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babygirl-riley · 1 year

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Prologue

MERRY CHRISTMAS ANIMALS 👹🫦

Allison is brought back to her military family, Task Force 141, Makarov has made his move. Russia needs help and people have been killed with the United States to be blamed. Ghost doesn’t pay no mind that she is there but they bigger fish to catch right?

Warnings: Violence, Mentions of rape, Blood, and Swearing

He looked down at the photo, the rage boiling up inside. These two motherfuckers in his homeland think that they can go past him? This Joseph man has gotten through his ranks, his “wife” almost but disappeared. His comrade kept staring at him ready for anything. The man looked up at his friend and nodded. “Where are they now?”

“Она уехала из страны. Он на пути сюда” (She left the country. Him on his way to us.) He responded looking around the room.

They were in a factory in the middle of nowhere. The man made sure that no one would know where this was unless he knew and trusted who came in and out of here. Joseph. Such an American name indeed. His “spy” name was good but should have turned his head to know that it wasn’t a real man. Russian.

Блядь. (Fuck.) He has done well on keeping himself hidden as well, for all these years and now these Americans have found him. The man gritted his teeth and slammed the table. “Как это случилось?” (How did this happen?)

The man shouldn’t have trusted this man, especially not knowing anything about him. The wife he so called wasn’t even his real one, Natasha, no there was another woman in Idaho, US. His real wife. His real home. The man made sure these two Americans had background checks that were eventually approved to him. Everything they did seemed like they had been living in Russia their whole lives. Secretly creating chaos. Maybe that is what made him blind, having them cause complete chaos.

He could feel his blood boil even more. These American armies, CIA, FBI, whatever they wanted to throw at him never was able to do this. Even their Task Force. Price. Heh he didn’t even catch him. How were they now doing it? General Shepard, it had to be. He knew the background of that man, working against his country. Secretly working with Iran and Russia to make a “better country.” Thinking he is changing something, even though Shepard killed his good friend back in 2014, the man was waiting for his trap for the bald man. Task Force 141 beat him to it.

Americans deserve to suffer to be controlled. They were out of control. That country was going up in flames, they think that they don’t need a leader to keep control. They needed to be dealt with, get rid of. The man has a plan, the first part of it drawing the world’s eyes, in a different country however, framing this American man. It would be perfect, Russia questioning American moves. Eventually the world will but with each other.

Everyone looked around silently, knowing damn well whoever spoke first would have a bullet through their heads. He glared at his second hand. “Bring him here.” He whispered the man nodded but didn’t move. He could tell there was something else. “какая?” (What?)

“ Женщина, она принадлежит к команде.” (The woman, she belongs to a team.) He tossed a patch a patch he was well fucking aware of. The skull was ingrained into his. The man has been watching every move John Price would make including this one. The man snatched it up.

Task Force 141. Like the man thought has been watching John Price ever since the incident, found out he was making the best task force for their military. Different men and women, different countries. They were the best soldiers for this ‘task force.’ The man inhaled a long breath. “Как ее зовут?” (What is her name?)

His friend shifted his standing position. “Fox.” He said with his deep Russian accent.

The man nodded smirking a bit. Fox. Sly and dangerous animal. He paced for a moment before looking at the men around him. “Just get Mr Joseph in here,” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No Russian starts tomorrow, make sure he knows what to do, we will dispose of him there.”

“Makarov,” He turned to face one of the men. “Will you be meeting us there?”

Makarov smiled. “Of course friend.”

………………………………………………………

My mother wasn’t doing so good, she got sick, COVID of all things. It was a good day she was cooking her original french toast and then later that night she had a cough. The next day she couldnt breath. We took her in and they said it was COVID. There was something else in her system but they ruled it out once her COVID test came back positive. They wanted to keep her in. Have her stay there for a while, monitor her. I called my sister and she said that she was coming back home but I told her it was fine. My mom wouldn’t be alone. Next thing I knew she couldn’t breathe by herself.

Her lungs were always weak but with COVID it was destroying her. I told my sister and she was going to fly in that night. That’s when Laswell called, it was 6 months of quiet, 6 months of peace with my family. Now it’s time, time to leave. I was angry, I wanted to be here for my mother.

I leaned against the door frame if my mother’s room. Tear stained cheeks and puffed eyes watching her. Breathing heavily. I didn’t want to leave. How could I leave her like this?

My uncle put a hand on my shoulder while I was watching her. The hospital sent her home, there wasn’t anything they could do. Her health decline slowly yet quickly all at the same time.

“Allison,” He whispered. “You have to go, there is nothing you can do here.” I heard the voice behind that, anger, sadness.

“I know,” I looked at him. “Just don’t want to go just in case if she…” The knot formed in my throat.

“Hm,” He nodded and patted my shoulder. “She would understand kid.”

Those words rang over and over. ‘She would understand.’ I knew she would but she didn’t have to, she has been alone since my sister joined and now she is going to be alone, fighting this alone. Alone. Fuck. The plane was landing at the base that 141 was stationed at, it was in Texas, US. Hot. Dry. All the things I didn’t like. The only one thing…person that had me excited to even step foot was Ghost.

Ghost would be there. I knew maybe he had moved to someone else to fuck but even thinking about him made my heart flutter. I never forgot that night, the last night we saw each other. The way our bodies moved in the moonlight. The noises we made. The way we looked at each other.

The pilot let me know that we had landed and it was time to get off. I nodded thanking him before walking off the plane. Price, I smiled thinking about how similar this was. “Old man,” I said before giving him a hug. “It’s good to see you.” I whispered.

We started to walk towards the base. “I would ask how is your vacation but…”

“The airport.” I whispered. Laswell informed me a bit about how there was a shooting at a Russian airport, tons of casualties. Including Americans.

“Yeah it isn’t pretty,” we passed people quickly. “Lots of casualties.” Everyone was brushing past us and getting to where they needed to be.

We went into a building that was full of people, there were on their computers or phones. There was a map of all countries on the wall and a big TV screen. The news was playing about the recent events. A shooting at an airport, it started on a plane then working their way in the airport. It was in Russia, however it was told that it was an Americans did it. Russia doesn’t want anything from us just yet from what Laswell explained on the phone.

“Russia?” I asked watching Price shake his head.

“No,” He reached for a doorknob and pulling it open for me to walk in. “Nothing yet.”

When I walked in the first person I saw was Ghost. He stood straight, he wasn’t wearing his skull mask just his balaclava mask, his headset, his normal hoodie, and jeans, with all his tactical gear on. We made eye contact, his beautiful brown looking back at me, he looked away to Laswell. When I looked at the rest of the group Gaz was there, Soap, and someone I didn’t recognize.

“Fox,” Laswell said softly. “Glad you can make it.”

I nodded towards her. “Of course.”

“Wouldn’t be a good mission without ya.” Soap chimed in.

I chuckled as Laswell pulled up pictures of the scene. “Russia is finally wanting to talk to us after explaining and tears of course,” She started as the pictures went one by one. Woman. Children. Men. Older. Younger. All laying dead on these tiles that the airport had. Crimson covering the floor. It made a pit in my stomach twirl. “230 dead and 100 injured, more numbers will come.” She whispered while watching the scene. “Including one of our own.”

I snapped my head over at her. “Was it…” I whispered.

Laswell sighed and nodded. “It was Joseph,” The picture stopped at his body, there was a bullet hole in his head. There was tape around his body indicating he landed where he died. Examined. “The surveillance show he didn’t shoot anyone just at random spots. Hoping that he would have gotten away with it. However,” A picture showed the patch of our symbol. The Task Force 141. “This was placed in his mouth.”

“Our signet?” Gaz asked looking over at Laswell.

“Affirmative,” She acknowledged. “He might know that Fox was on the same mission as Joseph. With that being said he had this patch which means.”

“Which means he knows that Price and I are here as well.” Ghost finished leaning against the wall with his arms folding.

Excitement ran through my body but as fast it came was as fast it left. This isn’t the time. I will be able to talk to him. “Exactly,” Price nodded. “We will need to move in fast.”

“That is why Yuri is here,” Laswell said turning towards the man that was unknown to me. “He will bring all of you to his homeland and base. So we can scout and find and detain Makarov.”

“No killin him?” Soap asked placing his hands on his hip.

“Not that command has said anything about a no. Safe to say however if he was dead I don’t think it would matter.” She replied looking around the room.

It was quiet before I placed my hands on the table. “What about General Shepard?”

It went tense. “There hasn’t been a sighting on him yet.” Gaz said looking over at me.

“Still?” I asked.

“Affirm,” Price nodded sucking in a breath. “He could be working with Makarov?”

“We don’t have positive results of that yet.” Laswell corrected.

I sighed and stood up fully. “Does Joseph’s family…”

Laswell nodded her head. “We are putting them under 24 hour surveillance. John, we will need to prep now, I will be joining as well. Wheels up at 2300.” She took her laptop with her and headed out the door Price following.

“Pack what you need,” Price said, looking over at us. “It’s going to be a long one.”

I couldn’t believe that Makarov was alive, reports upon reports stated that he was dead. Joseph, he is now dead, guilt hit my chest quickly. I should have stayed, I shouldn’t have left, if I was there it would have been different. All the people that were killed, that Makarov killed, the families he tore up…It made me think of my family, I mean it was only my mom, uncle, and sister. They were more than capable of defending themselves…Well my sister anyway, my mom was already on her deathbed. I need to discuss to Laswell that my mom and uncle need surveillance as well. Including my sister, she might know her way around a gun but not Makarov. This won’t be a feel good mission, I mean when have they ever? There wasn’t a mission where I haven’t seen dead bodies young to old.

I looked up to see the picture of the airport, all the bodies. I couldn’t imagine the people running, screaming, begging for help. Watching their mothers, children, grandchildren, be gunned down. Every man for themselves, it would have to be. Some bodies were laid, some tried to get people up. It made me sick to see children there, there was one that wasn’t even looking like he was not even older than 10.

I sighed feeling my anxiety taking over, it seems like lately that’s all that has been happening, sleepless nights, night terrors. Which causes me to worry more, last week I was just running on caffeine. This week was better but hopefully it goes up from here. Tonight though…fuck I am not going to get any sleep. I didn’t even notice everyone was out of the room besides Ghost, he placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jolt a bit. “You good?” He asked me as he tried to pull me to face him, he took note that I jumped.

I looked up at him and nodded. Fuck I missed him. “Yes, Lt just fine.”

He nodded and patted my shoulder before turning to head out. That’s it? No welcome back. I huffed and took in a breath, no don’t do that right now. It’s not the time or the place. I followed him out, Remember he might be fucking someone else. Once even thinking that he glanced behind his shoulder, stopping for a moment. “I’m glad to see you here, Fox. A lot of catching up.”

I tried to hide the smile forming but it turned into a smirk and rose on my tippy toes so he could hear my words. “Of course you are Simon.” I went around him and headed out the building.

I glanced behind me with him frozen in place before looking around and walking towards me. I faced forward and smirked. Alright, maybe there will be some sort of light at the end of this tunnel.

#simon ghost riley #call of duty mw3 #simon riley #call of duty modern warfare #simon ghost riley x allison fox lawson #simon ghost riley x oc #task force 141 #allison fox lawson #vladimir makarov #john soap mactavish #captain john price #kate laswell #kyle gaz garrick

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bookoformon · 12 days

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Ether 7, Part 5. "American Idols."

The next section deals with everyone's favorite thrillride, idolatry.

The Torah identifies idolatry as "indignant self-righteousness." God forbids the making of a selfish angry man into a cause for alarm, certainly not into a object of worship.

In addition in Vayetzei, The Torah calls teenaged boys "household gods" and while these can't be forbidden, it says to strap them to a camel and send them out into the desert.

Religious art, actually idols, which the Torah calls "consecrated objects" are, however not forbidden. One cannot worship religious art but one is allowed to use them to decorate sacred spaces and learn from the ideals and stories they represent. Angels maintain appearances as consecrated objects as well, and they are cetainly not forbidden.

Anything that distracts from the performance of duty, divides one's attention or causes one to become wicked and sin is considered a forbidden idol. The wars within the Shule which are named in the Book of Mormon all pertain to the discussion over what is an idol and what is a real true prophet. Who can we follow and who or what should we reject?

Cohor "the light" a distraction, has a son named Nimrod from the verb מרד (marad) means to be rebellious or to revolt. Nouns מרד (mered) and מרדות (mardut) mean rebellion.

Every time there is peace, a rebel like Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin, who do not know how manage peace lead a revolt. The Shule is supposed to stand against disruptions to the peace continuously by reminding the nation of the sins of the past and the steadfastness of the law. Idols try to wiggle free of the law and change things to suit them and this is illegal and inappropriate. But we allow it. And then there is weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

At the time the Book of Mormon was written, slavery was legal. Now everyone knows the story about Jewish slavery in Egypt and all the trouble Moses and God went through to end it. For slavery to re-emerge in the 19th Century in a literate culture like America was outrageous. The Book of Mormon in this section called Ether banned it again and this started a war, and slavery ended. But now slavery is back. The Russians are enslaved, much of Africa is enslaved, many oppressive regimes like Iran and North Korea still enslave their people, and there have been remarks here in America about it again. The recent bloom in abortion bans equate to slavery of women and this is also outrageous.

The reason this is happening because of idolatry, angry rebellious men who think they are gods are trying to change the way we live to fit their ignorant molds:

22 And now Cohor had a son who was called Nimrod; and Nimrod gave up the kingdom of Cohor unto Shule, and he did gain favor in the eyes of Shule; wherefore Shule did bestow great favors upon him, and he did do in the kingdom of Shule according to his desires.

