#nixon stephens words.

[hedonistiics]

continued from: here (since tumblr's a dick with the whole legacy/beta thing)

pairing: narin & nixon

with: @petalruined

"look at you like what?" he asked as she stepped closer, allowing her to take his bruised up hand in hers. as her eyes inspected his knuckles, nixon took the chance to observe her. the frown on her lips, her dark hair falling around her shoulders and the worry in her eyes. despite him knowing narin probably despised him at this point, she still worried for him and that had to count for something. "i'm fine," he expressed. the only thing he wanted in that moment, was to be close to her. to touch her. before she could stop him, nixon took the single step from the door it took to close the distance between them, leaning forward so his lips were mere inches away from her ear. "you can't say you don't miss me, rin," he spoke gently, his bruised right hand falling from her grip and to her hip. the use of her nickname came so effortlessly, he hadn't even noticed. "that fucking pussy back there..." nixon pulled back and his other hand found her cheek, his gaze locked on hers, "he's not worth a moment of your time or a single shred of your attention." he forced himself to back off and remove his hands from her, leaving her hanging as he opted to cross his arms across his chest. "besides... you don't want him." he started and cockily tilted his head to the side, "why else would you be in here with me, and not tending to your boyfriend's injuries?"

[runaeveena]

i give you the band of brothers character iceberg inspired by [x]

full detailing under the cut

Tier 1, signified by a stock image photo of an old man sitting on a bench with the words "Why don't you watch some TV with your ol' peepaw?" next to him.

- Winters, Nixon, Speirs, Compton, Luz, Lipton, Sobel, Roe

- this is the most basic tier. these are the characters your stepdad in the military remembers from watching the show after his tour or what your high school history teacher knows. hell this is what jimmy fallon remembers from the show.

Tier 2, signified by a screenshot of two 10+ old youtube videos entitled "Band of Brothers Funniest Moments"

- Guarnere, Webster, Malarkey, Liegbott, Toye, Randleman, Heffron, Blithe, Perconte

- this tier shows youve seen the show more than once, also best characterized by my college friend who would show me these videos as soon as i mentioned i liked bob despite the fact that he didnt actually know anything about world war two

Tier 3, signified by a tweet found here that basically makes fun of the current 101st Airborne

- Muck, Talbert, Dike, Grant, Sisk, Wynn, Sink, Powers, Hoobler, Welsh, Spina, Garcia, Penkala, Hall

- this is entering true fandom territory. youve seen the show more than five times or interact with enough bob content to pick up other characters. or youre an obsessed military official who uses bob as propaganda to stir up the current airborne infantry

Tier 4, signified by a screenshot of the Band of Brothers reddit tag

- O'Keefe, Tipper, Meehan, Cobb, More, Heyliger, Janovec, Gordon, Evans, Strayer, Christenson, Peacock, Miller, Hashey

- you are actually genuinely unfortunately a deep fan of this show and you are forever marked

Tier 5, signified by the tumblr tag #hbo war

- Ramirez, Alley, Vest, McClung, Shames, Dukeman, Van Klinken, Julian, Lorraine, Plesha, Petty

- hi girlies ;)

Tier 6 and 7, signified by the front page of the Band of Brothers fandom wiki page

- Smith Jr., Zielinski, Lesniewksi

- Boyle, Rodgers, Mellet

- as stated in my little notes, if you're an admin for the bob fandom wikia you have more power than anyone in the world like the level of imdb searching this requires is more harrowing than actual war

Tier 8, signified by a screenshot of the Stephen E. Ambrose Austria tours with Band of Brothers casts, a screenshot of Matthew Leitch's reunion youtube with other actors, and the Dead Eyes Podcast cover

- the other Zielinski

- you know way to much to be a weird fan

Tier 9, signified by a stock image of a pile of books

- Burr Smith

- you are a scholar

[mads-weasley]

hbowar tag game!! thanks @xxluckystrike @blueberry-ovaries @ronsparky & @footprintsinthesxnd

name/alias: mads <3

country: the united states

which of the series have you seen? i've seen band of brothers, generation kill, the pacific, and now MASTERS OF THE AIR!!

use an emoji or one word to describe your favorite character in an hbowar miniseries: 🍺 it's problematic but I love the drunks (affectionate) 🥴

ultimate ship: Lena and John Basilone or Gale & Marge Cleven

favorite fic: Oohhhhh one of the first band of brothers fics I ever read was "Soldier of the Stars," by @wexhappyxfew, and it got me HOOKED into the fandom in early 2021 (i've read it like 4 times). She has SO many good long fics on her account, including a new one she is working on now!! Please go check her out!! Also, Young Love & Old Money is such a good Nix story by @footprintsinthesxnd!! Check her out, too!! There are honestly, too many good fics to recommend on here.

what are some of the ways you interact in this fandom? I write fanfic, make gifs (sometimes), icons, and reblog the heck out of everything.

favorite color: definitely blue...what blue? i don't know. it depends on the day.

current favorite song: please don't go home yet by stephen sanchez

What would you say if i held up a can of peaches?

“it’s a can of peaches, sir!!”

complete this sentence: “where the hell is ___ company?!”

"FOX!!"

other accounts or socials? hbowar blog: @mads-nixon and purely masters of the air blog: @major-mads!!

list one other fandom member (mutual or a follower you admire) for some appreciation: @footprintsinthesxnd, the buck to my bucky, my beloved co-writer of the Skytrain Girls series, thanks for always keeping up with my obsessions and going along with my crazy ideas while writing our series! i appreciate you!!!💛💛

i'm not going to tag anyone, but everyone is welcomed to join in!

[deadpresidents]

If I had to read 1 book about every President from Nixon to Trump (or even Biden), which should I read?

