#Have a friend like yemen

[gobcorend]

"How, then, does one become an activist?

The easy answer would be to say that we do not become activists; we simply forget that we are. We are all born with compassion, generosity, and love for others inside us. We are all moved by injustice and discrimination. We are all, inside, concerned human beings. We all want to give more than to receive. We all want to live in a world where solidarity and companionship are more important values than individualism and selfishness. We all want to share beautiful things; experience joy, laughter, love; and experiment, together."

--- On Palestine by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé

#yemen #free yemen #Help yemen #Have a friend like Yemen #And be a friend to Yemen #UN #united nations #Politics #israle #Food #hunger #humanitarian crisis #donate if you can #share #Tell the world #israel #we stand with palestine #palestine #us politics #LaunchGood #instagram #khaled beydoun #Rosypirani #quotes of the day #life qoute #quotes #book quotations #book quotes #activism #activist

[quasi-normalcy]

.

#so first of all i'm not jewish. #but i feel like i occupy a relatively weird position with respect to judaism. #because the neighbourhood in which i grew up was like...30-50% jewish? #it was jewish enough that the local families requested and got a hebrew immersion programme at the local elementary school #that operated in parallel to the english programme that i attended #and about half of my friends growing up were jewish. #and so i absorbed a lot of the surface-level details of the religion by a sort of osmosis #like...i knew the dates and significance of the various jewish holy days #and i knew a smattering of phrases in hebrew (phonetically); most of them apparently quite rude #and we occasionally did jewish religious songs in choir (some of them admittedly lifted from the 'Prince of Egypt' soundtrack) #and once when i was in high school i was on a trivia team; and we asked a run of questions about judaism; #and i was the only one who knew them even though (i swear to god) i was the non-Jewish player on either team #(and then when i was much older i almost married a jewish enby and i would even have tried to convert for them #but our relationship fell apart for unrelated reasons) #but one of the things that was drilled into me when i was growing up (by my dad who grew up under similar circumstances) #was that you don't criticise Israel; it's antisemitic to criticise Israel #(which made for a lot of fraught moments as a teenager given that i was watching the second Intifada on the news) #and the thing is even now in the face of what seems pretty unambiguously to be a genocide against the Palestinians #i find that i'm more circumspect about criticizing israel than i would be just about any other country under the same circumstances #like i was writing things like 'fuck saudi arabia' when they were murdering houthis in yemen #but 'fuck israel'? #even though a little harsh language is least of what that regime deserves #ugh #i feel like i'm privy to the death of a dream that was never even mine. #personal #religion

[ardentperfidy]

.

#lord grant me patience with some of the takes i've seen #like right off the bat #yemen has not been doing anything for the palestinian people #the houthi rebels have been launching missiles into shipping lanes not yemen #not to be a huge bitch but if you were so unaware of the civil war in yemen that has been going on for genuinely a decade #that you entirely conflate the two groups #and are out here talking about how yemen has been bravely taking on the western world in defense of palestine #i simply do not take you seriously on this topic!! #TWO you do not under any circumstances have to hand it to the houthis!! #listen no side of the yemeni civil war is the 'good guys' #and that includes the houthis!! who have been blockading taizz from water supplies and committing a litany of human rights violations #i NEED you all to develop the ability to hold more moral nuance than 'good guys and bad guys' or 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' #anyway i saw a post this morning saying that we stan yemen now and i have been internally screaming ever since

[stuhde]

i had shared what is happening in sudan on a long facebook post last night, but it virtually received almost little to no engagement or shares from the nearly 600 “friends” i have on the site.

this morning, my great-aunt was shot by the soldiers fighting for power, and God forbid, i lose more of my family members before eid this friday.

please read below to understand what is happening and how you can help my country. i hope the tumblr community can show more kindness than the lack of support and advocacy i’ve seen elsewhere.

يا رب اجعل هذا البلد آمناً 🇸🇩

the lack of awareness and advocacy from the African, Arab, and Muslim diaspora and the human rights community has been painful.

while Western media has done little to no coverage of the ongoing conflict in the capital city of my motherland, Sudan, it appears that the rest of the world also partakes in normalizing crimes and violence against SWANA people.

violence and war hurting the SWANA region are NOT ordinary occurrences — no one, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, religion, and gender, should experience the unprecedented amount of violence that harms my two living grandmothers, aunts and uncles, and baby cousins who live in Khartoum.

your decision to ignore reading or educating and discussing with others about what is likely to be a civil war is complicity in viewing SWANA people as individuals who regularly experience conflict and are undeserving of help.

the silence is damaging, and it is up to us as privileged members of the diaspora (or individuals living in the Western world committed to human rights) to support the people of my country and their dream for a stable, democratically elected government.

what is happening in Sudan is a fight that started on April 15 between two competing forces for power — the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — neither groups are representative of the needs of our people. The Sudan Army is loyal to the dictator, Omar Al-Bashir, and the RSF is responsible for the genocide in Darfur.

with both power struggles backed by different Arab and Gulf nations, the two parties have been fighting for power for the last few years. While they worked together to try and end the people’s revolution, they lost. however, they are now in a constant power play of who will get to rule the nation.

this all means that war is NOT a reflection of my country — violence does not represent the SWANA people. Sudan is a nation of beautiful culture, strong women, intellectual and influential Islamic scholars, poets, and youth at the front lines of the revolution. we are a people committed to a region of peace for ourselves and the rest of the Ummah.

my family and the rest of Sudan’s innocent civilians are at the most risk, with many currently without drinking water, food to eat, electricity, and complete blockage to any mosques during the final nights of Ramadan, our holiest month of the year.

i ask that you please keep Sudan and our people in your prayers — donate to the Sudan Red Crescent or a mutual aid GoFund Me, email your representatives if you live in a country that can put pressure on either competing force of power, discuss this with your family and friends, and please do not forget to think about SWANA people — our brothers and sisters in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and many others need our love and support.

