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noellawrites · 2 years

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Master Plan - Yandere!Carl Gallagher x reader

summary: when Carl traps you in the van in his backyard, you become desperate for a chance to escape.

warnings: kidnapping, insinuation of sex, physical assault, handcuffing

You hated it. You hated the feeling of being locked inside the Gallagher’s shabby van in the backyard. Not only was it cold at night in the fall months, but it was the tiny space and general discomfort you felt.

He visited you every day, bringing you food and gifts and more. Sometimes he even brought condoms, much to your dismay.

You woke up to condensation on the windows, quickly grabbing a pen and crossing a tally on the fabric wall. Today marked two months since Carl had locked you inside.

After you marked your daily tally and reached for a book, you were stunned with a knock on the van. Carl again.

He unlocked the padlock with his key, swinging open the back doors of the van. He had your favorite takeout food in-hand as he jumped onto the mattress placed in the back where you were sitting.

“Hey, babe. I brought your favorite,” he grinned, passing the paper bag to you. He was still in his police uniform, but his chest camera and intercom had been removed.

“Thanks,” you sighed, grabbing your food and beginning to devour it. Carl had worked a graveyard shift to make overtime, so you hadn’t eaten anything since last night.

“So, how are you?” He asked, cluelessly. Of course you weren’t doing great, you were being held captive in a van!

“Carl, can you please just tell me what your master plan is? Because I’m tired of waking up every morning in this stupid metal death cage! If you wanted to hold me captive, why couldn’t you just keep me in your family’s house?” you cried.

Carl frowned, looking down at his own sandwich. After not only being his neighbor all of your childhood but now being his captive, you knew his expressions well. He was conflicted.

“All I’ve ever wanted for us was to be a family. I didn’t want my siblings to know I had to take you away like this, but I’ve been saving up for a down payment on an apartment for us. There’s a place not too far away that I’ve been looking at—“ he begins.

Carl makes it sound like he really loves you. He almost makes you forget that he stole you from your house, your family, your life. He left you in a van and made you feel hopeless and alone.

Before you could even realize what you were doing, you dropped your food and shoved Carl’s head against the metal part of the van, to which he let out a yelp.

As he was blinking in and out of consciousness, you took the opportunity and ran. You darted out the back of the van and ran around towards the gate facing the road. Your legs carried you across the front of the Gallagher house, then Kev and V’s. You looked back to see Carl sprinting down the sidewalk only about a quarter mile behind you.

Shit! Shit! Shit! you thought, running even faster. This was your only chance at escape. You knew you couldn’t return to your own house, you were worried about what Carl was capable of doing to your family. You darted into an alley and through to the other side, realizing how close you were to the L train.

One of your friends lived just past Downtown in the Loyola dorms. If you could only get on the train and borrow someone’s phone to call her, you would be okay.

Calling Chicago PD was obviously not an option, at least not on the south side. You were already distrustful of the police, and you would not want to accidentally tell one of Carl’s co-workers where you are.

You entered the station, jumping the turnstile since you didn’t have any money. You looked behind you and still didn’t see Carl, so you walked up to the platform where the train would be coming. The cool breeze raised goosebumps on your skin as you stood in waiting. No one was around, so you knew you’d have to wait to ask for help.

Taking a deep breath, you looked around and noticed the sound of work boots pounding on the platform. No. You knew who it was almost immediately.

You stood straight ahead, only able to watch as Carl got closer and closer to you. He tackled you down to the dirty metal grates of the train platform.

You gasped and sobbed as Carl flipped you, sitting on top of you and grabbing your wrists. He slapped the metal cuffs on you and locked them tight as you squirmed in protest, facd smushed into the cool metal.

“Please, you can’t do this! You can’t drag me back there! This is against the law!” you screamed. There were more people now, gasping and watching as Carl hauled you down the steps.

“You are under arrest for evading a police officer. I have no choice but to lock you up for a long time,” he sighed, pushing you along roughly. You should’ve known better. You would never be able to escape Carl, not fully.

#carl gallagher x reader #yandere carl gallagher #carl gallagher imagine #shameless us x reader #yandere shameless us #shameless us imagine

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fourcornerstar · 1 month

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Random assorted Moral Orel Headcanons:

Moral Orel HCs

Orel:

- Likes to draw comics of Barthalomew- similar to the DC superpets

- Wants to grow up to be either a pastor or an artist. Doesn’t know what an animator or film maker is but is interested in movie production

- Doesn’t like to spend much time outside after the camping trip. Finds comfort in movies, comics and video games.

- He saves up all the money he earned by working for Stephanie to buy a Nintendo system (the show takes place around 2005, so probably a ds)

- His favorite game is Nintendogs, he owns all different versions and loves going on walks with his ‘pet’

- But he thinks Pokemon is satanic.

- Fav movie as a kid is Prince of Egypt

- Veggietales kid.

- Catches himself singing “where is my hairbrush” when he’s looking for something.

- Wears “virginity rocks” merch when he’s a teen. No one can tell if it’s ironic or in sincerity. It’s a bit of both.

- LOVES Paramore when he’s first in his emo phase. Slowly grows to like My Chemical Romance once he fully dips into Emo music.

- As he gets into his teens he has an indie phase- Florence and the Machines is his favorite along with The Mountain Goats and Cage the Elephant. Likes some Hozier, Noah Kahan, They Might Be Giants and Jack Stauber. (this is if we assume their in universe would have access to our discography)

- His favorite extra curricular class is art, which Clay disapproves of, but Orel is really good at it- near prodigy level. Loves painting and chalk pastels in particular

- Hardcore Disney fan. For his graduation he and Christina go to Florida Disney World for the first time

- A Goofy Movie and Goof Troop are his favorite comfort media

- Wants to go to California or Florida for College, secretly is applying to Loyola University or other Christian campuses. Wants to take religious studies with a minor in art.

