#which means he might be pro abiding the law
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Can't stop thinking about the fact that Wriothesley is a former underground boxer.
Was it... legal? Did he do it for money? For the thrill? He's called a "Duke" now, but it's unclear if that was a title awarded for his ascension to the head of the Fortress of Meropide (like the monarch "knighting" outstanding people (Sir Patrick Stuart for example)). It's perfectly likely that he had a humble start in life.
The livestream also confirms that Wriothesley is a somewhat recent addition to Meropide, so I'd say he's only had this role for a few years at most. Does that mean he was boxing up until recently too?
Wriothesley is covered in scars (there's a huge one on his neck)... Is that from his past? Did someone pull a knife out in a fight, or was he attacked afterward from some disgruntled opponent?
If this was an illegal practice, he could have been set up to lose a fight and refused, then attacked by whatever mob bosses he fucked over.
Idk. I enjoy the idea that in his younger years he wasn't quite so upstanding - I have this image in my mind of little twenty-something Wriothesley getting caught when the underground fighting ring got taken down. Everyone's put on trial but really Neuvillette & the courts care about the organisers, not the fighters that got caught in the crossfire. And Wriothesley is all freshly scarred and clearly not guilty of all the financial crimes going on behind the scenes.
Obviously there's some class disparity in Fontaine. Wriothesley has that voiceline "don't break the law... seriously" but he also reformed Meropide and treats the reasonable inmates as equals. Imagine if that came from his history, seeing his peers be punished for actions that society forced them into. And maybe Wriothesley got off lightly, but he'd be able to empathise with all the people who didn't.
And there's that official art of Wriothesley and Neuvillette in the office together, which obviously doesn't confirm that they have met (yoimiya & Kaeya art lol), but they almost certainly have. So I wonder if it was that near miss with a guilty verdict that put Wriothesley on Neuvillette's radar. Neuvillette is caring, so maybe he took steps to help the people who got caught up in the fighting, including Wriothesley. And it's those connections that later allow Wriothesley to take a position in Meropide, making the reformations that treat those who are guilty more fairly.
Anyway yeah. Wriothesley.
#genshin impact#wriothesley#Neuvillette#fontaine#4.1 livestream#wriolette?#idk there's not enough material#also i think Wriothesley could be morally interesting#in the trailer lyney seems to think he's done something to freminet and lynette#and meropide is an autonomous entity not under even Furina's jurisdiction#which means Wriothesley can care about the law#but also he can choose which laws to enforce#and can even make up his own laws since meropide is separate#and when judging the inmate's actions Wriothesley is literally judge and jury#which means he might be pro abiding the law#( since he knows that the punishment for disobeying isn't worth )#but also personally disagrees with the actual law#also unrelated but i lowkey think the currency of meropide is that primordial sea water drug#and Wriothosely knows about it he just thinks it's a means to an end
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Update post:
The US has publicly stated that it has not found Israel to be violating International Humanitarian Law (IHL), in terms of how it uses its weapons, and not blocking humanitarian aid.
Yet for some reason, that doesn't seem to matter when it comes to how the US is currently treating Israel. At the UN Security Council, for the first time since the start of the war, the US has not used its veto to block a resolution that's anti-Israel. This resolution calls for an immedaite ceasefire in Gaza for the rest of Ramadan (half of this month has passed already), and while it does call for an immediate release for the Israeli hostages, it does NOT make that a CONDITION for the ceasefire. The operation in Rafah, since it hasn't happened yet, is not likely to happen during Ramadan, so the main thing this resolution is calling to stop, is the on going lower intensity fighting in places like the Shifa hospital, where at least 500 confirmed Hamas and PIJ terrorists have been arrested by Israel. In essence, this is a pro-terrorist reolution. The US did abstain, showing it knows this resolution is wrong. It's also meaningful that just a few days earlier, a similar resolution submitted by the US itself, which did make the release of the hostages a condition for the ceasefire, was vetoed by those great beacons of democracy, Russia and China.
Did I mention Hamas praised the passing of this anti-Israel UN resolution? I can't stress this enough, but if a genocidal, antisemitic, Islamist tererorist organization is glad this resolution passed, that should be upsetting to EVERY person who values life out there.
Right after praising the resolution, Hamas also rejected the hostage deal compromise suggested by the US, that Israel had agreed to, which would have seen 40 Israeli hostages freed, in exchange for about 800 convicted Palestinian terrorists let go. Hamas might have said no anyway, but we'll never know for sure what their answer would have been, had this resolution not been passed.
Maybe the most troubling part is that the US insists this UNSC resolution is non-binding, meaning it will have no real effect on Israel's ability to continue fighting during Ramadan. That means, the US abstaining from using its veto wasn't done for the sake of a real chance to help Palestinians. It was a symbolic anti-Israel step, a bone thrown to Israel haters. That's how Israelis understand it, that's how every political player in the international arena (including the overjoyed Hamas) understands it, that's how political analysts understand it, and it should be troubling to everyone, that the US can treat a democratic, self defending, IHL abiding ally this way.
In fact, at least one country is already using this resolution to put pressure on Israel. The President of Colombia has said that unless Israel complies with the resolution and accepts an immediate ceasefire, his country will cut off its diplomatic ties with it.
Just one more thing. This is resolution did not include a condemnation of Hamas and the massacre it perpetrated on Oct 7, and yet the US allowed it to pass. The other day, the UNSC immediately condemned the ISIS terrorist attack in Moscow, which left 137 Russians murdered. Nobody suggested that "context" should be brought into it, like that Russia has itself attacked Ukraine (which Putin has implied is behind the attack), or like that ISIS' animosity originates in Russia's protection of the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad, which caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands, including many ISIS terrorists. In sharp contrast to this, almost 6 months into this war, the UNSC has not yet adopted a single resolution condemning the Hamas massacre in which over 1,200 people in Israel were butchered, many raped, and over 250 were kidnapped and are still held captive in Gaza. This discrimination was called out by Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan. He pointed to another example of such discrimination, by reading the resolution that was passed in 2014, when Boko Haram (another Islamist terrorist group) kidnapped Nigerian girls.
This is 65 years old Rami Shani.
He's a journalist, working for an Israeli radio station. On Oct 7, he happened to be covering a bicycle event taking place in Israel's south, which is why he was already awake and there at 5:30 in the morning. At 6:30, the Hamas attack started. As Rami started getting information about the massacre at the Nova music festival, he abandoned his original task, and started driving in there and getting people out in his car. He said everyone he managed to get out of there was wounded, having been shot in their arms or legs, one woman was shot in the stomach. One of the people he saved was an Israeli Bedouin Muslim Arab, who worked at the party, and was crying as he had been shot in both his arms and legs. In one case, he managed to evacuate 8 young people from the scene while seeing a terrorist squad progressing in his direction. He kept going, until security forces wouldn't allow him to go back in. He saved a total of about 40 people, and has been visiting them in hospitals around the country since then. Whenever you hear anyone arguing that journalists at the scene of a disaster can just keep covering the news, without doing anything to aid the victims, please remember Rami.
(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)
#israel#antisemitism#israeli#israel news#israel under attack#israel under fire#terrorism#anti terrorism#hamas#antisemitic#antisemites#jews#jew#judaism#jumblr#frumblr#jewish#israelunderattack#un
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do you think shigaraki would be fine with going to prison? what about spinner? dabi?
Feel like that depends on whether the Heroes have broken Shigaraki's will enough/convince him he's remorseful enough to obediently serve a sentence/have him agree he deserves to be locked up as penance. That even solves the restraints issue - Shigaraki willingly agrees to not use his quirk to break out of prison, because he considers staying in jail to be rehabilitation/just punishment.
Like, saving him means stopping him, having him let go of destruction, and restoring his hope in the world, right? And that last part probably means he will want to reintegrate into society and abide by its rules. Trust in Heroes and listen to them/the governance they uphold. And that will most likely mean serving a prison sentence, so that he'll have paid for his crimes enough that he can rejoin society as a normal and proper citizen after getting out, whenever that will be.
So how Shigaraki will be saved - how convincing Deku will be in saving his heart - will influence how fine he is with going to prison, I think.
However, in general, I don't think Shigaraki is fine going to prison. Would anyone? Definitely not the way he is now.
If he suddenly gets stopped now, he'll be more like Toga - he's feeling better, but he'd still rather have the new, freer world that rises from the ashes of the old one. He's not going to sit and wait on death row*. He's going to skidaddle.
As for Dabi and Spinner... I don't think they would be fine going to prison either? And if they go because they're incapacitated and captured, that's not really a choice of being 'fine' with it.
Spinner hasn't been saved. Dabi is back with his family, which is the first step of a long journey to true salvation. Neither of them - nor Toga (nor Compress) - are remorseful about what they've done and wants to go to jail as penance. Toga explicitly rejects this.
They'd just be getting captured and going to prison.
Whether they try to break out is the question. If they failed to break out, then whether they eventually make peace with it and serve out their sentence because they lost the war, the world moved on, and they're here in the future their opponent created, so they might as well deal, is the question.
(* i know there's the idea that he won't get the death penalty or a life sentence, maybe he'll serve only a few years then he'll get bailed out by Deku or All Might due to their influence or an generous undue influence plea, or have to work as a pro-hero in exchange - but that's literally favoritism/making an exception for him/not following the new system they profess to have faith in??? "Hey, this guy has done more damage than any other villain, BUT the No. 1 Hero thinks he's a swell guy, All Might calls him nephew and hired the best lawyer that exists to argue that he was totally manipulated into everything, and he'll be doing community service in the highly-coveted and well-regarded career of pro-heroics, so let's give him a short sentence. Every other villain can just stay in prison until whenever because no one cares enough about them to intervene so greatly. We have a fair and impartial justice system."
What about Gentle, you might ask? Well, Gentle's crime was that he tried to break into UA to make a youtube video. Then he partly redeemed himself in the eyes of the law by stopping a prison break during a national emergency. Compare that to Shigaraki... not exactly the same level of bad.)
Thanks for the ask!
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Re (2): Is the moderate pro-life view really incoherent?
Prof. M. Scarfone has answered my first email (he answered it on the day I sent it) and pointed me to his paper on which his Conversation article is based. I read the thought-provoking piece. Here's my reply email to him:
Dear Prof. Scarfone,
Thank you for replying so quickly (and for addressing me with the vocative)! 😊
I’ve read your paper and found it even more thought-provoking than your article. I’ve got some points to say in answer to it:
(f) There is only one thing that determines your rights and duties (what you ought to do, what you may do, and what you ought to not do): the universal, immutable, utter, and timeless Natural Law. The relationship which spoken or written "laws" bear to Natural Law is the same as the one which written mathematical theorems bear to mathematical facts. The only thing that counts is the logical fact, not what someone has scribbled on a piece of paper. You ought to not steal because theft is wrong, not because some lawmakers want you to not steal. Manmade "laws" that go against the Natural Law are null and void. Each and every person has not just the right to not bow to them, but the duty to; for by obeying a rule that goes against Natural Law, you go against Natural Law and thereby make yourself culpable. For instance, in a slave-holder society, it’s everyone’s duty to take slaves away from their masters and free them even though the "law" of such a society regards such heroism as theft. Making "laws" that go against Natural Law is one of the worst crimes one can commit, as it causes others (the "law"-abiding citizens) to also go against Natural Law. Therefore, lawmakers whose "laws" are immoral ought to be severely punished. For example, lawgivers who draft or pass "laws" outlawing abortion even in the case of rape commit a crime not inferior in heinousness to rape itself, I believe. Therefore, I believe, they (as well as everyone supporting such terribly unjust rules) are guilty of a crime deserving punishment no less severe than the one for rape as long as they don’t change their ways. I’m aware that I might, and probably do, have some false ethical opinions myself. If that lead (subjunctive) to harm, I be culpable. So my thinking about ethical issues is driven in part by fear … fear of harming my soul through confusion-based injustice.
(u) My moderate pro-life position is that abortion is wrong unless the mother’s life be in danger or her bodily health in serious danger, the fetus suffer (subjunctive) from genetic defects, or the fetus have resulted from rape. I explicitly exclude incest, as I see no reason why it supposedly make killing a human being allowed.
(þ) I also believe that incest and sibling marriage ought to be legalized, since I reckon it (sibcest at any rate) perfectly moral, and that society owes the victims of anti-incest laws compensation with compound interest.
(a) Not only persons have dignity, but all living beings do.
(r) There’s another kind of self-worth other than dignity: intrinsic value. While non-living things, such as fair caves, have no dignity, they do have intrinsic value if they are good or fair, for Goodness and Beauty are among the highest of all goods.