الردة_مستحيلة ✊🏾

#KeepEyesOnSudan

#lama makes a monologue #tw: war #tw: death #tw: violence #tw: gun mention #KeepEyesOnSudan #keep eyes on sudan #sudan coup #SudanCoup #sudan #sudan crisis #SWANA #MENA #north africa #middle east #current events #news #war #violence #long reads #long post #Sudan_Update #sudan update

[themilfking]

It's the end of the year and I need to make some more charitable donations. Could you suggest a few good organizations?

Hey! Its so nice that you're willing and able to do this. I'll recommend some that I have personally used/donated to: Islamic Relief: I donate to their efforts every year. They're raising for Palestine, Yemen, Philippines, Afghanistan and so much more. I like their level of transparency, especially around the operational issues in getting aid to places like Palestine and how they prepare for such scenarios.

E-sims for Gaza: Israel has cutoff all internet, cellular, and landline services in Gaza. This has made communication in/out of Gaza extremely difficult and so Mirna El-Helbawi decided to set up this amazing program to get e-sims in the hands of journalists and people so they can maintain comms with the outside world. I have personally sent numerous e-sims and suggest Simly's app. Its super easy to use and you can have insight into when the e-sim is activated and used. Note: please read the instructions in the link before purchasing/sending the qr code. SAPA: The Sudanese American Physicians Association directly operates hospitals on the ground in Sudan. They offer essential/life saving healthcare services on the ground as well as an amazing hunger relief program. They're also very transparent and have been operating on the ground since the 90s.

Save the Children, Friends of the Congo, and World Food Program are some other great/trusted charities to donate to.

#hope this helps

[scarz-xo]

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I'm honestly a very single person so I tend to spend that day appreciating my cat, my friends & my family.

As you spend Valentine's Day tomorrow please appreciate everyone around you & the privilege of getting to do so cause as we have that privilege right now the Palestinians don't, wives died, husbands died, fiancés and fiancées, boyfriends and girlfriends & if you're like me with no significant other to appreciate, then you get the privilege of still having your pets cause some of the Palestinians like Bisan who lost her cat, you get to appreciate your parents, your family including your children if you have any.

Valentine's Day is a privilege that we have that the Palestinians lack, as you order a heart-shaped item of food tomorrow remember the hunger and famine going on in both Palestine & Yemen, and remember that Israel bombed not once or twice but so many times the flour & water Palestinians were gonna use, remember the countries bombing Yemen which is one of the most poor countries who was dealing with famine from the start for standing by Palestine and refusing entry for ships heading to Israel.

Valentine's Day is a privilege we have that Palestinians, Yemenis, Sudanese & Congolese lack.

#palestine #israel #gaza #free palestine #israel is a terrorist state #genocide #ethnic cleansing #israel is an apartheid state #yemen #congo #sudan #valentines day

[theredqueenandthebloodwyrm]

I see we’re just reposting things without sources for some reason?? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s because the tweet used the magic word “Zionist” which is taken to be “irredeemably evil and vile person”. For context, the context which that tweet purposely left out (and yeah I’m going to say it’s fucking purposeful) is this article by the NPR. Inside this article the allegedly pro-Palestine posts on social media were fucking videos of the Hamas on October 7th. So, yeah if you’re reposting antisemitic stuff (blatantly antisemitic too), fuck you.

The images that came out of Israel on October 7 were brutal and graphic, and the images coming out of Gaza for months now are constant, also brutal and horrific. All this violence is being shared on social media, and as KQED's Lesley McClurg reports, that's affecting the mental health of Americans with loved ones in Gaza and in Israel. A warning - this story contains descriptions of violence. LESLEY MCCLURG, BYLINE: Some of the footage Shoshana Howard (ph) saw on social media months ago still haunts her. A video appears to show a Hamas fighter pulling an Israeli hostage from the trunk of a jeep. CNN aired a clip of the video. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Her face is bleeding, and her wrists appear to be cable-tied behind her back. MCCLURG: It looks like blood is seeping through the back of the woman's sweatpants. SHOSHANA HOWARD: And that broke me - and then seeing friends calling it liberation. MCCLURG: Howard, who is Jewish, couldn't believe people she knew were writing comments online that, to her, felt inhumane and anti-Jewish. HOWARD: That's when I started to have night terrors, and I was ending my days going into my closet and just would cry. MCCLURG: She couldn't stop thinking about her cousins living in Israel. As the days passed, it became harder to focus on her life and work in Oakland. HOWARD: Like, I just was so fragile. MCCLURG: And then recently, she felt shamed by a friend who told her her grief doesn't matter when so many Palestinians are suffering.

Is it “making the argument” to point out the hypocrisy of saying the Houthis (a terror organization) are protecting international laws and human rights when there’s documented evidence of Houthis perpetrating slavery, diverting humanitarian aid, and so on? Or you know, is it providing necessary context that readers might want to know?

And the comments below that tweet are awful (with a few exceptions rightfully pointing out accuracy of said community note and how slavery is in fact bad).

Antisemitic Tweet #1: This is what all community notes have become now. Total Zionist propaganda machine.

Antisemitic Tweet #2: There's been an influx of "community notes" that are clearly just people trying to protect the narrative.

Antisemitic Tweet #3: It's like the Israeli Bot accounts that change the community notes to favor Israel.

Already reblogged multiple posts explaining what's wrong with the Houthis with sources attached, so linking those now to save space (rather than adding ten different links).

This? This is what you say on October 7th, 2023?

Shaun: Lot of reaping being condemned by the sowers today. Shaun (cont.): I'm talking about politicians who stridently oppose all options except those which lead to violence and then act shocked violence occurs. Their condemnations of violence are worthless while they ignore their hand in the apartheid causing it.

October 7th was an attack against civilians where hostages were taken, people were murdered, people who advocated for peace were harmed, killed, and so on.

I also noticed a tweet not too far down from that one which said the following:

Lots of people in these comments very mad that Palestinians aren't being victims of occupation in the right and proper way.

No, people are mad about civilians being massacred and taken as hostages by a terrorist organization. The lack of empathy is something.

#antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #shaunvids #I feel stupid that I didn't know this until now

[1americanconservative]

Hundreds of Jewish students at

@Columbia just published one of the most incredible student letters I have ever read. It's not only magnificently written, but it also clearly articulates their experiences on campus for the past six months. Their letter tells the story of what's it like being a Jewish student right now better than any professor like myself could ever do. Please take 4-5 minutes to read their letter. Give Jewish students a voice.

In Our Name: A Message from Jewish Students at Columbia University

To the Columbia Community:

Over the past six months, many have spoken in our name. Some are well-meaning alumni or non-affiliates who show up to wave the Israeli flag outside Columbia’s gates. Some are politicians looking to use our experiences to foment America’s culture war. Most notably, some are our Jewish peers who tokenize themselves by claiming to represent “real Jewish values,” and attempt to delegitimize our lived experiences of antisemitism. We are here, writing to you as Jewish students at Columbia University, who are connected to our community and deeply engaged with our culture and history. We would like to speak in our name.

Many of us sit next to you in class. We are your lab partners, your study buddies, your peers, and your friends. We partake in the same student government, clubs, Greek life, volunteer organizations, and sports teams as you.

Most of us did not choose to be political activists. We do not bang on drums and chant catchy slogans. We are average students, just trying to make it through finals much like the rest of you. Those who demonize us under the cloak of anti-Zionism forced us into our activism and forced us to publicly defend our Jewish identities.

We proudly believe in the Jewish People’s right to self-determination in our historic homeland as a fundamental tenet of our Jewish identity. Contrary to what many have tried to sell you – no, Judaism cannot be separated from Israel. Zionism is, simply put, the manifestation of that belief.

Our religious texts are replete with references to Israel, Zion, and Jerusalem. The land of Israel is filled with archaeological remnants of a Jewish presence spanning centuries. Yet, despite generations of living in exile and diaspora across the globe, the Jewish People never ceased dreaming of returning to our homeland — Judea, the very place from which we derive our name, “Jews.” Indeed just a couple of days ago, we all closed our Passover seders with the proclamation, “Next Year in Jerusalem!”

Many of us are not religiously observant, yet Zionism remains a pillar of our Jewish identities. We have been kicked out of Russia, Libya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Poland, Egypt, Algeria, Germany, Iran, and the list goes on. We connect to Israel not only as our ancestral homeland but as the only place in the modern world where Jews can safely take ownership of their own destiny. Our experiences at Columbia in the last six months are a poignant reminder of just that.

We were raised on stories from our grandparents of concentration camps, gas chambers, and ethnic cleansing. The essence of Hitler’s antisemitism was the very fact that we were “not European” enough, that as Jews we were threats to the “superior” Aryan race. This ideology ultimately left six million of our own in ashes.

The evil irony of today’s antisemitism is a twisted reversal of our Holocaust legacy; protestors on campus have dehumanized us, imposing upon us the characterization of the “white colonizer.” We have been told that we are “the oppressors of all brown people” and that “the Holocaust wasn’t special.” Students at Columbia have chanted “we don’t want no Zionists here,” alongside “death to the Zionist State” and to “go back to Poland,” where our relatives lie in mass graves.

This sick distortion illuminates the nature of antisemitism: In every generation, the Jewish People are blamed and scapegoated as responsible for the societal evil of the time. In Iran and in the Arab world, we were ethnically cleansed for our presumed ties to the “Zionist entity.” In Russia, we endured state-sponsored violence and were ultimately massacred for being capitalists. In Europe, we were the victims of genocide because we were communists and not European enough. And today, we face the accusation of being too European, painted as society’s worst evils – colonizers and oppressors. We are targeted for our belief that Israel, our ancestral and religious homeland, has a right to exist. We are targeted by those who misuse the word Zionist as a sanitized slur for Jew, synonymous with racist, oppressive, or genocidal. We know all too well that antisemitism is shapeshifting.

We are proud of Israel. The only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is home to millions of Mizrachi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern descent), Ashkenazi Jews (Jews of Central and Eastern European descent), and Ethiopian Jews, as well as millions of Arab Israelis, over one million Muslims, and hundreds of thousands of Christians and Druze. Israel is nothing short of a miracle for the Jewish People and for the Middle East more broadly.

Our love for Israel does not necessitate blind political conformity. It’s quite the opposite. For many of us, it is our deep love for and commitment to Israel that pushes us to object when its government acts in ways we find problematic. Israeli political disagreement is an inherently Zionist activity; look no further than the protests against Netanyahu’s judicial reforms – from New York to Tel Aviv – to understand what it means to fight for the Israel we imagine. All it takes are a couple of coffee chats with us to realize that our visions for Israel differ dramatically from one another. Yet we all come from a place of love and an aspiration for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

If the last six months on campus have taught us anything, it is that a large and vocal population of the Columbia community does not understand the meaning of Zionism, and consequently does not understand the essence of the Jewish People. Yet despite the fact that we have been calling out the antisemitism we’ve been experiencing for months, our concerns have been brushed off and invalidated. So here we are to remind you:

We sounded the alarm on October 12 when many protested against Israel while our friends’ and families’ dead bodies were still warm.

We recoiled when people screamed “resist by any means necessary,” telling us we are “all inbred” and that we “have no culture.”

We shuddered when an “activist” held up a sign telling Jewish students they were Hamas’s next targets, and we shook our heads in disbelief when Sidechat users told us we were lying.

We ultimately were not surprised when a leader of the CUAD encampment said publicly and proudly that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and that we’re lucky they are “not just going out and murdering Zionists.”

We felt helpless when we watched students and faculty physically block Jewish students from entering parts of the campus we share, or even when they turned their faces away in silence. This silence is familiar. We will never forget.

One thing is for sure. We will not stop standing up for ourselves. We are proud to be Jews, and we are proud to be Zionists.  

We came to Columbia because we wanted to expand our minds and engage in complex conversations. While campus may be riddled with hateful rhetoric and simplistic binaries now, it is never too late to start repairing the fractures and begin developing meaningful relationships across political and religious divides. Our tradition tells us, “Love peace and pursue peace.” We hope you will join us in earnestly pursuing peace, truth, and empathy. Together we can repair our campus.