23 And also in the reign of Shule there came prophets among the people, who were sent from the Lord, prophesying that the wickedness and idolatry of the people was bringing a curse upon the land, and they should be destroyed if they did not repent.

24 And it came to pass that the people did revile against the prophets, and did mock them. And it came to pass that king Shule did execute judgment against all those who did revile against the prophets.

25 And he did execute a law throughout all the land, which gave power unto the prophets that they should go whithersoever they would; and by this cause the people were brought unto repentance.

26 And because the people did repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them, and they began to prosper again in the land. And it came to pass that Shule begat sons and daughters in his old age.

27 And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days.

The Book of Mormon says we once crossed a great deep in order to learn how to be free. We have to hold the line against it, because we are all being dragged right back in. Something has to be done about all the idols. The Shule must lead the way.

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anicemyth · 3 months

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🟡🟢 Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during his speech today, February 13th, 2024, on the occasion of the Day of the Wounded Resistance Fighter (1/2):

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The wounds of the wounded have created many achievements and victories for our people and nation.

On this occasion, I extend my congratulations to the wounded men and women, their honorable families who bear all burdens with them, and to the brothers and sisters who are freed prisoners and their noble families.

We congratulate the brothers in the Revolutionary Guard in Iran on their day and holiday, who have been the true backbone and strong supporters of all resistance movements from the start.

130 days of legendary steadfastness, heroism, and miracles in Gaza, demonstrating unparalleled patience in history.

What we see on the southern front today is primarily a sincere response to religious, moral, and ethical responsibilities.

What is happening in Gaza should shake the conscience of all people in the world, and they must feel a responsibility towards this aggression and humanitarian catastrophe.

We in the Lebanese front, our support of Gaza aligns with our ethical and religious values, "and in this, we shall not be deterred by any critic."

The existence of "israel" is a disaster for the entire region, and while a strong "israel" poses a danger, a fearful and deterred "israel" represents a lesser threat to the peoples of the region.

It is in everyone's national interest for "israel" to emerge defeated from its aggression on Gaza.

Opening the Lebanese front against the enemy is primarily a national interest to prevent an "israeli" victory.

There are parties with predetermined positions, and the saying "deaf, dumb, blind" applies to them, regardless of the discussion with them.

Those claiming "international law protects us" and who debate the effectiveness of resistance are hopeless.

The strength of the resistance in the south lies in this great popular cradle and support. We rely on these towering mountains, firm wills, and the sacrifices and steadfastness of this resistance. They defend all of Lebanon, or else "israel" would have overrun all of Lebanon.

The houses that are destroyed in the south will be rebuilt better than they were before.

There has been an open front for 129 days in the south, and the enemy fights within certain limits and controls, proving the balance of deterrence through this experience.

All the delegations that have come to Lebanon in the past months aim to secure the security of "israel" and to return the 100,000 settlers to the settlements.

In one of those delegations, someone came and said that in two days, "israel" would occupy the south, and this has been said for two months now. I'm certain this is his own assertion.

The enemy is the one in crisis, stuck in the problem, failing, and incapable. It has been 4 months, and they haven't been able to decide the battle. 6 to 7 brigades fought in Gaza and achieved nothing. They are the ones in crisis and cannot impose conditions.

The enemy is not in a position to impose conditions on Lebanon, and I call on the official Lebanese stance to set new conditions on Resolution 1701, not to implement it.

No one should act as if Lebanon is afraid and in crisis. They bring you measurements and distances, and there's a joke that in negotiations they said they want to push Hezbollah north of the river, and there was a response, "Let's bring the river to the border," and this is the truth. Lebanon is strong and it is the one that imposes conditions.

🟡🟢 (2/2):

—

The front in southern Lebanon is pressure, support, and participation in defeating and weakening the enemy until the aggression is stopped.

The political gains that are being hinted at us "from here and there" will not affect us and will not make us stop the front.

The southern front is governed by a balance of deterrence and precise calculations by both sides of the fight, but there is a significant atmosphere of exaggeration that may reach the level of "moral degradation and baseness."

Another scene of degradation and depravity is scaring the residents of the southern border villages by contacting them and calling them to evacuate their homes, sowing confusion to serve the enemy.

Attention must be paid to the psychological warfare waged by the enemy and parties serving it.

Information is freely provided to the zionist enemy through social media platforms.

It is not permissible to provide information to the enemy for free while it seeks it.

The mobile phone is a listening device, so we ask our brothers in the border villages and all of the south, especially the fighters and their families, to do without their mobile phones for the preservation and safety of people's blood and dignities. The mobile phone is a deadly agent that provides specific and lethal information.

The "israeli" does not need to plant agents on the roads as internet-connected cameras monitor all roads, and these cameras must be disconnected from the internet because leniency in this matter contributes to more martyrs, losses, and exposing the front to the enemy.

We are monitoring all developments in the region, and all possibilities are open, but we are fighting in the south with our eyes on Gaza.

When the aggression on Gaza stops, the firing in the south will stop, and when the firing in Gaza stops and the zionist enemy takes any action, we will return to the rules and equations that were in place. The resistance's job is to deter the enemy, and our responses will be proportional.

Those who threaten us with an escalation of the war, we threaten them with escalation as well. Anyone who imagines that the resistance in Lebanon feels fear or confusion for even a single moment is completely mistaken and builds on wrong calculations.

The "israeli" Minister of Security must realize that if he launches a war against us, he will have 2,000,000 displaced from the north, not 100,000.

The resistance today is more certain and more determined than ever to confront the enemy at any level of confrontation.

[provided by Resistance News Network on telegram]

#hezbollah #gaza #palestine #lebanon #sayyed hassan nasrallah #day of the wounded resistance fighter

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volunteerismandanarchy · 6 months

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This young Norwegian woman studying medicine in Warsaw, a city that the Nazis brutally occupied during the Second World War should wipe that silly smile off her face and fall silent.

I have no problem decrying the heavy-handed Israeli response to the recent Hamas atrocities, and that is what their crime was -atrocious and heinous to the extreme. No sane human being wants to see the murder of innocent children, women, and ordinary human beings - Israeli or Palestinian.

I don't believe this young woman - Marie Andersen - is anti-Semitic intentionally. Here is an excerpt from an interview she gave.

Marie Andersen: I'm from Norway. And I study here in Poland, but I'm here to support the Palestinian people and their rights. Hopefully there will be a free Palestine.

Journalist: So you hold this sign "Keep the world clean," I see, from Jews, yes?

Marie Andersen: No, no, no. Not Jews, of course not Jews. Freedom of religion is also a human right which we support. But we do not support the Israeli government and ethnical genocide they're doing right now to the Palestinian people. But Jews, we love everyone, we love Jews. [...]

Journalist: So what is your poster about?

Marie Andersen: My poster is about the Israeli government.

The problem is that Andersen "did Nazi," with the symbolism on her poster is that a Star of David - regardless of it being on a national flag - being tossed in a wastebasket with the slogan, "Keep the world clean," is anti-Semitic and it provokes the same enmity against Jewish people that has plagued Europe for hundreds of years.

Andersen's statement, "No, no, no. Not the Jews, of course not Jews. But, Jews, we love everyone, we love Jews..." is reminiscent of certain white racists who make the distinction between very fine human beings that happen to be black and some blacks who are 'N***rs." That is racist no matter how you look at it and part of the problem that has contributed to enmity between black and white people here in the States.

I believe that no government is beyond critique and that includes the Israeli government. Israel doesn't get a pass simply because they have the "right to defend their nation."

The problem is that Hamas is a difficult enemy. Hamas, Hezbollah, and their financial backer, Iran, have a publically stated Anti-Semitic/anti-Israel agenda. An independent Palestinian state is not likely to deter this agenda. In fact, their agenda is better served by not working to build an independent state.

Terrorism is another form of guerrilla warfare and terrorists do not play by the "rules of war," whatever the hell those might be in the first place. They use innocent people as human shields. They kill children. They allow their children to be killed. They rape and subjugate women.

Sadly, this is what war looks like. We’ve been led to believe that it can be conducted humanely and hygienically with a set of agreed-upon rules as if it were a game of Risk. France’s Macron made the awful comment that Hamas should be pursued without mercy (which I’m fine with honestly) but not without rules.

The problems between Israel and its Arab neighbors began millennia before 1948. This is just the current enmity that exists between them. The latest excuse.

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at-the-end-of-days · 7 months

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I’ve been watching YouTube lately, following the paths of planes.

Yes, it sounds paranoid.

But there’s a YouTuber under the name of “nyprepper” whose content lately has been following the movement of planes, namely those of interest: US nuclear command planes, nuclear capable planes, Russian planes.

And the last video indicated that it was possible Russian VIPs were taking shelter while America was gathering its forces. Russia who we know is supporting Iran as America supports Israel… Iran who has threatened Israel if they go forward against Gaza.

Now, it seems all the Middle East is turning on Israel. Iran has, as stated, threatened Israel if they proceed with the ground invasion of Gaza.

And it seems that Israel has put a pin in that invasion for the moment.

Now, if you haven’t paid attention, Israel gave Palestinian civilians 24 hours to evacuate from northern Gaza into southern Gaza.

But it’s been more than 24 hours at this point.

And Israel supposedly extended this 24 hour deadline for the weather?

The weather?

The weather forecast as of October 15, 2023 as seen above.

Let’s think about what actually happens next week, shall we? And no, it’s not because they want a spookier Halloween atmosphere.

It’s because of this.

US forces will reach the area around or about that time.

Now, the US in this article says:

“The Biden administration made clear that the carrier and its accompanying force are not there to engage in combat activities on behalf of Israel.

“There is no intention or plan to put American troops on the ground in Israel,” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, said Thursday.

“We take our national security interests very seriously in the region,” he said, noting that the purpose of the bolstered force posture was “to act as a deterrent for any other actor, including Hezbollah, that might think that widening this conflict is a good idea.””

But let’s be honest, if you were a nation about to invade, and you were worried about Iran breathing down your neck, you’d want a little more fire power than not behind you.

And it looks like that firepower will be arriving…

“The newest U.S. aircraft carrier - and the world's largest - is already in the eastern Mediterranean and set to be joined by a second U.S. aircraft carrier in the next 10 days.”

So, bets that Israel’s weather problems will last until at or about that point? So much for the hope that the Americans would stay out of this and let the situation deescalate.

So what happens when Israel does invade? Well, it seems likely that Iran will have something to say about it. And the rest of the nations in the region.

And what’s the worst case scenario?

People die. Horribly. Many of them.

Best case scenario?

Everyone in Gaza is displaced… and people still die.

But this is a, once again, Christian revelations blog.

So we go back to Zechariah.

For the worst case scenario.

Zechariah 14, the New International Version.

The Lord Comes and Reigns

14 A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[a] in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.

8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.

9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up high from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.

12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

So, biblically, worst case scenario?

This, in 2023, is this situation. Jewish women have already been raped, there are videos out there on social media (do not look those up) demonstrating the very real readiness everyone seems to have to violate women, regardless of culture or century.

Jerusalem, the city proper, is taken. Half of the people flee, half remain, and then comes a counter attack. But not until people suffer.

A mountain valley? A volley of bombs? An earthquake? A man made catastrophe? Unknown.

And a day of no light or dark? Sounds like ash is in the air. Ashes falling like snow. Yeah, that sounds like it could definitely be after an earthquake, or a bomb.

And then, then the city is secure?

There’s a lot more land there than just Jerusalem! Where’s Gaza, where’s the rest of the people? Oh, next paragraph.

Their flesh shall rot … eyes shall rot… tongues shall rot… and all the animals too.

That sounds like a tactical nuke if I ever heard one. And as we officially/unofficially know, Israel does have nukes.

As does the United States. Many of them.

So what I’m getting at… is we know from scripture that Israel won’t be destroyed. Oh, life is going to be awful. Homes will be destroyed. People will die, women will be raped (why must women always be raped in these situations, have some decency to not try and exert power over someone else in such a way! It’s barbaric, it’s cruel, and it’s worthy of castration).

And what of Zechariah 13:8?

Hopefully, this is referring to past events.. namely the Holocaust. Because hopefully, we will never see such needless loss of life again.

And, horrifyingly… the number of 2/3rds matches the Holocaust.

https://homework.study.com/explanation/what-percentage-of-jews-died-in-the-holocaust.html

After all, it’s a passage before the part of Jerusalem being attacked.

But it’s worrisome because…

In a timeline scale, that atrocity JUST happened.

Human time, the time of the Bible, of the Jewish people? It’s thousands of years old.

And these events are written as happening one right after the other.

And a book, written so long ago, predicted that massacre of the Jewish people, in a small verse by a more minor prophet.

So worst case scenario in front of us, from a biblical stand point?

Untold numbers of Palestinians, Iranians, Israelites, and whomever else joins the fray dies, Jerusalem is attacked directly, oh, and then there are nukes that kill however many more people.

So absolutely nothing, nothing good happens from Israel invading Gaza, with American support (sure right that they won’t support Israel), with Iran attacking as response.

So if we have any luck at all, Israel will call off their invasion of Gaza, let the people of Palestine have some peace, food, water, and the Americans will go home.

#Zechariah 14 #Zechariah 13:8 #at the end of days #christianity #revelations #ww3 #world war 3 #link #israel #Palestine #Iran

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nataliesnews · 9 months

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Israel today with women 18.8.2023

This is one of the best I have seen....note the yamulka on the shekel. People are very bitter at all the momey that is going to the ultra-orthodox.