(k) Everything with self-worth is at least also an end in itself. Fully good persons are only ends in themselves. However, against Kant, killing another or oneself need not be using the other or oneself as a means. Absolute killing is impossible, because the soul is essentially immortal, as Plato showed in the Phaedo. And physical killing, severing a certain connection between a soul and the physical Universe, need not always be using the soul as a means to an end. For instance, a soul might want to sever its connection to a hopelessly sick body or have another one sever it so that it can be reincarnated in a healthy one. Or someone may kill themselves to hinder others from torturing them into doing bad things. Such an act of suicide would be worthy IMHO. By contrast, I find Socrates’ claim that humans shouldn’t kill themselves because they be property of the gods repulsive; living beings, especially sapient ones, are nobody’s property. Servility, including servility towards the gods, is disgusting.
(g) I have to qualify what I said. All living beings have dignity at first. However, only those who have chosen to be perfectly good persons (“persons” means sapient living beings) have kept their dignities unblemished. At the other end, persons who have chosen to be evil, such as serial killers, have amassed a negative dignity, wherefore it’s not only allowed to eliminate them, but a duty to do so.
(w) How so? Well, dignity cannot be damaged or taken away from the outside, so the ground rights that come with it ought never to be violated. However, they can be relinquished, and they can be forfeited, from the inside, so to speak. Someone relinquishes their right by directly giving it up, and they forfeit it by deciding to do something bad. Relinquishing rights, rather than outweighing or circumscribing (limiting) them, is what my view on abortion is about.
(h) For instance, in your example of the defender killing the attacker, the defender’s right to not be attacked doesn’t outweigh the attacker’s right to not be killed. Rather, by attacking, the attacker has forfeited their right to not be killed. So there’s no conflict of rights; there’s only the defender’s right to not be attacked.
(n) (This is a key point for the matter at hand.) Likewise, my moderate pro-life position is all about the mother relinquishing her right to bodily autonomy to her baby through consensual sex or other voluntary deeds, e.g. willing artificial insemination. It’s irrelevant whether her right to bodily autonomy would normally outweigh her unborn baby’s right to life, and it’s likewise irrelevant whether the former would normally circumscribe the latter. In fact, at one point, I thought the mother’s right to bodily autonomy would always outweigh the fetus’ right to life. Even so, I held the same moderate pro-life position then as I hold now, for I was aware that the mother had relinquished part of her right to bodily autonomy.
(i) You seem to have anticipated my position or something akin to it by considering the duty to gestate and outlining Margaret Little’s argument against consensual sex entailing a duty to gestate. I reject the premise of that argument that when a woman willingly has sex, she consent just to her partner. Rather, she consents both to the partner having sex with her and to potential babies resulting from the sex using her body. Therefore, I reject the argument.
(j) Whence does the mother’s duty to gestate come? From the baby’s right to continuation of their life and the mother’s acceptance of the chance to become pregnant.
(ei) You gave a very good analogy to the mother’s duty to gestate by likening it to the duty to help one’s acquaintance.
(p) You then go on that the line of reasoning about the duty to gestate can’t justify (3), and while you’re right on this point, the moderate pro-life position in itself does not involve (3) or (2).
In your paper, you write: “Above we saw how the position was characterized not by who and who does not have a duty to gestate, but by whether or not the right to life was stronger than the right to bodily autonomy.”
I reply: “No, my position has nothing to do with rights outweighing or circumscribing (limiting) each other, but indeed with who has a duty to gestate and who doesn’t.”
Your paper: “In appealing to a failure to generate a duty to gestate, one would be explaining why (2) is inadequate.”
I: “(2) is indeed inadequate, which is why I, a moderate pro-lifer, reject it.”
Your paper: “This may well be right, but recall that we are seeking grounds for (3) and not an alternative reading of (2).”
I: “No, we aren’t. We’re trying to explain why killing a healthy non-rape fetus who doesn’t endanger their mother’s life or bodily health is wrong, but aborting a rape fetus is fine (and, I venture to add, encouraged).”
Therefore, I believe you’re mistaken to conclude: “As such, the moderate anti-abortion position cannot appeal to the duty to gestate as doing the needed explanatory work here.”
(z) I think hardly anyone believes in (3*) owing to your use of the word “organism” in it. If a facultatively parasitic microbe is begotten by a free-living parent without violating anyone’s rights and later gets into my body and annoys me, don’t I have the right to kill it?
(s) This reminds me that we must wield the word “rape” very broadly; for example, if a villainous doctor drugs a woman and artificially inseminates her or transplants a foreign fetus into her womb, this should also be called “rape” in the current discussion. We have to also refer to stealthing with “rape”; for the stealther deceives the woman and does something to her she didn’t consent to. In fact, anyone who deceives the woman to the effect that she underestimates the chance of her getting pregnant should be called “rapist” in our discussion, I believe. And if she underestimates the chance of getting pregnant due to deception, her duty to gestate may be weaker or void. Accordingly, the guilt of murdering the fetus if she aborts partly or wholly transfers to the deceiver.
(t) Unless done to save the mother’s life or health, all abortions of healthy fetuses are indeed equal in that they all constitute murder. However, they’re also unequal in that the identity of the murderer varies depending on whether the pregnancy arises from rape: If the mother conceives through consensual sex, she and the doctor doing the abortion and anyone telling her to abort (sometimes the baby’s father) are the murderers. On the other hand, if she conceives because she’s raped (or through some other violation of her rights), the rapist is the sole murderer.
(b) In your article, you give an example of a religious justification of the pro-life position: “For example, if God creates life, then, God alone has authority to take life; to interfere in life by killing others or oneself “would cause offence to God” (Wicks 2010, 24).”
So women have no right to destroy life they’ve begotten, but gods have the right to destroy life they’ve created? How incoherent is that?
Moreover, nobody, man or god, has the right to violate ground rights. A god who kills for no very good reason is just as much a murderer as a human who kills for no very good reason. (Yes, ancient myths are full of criminal gods, including Inanna, Tlaloc, Zeus, Janus, and Odin.) The Natural Law rules over gods as much as it rules over living beings.
By the way, souls are simple, eternal, and not created or timelessly brought forth. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be souls.
(e) In your article, you write: “Of course, fetuses do not have a right to bodily autonomy. Even if one thinks that fetuses enjoy a right of noninterference, they will of course lack a right of self-determination.”
Why be that of course? Fetuses are not yet sapient, but neither are (any known) non-human animals or born human babies. Do these two lack a right to self-determination?
(m) Clearly, I don’t think women deserve to get pregnant for having sex any more than I think (I don’t) that boxers deserve to be punched in the head and suffer concussions. However, by willingly taking part in a boxing match, the boxer accepts the risk to get punched and suffer a concussion. Likewise, a woman who has consensual sex accepts the risk of getting pregnant.
(l) My position of abortion is moderately pro-life in that I hold abortion to be wrong except in the aforementioned cases. I hold that a woman who got pregnant through consensual sex and wasn’t tricked into pregnancy (e.g. by someone fraudulently claiming to have undergone vasectomy) is like a willing kidney-giver and her unborn baby like a kidney-recipient. I also hold that by contrast, a woman who is pregnant due to rape is like Alice in my example, whose kidney the evil doctor robbed without her consent, her rape fetus is like the unlucky guinea pig and kidney recipient Bob, and the rapist like the villainous scientist. Is it incoherent to hold that the willing kidney-donor has no right to later change their mind and demand their kidney back, but that Alice does have the right to get her kidney back even if Bob would die as a result? Similarly, is my moderate pro-life view incoherent?
(ŋ) You have criticized the moderate pro-life view by ascribing to it claims (2) and (3) and then pointing to the contradiction between (2) and (3). However, I have shown that the moderate pro-life view need not accept either (2) or (3). So haven’t you made a straw-man argument after all?
(d) It seems you might’ve anticipated and accepted my criticism in note 18 of your article, but I’m not sure about that.
(o) In your note 17, you’ve anticipated my view that ground rights don’t truly clash with each other. On the other hand, the other option you mention there, that clashes between rights be non-resolvable, would imply that Natural Law be contradictory, which would go against the essential nature of Natural Law.
In your answer to my first email, you said that my view that there isn’t any true conflict between fundamental rights seemed implausible to you. However, in all the examples we’ve looked at, from abortion over stolen kidneys to the defender killing the attacker, all apparent conflict seems to have turned out to be illusory. So do you still think that my position on this matter be implausible?
Even if so, implausible doesn’t let incoherent follow.
Moreover, as we’ve seen, the question of whether there are conflicts between rights has little to no bearing on my moderate pro-life position, as the latter is all about the mother’s relinquishment of her right to bodily autonomy to the fetus as far as pregnancy goes. It’s like with your right to confidentiality of your communications and my right to freedom of speech. I think that your right to keep your emails to me private circumscribes my right to freedom of speech to the effect that I may not publish them without your permission. However, once you’ve freely given me the permission to publish them forever and thereby relinquished your right to the confidentiality of those emails, you can’t later take it back. And since we’re talking of this matter … May I publish your last email to me and the one in which you’ll (hopefully) answer this email of mine?
Thank you for helping me hone my ethical understanding and defending women’s rights! 😃
Best regards!
Tristanaz
#pro life#pro choice#abortion#human rights#reproductive rights#reproductive freedom#reproductive justice#reproductive health#women's rights#fetus rights#baby rights#ground rights#fundamental rights#dignity#incest rights#sibcest rights#sibling marriage#sibcestophobia
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so i saw a take about eula that made me mad so here’s my (biased) rant about her
i’m pro-end user license agreement, i think she’s cute, not just appearance-wise but personality-wise too
(didn’t pull her tho bc the kinda obvious powercreeping made me salty, might pull her when her rerun comes around just to have her and not level her)
but basically the gist of this rant is gonna be i think people unfairly mischaracterize her and i’m gonna talk about why i think she’s a good bean based on the two things about her that i’ve seen people mention they dislike the most: the way she talks and her relationship to/feelings about her family
disclaimer: a lot of this is my opinion and my interpretation of her character, probably has a lot of typos
this will probably be really like
incomprehensible i’m tired sorry but i’ll try to make sense
okay so
a lot of people from what i’ve seen dislike eula bc of the way she talks, but at least try to understand why she might talk the way she does
putting aside the reason why she talked the way she did to the people of mondstadt during her story quest (i’ll get to that later), let’s talk about her whole focus on vengeance first
imo her whole thing about vengeance is a shield of sorts for her
many of the people of mondstadt would only ever see her as a descendant of the lawrence clan, someone who means to do mondstadt harm
so might as well give them what they expect, even if it’s not what you really mean
her story in her character profile even says this
“Her grievances and vengeance are but a habit, a signal, a shield.
“What remarks she should just laugh off, what concepts she should bear in mind given her unique circumstances and position...“
one has to remember that eula is a descendant of the lawrence clan, a clan that is hated in mondstadt bc of how corrupted they became during the era of the aristocracy
it’s likely that when she was a child she was ostracized even though the sins of her family, her ancestors, aren’t her own
even if she wanted to make friends with the other children of mondstadt, they were probably too distrustful of her
in her story in her character profile, there’s no mention of jean or diluc in regards to her past, but amber is mentioned to have been her friend even before eula joined the knights of favnious
it’s likely amber was one of her few friends growing up, if not her only friend
and amber is a pretty easy-going and welcoming person; she probably didn’t care about the way eula spoke all that much and bc they’re friends she understands the feelings eula hides behind her seemingly contentious words
anyways about her and the people of mondstadt
the people of mondstadt only see the family she’s a part of; they don’t see her
from her profile story:
“Eula has been viewed with contempt by the citizens of Mondstadt since birth. The Lawrence name stands for a legacy of depravity and despotism that stains Mondstadt's past and scars the minds of its citizens even to this day.
“So, whenever Eula appears, old wounds resurface. People despise the aristocracy, and this does no favors for her reputation.”
“In truth, Eula is nothing like the fearsome predator many imagine her to be. On the contrary, constantly being met with prejudice at every turn means she is often the victim.
“At one time, shops would refuse to sell her their goods, restaurants would put no care and attention into her orders, and the citizens on her patrol route would refuse to cooperate with her. So, Eula's work is fraught with difficulties.“
and in her voicelines:
“The life of a Lawrence doesn't include much worth talking about... Basically, whatever you say, whatever you do, people will always despise you and treat you like a potential threat to society. It's nowhere near as bad as it used to be, though. Before I'd joined the Knights, good grief... I couldn't even buy groceries. Even Good Hunter and Mondstadt General Goods wouldn't take my money.”
“People tell me that if I just spoke more softly, or was more polite, or acted more deferentially, others may find it easier to forgive me, but the only reason they think that way is because they've never been branded a pariah before. There is no easy path to redemption when you're a social pariah. I'm more inclined to stop tiptoeing around everyone all the time and just get out there and make them respect me the old-fashioned way! As in, we square off and if they win, I humbly accept my punishment, but if they lose, they must acquiesce to my demands... Such as... Well, I mean, if I want to buy a loaf of bread, take my darn money, for crying out loud!“
the people of mondstadt wronged her and were mean to her simply bc of the blood that runs through her veins, and i think it’s bc of that she says that she’ll have her vengeance
imo her act of vengeance against the people of mondstadt is being a faultless knight, a knight who completes their duties flawlessly and is without reproach
from her story in her profile:
“...she is a law-abiding citizen and has never harmed another Mondstadter in her life. She may come across as having a somewhat frosty demeanor, but she is entirely scrupulous in her speech and conduct.”
