#Trump Peace Plan

[evilroachindustrial]

I'm begging folks to actually read about what Trump did during his Presidency about Israel and Palestine before saying he and Biden would have the same policies about the war.

Biden isn't handling the situation well and could absolutely be doing more, but Trump would absolutely be worse in ever concievable way.

#US Politics #just read about that asinine “”“”Peace Plan“”“ Trump cooked up while in office #Palestine #Gaza

[starblaster]

If you have not been attending protests and you haven’t yet seen recordings of them online, the things Zionists will just come up to you and say are so baffling and appalling and shocking. Their behavior is just so fucked up, the things they say are downright unconscionable. One woman told us she would “come back with some bear mace,” threatening to pepperspray us.

#even the ‘benign’ hecklers will say the most baffling shit #last night some man walked past us and pointed at the giant ‘peace’ sign and said ‘‘i can get with that’’ #and then pointed to the giant ‘free gaza’ sign next to it and said ‘‘but not that’’ #when i said ‘‘you don’t really support peace then’’ #he said ‘‘i voted for trump but i’m not a trump guy’’ #to which everyone kind of turned and looked at him like ?????? ok???? #he then proceeded to walk away but turn and yell at us from all the way down the street #like 60 meters away still turning around and shouting at us #last night there was this guy who came up to me while i was handing out flyers about our city’s ceasefire resolution/declaration plans #he acted like he was interested #took several of each flyer #and proceeded to violently throw them back at me #said he was trying to ‘‘cut [my] eyes’’ and then proceeded to say ‘‘fuck fuck gaza’’ to mock our ‘free free gaza/free free palestine’ chant

[crazy-god-bunker-jughead]

This person. Is a closeted Zionist they are hinting that Russian bots are “spreading misinformation” to get people to support Palestine. So thinking Israel is bad makes you a bot I guess.

#also in response to that post I don’t think that shoveling endless money at Ukraine is the solution either #like literally the US set up the whole war as a proxy so they could attempt to weaken Russia #and surprisingly enough D Trump of all people had a half decent plan to de escalate and keep peace in the region #no shade to my mutual you’re probably just agreeing with the broad message of the post not the tiny details #palestine

[robertreich]

How Trump is Following Hitler's Playbook

You’ve heard Trump’s promise:

TRUMP: I’m going to be a dictator for one day.

History shows there are no “one-day” dictatorships. When democracies fall, they typically fall completely.

In a previous video, I laid out the defining traits of fascism and how MAGA Republicans embody them. But how could Trump — or someone like him — actually turn America into a fascist state? Here’s how in five steps.

Step 1: Use threats of violence to gain power

Hitler and Mussolini relied on their vigilante militias to intimidate voters and local officials. We watched Trump try to do the same in 2020.

TRUMP: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.

Republican election officials testified to the threats they faced when they refused Trump’s demands to falsify the election results.

RAFFENSPERGER: My email, my cell phone was doxxed.

RUSTY BOWERS: They have had video panel trucks with videos of me proclaiming me to be a pedophile.

GABRIEL STERLING: A 20-something tech in Gwinnett County today has death threats and a noose put out saying he should be hung for treason.

If the next election is close, threats to voters and election officials could be enough to sabotage it.

Step 2: Consolidate power

After taking office, a would-be fascist must turn every arm of government into a tool of the party. One of Hitler’s first steps was to take over the civil service, purging it of non-Nazis.

In October of 2020, Trump issued his own executive order that would have enabled him to fire tens of thousands of civil servants and replace them with MAGA loyalists. He never got to act on it, but he’s now promising to apply it to the entire civil service.

That’s become the centerpiece of something called Project 2025, a presidential agenda assembled by MAGA Republicans, that would, as the AP put it, “dismantle the US government and replace it with Trump’s vision.”

Step 3: Establish a police state

Hitler used the imaginary threat of “the poison of foreign races” to justify taking control of the military and police, placing both under his top general, and granting law-enforcement powers to his civilian militias.

Now Trump is using the same language to claim he needs similar powers to deal with immigrants.