The above two pictures were me at the march in Tel Aviv against the lack of police action against the murders in the Arab Community. It was night but terribly hot and the sweat was pouring into my eyes but I did not stop was I wanted to keep up with everyone. This young man came and said he was one of my admirers and could he interview me. And then he wiped my face.

The other picture is not so funny. This young hooligan is wearing a shirt on which is written camp of terror with two guns. Neither he nor the public has any problem with that but a little four year old Palestinian was stripped of a shirt with a gun and on sne sent forth shirtless.

Footage shows male passengers telling her the bus is only for them; driver suggests she takes another line; operating company says it will prevent recurrence

Teen girls told to sit in back of bus, cover up because of Haredi passengers

Incident is one of several reports of bus drivers illegally discriminating against women in past week

Not only that but the wife of this busdriver who harangued the girls came out saying that he was perfectly right and, had she had a gun, she would have used on them.

This backfired on her because two photos lower down of her came out with her husband on facebook in which she could not have been more undressed or more suggestive. One can only wonder what the husband was thinking when he shouted at the girls that they are not Jews.

Now this came out on facebook but I am sure it must be tongue in the cheek. Two buses.

The one says....you are not modest...you cannot travel

and the other one....the bus did not stop because your shorts are too short

These drivers should immediately fired but the "matter is being investigated."

'One driver refused to answer a woman when she three times asked him where to get off and when her husband asked her why said he did not speak to women!!!! How did he get the job in the first place. All the companies are "investigating"

The only bright spot was that one young woman had compensation from Egged of 24000 shekel and another lawyer on facebook has asked anyone who has such a problem to contact him and we will act probono.

One lawyer has already come out on facebook to say that anyone to whom this happens should contact him and he will take the case pro bono. One young woman has already been 240,000 shekel by Egged. I wish that would happen to me. I could do with the money.

This is think was done as a joke....Iran is here......

If you are not modest, you can't get on the bus

If your shorts are too short, you can't get on the bus

#Israel today with women 18.8.2023

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benevolentbirdgal · 3 years

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Purim: a Jewish holiday and wild ride from start to finish

So let me tell you about the absolute soap opera that is the Jewish holiday of Purim. The scene is set in ancient (appx. 4th century B.C.E.) Persia during the first Jewish Diaspora, in the city of Shushan (typically identified in secular sources as Susa, a now-abandoned ancient city in what is now Iran). I’m telling you, as a work of literature (even beyond theological implications for Jewish people), this book has everything: love, drama, royalty, intrigue, ego, plots, irony, mystery, and a strong female lead.

[some non-slur swearing below]

Ahasuerus, party-loving king of Persia executed or exiled (translations argue) his wife Vashti, and had to find a new queen. Why did he do this, you ask? Well, it really starts with an 180-day party across his kingdom for all his subjects to celebrate the third year of his reign. After that absolute rager, party-bro KA has another one immediately after for a week, this time just for the capital city of Shushan. Vashti was having a woman’s party in her quarters, presumably living her best life, when party-bro sends his top seven yes-men to deliver a message to Vashti. This sleaze-ball wants her to appear at his party in front of everyone, wearing her crown, with the clear implication being only her crown. Vashti more or less tells him to pound sand (I mean, not the literal translation, but that’s the sentiment).

KA’s advisors convince him that this is not only an offense against the king but also against all the men in the country (ah, the joys of ancient patriarchy and toxic af masculinity). KA writes a degree that women must respect their husbands so he has an official reason to get rid of Vashti. Vashti is soon thereafter out of the picture and the king is short a queen. Whether she was a Wise Lady With A Point Who Got Screwed Over or a Vicious Jew-Hating Adulteress Who Had It Coming has been a matter of furious debate for over two millennia (the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud vociferously disagree on her). In any case, KA regrets it pretty quick and wants a new queen.

At the behest of his advisors (you know, since their last advice worked out soooooo well), KA had a big contest/forcible gathering of young women from around his kingdom and a Jewish woman, Hadassah, was the winner. Hadassah was an orphan raised by her cousin Mordechai in the city of Shushan. Hadassah is more commonly known as Esther, because she changed her name to hide her identity as a Jew (at the behest of Mordechai). In any case, KA decided he liked Esther best and she became queen (it’s specifically mentioned both that he loved her most and that the palace staff liked her because she was nice to them-it’s unclear how much of an influence the latter was).

Concurrently, a wicked man named Haman was the top advisor to the king and the king would basically rubber-stamp whatever Haman wanted. Haman was a raging Jew-hater-this will be relevant later.

Some time into Esther’s reign as queen, Mordechai, who has taken to hanging around the gates of the palace to keep in touch with Esther, overhears a plot by two guards, Bigthan and Teresh, to kill the king. Mordechai alerts his cousin, and she tells the king. It’s recorded in the book of deeds and life keeps moving.

Some time later, Haman decides (after a promotion to head lackey) that he wants all to bow to him as he passes. Mordechai refused to bow to Haman every single day (citing that as a Jew he bowed to no man), and that did not sit well with Haman. So despite being prime minister and presumably having more important things to do, “genocide the Jews” made it to the top of to-do list. He didn’t like them before, and Mordechai refusing to treat him like a special snowflake was something he took really, really personally (totally can’t think of any modern politicians like that, nope). He told KA, who frankly doesn’t seem to ask enough questions, that there was a people disrespecting the king and his laws throughout the land, and could he pretty-please exterminate them. As a bonus, Haman would “donate” 10,000 silver kikar to the royal treasury (modern conversion vary, but all agree this an absurd amount on money).

KA handed him the royal seal to do so. Haman was feeling lucky I guess so he decided the best course of action was to draw lots to pick the day for the massacre. [Purim is lots in Hebrew, so that’s where the name of the holiday came from]. The message went out to all the provinces that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that they citizens and leaders should murder all of the Jews, young and old, man, woman, and child, rich and poor and take their possessions as spoils.

As this wasn’t exactly a state secret, the Jews knew and were quite distressed. The planned slaughter was like a year out, but what the actual fuck were they supposed to do? If you lived in Persia at that point that, the empire was functionally your entire world, unless you were fabulously/ridiculously wealthy and well-connected. Having several months notice the other locals and your rules were going to slaughter you and take your stuff isn’t particularly useful when there’s really nowhere to go.

In Shushan, Mordechai (who, although not explicitly in text, is in oral/Talmudic tradition a leader of the Jewish community) goes into mourning. He dresses in sackcloth and ashes, he weeps, and he fasts at the gates of the palace, as Jews throughout shushan and the kingdom are doing. Esther hears of her cousin’s mourning behavior and tries to send along nice clothes through a messenger, which he refuses. It is then that she learns of the decree. Mordechai (through the messenger) implores her to go ask the king if the Jews not getting murdered could be a thing. Esther explains that she could be killed for approaching the king unsummoned. Mordechai stresses the severity of the situation. Esther agrees to ask the king and tells Mordechai to have the Shushan Jewish community fast day and night (as opposed to just day as prior) for three days, and she and her handmaidens will fast too (no word on what the handmaidens thought of this).

On the third day, Esther bravely approached the king, asked him if she could request something. He said anything, up to half his kingdom (which implies to me that homedude, for all his flaws, was actually into her). Esther invited him to a party, where he and Haman would be the only guests. At the party she asks if she can another request. KA is open to it and she invites him to another party the next night. Party-bro king is obviously down and Haman is tickled to death at this second invitation.

He goes home to brag to his wife, Zeresh, about the invite and also to bitch about how angsty he is Mordechai is still alive (this angst reignited by passing him on the way home). Zeresh suggests he have fifty-foot gallows built to make Mordechai an example on, with the king’s permission, ASAP. Haman orders the building of the gallows, feeling secure in the knowledge that his bestie the king will execute Mordechai on them.

Back at the castle KA can’t sleep. He demands a bedtime story from the his records, because those will presumably put him to sleep. The story that gets read, ~coincidentally~, is of Mordechai saving KA’s life. Haman had sidled on up to the castle to speak to the king about killing Mordechai, and the king called him in. KA asks Haman, if he were to honor someone, what should he do? Haman is thinking “this is obvi about me” and tells the king that the honoree should be donned in royal clothing, and ride through the streets on a fancy horse with people someone shouting how great he is. KA is like great, love it, perf, go do that for Mordechai. Haman is not a happy camper but does the thing. After that, he goes home and tells Zeresh about it, who warns him that this is a very bad sign.

Finally, that night is the night of Esther’s second soiree. Haman and KA attend. The latter offers to Esther anything she wants, up to half of his kingdom. Esther asks that her life, and the life of her people be spared. KA is like “whomst” and Esther revealed it was Haman. At this point Ahasuerus.exe stops working and he takes a walk to the gardens. He comes back to see Haman begging Esther for his life, and KA thinks Haman is assaulting her. Haman was seized by nearby guards.

One of the chamberlains is then like, hey, KA, coincidentally there’s these super high gallows Haman just had built. Why not take care of the problem that way? (The fact that the random nearby chamberlain was like yup, that dude, hang ‘em in the morning, probably says a lot about how Haman treated most people around him, even more than forcing all to bow to him). KA orders it be done.

Not that Haman was around to be sad about it, but what happened next would have massively pissed him off, as his old job then went to Mordechai. Esther then implored of the king that the degree to allow the massacre of the Jews be reversed. The king couldn’t Cntrl+Z the order to murder-all-the-Jews, but he could issue an order that they could fight back. The proclamation was sent throughout the land, and the Jews were able to prepare. Since the royal decree had been amended, the governments (princes, governors, satraps) largely reformulated their plans accordingly, but plenty of Jew-haters still wanted to use the opportunity. The ability to self-defend meant that the communities weren’t massacred. In most of the kingdom, the Jews were now safe. Outside of Shushan, the fourteenth of Adar became a feast day.

Shushan was still not safe though. Antisemites were still out and mad (and apparently had not learned from the previous day), so Esther asked the Jews of Shushan to be allowed to defend themselves once more. Her wish was granted, and the Shushan Jews were able to defend themselves once more (so Purim is celebrated a day later in walled cities).

The story ends with the decision to write it down, and although there some debate on authorship, it is traditionally attributed to Esther herself cowriting with Mordechai.

Nowhere in the book is God mentioned. Nowhere is there divine intervention (at least not explicitly). Just Jews sticking up for themselves, being brave in the face of mortal peril, and a metric fucktown of chutzpah.

#jumblr #purim #purim story #jewish soap opera for real though #purim 2021 #purim 5781 #what is purim #purim explained #jewblr

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, October 5, 2021

‘Major’ Oil Spill Off California Coast Threatens Wetlands and Wildlife (NYT) A pipeline failure off the coast of Orange County, Calif., on Saturday caused at least 126,000 gallons of oil to spill into the Pacific Ocean, creating a 13-square-mile slick that continued to grow on Sunday, officials said. Dead fish and birds washed ashore in some places as cleanup crews raced to try to contain the spill, which created a slick that extended from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach. It was not immediately clear what caused the leak, which officials said occurred three miles off the coast of Newport Beach and involved a pipeline failure. Mayor Kim Carr of Huntington Beach said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon that the spill was “one of the most devastating situations our community has dealt with in decades.”

The Pandora Papers (Foreign Policy) The massive leak of secret financial data has revealed the offshore wealth of some of the world’s most powerful people. The data, dubbed the Pandora Papers by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists—the group that spearheaded the project—shows how far some world leaders, billionaires, and other oligarchs have gone to hide their wealth. Considering the vast wealth of America’s own oligarchs, it’s surprising on first blush to see no U.S. names mentioned. One simple explanation, put forward by the Washington Post, is that U.S. millionaires and billionaires have enough tools available within the U.S. tax code to shield most of their wealth already.

Spain’s foreign tourism soars but well below pre-pandemic level (Reuters) Foreign tourism to Spain rose rapidly in August as looser travel restrictions tempted back summer sunseekers though visitor numbers remained at around half their pre-pandemic levels, official statistics showed on Monday. The number of foreign tourists visiting in August more than doubled from a year ago to 5.19 million but was still barely above half the level seen in 2019, the National Statistics Institute said on Monday.

Farmers among 8 killed as India protest erupts in violence (CNN) At least eight people were killed when violence broke out in India’s Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday after a car linked to a federal minister ran over two farmers taking part in a protest against controversial farm laws. A farmers’ union spokesperson said Sunday the deaths happened after a convoy of vehicles associated with junior home affairs minister Ajay Mishra Teni “ran over several protesters.” Protests in Lakhimpur Kheri began on September 25 after Teni reportedly said “farmers should reform themselves or they will be reformed,” according to CNN affiliate CNN-News18.

India’s Christians living in fear as claims of ‘forced conversions’ swirl (Guardian) It was a stifling July afternoon when the crowd moved into the small district of Lakholi, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, and gathered outside the house of Tamesh War Sahu. Sahu, a 55-year-old volunteer with the Home Guard who had begun following Christianity more than five years previously, had never before had issues with his neighbours. But now, more than 100 people had descended from surrounding villages and were shouting Hindu nationalist slogans outside his front door. Sahu’s son Moses, who had come out to investigate the noise, was beaten by the mob, who then charged inside. As the men entered the house, they shouted death threats at Sahu’s wife and began tearing posters bearing Bible quotes down from the walls. Bibles were seized from the shelves and brought outside where they were set alight, doused in water and the ashes thrown in the gutter. “We will teach you a lesson,” some people were heard to shout. “This is what you get for forcing people into Christianity.” Sahu’s family was not the only one attacked that day. Four other local Christian households were also targeted by mobs, led by the Hindu nationalist vigilante group Bajrang Dal, known for their aggressive and hardline approach to “defending” Hinduism. Since the beginning of the year there have been similar attacks across Chhattisgarh, already the Indian state with the second highest number of incidents against Christians. In some villages, Christian churches have been vandalised, in others pastors have been beaten or abused. Congregations have been broken up by mobs and believers hospitalised with injuries. The police, too, stand accused—of making threats to Christians, hauling them into police stations and carrying out raids on Sunday prayer services. The attacks have coincided with renewed attention on a longstanding claim from rightwing Hindu groups: that a string of forced conversions are taking place in Chhattisgarh. Such claims have been made by senior figures in the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), which governs India.