[anarchotolkienist]

What are the Americans going to do to Yemen that their best friends in Saudi Arabia haven't already done? How are you going to bomb them into submission when there's nothing left to bomb? America and the UK will not win. They might succeed at opening the canal for a while, at a horrific human cost and while dramatically escalating the risk for a full-scale regional war, but they will not win. They will have to fully occupy Yemen, because bombing will not work for what they want, they will not open the canal that way, and they will lose that war. It will take years, but they will lose, just like they lost Iraq and Afghanistan. This will lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths, and the Americans won't even achieve their long-term aims. The death-throes of Empire will crush many under it - we can only hope and pray (and work towards) that it dies faster.

Anyway, and as always, death to America.

[mogai-sunflowers]

the more I get involved in community activism, the more I’m realizing that being aromantic is not going to sentence me to loneliness.

when I’m surrounded by hundreds of people wearing keffiyehs just like me, I’m not alone. When I’m giving a speech in front of a crowd of people who are waving Palestinian flags, I’m not alone. When I’m texting my Palestine gc giving them tips to stay safe at a national march, I’m not alone. when i am completely by myself, I am still not alone because I have community and solidarity.

queerness challenges the idea that traditional family and romance are the only ways for connection. last year, I was surrounded by friends dating and forgetting me once they started dating, and I was miserable because I thought I’d always be alone. Now I realize I never was

so for me, activism and community work are not just my passion, they are my social outlet and they are the absence of my loneliness. just aro anarchosocialist things <222

anyways free Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, the Congo, and all occupied people!

#🌌when the stars align ; reigns rambles🌌 #solidarity #palestine #free palestine #anarchist #aro #aromantic #queer anarchy #queer #queer pride

[fairuzfan]

not to minimise what trump has done. he is… terrible in every which way. but… why is there a comparison between trump’s reign vs biden’s? biden is endorsing genocide openly and proudly and bypassing congress or whatever to send israel ammunition.

how is he still “the lesser evil?”

i think if people started comparing, you’d have to acknowledge that nothing trump’s done comes close to what biden is doing. especially not on a global scale. and that’s really just a pointless conversation to begin with. biden’s current political policies have led to the murder of 30,000+ people. i don’t think anyone should be comparing him to trump or forming hypotheticals when the reality is that biden is killing people. he doesn’t deserve a vote because he’s killing people. how can anyone live with themselves by endorsing a war criminal so blatantly?

i feel like this entire conversation kind of shows just how unaware americans are of their own politics and of the world outside of the US. how is this the conversation you’re having? how is this even a point to argue? especially with a palestinian who’s people and family and friends are being murdered with biden’s backing. why is nobody focusing on insisting for better candidates instead of the whole biden vs trump argument?

i mean trump did still do terrible things in yemen and syria, i dont think we should forget that but biden perpetuated a lot of that and didn't end it. but now we're looking at the darfur genocide, the continued sanctions on syria, palestinian genocide, armenian expulsion, and just so many other things. And that's just in swana and south eastern europe!

biden expanded the border wall, kept the concentration camps in the south, basically got rid of masking policy leading to the death of thousands, and just so much more. like what?! how is he "lesser" like honestly honestly, how is he lesser of an evil. he did this shit and feels no regret for any of it. so no i don't think anyone in the democratic party is a "lesser evil" i think they sat by while all this stuff happened and continue to sit by. so is it better that they're able to put on pretenses??

[gobcorend]

"Hence (If you will not misunderstand me) the exquisite arbitrariness and irresponsability of this love. I have no duty to be anyone's Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow of necessity. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival"

-- C.S. Lewis

#gaza strip #yemen #palestine #free gaza #free palestine #freepalastine🇵🇸 #ceasefire #we stand with palestine #israel #usa news #usa #Have a friend like Yemen #america #frindship #quotes of the day #quotes #c.s. lewis #gaza #us politics #phrases #Phrases of the day #instagram

[nonaverage]

I'm sorry that this is darker than something I would usually post, but I've been meaning to get this out of my chest for a while now.

I just want to let everyone know that the genocide against Palestine is one of the only things that have genuinely made me sick to my stomach, full on nausea inducing. And I am not one to get this feeling about an event that much. The paid ads at the Super Bowl yesterday while Israel was bombing Rafah, which was a safe spot according to Israel. The starvation, the stripping, the amount of kids dead, the amount of /people/ dead. The genocide in general. It's all sick. It's all fucking terrible. I feel sorry for all the Palestinian children and the Palestinian adults. This is so fucked up. More than fucked up.

There is so much more that I can mention, like Hind and the targeting of doctors and journalists, the bombs disguised as food cans. The bombings of hospitals. The fact that this has been going on for SEVERAL years, not just since October 7th.

Don't stop talking about Palestine, please. Help out as much as you can. Spread the word. Tell your family, friends, anyone you know.

If you want to hear more about this from me, I made a blog for this since this blog is a generally more light-hearted one. Go to @average02 for more info from me, but there are also more blogs out there with better info.

Free Palestine, free Gaza, and free Sudan and Yemen

#free palestine #free gaza #free yemen #free sudan #fuck israel #sorry i brought this on my blog #but i couldnt /not/ mention it #palestine #gaza #gaza strip #temporary pinned

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Douglas Murray

Published: May 21, 2024

THE President of Iran died at the weekend in a helicopter accident – news that the BBC marked with the headline “President Ebrahim Raisi’s mixed legacy in Iran”.

“Mixed legacy” is an interesting way to sum up the life of someone better known as the “Butcher of Tehran”.

Raisi rose through the ranks of the revolutionary Islamic Government that overthrew the Shah in 1979.

And he made his name in the usual revolutionary Islamic way.

By killing his political opponents — including the leftists who the regime rounded up, imprisoned and murdered by the thousands in their jails.

Some of the obituaries have noted that Raisi helped speed up the backlog of trials in Iran.

That is true. He did it in the same way Stalin did — by killing his opponents fast.

The United Nations noted his passing in its own unique way.