Trump plans to deploy troops within the U.S. to conduct immigration raids and round up what he estimates to be 18 million people who would be placed in mass-detention camps while their fate is decided.

And even though crime is actually down across the nation, Trump is citing an imaginary crime wave to justify sending troops into blue cities and states against the will of governors and mayors.

Trump insiders say he plans to invoke the Insurrection Act to have the military crush civilian protests. We saw a glimpse of that in 2020, when Trump deployed the National Guard against peaceful protesters outside the White House.

And with promises to pardon January 6 criminals and stop prosecutions of right-wing domestic terrorists, Trump would empower groups like the Proud Boys to act as MAGA enforcers.

Step 4: Jail the opposition

In classic dictatorial fashion, Trump is now openly threatening to prosecute his opponents.

TRUMP: if I happen to be president and I see somebody who’s doing well and beating me very badly, I say, ‘Go down and indict them.’ They’d be out of business.

And he’s looking to remake the Justice Department into a tool for his personal vendettas.

TRUMP: As we completely overhaul the federal Department of Justice and FBI, we will also launch sweeping civil rights investigations into Marxist local district attorneys.

In the model of Hitler and Mussolini, Trump describes his opponents as subhuman.

TRUMP: …the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country…

Step 5: Undermine the free press

As Hitler well understood, a fascist needs to control the flow of information. Trump has been attacking the press for years.

And he’s threatening to punish news outlets whose coverage he dislikes.

He has helped to reduce trust in the media to such a historic low that his supporters now view him as their most trusted source of information.

Within a democracy, we may often have leaders we don’t like. But we have the power to change them — at the ballot box and through public pressure. Once fascism takes hold, those freedoms are gone and can’t easily be won back.

We must recognize the threat of fascism when it appears, and do everything in our power to stop it.

#youtube #videos #fascism #Donald Trump #election #video #politics

[hazel2468]

You know, to get political for a second.

It hasn't escaped my notice that every time someone brings up the presidential election. There is ALWAYS an early 20-somethings queer person in the comments or replies going on and on about how Biden won't help Palestine, about how Biden is doing a genocide, about how "Israel this and that" and like...

You're all fucking idiots for falling for this. You are. Because those people saying that shit are either the morons we see protesting who can't answer which river and which sea they're screaming about or who don't know what Hamas' charter says, OR they're the same fucking bots who appeared all over tumblr back before the 2016 election to try and convince all of us, using the hot political topics at the time, not to vote Dem. Because they had a vested interest in us not voting Dem.

And just to speak on the whole Palestine thing here... Do you really thing. That Trump. The racist fascist who openly wants to be a dictator. Who is buddy-buddy with Netanyahu, the other racist fascist who wants to be a dictator. Is going to do anything other than give Bibi the fucking green light to do anything he wants? If you think that Trump is going to be better for your "Pro-Palestine" movement (which, btw, is in quotes because the vast majority of the idiots supporting it don't know jack shit about what's going on and don't actually care about the Palestinian people, seeing as they have a habit of cheering for the terrorist organization that uses them as human shields, steals their money and aid for their own devices, and they have a lovely habit of attacking actual Palestinian peace activists who call them on it and ignoring what they say they actually need so...) than Biden? You're out of your fucking mind.

Holy shit I am not going to sit here and watch people fall for the same BS they did back in 2016. Israel and Palestine is the hot-button topic right now. Every time you see someone talking about how Trump has promised to roll back all the protections that the Biden/Harris admin has put in place, every time you see someone pointing out that the Republicans LITERALLY have a plan to fucking turn our country into an Evangelical hellscape, there is some fucking numbnuts in the notes, probably with a pride flag in their bio, wailing about "Genocide Joe".

And you all need to ask yourself why the hell there are all of these nearly-identical blogs. All doing the exact same thing every time someone tries to point out that another Trump term would see people literally dead and our country fucking torn apart, possibly forever. Use your fucking brains.