Japan’s Parliament elects former diplomat Kishida as new PM (AP) Japan’s parliament on Monday elected Fumio Kishida, a former moderate turned hawk, as prime minister. He’ll face an economy battered by the pandemic, security threats from China and North Korea and leadership of a political party whose popularity is sagging ahead of a fast-approaching crucial national election. He replaces Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after only one year in office as his support plunged over his government’s handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as the virus spread.

New Zealand admits it can no longer get rid of coronavirus (AP) New Zealand’s government acknowledged Monday what most other countries did long ago: It can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a cautious plan to ease lockdown restrictions in Auckland, despite an outbreak there that continues to simmer. Since early in the pandemic, New Zealand had pursued an unusual zero-tolerance approach to the virus through strict lockdowns and aggressive contact tracing. Under Ardern’s plan that starts Tuesday, Aucklanders will be able to meet outdoors with loved ones from one other household, early childhood centers will reopen and people will be able to go to the beach. The dates for a phased reopening of retail stores and later bars and restaurants have yet to be decided.

3,000 Yazidis Are Still Missing. Their Families Know Where Some of Them Are. (NYT) The voice messages sent by Abbas Hussein’s teenage son are heartbreaking in their matter-of-factness. The boy, a member of Iraq’s Yazidi minority who was kidnapped by Islamic State fighters seven years ago, asks about his mother and wonders why his father has not been in touch. In the messages sent last summer to his father, an unemployed laborer, the son says his captor will not let him send any more because his parents have not delivered payments as demanded. “Father, if you don’t have money, that’s OK. Just let me know,” says the teenager, who still has the voice of a child. “I will work and save money and give it to him to let me talk to you.” Mr. Hussein has known for more than a year that his son and five other relatives are being held in Turkish-controlled northern Syria by a former ISIS fighter who joined the Syrian National Army—a Turkish-backed coalition of armed opposition groups that includes mercenaries and Syrian rebels. He’s one of roughly 3,000 Yazidis still missing after being captured by ISIS during its takeover of parts of Iraq and Syria. While most of the missing are presumed dead, hundreds more are thought to be alive and held captive in Syria or Turkey. In some cases, their families know where they are and have even been in contact with them or their captors. But financial support from governments and private donors, as well as interest from them in finding the missing Yazidis, has dried up.

Taliban-style security welcomed by some, feared by others (AP) It wasn’t 7 a.m. yet and already the line outside the police station’s gates was long, with men bringing their complaints and demands for justice to Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers. Something new they immediately found: The Taliban fighters who are now the policemen don’t demand bribes like police officers did under the U.S-backed government of the past 20 years. “Before, everyone was stealing our money,” said Hajj Ahmad Khan, who was among those in line at the Kabul District 8 police station on a recent day. “Everywhere in our villages and in government offices, everyone had their hands out,” he said. Many Afghans fear the harsh ways of the Taliban, their hard-line ideology or their severe restrictions of women’s freedoms. But the movement does bring a reputation for not being corrupt, a stark contrast to the government it ousted, which was notoriously rife with bribery, embezzlement and graft. Even residents who shudder at the potential return of punishments—such as chopping off the hands of thieves—say some security has returned to Kabul since the Taliban swept in on Aug. 15. Under the previous government, gangs of thieves had driven most people off the streets by dark. Several roads between cities are again open and have even been given the green light for travel by some international aid organizations.

Deadly, historic Tropical Cyclone Shaheen departs Oman after devastating flooding (Washington Post) In the course of a single day, an exceptionally rare hurricane-strength storm unloaded up to four years’ worth of rain along Oman’s northern coast, causing deadly flooding. Named Tropical Cyclone Shaheen, the tempest slammed ashore late Sunday, about 50 miles to the west of Muscat, Oman’s capital city. The storm has since departed, but not before leaving 11 dead in Oman, mostly because of flash flooding and landslides. The storm was also blamed for two fatalities in Iran, where the bodies of two fishermen were found.

#headlines #news

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quakerjoe · 3 years

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Is America really ready to reclaim democracy?

I’m going to share a fact with you — and you’re not going to like it.

America’s problems can be reduced to the following. White Americans want America to be a failed state — and that is its fundamental, deep, and long standing problem. That is how America ended up here — more than half a century of white hostility to any kind of social progress whatsoever — which resulted in social collapse, and culminated in Trumpism. White people made America a failed state.

But are white people ready to own this problem, of their own extremism? Is that long-term social position really about to change this election, finally, after more than half a century? Are white Americans ready to become a modern, functioning society? The answer, right about now, is a kind of hysterical “yes!” We all — all of us sane and thoughtful people anyways — want Biden to win, and put an end to the long nightmare of the Trump years. But — despite what the polls might say — how realistic is that?

“Kill Umair! Get him!!!” Maybe you’re foaming at the mouth, ready to dispute my simple fact. So take a hard look at the chart above. What does it say?

I have some bad news, and then I have some worse news. Don’t worry, you’ll thank me later. The first piece of bad news is this. Here’s a fact that most people underestimate. America is still about 80% white. 80%. Given the record-breaking turnout, this election is going to be more about America’s white majority than about minorities, probably, at least if every group turns out in record numbers roughly equally. Minorities have much less power than many imagine, precisely because they are still seriously in the…minority. This election is about white America, and if it really wants to live in a democracy — or if it’s happier living in a fascist society.

You might think that sounds over the top, so here’s the worse news. The chart above says this. It says that white Americans, as a group, have never, as a group, voted for a Democratic President. Never in modern history. In fact, the chart above in fact understates the problem. This trend goes back to JFK and perhaps before. Are you beginning to see the problem here? Why I say “America’s problem is that white people want it to be a failed state?”

Let me make it clearer. White Americans can be relied on, in the majority, as a group, to “vote Republican.” I put it in quotes because it’s worth examining what that anodyne statement really means. Liberal, sane, thoughtful White Americans often overestimate how many of them there are, how widespread their cause is. The result is that when I say “Americans are…” meaning of course the majority, which is still white, I get a wave of protest. Americans aren’t dumb! Americans aren’t dumb! They’re not violent, stupid racists! They want to live in a modern society! Are they, do they — at least the white majority? Let’s take a brief and hard look at reality.

Here are some things white Americans have been for, as a group, in their majority. Segregation. Endless war. Inequality. Billionaires. Capital. Guns and religion as primary social values. That is what the voting pattern above means. Conversely, here are some thing white Americans have been against, as a group, in their majority. Desegregation. Civil rights. Womens’ rights. Their own healthcare, retirement, and childcare. Public goods of any kind whatsoever. That is what the “voting pattern” above means in the real world. Need I go on? America’s problem is that white Americans as a social group, its majority social group, want America to be a failed state. They don’t want to live in a modern, civilised democracy, and never have.

White America is America’s problem. A big, white, ignorant problem. The problem of the white American voter — that white Americans don’t want to admit — goes back more than half a century at this point. If the answer is “Make America Great Again!” then the question is: “well, who brought it this point of self-destruction?” and the answer is….white Americans. They’re the ones responsible for the self-destruction of the society they still rule as a massive majority. Nobody else is responsible for their poverty, despair, and humiliation but them. That is what the chart above makes crystal clear.

Who voted, over and over again, to have worse lives? No healthcare, retirement, affordable education, childcare — no public goods of any kind whatsoever? White Americans did. What the? The question baffles the world. Why would anyone choose a worse life? The answer is that white Americans would not accept a society of true equals. “I won’t pay for those dirty, filthy peoples’ educations, healthcare, retirements! Why, their grandparents were my grandpappy’s slaves!” White Americans chose to retain power, supremacy, superiority, even in a failing society. They chose staying on top of decline and ruin, rather than prospering as equals.

Let me make that even clearer, by putting it in a global perspective. This is the part you’re really not going to like.

White Americans are the rich world’s most hostile, ignorant, violent, cruel, and selfish social group — by a very long way. “Voting conservative” after all doesn’t mean nearly the same thing in Europe or Canada. There, even conservative parties agree on the basics — people should have healthcare, education, retirement, that the only point of the public purse isn’t endless war and death machines. Conservatism in America is off the charts, and so “voting” that way carries a very different meaning. It means that White Americans are the rich world’s most regressive, ignorant, and self-destructive political bloc — by such a long way that they might as well not be in the rich world at all.

I don’t mean any of that as an insult, by the way. I mean it objectively, literally, factually. You’d think that by now White Americans would have figured out that voting against their own standards of living ever rising just because it meant black and brown people would have public goods too was…imbecilic. Especially watching Europe and Canada rise and prosper. They’ve had more than half a century to figure that out. But they still haven’t. What else do you call the inability to learn from the world and history but…ignorance?

Do you know what the word imbecile means? Someone who can’t look after themselves. But that’s what has happened: white people are the ones who wrecked their very own lives, futures, and society — beginning the moment, decades back, that minorities finally gained a few rights, in a giant, stupid, endless, escalating temper tantrum, that culminated in Trumpism.

I know this sounds insulting. But to speak factually and empirically about levels of self-destruction this immense requires us to reach beyond the lines of everyday discourse. Let me try again, then.

White Americans really are different. From their peers — or at least the people they believe are their peers. But the truth that their political choices over decades reveals is this. White Americans have almost nothing in common with White Europeans or Canadians — who back the expansive social contracts of social democracies reliably. White Americans reliably reject such choices, which is how they made their society collapse. instead, they have more in common with the ethnic-religious-fundamentalist majorities of nations like Iran, or the authoritarian-nationalist majorities of nations like Russia. They are regressive, sectarian, fundamentalist, unable to change, trapped by their own ideologies.

That is how and why America collapsed. Black People didn’t make it so. Brown People didn’t. Native Americans didn’t. America is still about 80% white, and white Americans make a certain choice reliably and consistently and predictably as a group — they vote “conservative,” but conservative in America doesn’t mean what it does in the rest of the rich world — it means something much more like Iran or Russia. Bang.

White Americans impoverished themselves, through decades of such folly. Voting against their very own basic public goods. Which meant they had to pay monopolists eye-watering prices for those very things which could and should have been socially provided — healthcare, higher education, retirement, and so on. Today, the average American dies in $62,000 of debt. Do you know what that predicted, a few years ago? A fascist implosion. When majorities grow impoverished, they turn even more regressive, violent, ignorant, and brutal. America’s white majority was already all those things — and then they became even more so.

A demagogue came along, Trump, who blamed white America’s problems on everyone but white Americans. Mexican babies. Black mothers. Latino immigrants. Syrian refugees. Gay minority couples. Everyone but white Americans was responsible for the plight of white Americans. But how could they be? America was and is still 80% white. Nobody was ever responsible for white America’s stunning plunge into poverty, humiliation, and despair — but white America.

But nobody wants to blame themselves, do they? It’s only human to project one’s failings onto others. So white America took Trump’s bait. And it was easier, too, to sell that line of nonsense, that racism, that prejudice, that bigotry, to a white majority that was already those things, and always had been. It was a self-reinforcing process, which was inevitable once America’s white middle and working class began to implode. Fascism was coming to America.

And it did.

Those of us who warned of it were called alarmists and hysterics and so on, when we warned of camps, genocide, bans, raids, purges. As all those things came to pass, and, sick to our stomachs, we survivors tried to warn all over again, we were mocked, shamed, and condemned. By white Americans. Even the good ones. We were told we were underestimating the power of white America to do the right thing.

But we understood something that white American never has about itself. White America has never done the right thing. Ever. At least not in modern history. White America, again, the chart shows us, has been for segregation and war and brutality — and against desegregation, women’s rights, civil rights, and so on. White America, as a group, as a majority, has never, ever voted for anything even slightly towards greater equality, justice, freedom, for all. It has only ever voted to preserve, maintain, and expand its own power. Ever.

White Americans — the good and reasonable ones — overestimate their social group so badly that they probably imagine a majority of white people voted for Obama. Wrong. Even Obama couldn’t win a majority of whites. The only candidate who came close was Bill Clinton — and even he failed. White Americans, again, never voted any way but fanatically “conservative”, which, in global terms, means more like majorities in Iran or Russia than Canada or Europe — regressive, ignorant, brutal, hostile, selfish, and supremacist, not modern, gentle, fair, wise, sophisticated, thoughtful, peaceful, tolerant.

White America’s escalating temper tantrum — its pattern of regressive voting — finally escalated in Trumpism. That is how all of America ended up here. Ruled by white America’s fascists and fanatics, too. Which even the sane and thoughtful white Americans despair at. But will they finally understand themselves? Can they look in the mirror once and for all?

We survivors and scholars have seen all this before — the phenomenon of the deceptive majority. By “deceptive majority,” I mean the idea that good and reasonable white Americans have about themselves. That as a majority, they are good and reasonable, and so goodness and sanity and reason will prevail in the end. They have not in America precisely because white Americans badly overestimate just how sane and reasonable their group in society is. How can they be, when they think guns matter more than healthcare and human rights?

