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I reckon the funniest thing about the anti-Chinese propaganda you often hear is that even if it's all true the worst you can say about China is that it's as bad as the West. Like genocidal treatment of ethnic minorities, suppression of political opponents and lack of effective democracy, uncontrolled pollution of water and air etc etc. It's all things a say USamerican wouldn't even have to leave their borders to witness. The only difference is the framing

That’s quite a list of sermons, John R.

The Greenlease kidnapping/murder case was a big deal back in the 1950's, due to the large ransom demand, Greenlease's death after the kidnapping, the swift trial, and since one of the two kidnappers, Bonnie Heady, was a woman. (She was the third woman executed by the US Government, after Mary Seuratt and Ethel Rosenberg, and the last one until 2021.)

A majority of Americans support giving weapons to Ukraine to help defend itself against Russia, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted over two days, found 65 percent of respondents want the U.S. to continue arming Ukraine, compared to 48 percent who said the same thing back in May, indicating a sharp rise in support.

Broken down by party, 81 percent of Democrats support arming Ukraine, compared with 56 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of independents.

More arms? After we've sent so much with so little results?

After we still hear more about what Ukraine is doing?

I have not seen this much bellicosity since Iraq and 9/11. We know how those worked out. This could go worse.

Ok, so I live in one of the more liberal areas of the country. Our governor is a lesbian and I literally did not even know until after she got elected, because it was that much of a nonissue.

Lately, I'm seeing more and more local institutions doing things for Pride. Institutions that don't necessarily have to, or do so awkwardly, but they're trying to be good allies. And, even here, I see people foaming at the mouth. This thing is ruined. Unprofessional. Political. Sexual. Boycotting, disgusted, bye.

And a part of me is like, "Why would a random store, a museum, a restaurant, do this?" Part of my mind has been so corrupted by the idea of rainbow capitalism that the thought of someone just...trying to be an imperfect ally is a cash grab.

It's not. Every bit counts, and especially as we see pushback, and see some of those corporations beginning to rethink their rainbow capitalism, the places that continue to speak up are so, so important.

I'm reminded of a rant by Illustrious Old White Man Historian Gordon Wood a few years back where he lamented how fragmented modern history is. Why do we need ANOTHER book about women, about enslaved people, about the poor? Why are we focusing on these people instead of George Mount Rushmore Washington?

And it was an interesting framing, because he insinuated that these micro histories were bad not because they existed, but because they didn't give the whole story, which in Gordon's mind was a story in which they were the side characters instead of the mains. To that end a biography of G Wash that features the bare shadow of Billy Lee in the far distance is a complete history, all that needs to be said, because one of those figures is a God Amongst Men and the other does not deserve to be fully fleshed out as a full, autonomous human being with a family and a profession and a beating heart. And a biography of William Lee, war aid, professional valet, and person closest to the first president of the United States, with the shadow of George in the background, would consequently be Bad History, because no one is saying that this man didn't exist, but his story isn't the whole story. It's backwards; he should be a footnote, and if he's not, that's bias.

But for me, as a historian, I know that the reason these microhistories exist, and are so important, is that they didn't exist before. Before someone can be truly, purposefully, tactfully inserted into the historical narrative, you need to know who they are. Not just as a name, not just as an archetype. You have to get to the point where there are so many books flooding the market about women and children and immigrants that it's no longer controversial to be talking about them, where learning about them instead of someone else is normal.

THEN you can feel good about rewriting the more general narrative. THEN you can actually have the information you need in order to put things into their proper context, to rethink the most important figure in each story, to assess what the full milieu of the time is.

And that's where we're at with Pride. We are still very much living in a time where queer people are shadow characters in the background. They are people that many will admit exist, but for god's sake, don't make them important, don't make them real, don't make them normal. And until we can shove rainbows down everyone's throats to the point where being queer is no longer seen as a thing that is Other, until we convince people that we're not going away, we will never be able to fully assimilate queerness into society.

We can't just be normal about Pride, because normal isn't loud enough to not get drowned out.

This is all made up nonsense about last night's Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk by a Twitter Blue subscriber known for spreading misinformation for engagement.

And there's David Sacks accepting it word for word without even bothering to check if any of it is true.

More like tell Congress.