•RICHARD NIXON

Nixon is a really tough one because there are so many great biographies about Nixon, as well as books that either focus specifically on his Presidency -- like President Nixon: Alone in the White House by Richard Reeves (BOOK | KINDLE) -- or on the overall political climate of his era, like Rick Perlstein's books, particularly Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (BOOK | KINDLE) and The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan (BOOK | KINDLE).

But I'm going to cheat and pick the three-volume series by Stephen Ambrose: •Nixon: The Education of a Politician, 1913-1962 (BOOK | KINDLE) •Nixon: The Triumph of a Politician, 1962-1972 (BOOK | KINDLE) •Nixon: Ruin and Recovery, 1973-1990 (BOOK | KINDLE)

•GERALD FORD

It hasn't been released yet, but you'll have to take my word that nothing comes close to Richard Norton Smith's forthcoming book, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (BOOK | KINDLE). If you can't wait until April, I'd suggest checking out Barry Werth's 31 Days: Gerald Ford, the Nixon Pardon and a Government in Crisis (BOOK | KINDLE). It's not a full-fledged biography, but it's a captivating look at Ford' first month in the White House following the resignation of President Nixon. Donald Rumsfeld's When the Center Held: Gerald Ford and the Rescue of the American Presidency (BOOK | KINDLE) also deserves an honorable mention.

•JIMMY CARTER

His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life by Jonathan Alter (BOOK | KINDLE)

•RONALD REAGAN

Edmund Morris’s Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan (BOOK | KINDLE) is very divisive because of the controversial storytelling technique that Morris used to structure the biography, but I think the extent of his research and depth of detail overpowers any criticism about his writing choices. For those who would prefer a more traditional single-volume biography, you can’t go wrong with Reagan: The Life by H.W. Brands (BOOK | KINDLE).

•GEORGE H.W. BUSH

I can say, without any hesitation, that Jon Meacham’s Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush (BOOK | KINDLE) is the best, single-volume biography ever written about any American President. In fact, in my opinion, it might be the best, single-volume biography ever written about anybody anywhere at any time.

•BILL CLINTON

I don’t think that anyone has written what I would consider the definitive overall biography of Bill Clinton’s life and Presidency yet. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House by John F. Harris (BOOK | KINDLE) is excellent but focused, obviously, just on Clinton’s Presidency. I look forward to someone eventually writing THE biography of Bill Clinton.

•GEORGE W. BUSH

Much like President #42, I think we’re still waiting for the definitive, all-encompassing biography of 43. There are two excellent books about his years in the White House that I strongly recommend: Robert Draper’s Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush (BOOK | KINDLE), and Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House (BOOK | KINDLE) by Peter Baker, who has long been one of my favorite reporters about the modern Presidency.

•BARACK OBAMA

Like his two immediate predecessors, we’re still waiting for a complete biography about Obama’s entire life and political career. But David J. Garrow’s Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama (BOOK | KINDLE) comes closest. It is meticulously researched and incredibly detailed -- the book is nearly 1,500 pages long and only takes us up through Obama’s election as President in 2008. But it is undoubtedly the definitive book about Obama’s early life and political rise -- there’s nothing else that comes even close.

���DONALD TRUMP

Unlike Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama, there is a full-fledged biography of Donald Trump that encompasses his life as well as his Presidency. Maggie Haberman worked on Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America (BOOK | KINDLE) during her years of reporting on Trump and published her biography of him last fall. Haberman has long been one of the best informed and most relentless reporters about Trump for much of the last decade, so her book is as close to definitive as one can get about a recent President.

•JOE BIDEN

It’s definitely too early for any complete biography about Biden so far. If you’re looking for something about him, I’d suggest Chris Whipple’s brand-new book, The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House (BOOK | KINDLE). And Gabriel Debenedetti’s The Long Alliance: The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama (BOOK | KINDLE) is a revealing look at their relationship from their brief time serving together in the Senate to the 2008 campaign where they started as opponents and then running mates, through their partnership in the Obama Administration and up to Biden’s 2020 victory and early days in the White House. 

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.9

Holidays

Arbor Day (Cambodia)

ASB Community Action Day

Call of the Horizon Day

Chicken Days begin (Nebraska)

Constitution Day (Australia, Palau)

Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Day of the Employees of the Diplomatic Service (Azerbaijan)

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Utah)

Donkey Kong Day

Family Day (Ukraine)

Fashion Day

Festival of Grand Unified Theories

Flag Day (Chile)

Goat Mother’s Day

Intern Appreciation Day

International Small Arms Destruction Day

Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival begins (Turkey)

Mars

Mint Day (French Republic)

Muffler Appreciation Day

National Camel Toad Hunting Day (Secular Church of the SubGenius)

National Culture Day (Kiribati)

National Dimples Day

National Lavender Day

National No Bra Day

National Student’s Day (India)

Nunavut Day (Canada)

Paper Napkin Day

Rock Around the Clock Day

Shiman Rokusen-nichi (Day of 46,000; Tokyo, Japan)

Special Recreation Day

State Rebellion Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day (Ohio)

White Ensign Anniversary Day (UK)

Wimbledon Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Omelette Day

National Chicken Day

National Sugar Cookie Day

World Pakora Day

2nd Sunday in July

Barn Day [2nd Sunday]

Disability Awareness Day (UK) [2nd Sunday]

Father’s Day (Uruguay) [2nd Sunday]

Festival of the Giants begins (Fête des Géants; France) [Sunday after 7.5]

Lá Cuimhneacháin Náisiúnta (National Day of Commemoration; Ireland) [Sunday closet to 7.11]

Independence Days

Argentina (from Spain, 1816)