I’m sorry if that sounds harsh. But again, I am only speaking to you factually, empirically, objectively. White Americans have voted over again and again for their guns and their Bibles — but they have never, ever voted as group to have healthcare or retirement for all or any single aspect of a functioning modern society whatsoever. Not to this day.

White America seemed to prefer supremacism and theocracy and authoritarian-fascism over modernity, as a social group. And that is how America ended up being a failed state. That, my friend, is the ugly and difficult fact.

That is the problem of the white American voter. And it spells real trouble.

Because when we say things like “Biden will win in a landslide!” what we are really saying is: white American as a group will, for the first time in modern history, not vote Republican. That they will, as a group, vote for something other than regressivism of the most extreme kind on offer. That the massive tide and force of history will suddenly turn on its head. That a decades long trend will simply reverse itself en masse, like never before.

We are asking for something greater than we may know — for history to deliver us a genuine transformation in long-standing political and social attitudes amongst a majority that has never, ever felt the way we wish them to. Who have never, ever been on the side of modernity or greater democracy or more civilization.

We are hoping for change of the deepest kind. Are we overconfident, then?

I’m not saying that a Biden landslide is impossible. But I am willing, at this stage, to call it unlikely. I don’t think white America is suddenly going to reverse decades of history. I think history has a terrible momentum and inertia, which doesn’t turn itself around so easily. I think social attitudes and political preferences don’t simply magically upend themselves overnight. I don’t think white America as a majority is going to back Biden. (If it does, it will be thanks to young people, though.)

Where does that leave us? Not in a very good place. The problem of the white American voter is very, very real. More real than white Americans know — which is precisely why their pundits and intellectuals never discuss it: they are giving their own social group’s regressivism and imbecility a free pass. But it’s the elephant in the room, just how different white Americans really are, as a group, in the majority, how regressive, cruel, hostile, ignorant, and backwards. That’s not an opinion — it’s a sad, terrible, frightening fact.

It’s possible that minorities will deliver the election for Biden. That’s if turnout for them is much, much higher than for whites. We don’t know, really, if that’s the case. I’d say while the chances are slim, they are very real.

More likely, though, is the following scenario. White America votes the way it always has as a group, as a majority — to screw everyone else over, as hard as possible, even if it itself pays a price. That will lead to three possible outcomes. One, an outright Trump victory. Two, a undecided election, which the Supreme Court will obviously hand to Trump. Or three, the most likely, in my estimation, months of chaos, as America tries to figure out what to do next, about the mess its in, and the GOP makes every grab for raw power.

And the protests of the good and thoughtful white Americans don’t help: “not all of us!” Sure, Chet, not all of you. But enough of you have been like this for most of modern history. Embittered, hostile, cruel, backwards.

Is that about to change? I don’t know, my friends. I doubt it, but I hope so. So why do I tell you this? Because we minorities are what we have always been: barely tolerated interlopers and hated intruders in the Promised Land. You, my white American friend, are the only one with the power to change any of it.

Umair October 2020

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 3 years

Text

It’s no secret that Republicans are anti-intellectual, but it makes you wonder what their end goal is? Why do they keep electing dumber and dumber presidents? Is it just to own the libs? Do they just not care? They’ll get what they want regardless of how smart their presidents are, so why always pick the low hanging fruit?

The only smart Republican of the last 60 years was Bush Sr, and he was a one-term wonder who rode Reagan’s coattails into office.

Nixon was notoriously incompetent as VP, almost beat Kennedy in 1960, threw what should have been a career ending shit fit in 1962 after losing the California governor’s race, but not only came back in 68 and win because Goldwater was so unpopular in 64, but won 72 in the greatest landslide in history up to that point. Corrupt to the bone, he resigned before he could be impeached for hiring burglars to steal dirt on a political opponent, covering it up, and lying about it.

Ford was appointed VP to replace scandal stricken Spiro Agnew, specifically chosen because he was known as an honest politician. His reputation evaporated the second he became president because his first act was to pardon the guiltiest man in the country; he lost handily in 76.

Reagan was an actor who wanted to play politician so he could hurt the people he didn’t like; blacks people, poor people, gay people, women. It was a power trip for him, and because he was good at reading cue cards and delivering jokes written by other people, everyone let him get away with murder. He committed treason by selling weapons to Iran; this isn’t hyperbole, the actual definition of treason includes giving aid to out enemies, and after the oil and hostage crises of the 70s, Iran was an enemy first and foremost. Oliver North took the blame and had his secretary shred the evidence, the President Bush pardoned everyone involved. Reagan won in an even bigger landslide than 72 in 84, and Bush won in a major upset against Dukakis in 88.

Bush lost in 92 in no small part because of Ross Perot splitting the ticket; no third party candidate has ever done better nationwide than Perot in 92, with 19% of the vote (though he didn’t win a single state, which some minor candidates have done). Clinton won with 43% of the popular vote. Forty-three percent! 57% of people voted against him, and he won. 92 was a farce, as was 96 with less than 50% voter turnout, the lowest in modern history. Perot ran again and got 8.4% of the vote, Republican Bob Dole only got 40.7%, and Clinton got 49.2%. This means that less than a quarter of eligible voters voted for Bill Clinton, and he still won. FARCE!

Al Gore rightfully won in 2000, but the conservative majority Supreme Court stole it from him. Florida was too close to call; whichever candidate won it would become president. George W. Bush’s brother Jeb was governor, and he ordered the federally mandated recount be stopped, breaking the law. The Supreme Court decided not to restart the recount for no discernible reason besides they wanted Bush to win. He was notoriously dumb, stereotypically dumb, so dumb a lot of people thought it was an act and voted for him because they thought he was a secret genius who was just pretending to be a cowboy running for president off his daddy’s legacy. He was the stupidest president we had ever had up to that point, and hired a lot of smart people to do horrible things so he could claim plausible deniability. That Obama didn’t send Dick Cheney to the Hague was a deafening silence. Bush only won re-election in 2004 because he started a war in Iraq in 2003 and the country didn’t want to change horses midstream; same exact tactic his daddy used, only this war lasted longer than the Gulf and “worked” as planned.

2008 was a ceremonial race; McCain didn’t stand a chance. He was not incompetent, but his running mate was. Sarah Palin was even dumber than Bush, and like Gingrich in the 90s was responsible for a conservative revolution we’re still feeling today. Barack Obama wasn’t an amazing president, but he was an AMAZING candidate. Everybody loved Obama in 2008, he won more votes than any candidate in history until 2020. McCain was a career moderate, and after the last 8 years of failure both parties were running on a platform of “I am not George W. Bush.” Turns out a young charismatic smart black man is less like Bush than another old white guy.

Obama lost a ton of momentum going into 2012 because he didn’t really DO anything his first term. His only major accomplishment was the Affordable Care Act, which was an act of the Democratic congress than anything else, and it still wasn’t nearly as progressive as it needed to be (the US is still the only developed nation without universal healthcare). Romney, a Republican governor from the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts, could have beaten him were he not a classist piece of shit. Romney hated poor people more than Reagan, and once wore brown face to a campaign event to make himself look more like Obama (they didn’t paint his hands or neck, just his face). Obama made a lot of promises he didn’t keep, in no small part because of the Tea Party and the devastating losses in 2014 (we suffer under Mitch McConnell because of that).

2016 was a dumpster fire that shouldn’t have happened, and if either party had run a different candidate, it wouldn’t have. Sanders would have beaten Trump, Clinton would have beaten Cruz. It was a perfect storm of a very unpopular and insincere grandma running against a cartoon supervillain. You couldn’t repeat that with what we know now. Your vote in 2016 came to represent who you were as a person; people took it to the extremes, and the sunk cost fallacy made the entire Republican party shift so far rightward that we have actual concentration camps now and NOBODY GIVES A SHIT! Trump was a game show host, a used car salesman famous for being tacky and dumb and offensive. He was KNOWN for running his companies into the ground, that was his MO, he made a career out of bankruptcy, and Republicans still can’t believe that he drove us into the worst economic depression since the last Republican (history repeat itself, whoop-dee-doo). Biden won in 2020 because of record turnout, though 2020 was closer to the intentional walk of 2012 than the home run of 2008 in terms of enthusiasm for the candidates.

If we’ve learned anything its that Republicans just keep getting worse and worse, so it’s getting hard for me to imagine what 2024 has in store. Will Trump risk losing the popular vote 3 times in a row for a second term? i think he’ll pretend to so he can scam millions of dollars out of his base, but he’ll either lost the primaries and tank the Republicans by running third-party, or he’ll drop out and endorse one of his spawn. If Biden decides not to run in 2024, the nomination will almost certainly go to Kamala Harris, at which point I expect the Republicans to run a woman as well, so that we’re guaranteed the first woman president; she’ll be young, and white, and blonde. My money’s on Ivanka. Kamala vs. Ivanka will be a repeat of the 2016 dumpster fire, only worse because then everyone would be acting like both candidates are feminist icons, #GirlPower #SheRunsTheWorld #WarCrimesAreBetterWithTwoXChromosomes If Biden DOES run again, then I suspect the Republican pool will be wide early on (Prick Scott, Ron DeathSantis, Uncle Tom Cotton, Nikkki Haley, you name it), only to shrink before the primaries as they all coordinate to get behind someone strong enough to defeat an incumbent.

Republicans are very good at coordinating; they are the party of “Follow the Leader.” Whoever is in charge has 100% authority, no ifs, ands, or buts, no questions asked, just follow orders. It would be easy to call them lemmings, but it’s more insidious than this. They run dumb candidates for president, but have very smart people working behind the scenes to do horrible things. They’re willing to follow orders blindly to ensure that the party prospers, whereas Democrats are chicken running around with their heads cut off. There are no Democratic leaders. Pelosi? Schumer? Nobody likes those dinosaurs! The only really popular Democrats are progressives, and they will never have power as long as the moderates have a majority of the caucus. AOC could be a senator someday; she could replace Schumer whenever he retires, but that would hinge on her not having any moderate primary challengers. Moderates are still very popular because they are seen as “electable,” even though they never DO anything once elected. Progressives have big ideas and the concrete plans to get them done, but the moderate establishment is afraid of losing power, and would rather placate the other side doing nothing, changing nothing, making no waves. The party needs to shift leftward, or the country is doomed.

I would suggest the progressives splitting off to form a third party, but that would almost certainly destroy left-wing politics in this country as every safe seat would become split. In an ideal world, it would be a nominal change; they would be the Progressive Democratic Party, they would continue to run in blue districts and caucus with Democrats on votes, but would advertise themselves as anti-establishment. They would be like the New Democrats in Canada, which now that I think about it is a very bad idea because the New Democrats have no power and end up giving more votes to the Liberals and Conservatives instead. The Progressive solution is intended to show the caucus that the moderates don’t have total control, but it would end up with the moderate Democrats shooting themselves in the foot, running against Progressives in every seat, handing them to the Republicans. Every election cycle people act like a loss would spell “the end of the _____ party,” but this would actually be it for the Democrats. It would be a turning point, like the 1960s, with millions of people changing parties out of principle, a major shift. A Red Scare

I just want to crawl in a hole and die. I hate politics.

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msclaritea · 3 years

Link

“Is America really ready to reclaim democracy?

I’m going to share a fact with you — and you’re not going to like it.

“Kill Umair! Get him!!!” Maybe you’re foaming at the mouth, ready to dispute my simple fact. So take a hard look at the chart above. What does it say?

They don’t want to live in a modern, civilised democracy, and never have.

They chose staying on top of decline and ruin, rather than prospering as equals.

Let me make that even clearer, by putting it in a global perspective. This is the part you’re really not going to like.

I know this sounds insulting. But to speak factually and empirically about levels of self-destruction this immense requires us to reach beyond the lines of everyday discourse. Let me try again, then.

Fascism was coming to America. And it did.

That is the problem of the white American voter. And it spells real trouble.

We are hoping for change of the deepest kind. Are we overconfident, then?

Umair October 2020

‘Stop The Count’ Trump Protesters in Detroit.

#Well Damn #Nevada #Arizona #Michigan #North Carolina #Georgia #Umair #Election 2020 #Cold Hard Facts #1000th Reason Bernie Would Not Have Won #Get it now?#BidenHarris #Count Every Vote #Fuck All This

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spaceshipkat · 4 years

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OK I'm not really well informed on the SJMaas debate buuut ik she loves LOTR alot and A lot of fantasy books she grew up reading ends with a huge battle, I don't think she intended to glamorize it rather employ a very common fantasy fiction trope that all the popular fantasy books before included. You can see with modern movies eg marvel an easy culmination to build up to is usually a good guys vs bad guys battle for the ages.

—and to add even Harry Potter is an example of a series that culminates with a big war. I wouldn't say by employing that narrative frame it would be glamorizing it.

this is actually a common topic on my blog since i studied war history in uni and will be getting my master’s degree, in part, on 20th century history, predominately the war period and how it impacts the future.