#politics #i/p #us politics #FUCKING YOU'RE ALL MORONS I SWEAR HOLY SHIT #this is the same stuff that happened in 2016 wtf is wrong with you

[bogleech]

I'm not going to even gently suggest here how you should vote or whether you should vote because doing so invites the most deranged harassment I've now ever seen on this website but if you expect or for whatever reason hope that the Democrats will lose the presidential election you need to prepare yourself and plan for the four years (or more) that you'll get of conservative presidency, because those ones will seek to fund much more war and crack down more sadistically on any and all protest, with Trump even saying he'd fight to deport all immigrants who admit to standing with Palestine. Not even just those who join a protest, he thinks it should be treason to just express the opinion anywhere.

There absolutely will not be a scenario in which both the Democrats and Republicans lose, ushering in a peaceful utopian third party.

A loss will also push neither party farther left. Neither of them are going to take it as a lesson to ease up on being murderous war pigs. If you're "vote blue no matter who" PLEASE tell me there's a coherent plan to fight their murder fetish from there and if you're "just don't vote at all" please tell me what the other coherent plan is to deal with a landslide maga victory and their hornier murder fetish

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #3

Jan 26-Feb 2 2024

The House overwhelmingly passed a tax deal that will revive the expanded Child Tax Credit, this will effect 16 million American children and lift 400,000 out of poverty in the first year. The deal also supports the building of 200,000 housing units over the next two years, and provides tax relief for communities hit by disasters.

The Biden Administration has begun negotiations on drug prices for Medicare. Earlier this year the administration announced it would negotiate for the first time directly with drug manufacturers on the prices of 10 common medications. This week they sent their opening offers to the companies. The program is expected to save Medicare and enrollees billions over dollars over the long term and help push down drug prices for everyone.

The Department of Transportation has green lit $240 Million to modernize air ports across the country. Air Ports in 37 states will be able to get much needed updates and refurbishment.

The Biden Administration announced 10 sites across America as sites for innovation investment. They will receive up to 2 billion dollars each over the next 10 years. The goal is to stimulate economic growth and innovation in semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, sustainable textiles, climate-resilient agriculture, regenerative medicine, and more.

The State Department reviews options for recognizing Palestinian Statehood. While as of yet there's been no policy change this review of options is a major shift in US diplomatic thinking which has long opposed Palestinian Statehood and shows a seriousness of reported Biden plans to push for Statehood as part of a post-war Israel-Saudi normalization deal.

President Biden imposes sanctions on Israeli settlers who have engaged in violence against Palestinians and peace activists. This marks the first time the US has leveled sanctions against Israelis and sets up a standard that could see the whole settlement movement cut off from the US financial system

the Department of Energy has tentatively agreed to a $1.5 Billion dollar loan to help reopen a Michigan nuclear power plant. This would mark the first time a closed nuclear plant has been brought back online. Closed in 2022 it's hoped that it could reopen in time to be generating power in late 2025. This is part of Biden's plan to decarbonize the electricity grid by 2035.

the Internal Revenue Service launched a program to allow tax fillers file for free directly with the government. In 2024 its a pilot program limited to 12 states, but plans for it to be nation wide by tax day 2025

The Department of Health and Human Services announced $28 million in grants to help with the treatment of substance use disorder, including a program aimed at pregnant and postpartum women, and expanded drug court aimed at directing people into treatment and out of the criminal justice system.

The Department of Energy announced $72 million for 46 hydroelectric projects across 19 states. This marks the single largest investment in Hydropower in US history.

The Senate confirmed President Biden's 175th federal judge. Biden has now appointed more federal judges in his first term in office than President Obama did in his, however still lags behind Trump's 186 judges. For the first time in history a majority of a President's nominees are not white men, 65% of them are women and 65% are people of color, President Biden has appointed more black women to judgeships than any administration in history.