- Has never been to the beach/seen the ocean in person but has always dreamed of it.

- Quit his scout troop after the hunting trip bc camping would make him spiral into panic attacks. It took him years of exposure therapy to ever go into the woods ever again

- After the camping trip, the go-to family vacation for the Puppingtons would usually be road trips cross country. But it was always awkward and tense, so Orel would spend the majority of the trip reading, listening to music, or playing a card game with Shapey and Block.

- He always lets Shapey or Block win

- Uno was banned in the puppington house because “it wasn’t in English.” But he had no problem playing it at school behind his parents backs

- Is interested in learning other languages, but a bit scared of it. He eventually took ASL courses when he was in college

Shapey and Block:

- Both have an extensive stuffed animal collection, at least where they can hide them under all the storage and mess of his room.

- Tends to steal or borrow Orel’s stuff when no one is home to see. Is particularly fascinated by the viewfinder and Orel’s record player.

- Shapey suffers from night terrors. Orel would comfort him sometimes, other times Block would help.

- Both are Introverted. They helped each other transition to school when they, eventually, went. But they were loners in the class and had trouble assimilating.

- Other than cake, Shapey’s favorite foods are pb and j

- Block really likes cookies and pastries

- Shapey and Block snuck out a lot as kids and teens, sometimes they would go to the corner store, other times they would just wander around town or even up to the nature reserve.

- Christmas is their all time favorite holiday, more so than any other.

- Orel sometimes helps them clear up their shared room so Shapey and Block can actually have a clear space to walk around and play in.

- They steal Clay’s credit card to buy some actual furniture when they’re teens. Clay never brings it up, he probably never noticed.

- Both struggle at keeping a space clean. Struggles with routine, chores and scheduling all through their life, sometimes Orel or even a therapist helps

- Shapey’s favorite Disney movie of all time is Alice in Wonderland

- Block adores Peter Pan, he even went as Peter for halloween 2 years in a row

- Both love adventure movies

- Shapey loves showtunes, favorite musical as a kid was Matilda

- Block finds showtunes kind of annoying, but won’t say anything. Block prefers softer music, indie, folk, country but even LoFi when he discovers it later.

- Both love cooking and baking. They weren’t allowed to learn when they were kids, but when they moved out they read Bloberta’s old recipe books to teach himself. Block preferred online recipes

- Shapey was Diagnosed with ODD and ADHD as a toddler, Orel tries to find some resources at the library to figure out how to help Shapey, at least where he can. Unfortunately, the library is a bit of a dead end. But the constants in Shapey’s life help him a lot.

- They never talk with Clay. They are complete strangers to one another. Shapey and Block consider Orel to be the closest thing they have to a father figure

- When everyone is grown up; Shapey gives a speech as best man at Orel and Christina’s wedding that makes everyone cry

Bloberta:

- Has an extensive record collection of her favorite bands from when she was a teenager.

- Clay has pestered her to get rid of it but she can’t bear to part with it. She keeps it hidden in the dresser and closet alongside her other unmentionables.

- Loves doo-wop, 60s pop, rock and roll and even some modern punk and metal. Doesn’t actually like listening to Christian rock but will put it on to be a “good influence”

- Was interested in student council and politics herself before she married Clay, but was pressured out of it bc “godly women let men take the lead” (ew)

- Her mom forced her to babysit as a first job when she was a teenager and she despised it.

- When she’s home alone she likes to put on romcoms such as Pretty Woman or Dirty Dancing. But she’ll mute the volume and block out the windows so no one can hear or see her.

- But more often then not they leave her crying wishing for something better. One day after watching one of her movies she locked Clay out of the house for a week because she couldn’t bear to even look at him.

- She’s a lot more supportive of Orel going to an out of state college than his father. She doesn’t want him to feel trapped like she does.

Clay

- Took ballroom dance in high school- is an amazing dancer but doesn’t like showing off.

- Has Irish ancestry, his great grandparents emigrated during the great famine.

- Likes to read when he gets the chance- favorite book is Catcher in the Rye or In Cold Blood (yes, they are supposed to be red flag books, remember who we’re talking about)

- Loves true crime- extremely fascinated by serial killers and mysteries.

- He likes movies, but rarely is ever able to put them on. But he likes Wolf of Wall Street and Fight Club (all the red flag films) (Call me By Your Name and Beauty and the Beast when he’s in private, would never watch them unless he’s completely alone) (once again, RED FLAGS)

- Believes all colleges are satanic propaganda. At least that’s what he told himself as he got older. When he was a teen thought about art school but could never afford it on his own.

- Never graduated with a full 4 year degree, but out of high school he was in and out of trade or secondary schools. He tried nursing, mechanic/auto shop, accounting, and technician work and hated everything. Bloberta suggested politics and somehow he had enough charisma and writing prowess to sell competency.

- Loves Queen. Could listen to any album any day- but has a particular soft spot for “I want to Break Free” and “Somebody To Love” has made him sob uncontrollably . He puts on Queen when he’s driving alone.

- Loves to drive. Before he started drinking it was his one escape. Sometimes he would just take his keys and a handful of his father’s cash and drive off for a few days without telling anyone. He’s been all over the country, but particularly loves to see the Grand Canyon or even up north near Niagara and the lakes.

- Even after he got married he would drive off on a bender for a week or two not to be seen. Bloberta never brings it up. He only HAD to stop when Orel was born.