“When Jean sends a new recruit to track down Eula in the wilds and deliver a new set of verbal orders, they always receive the same response: ‘If you have to resort to tasking the descendant of your former oppressors with doing your work, then perhaps you are not as strong as I thought’
“But despite the antagonism in her words, she will complete her newly assigned tasks to perfection. The new recruit is invariably forced to admit that with her abilities, it is no wonder she was able to achieve a captaincy within just a few years of joining the Knights.“
and honestly i just think she’s a tsundere
my evidence, your honor?
her “About Us: Feud” voiceline:
“Our feud is for the long term, so rather than get payback on a piecemeal basis, I think I'll make things easier for myself and wait for a day when I can settle the score once and for all. It could be in ten years, could even be twenty... But don't worry, I won't forget. In the meantime, I'll need you to take good care of yourself and have a happy, healthy life, okay?”
anyways about the way she spoke in her story quest
one first has to learn that this was what she was taught that way since she was young
reading up on the lawrence family based on her profile story, the renmants of the lawrence family are pretty much a cult i think
“The Lawrence Clan may have been overthrown a long time ago, but they have never given up hope of one day rising again and reclaiming their place as the ruling class. So that they are always prepared for this monumental moment, their offspring are subjected to an educational regime so unbelievably harsh that it is considered borderline abusive.
“’Noble obligations’ must be performed to absolute perfection in every possible sense, and these obligations cover etiquette, ritual, and study as well as cooking and other domestic chores.”
and also
she clearly doesn’t talk that way all the time?
personally the reason i think the mondstadters we talked to were like ‘ugh, this again?’ is bc all of the lawrence clan does it, and eula is part of the lawrence clan so it’s like, expected of her to talk that way
but the main reason she talked that way was to give an example to the traveler
she didn’t talk that way to us when we first met her, and she didn’t talk that way to amber and sarah
and some people think she still supports her family? like man
i don’t know if we went through the same story quest or not
but eula quite clearly ruined a plan of her uncle’s that was to harm mondstadt? and during that quest she quite clearly shows her disdain for her family and her family’s ideals?
“I’ve never experienced the age of ‘glory’ you always speak of, and I’ve never understood our family’s incessant pursuit of it. [...] The Lawrence Clan should never and will never become what you’ve dreamed it to be!”
not to mention her voicelines where she makes fun of her family often:
“Knights and aristocrats share the same cultural heritage, but the knights had enough sense to do away with all the superfluous detail.“
“Aristocratic etiquette is all just for show... Just smile and nod along! I was forced to learn all of the rules by heart, but even I don't take them that seriously.”
“I heard that bard sing a few songs about the Lawrence Clan... They were lighthearted and funny stories that mocked the clan in a way I've never heard anyone else do. Even I couldn't help but burst out laughing... And for this, he must pay!”
“Technically, aged Dandelion Wine should be poured into a silver goblet and allowed to breathe for 12 minutes, then you're supposed to add ice cubes, ideally so 60% of the ice is submerged beneath the wine. I refuse to do all that though, it's not worth the hassle.”
and not to mention this voiceline where she outright states that if her family crossed the line she’d end her family herself:
“If my family members refuse to change their corrupt ways, or worse, continue to cause active harm in Mondstadt... I should be the one to end them, along with the Lawrence name itself. For once, it'd be a family obligation I'd actually enjoy. And once the deed was done, I'd be free to pick any name I wanted. Or even let you pick one for me!“
also about her saying she wants to avenge her kin in her voicelines, (this is me kinda reaching, ngl) imo it could just be her sarcasm, or she could be trying to change mondstadt’s view of the lawrence clan so that others in the family like her who aren’t as attatched to the aristocratic customs and share her beliefs can walk freely in mondstadt’s streets without fear of reprisal, which can be evidenced by this voiceline:
“The name Lawrence only became a social stigma after the clan fell from grace. It was once an honor to be called a Lawrence, but unfortunately, most people have forgotten about that part of history. The Grand Master says that I am performing rather well as a knight, and that if it's not enough to restore the honor of the Lawrence name, it's certainly a strong rebuttal against the one-sided opinions so many people throw around. I'm quite satisfied with that appraisal.“
furthermore based on her voiceline about barbara, i’m pretty sure she wants to be liked? to be acknowledged in a good way?
“Everyone loves her. What's her secret? Maybe I could learn a thing or two from her... Hmm, or maybe not. I can't imagine a ‘Shining Idol’ would want anything to do with a descendant of a depraved dynasty.“
like, she doesn’t want to be thought of as just a descendant of the lawrence clan
she wants to be known for who she is, not her family
i think this is why she avoids lisa too, since lisa would have read all about her family and she doesn’t want lisa’s judgement
lastly, what she learned from amber’s grandfather, found in her profile story:
“From him, she learned an open-mindedness and down-to-earth persistence that she had heretofore not possessed. Before grievance and vengeance, before clan and outsider, one must find "oneself" first.
“One's way of living, self-preservation, objects of perseverance...
“Then call it "grievance" and name it "vengeance" — that will not change its essential strength and goodness.
“It would be Eula's very own gentle path of revenge...“
she didn’t turn against the people of mondstadt and join her family in their crusade for glory even though the people of mondstadt treated her horribly
she instead strove to be someone worthy of being respected, someone who is more than just a part of a disgraced and despised family
anyways i think that’s all i wanted to say
basically tldr: end user license agreement is a sweet and gentle person and i like her very much
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Does the Qur'an Allude to Scientific Developments?: Part 3
The sun has a special and significant place. The Qur'an reveals its most important aspects in four words, whose full meaning cannot be rendered easily: And the sun runs its course (mustaqarr) determined for it. That is His decree, the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing (36:38).
Given the context, mustaqarr may mean a determined orbit, a fixed place of rest or dwelling, or a determined route in time. We are told that the sun follows a predetermined course toward a particular point. Our solar system is heading toward the constellation Lyra at an almost inconceivable speed: Every second we come ten miles closer (almost a million miles a day). Our attention also is drawn to the fact that when the sun finishes its appointed task, it will abide by a command and come to rest.
Such is the richness of the Qur'an, which explains many truths in so few words. Here, in only four words, many vague things were clarified at a time when people generally believed that the sun made a daily circuit around the Earth.
• Another inspiring and eloquent Qur'anic verse concerns the universe's expansion, mentioned in only four words: And the firmament: We constructed it with power and skill, and We are spreading it (51:47–48).
The verse reveals that the distance between celestial bodies is increasing, which means that the universe is expanding. In 1922, the astronomer Hubble claimed that all galaxies, except the five closest to Earth, are moving further away into space at a speed directly pro-portional to their distance from the Earth. According to him, a galaxy one million light years distant is moving away at a speed of 168 km/year, a galaxy two million light years distant at twice that speed, and so on. Le Maître, a Belgian mathematician and priest, later proposed and developed the theory that the universe is expanding. No matter how we try to express this reality, whether through Hubble's coefficient or a future theory, the Revelation is unmistakably clear on the reality it-self.
• The Qur'an provides some indication of the invisible operation of various laws as attraction and repulsion, rotation and revolution: God is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see (13:2).
All celestial bodies move in order, balance, and harmony. They are held and supported by invisible pillars, some of which are repulsion or centrifugal forces: He holds back the sky from falling on earth, except by His leave (22:65).
At any moment, the heavens could fall upon the Earth. That the All-Mighty does not allow this to happen is yet another instance of the universal obedience to His Word. Modern science explains this as a balance of centripetal and centrifugal forces. What is of far greater importance, however, is that we turn our minds to that obedience and to the Divine Mercy that holds the universe in its reliable motion, rather than deciding to follow Newton's or Einstein's theories about the me-chanical and mathematical terms of that obedience.
• Previously, some Qur'anic commentators thought a reference to traveling to the moon, once considered a very remote possibility, could be found in: By the moon's fullness! You shall surely travel from stage to stage (84:18–19).
Earlier commentators took this as a figurative reference to our spiritual life, an ascent from one stage to the next, and from one heaven to another. Others interpreted it as referring to change in general, from one state to another. Later interpreters gave ambiguous meanings, because the literal meaning did not agree with their beliefs about travelling such distances. But in fact, the more appropriate sense of the words following the oath By the moon! given the verse's immediate con-text, is that of really travelling to the moon, whether literally or figuratively.
• The Qur'anic description of the Earth's geographical shape and change in that shape are particularly interesting: Do they not see how We gradually shrink the land from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will be victors? (21:44).
The reference to shrinking from its borders could relate to the now-known fact that the Earth is compressed at the poles, rather than to the erosion of mountains by wind and rain, of coastal areas by the sea, or of the gradual desertification of agricultural land.
At a time when people generally believed that the Earth was flat and stationary, the Qur'an explicitly and implicitly revealed that it is round. More unexpectedly still, it also says that its precise shape is more like an ostrich egg than a sphere: After that He shaped the Earth like an egg, whence He caused to spring forth the water thereof, and the pasture thereof (79:30–31).
The verb daha' means "to shape like an egg," and its derived noun da'hia is still used to mean "an egg." As this scientific fact may have appeared incorrect to scientists living before the advent of modern science, some interpreters misunderstood the word's meaning. They understood it as "stretched out" perhaps fearing that its literal meaning might be difficult to understand and thus mislead people. Modern scientific instruments recently established that the Earth is shaped more like an egg than a perfect sphere, and that there is a slight flattening around the poles as well as a slight curving around the equator.
• As a last example, consider what the Qur'an says about the sun and the moon: We have made the night and the day as two signs; the sign of the night We have obscured, while the sign of the day We have made to enlighten you (17:12).
According to Ibn 'Abbas, the sign of the night refers to the moon, and the sign of the day to the sun. Therefore, from the sign of the night We have obscured, we understand that the moon once emitted light just as the sun does, and that for some reason God took away its light, causing it to darken or become obscured. While the verse accurately recounts the moon's past, it also points to the future destiny of other heavenly bodies.
Many other verses are related to what we now call scientific facts. Their existence indicates that our quest for knowledge is a portion of Divine Mercy graciously bestowed by our Creator. Indeed, Divine Mercy is one of the Qur'an's names for itself. All the truth and knowledge that it contains is beyond our ability to recount or even to hold in our mind.
We must remember, however, that while the Qur'an alludes to many scientific truths, it is not a textbook of science or scientific explanations. Rather it is, and has always been understood by believers to be, the book of guidance that teaches us the way to right belief and right action so that we may be worthy of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness. It is our responsibility to ensure that the pursuit of scientific and other kinds of knowledge is conducted in the light of the Qur'an, which so encourages and supports it. Such an approach results in knowledge that will not engender arrogance and selfpride, for such feelings lead to mental desolation and human degradation, not to mention the degradation of the Earth, our temporary home and Divinely given trust.
#allah#god#revert#convert#islam#muslim#muslimah#hijab#help#quran#ayat#hadith#sunnah#prophet#Muhammad#religion#reminder#pray#prayer#dua#salah#revert help#convert help#islam help#muslim help#welcome to islam#how to convert to islam#new convert#new muslim#new revert
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What if Rhaenyra’s “Velaryon” sons looked like her?
No one will assume that Jace, Luke, and Joffrey are bastards. The Greens knew that Laenor was gay, but no one questioned the paternity of Rhaenyra’s sons until they looked so different. She and her husband both had silver hair and purple eyes; her sons had brown hair, brown eyes, and pug noses; at least Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella could claim to take after their mother. As Aegon II said, “Everyone knows [that they are bastards]. Just look at them.” The cost of laying with a married princess is so high that Alicent and co. will assume that Rhaenyra coerced Laenor into closing his eyes and thinking of Westeros.
Rhaenyra's "Velaryon" sons looking stereotypically Targaryen with silver hair and purple eyes will SIGNIFICANTLY help her in the Dance.
1. Jace, Luke, and Joffrey ride fierce, adult dragons.
King Viserys I made a royal decree that dragon eggs be placed in the cradles of Rhaenyra’s sons in a futile attempt to prove that they were trueborn. The tradition of cradle-eggs started with Rhaena putting eggs in Jaehaerys' and Alysanne's cradles, but it wasn't revived until Viserys desperately wanted to prove that Rhaenyra's sons were trueborn Targaryens by the logic "Only Targaryens ride dragons!" Which... doesn't make much sense because half-Targaryens can ride dragons: See Rhaenys Targaryen (daughter of Jocelyn Baratheon), Laenor Velaryon, Laena Velaryon, Aegon II, Helaena, Aemond, Daeron....