At the Security Council, the member States were invited to stand and observe a minute’s silence for Raisi.

Those taking part shamefully included our own deputy ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki.

At the same time, Iranians were letting off fireworks and handing out sweets in their own streets.

There has been more mourning at the United Nations than there has been in Iran.

Perhaps that is because the Iranian people are the first ones who have had to suffer under the cruel rule of President Raisi.

It was on his watch that students and others who have protested against his regime have been abducted, tortured and killed.

It is Raisi’s regime which has overseen the harshest rule of Islamic law — which includes the hanging of women who have been raped.

That’s right. If you are a woman who has been raped in Iran, you are the culprit.

And you will be the one that is hanged.

Are the women who suffered that horror worth a minute’s silence at the UN? I would have said so.

Is their hangman? I’d have said not. Yet the UN and others continued with this gross spectacle.

Today, the organisation flew its flags at half-mast at its HQ in New York.

How morally sick can an organisation be?

We seem to have come to the stage where international bodies, as well as some sick people at home, will love anyone so long as that person hates us.

And Raisi and his foreign minister, who died with him, certainly did hate us.

Theirs is a regime which has, for 44 years, called for “Death to America” and “Death to the UK”.

It is a regime which has caused a numberless loss of lives inside Iran and in the wider region.

It is a regime which has been trying to expand its power in its own region and whose assassins have made it as far as New York and London.

Only last month, a member of the Iranian opposition was stabbed outside his house in London.

Almost certainly by assassins sent to the UK by the government in Iran.

All the time, Raisi and his friends have tried to make their regime invincible by gaining a nuclear weapon.

So far they have had that project delayed many times.

But they still seek the bomb and are one of the very few regimes on Earth that has said they would like to use it.

We should take them at their word.

It is the regime in Iran that has, for years, funded and trained terrorists across the region and indeed the world.

‘Mass slaughter’

In October last year, when Hamas terrorists broke into Israel and carried out the largest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, it was Iran which backed them.

It is Iran that has funded Hamas. It is Iran that has trained Hamas. And it is Iran that has armed Hamas.

Just as they have also trained, funded and armed their other terrorist groups.

Notably in Yemen. Where Iran’s Houthi friends have fired missiles and attacked British ships.

But also in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, where Iran’s weapons have killed British and American soldiers.

And that is before even getting on to the 150,000 missiles Iran has helped Hezbollah store up in southern Lebanon.

Or the drones and other munitions it has been giving to Vladimir Putin’s Russia as he tries to overrun Ukraine.

All of his foul life, Raisi hoped to start and win a massive regional war.

Why should the man who oversaw all this and very much more be given any respect?

You might say it makes political sense to keep doors open — as most of our Foreign Office seems to think.

But it is quite another thing to mourn, or lament, the passing of this man.

The BBC, Foreign Office and United Nations may not know what a tyrant is. But the Iranian people do.

If only we could show that we are on their side.

We could start by showing that we are also on our own.

==

Good fucking riddance. The Earth is a better place with him as a splatter stain upon it.

#Douglas Murray #Ebrahim Raisi #Butcher of Tehran #The Butcher of Tehran #islamic republic of iran #iran #islamic republic #iranian regime #iran revolution #iranian revolution #woman life freedom #free iran #islam #islamic regime #religion is a mental illness

[agust-june]

Let's talk about KIM DOYOUNG...

I just came here to say if I CATCH yall defending Doyoung out here it's blocked on fucking site. I need yall Ncitzens and Kpop stans to STAND THE FUCK UP.

Out here posting pictures of ugly ass snowmen with MCDONALDS BS. GFTOFH. I saw this yesterday but Koreaboo pissed me off and these tweets of these fucking weirdos made me mad. So imma talk about it here.

Imma post screen shots of tweets and for those of you that are clearly not assholes or not delusional, let's point and laugh.

Fuck the first tweet bc though he is not supposed to be making political statement. That's what he's doing. And I will drop that man like a trash bag into the dumpster. The SECOND TWEET FUCK KIM DOYOUNG'S FEELINGS. Fuck him what about the feelings of the Palestinian fans that he has? What about the people you are actively dying from bombs? starvation? Dehydration? What about them? Out here actively making SNOW MEN using McDonald's shit FUCK HIM. AND FUCK YOU TOO WEIRD ASS BITCH.

The first tweet here. It's not about his family or friends. Doyoung is in the public posting pictures of McDonald's snowmen. He's fucking weird. And if we find out about his family and Friends they can get the smoke too. They ain't special. The last tweet on the bottom...yall spend too much online into kpop. I need people to be educated and up-to-date in the world bc what do you mean does that country exists??? I need people to WAKE UP GO TO FUCKING SCHOOL OR GET HOBBIES OUTSIDE OF KPOP PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

We knew SM wasn't shit. We knew. Doyoung, I am not shocked he's in SM. I like to give people chances but once you fuck up you fuck up. And THIS??? Oh baby you lucky SM needs you for they check which is why I will not be supporting Doyoung and I will give you the Wendy treatment bye bitch.

Hell isn't hot enough. That's all imma say.

On that note, I want to add that as a K-pop fan and Ncitizen, I am greatly disappointed, but I am not surprised. I had a FEELING someone in NCT was gonna do this bs. For once, I was hoping to be proven wrong. But that hoes to show you... we don't know these groups. He isn't the only one supporting these companies. Other idols are, too.