ANYWAY. heh. rambling. yes, your examples are actually examples of how war is romanticized in popular fiction (although i’ll hold back on saying definitively yea or nay on Harry Potter, as i’ve only seen one of the movies and read none of the books, so i don’t know enough). sj///m is certainly not the only culprit but since she’s one of the authors whose books i talk about most on here she simply happens to feature more in my conversations on it, especially bc she’s written a war into each of her series (one is mentioned in CCity’s synopsis, so i think it’s a given). since Marvel is a good example, and i’d say it’s a given that more people have seen those movies than they’ve read sj///m’s books, i’ll explain how that romanticizes war: take, for instance, how there are always moments in battle where characters can stop to banter; where every single woman in the MCU somehow magically appears at the exact same moment as every other woman in it in order to have this whole “badass” sauntering montage (was i the only one who cringed when i saw it? it was trying way too hard to prove that the MCU does actually focus on women uwu); where we get slow-mo shots of characters like Cap doing a cool flip midair; where in the group movies like Infinity War we only ever focus on the war as it happens rather than the after effects (sure, we see what Thanos did to the world, but it’s not exactly worse for wear; we watch NYC get destroyed only for NYC to be fine later on; in Captain America: Civil War, when there are worldwide responses that try to curb what the superheroes have the freedom to do, we get an entire movie of Cap just noping out of there despite the fact you can’t just...run willy-nilly...and fight...like that...against the fucking UN for pete’s sake), and more. it looks cool and therefore romanticizes war. yeah they’re fighting the Big Bad, but it’s still painting war in rosy colors.

sj///m, like most people who don’t study warfare in any grand way, has a very romantic view on war, and it’s made clear bc she doesn’t actually focus on every single aspect of it. her war is just like Marvel’s war: it exists to showcase how badass characters are rather than to focus on how war impacts the world at large. and sure, not every single instance of war needs to show the nitty-gritty of it, the fucked up parts of it, the war crimes that take place (of which alien, in t0g, is guilty of imo), but when war is shown in 99% of popular media to be this romantic ideal in which you can fight the Big Bad and Always Win, Always Survive, there comes a problem. in k0a, there are armies with hundreds of thousands of soldiers but we never learn where those soldiers came from, how they’re all armed, how they have no problems feeding everyone, who trains them, where they go when war isn’t occurring, if there’s some judicial system in place to ensure that soldiers can’t just run amok and do whatever tf they want, and more. alien simply saunters out in gold armor (i will never get over this oh my god) and suddenly rallies everyone, despite the fact they literally wouldn’t know who tf she is, and wins the day, is crowned queen for Reasons, and is married to rowboat despite the fact he actually brings nothing to her or Terrasen (when, by all accounts, after a war she should be marrying someone who can actually help her country recover). i mean, a great example of how sj///m pads alien in plot armor is how, after alien is rescued from Maeve, she literally just sends letters to lords and ladies she’s never met, tells them that Maeve, their ruler, has tortured alien, and suddenly has their undying support. they’ve never met alien and have lived beneath Maeve’s rule for umpteen years. they have no reason to trust a word alien says, especially bc she doesn’t even send diplomats, at the very least, to their courts in order to sell her case.

all of the above, though it might not seem like it, romanticizes war. it makes it seem like this easy thing that takes a month (and, by all accounts, it literally does take about a month or two in k0a. the entire series from t0g to k0a occurs in roughly two years: alien is 18 in t0g and 20 at the end of k0a; meanwhile, her adversaries are literally immortal and have been planning and enacting their takeover of Erilea for eons) to win and everything is hunky-dory afterward. we never see the fallout. we never focus on the shit bc it’s more fun to show cool stunts and write in vapid banter. war should be the very last option. i’m not a pacifist (i believe that Hitler, for instance, would not have been stopped had World War II not happened) but i’m also really tired of seeing war in fiction unless the author is willing to treat it with the respect it demands. for a good take, i recommend the Glass Alliance series by Joanna Hathaway. she’s a friend of mine who really knows what war is about (we actually talk about shit all the time, such as what happened in Iran yesterday), so she’s a great example :)

#ask #anonymous #anti sjm #anti tog

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saveyourblood · 4 years

Text

Stolen Dance | Ch. 7

Summary: “Maybe this was a pipe dream, a delusion you’d soon awake from or a phase you’d outgrow. You didn’t really care. For a brief moment in time, you were in love. That’s what you chose to care about. That what you made matter.”

The one where you’re a paramedic, he’s an FBI agent, and the time you spend together is borrowed.

Word Count: 4.9k

Song: Can’t Carry This Anymore - Anson Seabra

Warnings: Reader has PTSD, angst... ya know, the good stuff.

_____________________

Baby steps: your new two favorite words.

Healing was hard. You’ve known that for awhile; ever since your dad died, you were learning new ways to cope. What you haven’t known for awhile, though, was what it was like to heal with someone beside you.

When you were in pain, you tended to isolate yourself (hence your breakup). You internalized everything: thoughts, emotions, opinions… you became nothing but an empty shell of anger, and you expressed it in unhealthy ways. You wanted that to change. And Spencer wanted to help.

The two of you were in an awkward limbo of unknowing. Weeks had passed since you broke down in front of him, but the two of you haven’t kissed since the night before you broke up with him. You hugged a lot, and sometimes he slept over, but it was only to hold you. You weren’t sure if he was your boyfriend again. In your defense, though, he didn’t seem to know either.

Group therapy was his idea. It was something you contemplated in the past, but each time, you ultimately decided against it. Spencer managed to persuade you this time around, even finding a group for you to attend. Turns out, there’s a lot of veterans in DC.

“Hi,” you said as you stood up and waved awkwardly. “My name is Y/N. This is my first time here. I served as a medic in the Army for 5 years. For 18 months of that, I was deployed as a combat medic.”

“Where’d you tour?” An older man asked. The bottom of his cane was pressed to the floor, both hands holding it in place.

“Syria,” you answered.

A black gentleman let out a long, low whistle. “You must have seen some shit, girlie.”

You sat back down. “I didn’t come here for the coffee.”

Practically everyone in the group burst out into laughter. You thought you even saw the therapist chuckling to himself.

In this group, men outnumbered women by quite a bit; there were 3 women, including yourself, and 7 men. You could have gone to their all-women meeting later that week, but you decided to save that one for later. For now, your horizons were broad.

These men were gruff, blunt, and cut-and-dry — everything you expected from older vets that lived through what you did, maybe even worse. You could see why some female veterans felt more inclined to attend a women’s group; they were still tough as hell, but there was a certain courtesy they retained. It was as though men lost that courtesy somewhere along their service. You didn’t mind, though. Most of them reminded you of your grandfather.

“And who’s the handsome man you brought with you?” A woman with long, grey hair asked. Her smile was wrinkly, and her voice rough: a smoker, you assumed. She smiled at Spencer. “Your husband?”

You laughed lightly as you shook your head. “This is Spencer. He’s… my friend.”

The man with the cane snorted. “Friend. How do you feel about that, boy?”

“I’m quite alright with it,” Spencer assured.

He was a fish out of water in a setting like this. You were happy he merely introduced you to this place, let alone sat beside you the entire time. You were truly lucky to have someone like him in your life.

Turns out, you had a lot in common with basically everyone in the group. All of them were deployed at some point, mostly to Afghanistan or Iran. Some even served in the Vietnam War. Regardless of location, though, you all shared the same trait: none of you came back the same person you left as. Something happened. Something changed you.

“I try to be better,” Marge, the woman from before, said. “I try to do good, not let the past weigh me down. I helped a lot of people. I try not to think about the people I hurt.”

You pat her shoulder briefly. She brushed fingers with your hand, a silent way to show appreciation.

“What about you, kid?” Rudy, the man with the cane, asked. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

You considered. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It cost me everything.”

“That’s no explanation, sweetheart,” Abraham, the black man, said.

“Lucky for her,” the therapist intervened, “we’re out of time.”

“It takes at least two sessions to unlock my backstory,” you joked with a shrug. “Sorry, boys.”

You and Spencer stayed for a bit afterwards, drinking more cheap coffee and sharing a few lighter, easier words with other attendees. Marge managed to pull Spencer aside, and whatever the two were talking about, they both seemed interested. You smiled fondly.

When the men you were surrounded by noticed, they began to make a few jokes about how Spencer was clearly more than a ‘friend’. You took it as your excuse to leave.

“‘Two sessions?’” Spencer quoted on the way out. “Do you want to come back?”

You nodded, a small smile on your face. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Spencer put an arm around your shoulders. “I’m proud of you, Y/N.”

“Thank you, Spencer.”

For maybe the first time in your life, you were proud of you too.

_____________________

You and Spencer walked into the office to find what seemed like everyone except the BAU there. People in camouflage and suits alike swarmed in the bullpen, taking every possible floor space. You’d be lucky to make it to your desk, let alone find it empty.

“What the hell..?” you muttered to yourself.

Spencer briefly grabbed your hand. You quickly realized it was only to pull you across the room and to the stairs. However, you didn’t miss the slight squeeze he gave you.

“Guys, this is Dr. Linda Kimura, Chief of Special Pathogens at the CDC,” JJ explained when you and Spencer entered the briefing room.

“CDC?” you repeated in disbelief.

“Hello,” she greeted. “I’m sorry to meet under these circumstances.”

“What circumstances, exactly?” Spencer asked.

“We should get started,” Hotch said.

Everyone, including you, picked up a file from the table.

“Last night, 25 people checked into emergency rooms in and around Annapolis,” Garcia said. “They were all at the same park after 2PM last night. Within 10 hours, the first victim died. “Less than 16 hours later, 11 more are dead.”

“Lung failure and black lesions,” you said, reading the chart. “Anthrax?”

“Anthrax doesn’t kill this fast,” Spencer disagreed.

“This strain does,” Dr. Kimura said.

“What are we doing about potential mass targets?” Emily asked. “Airports, malls, trains?”

“There’s a media blackout,” Hotch replied.

“We’re not telling the public?”

“We’d have a mass exodus,” Derek said.

“The psychology of group panic would cause more deaths than this last attack,” Rossi agreed.

“Yeah, and if it does get out, whoever did this might go underground or destroy their samples,” Spencer said.

“Or he didn’t get the attention he wanted and might attack again,” Emily argued. “Doesn’t the public have a right to know that?”

“Next time, we’ll all be dead,” you said, mostly to yourself. You looked up to find everyone staring at you. “This attack was supposed to be quiet — he’s testing his strain, seeing how effective it is. The next time he strikes, too many people will be dead for anyone to keep it quiet.”

“The best way to stop a future attack is by profiling him as quickly as we can,” Hotch continued.

“What do we know about the strain?” Spencer asked Dr. Kimura.

“The spores are weaponized, reduced to a respiral ideal that attacks deep in the lungs,” She explained. “Odorless and invisible.”

“Sophisticated,” Rossi noted. “Only a scientist would know how to do that.”

“The size of these lesions are doubling in a couple of hours,” JJ said, looking at the before and after photos.

“It’s not the lesions I’m worried about,” Dr. Kiruma said, “it’s the lungs. We don’t know how to combat the toxins once they’re inside. The reality is, we may lose them all.”

“The remaining survivors have all been moved to a special wing at Walter Reed Hospital,” Garcia said. “Our offices will become a small command center.”

“We’ll be working with scientists from Fort Detrick,” Hotch said. “Determining what strain this is will help inform who’s responsible.”

“My team is in charge of treating all victims,” Dr. Kimura said.

“Reid, Y/L/N, go with Dr. Kimura to the hospital, interview the victims,” Hotch instructed. He gave everyone else their instructions before picking up a tray on the table. “Cipro. Everyone needs to take it before we go.”

“We don’t know if it’s effective against this strain, but it’s something,” Dr. Kimura said.

You and everyone else reached for a plastic cup containing two white pills. You also grabbed a cup of water from the table.

“This is really happening?” Prentiss asked in disbelief.

“We knew this could happen,” Hotch stated calmly. “We’ve prepared. We’ve done our homework. This is it.”

You outstretched your pill cup to Spencer’s. “Cheers?”

He clicked his cup against yours.

You followed Spencer into a hospital room. Dr. Kimura gave you both a basic rundown on her and her symptoms.

“Hi, Abby,” you greeted, a few steps behind Spencer. “My name’s Y/N, and this is Spencer. We work for the FBI. Is it alright if we ask you a few questions?”

Her lips were grey, and her eyes lost a lifelike sheen. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think a zombie was lying in bed rather than a person.

She nodded once.

“Abby, I’d like to do a memory recall exercise with you to take you back to the park, if that’s okay,” Spencer explained slowly and calmly.

She nodded again.

“I need you to close your eyes.”

Abby closed her eyes.

“Yesterday, you rode your bicycle to the park,” Spencer started. “How did the Sun feel on your skin, the breeze through your hair?” Can you describe for me what you heard, and the people you saw?”

“It was warm, windy…” she rasped out. “There were guys, football… kids… sin me free me.”

You and Spencer shared a look.

“Free me seen mock me free,” she stuttered out.

“Okay, you just rest,” you said gently. Abby tried to speak again, but you shushed her before she could. The poor girl looked terrified. “We’ll leave you alone.”

You walked out of the room, Spencer shortly behind you.

“What’s causing her aphasia?” He asked.

“Kimura said it has to do with the part of the brain the anthrax is attacking,” you answered. “...She also said a few other patients showed the same symptoms before they died.”

“We need to find that cure.”

You watched outside as Kimura tried to revive the 17th victim. She was unsuccessful.

“38-year-old history teacher,” she said with a sigh as she stepped out. “He’s leaving two kids behind.”

You and Spencer followed her to the nurse's station, where she began to look through some paperwork. “This strain is duplicating every 30-45 minutes. It’s poisoning the lungs, which causes massive hemorrhaging and organ failure.”

“Extreme bacterial amplification,” Spencer agreed.

“Huh,” you said absentmindedly. The gears in your head were turning.

“What are you thinking?” Spencer asked almost immediately.

“It’s… weird,” you said, mostly to yourself. “You have to test a strain like this, see what quantity is needed to get the desired effect. What kind of scientist tests on a large group of people in an uncontrolled atmosphere? This man is psychotic, but he’s not stupid.”