#Joe Biden #Thanks Biden #good news #us politics #politics #Democrats #Poverty #Climate change #nuclear power #Israel #israeli settlers #Palestine #israel palestine conflict

[contemplatingoutlander]

That the Editorial Board of the premier U.S. newspaper of record is finally warning about Donald Trump is significant. As such, this is a gift 🎁 link so that those who want to read the entire editorial can do so, even if they don't subscribe to The New York Times. Below are some excerpts:

As president, [Trump] wielded power carelessly and often cruelly and put his ego and his personal needs above the interests of his country. Now, as he campaigns again, his worst impulses remain as strong as ever — encouraging violence and lawlessness, exploiting fear and hate for political gain, undermining the rule of law and the Constitution, applauding dictators — and are escalating as he tries to regain power. He plots retribution, intent on eluding the institutional, legal and bureaucratic restraints that put limits on him in his first term. Our purpose at the start of the new year, therefore, is to sound a warning. Mr. Trump does not offer voters anything resembling a normal option of Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, big government or small. He confronts America with a far more fateful choice: between the continuance of the United States as a nation dedicated to “the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity” and a man who has proudly shown open disdain for the law and the protections and ideals of the Constitution. [...] It is instructive in the aftermath of that administration to listen to the judgments of some of these officials on the president they served. John Kelly, a chief of staff to Mr. Trump, called him the “most flawed person I’ve ever met,” someone who could not understand why Americans admired those who sacrificed their lives in combat. Bill Barr, who served as attorney general, and Mark Esper, a former defense secretary, both said Mr. Trump repeatedly put his own interests over those of the country. Even the most loyal and conservative of them all, Vice President Mike Pence, who made the stand that helped provoke Mr. Trump and his followers to insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, saw through the man: “On that day, President Trump also demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution,” he said.

[See more under the cut.]

There will not be people like these in the White House should Mr. Trump be re-elected. The former president has no interest in being restrained, and he has surrounded himself with people who want to institutionalize the MAGA doctrine. According to reporting by the Times reporters Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Jonathan Swan, Mr. Trump and his ideological allies have been planning for a second Trump term for many months already. Under the name Project 2025, one coalition of right-wing organizations has produced a thick handbook and recruited thousands of potential appointees in preparation for an all-out assault on the structures of American government and the democratic institutions that acted as checks on Mr. Trump’s power. [...] Mr. Trump has made clear his conviction that only “losers” accept legal, institutional or even constitutional constraints. He has promised vengeance against his political opponents, whom he has called “vermin” and threatened with execution. This is particularly disturbing at a time of heightened concern about political violence, with threats increasing against elected officials of both parties. He has repeatedly demonstrated a deep disdain for the First Amendment and the basic principles of democracy, chief among them the right to freely express peaceful dissent from those in power without fear of retaliation, and he has made no secret of his readiness to expand the powers of the presidency, including the deployment of the military and the Justice Department, to have his way. [...] Re-electing Mr. Trump would present serious dangers to our Republic and to the world. This is a time not to sit out but instead to re-engage. We appeal to Americans to set aside their political differences, grievances and party affiliations and to contemplate — as families, as parishes, as councils and clubs and as individuals — the real magnitude of the choice they will make in November.

I encourage people to use the above gift link and read the entire article.

[edited]

#donald trump #warning #2024 election #editorial board #the new york times #gift link

[zvaigzdelasas]

Former President Donald Trump said Israel has to “finish up” the war in Gaza in a Monday interview with an Israeli news outlet, adding that the country “has to be very careful” because it is “losing a lot of support.”[...]

In an interview with Israel Hayom, a publication owned by the family of the late conservative real estate magnate Sheldon Adelson, Trump suggested he would have acted very similarly to Israel’s government in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants. But he also said Israel made “a very big mistake” with photos and imagery of bombs dropped on Gaza helping push public opinion against the war.

“I wanted to call [Israel] and say don’t do it,” Trump told the outlet. “These photos and shots. I mean, moving shots of bombs being dropped into buildings in Gaza. And I said, Oh, that’s a terrible portrait. It’s a very bad picture for the world.”