If Republicans in the House had guts and sense, they would hold a vote under the War Powers Act giving Biden 90 days to remove all troops deployed in Ukraine, like they did for Libya and Kosovo. Sadly, thanks to widespread Russophobia, they don't.

And if those are contractors like Blackwater or others, there should be some investigation.

Charles Dickens only wishes he could come up with a villain as audacious and selfish to use the term “youth apprenticeship.”

And given how a lot of dominionists are influenced by Mises and company, it explains a lot.

Labour: CHANGE NOW!

“What will change?”

Labour: FUCK ALL

At a time when Tories are weak, Labour is moving more rightward.

I GOT A FUCKING RAISE THE POTATO WORKED WTF

What they said.

I need some luck!

Hoping for some!

I heard so many people talk about romanticizing your life and at first it was annoying but then I was eating an apple and it was red and sweet and I was making an effort to conciously and slowly enjoy my apple because that's what my therapist told me to try to be more in the moment and it was the best apple I ever ate. I ate it slow and really payed attention to the sweetness and the sourness and I was sitting outside under some trees and there was a breeze and I thought: This is a perfect moment, and one day I will wish I had the opportunity to sit here and conciously eat this apple and be happy. Anyways. Try making a big deal out of small things.

Reminds me of this. Different fruit, same message.

THIS was my favorite thing at Sea World as a little girl. I was completely obsessed with it. Imagine a huge room set up like a theatre in the round and you sat on graduated steps. In the center, like a classic Sunken Living Room, is a huge pool of water. The lights go out and there are projections and lit fountains and music and it is all so dynamic. This was long before the sophistication of Fantasmic and the majesty of the Bellagio fountains. My memories of it take on an incredibly surreal and dream-like cast.

They had this into the 90's at least! We enjoyed it!

I needed this!

UK folks!!

There's some new 'guidance' for schools in the works, which aims to force teachers to inform parents if a child is questioning their gender, or identifies as trans.

This would also involve refusing to acknowledge a child's gender identity without express consent of the parents AND the personal approval of the head teacher.

I can't stress enough how dangerous this will be for trans and queer children in the UK. Some of you may remember Thatcher's Section 28, a piece of legislation designed to "prohibit the promotion of homosexuality".

Practically, this bill legalised homophobia and orientation-based discrimination for years.

THIS guidance for teachers will be worse. This guidance directly targets trans children and puts them at risk of discrimination, harassment and abuse by the people supposed to protect them.

Below is a link to a petition you can sign to counter this guidance. If you can, PLEASE write to your local MP. If they are labour, it is likely they will have opposed Section 28 when it was released and, if enough determination is shown CHANGE CAN HAPPEN.

We cannot let this guidance get a foothold.

We cannot endanger trans children.

DON'T GIVE THEM AN INCH.

Amen.

It's intriguing that Armstrong is opening about trans athletes and treated as a neutral source.

First, he was a friend of George W. Bush, and often went on rides with him.

Second, a few years back, there was a major leak from WADA revealing that a number of world-level athletes were taking banned substances under agreements with their national federations. (Only one was Russian.) None were sanctioned. None had their medals stripped. None were trans.

GRADE SCHOOL SJWS stop using social justice language to explain shit to your conservative parents IT’S NOT GONNA GO THROUGH now all they have are some new words to make fun of. don’t tell your mom she’s being fatphobic tell her she’s being a dick

You gotta use their language to get through to them. Don't talk about the evils of capitalism, talk about rich assholes stealing the blood, sweat and tears of hard-working Americans (or whichever equivalent). Don't talk about privilege, talk about people being spoiled and having it easier, or being out of touch with the real world. Bond over distrust in the government, then slowly explain what it is that government is actually doing.

This one may be more US centric, but many bigotries can be dealt with by talking about freedom and American values of being founded on immigration and equal opportunity. If they're mad about violent protest, tell them freedom is worth fighting for.

This won't always work, but I've changed a lot of minds this way. Deprogramming a cultist mindset isn't easy, and it takes time. But they're being fucked over by the same people we are. The trick is to get them to see it too, and stop supporting their own oppressors. Once the big lie is exposed, they'll begin to question every other bullshit thing they were conditIoned to believe. That's when the real healing can begin.

Good ideas!

MOOD

you forgot the best one