In this TL, neither Viserys not Rhaenyra would feel pressured to have Jace, Luke, and Joffrey claim dragons immediately, because no one thinks that they are bastards. They will wait until their early teens 12~13 to claim dragons in the Dragonpit or Dragonstone.
In 120, Aemond will still claim Vhagar. As a 10-year-old, he wouldn’t have visited the Dragonpit or Dragonstone in order to claim a dragon of his own. The temptation of seeing Vhagar at Driftmark would be too great. Jace, Luke, and Joffrey wouldn’t try and claim their beloved aunt’s dragon within months of her death.
After her younger half-brother claimed the greatest dragon, Rhaenyra would hasten to have her sons claim the next-greatest dragons. Like a nuclear arms race, the Blacks and the Greens will try to claim the biggest available dragons in the all-but-inevitable fight over the succession after Viserys' death. In the OTL, the "Velaryon" boys were all bonded to their respective cradle-egg dragons; no rider can bond with more than one dragon. Currently, Jace is 6, Luke is 5, and Joffrey is 3, so they haven’t claimed any dragons yet.
When he is ~12, Jace claim Vermithor (the 2nd-greatest dragon after Vhagar) and Luke will claim Silverwing (the 3rd-greatest). The two brothers are only one year apart, so they would probably claim their dragons on the same day. If only Jace claims Vermithor, the Greens could have Daeron claim Silverwing immediately. They'd be so angry after seeing their half-uncle claim their beloved aunt’s dragon that they’d be eager to claim their own fierce dragons in order to counter her “stolen” one.
Tessarion, Vermax, Arrax, Tyraxes, and Moondancer would hatch on Dragonstone, not in cradles. Since the tradition of eggs in the cradle isn’t established, the Velaryon girls will head to Dragonstone when they are 10 to claim their own dragons.
The Greens would hasten to have Daeron claim Tessarion. Once Vermithor and Silverwing are off the market, Tessarion would be the largest unbonded dragon.
When he is ~12, Joffrey will claim Seasmoke, the dragon of his “father.” Joff was 3 when Laenor died, so he can claim the handsome grey dragon.
Baela will claim Vermax, and Rhaena will claim Arrax.
Aegon will claim Tyraxes; Viserys will claim Moondancer.
Stormdancer and Morning will hatch on Dragonstone and be eventually claimed by the next generation.
There are three wild dragons— Cannibal, Sheepstealer, Grey Ghost— but Rhaenyra would never let any of her children claim them. Other dragonriders seem likely to live for a few decades, so it’s not worth waiting for them to die in order to claim Vhagar, Sunfyre, Dreamfyre, Tessarion, Meleys, Syrax, or Caraxes.
This also means that Rhaenyra doesn't need to hold the dragonseed auditions and entrust her dragons to deeply untrustworthy people, such as Ulf and Hugh.
In this case, Syrax, Caraxes, Meleys, Vermithor, Silverwing, Seasmoke, Vermax, Arrax, Tyraxes, and Stormcloud are commanded by people Rhaenyra can implicitly trust. Aegon II only has Sunfyre, Vhagar, Dreamfyre, and Tessarion; Vhagar is the biggest dragon, but even she cannot withstand 2 or 3 adult dragons at once.
2. Rhaenyra’s half-brothers will have a less acrimonious relationship with her sons.
Aegon II, Aemond, Daeron would still hate Jace, Luke, Joffrey for stealing their “birthright,” the Iron Throne. However, they would not be as willing for J/L/J to die.
I sincerely believe that Alicent's sons truly hated Rhaenyra's "Velaryon" sons much more than her Targaryen sons. They were angry that a mere half-sister would inherit the throne before them, but they were outraged that she would plop her obvious bastards, the proof of her immorality, onto the throne after her.
When Blood and Cheese killed Jaehaerys, Aegon II vowed to descend on Dragonstone in order to kill his half-sister and her “bastard sons,” Jace and Joffrey (Luke was already dead at this point). Interestingly, Aegon II did not want to kill Aegon the Younger or Viserys, who were also on Dragonstone at the time; they were still Rhaenyra’s sons, but they were legitimate and looked Targaryen, so Aegon II was more reluctant to kill them. When he first offered the peace terms, Aegon II offered to take Aegon the Younger as his squire and Viserys as his cupbearer, but he refused to let Joffrey near him. Joffrey was 11, and he didn't participate in his mother's war any more than the 9-year-old Aegon or the 7-year-old Viserys. The Green princes hated Daemon, so being Daemon's sons wouldn't soften the Green princes towards Aegon and Viserys. Of course, by the end of the war, Aegon II was so warped by bitterness and vengeance that he was willing to chop up Aegon the Younger, similar to how Rhaenyra was willing to kill Jaehaera and Maelor by the end.
3. Luke doesn’t stab out Aemond’s eye.
Joffrey does not have catch Aemond riding Vhagar. Aemond got up at the crack of dawn to claim Vhagar before anyone could notice and stop him. Joffrey had a habit of waking up early so that he could watch his hatchling, Tyraxes. In this scenario, Joffrey wouldn’t have a dragon yet and wouldn’t wake up so early. More likely, the guards would be awakened by Vhagar’s roars and rush to find Aemond on the great dragon.
Let’s say the "Velaryon" boys still find Aemond before others do, and they still get into a physical tussle. In the real timeline, Aemond beat the three younger boys. They backed away, and the fight would have ended then. However, Aemond called them Strongs; Jace, who is normally level-headed and responsible, snapped and punched his half-uncle; Aemond started bashing Jace’s head with a wooden sword; Luke slashed across Aemond’s face with a dagger, trying to defend his older brother. In this scenario, the fight would stop, or it would be much less violent and a guard would eventually break them up.
4. Otto Hightower isn’t Hand when King Viserys I dies.
Lyonel Strong, Lord of Harrenhal, was Viserys’ leal Hand. However, he died in the fire at Harrenhal, and Viserys recalled Otto Hightower to be Hand.
In this TL, the Strongs won't die. I've narrowed down the murderer to Viserys OR Larys Strong and the Greens.
It was not Corlys. Mushroom thought that Corlys wanted to punish the man who had cuckolded his son. However, he knew from Day 1 that Laenor was gay and Rhaenyra had a stud to father her sons. He seemed to like his three “grandsons,” and he knew that his real grandchild (Baela) would become queen by marrying his “grandchild” (Jace).
It was not Daemon. Daemon would have liked to father Rhaenyra’s oldest son and heir, but his daughter with Laena was set to marry Jace and become queen. When he returned to Westeros in 117, he and Rhaenyra engaged in a physical relationship and Rhaenyra did not have any more “Strong” children; this suggests that she was so busy with her handsome uncle that she neglected her sworn shield.
Despite his denials, Viserys knew that Rhaenyra's sons were bastards. The incident with Aemond and Luke proved that the secret of his grandsons' paternity could unleash devastating consequences. If Harwin revealed her secret, Viserys would have to send his favorite child to the Silent Sisters, his grandsons to the Wall, and make an eternal enemy of the Velaryons. He didn’t count on his capable and strong Hand dying in the fire.
Larys had everything to gain from his father and brother dying. In one stroke, he would become the Lord of Harrenhal, and he had plenty of friends inside the castle to engineer an "accident." The Greens feared that Lyonel would secretly want his grandson Jace to become king and support Rhaenyra when Viserys died. As the Dance showed, a Hand is very powerful in between kings. They made a deal: Larys became a master of whisperers on the Small Council in exchange for his services.
In either case, neither party is motivated to kill the Strongs. Viserys has no proof that his grandsons are bastards, and there are no ugly incidents like Aemond losing his eye. Larys still wants to kill his father and brother, but the Greens have no real reason to off Larys. He might be pro-Black because his son is Rhaenyra's sworn shield, but he is law-abiding and capable; he could just as easily support Aegon II, because a brother comes before a sister in all inheritance systems and the Great Council of 101.
Lyonel could support either Aegon II or Rhaenyra, but he'd probably prefer Rhaenyra because he secretly knows that Jace is his grandson. He will definitely be more amenable to Rhaenyra’s claim than Otto Hightower, the Hand when Viserys I died. Otto was willing to die in order to make his grandson king (and he did).
In the real timeline, only one person on the Small Council supported Rhaenyra— Lord Beesbury— who was promptly killed; the Hand is the most powerful member of the Council and he can speak with the King’s voice in the interim between the monarch’s passing and the new one’s coronation. Lyonel’s support could make all the difference for Rhaenyra.
Let's say Lyonel still dies-- he gets a stroke, falls off his horse, or eats bad seafood. In this TL, RHAENYRA would probably become Hand. After Lyonel died in the OTL, Viserys "briefly... considered sending for Princess Rhaenyra. Who better to rule with him than the daughter he meant to succeed him on the Iron Throne?" However, he decided not to because "more conflict with the queen and her own brood would have been inevitable." In this case, there aren't the big, violent squabbles between the Green and Black princes, and the peace-loving Viserys dismisses smaller incidents as "horseplay." If Rhaenyra is the Hand AND heir when her dad dies, she
5. King Viserys I doesn’t die so soon.
Viserys became ill after cutting his hand on the Iron Throne. He contracted an infection and had to remove several of his fingers; he was greatly weakened and died in two years.
When Corlys named Luke the heir to Driftmark, his nephew Vaemond protested the decision; Luke was a bastard. Rhaenyra fed Vaemond to her dragon, and his cousins pled for justice from the king. Viserys received these Velaryons with fury, and he ordered that their tongues be ripped out. As he was descending from the throne, he cut his hand to the bone.
In this scenario, no one knows Rhaenyra’s sons are bastards → Vaemond doesn’t petition Corlys for Driftmark → Rhaenyra doesn’t kill Vaemond → Velaryon cousins don’t petition Viserys for justice → Viserys does not cut his hand → Viserys does not contract a deadly infection that permanently weakens him → Viserys doesn't die in just two years.
6. Visenya lives
Viserys died in early 129. At the time, Rhaenyra was heavily pregnant and located on Dragonstone; this gave the Greens the opportunity to seize the capital and crown Aegon II king. Her rage at Aegon II’s treachery induced early labor, and Visenya was born dead. Rhaenyra gave birth to five healthy children; she seemed likely to deliver a healthy daughter. Rhaenyra already has five healthy sons, but I’m sure she’d love and cherish her only daughter.
7. Rhaenyra could have relocated to the capital when her father was ailing.
In the real timeline, the fight between the "Velaryon" princes and Aemond in 120 was the inciting factor that led Viserys to order Rhaenyra and her sons to contain themselves to Dragonstone and Alicent and her sons to the Red Keep. Even though she attended the court for special occasions like feasts and to provide Maester Gyldayn for Viserys, Rhaenyra was largely absent from the capital since.
Rhaenyra would probably still spend the majority of her time on Dragonstone because of her hatred for Alicent and her half-brothers. However, when Viserys I becomes ill (he won’t cut his hand, but he’d still have gout and chest pain and wheeze), she could request that she and her sons relocate to the capital so that they can spend time with Viserys. This wasn’t an option available to her in the real timeline because of Viserys’ decision in 120 to separate the Greens from the Blacks.
8. Rhaenyra can go to the capital immediately after Viserys’ death.
If Viserys dies later on, Rhaenyra would have safely given birth to Visenya. She could launch onto Syrax and fly to the capital to claim her crown as soon as Viserys dies. She had 5 sons within 8 years, and then there was a 7 year interim between her last son, Viserys, and Visenya. She was now in her mid-30s, so she was unlikely to have more children; Visenya seemed like a happy surprise.
9. Aemond won’t kill Luke.
If the Dance still breaks out in the same way, Jace and Luke might not be sent as envoys. Since Rhaenyra isn’t ill after giving birth to Visenya, she herself could be one of the envoys. Also, a part of Jace’s reasoning was his desire to prove his uncles wrong and show that he was a true dragon-riding Targaryen; this insecurity does not exist because no one accuses him of bastardry, so he mightn't volunteer himself and Luke.
Assuming Luke still goes to Storm’s End: Aemond doesn’t have an especial grudge against Luke. In the real timeline, Aemond hated Luke more than any of his other half-nephews for stabbing out his eye; if Jace or Joffrey had been sent to treat with Lord Borros, Aemond would not have been so eager for revenge. Maris definitely couldn’t taunt him about Luke taking his balls and his eye, which snapped his already-fragile ego.
Luke has a dragon that could potentially beat Vhagar. Silverwing is not as old, fierce, or large as Vhagar, but she is the third-greatest dragon. Arrax, the OTL Luke’s dragon, was 1/5 of the size of Vhagar and was killed immediately. Aemond might not try and kill Luke if he knows that Silverwing could potentially kill his Vhagar. Aemond wasn’t brave, and he never engaged unless he was sure of victory; when Daemon and Nettles looked for him, Aemond hid in the Riverlands despite having a greater dragon; even when Daemon challenged him alone, Aemond waffled for 13 days until meeting his challenge, even though Daemon’s Caraxes was half of Vhagar’s size. Silverwing is bigger than both Caraxes and Sheepstealer. If Aemond does decide to attack Luke anyways, Luke could at least rip off one of Vhagar’s wings or fatally pierce her stomach while dying; Luke is a much less experienced fighter than his stepfather, but Silverwing is a prodigious dragon.