Kebec (f.k.a. Alaurentia; Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Luxe (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

South Sudan (from Sudan, 2011)

Feast Days

Agilulfus of Cologne (Christian; Saint)

Amandina of Schakkebroek (Christian; A Martyr of Southern Hunan)

Caprotinia (Old Roman Female Slave Festival)

Charlotte the Penguin (Muppetism)

St. Clotilde (Positivist; Saint)

Cyril and Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

David Hockney (Artology)

Day of Unn the Wise Person (a.k.a. Day of Remembrance for Ann the Deep Minded; Pagan)

Dharma Day (Buddhist) [Full Moon, 8th Lunar Month]

Ekādaśī Tithi (Self-Purification Festival; Hindism, Vaishnavism) [11th Lunar Day]

Ephrem of Edessa (Christian; Saint)

Everilda (Christian; Saint)

Feast of the Chinese Martyrs (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of the Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Christian)

Feast of Translation of Nicolas (Christian; Confessor)

Gregorio Grassi (Christian; A Martyr of Shanxi)

Invent a Word Day (Pastafarian)

Marija Petković (Christian; Blessed)

Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í)

Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Mary Hermina Grivot (Christian; Saint)

Mojo Nixon Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Our Lady of Itatí (Christian)

Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation (Christian)

Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (Christian; Saint)

Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (Christian; Saint)

Rusty (Muppetism)

Sabinus (Christian; Martyr)

Solstitium VI (Pagan)

Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican commemoration)

Veronica Giuliani (Christian; Saint)

Zeno (Christian; Martyr)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [26 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

American Pie (Film; 1999)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Film; 2004)

The Bears and Bees (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Black Widow (Film: 2021)

Blowin’ in the Wind, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1962)

Blue, by LeAnn Rimes (Album; 1996)

Despicable Me (Animated Film; 2010)

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Film; 2010)

The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights), by Philip Pullman (Nove; 1995) [His Dark Materials #1]

Love and Curses (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

Loving You (Elvis Presley Film; 1957)

The Office (UK TV Series; 2001)

One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (Film; 1975)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Film; 2003)

Pluto’s Purchase (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

Predators (Film; 2010)

The Queen Was in the Parlor (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

Riding Giants (Documentary Film; 2004)

Rookie of the Year (Film; 1993)

Tall Timber (Disney Cartoon; 1928)

This Is a Life? (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Tron (Film; 1982)

Winnebago Man (Documentary Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Augustin, Gottfried, Veronika (Austria)

Leticija, Marija, Veronika (Croatia)

Drahoslava (Czech Republic)

Sostrata (Denmark)

Aive, Aivi (Estonia)

Ilta, Jade, Jasmiina, Jasmin, Nanna (Finland)

Amandine, Hermine, Iphigénie, Marianne (France)

Hannes, Hermine, Veronika (Germany)

Pagratios (Greece)

Lukrécia (Hungary)

Letizia (Italy)

Asne, Tusnelda, Zaiga (Latvia)

Algirdas, Algirdė, Leonardas, Veronika (Lithuania)

Gøran, Jøran, Ørjan (Norway)

Anatolia, Heloiza, Hieronim, Lucja, Łucja, Ludwika, Lukrecja, Mikołaj, Patrycjusz, Weronika, Wszebąd, Zenon, Zenona (Poland)

Lujza (Slovakia)

Verónica (Spain)

Götilda , Jörgen, Örjan (Sweden)

Averil, Avery, Junior, Misty (USA)

Amandine (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 190 of 2024; 175 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 27 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 22 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 20 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 10 Lux; Threesday [10 of 30]

Julian: 26 June 2023

Moon: 55%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Clotilde]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 19 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 19 of 31)

[almackey]

Band of Brothers

Stephen Ambrose plagiarized several works in some of his books, notably "The Wild Blue" and "Upton and the Army." There may be several others. There's no denying, however, that he was a gifted writer. His book, "Band of Brothers" is an excellent example of synthesizing several oral histories [from personal interviews with participants] and written submissions by participants into a cogent, flowing narrative that reads more like a war novel than a history of a rifle company of paratroopers in World War II.

He follows E Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from training in Georgia to the end of World War II. Along with citing his interviews and other communications with veterans of Easy Company, he provides supplementary information by citing other historians. I wasn't able to detect any plagiarism in this book, though it's certainly possible. The words of the veterans gives us an immediacy to the story and highlights the tensions felt in battle.

The miniseries, "Band of Brothers," was based on this book and follows the book closely. One will recognize all the actions and the people if one compares the book to the miniseries. Everyone is here: Herbert Sobel, Dick Winters, Shifty Powers, Buck Compton, Bill Guarnere, Moose Heyliger, Joe Liebgott, Ronald Spiers, Carwood Lipton, Lewis Nixon, and the rest. Even if you've seen the miniseries, you'll still feel the drama in this book. The writing is that good.

[nonfer]

"how would the President explain it?"

screenshots above taken circa 7-27-24

"- continues its strong showing at the box office."

"i don't think we need to see that."

[ tumblr's autofill meets all expectations today though. ]

"sounds like you enjoyed it, mr. President."

