#Fuck the U.S

[fiercynn]

okay, if you have ever made or reblogged a “hold your nose and vote for biden” post, this is for you.

here’s the fucking thing about these kinds of posts. i've been seeing them since i first returned to tumblr in, I think, late 2022? they've certainly increased in frequency since october 7, but they were there before too, ready to counter any kind of opposition to biden that has cropped up. many of them are not just trying to educate people about what positive things biden has done, which, like, at least I can understand the motivation behind those ones? but so many of them are directly in response to people criticizing biden, and their only real point is “sure you’re upset at this thing biden did, but have you considered the election?” starting YEARS before the next presidential election, mind you.

and october 7 only made that clearer. i don’t think it had been a week before i saw these posts cropping up. can you not see how fucking ghoulish that is? to look at the rightful pain and anger of those whose relatives and communities are being slaughtered with active american support, to respond to one of the few pieces of agency most americans have in influencing what their governments do – their vote – by saying “yes but trump would be worse.” as if the primary people you’re lecturing – palestinians, muslims, arabs, black people, indigenous people, disabled people, other marginalized people – don’t remember exactly how bad it was under trump!

and even if you think not voting is an empty gesture – something i, who studied political science at a mainstream american lib college, who has worked as a field organizer on a previous democratic presidential campaign and for several policy campaigns, who currently works in public policy in america, used to believe, but have absolutely changed my mind on – what is in no way an empty gesture is saying publicly that you will not vote for someone. the arguments people usually have about why simply not voting is bad are that you can’t tell why someone is not voting, so it is as likely to be apathy or disenfranchisement as it is a political statement. but saying publicly that you will not vote for someone, and why you will not vote for them, absolutely is a political statement, and potentially a powerful one! but you choose to negate and/or ignore that by trotting out the “lesser of two evils” bullshit.

and then there’s the whole “yes but people will DIE under trump”. PEOPLE ARE DYING NOW. even if you’re fucking racist and have decided that palestinian lives don’t count, have you forgotten biden’s ongoing covid minimalism and dismantling of the CDC’s covid research and prevention infrastructure? have you forgotten his increase in spending for law enforcement scant years after the murder of george floyd and his administration's surveillance of protesters, including cop city protesters? have you forgotten his recent ramp-up in deportations of undocumented immigrants, including the active continuation of many trump-era policies?

maybe you have forgotten all those things and do purport to care about palestinians, but you just think that biden is doing his best to influence netanyahu and is getting nowhere! but then you must have forgotten all of the things that biden and his administration themselves have done to further this fucking genocide, including:

continuing to send arms to israel

putting together a military task force within days of yemen’s red sea blockade and attacking yemeni ships

bombing yemen

bombing syria

bombing iraq

vetoing three ceasefire resolutions at the united nations

testifying to defend israel and its genocide and occupation at the international court of justice

refusing to rescue palestinian-americans stuck in gaza

halting funding to the united nations relief and works agency for palestinian refugees (UNRWA) based on israeli claims that 12 of UNRWA’s over 30,000 staff were hamas agents, even though u.s. intelligence has not been able to independently verify this

lying that he’s personally seen photos of babies beheaded by hamas when he hadn’t because they didn’t exist (and even when his own staff cautioned him that reports of beheaded babies may not be credible)

questioning the number of palestinian deaths reported by the gaza ministry of health (when even israel has not questioned them, since they are in fact proud of those numbers)

perpetuating lies about hamas having committed the attack on al-aqsa hospital

questioning united nations reports of adults and children raped by israeli soldiers while claiming to have proof (that no one else has seen) of hamas doing the same

honestly so many more things that i can’t remember them all but others feel free to add

or maybe you haven’t forgotten any of that, and think that you’re still justified in lecturing people about why they should vote for biden, because you genuinely believe trump would still be worse. if that is the case, you have still failed to see that by saying you will vote for biden no matter what, you are part of the problem of biden continuing to act like this. because biden is counting on fear of trump to win him this next election no matter what else he does. despite his appalling polling numbers, despite the knowledge that he is losing the palestinian-american vote, the arab-american vote, the muslim-american vote, the black american vote, the youth vote – despite all of that, he is secure in the idea that he will still win because he is better than trump. can you not see how that allows him to act without impunity? how it becomes increasingly impossible for his base to influence what he’s doing if he thinks that they will be with him no matter what? this is how you make yourself complicit to biden’s actions, by not affording anyone even the slightest power to hold him accountable for anything.

and in most cases, the “hold your nose and vote for biden” thing is the response of people who aren’t even being instructed by others not to vote for biden. it is their response to people saying they themselves are choosing not to vote for biden. fucking ghoulish.