#dance of the dragons#rhaenyra targaryen#the strong bastards#velaryon#jacaerys velaryon#lucerys velaryon#joffrey velaryon#dragons
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BnHA Chapter 219: Two Good Boys and One Unlucky Broker
Previously on BnHA: Katsuki and Shouto had their licenses for all of 30 minutes (literally) before deciding to put them to the test. But let’s backtrack a bit! It was a beautiful snowy day in December and class 1-A was chilling out and watching the news. We were introduced to a company called Detnerat, and their CEO who’s apparently a big fan of this dead terrorist guy named Destro who wrote a book about quirk supremacy and how people with superpowers need to rise up and liberate themselves and shit. It’s actually really interesting and I can see how these ideas would create a divide within hero society much like Stain’s ideology did. But anyway, so the CEO casually murdered his assistant for mocking these ideas, so that was deeply horrifying. And then he went to meet with some other villains (because yeah! he’s a villain, apparently!) who are apparently descendants of Destro (as is he, I presume), and they talked about how they’re gonna arrange a meetup with the League of Villains so that they can FUCK THEM UP. Plot twist! Anyways and then we cut to some hapless citizens who were being robbed by some banditos, and that’s when Katsuki and Shouto showed up as previously mentioned. So let’s see how this goes!
Today on BnHA: Katsuki and Shouto take on Soda Sam (who I really did think was Aizawa’s old buddy for much longer than I’m proud to admit though), who fights back with some pressurized water jets. All Might saves a stupid Instagram lady and Katsuki saves the both of them, and also recovers everyone’s stolen wallets, because he’s a fucking boy scout now that the provisional course is over. Meanwhile Shouto whips out the ol’ hot+cold power combo of sports festival fame and knocks the villain out. Afterwards the two of them are enthusiastically congratulated by a pro hero called Slidin’ Go (who’s secretly evil, as it turns out, because this is a very strange arc) and hair ruffled by All Might and it’s fucking great you guys. We then cut back to the Detnerat guys, who bring in Giran, a.k.a. the League of Villains’ black market broker who just so happens to have balls of fucking steel. Good thing too, because the DetCEO plans to use him to track down and lure out the League so he can take care of them. Lastly, we cut over to said League, whose members are currently in the process of having their asses handed to them by Gigantomachia and are really not looking too hot, oh dear.
(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 225 -- I haven’t read 226 yet -- so any ETAs will reflect that.)
so it’s come to this. the Symbol of Peace, reduced to directing traffic
listen kid, you’ll have time for autographs later all right? for now just DO AS THE MAN SAYS
meanwhile Shouto’s being a badass
Bakugou may be out of his element in the cold (and we’ll see if this poses a problem for him--he’s only got one gauntlet on top of that), but this lil lukewarm lad is fine and dandy
loooooll
you tell ‘em Shouto. that’s some nice property damage there son. I hope Katsuki tries to keep his own quirk contained, the last thing we need is you guys getting billed Mt. Lady style for destroying fucking main street here all of 25 minutes after getting those licenses laminated
(ETA: I guess he didn’t actually do any lasting damage though? hopefully nothing got flood damaged when he melted all of that afterwards.)
the title of the chapter is “go! sliding go!” which sounds like fun. sounds like more icy goodness
(ETA: why did they name this chapter after the weirdly unsettling and secretly evil THE FULLLLLL BULLPENNN hero, though?? my working theory is that it was Horikoshi’s way of ensuring we wouldn’t just immediately forget he existed so that we could be properly surprised when he returned a few chapters later.)
anyway so Aizawa’s cloudy friend is shaking off the ice, and now he’s chewing the boys out for fucking up his big purse-snatching operation
all that for a handful of wallets?? seriously??
LMAO
I don’t know if it’s that I’m becoming more like him, or if he’s just becoming more like me. but either way Katsuki you gotta get out of my head there kiddo, I’m starting to worry here
by the way is it just me or is he actually higher up than he was just a few seconds ago. are you actually climbing this thing. drunk on adrenaline or what
anyway so Kumo, who may or may not actually be him but we’re just assuming for now, is explaining that he controls carbonated water and he lives for thrills. his words. not mine
okay first of all, no you don’t. fucking no one in this series has more resolve than that lil monkey slowly inching his way up towards that traffic light there
and second, you spent a whole goddamn month planning a purse heist. where the fuck did you get these airs you’re putting on dude
wow you guys
I feel like we should be placing bets not on whether Baku and Todo will win, but on how long it’ll actually take them. I’m thinking not very fucking long
(ETA: this whole thing is wrapped up within ten pages. I could have literally have been present on the scene, said to myself “my what a lovely snowy day, I think I’ll go buy myself some hot chocolate,” ducked into the Starbucks on the corner, and it would have all been over by the time I stepped back out. “you missed it!!” shouts the excited ‘it’s All Might’ kid from page one. “there was ice and explosions and this stupid lady almost got All Might crushed with a pole!”)
MY DUDES WHAT IS THIS??
SIX IN ONE GO. THIS HIGH SCHOOLER IS THE FUTURE NUMBER ONE HERO I’LL HAVE YOU SUCKERS KNOW
AHHAHAHAHAHA
I’M LOVING IT. I’M LOVING THIS. FUCK ‘EM UPPPPP KATSUKI
WHERE’S THAT RESOLVE OF YOURS NOWWWWW
holy shit. it occurs to me that this is only the third time in the series we’ve actually seen him fight real villains. and the second time was at Kamino, and he was pretty much just on the defensive there and trying to keep them all at a distance, so it’s debatable whether or not that really counts. so basically this is the first time since USJ that he’s gotten to just let loose against a bunch of mooks. and I’ve only just realized how much I wanted this omg
apparently he wanted it too lol. also I’m surprised and extremely impressed that he can control his trajectory that well with only one arm. gives me hope that Shouto’ll be going airborne like his pop any day now
anyway so Kumo? is fighting back though
watch out Katsuki he’s got seltzer and he’s not afraid to use it
okay but damn though
is this fucking seltzer water slicing through this metal lamp post??
I just took a brief break from reading this chapter to go look up “water saw” videos on YouTube to try and get an idea of what exactly we may be dealing with there. and well, I found this. so uh. depends on what kind of firepower that thing on his arm is packing I guess. but he might be more trouble than I anticipated
meanwhile!
ALL MIGHT LET HER GO IT’S NATURAL SELECTION
FUCK
IF THIS STUPID LADY GETS ALL MIGHT KILLED IN FRONT OF THESE TWO BOYS WHO WERE SO GUNG-HO ABOUT FINALLY GETTING THEIR LICENSES, SHE BETTER PRAY THE GATES OF HELL CAN PROTECT HER BECAUSE I’M GONNA GET ME SOME FUCKING BOLT CUTTERS AND FOLLOW HER DOWN THERE MARK MY WORDS
OH THANK GOD
oh my goddddd
first of all, whew. and second of all I’m so glad Horikoshi let him have that moment, rather than Shouto. just in case there were any lingering haters out there thinking his heart still wasn’t in the right place and that the only reason he was all TEAM RESCUE, BITCHES in the previous arc was because he wanted to win
and I mean, he did, obviously. but IT CAN BE TWO THINGS, and now we have a nice little moment here with him rescuing his dad (whose body moved before he could think, AS USUAL) and this stupid lady who put her Instagram above her own fucking life
meanwhile
okay Shouto you have my permission to kick his ass
yeah go ahead and fuck him up
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT
PETITION TO PUT SHOUTO IN “GUESS I’VE GOT NO CHOICE” SITUATIONS MORE OFTEN
wow not!Kumo, he is literally the worst possible opponent you could have had huh. sucks to be you
lol Katsuki’s mad that Shouto got to be a badass
they’re getting along so well now. Shouto completely knows how to handle him, he’s like a Kirishima 2.0. he just completely ignores the fact that Katsuki is shrieking insults, and responds as though the questions were phrased normally
and Katsuki actually answers him despite everything. I know it’s crazy, but this is seriously progress
now Dad is running over to make sure they’re okay
“oh, All Might. didn’t see you there. we were just out here being heroic heroes. [stretches casually; yawns] all in a day’s work”
at least he didn’t reference his kidnapping! Kacchan’s protesting but really that’s the best he could have hoped for
so the dude’s asking if they did all of this and uh, yeah. who do think they are, amateurs? I’ll have you know they have provisional licenses, sir
did this motherfucker just pull 13 fucking wallets out of fucking hammerspace to hand over. Link?? is that you??
holy shit. is that why your pants were always so baggy?? WERE YOU JUST BEING PREPARED THIS WHOLE TIME
so not only did Katsuki not destroy so much as an inch of public property (aside from the pole which was already destroyed), he even had the forethought to rescue everyone’s wallets and hand them over to the authorities like the good law-abiding citizen he is
where the fuck is Gang Orca, I need to send that man a fucking fruit bouquet or something
oh my
new favorite panel alert
so this guy, whose name is apparently Sliding Go, says he’ll take care of the rest. okay. thanks man
meanwhile definitely!not!Kumo!mybad!sometimesI’mwrong’s little jet nozzle gauntlets are... exploding??
Detnerat? possibly??
good eye there Sherlock
so I wonder if they got them from Detnerat or from that black market guy the League’s associated with... Giran? I think is his name??
oh shit!!!
new new favorite panel alert
love how Shouto seems shocked at the unexpected gesture of fatherly affection (which hurts my heart. hey All Might you got room for a third son there), whereas Bakugou is just accepting it and probably even knew it was coming and is just trying to keep his cool and trying to calculate how long he can stand there basking in All Might’s pride before it starts to look like he’s actually enjoying it
sdflkjasldkj
SWEETHEART USE YOUR WORDS
Shoutooooooooo. ;_; that little smile is killing me, I’m melting. once the initial surprise wore off he was so happy. look at him shyly fumbling with his tie oh my baby I love you so much
oh to be a fly on the wall of that taxi cab. watching the two of them sit in the backseat as far away from each other as possible and looking out the window and being so pleased with themselves after all their hard work finally paid off. and meanwhile All Might in the front seat next to the driver, peeking at them in the rearview mirror and smiling softly
also fly!me would definitely try to sneak a peek at Katsuki’s fucking hero license because HORIKOSHI COME THE FUCK ON ALREADY WHY IS IT ALWAYS SECRET AFTER FUCKING SECRET
and I guess that’s that! a very satisfying fight that lasted all of 10 pages but had several cool moves, an opponent with a cool quirk, and several character development moments! that’s how it’s done! god this series has been fucking killing it lately I swear. I hope I’m not jinxing it but this is some good shit. the artwork and pacing are great, I’m liking the new plot so far... just, keep it up, Horikoshi, please
(ETA: for real though he is crushing it)
so now we’re cutting back to the ol’ villain corporate office in Gotham City or wherever
ah, so it was Detnerat!
well I can’t say this is a huge surprise. I imagine the villain market was too tempting to pass up
!!!
I swear to god this had better be more entertaining than the last League of Villains team-up
so now this dude with the shiniest, most luxurious hair I’ve ever seen is explaining that he worked fast because DetCEO told him “do so at once” and his words are the words of Destro
damn so there’s a pretty clear hierarchy here huh
OH SHIT
THAT’S FUCKING GIRAN. THAT’S THE DUDE. WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO HIM?? FIRST A MURDER IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER AND NOW THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS’ FAVORITE BROKER IS GETTING FUCKING TORTURED BY CORPORATE THUGS, WHAT THE FUCK. ARE WE IN FOR ANOTHER HARDCORE ARC
(ETA: indeed we are, but this one is so much better though.)
careful, he’s sensitive and clearly not afraid to kill a bitch for less than that, Giran
!!