"i love this movie."

selfish bastard ||| 2:17.1 - 2:41.9

easily bet even this won't last:

audience hating cbs gets this from what used to be viacom? wouldn't give the video above long enough to promote the show anymore than they would quit taking down the following:

who are the role models for an unsuccessful practice of aggressively attacking fans of their content? maybe that's just dumb enough to be good enough for government work.

elected officials are a minority of all government personnel, appointed and elected, who really don't seem reliable either. we can't all work for the government. that doesn't make the majority of people within america's jurisdiction responsible for crimes committed by a failed and flailing government. think they'll ever try to change?

looking and seeing any of the complicit officials appear with no remorse visible, yet quite proud to talk... hey, is that a role model? seriously, how is anyone supposed to explain why a can of soda costs what it does without referencing how the white collar crime that our government persists in occupies so much of its time. it explains educationally bankrupt colleges and universities. why educate when it's just easier to pay the bills without doing so. meanwhile, why respect the rights of students to their intellectual property when that's easily violated without any real, legal concern. it explains uninformative, political groups allowed as non profits. it explains no legal recourse available to protect investors, private and public, from thousands of embezzling (upper management) 'executives'. not last, it explains fraud or worse by those government employed or just government funded groups with only pretentions to law enforcement.

bunch of nixon apologists, with no concern for consequences, won't think twice violating anyone's rights. what it looks like without a law abiding President for over fifty years. 'extra judicial' killings aren't anymore legal than either torturing the incarcerated or conspiring to obstruct accountability for crimes.

worst part? they are all embarrassingly bad at being criminal. somehow that feels more offensive than having a devalued currency as a persistent consequence. trying to "cover it up" is a twofer: one for confessing and two for further criminal liability.

[ 'they' told you it was okay? well, 'they' were wrong. you're guilty. you didn't have to tell everyone. shut. the. fuck. up. 'they' won't ever be as accountable as you've made yourself by accepting responsibilities you have never bothered to attempt to comprehend. i am not responsible for either 'their' words and actions or for yours. ]

nonfer

if you're in a slasher flick? lowest common denominator movie franchise the purge becomes a tv show. notice that hollywood thinking it might just sell doesn't get a puzzled look but gets a green light.

[politicsarecool2]

“These sayings/insults are incredible gems from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words! I hope you delight in them as much as I have. 😅♥️

1. "He had delusions of adequacy. ” Walter Kerr

2. "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”- Winston Churchill

3. "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. - Clarence Darrow

4. "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”-William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

5. "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

6. "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.” - Moses Hadas

7. "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” - Mark Twain

8. "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” - Oscar Wilde

9. "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.” -George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

10. "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.” - Winston Churchill, in response

11. "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here” - Stephen Bishop

12. "He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” - John Bright

13. "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.” - Irvin S. Cobb

14. "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” - Samuel Johnson

15. "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. - Paul Keating

16. "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” - Forrest Tucker

17. "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?” - Mark Twain

18. "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” - Mae West

19. "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” - Oscar Wilde

20. "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.” - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

21. "He has Van Gogh's ear for music.” - Billy Wilder

22. "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I'm afraid this wasn't it.” - Groucho Marx

23. The exchange between Winston Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

24. "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln

25. "There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." -- Jack E. Leonard

26. "They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." -- Thomas Brackett Reed

27. "He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them." -- James Reston (about Richard Nixon) —Robert L Truesdel”

From FB

Unknown MP on witnessing Winston Churchill fail to wash his hands in the members WC after urinating .."At Eton, we were taught to wash our hands!". Winston .. "At Harrow, we were taught not to piss on our fingers!" 🤣

More…

“Dorothy Parker reviewing a book

This book is not one to be tossed lightly aside but hurled with great force.

Parker on Margot Hemingway

Who broke he leg

She broke her leg by sliding down a Barrister.

Margot Asquith to Jean Harlow - who always pronounced the T at the end of Margot.

“ no dear the T is silent - as in Harlow.

Dorothy Parker and a rival were heading towards a door

“Age before beauty “said her rival motioning DP to go first

And Pearls before Swine said DP and she sailed through the door.

Disraeli was once asked the difference between a misfortune and a Catastrophe

He replied

If Gladstone were to fall into the Thames that I suppose would be a misfortune

But if someone were to pull him out that would be a catastrophe.

French Catholic ambassador took the English Protestant ambassador to a gallery and showed him a painting which he knew would enrage him

A painting of Christ with the French King on one side of Christ and the Pope on the other side.

Without missing a beat the English ambassador thanked him for the informative tour and said

I always knew that our Lord was crucified between two thieves but until now I never knew their identity.”

[ledenews]

The Death Penalty in West Virginia

When I address the death penalty, I am no stranger to the issue. On June 8, 2000, a priest and friend, who had welcomed me on my first day in the seminary years earlier, was brutally murdered by a drunken young man who broke into his rectory in Germantown, Maryland, looking for money. The state prosecutor wanted to seek the death penalty but the priest’s family urged him not to, citing the priest’s opposition to capital punishment. After the murderer’s conviction, the judge imposed a 42 ½ year sentence on him. I agree with the priest’s family: a long prison sentence but not death. Why not put to death a vicious criminal? After all, in the Bible we read: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand and foot for foot . But, in the same Bible, when God punished King David for contriving to have his soldier, Uriah, killed so he would not discover that David had committed adultery with his wife, God did not condemn the king to death but rather confronted him through the prophet Nathan and gave the king the opportunity to repent and be forgiven. Jesus urges us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . It is a struggle for most people to embrace this teaching, although many eventually do. But Jesus’ words raise a fair question: can the state, charged with maintaining civil order, forego the retribution of life for life and take another approach in punishing vicious criminals? In 1965 the legislators of West Virginia found another way. They abolished the death penalty in the Mountain State. Perhaps it bothered them that, in exacting a life for a life, the state was committing deadly violence, just as the criminal had done. There was no compelling evidence then, as there is none now, that capital punishment deterred violent crime. Some undoubtedly thought that a long prison sentence might give the convicted criminal time to reform. That can happen. Chuck Colson, a White House counselor to President Richard Nixon, spent a year in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. While there he converted to Christ and, after his release, founded Prison Fellowship to aid prisoners and their families. Stephen Richards spent nine years in prison for drug dealing but used his time there to earn a college degree and, after prison, an MA and a Ph.D. He now teaches criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Kevin Metrick spent seven years in prison for hacking into the software of Digital Equipment Co. Now, fittingly, he heads a firm that helps companies fill gaps in their security system. None of these men were sentenced to death for their crimes but they illustrate the truth that prisoners can reform. Some of our legislators are understandably frustrated with crime and want to reinstate the death penalty to punish perpetrators. I have been robbed twice, so I’m no friend of crime. But is capital punishment the right approach to curbing serious crime? Before making such a drastic decision, is it not prudent to remember why we abolished capital punishment many decades ago? A death sentence serves only to express the anger of the state and aggrieved families; it does not prevent future violent crimes; it is inflicted disproportionately on the poor and on racial minorities and it wastes taxpayers’ money. On November 3, 2023, the City of Philadelphia settled a lawsuit with Walter Osgood for $9,100,000 after he was exonerated of a murder it was later discovered he did not commit. He had spent twenty-three years on death row. He escaped execution but Philadelphia is paying a big price for its miscarriage of justice. Since 1973 many dozens of death row inmates across the country have been exonerated and released. Is it worth the risk of putting to death an innocent Walter Osgood to bring back a practice that has no real benefit to the citizens of our state and which West Virginia previously abolished? +Mark E. BrennanBishop of Wheeling-Charleston Read the full article