25 Mar 24

[pixiecaps]

Heres a portion of Maxo’s ending monologue and some meta commentary.

q!Maxo: And what if I stay? At least they won’t have that planned out. How can I be so stupid? Of course, they know about the bomb. They literally know everything, see everything, its an all seeing eye, of course. They already knew about my plan.. But there’s a plan they don’t know. And it’s that I’m going to stay here. It’s over. Besides, I’m a danger to everybody, I’m turning into a code. I know now that I’m not the only one but at least it’ll be one less, right? It’s the desperation of not being able to do anything against the Federation. They always get away with it, man. They always get what they want. I don’t- I don’t know why I’m even still walking. … They’ve taken my bomb and stolen my idea and now they’re exploding it. They don’t care. At least, we found a way to escape. (Timer runs out)

cc!Maxo: (Closes game) And like that is how he dies. “Are you coming back as a ghost?” As of right now I am not thinking about returning as a ghost. (Plays sad music) Rest in peace qMaxo. Rest in fucking peace. I did all I could chat. I did all I could. … If I had reached the boat I would not have gotten on. I think what I would’ve wanted is to reach the boat, say goodbye to everybody, and die. But I suppose due to the timer the bomb blew up before that could happen. … So I’ve died. That is how it goes. This was the only thing I could do that the Federation could really not control. Killing myself.

cc!Maxo: (When a chatter mentioned the people who didn’t reach the boat) Chat I only know that I’ve died, it’s what I wanted for my lore. That I would’ve stayed there with the atomic bomb. In a fantasy world like the QSMP, of course I could revive, finally turn into a code, or whatever but for the moment all I know is that I’m dead. And I don’t have anything else scripted, from this moment on I’m dead and thats final. Thats the reality, and thats why I’m not… happy because I will for sure miss the QSMP. But since I personally take roleplay very seriously, for me there is no going back. I am dead. I cannot return as cubito Maxo. I can return as a spirit that haunts Roier once in a while, periodically, I could, I could but qMaxo is dead. It’s sad, I’m not super happy because obviously I spent a really great time on QSMP but by my own lore, man, I couldn’t do it any longer. I couldn’t handle returning to Quesadilla Island knowing I couldn’t do anything against the Federation. If I made a fucking atomic bomb and the boss of Purgatory goes and says, “Oh you have an atomic bomb? Okay. In fact, that’s a good idea. Let’s explode it, run to the boat, returning again to the island that you were in, because thats likely what will happen, and you’ll continue suffering.” I can’t do it anymore. I’ve lost Trump, my son, I’ve lost- I no longer trust people who can kill each other amongst themselves, by the lore.

cc!Maxo: The players themselves are super fun people and I’ve had a good time. What makes me feel shame is that, that I can’t roleplay with them anymore. To say it one way or another. Well, there could be things in the future the admins offer but as a player it makes me feel shame. Also, while it is true that recently I hadn’t been logging in a lot, the times I did I had a good time. I did a lot of cool things with these people.

cc!Maxo: I lost SOFIA, I lost.. everything. Everything that I’ve done, every idea that I had thought of for myself and others has been taken by the Federation. … I think that the Federation has so much control that is impossible to do anything against them. And everything you do against them they’ll use to further confuse the people. … For me I will no longer play [as qMaxo] because I am dead, that’s serious to me, I’ve decided my character has died in an explosion. Another thing is that I could occasionally log on as a spirit or something. If they allow me that then great! But if dying means not being able to play on the QSMP anymore then so be it. … This was necessary for the roleplay. … I didn’t die thinking, “Wow I found the answer.” I didn’t want to die because I found any type of answer. I died because of desperation. To say, look man I couldn’t find any answers.

Maxo mentioned it did leave him with a sour taste in his mouth that he didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to everybody since he ran out of time. So a chatter suggested he does canonical pre recording goodbye video to everybody. He said he’d likely consider it and do it so that his character gets the chance to tell the other characters goodbye and that he’s gone.

Rest in peace qMaxo, the original founder of the Theory Bros, and someone who gave his all to escaping the island no matter the cost.