Here's some links to other idols

I also want to note that I will be taking my Doyoung post down even though it had Johnny in it. I'm clutching my pearls like a southern white woman and leaving. I can't get rid of the merch I bought, especially my DoJaeJung albums, but I won't be buying anymore. I understand some of these idols are under contract. For example, New Jeans they have a contract with Coca-Cola, and they just had a meal with McDonald's. That I completely understand. But ACTIVELY spending money to McDonald's and Starbucks and posting it!?!? Nah, you gotta go. Idc who you are. I don't care you have godly teir vocals you're done. It's not that hard to TRY to do something good. I am actively avoiding Starbucks, McDonald's, actively staying up to date on what's going on in the world. It's not just Palestine. It's Congo. Sudan. Yemen. If I can do all of that work a job. Go to school. Watch One Piece (an anime that actively talks about corrupt governments, genocide, war, propaganda, etc). Kim fucking Doyoung and other kpop idols can do it too. They just don't care and want to keep rolling their checks (he probably need to with that pocket change he probably getting). I AM BEGGING yall K-pop stans who still don't get it to STAND UP. Get a life. Read a fucking book. Because yall look dumb as hell, and I'm sorry, but my EGO MY PRIDE will not allow me to be dumb and continue to turn a blind eye when I know people are dying in a genocide. And for those of you saying "well just educate the idol." Baby, there's a reason why college is for adults, and it's not a mandatory if grown adults want to make the choice to learn they'll do it. These idols are GROWN it's not my job to educate adults who are older than me, and it shouldn't be your job either, especially FOR FREE.

I hope yall have a good day today, and I hope yall stay safe out there!

#black kpop stans #nct 127 #kim doyoung smut #june talks #dojaejung #doyoung nct

[myysweeterplace]

Ruin The Friendship

Summary : When your best friend Austin Butler comes back into town after shooting for Elvis for almost two years, you plan a big night of catching up for the both of you. But the night takes a wild turn as alcohol makes suppressed feelings of attraction bubble up to the surface during a game of ‘truth or dare’.

Pairing : Austin Butler x reader

Warning(s) : fluff, kissing, ice-play (?), alcohol consumption, besties to lovers, suggestive language, mention of 18+ activities, this is pretty tame tbh, might make a part 2 (?)

Featuring : Ashley Tisdale, mentions of Elvis Presley

Author’s note : the reader is intended to be neutral, not of any specific race or colour, or size. Future stories I write may not have that distinction, always check at the top before proceeding to read. Thanks :)

•*’~•~’*’~•~’*’~•’*•

“Aus! I missed you!” I leapt towards my best friend of ten years after not seeing him for nearly two years. His work ethic has got him where he is today, but sometimes it was a real pain. I couldn’t believe I’d survived nearly 20 consecutive months without seeing my best friend in real time — face time and phone calls could only do so much!

“Have you gotten shorter?” He chuckled against my shoulder, still lifting me up by my thighs as I remained latched onto him. I laughed at his stupid joke. I missed his stupid jokes.

“I swear, you’re tinier everytime I see you,”

“It’s not my fault you’re a tree,” I giggled, as he put me down.

“What’ve you planned for me tonight?”

“Lots of drinking,” I began listing, “of course,” he retorted, “lots of talking,” I continued, “and lots of food,” I slung my arm around his shoulder, carrying his bag up to my apartment with the other, “sounds perfect,” he chuckled.

Once Austin and I had freshened up, and Austin had taken a not-very long but much-needed nap (after me nagging him to rest and him declining before eventually giving in), we finally set out all of Austin’s favourite “American” food and sat down to feast and just be in each other’s company.

“You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed these,” he mumbled between large bites, moaning at the taste of a cheese burger. I laughed, “you went to Australia, not Yemen,” I said, referencing the most random and far-away country I could think of off the top of my head. “Every fast food aficionado knows that not all cheese burgers taste the same,”

“Close your mouth when you chew,” I giggled, using a napkin to dab his mouth, that was covered in sauce and chopped up lettuce. He was such a child sometimes.

“What else did you miss?” I asked.

“You,” he said with no hesitation and I felt a little flutter in my tummy, a bit unfamiliar but not entirely out of the realm of possibility with the two of us. Our families were convinced that we were dating despite how many times we told them ‘no way, ew’, and our friends all placed bets on how long it would take for us to realize we’re in love with each other. We’d laugh and they’d laugh and we’d move on from it like it never happened. And we liked it that way. I wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of how close Austin and I are. Despite the heat that rose to my cheeks every time he stared me down and gave me his undivided attention. Despite the butterflies in my core every time he said my name a little too softly. And despite the confusing feelings that have only grown in all this time away from him.

“And my family, of course, Ash, Dad, Calum, my nieces, other Ashley,” he chuckled, “I missed being able to order Chinese food at 3 in the morning, and taking the subway to see plays any day of the week, I even missed seeing garbage everywhere at one point,” I laughed, but then he went quiet. “I just got so alone,” he whispered at last, and I felt my stomach sink.

I couldn’t begin to fathom what Austin had been through. There were countless nights when I’d wake up to a call with Austin in tears or his voice broken with how exhausted he was. He put so much pressure on himself to embody Elvis Presley, and completely put his own life on pause for three years in the process. He poured his heart, soul, and body into being Elvis, and the world would soon get to see just how hard he worked.

I placed my hand on his, brushing it slightly with my thumb, “I’m glad you’re back Aus,”

Neither of us realized when the party transitioned from fast food and heavy talks to drinking and dancing but neither of us complained. Austin was singing along to Polk Salad Annie while twirling me around and I was giggling at the sounds coming from Austin. Many people believed Austin changed who he is to be Elvis, but he’d always been an old soul, and that combined with his newly found confidence was just a sight to behold. He was glowing. I was so happy for him.

“What’re you smiling at?”

“Nothing,” I giggled.

“C’mon, tell me,”

“It’s nothing,” I said defensively, and Austin stopped dancing abruptly, pulling me towards himself. His eyes were mischievous and I knew what he was up to.

“I know how to get it out of you,” he rasped, teasingly, and I struggled to get out of his grasp.

“Austin, don’t!”

“I’m not doing anything,” he chuckled, “yet,” he added, grinning.

“Austin, please, it’s so stupid, we’re grown now!” I said, my voice getting higher the closer he got. Austin gripped my waist in his hands, and began tickling me gently, and I squirmed in his hold, my body on fire.

“Austin! Stop, please!” I laughed. He laughed too, “tell me what you were smiling about,”

“It’s-ahaha-it’s not that serious!”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem telling me,”

“Aus!” I giggled, “I hate you!”