[brookston]

Holidays 7.9

Holidays

Arbor Day (Cambodia)

ASB Community Action Day

Call of the Horizon Day

Chicken Days begin (Nebraska)

Constitution Day (Australia, Palau)

Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Day of the Employees of the Diplomatic Service (Azerbaijan)

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Utah)

Donkey Kong Day

Family Day (Ukraine)

Fashion Day

Festival of Grand Unified Theories

Flag Day (Chile)

Goat Mother’s Day

Intern Appreciation Day

International Small Arms Destruction Day

Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival begins (Turkey)

Mars

Mint Day (French Republic)

Muffler Appreciation Day

National Camel Toad Hunting Day (Secular Church of the SubGenius)

National Culture Day (Kiribati)

National Dimples Day

National Lavender Day

National No Bra Day

National Student’s Day (India)

Nunavut Day (Canada)

Paper Napkin Day

Rock Around the Clock Day

Shiman Rokusen-nichi (Day of 46,000; Tokyo, Japan)

Special Recreation Day

State Rebellion Day (São Paulo, Brazil)

Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day (Ohio)

White Ensign Anniversary Day (UK)

Wimbledon Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Omelette Day

National Chicken Day

National Sugar Cookie Day

World Pakora Day

2nd Sunday in July

Barn Day [2nd Sunday]

Disability Awareness Day (UK) [2nd Sunday]

Father’s Day (Uruguay) [2nd Sunday]

Festival of the Giants begins (Fête des Géants; France) [Sunday after 7.5]

Lá Cuimhneacháin Náisiúnta (National Day of Commemoration; Ireland) [Sunday closet to 7.11]

Independence Days

Argentina (from Spain, 1816)

Kebec (f.k.a. Alaurentia; Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Luxe (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

South Sudan (from Sudan, 2011)

Feast Days

Agilulfus of Cologne (Christian; Saint)

Amandina of Schakkebroek (Christian; A Martyr of Southern Hunan)

Caprotinia (Old Roman Female Slave Festival)

Charlotte the Penguin (Muppetism)

St. Clotilde (Positivist; Saint)

Cyril and Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

David Hockney (Artology)

Day of Unn the Wise Person (a.k.a. Day of Remembrance for Ann the Deep Minded; Pagan)

Dharma Day (Buddhist) [Full Moon, 8th Lunar Month]

Ekādaśī Tithi (Self-Purification Festival; Hindism, Vaishnavism) [11th Lunar Day]

Ephrem of Edessa (Christian; Saint)

Everilda (Christian; Saint)

Feast of the Chinese Martyrs (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of the Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Christian)

Feast of Translation of Nicolas (Christian; Confessor)

Gregorio Grassi (Christian; A Martyr of Shanxi)

Invent a Word Day (Pastafarian)

Marija Petković (Christian; Blessed)

Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í)

Martyrs of Gorkum (Christian; Martyrs)

Mary Hermina Grivot (Christian; Saint)

Mojo Nixon Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Our Lady of Itatí (Christian)

Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation (Christian)

Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (Christian; Saint)

Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (Christian; Saint)

Rusty (Muppetism)

Sabinus (Christian; Martyr)

Solstitium VI (Pagan)

Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican commemoration)

Veronica Giuliani (Christian; Saint)

Zeno (Christian; Martyr)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [26 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

American Pie (Film; 1999)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Film; 2004)

The Bears and Bees (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Black Widow (Film: 2021)

Blowin’ in the Wind, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1962)

Blue, by LeAnn Rimes (Album; 1996)

Despicable Me (Animated Film; 2010)

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Film; 2010)

The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights), by Philip Pullman (Nove; 1995) [His Dark Materials #1]

Love and Curses (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

Loving You (Elvis Presley Film; 1957)

The Office (UK TV Series; 2001)

One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (Film; 1975)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Film; 2003)

Pluto’s Purchase (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

Predators (Film; 2010)

The Queen Was in the Parlor (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

Riding Giants (Documentary Film; 2004)

Rookie of the Year (Film; 1993)

Tall Timber (Disney Cartoon; 1928)

This Is a Life? (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Tron (Film; 1982)

Winnebago Man (Documentary Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Augustin, Gottfried, Veronika (Austria)

Leticija, Marija, Veronika (Croatia)

Drahoslava (Czech Republic)

Sostrata (Denmark)