#qsmp #suicide cw

[cimerran-714]

Hey, Hamas supporters. I know that you love to shriek about how Israel is "zionist" and a "terrorist" country, but are you aware that it had repeatedly offered peace deals with Hamas which were always rejected?

Since the beginning, Israel has always wanted to co-exist peacefully.

Israel accepted the UN resolution of making Jerusalem an international city without it being controlled by either nations. Palestine did not, which lead to the Arab-Israeli war.

The Peel Commission Plan of 1937. It was offered by Israel, but rejected by Palestine.

The Oslo Accords of 1993: Well, Palestine agreed to accept it, but did not fully implement their commitments, but it's essentially the same thing.

At the Camp David Summit in 2000.

The Trump Administration Peace Plan in 2020.

Oh, and they rejected a cease-fire literally three days ago or so.

But yeah, according to bigots like you, it's Israel that is fault at here. So much for liberals claiming to fight for "human rights" and "equality".

#israeli #israel palestine conflict #i stand with israel #arab israeli conflict #israel #genocide #isreal #gaza #free gaza #anti zionisim #free palestine #palestine #palestine genocide #rafah #ghazza #hamas war crimes #hamas attack #israel hamas war #hamas massacre #free plaestine #hamas #hamas is isis #anti semitism

[qqueenofhades]

Hwy dod we even need to send more money to Ukraine tho like we’ve already supported them plenty! But let Europe pull their weight and we can go back to spending that money on American policies

Do you read like, any news outside Tumblr, any Ukrainian perspectives, any basic analyses of the conflict, any rationale from Democrats or Congress, or anything? Because, in brief:

Ukrainians are currently facing a full-scale genocide. It has been going on for over a year and Russian military leadership has every plan to continue until fruition. If they stop resisting, there will be no more Ukraine or Ukrainians. So all the "appeasers" or "realists" insisting that Ukraine should "give up land for peace" (which notably worked so well with Czechoslovakia and Hitler in 1938) are basically deciding that it's fine to let the genocide be carried out, if it's even minorly inconvenient for us. Putin and cronies have repeatedly stated that if they are successful in taking Ukraine, they will go further. This is the exact scenario that leads to the "escalation" and/or WWIII that various people keep wringing their hands over. It is far more just and safe for Ukraine to be supported now and to stop that before it gets even worse.

America is not actually giving over buckets of black cash, regardless of what various bad-faith takes claim. They are handing over weapons valued at various amounts of money, along with some financial and budgetary aid. A lot of these weapons are older and would cost more to decommission than they cost to give to a sovereign democracy fighting for its life against an imperialist autocratic neighbor. This is some tiny amount like 5% (if that) of America's bloated military budget. And again: it's actual weapons valued at a certain dollar amount. These cannot be spent on American domestic policies.

The idea that helping Ukraine is directly coming out of our own pockets or preventing us from spending as needed on our own needs is propaganda. It is not good to repeat it.

I wrote this post the other day about why Putin is trying so hard to break American/Western support for Ukraine, and why the hard-right MAGA has enabled him in it. Putin's Russia is the motivating nexus, coordination, and funding center for Russian/European/American far-right theocratic fascism. This whole "America Only" is the exact rationale that appeals to said far-right domestic fascists and gives Putin and other imperial expansionist kleptocrats the justification to just throw away post-WWII international order and declare that any larger and more powerful state can systematically eradicate any neighboring country, claim its territory, destroy its government, kill its people, and get away with it. Because why would they stop, if there aren't any consequences and they are rewarded for it?

Putin has repeatedly interfered in American elections to help Trump and the Republicans. That should tell you something about who he sees as most favorable to his interests and what he would do again if allowed to emerge victorious.

Europe IS actually pulling its weight! They just brought all 27 defense ministers to Kyiv, they have been working on Ukraine's accession talks, they have committed all types of weapons (including the long-range missiles that the US still won't clearly authorize), they've committed a new tranche of 5 billion euros in long-term assistance, etc. But the whole "we should pull out of NATO and leave Europe to fend for itself" was a key isolationist and xenophobic Trump idea. We can see what that led to.