“the old man”?? is he talking about DetCEO’s father? or his? surely he’s not talking about AFO?
so now President Why So Serious is asking him how much he wants
and Giran is all “I happen to be picky about who I do business with, and since you all just kidnapped and beat the shit out of me, I’m inclined to say ‘no’ here”
(ETA: Giran is a stand up guy and it cost him a fucking hand. well that’s the risk you run when you work in the criminal underworld I guess.)
holy shit Giran
RIP Giran 2015-2019
but damn though, I gotta hand it to the guy, he’s got a bigger pair than I ever expected
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
okay so I’m just gonna post the whole page and break it down
GIRAN IS FUCKED. THIS GUY IS A MANIAC AND HE’S LEGIT GONNA TORTURE THE INFO OUT OF HIM HOLY SHIT
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, AGAIN
GIGANTOMACHIA IS FUCKING INSANE
AND HOW DID HE GET SO BIG
AND IS COMPRESS FUCKING DEAD. AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BEST VILLAIN GIRL TOGA OMG
SPINNER IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO REVEAL YOUR QUIRK AND HAVE IT TURN OUT TO BE REALLY BADASS IT’S NOW BUDDY
DABI AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU WERE OUT PLANNING NOUMU SHIT WITH HAWKS AND NOT DEALING WITH THIS UTTER SHITSHOW
IS IT JUST ME OR DOES TOMURA LOOK A LITTLE BUFFER THAN BEFORE? YOU BEEN LIFTING BRO
HOW AND WHY DID THEY GET TO THESE CLIFFS IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING NOWHERE
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, GIGANTO YOU’D BETTER WATCH IT, BECAUSE TOMURA MORE THAN LIKELY IS TRYING TO THINK OF A WAY TO BEAT YOU WITHOUT KILLING YOU, BUT IF HE DOES DECIDE HE WANTS TO KILL YOU, YOU’LL BE PRETTY HARD-PRESSED TO STOP HIM DUDE
oh my god. this is three awesome chapters in a row now. BnHA is killing it, seriously
#bnha#boku no hero academia#bakugou katsuki#todoroki shouto#all might#redestro#giran#league of villains#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#makeste reads bnha#so guess who just noticed slidin' go's got a big ol' arrow plastered on his crotch#me#you guessed it#why is this man so sinister#him and his lack of friction#I can't believe he hugged my children#tomura you had better dust this cheeky mofo
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The Eagle
I spend most of my time in psychiatric hospitals. I talk with wanderers, rock stars, mathematicians, drunks, victims of extraterrestrial plots, and people who at first, and often even at second glance, seem quite all right in every way. The top psychiatrists in the city have met with me more often than they'd like, and many patients know me on a first name basis. Just the other day I met a man who was convinced that he was, in some ways, an eagle. He asked if I'd like to hear his cry. Sure, why not? So he jumped up on his bed, spread his arms, tilted back his head, and let loose. It was loud. I mean really loud. The crackling shriek was so real it sent shivers up my spine. (He thinks he's an eagle – what if he thinks I'm a rodent?) But then he stopped, smiled, and asked how I thought he had done. Apparently he made these same noises in the local park a few days ago and picnicking families didn't appreciate the performance. The police were called, and they decided within 30 seconds that he should be taken to the hospital.I told him I had never heard anything so life-like in my life. He seemed pleased.
More people than you think are hospitalized in this manner. A person is brought in and, after being questioned by a physician, is told that he will be held in hospital as an involuntary patient. He no longer has the right to leave. He is "certifiable." If he considers himself an eagle, he can consider himself caged.
What would you do in this situation? Angry, confused, and scared, you might yell out something like, "I'll kill you if you lock me up in here!" The attending physician will use this as evidence of homicidal ideation should you retain a lawyer to challenge your detention. Which is why I'm in hospital. I'm the lawyer.
With So, you end up being held and treated against your will – because your will has been called into question. What are the odds of getting out? Well, on paper, here in the city of Toronto, about 10 percent of challenges to involuntary status succeed. Much of the time, my role isn't so much to win as it is to ensure you are treated with respect.
On admission, it is often strongly suggested that you take some benzodiazepines: medication the staff tells you will help you relax.
Whether you think this is a good idea or not is beside the point – you'll be getting pro re nata medication (Latin for "according to circumstances") until you calm down. The drugs make you feel drowsy and dizzy. More medication is offered later in the day. By now, you're likely to accept it.
Two days later, you might no longer wish to receive any medication at all. You're asleep all the time and you want to get back home so you can tackle that mathematical equation that you've been working on for years. Or perhaps your best friend is performing in a play tomorrow evening. Or you're simply fed up with being denied the right to enjoy a beautiful day. Physicians sometimes mistake your refusal to take medication as an indication of incapacity.
And so the eagle is handed a piece of paper indicating that the physician has found him incapable of consenting to treatment. The doctor is trying to contact his mother, to whom he has not spoken in years. She has never appreciated his love of nature, his obsession with birds of prey. She's tired of dealing with his illness. That afternoon, she consents, on his behalf, to a long-acting injection of halperidol – a typical antipsychotic medication. Side-effects are not discussed, though they may turn out to be pronounced. But not to worry, the physician has a variety of medications to deal with any problems.
Some clients ask to see their naturopath. Others ask for the marijuana that they use to keep the anxiety or the voices at bay. Many physicians will see such people as holistic quacks or drug addicts, and will check for "street drugs" in their urine each time they return from a pass to the outside world. The same doctors will not hesitate to order increased dosages of benzodiazepines and antipychotics. Sometimes my clients are so medicated that I am unable to communicate with them. Sometimes all they can do is grab my arm, pull me close, and whisper, "Get me out of here." Of course, many patients choose not to challenge their detention. Many others find themselves in those hospitals that do not make the necessary effort to help a person understand their rights. I've helped some clients get out of hospital on "technicalities" – physicians can't stand that. A technicality, though, is usually something so fundamental to the process of involuntary detention that its bypass is an affront to human dignity.
After a brief stay in hospital, the eagle is considered manageable. Despite the involuntary muscle spasms, restlessness, shakiness, drowsiness, slower gait, blurred vision, and sexual dysfunction, and the fact that he can no longer express himself as an eagle, his treatment is considered a success and he is ready to return to the community. But not as a free person.
In the province that I live in, Ontario, the government has passed a bill that expanded the criteria for involuntary detention, but also introduced the "community treatment order." The order is a legal mechanism that allows a person to live free in the community only as long as they agree to take prescribed medication. Failure to do so can result in involuntary detention. What if a person wants to refuse the drugs? On paper, a legal challenge has a two to three percent chance of success.
But let's be clear. Medication and involuntary hospitalization have helped many people in the mental health system regain control of their lives. But for others, the loss of the fundamental civil rights that we often take for granted is a lingering shock and assault. They have no choice but to refer to themselves as psychiatric survivors. Mental health laws worldwide use the justification of people's "best interests" to deprive law-abiding citizens of their rights and freedoms, but as the court declared in one landmark case, "History has shown that the road to injustice is frequently lit with the light of good intention."
Outside the hospital, my clients face troubles far more challenging than the ones inside their heads. There is stigma, of course, often compounded by the crippling effects of poverty. There is the growing sense that the public needs protection from people with mental health problems. There are economic policies that brush aside the people who struggle hardest in day-to-day life. There is environmental degradation, the postmodern religion of unsustainable growth, consumption, and production. Do you suppose the mentally ill fail to recognize these problems?
The eagle leans close to my ear. "Crazy is working 70 hours a week at a job you can't stand," he says.
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a) Hi rosy, I’m really struggling and I look up to you so I wonder if you can give me some advice. I struggle greatly to make decisions. Even the simplest one will have me just frozen for some time. So now, as I try to decide between 2 careers, I am really struggling. I can see myself doing both. One I like more but it makes a lot less money than the other. I have been paralyzed with fear and indecision and inability to commit and move forward. I’m stuck, wasting time (it’s been months and I
B) and I haven’t learned any new info bc I know almost everything i can at this point. My poor parents are so stressed out. Even knowing that I’m hurting them and myself by wasting time, I am so scared I cannot choose one and move forward. Fears about not enough money with option1 and fear that I won’t be as stimulated/interested with the other. Option1 is public interest lawyer and 2 is primary care doctor. Whats also hard is my family wants 2. I care about serving communities in need.
C) I guess what’s also hard is that ppl in my culture tend to become doctors. There is not much representation in the other field I’m considering. I also have GAD, which is why I’m so scared to choose. Taking risks and going against the grain/what ppl want is a big struggle. I’m clearly not a brave person. But I really look up to you and any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.
Taking your time to make big decisions doesn’t hurt anybody. Impatience is not harm. And if you’re NOW deciding between lawyer and doctor, it sounds like you’re at the beginning of your journey, because those are highly specialized careers and not on the same path.
When you are overwhelmed with a decision, it’s a good idea to take a step back and take the fear out of it. Make a list of pros and cons for each choice. You can include your fear and feelings about the choices on the list, but accept that those are part of the process and not wrong. You don’t need to be afraid of MAKING the choice. Take the feelings into consideration. HAVING feelings shouldn’t cause the anxiety.
I will admit, however, that you should probably consider your GAD when making your choice. Because you want to have a career that your personality, talents, strengths and weaknesses fit. A medical doctor and public interest lawyer both seem to be high stress fields with people’s lives in your hands. You have to consider YOURSELF and your needs when choosing a career if you want to be happy and successful. At least, that’s what I’ve found.
Also. You have limited your choices in two broad fields whose commonality is helping people, but in very different ways. But when you pursue those careers, you are not actually choosing your specialty right at the beginning. It sounds to me that your main goal is to help people, while your parents want the status and money of the one choice. I never really considered there being much difference in wealth between doctor and lawyer. Both fields make more or less money depending upon clients/specialty/field. And both have status. Also, if you want to help people, there are LOTS of ways doctors can choose working with the poor or underserved communities.
You’re also trying to decide on a career based on the end point. What it will be like to have arrived in that career, not on what it is like TO BE in that career. Which do you like better? Science or Law? They are pretty different. How do you feel around sick people or people in pain? Do you like to argue and debate? I’ve heard a lot of lawyers complain about being lawyers because it is apparently often very monotonous and dry. If your parents want you to be a doctor but you have no calling to be a doctor, I’m not sure how good a doctor you would be. I could never. I mean, you could get a PhD in whatever field you want which might be more to your tastes, but I’m not sure that’s what your parents want.
I would say picking between doctor or lawyer definitely sets you on a particular path that makes it harder and harder to go the other direction the farther you get on it, but that’s because they both take a great deal of education and training. But within each career, there are a broad variety of paths to take that could satisfy you more than you think. And some that won’t fit your individual needs. Maybe you’d be better as a research doctor. Or maybe the key for you really is to help people who need help, and instead of a public interest lawyer, you become a doctor in a free clinic in a poor area without good medical care. Or maybe as a lawyer, your desire to serve the public leads to a career making big changes, why it could even lead to politics. You could be president!
Okay, i mean that’s unlikely, but it’s more likely if you choose public interest lawyer. I know a lawyer who moved to New Orleans and has been working to free convicts on death row. He’s got a house and a family and makes a decent living although I’m sure he’s not rich.
I think you’re stressing yourself out thinking that if you make this one choice, you will never again have choices in your life. But that’s not true. Even if you can’t back up and choose doctor over lawyer (or vice versa) you still have multiple choices even within those fields. And you are also not doomed to forever abide by your current choices. There are plenty of doctors and lawyers who switched careers and used their knowledge in different ways that are more satisfying to them.
Life is a journey. And there are more than two stops on the journey. You have millions of ways to adjust any choices that you make now. You’re still figuring it out and that’s okay. So don’t stress out so much. This is a big choice, but it is not the end of your choices, And if you start out in premed and don’t like it, you can switch to pre law. Or do law with a minor in biology. Or premed with a minor in poli sci. Here’s a secret. There are actually jobs that use both law and medicine and knowing both actually makes you more marketable for future jobs. Me? I don’t know what they are. But if you start your studies, you will have the opportunity to discover them. Also, if you do a major in one and a minor in the other, if you DO decide to switch, you’ll still have some credits. You won’t be starting from zero.
Relax. Your choice is not as desperate as you think it is. Life is long. Law and Medicine are both vast fields. You have options. Your parent should probably chilll a bit.
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MEDIA ASSESSMENT OF ISSUE
Story #1- Objective source
The N.R.A. Has Trump. But It Has Lost Allies in Congress
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/26/us/politics/nra-congress-grade.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGun%20Control&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection
SACAPS-
S- The number of Democrats in the House who have an “F” rating from the NRA has significantly increased, and voters aren’t punishing politicians with this low grade.
A- By Maggie Astor and Weiyi Cai of the NY Times- Mrs. Astor has a degree in political science from Barnard College and experience working as a general assignment reporter on the Express Team and a copy editor. Mrs. Cai has done numerous graphic design projects for the NY Times, and designed the graphs on this article.
C- August 26th, 2019 was when it was written, about 23 days after the El Paso shooting that demonstrated how guns can, once again, be used to murder people
A- Anyone who wants facts on the topic, but the content might be more appealing towards democratic readers.
P- The article is objective, with a Democratic perspective of anti-guns and a Republican perspective that supports the NRA. I was pleased to hear such a low number of House members were backed by the NRA, as the decrease in approval means a higher chance of gun control in the future.
S- Actual numbers of how many politicians held each letter grade over the years was used as evidence, as well as showing that when holding an F from the NRA, only two of 25 lawmakers lost re-election.
Story #2- Liberal
Trump cements stance on wide-ranging background checks in call with NRA boss
CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/21/politics/donald-trump-background-checks-national-rifle-association-wayne-lapierre/index.html
SACAPS-
S- The focus of the article is that Trump, although temporarily stating he wanted tougher background checks, still hasn’t taken action and continues to be persuaded by the NRA.