“Scientists work their way up to human testing; they start on rodents, advance to larger mammals, and then at some point, they start a very small trial run on a small number of people.”

“What are you saying?” Dr. Kimura inquired.

“This wasn’t a trial run,” you said, “and it wasn’t his first attack, either.”

“We would have known about a previous anthrax case,” she argued.

“Not if it presented itself as something else.”

Dr. Kimura managed to find you both an empty room to make a phone call.

“Two days ago, two people in two seperate Baltimore ERs and one person in a Philadelphia ER slipped into comas and died suddenly,” you said as soon as you heard the line pick up.

“Y/N, slow down,” JJ said. “Is Spencer with you?”

“Hello,” Spencer said awkwardly. “Who all are we talking to?”

“Me, Rossi, and Hotch,” JJ replied.

“The cause of death on those three patients was meningitis,” Spencer explained. “Doctors didn’t do further testing because the illnesses presented themselves as meningitis, but we think they could’ve been caused by anthrax.”

“Did they show the symptoms we’re seeing now — the lesions?” Rossi asked.

“They all died within 3 hours of being admitted,” Spencer continued. “The bodily functions expired too quickly for lesions to appear.”

“The first patient from the park died 10 hours after exposure,” Hotch spoke up.

“He could have used less anthrax on more people at the park,” you theorized. “The higher concentration, the faster this shit kills. If enough was used in a more controlled environment, it could easily shut down every system in the body within a few hours, leaving no time for physical symptoms.”

“What are their names?” Hotch asked after a brief moment of silence.

With the help of a few higher-ups in the military, the team found the best lead so far: a disgraced scientist who proposed a 50-billion dollar plan to fight any potential chemical warfare. His main concern? Anthrax. Derek and Spencer were assigned to visit his home while Prentiss and Rossi visited the company he worked for. Staying at the hospital would be useless, so you decided to tag along.

_____________________

Dr. Lawrence Nichols’ yard was tidy; he had a sprinkler going, and the rose bush in his backyard seemed to be trimmed recently. The three of you explored the outside of the house while men in hazmat suits secured the inside.

Derek got a phone call. Spencer stayed behind to listen in. You continued ahead.

Past a few decorative shrubs, you found a sliding glass door. Bright, fluorescent lights were on inside, lighting up a room with grey walls.

“Hey, guys,” you said, turning your head over your shoulder in an attempt to carry your voice.

Either they didn’t hear you, or they were ignoring you. You shrugged, sliding open the door and stepping in.

“Whoa.”

Not only was the room practically spotless, but it was filled with equipment — you guessed at least a couple thousand dollars went into the contents of the room, probably far more. To say this guy knew what he was doing would be the understatement of the century.

After scanning the walls and multiple tables, your eyes landed on the floor. It was composed of white tiles that shone under the light. Nicholas seemed to be a real neat freak. By the leg of a table, though, there was an inconsistency: a dark liquid was spilled.

Frowning, you stepped around to take a better look. Within a few steps, the entire sight came into your view, and it was far from a pretty one. A white-haired man in a suit laid dead on the floor. It could only be Nichols.

Your hand flew to the holster on your side. You grabbed your pistol, raising it to the air. You did another sweep of the room, and unsurprisingly, you came up empty. The lab was impressive, but it was small. It would extremely difficult for someone to hide in it.

You returned your gun to its holster. Crouching down, you took a better look at Nichols. You guessed he’d be dead for awhile now. The blood on the floor was brown and tacky rather than red and thin, and rigor mortis had already set in. You weren’t particularly educated in the field, but you could say with confidence he’d been dead for at least a day.

Looking closer, you noticed something beside him. It was a vile, much like the others on various tables in the lab. This one, though, had a bright yellow label on it. It also contained a thin, white powder. And, it was shattered into pieces.

Anthrax.

“Y/N?” You heard Spencer call.

The bushes that covered the lab entrance shook. Acting on instinct, you moved to the door and slammed it shut.

“Y/N?!” Spencer asked, this time more frantically. He rushed to the door, reaching for the handle.

“Get back!” you shouted, fumbling for the lock. “Spencer, you need to get out of here.”

“What’s going on?!” He protested, feeding off of your panic. When he realized trying to pry open the door would do no good, Spencer began pounding on the glass with his fist. “Y/N, open the door!”

You managed to lock the door, and a brief, small wave of relief washed over your body. You looked up, locking eyes with Spencer. His palm was pressed flat against the door, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth slacked open.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

A swarm of people were outside the house within ten minutes. You could take the three various vehicles, the dozens of soldiers and CDC members swarming around. What you couldn’t take was Derek, Hotch, and especially Spencer staring at you from across the yard.

Hotch picked up his phone and held it in front of him. You phone rang a few seconds later.

“Sir, I’m so, so sorry,” you apologized immediately. “I… I really fucked up.”

“Y/N, we’re going to get you out and to the hospital,” Hotch said.

“What? That’s stupid,” you disagreed. “I’m staying here.”

“Like hell you are!” Spencer argued.

“Listen, Doogie: I’m infected. I’m more useful if I’m infected in Nichols’ lab than if I’m infected in the hospital. I can poke around in here, but I’m no prodigy with an eidetic memory. I need your help, Spencer. Will you help me?”

Spencer looked down. You sighed in defeat, hanging up the phone so you could continue exploring the lab.

Your phone rang again. You picked up.

“How can I help?”

“I see two different desks — one is cluttered, the other is immaculate,” you said, looking between the two. You took a notebook off the first desk, opened it, and placed it next to a stack of papers on the second, clean desk. “There’s two sets of handwriting, too. I think he has a partner.”

“Can you figure out which one is Nichols?” Spencer asked.

“Well, based on his lab, I’d guess he’s the neat freak,” you thought aloud.

“Read a few of the papers Nichols wrote,” Spencer instructed. “Does anything strike you as odd?”

You skimmed through the papers left on his desk, muttering to yourself as you did so. By the third page, you found something that seemed… weird.

“He wrote down instructions,” you told Spencer. “How to sterilize equipment, store samples… it’s all stuff he should know.”

“He doesn’t have a partner — he has an apprentice,” Spencer said. “Good job, Y/N. I have to call Hotch, but I’ll call you right after, okay?”

You smiled weakly. “Okay.”

Once they secured and sterilized the area, Spencer was allowed to sit on the other side of the door. He wanted to come inside, but you preferred this. You wanted to see him as his dorky, charming self, not someone in pounds of a bright orange suit.

“It’s ironic,” you said, your back pressed to the glass. You took off your jacket awhile ago, but sweat still soaked your shirt. “For the first time in almost a decade, I decided to get help. Now, I’ll be dead before I can even see the results.”

“Don’t say that, “Spencer argued softly. “You’re not dying. Kimura and her team will be in soon, and they’ll find the cure. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Maybe,” You said. You didn’t believe it, but you didn’t want to upset him, so you let it go. Therapy taught you to choose your battles. “But if I’m not fine in a few hours, I want to say I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Spencer was sitting directly opposite from you, so the glass felt warm. Despite your already elevated temperature, the heat was soothing. If you closed your eyes, it felt like you were touching him.

“For breaking up with you, for pushing you away, for… everything,” you laughed bitterly only to fight back tears. “I love you, Spencer Reid, and I’m sorry I haven’t been showing it lately.”

“You can show it when you’re out of here and safe in my apartment,” He promised. “Actually… in our apartment.”

“I’m moving in with you?” You asked with a genuine laugh.

“Yes, and you’re not allowed to say no,” Spencer said. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

“I don’t like my apartment that much anyways,” you said.

The two of you shared a chuckle. Your laughter quickly turned into a violent cough. Spencer went silent

You fished your phone out of your pocket, dialing a number you now knew by heart.

“Hey, Y/N,” Garcia said after picking up. Her voice was soft and sweet.

“‘Y/N’?” You asked. “No witty Garcia greeting for me?”

“I can’t be my sparkly self when you are where you are,” she replied.

“Garcia, can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“I can’t call my mom,” you said. “Ever since I joined the Army, she’s been paranoid — if I say one word in a weird way, she’ll be on the next plan to DC. I can’t put her in danger like that.”

“What do you need?” Garcia asked.

“I need you to record a message for her in case something happens,” you said softly.

“Oh, Y/N, nothing’s going to happen to you,” Garcia said. The optimism in her voice sounded real. “You’re gonna figure out who did this, and we’re gonna treat this strain.”

“I hope you’re right,” you said with an exhale, “but… just in case.”

“Okay. Give me a sec,” Garcia said. You heard her clicking away at her keyboard, pulling up the right program. “Ready.”

“Hi, Mom,” you said, stopping to cough. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, but I know I should say something. ...I guess more than anything else, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for moving halfway across the country, I’m sorry I don’t call you back, I’m sorry I don’t let you in on much.

“I’m sorry I left so soon after dad died,” your voice caught. You cleared your throat. “I just… I had to get out. I know you say it’s okay, but it wasn’t. We were going through hell, and we should have done it together. You’re an amazing mother. I’m sorry for being such a shitty daughter. I just… I hope you know how much I love you. I love you more than anything, mom. I’m sorry it ended this way. I’m just really, really sorry.”

Ten minutes later, Dr. Kimura and a few other people were inside. You stood up, taking in her airtight suit.

“You look good,” you said sarcastically. “I’m going to a banquet next month. Can I borrow your outfit?”

She chuckled. “I haven’t worn this in a long time.”

“How are the patients at the hospital?”

“Let’s worry about you,” she said instead. “Are you in any pain?”

“No, I feel fine,” you said. “I don’t need anything.”

“Are you sure?” She asked. “We can at least try to make you comfortable.”

“Narcotics cause drowsiness and nausea,” you said. “I’m still here because I want to be useful.”

“Y/N!” Spencer said, tapping the glass to get your attention.

You turned around to see him with his phone pressed against his ear.

“The three ER patients all went to the same bookstore before being admitted,” Spencer told you. “They found traces of anthrax in the vents.”

“How can I help?” Dr. Kimura asked.

“Dr. Nichols was a former military scientist, which means he was most likely secretive and paranoid,” you said, stopping to breathe. “Odds are, he hid the cure from his partner in a place he wouldn’t suspect. Look for things that are obvious, hidden in plain sight.”

Your phone rang in your pocket. You turned to Spencer again, who raised his eyebrows. You picked up your phone.

“I’ve got Garcia on the line,” he said. “Rossi and Prentiss don’t think the accomplice was a coworker.”

“Okay, uh…” you frowned, thoughts jumbling. You retraced your steps back to Nichols’ desk to look for more clues. “I see a framed photo of Nichols teaching.” You looked in the file holder, coming up with nothing. You then looked through the basket in the corner and found a binder. “I see syllabi and assignments going back to the 70s.”

“He valued himself as an educator,” Spencer said.

“A teacher,” you whispered in thought. You dug through one of the drawers, looking for something you saw earlier. “I didn’t make the connection before, but he has a study on anthrax. There’s red ink and notes in the margins — it’s graded, like how a teacher grades a paper. Nichols wouldn’t open his lab to just anyone, but he might let someone in if they were interested in learning.”

“He appealed to Nichols as a student,” Spencer agreed. “Nichols is helping him with his thesis.”

“I can look up local PhD students,” Garcia chimed in.

“Check the sciences — biochemisty, microbiology,” Spencer instructed.

“Cross-checking with names of former employees or customers with grievances at the bookstore…” Garcia said. “Nothing, my doves.”

You coughed loudly, covering your mouth. “Here, listen to this,” you said after recovering. “‘Each household should have gas masks and a 2-month supply of cipro.’”

“That’s verbatim to what Nichols said,” Spencer spoke. “The partner’s adopted Nichols’ views to his own.”

“The chapters are on setting up triage and mobile emergency rooms,” you said, flipping through the paper. “Last time I checked, science students don’t write about city preparedness.”

“Garcia, cross-check with students in social studies — public policy, urban planning,” Spencer said.

“Hot to trot,” Garcia said. “Chad M. Brown, studied public policy, graduated from University of Maryland. He’s a former employee of the bookstore, no steady job, was slapped with a restraining order from his ex-girlfriend.”

“He’s our guy,” Spencer said. “Y/N, get out of there.”

You hung up, looking over and smiling faintly at him. He returned the expression.

You stood up. A wave of coughs rolled through your chest, each hack more violent than the last. You eventually pulled your elbow back to see your paled skin splattered with blood.

You felt dizzy. Your ears began to ring. Vaguely, you heard Spencer call your name, but it sounded like you were underwater. You knees buckled under your own weight.

The world went dark.

_____________________

You can’t see anything, so your other senses are amplified.

The smells.

The sounds.

Sweat, urine, blood, rotting flesh.

Rodents scurrying across the dirt, brushing across your ankles as they went after the real prey.

This place is hell on earth.

You’d rather die than spend another second here.

_____________________

You woke up to a steady beeping sound. You frowned, briefly opening your eyes only to squeeze them back shut. The room smelled sterile. The bed you laid on was hard, but it was draped with soft sheets. Other than the fact that it opened in the back, the standard gown you were wearing was surprisingly comfortable too.

“Welcome back,” Spencer greeted faintly.

You rolled your head to face his voice, eyes still closed. You finally noticed the cannula feeding oxygen into your nose, as it pressed against your cheek. Still, you smiled, and it wasn’t forced. “Hey.”

“You scared us, kid,” a deeper yet just as warm voice spoke up.

You tried opening your eyes again. You could faintly make out a tall, stout man with his arms crossed. “Hey, Derek.”

You tried sitting up, only to hiss in pain and reach for your side. Spencer put a hand on your shoulder.