Reverend/Rod Putty

- Never imagined himself as a pastor, when he was younger he was more interested in the hippie subculture. But he’s good at talking. He originally tried his hand at standup comedy, and that was a total flop. So when it came time for him to settle on a major/career he went religious… Partially to dodge the draft.

- Agnostic leaning. He believes in a God, but struggles with connection.

- Grew up in the south, but moved to the midwest in his teens. Sometimes his accent slips through when he’s tired.

- Scarily good at poker. Feels very torn about this skill.

- Banned from at least 4 casinos in a 100 mile radius.

Stephanie

- Was a straight A student all through school, but decided against University for financial reasons and pressure, she goes to the community college closest to Moralton. She dreams when she saves up enough she could go to a music or art college

- Had a band once but all her band mates moved away. She does try to pursue music herself. Has an album lined up but she doesn’t feel ready to put it into the world yet.

- A friend from out of state gave her her first tattoo in his garage. Since then she’s been interested in learning but doesn’t know how to practice back in Moralton. Is saving up for a machine.

- Hates the cold and cold weather, she’s always bundled up when it hits below 60 and it always complaining about how cold it is until the weather warms up

- But she loves rainy days.

- Her mom tried to sign her up for an after school Christian youth program but Stephanie always ditched to go hang out around town with Kim and others.

- She uploads song covers to Youtube when she has time, and has amassed a huge following

- She likes snapchat as well, she can keep in touch with out of state or online friends easier, it makes her feel more connected to people in similar situations

- Her first guitar wasn’t the best quality, but it’s one of her favorites for the sound, she covered the entire face with stickers and intricate drawings

#moral orel #clay puppington #bloberta puppington #orel puppington #reverend putty #headcanon #most of this is projection lol

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 8 months

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By Joseph Ferguson & Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago

After three indictments of former President Donald Trump, the fourth one in Georgia came not as a surprise but as a powerful exposition of the scope of Trump’s efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.

New conservative legal scholarship spells out how and why those actions – which were observed by the public over many months – disqualify Trump from serving in the presidency ever again. And our read of the Georgia indictment, as longtime lawyers ourselves, shows why and how that disqualification can be put into effect.

The key to all of this is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “No person shall … hold any office, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” Trump took that oath at his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.

Both Trump’s Georgia indictment, and his federal indictment in Washington, D.C., cite largely public information – and some newly unearthed material – to spell out exactly how he engaged in efforts to rebel against the Constitution, and sought and gave aid and comfort to others who also did so.

Legal scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, conservatives themselves and members of the conservative Federalist Society, have recently published a paper declaring that under the 14th Amendment, Trump’s actions render him ineligible to hold office.

We believe the Georgia indictment provides even more detail than the earlier federal one about how Trump’s actions have already disqualified him from office, and shows a way to keep him off the ballot in 2024.

DISQUALIFICATION IS AUTOMATIC

Trump’s supporters might argue that disqualifying him would be unfair without a trial and conviction on the Jan. 6 indictment, and perhaps the Georgia charges.

But Baude and Paulsen, using originalist interpretation – the interpretive theory of choice of the powerful Federalist Society and Trump’s conservative court appointees, which gives full meaning to the actual, original text of the Constitution – demonstrate that no legal proceeding is required. They say disqualification is automatic, or what’s known in the legal world as “self-executing.”

Recent public comments from liberal constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe and conservative jurist and former federal Judge Michael Luttig – who has characterized the events before, during and since Jan. 6 as Trump’s “declared war on American democracy” – suggest an emerging bipartisan consensus supporting Baude and Paulsen.

BACKED BY HISTORY

This is not a theoretical bit of technical law. This provision of the 14th Amendment was, in fact, extensively used after the Civil War to keep former Confederate leaders from serving in the federal government, without being tried or convicted of any crime.

Few former Confederates were charged with crimes associated with secession, rebellion and open war against the United States. And most were pardoned by sweeping orders issued by President Andrew Johnson.

But even though they had no relevant convictions, former Confederates were in fact barred from office in the U.S.

In December 1865, several who had neither been convicted nor been pardoned tried to claim seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But the House clerk refused to swear them in. It took an act of Congress – the 1872 Amnesty Act – to later restore their office-holding rights.

There is no requirement in the Constitution that the disqualification be imposed by any specific process – only that it applies to people who take certain actions against the Constitution.

A PATH THROUGH THE STATES

For the U.S. in 2023, we believe the most realistic avenue to enforce the 14th Amendment’s ban on a second Trump presidency is through state election authorities. That’s where the Georgia indictment comes in.

State election officials could themselves, or in response to a petition of a citizen of that state, refuse Trump a place on the 2024 ballot because of the automatic 14th Amendment disqualification.

Trump would certainly challenge the move in federal court. But the recent disqualification proceedings against former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn provides a road map and binding legal precedent affirming the 14th Amendment as a valid legal ground for disqualification of a candidate for federal office.

The Georgia indictment against Trump and allies exhaustively details extensive acts of lying, manipulation and threats against Georgia officials, as well as a fraudulent fake elector scheme to illegally subvert the legitimate 2020 Georgia presidential vote tally and resulting elector certification.

Trump’s failure to accomplish what is tantamount to a coup in Georgia and other swing states set the stage for the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, that sought to achieve the same result – Trump’s fraudulent installation to a second term.

In fact, the Georgia scheme is included in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal indictment as one of the methods and means in “aid” of the larger Jan. 6 federal conspiracy against the United States.

Baude and Paulsen acknowledge that “insurrection and rebellion” are traditionally associated with forced or violent opposition. But we see the broader set of actions by Trump and his allies to subvert the Constitution – the Georgia vote count and fake elector scheme included – as part of a political coup d'etat. It was a rebellion.