#fuck biden #u.s. politics #free palestine #genocide #covid #immigrant justice #prison abolition #police abolition #ableism #from the river to the sea palestine will be free

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

putting my prediction on record now that the coming decade is going to see the rise of viral-marketed fancy at-home water filtration systems, driving and driven by a drastic reduction in the quality of U.S. tap water (given that we are in a 'replacement era' where our current infrastructure is reaching the end of its lifespan--but isn't being replaced). also guessing that by the 2030s access to drinkable tap water will be a mainstream class issue, with low-income & unstably housed people increasingly forced to rely on expensive bottled water when they can't afford the up-front cost of at-home filtration--and with this being portrayed in media as a "moral failing" and short-sighted "choice," rather than a basic failure of our political & economic systems. really hope i'm just being alarmist, but plenty of this already happens in other countries, and the U.S. is in a state of decline, so. here's praying this post ages into irrelevance. timestamped April 2023

#apollo don't fucking touch this one #serious post #not a shitpost #hope i forget about this post and have no reason to ever look back on it one day #fyi i'm aware that access to potable water is already a major issue in parts of the U.S. yes i know flint michigan exists #i'm saying that this issue is going to GROW unless local & federal governments work together to fix it. #so it's a matter of if we trust them to fix it. And well--do you? #what are the chances the government just denies there's a problem until the water actually turns brown #at which point it's already been common knowledge for years and people have just become resigned and that's our new normal #i'm mean come on. how many of us already believe that we're being exposed to dangerous pollutants we don't know about and can't avoid #like that's pretty much just part of being a modern consumer. accepting that companies will happily endanger your life for a few pennies #and the most you'll get is like a $50 gift card as part of a class action rebate 20 years down the line #probably the history books will look back on Flint as a warning and a harbinger that went ignored #luxury condos will advertise their built-in top-of-the-line filtration systems--live here and you can drink water straight from your tap! #watch the elite professional class putting $700 dyson water filtration systems on their wedding registry #while the rest of us figure out how to fit water delivery into our grocery budget while putting 90% of our paycheck towards rent #also eggs are $15

[the-orange-shit-stain-scam]

On July 18th, 2015, I realized that the Republican Party had left me behind. On this day, while seeking the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump had the following to say about an Annapolis graduate who was shot down, captured and tortured as a POW by the communist North Vietnam regime:

“He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."

This verbal diarrhea came out of the mouth of a man who used his father’s wealth and privilege to dodge the draft five different times due to his “bone spurs”. Donald Trump is a traitor, a repeated draft dodger and the largest fraud in the history of our country.

#trump 2024 #donald trump #maga #make america great #maga republicans #2024 elections #maga 2024 #2024 presidential election #the orange shit stain scam #never trump #trump will be lethal to the u.s dont be fucking stupid #trump lies #us politics #us presidential election #pow #prisoner of war #naval aviator #naval aviation #vietnam war #draft dodgers #Donald Trump draft dodger #deep state #the lies of donald trump #trump is a threat to democracy #putin’s bitch #putin’s puppet #2024 election

[pixelkip]

i dont think im the first but oh well.

#shit didnt even work on some phones that were on silent (not supposed to happen) as far as im hearing and was 2 minutes early #so . good job finding a way to fuck it up as always U.S. government!! #loud sound wednesday #extremely loud sound wednesday #fema #emergency alert test

[nando161mando]

When you realize who the baddies are…

#u.s. healthcare system #usa #america #health #healthcare #healthcare system #australia #ausgov #politas #auspol #tasgov #taspol #joe biden #biden administration #president biden #biden #class war #fuck neoliberals #neoliberal capitalism #anthony albanese #albanese government #fascism #capitalism #statism #eat the rich #eat the fucking rich #government corruption #biden corruption #democrats are corrupt #political corruption

[deadpresidents]

Hypothetically what do you think would have happened if the january 6 rioters had gotten to pence or pelosi before they got safe?