“Oh, yeah?” He feigned being offended, only tickling me harder and I walked backwards to get away from him, until my back hit the cold wall, and I had nowhere to escape. I pushed against his chest and he grabbed my wrists, halting all my movements. We stopped grinning, and it went silent, the atmosphere changing within seconds.

“You don’t hate me,” he whispered, pinning my wrists against the wall, beside my head.

“I couldn’t,” I said, just as quietly, no longer struggling against his hold.

He swallowed thickly, eyeing me up and down, and I realized the alcohol was getting too strong for the both of us.

I gently pulled my wrists from his grasp, and he let me, loosening his strong hold to let me walk past him whilst avoiding his gaze.

It became a little quiet after the little incident. Austin and I continued drinking, but we weren’t talking as much, and the silence was killing me. “Aus,” I called, “I’m bored,”

Austin leaned his head back against the couch, “what d’you wanna do?”

I thought about it for a moment, “how about 20 questions?”

“Oh yeah, sure,” he grinned cheekily, “I didn’t realize we were 12,” he retorted. I lightly punched his arm, “fine! You pick something,”

“How about truth or dare?”

“Cause that’s for grown ups, right?” I teased. Austin rolled his eyes, “c’mon, truth or dare?”

“Hm...truth,”

“Okay,” he gave it some thought before asking, “What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve done while drunk?”

I buried my face in my hands, “oh god. Freshman year of college, I was fooling around with one of my best friends and I tripped while we were kissing and fell face first on my bed and the door was open so everyone out in the hall saw,”

“Oh, lord have mercy, that’s brutal,” he chuckled. “Which best friend?”

“Nu-uh, you only get one truth. Truth or dare?”

“Truth,”

“Ugh, bore,” I giggled, “have you ever kissed a guy?”

Austin smirked, “do you want a simple ‘yes or no’ or a list of names?”

My eyes widened, “Austin Robert Butler!”

He chuckled, “it was college, we were drunk every other weekend, and straight guys that are secure in themselves will literally kiss anyone,” he explained. I bit my lip and laughed out loud despite my attempts to hold back. “That’s amazing,”

“Anyway,” he chuckled sheepishly, turning slightly red, “truth or dare?”

“Dare,”

“Ooh, wrong move,” he smirked, “I dare you to perform your most sexy choreography in front of me,”

“No way,” I said right away, a song coming to mind already.

“C’mon, don’t be such a baby,”

“Oh, so you think I’m a baby?” I said, standing up, and queueing up Expectations by Lauren Jauregui. Austin stared up at me in amusement and surprise, and I swayed my hips side to side as the music played. And I didn’t know where it came from, this confidence in me to dance exactly like Lauren had done in the guitar bridge of the song, but I did it, and I did it well. I went on my knees and crawled towards him; I twisted and turned along to the beat; and I flicked my hair in all the right directions. All while Austin gaped at me, his mouth parted and breathing heavy as he watched me silently. When the song ended, I was standing directly in front of Austin, and he rose up from his seat on the couch, looking at me with an unfamiliar look. “What?” I asked, slightly embarrassed now that it became silent. He simply shook his head, “you’re amazing,” he whispered. My cheeks were heated and I didn’t know where to look, so I went back to my seat on the couch, “truth or dare, Austin?”

“Fuck it, dare,”

“Right after giving me that? You’re asking for a tough one,” Austin blushed, bringing his hands to cover his face in that adorable way he often does. And I saw a peak at Austin’s lower stomach with his white shirt risen and wrinkled. I averted my gaze to the table before us and my eyes met my bucket of ice cubes. My impulses were getting the best of me, and I knew I shouldn’t have taken that last shot, but we were too drunk to remember any of this tomorrow anyway, so I said the first thing that came to me. “I dare you to ... let me melt an ice cube anywhere on your body.”

Austin blushed more, shaking his head, “that’s enough tequila for you,”

“Don’t be such a baby,” I reiterated, grinning.

Austin bit his bottom lip, “fine, do it,”

“You serious?”

“Mh-hm, melt an ice cube...” he smirked suggestively, “on my abdomen,”.

I’d once walked in on Austin working out in his basement without a shirt, and despite my attempts to not, my eyes lingered on his abdomen longer than I’d intended. I was curious whether he’d noticed. I was curious whether he’d seen me eyeing him just moments, and if whether that’s why he wanted me to do it on that specific body part.

I didn’t back down though, the liquid courage was making both of us frisky, but neither of us payed any mind to it. I grabbed the bucket and knelt before him, and he sucked in a sharp breath, lifting his shirt. I audibly gasped. It wasn’t as if I would see Austin without his shirt regularly before he began shooting for Elvis, but even through his clothing I could tell he wasn’t the bulkiest guy back then — but now! I figure from all the training and weight-gaining required to become Elvis, he must’ve gained several pounds and much more muscle. And he looks absolutely delicious. Austin smirked at my nervousness, “what’s wrong? Regretting your own dare?”

“No way! Are you?”

He shook his head, but then threw it back as I placed the ice cube on his stomach without warning, wanting to catch him off guard.

Austin bit his bottom lip, eyeing me as I rubbed the cube in small circles. But when I brought it lower, Austin’s eyes rendered closed, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down. He looked so good from this angle, with me practically on my knees between his legs, and his head thrown back in pleasure. When the ice melted on his warm skin, I nearly moaned at having to withdraw from him, but I knew we were walking a scary tightrope right now, and I couldn’t risk him knowing the kind of thoughts I was having.

I stood up from my previous, very suggestive position, and Austin looked up at me with hooded eyes. Austin had very expressive eyes, I think it is what made us so close. I value honesty and kindness in the people close to me, and all of his just poured out through his eyes. He could never lie to me. And I knew in this moment, he felt something for me too. He was looking up at me with these puppy eyes, so vulnerable, almost submissive, and I bit my lip to refrain from moaning again.

“Truth or dare, Y/N?” he said, a little out of breath, his voice a little more raspy than before.

“Truth,” I said quietly, sitting back down next to him, but keeping a considerate distance, afraid of what I’ll do if I’m within close proximity to him.

“What is your biggest kink?”