GEORGIA AS A BELLWETHER

So what makes the Georgia scheme and indictment compelling for purposes of disqualifying Trump from the 2024 Georgia ballot?

There are minimally six aspects revealed in the latest indictment that we believe justify Georgia – under Section 3 of the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment – keeping Trump off the ballot:

1. The racketeering scheme was a multifaceted attempt to subvert Georgia’s own part of the 2020 electoral process;

2. The officials on the receiving end of the unsuccessful racketeering scheme were elected and appointed Georgia officials. …

3. … whose actions to reject election subversion vindicated their own oaths to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States as well as Georgia’s;

4. Most of these officials were and are Republicans – including Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, Governor Brian Kemp and former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan;

5. These officials will, in 2024 as in 2020, collectively determine who is qualified to be on Georgia’s presidential ballot; and

6. These officials’ testimony, and related evidence, is at the heart of the proof of the Georgia racketeering case against Trump.

In other words, the evidence to convict Trump in the Georgia racketeering case is the same evidence, coming from the same Georgia officials, who will be involved in determining whether, under the 14th Amendment, Trump is qualified to be on the 2024 presidential ballot – or not.

Little if any additional evidence or proceedings are needed. The Georgia officials already hold that evidence, because much of it comes from them. They don’t need a trial to establish what they already know.

How could Trump avoid this happening? A quick trial date in Atlanta with an acquittal on all counts might do it, but this runs counter to his strategy to delay all the pending criminal cases until after the 2024 election.

With no preelection trial, there will likely be no Trump on the 2024 Georgia ballot, and no chance for him to win Georgia’s 2024 electoral college votes.

Once Georgia bars him, other states may follow. That would leave Trump with no way to credibly appear on the ballot in all 50 states, giving him no chance to win the electoral votes required to claim the White House.

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bunabi · 6 months

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srry if this is intrusive or weird, but i saw in a reblog recently that ur from chicago: can i ask, whats it generally like living there? like, cost of living/ housing, public transport, disability access, healthcare. its one of the main places i was thinking abt moving to after college, but i dont know anyone frm there yet & always like to talk to locals for info rather than random articles online. thank u for ur consideration, whether u answer or not, hope u & sabine have a great day! 💖

(chicago anon again) OH & also srry if it seems like a lot to ask!!! after sending the mssg i relize it might come across like im asking for some whole ass essay abt the area or smthn. to clarify i jst meant i was curious if u have a few short general thoughts or insider "things ppl who move here should know" or i guess mostly just if you personally enjoy it there & whatever. but i def dont wanna be a burden. i know its kind of vague open ended question. ahh!! OmO;

Uh sure let me think:

The trains and buses are pretty consistent. It's $2.50 per swipe but transfers are free. When I was in college they gave us student discount passes. There are applications for free/reduced-fare passes.

Not every station has elevator access, so you might want to look into that ahead of time if you need any accommodations. Between the three stations near me only one is wheelchair friendly.

It's expensive everywhere now. Try to find a place with the best deal per square footage. I have a way more affordable large studio that's the same size as my prev small 1BR apartment. Speaking from experience: a lot of 'remodeled' places just have new appliances and the same ancient walls with insane bug colonies, so be careful. 😭

Neighborhoods with a nearby campus (DePaul in Lincoln Park, Loyola in Edgewater, U of I in West Loop) are typically really safe & have guides available. If you can afford it and don't mind being around students nonstop, I recommend those areas for first apartment hunting.

Our main subway lines are the Red Line & Blue Line. They have completely different energies. Idk how else to describe it. If you visit, please ride both to get an idea of which you prefer to deal with on a regular basis.

Good luck!

#replies #the blue line is rickety but by god at least they dont have to deal with one trillion loudasses cramming the line every baseball game

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echos-muses · 6 months

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“i keep telling everyone how brave you are.”

FUCK

i love their little family so much 🥹 i love mom!kim, dad!adam, and uncle!kevin so dearly.

“makayla’s favorite snack is tortilla chips dipped in whipped cream. it’s—well, it’s disgusting but she’ll trade me for it for eating her veggies, so, y’know… you do what you do. she collects these pieces of sea glass. we go up to loyola beach on sunday mornings, if i’m not working, and she’s obsessed with them. my pockets are full of them. sometimes i think they’re multiplying. makayla’s discovered that we have a freckle inside of the same toe on the same foot and she’s decided that we can communicate, as a result, telepathically. so when she’s at school, like in the middle of the day, she sends me happy thoughts. and when i come home, i’m supposed to know what those happy thoughts were, which is hard. you were right about pretty much everything. i don’t have a ton of money. i don’t have a ton of time, a big house. yes, adam ruzek, my ex-fiancé, is moving in with us. i don’t know how to explain that except that we’re family. and yes, i almost died, and went back to a job when i didn’t have to. but it’s what i needed then and it’s what i want now. i’m good at my job, i help people, and i’m proud that my kid sees me doing that. i am a mess and i make mistakes, but makayla… that’s something i’ve done pretty damn right. theo, i get what you’re trying to do. i really, really do. but what makayla and i have you can’t just snap your fingers and make that up. it’s real. she’s my family. and i’m hers.”

#kim burgess #adam ruzek #makayla burgess #chicago p.d.#kevin atwater

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ultimateaclrecovery · 4 months

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Checking in on my 2023 goals!

23 things for 2023

1. buy 1 horse

Done!! Bought Luna!!!