At this point, I almost dread answering questions like this anymore because I know the kind of hate mail it will unleash for the next few days, but it's important to keep talking about what happened on January 6, 2021 since so many people are trying to normalize it. That includes many people whose lives were in danger that day, as well as the former President who tried to hold on to power by encouraging his supporters to launch a violent insurrection and is now referring to those who have been brought to justice for attempting a coup as "patriots" and "hostages".

I genuinely believe that there were people in that crowd who would have killed Vice President Pence, Speaker Pelosi, and certain Congressional leaders if they had reached them on January 6th. I think there are people in that crowd who were ready to hold lawmakers hostage. Why else did they have handcuffs and zip ties? To help the Capitol Police maintain order? (Oh yeah...that's right, thanks for reminding me: they violently attacked the police -- some even beat police officers with the "Blue Lives Matter" flags that they brought with them.) Now, I do not think that everybody who was at the Capitol on January 6th -- or even the majority of those who took part in the insurrection -- were willing to go that far. I think a lot of them got swept up in what was happening and went with the flow. That doesn't excuse what they did. The flow that they got swept up in was still a fucking insurrection, and anyone who took part in that deserves to be held accountable. But I think there were certain elements embedded throughout that crowd that were much more organized and prepared to fully execute their plans for a coup after disrupting the certification of the Electoral College votes.

I actually think Vice President Pence was probably in more danger than even Speaker Pelosi or some of the Democratic leaders because Trump was so actively calling him out in the days and hours before the insurrection. I think that's why Pence is so adamant now about not supporting Trump. I mean, think about how disgustingly loyal and subservient Pence was to Trump throughout those four years until basically the first few days of January 2021. But even as other Republican leaders are crumbling and offering their allegiance to Trump again in 2024, Pence is standing by his decision not to endorse or support Trump, and I think that's because he realizes that Trump absolutely almost got him (and his family, who were with him in the Capitol on that day) killed on January 6th. Shit, even Mitch McConnell has folded and endorsed Trump again despite the fact that Trump has spent the last three years not only insulting him but also making racist attacks and questioning McConnell's wife's loyalty to the United States all because Elaine Chao had the audacity to resign from Trump's Cabinet in the wake of the insurrection. Yet Mike Pence -- who spent the better part of four years following Trump around like Paul Heyman follows Roman Reigns...

...THAT same Mike Pence is steadfastly refusing to endorse Trump because he has personal experience about how real of an existential threat Trump is. Some of those people at the Capitol were very serious about following through on their chants to "Hang Mike Pence", and not only does Pence realize that, but he also knows now that Trump -- who refused to take actions that would have helped clear the Capitol more quickly -- said "he deserves it" when hearing about those chants.

That's what is so scary about the insurrection, its aftermath, and the Trump Republican Party's redefinition of what happened that day. It almost worked. They stormed the United States Capitol and invaded both chambers of Congress. They carried Confederate flags into the United States Capitol -- even the fucking Confederate States of America didn't successfully invade Washington, D.C. and plant their flag in the Capitol. They were willing to hurt and probably kill some of America's elected leaders. And the people who helped plan and instigate the events of January 6th have spent the three-plus years since then learning from their mistakes and figuring out how to be successful next time. And guess what? "Next time" is only a few months away.

#History #Insurrection #January 6 #January 6th Insurrection #Traitors #Donald Trump #President Trump #Mike Pence #Vice President Pence #2020 Election #Electoral College Certification #U.S. Capitol #Storming of the Capitol #Capitol Riot #Politics #MAGA Insurrection #Trumpism #Trump Cult #Congress #Shitshow at the Fuck Factory #I'm impressed by my own ability to squeeze a WWE reference into that answer

[fiercynn]

it's not that i'm inherently against the booping or w/e i like fun things too but. bisan called for a global strike and mass protests and the majority of people i've seen talking about it are palestinians, plus a handful of consistent allies, many of whom are disabled or unable to be out on the streets for various reasons so are trying their hardest to get others who can be out there. but my dash is only booping memes and even LESS discussion of this fucking genocide than usual, just a few days after land day and while al-shifa hospital has been decimated. why is it always fucking on palestinian folks to keep shouting into the void for their survival? like if you must boop can you not also at least also be sharing what palestinians are saying and telling us needs to be done to make sure they and their entire country and community and culture aren't fucking erased from the planet? it feels like so fucking little to ask