A- Kaitlan Collins and Joe Johns of CNN- Mrs. Collins is a White House Correspondent who’s followed Trump around the world, and Mr. Johns is CNN's senior Washington correspondent
C- It was written on August 21st, 2019, about 18 days after the El Paso mass shooting.
A- It was intended for liberal readers, or anyone that dislikes Trump’s policies.
P- The article is subjective, and the author claims that Trump is being persuaded by conservitive allies and the NRA to abandon his call for tighter background checks on guns. I agree that the president hasn’t lived up to his promises of taking action toward gun control.
S- CNN claims to have been in contact with people who witnessed the call between Trump and the NRA, and provides statistics on the percentage of those who want gun control in each party.
Story #3- Conservitive
Kellyanne Conway on investigating Epstein's death, gun control legislation
Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/kellyanne-conway-on-investigating-epsteins-death-gun-control-legislation
(scroll down a little to find gun control segment)
SACAPS-
S- The central point of these two speaker’s segment on gun violence is that President Trump will be the president to bring a change in gun control policy, and that change will be one that will benefit everyone’s safety while not punishing law-abiding gun owners.
A- Bill Hemmer is a journalist for Fox who previously worked as a reporter at CNN, while Kellyane Conway is the Counselor to the President currently and was President Trump’s campaign manager during election.
C- It was transcripted from a “Fox News Sunday” segment on August 11th, 2019, which was about a week after the El Paso shooting occurred.
A- The article was intended for a conservitive audience, which means the facts and opinions they bring up about our current policy and president are tainted with a strong conservitive bias.
P- Subjective: the speaker's claim that Democrats didn’t do enough when they had the majority in the senate, and that Donald Trump is succeeding in his journey to end gun violence. They also brought up that they agree a ban on assault weapons should happen, but support hunting rifles and guns for home protection. While I am willing to compromise with the latter, I don’t agree that our current president is taking enough action to combat gun violence.
S- They showed video clips of the President’s words on the matter as well as facts about recent gun violence, but otherwise used little evidence and were more opinion driven.
What are the similarities and differences between these three accounts of your issue?
The article from the New York Times mentioned both valid arguments of Democrats and Republicans, and made sure they weren’t favoring just one party when presenting their news. Instead they let the facts shape people’s opinions, unlike CNN and Fox. These two subjective sources focused on providing news that would appeal to their respective audiences, with CNN reporting on how Trump is being swayed by NRA officials to hold off on gun control while Fox was praising his actions and generally felt more pro-second amendment.
Finally, which source do identify with most and why?
I would say my beliefs align best with the left view on the matter, so I politically identify more with CNN and their push for better gun laws. My favorite article as far as interest level and fact reporting though was the NRA ratings investigated by The New York Times.
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Some Simple Information About Small Business Web Design
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Real Estate Marketing Online: The Art Of Invisible Design
I recently received a call from your local neighborhood business in the Healing & Health industry. This person asked her webpage design guru for an easy addition to her web page. He refused to carried out and told her to log in and do it herself! When she decided to allow the web design try to me to do, he deleted her entire web site and database! virtual dj pro free download full version with crack been ever the true "owner" of a website that you paid money to actually own? The people that you as a businessman trust with your entire online business, are these people in your trust? Your enterprise is the one to serving online clients, are the people behind it deserving of your trust? It is no joke to lose a web site that existed within the past 6 years and also the database with all your client contact details and the people you resell to monthly!
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virtual dj pro home consider. The most effective logos seem just great in decade, two decades, and even ten. Don't hop upon the latest graphic design bandwagons, and leave logo design trends to someone else. Even when a particular kind of design is popular at the moment, it's not going staying in genuinely short time period time. Have a look at the logos possess been been around for a time - they haven't changed, so that they don't decide to.
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B: In high school I took art as being a subject and can draw perfectly. After I matriculated I didn't know what Need be to do but I knew that i must get it done that involves being artistic. I was advised that i could either study graphics or fine arts. I did so not in order to be draw (fine arts) being a career because then a thing that you enjoy would just become another job.
A good design company puts your needs first and consults upon different options based relating to your needs. You're getting objective and scrutinizing, several ensure that might be a design company likewise allows perform their utmost for you may.
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Gun Crimes Attorney 32210 - Malcolm Anthony, P.A.
Criminal Defense Lawyer
Offender regulation is amongst the most intricate areas of regulation. It takes an unique kind of person to become a criminal defense lawyer. These kind of lawyers have to deal with customers to verify their virtue of criminal offenses that range from minor to major offenses. Gun Crimes Attorney 32210
Lawbreaker legislation is the body of legislation commonly referred to as chastening law. This body of regulation prosecutes an individual or entity by the federal or state government for criminal offenses that are categorized as criminal. Criminal justice includes the concepts of punishment, prevention, incapacitation as well as rehab. By enforcing sentences for criminal acts the regulation looks for to serve justice, tranquility and social order Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
Criminal law handle a broad range of criminal offenses. Lawbreaker defense lawyer protect clients that have been charged with crimes that range from small to major offenses. Such offenses include murder, wrongful death, arson, attack, DUI/DWI, scams, identification burglary, child porn, sex crimes as well as a host of various other criminal offenses.
Crook defense lawyers, as do all attorneys, should put aside their personal ideas and opinions of a person in order to effectively and totally defend them of criminal costs. This is perhaps among the most tough things to do. These lawyers should not pass personal judgment on a customer billed with grievous criminal activities such as murder, rape or perhaps child molestation Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
They have to also to the best of their capability safeguard a client who they might personally believe to be guilty of the criminal activity in which they are billed. Once again, they must put aside personal ideas and opinions and defend a client that has been charged with dedicating offensive acts Jacksonville FL.
Consequently, ending up being a criminal defense attorney not only takes job but true personality to safeguarding every single person's rights approved under the law. Bad guy defense lawyer attend regulation college just as any kind of various other person who looks for to acquire a legislation degree. They have to likewise pass bench test in order to practice law.
An individual thinking about becoming a criminal legislation attorney will locate it exceptionally beneficial functioning as an intern in this area of legislation while attending legislation institution. Teaching fellowships within the judicial legislation system or for a criminal defense law office will certainly allow prospective criminal defense attorney to get valuable experience that can not be acquired somewhere else Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
One more method to obtain important criminal regulation experience is to work as a clerk for a law practice, district attorney's workplace, or judge after passing bench exam. Places such as these allow you to acquire a wide range of expertise in the area of criminal legislation. Many attorneys that want to practice in criminal regulation commonly begin their careers by working as prosecuting lawyers Jacksonville FL.
Wrongdoer Defense Lawyer - Significance Of Crook Defense Attorney Or Attorney
Normally, individuals wish to stay clear of as well as end up any criminal charges asap - as well as a criminal defense lawyer is the very best individual to turn to for this function. Most of the people find the lawful process tough to understand as well as waging lawsuits seems like an impossible job. Here is where the criminal lawyers come in Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
It becomes their duty to clarify the lawful procedures as well as impacts of every legal action that is to be brought with defending their clients. These attorneys are the very best ways of enhancing oneself to continue via lawsuit. A defense lawyer likewise functions as criminal test legal rep as they take care of exactly how the trial treatments must be carried out. So, in which circumstances would you require to employ a defense attorney?
Functions Of A Bad Guy Defense Lawyer
The primary responsibility of a defense lawyer involves representing his/her customer who is affirmed with devoting any type of crime. The key work is questioning all the considerable witnesses, gathering all possible realities and also evidences besides asking concerns during court test periods. A defense attorney can work out the case out of the court by discussing with the prosecutors too. Through working out with the prosecutors out of the court by the assistance of a criminal defense attorney, the illegal fees may result right into a reduced one with decreased fines as well as a minimal duration of sentence Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
Prospects Of Finding An Offender Defense Attorney
A criminal legislation attorney can make you comprehend the prospects of out of the court negotiation as well as deals. By doing this, you can decide whether you intend to choose a bargain offer. Besides, an attorney can assist you when you are accused with a crime in the following circumstances:
If you are arrested by the police, you can ask for your attorney to be phoned call to the police station.
A lawyer will determine and clarify to you the rights that you have after you are detained by the police.
A lawyer can help the arrangement of a bail for you to obtain you out of prison.
Your lawful agent will certainly clarify and take all the essential legal action.
Your attorney will certainly provide you the details on what is mosting likely to happen in advance, strategy and also exercise the treatments as necessary.
If you can not pay for working with a top-of-the-layer criminal defense attorney that bills exceptionally high costs for their experiences and solutions, do not stress. Simply spend a little time in accomplishing a research on online attorney to find a lawyer as per your budget. There websites provides detailed information on the charges and cases dealt with by them Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
Criminal Defense Attorney
A criminal defense lawyer can provide clients with much-needed aid with a prospective instance as well as suggestions on what occurs in the court. They can direct defendants with the pros and cons of dealing with a criminal situation and also it can secure them from extreme effects entailing a criminal offense Jacksonville FL.
Some may really feel that heading to a law practice to get hold of any type of lawyer can be a simple service to their problem, but that might not suffice to assist possible clients in these cases. A defense lawyer is one that will certainly be able to aid safeguard someone in times of prosecution as well as concentrates on criminal situations. One of the most vital reason for it being the criminal defense attorney will certainly be better acquainted with the different elements associated with criminal legislations. Having managed cases in this area, the attorney should have some solid experience, which will certainly help them take care of the instance too. In many cases, there occur to be certain rules as well as regulations which need to be abided by. An attorney that particularly practices criminal legislation will certainly know these policies as well as regulations much better than any kind of general legal representative Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
When going to employ a criminal defense lawyer, there are certain things to keep in mind. The firstly thing for clients is to check into the job background of the attorney. An excellent criminal attorney ought to have a great credibility as well as an overall successful career, gave that he experiment sincerity as well as dedication. Job history plays a vital role in equipping an idea regarding the experience of the attorney, whether they are qualified sufficient of handling the situation. It is best if a customer choose an attorney that handles cases of their kind especially, hence making the lawyer familiar with the positive as well as negative sides of a situation. An experienced criminal defense attorney recognizes precisely just how to proceed with a specific variety of criminal case as well as therefore, they will be able to provide the customer with a clear idea of their function in helping the lawyer. It is important that the sights of the attorney as well as the client equal regarding a particular instance. This enables them to interact easily and also assists the attorney to present it before the court Jacksonville FL.
The Ways You Can Discover a Good Lawbreaker Defense Lawyer
Whenever somebody falls in the hands of authorities, it is believed that the individual remains in certain difficulty. It can really be tough for the individual that has actually been restrained in the wardship to encounter the continuous investigation that also breaks the hard nut to pieces. It is a great time to mobilize your criminal defense lawyer who can create some chances to obtain you out securely without being founded guilty. Things said in the investigation process might be used versus you as solid proof. So rather than speaking with the cops attempting to warrant your innocence, it is better to review the issue with your attorney who can take the needed activity to release you on bail and develop a technique to shed off the blame placed on your shoulders Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
In general, a lawyer is a defense lawyer who means the charged in the court of justice. These lawyers are also hired by the court to safeguard people that can not bear a lawyer to combat their instances. The criminal defense attorney can be fairly well-known possessing to the customers they have actually served and their winning documents.
Where to look a Crook Defense lawyer
To find a great and also efficient attorney you may search in the complying with places like,
- Undergo the regional paper extensively and inspect if there is any ad of an attorney that may be contacted. A good deal of criminal defense lawyer offers their ads on the classifieds section of the paper from where you can select as necessary judging on the location, qualifications if stated and also fees. So this is a nice and also very easy means to obtain related to the criminal defense attorney Jacksonville FL.
- There is an additional fine means, which can obtain you to the city's finest criminal defense lawyer without much of a difficulty. The directory that consists of the names of the legal companies that supplies lawful examination in criminal defense and also can discover you the references and details of the attorneys who are connected with the appropriate functioning of the firm.
- You might discover a checklist of reputed lawyer on the on the internet info financial institution where it is rather a popular search. There are specific sites as well as related search web pages on the net offering details of the criminal defense attorney to you. In order to narrow your searches placed in your zip code which would certainly give you the results of your location Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
Various other means to discover Wrongdoer Defense lawyer
Internet sites are locations where you can discover the top lawyer of the country. Good internet sites will certainly provide you search engine result from the directory of defense lawyers committed to provide criminal instances. You need to input your zip code to discover the lawyers of that area respectively. Some websites also gives bigger search engine result including information of the lawyers from various area, city as well as even state. These web sites likewise recommend the means to select a criminal defense lawyer.
The Value of a Lawbreaker Defense Lawyer
The criminal justice system plays an important function in guaranteeing the legal rights of individuals are safeguarded. One area that is essential to preserving the rights of people is criminal defense. A criminal defense attorney stands for an accused private charged with a certain criminal act. They make certain the implicated gets a fair test and also is given with a top quality and also moral protection.