2. Knit a pair of socks

I knit a sock, that I finished today. But I mostly decided I wanted to knit other things instead so this is fine

3. Three camping trips

went to mt of the holy cross, and New Mexico for two camping nights, plus a day hike in winter park. So technically no but pretty close!

4. Plant four pumpkins

…..no. I bought seeds and did nothing and I don’t feel that bad about it

5. Handstand (five fingers) press

Lol no. Did nothing for it. Never made a plan and so did not achieve

6. Kill side yard weeds (because weeds are the devil 666)

Success? I paid a Gardner to pull them all so yes! Feels like a failure because I didn’t really deal with them or the yard in general, but they are all gone now.

7. Go to Loyola social justice meeting (7th heaven)

I went to a meeting! And baked cookies for an event. (And then never went back oops)

8. Mail 8 letters to mates - birthday cards probably

Success! (Rebecca birthday, Sarah birthday, Clare get well card, Callie birthday, Alison birthday, clare birthday, Callie wedding, clare kt recipe card)

9. Research 9 hours of getting a cat (9 lives)

Decided a horse was enough so stopped researching 🤷‍♀️[ read complete guide to adopting a cat 3 hours]

10. Do ten full pull ups

Total yes, in a row like intended absolutely not. I can do like 2.5 in a row. Made haphazard progress, but now I have a pull up bar so hoping for better next year!

11. Buy 11 things off of my to buy eventually list

Success! This was easy and I did it! (air fryer, air mattress, nice soap dispensers, office mat, thermometer, fire extinguisher, white tank top, little plates, shower cleaner, plastic drain pipes, sheet pan organizer, bonus: back door light bulb, rainbow flag and holder, more bras)

12. Go on 12 dates

Success! I thought this would be really hard but then I just got my boyfriend by like February and it ended up being the easiest ny resolution ever. He even asked me out to start.

13. Run a half marathon 13.1 miles

Success! (Okay this was a gimme because I signed up for it and had a training plan in 2022 but still)

14. Hike a fourteener

Success! mt of the holy cross and it was terrifying and very long but we did it!

15. Read 30 (15x2) books

I read 27 and have three in various states of completion. I kind of wanted to power this one thru but it wouldn’t have been fun and then what’s the point. This one is hard because I abandoned so so many books this year. Like I made it at least one chapter into like 40 and a couple half way thru. So close but no cigar but I refuse to read things that aren’t fun just to hit a goal so I feel fine about it.

16. Host 8 things

Hosted 3, organized a couple others so partial credit. I would like to do better in the future. ( galentines, whimsy brunch, birthday, organized brunch at watercourse, organized lake day)

17. Go out dancing (must be more dancing than drinking, dance class counts.)(dancing queen only 17)

Nope. But also that’s fine.

18. Upgrade phone and deal with all photos. Upload belize to fb and save others. Data management

Mostly. I got an external storage for Christmas so I can finish when I get home. So solid partial credit. (uploaded some. Upgraded phone plus new battery, still need to get data off of it) [email protected] [email protected]

19. General contractor for house cracks plus install air conditioner

Success. Installed ac. Got the cracks looked at once and they were fine and then they got worse and now I’m getting foundation work done. So success I guess.

20. Get 20 layout ds

… I did not count. I def got some but probably not 20 so partial credit. (4 from leiout)

21. Go to frisbee Masters regionals

Success! Another bit of gimme but we went and qualified to nationals!)

22. Buy purple navel jewelry (I’m feeling 22)

Success! (And I love it)

23. volunteer for 23 hours

No and I feel bad about it. I need to find something to volunteer with. I feel like I should have the time/be able to make time but it also feels like I never have time and also never want to. But I think it’s important.

So overall full success on 11 of the goals, happy partial on 5, annoyed partial on 2, abandoned 4 and failed my last one and feel bad about it.

But overall pretty good success!

#New Years goals #23 things for 2023 #new years resolutions #recaps #I did my best #and it was fine #but also they didn’t really drive any behavior #well they did help me knit my one sock #and helped motivate the camping trips and hosting I did do #and that’s good #and the mailing letters #so overall it did help with some good things I wanted to more of #so pretty good success

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zinger-begonia · 3 months

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ANGOLA, La. (AP) — A hidden path to America’s dinner tables begins here, at an unlikely source – a former Southern slave plantation that is now the country’s largest maximum-security prison. Unmarked trucks packed with prison-raised cattle roll out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where men are sentenced to hard labor and forced to work, for pennies an hour or sometimes nothing at all. After rumbling down a country road to an auction house, the cows are bought by a local rancher and then followed by The Associated Press another 600 miles to a Texas slaughterhouse that feeds into the supply chains of giants like McDonald’s, Walmart and Cargill. ... They are among America’s most vulnerable laborers. If they refuse to work, some can jeopardize their chances of parole or face punishment like being sent to solitary confinement. They also are often excluded from protections guaranteed to almost all other full-time workers, even when they are seriously injured or killed on the job. ... Many of the companies buying directly from prisons are violating their own policies against the use of such labor. But it’s completely legal, dating back largely to the need for labor to help rebuild the South’s shattered economy after the Civil War. Enshrined in the Constitution by the 13th Amendment, slavery and involuntary servitude are banned – except as punishment for a crime. That clause is currently being challenged on the federal level, and efforts to remove similar language from state constitutions are expected to reach the ballot in about a dozen states this year. ... While most critics don’t believe all jobs should be eliminated, they say incarcerated people should be paid fairly, treated humanely and that all work should be voluntary. Some note that even when people get specialized training, like firefighting, their criminal records can make it almost impossible to get hired on the outside. “They are largely uncompensated, they are being forced to work, and it’s unsafe. They also aren’t learning skills that will help them when they are released,” said law professor Andrea Armstrong, an expert on prison labor at Loyola University New Orleans. “It raises the question of why we are still forcing people to work in the fields.”

