interest to his or her own heir as per the discretion of the court. 

D.) may only transmit an interest to his or her own heir with the consent of the other heir 

74.) in cases in which a specific act confers a discretionary power on an authority. 

A.) The court can direct the manner in which the power is exercised 

B.) the court can direct that the power be exercised in accordance with law 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) neither 1 or 2 

75.) The bar council of India rule which stipulated that persons aged 45 years and above could not be enrolled as advocates were struck down by the supreme court in 

A.) in E.S. Reddi V. Bar Council of India 

B.) Indian council of legal aid and advise V. Bar Council of India. 

C.) P. Shanmugam v. Bar Council of India 

D.) Legal committee V. Bar Council of India 

76.) Which is an incorrect statement 

A.) an arbitral award is a contract 

B.) an arbitral award must be in writing and signed 

C.) an arbitral award included an interim award 

D.) none of the above 

77.) Which of the following statement holds true for adjudication bodies 

A.) Doctrine of stare decisis applies to them 

B.) doctrine of res judicata does not apply to them 

C.) inherent lack of jurisdiction in a tribunal cannot be cured or created by the act of the parties 

D.) none of the above 

78.) The supreme court held in v.c Rangadurai V. D.Gopalan an advocate who has been disbarred or suspended from practice must prove after expiration of a reasonable length of time that 

A.) he appreciates the insignificance of his dereliction 

B.) he has lived a consistent life of poverty and intergrity 

C.) he possesses the good character necessary to guarantee uprightness and honour in his professional dealings 

D.) the burden is on the applicant to establish that he entitled to resume the privilege of practicing law without restrictions. 

79.) The present Arbitration and conciliation Act of 1996 is based on 

A.) constitution of india 

B.) supreme court of india guidelines 

C.) European commercial Arbitration procedure 

D.) UNCITRAL 

80.) Who among the following is authorised to issued regulation regarding shelf prospectus 

A.) SEBI 

B.) Central government 

C.) company law board 

D.) National company law tribunal 

81.) Which of the following is not included in the definition of cattle as given under the Indian Forest Act,1927 

A.) Rams 

B.) kids 

C.) kitten 

D.) none of these 

82.) The provision of the arbitration and conciliation Act of 1996 have to be interpreted being influenced by the principle underlying the 1940 Act. this observation was laid down in 

A.) M.M.T.C ltd. v. Sterlite industries (India) ltd. 

B.) Sunderam finance ltd. v. N.E.P.C ltd 

C.) olympus superstructure pvt. ltd. v. meera vijya 

D.) orma impex pvt. Ltd. v. nissan pvt. ltd. 

83.) which of the following services cannot be provided to the company by an author appointed under the provisions of the companies Act,2013 

A.) internal audit 

B.) actuarial services 

C.) managerial services 

D.) all of the above 

84.) Under the wild life (protection) Act,1972 any person who teases an animal in a zoo maybe punished 

A.) with fine which may extends to 5000 

B.) with imprisonment which may extend upto 1 year 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) neither 1 or 2 

85.) The entry on forests and protection of wild animals and bird was moved from …to the… by the 42nd amendment to the constitution of the India 

A.) centre list to state list 

B.) centre list to the concurrent list 

C.) state list to the concurrent list 

D.) state list to union list 

86.) Droit des gens (laws of nations)1758 was written by 

A.) Comelius van bynkershoek 

B.) Emerich de vattel 

C.) Richard zouch 

D.) Jean bodin 

87.) To establish section 34 

A.) common interest must be proved but not overt act is required to be proved 

B.) common intention and overt act both are required to be proved 

C.) common intention needs not be proved but only overt act is required to be proved 

D.) all of the above 

88.) Under the provision of the industrial disputes Act,1947 the appropriate government can by order in writing 

A.) refer the dispute to a board for promoting a settlement of the dispute 

B.) refer any matter appearing to be relevant to the dispute to the dispute to the dispute to a court for inquiry 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) neither 1 or 2 

89.) which of the following statements is true for loss of confidence by management in the workman ? 