“Austin!” I slapped his chest.

“What so you can melt an ice cube on me and I can’t ask you a simple question?”

“That’s completely different!” I defended.

“It’s not actually, but answering a question is no where near as impossible as staying still while you touch me,” he said, all too casually, and my mouth fell open. He chuckled.

“Okay we’re drinking too much” I said, reaching for Austin’s drink as he raised the glass to his lips.

“Answer the questions, babe,”

My breathing escalated at the nickname and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “overstimulation,”

Austin stopping drinking. Raised a brow. And then bit his bottom lip. So aggressively, I thought he might draw blood.

“Really?” He swallowed. I nodded shyly.

“Why?” He rasped, and when I didn’t answer him, he brought his forefinger and thumb down to my chin and lifted my face up to meet his. Alcohol was bringing out a whole new side to him, and we were crossing all the lines that we’re not supposed to. I swallowed before answering, quietly, “I don’t know, I guess I-“ I took a breath, “just the idea of someone making me come multiple times, I mean my ex boyfriends could barely —“ I bit my lip.

“Go on,” Austin urged, still holding my face in his large hand, brushing his thumb against my cheek.

“Most guys tend to think about themselves,” I said, filtering my very blatant answer, “so the idea of someone taking pleasure in pleasing me so persistently is very intriguing.”

The atmosphere was incredibly heavy. The tension, palpable. I saw Austin’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he registered my words. I even saw him subtly adjust himself, fixing his now-tightening trousers while staring me down.

I couldn’t sit still under his heated gaze anymore so I took another shot. “Hey, woah, slow down, you’ve had enough,”

“Clearly not enough,”

“Not enough for what?”

I bit my lip. And then I poured myself another shot, chugging it down before Austin could stop me. I couldn’t possibly let it slip that I wasn’t nearly drunk enough to accept my feelings. I was clearly attracted to Austin. But it wasn’t just attraction anymore. I wanted him. I loved him.

“Truth or dare, Austie?”

Austin shook his head angrily, “c’mon”, I poked his arm.

“Fine, dare,”

“I’m so tempted to make you regret that,” Austin finally cracked a smile.

“I dare you to call Ashley and tell her you slept with her sister,”

“Wait—what?!”

“Not your sister Ashley! Ashley Tisdale,”

Austin let out a breath of relief, “okay, ‘cause that sounded—“

“Like incest?”

“Yeah!” We giggled and for a second, we were ‘’us’ again. Austin pulled out his phone and called Ashley, “hey Ash!” Austin was slurring through his speech and I was sure Ashley would figure it out sooner or later that Austin was drunk. “I’m good, I’m good, I just-I just need to make a confession,” Austin placed the phone on his leg, putting it on speaker. “What did you do now Austin?” I heard Ashley. Ever since she became a mom, she’s always got that reprimanding tone in her voice and it was absolutely adorable.

“I, uh, I slept with your sister,” he pretended to sound guilty and I shook my head in disbelief, surprised that he actually was going through with the dare. Only Austin truly knew how angry this would make Ash.

“WHAT?!”

“I’m sorry, Ash, I know I shouldn’t have—“

“How?! WHEN?” She screamed.

“Last night,”

“LAST NIGHT?!—last night? How is that even-she’s not even in New York, Austin,”

Austin stared at me, confused, “what?”

“She flew to London last week,”

Austin palmed his face, and laughed, “okay, you got me, this was a dare,”

“Are you serious?” Ashley sounded so relieved, it was adorable.

“Yes I’m serious, I would never do that to — to you,” Austin stuttered, avoiding my gaze suddenly.

“I was ready to murder you and hide the body Aus, don’t ever do that again!”

“I’m sorry! Blame it all on Y/N,” he chuckled.

“Is she there?”

“Yep, right next to me,”

“Have you told her yet?” I looked at Austin confused, and he snatched the phone off of his leg before I could ask Ashley what she was referring to. “Hey so, uh, I gotta go, talk later,”

I couldn’t hear the other end of the line because Austin put it off speaker, but they shared goodbyes and ended the call.

“What was she talking about?”

“Oh, nothing, don’t worry about it,”

“Austin are you hiding something from me?”

I was never one to pry, but that was simply because Austin told me everything himself. I didn’t want to, but I felt hurt.

“I promise you, it’s nothing, it’s probably something I’ve already told you and can’t recall,”

I simply nodded. I didn’t want to push him.

“Truth or dare?” He asked, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.

“Dare,”

“I dare you to kiss me,”

“Austin!” I punched his arm again, harder this time and he threw his head back in laughter. “Okay, um, I dare you—“

I didn’t know how and I didn’t know why, but before he could finish the thought, I leaned into him, looking him in the eyes as I sat up on my knees to hover over him.

“What’re you doing, Y/N?”

“I’m doing my dare,”

Austin opened his mouth and then closed it, taken aback. I placed my hand on his cheek and despite the look of shock on his face, he leaned into it, and before either of us knew what was happening, I placed my lips on his. And we melted into it. His lips were softer than I could have ever imagined them to be. I was slightly taller than him in this position, and it gave me a false sense of power, but before I could revel in it, Austin began claiming my lips, grabbing my face in his large hands and bringing me down to kiss me deeper than I’ve ever been kissed. I gasped, not expecting it, and the sound stirred something within Austin and he moaned against my mouth, pulling me flush against him. I was nearly sat upon Austin and completely out of breath, but neither of us dared to end it. Only when the urge to breathe became too exhausting and the power in our lungs gave out, did we move away, breathing loudly against each other, with his arms still wrapped around me. I bit my lip, not knowing what comes next. Austin grabbed my chin in his forefinger and thumb and brought me closer to himself, “I love you,” he breathed. “That’s what Ashley wanted me to tell you. That’s the reason I’m here, with you, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Y/N,” he said softly, and I believed every word that came out of his mouth.

I felt so overwhelmed. From the kiss. From his words. His voice. His face. His eyes. Him.

“Austin,” I hushed, and the words that came out of me next were both the most surprising and the most truthful words I’d ever spoken to him, “I love you too.”

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