The article goes on, but this is sickening enough. It's slavery. I hate this. I hate that my food is grown using slavery. I want to boycott every company that uses slavery.

#modern slavery #us politics #wtf

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troyfullbuster · 1 year

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You never know what you got till it's gone

Probably the best and truest statement in the history of sentences. I mean I just decided to read this because it has had a big impact on my life and I saw someone say oh i can’t to move outta here or something

<p> Look I know everyone can’t wait to move when they grow up but are you really ready to leave, not only your family, your house, and your friends but leave your city? Back when I dormed in Baltimore at Loyola University in Maryland I never realized how much I missed and loved New York. It is a completely different world out there not just state to state but from city to city. </p>

People in Baltimore didnt understand some stuff I said, they weren’t as active or live as I were because we were used to two different socities. New York on a slow day has some kids on the streets the parks wherever; but there is always someone outside. In Baltimore it was like a ghost town unless you were in the city on a Friday or saturday night. There on I went back home to visit my family and I never really appreciated NYC till that day in october of last year.

Another big reason was I WAS NOT HAPPY at LUofM. It was awful I hated the kids I hated my roommates, I hated my professors. Like no one understood me and I was just living a big lie with a smile. Yea it was nice they gave me a $36000 scholarship for me to go there and my parents forced me to go even though I didn’t want to, but I hated everything about that place. I played basketball and baseball there and they had a great gym but the classes were just awful and my roommates fucking blazed every night and the library was 3 miles away so I could never study. I mean I missed my true friends, webcamming wasn’t the same, I missed my parents, I missed my bro and I took most of it for-granted.

When I came back that faithful day to NYC that night I spent all day in the city and back to Queens. All my friends hugged me like I won the World Series I never seen Bayside more vivd and exubrant ever because I was practically being tourted at this college. (there are obviously more reasons but you know)

So i finally got home told my parents I’m leaving the school and cried like a baby. I mean I cried for about an hour it was horrible I was holding back 2 months of tears and told them flat out I missed everything and I wasn’t happy. That was probably one of the best things I did in my life and I never look back on it now.

Now what does this have to do with you don’t know what you have till it is gone? Well here it showed the example that if you are ready to leave from where you lived from X>17 years than fine. But most people experience this when they lose their most favorite thing or a gameboy game they always played. Think about when someone leaves your life or something that you took forgranted when you had it. When you think about how happy it made you…you become sad and angry now im not saying dont ever leave or throw anything out. But people always say they miss something ONLY because they have not done it in a while and always have the chance. But if you don’t have the chance again to do it or there was someone in your life you realized they are finally gone then you start to realize how much of luxury it was to have it.

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allthebrazilianpolitics · 9 months

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Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro fades from the spotlight

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is fading from the spotlight, showing the courts’ power over the electoral system and the political shortcomings of the increasingly powerless former leader.

Brazil’s top electoral court ruled last month that Bolsonaro is ineligible to run for any political office until 2030 for abusing his power and casting unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.

Bolsonaro was once called the “Trump of the Tropics” after emerging as a crusading outsider promising to shake up the system and pursuing an aggressive brand of identity politics including conservative values. Trump, who also cast doubt on the U.S. electoral system and faces legal trouble, remains the front-runner for the Republican Party’s nomination.

A clear demonstration of Bolsonaro’s waning power was a tax reform vote in Congress’ lower house this month.

A proposal supported by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government to overhaul Brazil’s notoriously complicated tax system was also backed by lawmakers and the general public. Bolsonaro tried to marshal opposition — his first attempt at doing so — but the reform passed by a greater than 3-to-1 margin. Almost two dozen members of Bolsonaro’s party defied his will.

Bolsonaro has “little to no influence as a potential opposition leader,” political analyst Leandro Loyola wrote after the vote.

#brazil #politics #brazilian politics #mod nise da silveira #image description in alt

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catholic-saint-tournament · 11 months

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Ignatius of loyola please I like him and my grandma says we're of the house of.loyola also I'm drunk froma. Gay bar for pride :)

Your grandma has got it right - ST IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA IS WHERE IT'S AT!!!

I love me some Jesuits!!

#st ignatius of loyola #society of jesus #jesuits #catholic saint tournament

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is seeking reelection, have been crisscrossing the state in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election, visiting megachurches and smaller houses of worship packed tight with parishioners.

The stops are part of a longstanding tradition for political candidates that often accelerates as Election Day nears.

Two Sundays ago, O’Rourke, a Democrat, and Patrick, a Republican, visited different churches where pastors praised them and allowed them to give speeches about the upcoming election. This was in violation of federal law, according to tax law experts. Known as the Johnson Amendment, the law bars tax-exempt organizations from intervening in political campaigns.

At St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church in Dallas on the morning of Oct. 23, Pastor Richie Butler introduced O’Rourke to his congregation as “the next governor of Texas.”

“He needs us to get him across the finish line,” Butler told parishioners.

O’Rourke then walked to the stage, where he gave a speech that would be familiar to those who have seen him on the campaign trail. He called for fixing the state’s electric grid and expressed alarm over the high rate of school shootings and gun violence.

“If our votes were not important, they would not be trying so hard to keep us from voting in this election, and our vote is how we overcome,” O’Rourke told the crowd.

The same morning, hundreds of miles away, Pastor Steve Riggle introduced Patrick to his congregation at Grace Woodlands Church north of Houston by saying the Lieutenant Governor is someone that “God has given us at the very top.”