A.) even when dismissal or discharge is held to be wrongful, the court may not order reinstatement if the employer is able to establish that the workman held a position of trust and there was a loss of confidence. 

B.) loss of confidence may also be a ground for discharge simpliciter of the work man 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) neither 1 or 2 

90.) Under the provision of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, the period of limitation for filing a complaint before the national commision is 

A.) 1 year from the date on which causes of action has arisen 

B.) 2 year from the date on which causes of action has arisen 

C.) 3 year from the date on which causes of action has arisen 

D.) 4 year from the date on which causes of action has arisen 

91.) Grievous hurt under the motor vehicle Act,1988 means 

A.) Grievous hurt as defined in ipc 

B.) Grievous hurt as defined in medical laws 

C.) Grievous hurt as detected by medical practitioner 

D.) none of the above 

92.) A retracted confession 

A.) can be solely made the basis of conviction 

B.) cannot be solely made the basis of conviction 

C.) cannot be solely made the basis of conviction unless the same is corroborated 

D.) both a and c are correct 

93.) A confession to be inadmissible under section 25 of the act 

A.) must relate to the same crime for which the offender is charged 

B.) may relate to the same crime for which the offender is charged 

C.) must relate to another crime 

D.) none of the above 

94.) An unjustified and unexplained long delay on the part of the investigation officer in recording the statement of a material witness would render the evidence of such witness 

A.) unreliable 

B.) inadmissible 

C.) inadmissible and unreliable 

D.) none of the above 

95.) Recording of pre summoning evidence may be dispensed with under section 200 of Cr.p c 

A.) if the complaint is supported by the affidavit of the complainant 

B.) if the complaint is made in writing by a public servant in the discharge of his official duties 

C.) both 1 and 2 

D.) only 1 is correct 

96.) contract without consideration made in writing and registered and made on account of natural love and affection is 

A.) void 

B.) reasonable 

C.) valid 

D.) unenforceable 

97.) Under the transfer of property Act,1882 

A.) the salary of a public officer can be transferred 

B.) the salary of a public officer cannot be transferred 

C.) public officer can be transferred 

D.) none of the above 

98.) where a debt is transferred for the purpose of securing an existing or future debt, the debt so transferred, if received by the transferor or recovered by the transferee is applicable first,in payment of the cost of such recovery . this is the provision of 

A.) mortgaged debt 

B.) gift 

C.) actionable claim 

D.) lease 

99.) A suit is under section 6 of the specific relief Act can be brought by 

A.) trespasser 

B.) a tenant holding over 

C.) servant 

D.) manager 

100.) Injunction cannot be granted in a suit 

A.) in which the specific performance cannot enforced 

B.) for breach of negative contract to enforce specific contract 

C.) for declaration where the plaintiff is in possession 

D.) neither 1, nor 2, nor 3 

Answers 

1.) C 2.) D 3.) C 4.) D 5.) D 6.) C 7.) A 8.) B 9.) B 10.) A 11.) C 12.) B 13.) C 14.) D 15.) C 16.) D 17.) A 18.) C 19.) A 20.) C 21.) B 22.) A 23.) A 24.) D 25.) D 26.) B 27.) C 28.) B 29.) D 30.) A 31.) B 32.) B 33.) B 34.) D 35.) A 36.) C 37.) C 38.) C 39.) D 40.) A 41.) B 42.) D 43.) A 44.) D 45.) C 46.) D 47.) D 48.) A 49.) B 50.) B 51.) D 52.) B 53.) D 54.) A 55.) D 56.) D 57.) D 58.) C 59.) A 60.) A 61.) C 62.) C 63.) B 64.) D 65.) B 66.) B 67.) A 68.) A 69.) B 70.) B 71.) A 72.) C 73.) C 74.) B 75.) C 76.) D 77.) C 78.) C 79.) D 80.) A 81.) C 82.) B 83.) A 84.) D 85.) C 86.) B 87.) B 88.) C 89.) C 90.) B 91.) A 92.) C 93.) D 94.) D 95.) C 96.) C 97.) B 98.) A 99.) B 100.) A 

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