“Take it easy,” he said softly, only moving his hand away when you laid back down. “They had to put a chest tube in — your lungs were starting to fill with blood.”

“Kimura said if they found the cure minutes later, your heart could have stopped,” Derek said.

“Where was it?”

“Nichols’ inhaler,” a voice from the doorway spoke up. Dr. Kimura stood there, a small smile on her face. “You were right: it was hidden in plain sight. And now, both the strain and the cure are going to be locked up in Fort Detrick along with other chemical warfare.”

“The other patients?”

“They’ll be okay,” Kimura assured, “just like you’ll be.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Kimura said before dismissing herself.

“Well,” Derek said after a brief silence, “I’m starving. You two want anything?”

Spencer shook his head.

“Coffee, please,” you said.

“Coffee for the lady, comin’ right up,” Derek said, then left. He closed the door behind him.

Spencer scooted in closer, running a hand over your hair. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault,” he scolded gently. “I’m just really, really relieved. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

“I love you too,” you whispered. You moved your gaze to the ceiling, swallowing thickly. “I’m ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“I’m ready to tell you what happened in Syria.”

_____________________

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casnonotbcofspn · 4 years

Text

Why WW3 Jokes Are Terrible

So if you have been literally anywhere on the internet in the last two weeks, you’ll have been exposed to a lot of WW3 jokes. The hashtag started trrending on twitter - the point is that it’s blown up, and WW3 is the hot comedic topic of the moment.

For context, this all started after a US drone airstrike killed one of Iran’s military leaders, Qassem Soleimani. This strike was approved by Donald Trump, and many are seeing it as a declaration of war, and therefore as the start of WW3.

That’s what lead to a huge amount of WW3 jokes circulating online, and I want to outline my problems with them.

Firstly, the major themes in these jokes is the reintroduction of the draft. The draft was abolished in America in 1973 by President Nixon, who hoped to squash the anti-war movement, as he thought middle class protesters only cared about the Vietnam War because they didn’t want to be drafted or have their friends drafted (that’s not relevant, but historical context is helpful). Now, there has been rumblings about bringing back the draft for the past five years or so, but there is no actual evidence that this is going to happen.

So for the draft to come back, what would need to happen? It would need to pass through Congress, with the majority voting in favour of it. President Trump would also have to finalise the process by approving the draft.

If the draft came back, what would happen? Firrstly, would women be included in the draft? As of a recent federal court ruling, women not being in the draft would be unconstituional. However, this doesn’t mean that women would be included in the draft, because as we’ve seen the currrent administration has no problem with doing things that are unconstituional. So we know that women and men would be involved in the draft and the draft usually composess of people age 18-26. However, the system by which people are selected for military service is unkonown. Many different systems have been used in US military history.It usually starts with everyone (or all men) in the selected age range registering for the draft. What happens next is a different matter.It could involve local draft boards reviewing those registered and deciding who and wouldn’t be drafted (as it was at the start of the Vietnam War), or it could be a lottery system, where birthdays are drawn out in the same way as other lotteries, and those registered and born on those days would be drafted (as it was to the end of the Vietnam War). The draft was used during Americcan Civil War, WW1, WW2, The Korean War and The Vietnam War in America, and each time it was slightly different, so we have no idea how the draft would work if it was introduced again today.

But back to the jokes. I’m going to say this once. The Draft Is Not Funny. It’s not a quirky topic for you to make a tiktok about. It’s conscription. It’s a system that has always been biased, regularly calling POC, working class people and rural workers to serivce, and allowing the upper classes, the wealthy and those in positions of power to escape, claiming that they have bone spurs in their foot (no shade Donald). It’s not funny, and there’s no concrete proof that it’s going to be reintroduced.

Also, a slight sub genre of jokes about the draft I’ve seen are people saying they would revert back to stereotypes if the draft was reintroduced. For example, young girls saying that they would rather simply become a housewife and a mother to avoid the draft, or gay people saying that they don’t think they should get rid of the clause in the draft that says homosexuals cannot be drafted, as it would help them avoid being drafted. It is horrendous that it is considered funny in our society to accept and welcome opression rather than fight against the draft, a biased and militarisitc system. Seriously, would go rather “know your purpose” as a glorified dishwasher, baby-maker and sex toy (in reference to a popular TikTok) than fight against the draft? It makes me sad that this is how my generation has been socialised.

My second problem is the least relevant, hence why I am only going to devote a small paragraph to it. We do not know if this war with Iran (which may happen) will be WW3. WW3 may have already happened. Are any of the conflicts that have happened acorss the world since 1945 going to be considered WW3 by historians in the future? We don’t know. WW1 and WW2 are terms that were not used during those wars. They are historical terms applied after the event, so we cannot say that this is going to be WW3, when we have no idea if a) it has already happened or not, or b) how historians will view this conflict that has arisen between America and Iran. Calling it WW3 only serves to dramatise the events ocurring.

A slightly more personal topic for my third problem. I have had severe anxiety surrounding “end of the world” type situations/jokes/news reports my whole life. I am also (un dx) autistic, meaning I struggle to understand when these things which may be jokes are jokes. Instead, I assume that they are peoples actual predictions of what is going to happen. As you can imagine, going on the interent this year has caused me to have a lot of anxiety and panic. With a WW3 joke on every meme account I follow, a refference to WW3 in every YouTube video I watch and every other TikTok I watch being about the draft, the interent is currently a minefield of anxietyr. I look at the wrong thing, and boom I’m having a panic attack. Now this is only my personal experience, Think of how other people with anxiety may be feeling at this time. Think of how other people with doomsday phobias may be feeling. Think of how other autistic people may be feeling. Now these may be cute quriky jokes to you and your neurotypical friends, but for many of us, they are seriously affeecting our mental health. But of course, most of you would disregard how those who are neurodivergent or with mental illnesses feel to get your TikTok about the end of the world trending.

Please consider us, and how these “jokes” are affecting us.

Fourthly (I know, I’ve got a lot of problems with this), I’m going to be talking about the astounding levels of priveledge that western teens have to be making these jokes online. The jokes are usually made by Americans, and I know it’s happening a lot in England too (as that’s where I live), but I don’t know about other western countries. A tweet from (@shraywavy) sums it up well:

“priveledged ass americans making this all ab them/ making jokes is completely absurd, how can yall belittle this situation when multiple brown ppl are about to be killed/displaced n the entire region is ab to be completely destroyed due to continuous imperialist agression”

Americans may find this funny. Americans may find WW3 jokes hilarious. Here’s the thing - they need to examine their priveledge. They will be okay. Everyday Americans will be okay. Yes, people in the military will die. I think that is horrific, I think that anyone who is coerced by Republican propoganda into volunteering in this war that may happen is a victim, and I feel awful for anyone who loses a relative or friend in this war, if it happens. I will go on to talk about the treatment of American troops in this post. But the majority of US civilians will be fine. Your country will not be invaded, or bombed. No one will destroy your cultural landmarks. Buildings around you won’t collapse and there won’t be fighting in the streets. Those things may very well happen to Iranian people. And you’re making a joke about it? It is not funny. The spilt blood of good people, people who did nothing wrong is not a joke. How much priveledge and ignorance does it take for you to think making a joke about this situation when in reality it will not have that much of an impact on your life?

You may think I’m being overdramatic, linking memes to the deaths that may happen. But I’m not. If you make a WW3 joke. You are saying that this situation is a joke. That this situation is funny. Jokes are supposed to be funny. This situation may very well lead to death and destruction in Iran. And that’s funny to you? The majority of people making and liking WW3 jokes obviosuly do not endorse the confliict with Iran. They don’t want Iranian people to die. In fact, the whole WW3 jokes movement has an anti-war undertone. But you need to think about the implications of the media that you create and consume.

Now, there has already been some backlash against these jokes online. I’m not the first one. Many people have come back at the backlash, saying that these jokes are a coping mechanism for the genuine fears they have about a war. As a big advocate for those with anxiety (and as a person with anxiety and with a lot of weird coping mechanisms), I don’t want to bash people’s coping mechanisms. I just want to analyse them.

Firstly, what is a coping mechanism? A coping mechanism is an adaptation to environmental stress that is based on conscious or unconscious choice and that enhances control over behavior or gives psychological comfort, as defined by dictionary.com. What is the environmental stress here? The impending conflict with Iran. What is the choice you make to give yourself control or to physcologically comfort yourself? Making a joke.

Now there is evidence both for and against the idea that humour is a good coping mechanism. There are plently of articles and pieces of research on Google Scholar about black humour as a coping mechanism that I would reccomend you check out. Personally, I am of the belief that humour can be used a coping mechanism. It’s dicassosiation from the problem. The question is, what is the problem? You’re afraid of the conflict with Iran. Of what might happen. Now it is unlikely that any direct action will be taken against US domestic territories, so I don’t think fear of your everyday life being disrupted comes underneath this. *If it does, please tell me. This entire post is based on my assumptions and I want to be challenged if you feel differently to what I say.

I personally find ignoring the problem the best coping mechanism in this situation. I will still be politically active about the fact that Trump alone seems to have declared war on Iran, but I need time-out from it to cope. I want to know from the people that are using these jokes to cope specifically what they are afraid of. I turned to Instagram for this, but if you want to tell me on here then that’d be helpful (I am aware that no-one is going to read this fucking huge post but still). An instagram acccount (@sapphic.in) reposted a tweet from (@uhhhhmad) which read:

“stop saying ur making memes about war as a “coping’ method every single one of you will be fine the people of iraq and iran will continue to suffer u people have nothing to be fucking coping for”

The comments underneath the instagram retweet of this post don’t really explain what people are afraid of (this post had a series of other posts on it so not all the comments are about this particular tweet). A few people refrenced being afraid of their boyfriend or brothers etc. (basically men they know elidgble for the draft) being drafted. There are some comments which basically say “it’s a joke calm down liberal”, and if you need me to explain why “it’s just a joke” is a terrible justification for anything, tell me and I’ll explain. But back to the fear of relatives being drafted.

There is no proof that the draft is coming back. In fact, the only reaso that people are afraid of the draft coming back IS BECAUSE OF THESE JOKES. They are the primary soure of media that all of us are consuming about the situation. They mainly refrence the draft - so everyone thinks the draft is coming back. Then larger news outlets pick up on the fact thatt the draft coming back is a hot topic - not politcially but in teen-created media, so they make media about it. They make it sound as real or as serious as they want - American news outlets have no obligation to tell the truth, and they have a motivation not to (they are businesses, so if they make drastic headlines about the draft people will read them and watch them and they will get more money). So suddenly because of these jokes about the draft coming back everyone thinks that there is a eerious threat of the draft coming back so they need the jokes about the draft coming back to cope?

This leads into my final big problem, but before I go onto that, I’d like to ask anyone who has a family memeber, relative, partner, friend of a friend etc. serving in the US military in the areas where this conflict is happenning (and where this war might happen), how do these jokes make you feel? Honestly, I want to know. I have no idea if they help you to cope or if they make you more afraid, as I have no relatives in the military so I don’t know how it feels.

My final big problem is that these jokes are the primary source of media that people are consuming about this situation. Does everyone read the news etc., making sure they know the latest on what’s going on? I know I don’t. I’m not commenting on the situation though. I’m commenting on the memes, and beleive me I’ve seen A LOT of them. So we rely on the memes etc. to be our informant. That could potetntially leave us well informed, but it doesn’t. Who’s making these memes? Is it journalists, politcial correspondents, military spokespeople, anyone really who works in the military or politics or who knows what’s happening? No, it’s not. It’s teens just like you and me who have no real clue beyond the headlines and the instagram posts what is happening. We’ve created this media hysteria. What do you look at more? The memes/jokes/tiktoks or news articles about it? How the hell are we supposed to stay reasonably informed and take anti-war action when the source of information we use is people making memes because they think they’re funny who have no real idea what’s going to happen next. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but this is really distracting us from what’s really happening. What the US gvernment is actually doing. These jokes may be anti-war but they are helping those who are pro-war immensely.

The people who do serve in this war will not be positively affected. The American government doesn’t care about the troops. The people who will lose the person in their family who provides them with income in this war will not be cared for by the US. The people who get injured in this war will be victims of the poor veterans healthcare system. The people who get PSTD from this war will be mocked and ignored. Most pro-war people like Trump couldn’t give a flying fuck about the troops and the ordinairy people they’ll affeect. So please don’t make jokes about getting drafted. People who lost people to wars aren’t laughing. People who got drafted in Vietnam or Korea aren’t laughing. Serving in the millitary can have horrific consequences. It’s not funny to make a joke about being forced into that situation.

Finally, I’d like to refrence a tweet by (@eclipsecassette). It’s about the impact that this war may have if it happens.

“this war will likely bring another wave of islamophobia and xenophobia against anyone visibly brown just like after 9/11 so we should probably worry about that more than getting drafted”

They’re right. We don’t know what this war will bring but know that it cannot bring good. It will bring more xenophobia disguised as nationalism. It will bring more violence and hate crimes. It will bring veterans left injured and in poverty. It will bring destruction to Iran. It will make our world a much worse place. That’s why I say no to war with Iran, and I say no to making a joke out of it.

However, I am just a white teenager living in Britain who’s never experienced war, never known anyone who’s experienced war. Please tell me if I’ve said anything factually incorrect or if you disagree with anything I’ve said. I want to be as well informed on this topic as I can. Also, if I used your tweet in here and you want me to take it out I will. If you’ve got to this point, thank you so much for reading this.

#world war three #ww3 #ww3jokes #anti-war #pro-peace

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