Criminal lawyers adhere to a strict standard procedure and values when standing for an individual accused of a criminal offense. This is crucial because in our system of justice, an individual charged with a criminal offense is taken into consideration innocent up until tried and tested guilty by a court or court. Almost every expert concurs that it is constantly better to get the solutions of a criminal defense lawyer since the legal procedure can be complicated for the beginner. Representing oneself in court can be confusing and frustrating because expertise of criminal law is important to a reasonable and simply test. If one is not able to afford a lawyer, the court will designate one that is called a public protector Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
Bad guy defense attorney work as both advocates and therapists for their customers. They play a crucial role in whether their customer should plead or most likely to test. They do this based on the proof that is supplied as well as the specific circumstance, such as a case of protection. They have established working relationships with district attorneys and are knowledgeable and also skilled in all facets of the criminal justice system. A criminal defense attorney will spend a great deal of time reviewing the situation, witness statement, physical evidence, and also their client's statement to make a decision just how to proceed. He or she will keep their customers filled in of all elements of the case and make suggestions on exactly how to continue. If the charged is going to get the complete benefit of a criminal defense lawyer, he or she will certainly need to be completely straightforward and in-depth with their situation.
After one is billed with a crime, the very first individual they ought to speak to is a criminal defense attorney. They need to especially exist during police examining. Also, the legal representative will schedule the release. The attorney will certainly additionally deal with such jobs as speaking with witnesses, preparing protection witnesses, employing specialists, arranging for discoveries, handling as well as submitting documents, study, as well as presenting the case Criminal Lawyers Jacksonville FL.
When looking for a criminal defense lawyer, it is important to do your study such as speaking with the lawyers to guarantee you have an experienced and qualified legal representative that recognizes your certain case. You can additionally search the net, request personal suggestions from pals or family members, or consult your regional bar association.
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Trump May Already Be Violating the Iran Deal
Peter Beinart, The Atlantic, Apr 29, 2018
As anyone who reads the news knows, Donald Trump will decide by May 12 whether to “withdraw from” or “pull out of” or “abandon” or “scrap” or “jettison” (the synonyms keep coming) the nuclear deal with Iran. Why May 12? Because last October, Trump declared that Iran isn’t complying with the agreement. Under a law passed by Congress, that “decertification” means Trump can reimpose the sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear activities that were waived as part of the deal. Trump hasn’t reimposed those sanctions yet. But he’s demanded that Iran make vast new concessions. And he’s threatened that if Iran does not do so by May 12, “American nuclear sanctions would automatically resume.”
There’s an irony here. For all of the drama surrounding Trump’s decision to decertify Iranian compliance with the deal, there’s little doubt that Iran is complying. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said so nine times. America’s European allies have said so. So has Trump’s own Defense Secretary, James Mattis. This very month, Trump’s State Department issued a report declaring that, “Iran continued to fulfill its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” the technical name for the nuclear deal. (The deal’s opponents often cite the two times Iran narrowly exceeded the agreement’s 130 metric ton cap on heavy water, which is used in nuclear reactors: In both cases Iran shipped the excess out of the country, and it remains in compliance with the deal.)
The more interesting question isn’t whether Iran has been complying with the nuclear deal. It’s whether America has. American journalists often describe the agreement as a trade. In the words of one CNN report, it “obliges Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the suspension of economic sanctions.” But there’s more to it than that. The deal doesn’t only require the United States to lift nuclear sanctions. It requires the United States not to inhibit Iran’s reintegration into the global economy. Section 26 commits the U.S. (and its allies) “to prevent interference with the realisation of the full benefit by Iran of the sanctions lifting specified” in the deal. Section 29 commits the U.S. and Europe to “refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran.” Section 33 commits them to “agree on steps to ensure Iran’s access in areas of trade, technology, finance and energy.”
The Trump administration has likely been violating these clauses. The Washington Post reported that at a NATO summit last May, “Trump tried to persuade European partners to stop making trade and business deals with Iran.” Then, in July, Trump’s director of legislative affairs boasted that at a G20 summit in Germany, Trump had “underscored the need for nations … to stop doing business with nations that sponsor terrorism, especially Iran.” Both of these lobbying efforts appear to violate America’s pledge to “refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran.”
The Trump administration may have committed other violations as well. Section 22 of the deal specifically obliges the United States, subject to some restrictions, to “allow for the sale of commercial passenger aircraft and related parts and services to Iran.” To do business with Iran, any U.S. company--or even any foreign company that gets more than 10 percent of its components from U.S. companies--must get a permit from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). OFAC must certify, for instance, that the transaction isn’t with an Iranian company designated under other U.S. sanctions programs such as those targeting terrorism. And under the Obama administration, OFAC began issuing these permits, albeit slowly. In November 2016, for instance, OFAC allowed the sale of 106 planes by Airbus to Iran Air.
But since Trump took over, notes Al-Monitor, “requests concerning permits to export planes to Iran have been piling up … OFAC has not responded to aircraft sales licensing requests since the first of such licenses were issued during the Barack Obama administration.” Erich Ferrari, a lawyer in Washington who works on sanctions issues, told me there’s “definitely been a shift. Certain transactions that we’ve seen licensed in the past under the Obama administration, are now being denied.”
The Trump administration still issues licenses for routine personal divestment transactions: for instance, people who want to sell off their property or close their bank accounts in Iran. But as far as Ferrari can tell, the Trump administration has issued few, if any, licenses for commercial transactions. That’s hard to verify: There is no public database of OFAC licenses, and the Treasury Department didn’t respond to my request for comment. But in recent months, two close observers of the Iran deal have echoed Ferrari’s observation. As the pro-nuclear deal National Iranian American Council’s Reza Marashi reported earlier this year, “To hear senior Western diplomats tell it, the Trump administration has not approved a single Iran-related OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) license since taking office.” If true, this too likely violates the Iran deal.
We’ve seen a version of this movie before. In 1994, the Clinton administration signed a nuclear deal with North Korea. Pyongyang promised to freeze its nuclear program. In return, the U.S. promised to provide “heavy fuel oil” to compensate for the electricity North Korea would lose by shutting down its plutonium reactor; to help build an entirely new, “light water” reactor; and to move toward normalizing relations. But that November, Republicans--many of whom were skeptical of the deal--took control of the House and Senate. And in the following years Congress hindered both America’s promised delivery of fuel oil and its promised help in building a light-water reactor. The North Koreans warned that if the U.S. didn’t abide by the deal, they wouldn’t either.
And they didn’t. While North Korea mostly met its promises not to build a bomb using plutonium, it secretly operated an alternative nuclear program based on enriched uranium.
Whether North Korea cheated in response to U.S. cheating, or intended to cheat all along, is a subject of debate. Either way, the Bush administration in 2002 confronted Pyongyang about its uranium-enrichment program. North Korean officials conceded its existence, while falsely claiming the deal covered only the plutonium route to a bomb. And they proposed a new, more comprehensive agreement, which would also cover uranium enrichment and require the U.S. to recognize North Korea, stop threatening it militarily, and lift sanctions. But the hawks in the Bush administration, who had opposed the 1994 deal from the beginning, refused to negotiate seriously. As John Bolton explained, the uranium-enrichment program “was the hammer I had been looking for to shatter the Agreed Framework.”
Now Bolton is back, and looking for another hammer. If Trump stops him from wielding it, and the U.S. doesn’t reimpose nuclear sanctions on Iran, many in the media will celebrate America’s decision to continue complying with the nuclear deal. But that will be wrong. The Trump administration has never fully complied with the nuclear deal, and likely never will. The real question isn’t whether Trump violates it, but how.
The truth is that, at least in the post-Cold War era, the United States hasn’t always been very good about keeping the promises it makes in nuclear deals. It’s important Americans know that. It might be nice to think that the U.S., as a democracy, is more trustworthy than its authoritarian adversaries. But America’s government won’t hold itself to a higher standard unless its people do.
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Jan. 14, 2021
Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6, a day that ended in a chaotic crime rampage when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to people familiar with evidence gathered in the FBI’s investigation.
The majority of the watch-listed individuals in Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and separate from the “no-fly” list the government maintains to prevent terrorism suspects from boarding airplanes, and those listed are not automatically barred from any public or commercial spaces, current and former officials said.
The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in one place — without more robust security measures to protect the public — is another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week’s fatal assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former law enforcement officials argued. The revelation follows a Washington Post report earlier this week detailing the FBI’s failure to act aggressively on an internal intelligence report of Internet discussions about plans to attack Congress, smash windows, break down doors and “get violent . . . go there ready for war.”
Since its creation, the terrorist watch list, which is maintained by the FBI, has grown to include hundreds of thousands of names. Placing someone’s name on the watch list does not mean they will be watched all of the time, or even much of the time, for reasons of both practicality and fairness, but it can alert different parts of the government, such as border agents or state police, to look more closely at certain individuals they encounter.
Several law enforcement officials said they are shocked by the backgrounds of some individuals under investigation in connection with the Capitol riot, a pool of suspects that includes current and former law enforcement and military personnel as well as senior business executives and middle-aged business owners.
The TSDB, often referred to within government as simply “the watch list,” is overseen by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, which was created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. The watch list can be used as both an investigative and early-warning tool, but its primary purpose is to help various government agencies keep abreast of what individuals seen as potential risks are doing and where they travel, according to people familiar with the work.
Before the Jan. 6 gathering of pro-Trump protesters, FBI agents visited a number of suspected extremists and advised them against traveling to the nation’s capital. Many complied, but according to people familiar with the sprawling investigation, dozens of others whose names appear in the terrorist watch list apparently attended, based on information reviewed by the FBI.
FBI investigating whether some rioters aimed to kill or capture lawmakers
Separately, while the FBI is hunting hundreds of rioting suspects who have dispersed back to their hometowns, federal agents are increasingly focused on alleged leaders, members and supporters of the Proud Boys, a male-chauvinist group with ties to white nationalism, these people said. Proud Boys members participated in last week’s protests, and FBI agents are taking a close look at what roles, if any, the group’s adherents may have had in organizing, directing or carrying out violence, according to people familiar with the matter.
The group’s chairman, Enrique Tarrio, had planned to attend Trump’s Jan. 6 rally but was arrested when he arrived in D.C. and charged with misdemeanor destruction of property in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a Black church during an earlier protest in Washington. He is also accused of felony possession of two extended gun magazines. Tarrio told The Post on Wednesday that his group did not organize the Capitol siege.
Tarrio said he’s actively discouraging members from attending planned armed marches scheduled Sunday, and the Million Militia March next week when Biden is inaugurated. Proud Boys, he said, are on a “rally freeze and will not be organizing any events for the next month or so.”
It is unclear how many Proud Boys devotees will abide by the freeze, or if such a shutdown might lessen the FBI’s interest in the group. Even before the Jan. 6 riot, federal and local investigators were working to understand the group’s plans, goals and activities. Privately, some federal law enforcement officials have described the group as roughly equivalent to a nascent street gang that has garnered an unusual degree of national attention, in part because Trump mentioned them specifically during one of his televised debates with Biden during the campaign. Other officials have expressed concern that the group may be growing rapidly into something more dangerous and directed.
The FBI has already arrested dozens of accused rioters, and officials have pledged that in cases of the most egregious conduct, they will seek to file tough, rarely used charges such as seditious conspiracy, which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
The bureau continues to face blowback over its handling of a Jan. 5 internal report warning of discussions of violence at Congress the next day. Steven M. D’Antuono, the head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, claimed in the days after the riot that the bureau did not have intelligence ahead of time indicating the rally would be anything other than a peaceful demonstration.
The Jan. 5 FBI report, written by the bureau’s office in Norfolk, and reviewed by The Post, shows that was not the case, and the Justice Department took other steps indicating officials were at least somewhat concerned about possible violence the next day. The Bureau of Prisons sent 100 officers to D.C. to supplement security at the Justice Department building, an unusual move similar to what the department did in June to respond to civil unrest stemming from racial-justice protests.
Mindful of the criticism that law enforcement took a heavy-handed, all-hands-on-deck approach to Black Lives Matters protests in D.C. in the spring and summer, Justice Department officials deferred to the Capitol Police to defend their building and lawmakers. Some former officials have questioned whether the FBI and Justice Department should have done more.
“It would not have been enough for the bureau simply to share information, if it did so, with state and local law enforcement or federal partner agencies,” said David Laufman, a former Justice Department national security official. “It was the bureau’s responsibility to quarterback a coordinated federal response as the crisis was unfolding and in the days thereafter. And it’s presently not clear to what extent the FBI asserted itself in that fashion during the exigencies of January 6 and in the immediate aftermath.”
(selected segments of the article)
#2021#capitol riot#right wing terrorists#terrorism#far right#american extremists#American Politics#storm the capitol#trump supporters#alt right#FBI#Proud Boys#sedition#seditious#Steven D'Antuono#Department of Justice#watch list#Terrorist Screening Database#white supremacists#domestic terrorism#trump's america
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