American aid is vital to Ukraine's continued existence as a sovereign country, period, and it is in American interests to continue to provide it as agreed upon. Not least because such an egregious betrayal of a democratic ally would empower the fascists of the world, both Russian and American, and because as noted, if this conflict was not stopped and got bigger, it would then involve American troops. It is a moral, democratic, political, and ethical imperative. This is not a difficult call or a complicated situation, regardless of what the Online Leftist tankies and the MAGA-world nutcases (because horseshoe theory) want you to think.

Слава Україні.

The end.

#anonymous #ask #russia ukraine war

[libraford]

The most BUCKWILD part of the whole "joe biden supports israel i'm not voting for him thing" is that like, if he doesn't win, donald "ban the muslims" trump will be president, and i see no circumstance where that doesn't end with immediate escalation of the violence against palestine

Donald Trump's plan for peace was to revoke Palestinian aid and tell them that he wasn't going to give it back until Israel and Palestine reached a peace agreement. Source.

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

🗡️ Something Dread, Something Red: Chapter One

Something Dread, Something Red: Stuck in a proposal to a Marine Commodore, you escape minutes before your wedding in one last ditch effort to avoid getting married to a tyrant. Barely making it to the port of your town, you stumble across a ship just starting to leave and beg for passage off the island. You fail to notice that the people you beg for help, are pirates.

Warnings: Allusions of Domestic Violence.

To Note: “Red Haired” Shanks x FemReader

Word Count: ~2.6k

Masterlist | Next

The night is darkest at dawn. Just before the first rays of of the new day struck the horizon, the night drew infinitely black to offer the last bit of night before being smothered by the sun. You loved the silence it brought, giving you a break from the cumbersome and structured life you lived. Yet that indulging peace was fleeting. Never longer enough for you to taste what you truly longed for and only taunting you with something that you’d never reach. Sighing, you rested your chin on your gathered knees and enjoyed what would be your last sunrise at the Bonn Manor.

You’d been born on the grounds, raised in elegant halls, and soon, be married in its chestnut grove. The wedding had been planned for nearly a year, your engagement? Years. Everything had been meticulously designed down to the length of a single blade of grass. Your mother was a bit of a control freak, hadn’t let you put in one word edgewise and it was your own wedding! Not that you were surprised, you’d never once had the pleasure of even choosing your own outfits or meals.

In hindsight it saved you many a headache for you hadn’t lifted a finger in the entire process. The florist had been given strict direction on what bouquets, boutonnières, and accents should look like, not to mention the flower choice. The bakery in the heart of your island had no doubt been working overtime to supply the cake and other specialty confectionery and the tailor had almost moved into the manor to finish the work on your dress.

Your dress.

It had been in production for nearly eight months. Your town, Kuri Island, while known for it’s chestnut trees was also famed for it’s lacework. League and leagues of lace had been stitched just for your dress and that didn’t even include your outrageous veil! It was enormous, beaded and decorated with an innumerous amount of cloth flowers. Your mother really hadn’t spared any expense, tutting that this had been her lifestyle dream to see you married to a powerful man that would ensure that your noble blood line would continue to prosper.

That and the family business. The Bonn’s had a monopoly on the chestnut and lace industry on Kuri island, ruling with an iron fist and ensuring that they remained the most powerful on the island. Your fiancé was the next in line power wise. As a Marine Commodore, Thomas Collins was the only man on the island worthy of your hand… and in just a few short hours he’d have it.

But not by your choice.

This was an arranged marriage drafted by your parents when you were just a teen, to a man very much your senior and cared little for your own feelings. Worse? He wasn’t a good man, or a good Marine. As much as your mother had tried to control the whispers that reached your delicate ears, you knew the reputation Thomas had among the commoners. He wasn’t a good man, he had a habit of cruelty to those far beneath himself, and you’d even heard rumors of bribery. But politics and Berry had trumped over your personal feelings. You couldn’t refuse this marriage, your opinion couldn’t even leave your lips.