#it's also fucking the beginning of both genocide awareness month AND arab american heritage month in the u.s. #so i just can't get excited about april fool's. how about all these other april things. #free palestine #genocide #zionist colonization

[gxlden-angels]

Bro I hate fundamentalists and culturally-fundie parents they'll say shit like "spare the rod spoil the child am I right haha yea my parents used to have to beat my ass with a switch almost everyday but I sure did learn my lesson" but like??? no you didn't??? you were hit multiple times for something you very obviously did not, in fact, learn

Like studies about how harmful even lightly spanking children is aside, you're literally contradicting yourself?? Some even admitted they got worse as they got older cause they wanted to see how far they could push their parents before they got punished

And studies not aside, you're gonna get child raising advice from the same book that tells you to stone your wife if her hymen doesn't break on your wedding night instead of the decades of research we have now?? Just say you're a bad parent and move on my guy. Skill issue

#bro I had a coworker go 'unpopular opinion I think some kids really do need beatings' and I'm like???? #unprompted???? what's going on there???? #well anyways I ended up going 'yea so I plan on specializing in play therapy with autistic children so I've been learning about talking #to children and the ways their parents and environment affects them' #and they're like hmmm but beating this kid with a stick after they broke something or I upset them to the point of yelling is good actually #had a boss say it taught him and his kids respect cause they were hard-headed #and I'm like?? that's fear not respect! they fear punishment! they do not act out of respect for you! #he's a conservative christian black man tho so he's like 'But Authority!' like bro I don't even respect you what are you on about #'You don't respect police and their authority?' Nope! I fear them! I do not respect cops and every cop/cop-adjacent person I personally know #has reinforced that for me #'We'll agree to disagree' Cool! Doesn't mean you're not wrong! I could believe trees aren't real but that is in fact incorrect #then he pulled out the bible verse and I was like ah okay I forgot you like 'here's how to treat slaves' book you're so right bestie #I'm totally wrong now and so sorry for doubting you and your 2000+ year old book I don't believe in <3 #They'd go 'well I turned out fine!' then say something that directly contradicts that #anyways I need christians to get their grubby little hands off the current state of Child Protection and Rights in the U.S. #So we can actually start working on helping kids without the force of christian hands suffocating them #cause homeschooling and child raising by evangelicals are so fucked up bro I'm tired of this shit #I'd only stay in my current state to help children get out of that cycle since I'm in the bible belt #ex christian #religious trauma #child abuse tw

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

I simultaneously want to live a lifestyle where I can regularly afford to EXTRAVAGANTLY tip service workers, whilst also living in a world where topping culture is not normal or necessary because minimum wage laws do their damn jobs and actually allow all workers to comfortably support their selves & families without relying on the arbitrary "generosity" of entitled customers

#not a shitpost #anyway tipping is not the norm in many countries bc employers are held to a higher accountability re: liveable wages #and in the U.S. specifically tipping as a cultural norm is DIRECTLY descended from post-civil-war racism #I highly recommend googling that shit bc there are MUCH better sources than my dumb little blog #but basically i believe it arose in industries that employed (exploited) a large newly unenslaved black workforce #by offering service jobs that paid unethically low wages (to post-emancipation black americans with VERY few options/resources) #with the excuse that 'tips' would 'reward' good performance and make up the wage difference to 'deserving' workers #while actually it was a control tactic that enabled racist white customers to financially abuse underpaid black employees #keeping in mind that many white americans at this point resented the new legal right of former slaves to earn money and hold jobs at all #ANYWAY I'm rambling and I don't have a list of sources that's just a summary of stuff I remember reading #I apologize for any accidental misinformation this is why i normally stick to dumb clown biology horror posts #(the nose is the fruiting fungal body. honk it thrice to Release The Spores) #...no wait wait wait i thought i was done BUT: #it's no coincidence that tipping culture has continued predominantly in industries more likely to employ women and people of color #and people without access to higher education. because TIPPING IS FUNDAMENTALLY A FORM OF FINANCIAL ABUSE MEANT TO ENFORCE SOCIAL HIERARCHY #ok whew i think im done #oh P.S. LEAVE A FUCKING TIP for people who provide you services in industries where tipping is (unfortimatrly) standard #Yes even if they do a crap job. TIPS AREN'T A 'BONUS' for 'good performance' they're literally something exploited workers need to SURVIVE #you should be able to screw up occasionally at work without being terrified of being able to pay this month's bills #Humans are human. Which means we are DEEPLY FLAWED and IMMINENTLY DESERVING OF DIGNITY AND COMPASSION. #There i did it i summarized my personal core theology nobody asked for. and in entirely too wordy a process okay i am going to BED