Aive, Aivi (Estonia)

Ilta, Jade, Jasmiina, Jasmin, Nanna (Finland)

Amandine, Hermine, Iphigénie, Marianne (France)

Hannes, Hermine, Veronika (Germany)

Pagratios (Greece)

Lukrécia (Hungary)

Letizia (Italy)

Asne, Tusnelda, Zaiga (Latvia)

Algirdas, Algirdė, Leonardas, Veronika (Lithuania)

Gøran, Jøran, Ørjan (Norway)

Anatolia, Heloiza, Hieronim, Lucja, Łucja, Ludwika, Lukrecja, Mikołaj, Patrycjusz, Weronika, Wszebąd, Zenon, Zenona (Poland)

Lujza (Slovakia)

Verónica (Spain)

Götilda , Jörgen, Örjan (Sweden)

Averil, Avery, Junior, Misty (USA)

Amandine (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 190 of 2024; 175 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 27 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 22 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 20 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 10 Lux; Threesday [10 of 30]

Julian: 26 June 2023

Moon: 55%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Clotilde]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 19 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 19 of 31)

[hedonistiics]

STARTER FOR: @fvlsegcds

BASED ON: this

MUSE: nixon stephens ( daniel ezra fc )

he felt like a damned teenager again staying under his brother's roof in the house they'd grown up in, while his apartment floors were being worked on. nixon did his best to follow the rules his older brother had set as cash was very private about the space and nixon wanted to respect that. but having to ask permission to have his girl over, was like being back in high school. especially when cash had turned him down, claiming nixon needed to get his shit together and then went on a tirade about making good life decisions and getting a real job. it was then that nixon decided some rules were meant to be broken. he'd snuck his girlfriend into the house and into his old childhood bedroom. as soon as the door closed behind them, his lips were on hers, deft fingers working on dragging her shirt over her head. "fuck baby, i've missed you," he whispered and took the chance to drag her shirt up and toss it, before his lips were back on hers. "pants... off," nixon mumbled between kisses, impatient fingers moving down her stomach and towards the top of her pants. "i need to be inside you... now." the man continued to walk them backwards, until the backs of her knees hit the mattress, causing her to let out a squeal. "baby, be quiet!" he whisper yelled and shot her a serious glare before making quick work of removing her pants. "if you can't stay quiet, i won't fuck you. and you don't want that, right?"

[melbournenewsvine]

Caretaker review at Ensemble Theater

Ghouli’s performance is silent as Leno’s alleged, any anger in his character is electrocuted. However, his quiet reduction develops his own strength, as does his physical presence, and these points become vital counterpoints to Davis and Mick. Nixon Meek is fantastically crazy and convincingly dangerous. It gives us a level of unpredictability which makes it the quick fuse of Davis’ bombshell, and his sound modulation is exceptional. Veronique Benett’s set is essentially correct for Pinter’s instructions, although it’s less cluttered and messy than expected. The bucket hanging from the ceiling to collect the drops is startlingly ominous, like the sword of Damocles willing to thwart their various fantasies, and the entire production casts a spell you don’t want to break, so at least two spells seem too much. – John Chand A cultural guide to getting out and loving your city. Subscribe to the Culture Fix newsletter here. gods magic Hayes Theater Company October 19 Until November 6 ★★★★ We’re in a prolific pub, the kind where the walls stick and the jukebox needs a good hit to keep it going. A man arrives, drinks, and sits at the piano. Play begins. The melody begins as a shabby whisper but grows stronger as a group of rag-tag characters seem to join the group. Is this where it all begins? Equal parts chaotic and lonely, Stephen Schwartz’s 1971 musical (with lyrics and book by John Michael Teblac) turns St. Matthew’s Gospel into a chaotic review. Jesus (played here by the brilliant Billy Palin) uses song, story, and dance to bring people together and teach them how to live. Then, when the story emerges, as we all know it’s essential, the community is empowered to convey its message of radical love to the world. Director Richard Carroll and music director Victoria Falconer have assembled their very own ragtag band to create a highly entertaining, and ultimately impactful, scene. It is nostalgia, knowledge, longing and quest at the same time. Everyone at some point has an amazing repertoire of talent.attributed to him:Philip Arbacher The costumes, by Angela White, are glorious retro. The set (Emma White) is instantly evocative. Australian sounds, and background chat is contemporary. As it turns out, giving God’s Word the cabaret treatment is a stroke of genius, whether it’s a puppet version of the Good Samaritan or the story of the Prodigal Son told through hermeneutic dance. None of this would be possible without an unusual set. Everyone on stage seems to have an amazing repertoire of talent, from conjuring to pole dancing, to mastering over 40 different instruments, from the recorder to the musical saw. The music is on purpose, loving, and off center stage, by Falconer, and the choreography, by Sally Dashwood, is subconsciously fun. in monthly This is September Alison Crogon, in her essay celebrating the achievements of Melbourne’s Back to Back Theatre, writes of the real hard work in the theater industry: “Every collaboration is a rehearsal for a utopia…a gamble on human potential.” This show and this production capture that sentiment. Earlier this week, Hayes Theater announced a new creative leadership model, naming Hayes founding member Richard Carroll and composer, instrumentalist and multi-instrumentalist Victoria Falconer as co-artistic directors. gods magic Feel like their statement. – Harriet Konigam Source link Originally published at Melbourne News Vine

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Nukes, Putin, and Us

Stephen J. Morris

10/10/22

Scientific Morality

Autumn has arrived in the Catskills and the yellow, red, brown, and gold leaves are floating down from the trees like snowflakes. Yesterday, I raked up all of the leaves I could and the yard looked pretty clean; green grass visible again. By the next day, however, hundreds more leaves had fallen and the yard looked as though I’d never done a thing! Now, isn’t that the perfect analogy to world politics?