“If the nation is to be saved, it’s going to take some leaders who, beyond their concern about being reelected, will stand for values that are critical to the future of this nation,” Riggle said. “Dan Patrick is one of those.”

Patrick then took the stage and cast the election in stark terms. “This is not a race between Republicans and Democrats,” he told the congregation. “This is a race about darkness and light. This is a race about power and principalities. And the devil is at full work in this country.”

He later added: “I don’t even recognize the other party. It’s been taken over by communists and socialists.”

Tax law experts told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that the pastors’ support of the candidates in their sermons violated the Johnson Amendment. The experts also raised concerns about what appeared to be the churches’ failure to give equal time to their opponents. O’Rourke is facing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the general election, and Patrick is being challenged by Democrat Mike Collier.

“Beto O’Rourke is introduced as the ‘next Governor of Texas,’ which highlights both that he is a candidate and one whom the church supports,” said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a tax and election law expert at the University of Notre Dame. “And O’Rourke’s comments are a sales pitch for his candidacy. There is no indication that any opposing candidate has been given a similar opportunity, and, even if he had been, the favorable introduction of O’Rourke would still be across the line.”

St. Luke Pastor Butler did not answer questions about Mayer’s assessment or whether the church had also invited Abbott to speak.

“Black churches have been important hubs for civic engagement and organization in the fight for social justice since Reconstruction,” Butler said in a statement. “The mixing of faith-based congregations and electoral engagement is not a new concept.”

O’Rourke did not respond to questions about the visit.

Sam Brunson, a law professor at Loyola University Chicago, said the language Riggle used while introducing the Lieutenant Governor was an “endorsement of Patrick by the pastor of a church acting in his capacity as pastor in the course of ordinary church meetings.”

Riggle said in an interview that his church did not endorse any candidate and that his introduction was focused on biblical values, not politics. He added that he believes the Johnson Amendment should be overturned.

“The government has no right, at any time, to, in any way, tell the church who it can have or who it cannot have to speak,” he said. “It can’t tell the church what it can preach on or not preach on. This is America, and we believe in a free church. Not one controlled by the government.”

Patrick did not respond to requests for comment or to emailed questions.

Last week, ProPublica and the Tribune reported about numerous apparent violations by church pastors who supported political candidates from the pulpit. A candidate endorsement is a “clear violation” under IRS rules. But the law itself is complex and can be vague, leaving gray areas that make identifying other violations more difficult. Below are answers about what it does and doesn’t do.

WHAT IS THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT?

In 1954, then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas proposed an amendment to the U.S. tax code that prohibited nonprofits, including religious institutions, from involvement in political campaigns.

The amendment was uncontroversial at the time. It passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower.

Though Johnson did not single out churches, religious organizations are subject to the law because they are nonprofit organizations. Violations can result in revocation of their tax-exempt status.

WHAT DOES THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT PROHIBIT?

Nonprofit organizations are barred from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, “any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”

Contributions to political campaigns made on behalf of the tax-exempt organizations supporting or opposing a candidate also “clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity,” according to the IRS.

The IRS periodically produces lengthy guides that spell out the “facts and circumstances” the agency considers when determining whether political activity is allowable.

In some cases, such as pulpit endorsements, violations can be clearly identified. But violations can be harder to distinguish in other cases.

O’Rourke made another stop on Oct. 23 at The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, where Pastor Marvin L. Sapp introduced him to the crowd. “If y’all notice, nobody else came,” Sapp said. “But we recognize people that come to see about us.”

He then said O’Rourke would be in the lobby after the service to “meet and greet.”

“This situation is a close call,” Mayer said. He said the visit could be a violation because Sapp gave candidates a chance to meet with congregants on church property after the service.

Brunson said that if O’Rourke solicited votes or funds in the lobby it would likely be a violation.

In a statement, Sapp said he did not believe the visit was barred by the Johnson Amendment and pointed out that O’Rourke did not address parishioners during the service.

“I have been a pastor for 19 years and have never endorsed a candidate,” Sapp said. “I understand the parameters of the Johnson Amendment and do not violate them. While I believe in the inherent separation of church and state, I also believe in empowering marginalized communities, the African American community in particular, to participate in the democratic process.”

WHAT DOES THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT ALLOW?

Religious institutions are allowed to invite candidates to speak to their congregations.

But if one person is invited in their capacity as a candidate, everyone in the race must be given equal opportunity to address parishioners, according to IRS rules. Fundraising is also not allowed during the appearance and the church must maintain a “nonpartisan atmosphere,” the rules state.

“As long as all candidates are invited and there’s no endorsement, candidates can appear at a church and can even explain why the congregation should vote for them,” Brunson said.

While only inviting one candidate violates the law, enforcement is difficult.

“All sorts of houses of worship do this,” Ellen Aprill, an emerita tax law professor at Loyola Marymount University’s law school, said. “Think about the enormous amount of resources it would take for the IRS to enforce the ban and to do so in a way that avoids accusations of political favoritism.”

In some cases, a single politician can be invited to speak as long as they are not identified as a candidate.

On the evening of Oct. 23, Patrick attended a “Night to Honor Israel” event at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.

Pastor John Hagee introduced Patrick. He avoided violating the prohibition on supporting a political candidate because he praised the Lieutenant Governor in his capacity as a current public official and did not mention his candidacy, Mayer said. The tax law expert added that Patrick also did not mention the upcoming election, voting or his candidacy.

Churches also can provide voter guides and have voter registration drives as long as they avoid showing preference for specific candidates. They can also weigh in on such issues and policies as abortion if they steer clear of targeting individual candidates. The Congressional Research Service acknowledged in 2013 that “the line between issue advocacy and campaign activity can be difficult to discern.”