[the-orange-shit-stain-scam]

Of the 44 former cabinet members who served in the Trump administration (each one “perfectly” hand picked by The Orange Shit Stain himself) only four of them are endorsing him in 2024. You don’t have to listen to even one liberal perspective to understand what DJT is really all about. Read up on what those 40 real conservatives have to say about their former boss. The man is as self absorbed of a narcissist as you will ever find. He will burn our country and your freedoms to the ground to protect his own lying shit covered ass.

#the orange shit stain scam #trump 2024 #donald trump #maga #the lies of donald trump #make america great #trump lies #2024 elections #are there any real republicans left #maga 2024 #2024 presidential election #us politics #trump will be lethal to the u.s dont be fucking stupid #trump is a traitor

[nikkisticki]

I keep an eye on Conservatives online, and let me tell you they are in three states:

1) Actually I think I'd quite like a dictatorship, then the persecution would be against those dirty [insert boogeyman]!

2) How could they take Trump off the Ballot for COMMITING AN INSURRECTION, he had to do that cause the vote was rigged!

3) Hey why is everyone so willing to destroy democracy for the sake of owning people?

I'll tell you right now 1 and 2 are a solid 90% of their comments and 3 is thinking about changing their mind to avoid being on the list.

Vote for Biden, you fucking morons!

#Biden #Trump #Election #Seriously though you fucking idiots Biden is in fact every bad buzzword you love to throw at him sure fine whatever i dont care #Trump will be lethal to the U.S dont be fucking stupid #You absolute fucking buffoon

[normal-with-adhd-is-a-joke]

I've seen several posts discussing the trade-offs of using a mobility aid, and how many mobility aids can cause health issues later on. While this is absolutely true, I want to emphasize something else very important.

It is not normal for your mobility aid to be causing you new-onset issues.

If you are experiencing new pain, muscle weakness, contracture, etc. it's important to look into it asap. Your doctor might have gone over possible issues and their danger levels at prescription or followup appointments for your aid, if they gave you educational material about these issues check that first. If you're experiencing an issue that you're not 100% sure is an expected (and safe enough to not be an emergency) side effect of use, get in touch with a doctor to make sure you're not having a fixable problem and/or a medical emergency. An occupational therapist was able to help me the most but depending on your condition and the issues you're experiencing you might benefit from a physical therapist or a specialist more. Another important thing of note:

Open pressure sores/bedsores are an emergency.

It can feel silly to go to the hospital for a small wound, but if they're not treated and you aren't repositioned to take pressure off the sore you could develop a bacterial infection and die. More than 24,000 people die from pressure sores every year. If you spend a lot of time in bed, sitting in the same place, or in a wheelchair/powerchair you need to learn to recognize the early signs of pressure sores and seek out ways to prevent them. There are special mattresses and cushions specifically for preventing sores. If you have paralysis or another condition that might mask pain you need to either check yourself regularly or have someone check you regularly for sores.

Less important but still good to think about, I recommend talking to someone who specializes in joints (i.e. an orthopedic doctor) about how you position yourself in a bed, couch, or chair if you spend a lot of time in one. Take a picture of your setup, bring it to them, and ask if there's anything more you can do to prevent joint or muscle injury.

#cpunk #cripplepunk #actually disabled #cripple punk #physically disabled #if you're in the U.S. and thinking ''how the fuck am I going to afford all these doctor visits'' I recommend medicaid if you can get it #most government programs are shit but medicaid is actually pretty good in a lot of places about covering care for disabled people #for me almost all of my visits have been covered including hospital visits which are a big expense if you're uninsured or underinsured

[crippled-peeper]

I may be a pathetic pile of shit but at least I don’t feel existentially threatened by starving children with disabilities living in tents like the super “brave” and “fearless” Israeli soldiers

#if you still think criticizing Israel is antisemitic get the fuck off my blog right now #Israeli soldiers 🤝 U.S. soldiers -> feeling existentially threatened by FUCKING INFANTS #the disgust I feel towards these people is atmospheric #if you are still trying to justify Israel’s genocidal behavior I cannot help you. Go play in traffic lol