Here we go again, another world crisis to worry about. The fear of nuclear annihilation is upon us. Man, in the 50’s and 60’s, young Americans were cast in a reality, horror show about how Communist Russia was poised to drop bombs on us. We were to melt like butter on a sidewalk in a heat wave.

However, here is where we arrive at the irony part: Russia is no longer a Communist country! What are they? You tell me. Your guess is as good as mine. An Oligarchy? An Autocracy? Maybe a Kleptocracy? It sure smells like Fascism to me—a cesspool of raw sewage! Some American Conservatives support Putin’s war against Ukraine. Sure they do! At least Hitler wasn’t a commie! Oh, did I say the H word? I guess I lose the argument. Fuck me! No! Fuck you!

Putin is losing the war against Ukraine, just like when Russia lost its war against Afghanistan. America was so blinded with anti-Communism that they supported the local Islamic fanatics, “the Mujaheddin.” The CIA had created this group to stop the Soviets. And what did we get for our troubles? Can you say 9-11?

So, here we are. Putin, the former KGB for the Soviets, has changed his spots. He is now a cold blooded, sociopath who always has to get his way. If you betray or disobey him, you’ll fall out of a window, get stabbed with a poison pen, and die of a massive heart attack. It was scary enough when Trump had the nuclear codes, but this Russian leader is bat shit crazy! It was rumored, recently, that Putin had cancer. I wish it was true.

We’ve got Conservatives trying to red-scare us, again, using China as the perfect, Right wing adversary: “They are Communists!” Hello! They are non-white and they are making tons of money! Then, there is A.O.C. and Bernie Sanders in their sights: “The REDS ARE COMING!” No, they are not! Communism is dying a slow death. After all, we in the U.S. buy clothes that are made in Vietnam and sold at Walmart, Kohl’s, and other family-friendly outlets. Kindly take your anti-Communism bullshit and shove it up your reactionary ass! I don’t give a shit about what some elderly, Cuban, refugee tells you! I’m sick of it, so piss off with that shit!

What we do have is this Right wing, pig—Putin—who is passive-aggressively threatening the USA. What to do? Russia is now going through a Vietnam-type of situation, similar to what we had in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He’s enacted a draft for all Russian males, 18 to 65 years old. A majority of Russians have protested the war against Ukraine. Now, they are protesting the draft. Will Putin end up like Nixon?

Given all of the macho posturing Putin has mustered, the whole world is against him. However, blatant masculinity won’t stop a nuclear bomb. For those who think that nuclear weapons will provide protection or give your country strength to rule the world, think again. Once the bomb is released, the planet will be poisoned with radiation fallout for hundreds of years or more. So, as Allen Ginsberg said in his 1950 poem, “America”--“Fuck your atom bombs!”

In conclusion: We shouldn’t be freaking out about Putin, but we have to remain alert for whatever he is up to. Let’s hope the CIA is doing their job instead of orchestrating a public relations job on us Americans. Cancer or an assassin is going to get Putin.

And you wonder why I am an anarchist? Governments create war! Governments create war crimes to protect the rich! We don’t need the rich, or the governments that protect them!

[2mchworld]

These  insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.

1. "He had delusions of adequacy ” Walter Kerr

2. "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”- Winston Churchill

3. "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. - Clarence Darrow

4. "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”-William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

5. "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

6. "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.” - Moses Hadas

7. "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” - Mark Twain

8. "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” - Oscar Wilde

 9. "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.”   -George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

10. "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.” - Winston Churchill, in response

11. "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here” - Stephen Bishop

12. "He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” - John Bright

13. "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.” - Irvin S. Cobb

14. "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” - Samuel Johnson

 15. "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. -  Paul Keating

16. "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” - Forrest Tucker

17.  "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?” - Mark Twain

18. "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” - Mae West

19. "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” - Oscar Wilde

 20. "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.” - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

21. "He has Van Gogh's ear for music.” - Billy Wilde

r22. "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I'm afraid this wasn't it.” - Groucho Marx

23. The exchange between Winston Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

24. "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln

25. "There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." -- Jack E.  Leonard

26. "They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." --  Thomas Brackett Reed

27. "He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them." -- James Reston (about Richard Nixon) —Robert L Truesdell

-from Not Right Quotes on FB

[ms-demeanor]

Just because capitalism is bad doesn't make rioting a good or effective means of change.

As much as I hate cops I feel like it pretty much proves my point to START with the article in the cop magazine about how the Rodney King riots changed policing in LA:

Shortly after the riot, Chief Willie Williams was sworn in as the first outside police chief in 45 years. The voters created a new system where the chief could serve only a five-year term, renewable once at the city's option. On two occasions so far, the city has sent the chief packing after five years.

(Police Mag April 2012)

Here’s Anaheim City Councilman Stephen Fassell talking about changes after riots in Anaheim due to police shooting people:

We now have a representative government that we did not have before. We now have a city government that listens more. We’re only six or seven months into this, so we still have to learn our way around. Overall, the city is taking a renewed interest in that neighborhood (Anna Drive) and others. Neighborhoods, in general, have higher visibility in the eyes of the city government from one end to another.

(OC Register, July 2017)

Here’s some historians talking to Vox about rioting:

The 1960s unrest, for example, led to the Kerner Commission, which reviewed the cause of the uprisings and pushed reforms in local police departments. The changes to police ended up taking various forms: more active hiring of minority police officers, civilian review boards of cases in which police use force, and residency requirements that force officers to live in the communities they police."