Religious institutions have more flexibility in supporting or opposing ballot measures like bonds and referendums that don’t involve specific candidates.

In Michigan, Catholic churches have put up signs against a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to abortion access in the state constitution. They’ve also spoken out against the measure during sermons and sent campaign letters to parishioners urging them to oppose it.

The Detroit archdiocese told The Detroit News last month that IRS rules allow the church to participate in political activity related to the ballot proposal and that it would continue to follow the law “while remaining firm” in its advocacy efforts. Critics have accused the church of violating IRS rules.

Churches can be involved in noncandidate elections as long as such lobbying work is not “substantial,” which the tax code does not explicitly define, Mayer said.

Outside of official church functions or publications, pastors and other church leaders can endorse candidates and engage in political activity in their private capacity. A religious leader’s church affiliation can be identified in such an endorsement, as long as it’s clear that the church leader is not speaking on behalf of the institution.

HOW LIKELY IS THE IRS TO CRACK DOWN ON JOHNSON AMENDMENT VIOLATORS?

Not very.

In the 68 years since the Johnson Amendment became law, the IRS has only publicly acknowledged revoking the tax-exempt status of one church. (The Congressional Research Service said a second church lost its status, but its identity is unknown.)

In 1992, just four days before the presidential election, Branch Ministries in New York paid for ads in USA Today and the Washington Times attacking then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who was challenging Republican President George H.W. Bush.

The ads started with the headline: “Christian Beware. Do not put the economy ahead of the Ten Commandments.” They claimed Clinton violated scripture by supporting “abortion on demand,” homosexuality and the distribution of condoms to teenagers in public schools. Clinton, the ads stated, was “openly promoting policies that are in rebellion to God’s laws.”

The revocation of the church’s tax-exempt status spurred a yearslong legal battle. In 2000, a U.S. Appeals Court ruled in favor of the IRS.

During a four-year period that started in 2004, the IRS sent dozens of churches warning letters about political activity and initiated some audits. The result of the audits is unclear.

Then, in 2013, a scandal related to nonprofits that were not churches helped further dampen the agency’s enthusiasm for politically sensitive investigations, said Philip Hackney, a University of Pittsburgh law professor and former IRS official.

Congressional Republicans accused the agency of bias against conservative groups after the Treasury Department’s inspector general found that the agency had given extra scrutiny to Tea Party nonprofits seeking tax-exempt status. Two high-ranking IRS officials stepped down.

“They got burned badly as a result of being in that space,” Hackney said, adding that the incident led IRS leaders to be particularly “careful about how they tread in those waters.”

The IRS has not released data on enforcement of church political activity over the last decade and does not publicly confirm individual investigations.

But in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from ProPublica and the Tribune last year, the agency produced a severely redacted spreadsheet indicating the agency had launched inquiries into 16 churches since 2011. IRS officials shielded the results of the probes, and they have declined to answer specific questions.

The more of us sending in Form 13909 to the IRS, the quicker they’ll act...

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thepastisalreadywritten · 2 years

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SAINT OF THE DAY (October 10)

Francis Borgia was born on 28 October 1510 in Gandia, Valencia, Spain.

He was the son of the Duke of Gandia, the great grandson from his father’s side of Pope Alexander VI, the notorious Borgia pope, and from his mother’s side, the great grandson of King Ferdinand of Aragon.

Francis’ grandmother joined her daughter in a convent of Poor Clares after the death of her husband and held a pious influence in the court of the Borgia, to which Francis is indebted.

It was with these two women that holiness penetrated into the scandalous lineage of the Borgia family.

Francis grew to be a pious young man, possessed of many natural gifts, and a favorite at the court of Charles V.

It was recounted that one day, Francis passed through Alcalá, followed by his escort, and exchanged an emotional glance with a poor man being escorted to prison by the Inquisition.

This man was Ignatius of Loyola. At this moment, Francis could not have had any idea what an important role this man would play in his destiny.

In 1539, Francis was appointed Viceroy of Catalonia. Four years later, upon the death of his father, he became the 4th Duke of Gandia.

He built a university there, received the degree of Doctor in Theology, and invited the Jesuits to his duchy.

His wife died in 1546. Francis entered the Society of Jesus in 1548 but was ordered by the Pope to remain in the world until he had fulfilled his obligations to his ten children and his duchy.

Two years later, he left Gandia, never to return, and joined the Jesuits in Rome.

He immediately set about initiating grand projects – he convinced Ignatius to found the Roman College.

A year later, he left for Spain, where his preaching and example sparked a renewal of religious fervour in the country, drawing pilgrims from far and wide to hear him preach.

In 1556, he was placed in charge of all the missions of the Society, and his energetic work transformed them. He also initiated the missions to Peru, New Spain and Brazil.

He was elected as general on 2 July 1565, and although in poor health for his last years, he executed the governance and initiated projects of the Society with great energy.

He introduced so many reforms to the Society of Jesus that he was considered in some ways to be its second founder.

Francis was a man of contemplation and action in the fullest sense, and clearly drew much strength from the silence of his prayer.

He died in Rome on 30 September 1572.

His mortal remains were repatriated to Spain in 1617 and kept from 1627 at the Jesuit professed house in Madrid.

Saint Francis Borgia is one of the great saints of the Catholic Reformation.

He was beatified in Madrid on 23 November 1624 by Pope Urban VIII.

He was canonized nearly 35 years later on 20 June 1670 by Pope Clement X.

#Saint of the Day #Saint Francis Borgia #Society of Jesus

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