This is one of the greatest ironies. People would say that this kind of level of upheaval in the streets and this kind of chaos in the streets is counterproductive," Thompson said. "The fact of the matter is that it was after every major city in the urban north exploded in the 1960s that we get the first massive probe into what was going on — known as the Kerner Commission."

(Vox, September 2016)

This is from an abstract of a study done on the 1992 LA riots

Contrary to some expectations from the academic literature and the popular press, we find that the riot caused a marked liberal shift in policy support at the polls. Investigating the sources of this shift, we find that it was likely the result of increased mobilization of both African American and white voters. Remarkably, this mobilization endures over a decade later.

(American Political Science Review, 2019)

There’s a whole-ass article about this in Jacobin this week

Even the case of the 1960s is more complicated than the liberal story about scared white Nixon voters suggests. For one thing, there is substantial evidence that the riots led to higher government expenditures in the deprived cities where they erupted. James W. Button’s pathbreaking 1978 book Black Violence documented the ways the riots forced policymakers to pay attention to the effects of their policies on the urban poor, a group they had been happy to neglect previously. At a time when many social scientists viewed even protest movements as a kind of mass psychosis, Button showed that riots were a rational response to being ignored. Later research showed that riots could increase welfare expenditures, even in areas where white racism was strongest. In other words, even if riots pushed white public opinion in a conservative direction, they also brought important benefits to the areas where they occurred.

(Jacobin, June 2020)

And here is the full 17-page PDF of an article published by the American Political Science Association in their journal, I’m linking to the whole thing but I’m only going to reproduce the conclusion here:

We focus on violent protest as a political tool for a low-status group in the United States. While other scholarship has examined other forms of political action and asked if it is efficacious for racial minorities and other low-status groups, the scholarly literature has largely failed to ask whether rioting is a useful tool for building policy support, even though, from the perspective of the rioters, this question is paramount. Here we show that violent political protest can spur political participation among people who share an identity with the rioters.

Although it often seems extreme from the American perspective, political violence is not isolated to particular regions or eras and is still common in many parts of the world. Moreover, the implicit threat of violence underlies the relationship between governments and citizens in many places. As the use of violence continues to be an active feature of our political system, our findings and approach may help future scholars better understand this important topic.

(American Political Science Review, June 2019)

And also just because riots may or may not be politically expedient doesn’t prevent them.

I want to talk for a second about the concept of a state monopoly on violence.

The deal is that in most states (here meaning countries or governments, not US States) the State (or government) is the only entity that is allowed to be violent. You’re not allowed to break down your neighbor’s door, your partner isn’t allowed to hit you, you’re not allowed to smash your boss’s windshield. The state and its agents are the only things allowed to be violent and their violence is supposed to be used to curtail societal violence. The cops outnumber your partner and have the legal power to lock them in a cage if your partner hits you, this is in theory supposed to prevent your partner from hitting you. Fear of state violence is supposed to act as a deterrent to crime and interpersonal violence.

BUT there are supposed to be rules. The state is the only one allowed to be violent but they’re not allowed to be wantonly, willfully violent. The state doesn’t get to hit you with no evidence of a crime, the cops aren’t supposed to smash in your windshield, sheriffs aren’t supposed to break down your door if you haven’t committed a crime that warrants a violent response from the state.

The state isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.

The state has lost its right to a monopoly on violence.

Yes, the violence is unfortunate. Yes, the violence is not ideal. No, I’m not applauding when people set fire to local businesses.

I am maybe applauding a little when they set fire to a massive corporation that has utilized the violence of the state against citizens while working hard to protect itself against workers (Target) and I’m applauding the destruction of symbols of inequality and institutionalized racism (Rodeo Drive in LA and the Market House in NC and all the statues of racists on this list) and I’ma be real here, I kind of always think police stations should be torn down brick by brick or forcibly converted into libraries or low income housing.

So while the violence is not ideal I don’t think that it’s illegitimate. The state has lost its right to a monopoly on violence and a violent response is certainly one way to make that point.

But here’s the other thing:

All these riots started with peaceful protests against state violence. There are thousands of photos and videos of peaceful protestors peacefully protesting and having speeches and asking for change.

And there are hundreds of videos and photos of cops launching tear gas and rubber bullets at these peaceful protestors. There is a staggering amount of evidence that in city after city police escalated tensions and introduced violence to peaceful protests.

(and please let’s remember: all of this started in response to an act of police violence. These riots didn’t fall out of a clear blue sky, they are a direct reaction to four police officers killing a man by kneeling on his neck for eight minutes while he begged for his mother and his life. That is, in my opinion, something completely worth burning down a police station over even if that act never accomplishes anything further than burning down that police station)

[yourreddancer]

These  insults are from an era “before” the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words

. 1. "He had delusions of adequacy ” Walter Kerr

 2. "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”- Winston Churchill

3. "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. - Clarence Darrow

4. "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”-William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

5. "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

6. "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.” - Moses Hadas

7. "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” - Mark Twain

8. "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” - Oscar Wilde

 9. "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.”   -George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

10. "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.” - Winston Churchill, in response

11. "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here” - Stephen Bishop

12. "He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” - John Bright

13. "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.” - Irvin S. Cobb 

14. "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” - Samuel Johnson 

15. "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. -  Paul Keating

16. "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” - Forrest Tucker

17.  "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?” - Mark Twain

18. "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” - Mae West

19. "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” - Oscar Wilde 

20. "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.” - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

21. "He has Van Gogh's ear for music.” - Billy Wilder

22. "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I'm afraid this wasn't it.” - Groucho Marx

23. The exchange between Winston Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

24. "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln

25. "There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." -- Jack E.  Leonard

26. "They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." --  Thomas Brackett Reed

27. "He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them." -- James Reston (about Richard Nixon)