Just as the sun began to rise above the horizon, your maids bustled into your room followed by additional ones to tackle the great task of getting you ready for the wedding in a few hours. Ann and Gerbera, your personal maids, hustled over to you. While Ann scanned your lavender bedhead, Gerbera took your hand and inspected your hands.

“I haven’t gone and ruined my nails,” You murmured, not taking your eyes off the glow of the morning sunrise.

“Your mother requested an inspection, my lady,” Gerbera replied, scanning your immaculate fingernails. “Lest you had made an attempt to flee during the night.”

“And where would I go?” You asked vaguely, your eyes taking on a faraway and clouded look. The maids had often seen it appear within your eyes the closer the wedding drew. They were not oblivious to the matter that you didn’t wish to marry Thomas. Had most definitely witnessed your private breakdowns over the years as you slowly realized that your life had never been your own. They were good to you, excellent maids who took pride in caring for their lady… but they couldn’t even move a single finger to help you in your predicament.

“Never mind that, off to the baths,” Ann softly preened, trying to find light in the fact that you would be glowing with beauty once they were done dressing you for your wedding. You let Gerbera pull you from your lonesome and brooding perch, guiding your through your rooms to the grand bathroom that already steamed with scented water. You could smell the strong scent of rose and argan oil rising from bumbling water. You’d been taking baths thrice weekly to soften your skin to that of the finest satin on your mother’s orders, and had started hating the scent. It made you nauseous. This would be your last so you would bear it.  

Standing in place, Ann and Gerbera delicately undid the strings to your nightdress, pulling it from your body to leave you naked. You didn’t hesitate to step down into the bath. The hot water did very little to ease your growing nausea and discomfort. You knew it wouldn’t. But at the very least it felt nice on your stiff body. You had sat at your window for hours without moving, your mind spinning and descending into the dark depths of the pit of hell you’d soon be living in.

Gerbera knelt behind you and took your long lavender hair in hand, gently running an ivory comb through the tangled strands. You winced every time she caught a knot. Gerbera murmured an apology time and carefully unraveled the knot of hair. Your lavender locks weren’t usually a mess, but you’d tossed and turned all last night before getting up a few hours ago to wait for the sunrise. At the very least, once you were married you’d have more control over the length of your hair. The extraneous length was cumbersome and almost like chains to weight you down. Well, almost every part of your life was some sort of a chain or prison.

So while Gerbera continued to tend to your hair, Ann took to managing oils into your hand and buffing your already immaculate nails. They took extra care in placing dabs of oil in key places on your body. Behind your ears, along your neck, and across your wrists. As you would walk the oils would diffuse in the air around you, perfuming you and leaving behind the scent of rose. A scent that drowned you in hatred. It was always rose this or rose that. Rose jewelry and rose dresses. Even a rose themed bedroom!

If you never smelled another rose after this blasted wedding you would die a happy woman…

You stayed in the bath as long as you’d be allowed, but the strict voice of your mother ringing from your bedroom had Ann and Gerbera pulling you from the bath and wrapping you in a towel. They dried you off in record time, no doubt saving you from a stern lecture, and wrapped your wet hair in a drying towel. The three of you winced when your mother’s voice turned sharp and she nearly started shrieking at the poor girl who had added an extra rose to your bouquet.

“It’s not even seven o’clock yet and the madam is already angry,” Ann murmured, almost hesitant to push you back into your bedroom.

“It’s a perpetual state I believe,” You replied, twisting your fingers together. “The day she is pleasant is the day the world has ended.” Toweled dry, you donned a robe and reluctantly headed back to your bedroom. Your mother was still harping on the poor girl who had gotten the number of flowers wrong in your bouquet when you appeared. She rounded on your life a viper and you had a brief momentary thought that she might have given herself whiplash.

“You!” She barked out. “Why are you not sitting down for your hair and makeup?” You remained silent and simply lowered yourself to the velvet and satin chair in front of your vanity. She continued to berate you for things you had no control over and complain over nonexistent errors. It’d be all over in a few hours, you’d trade one jailer for another.

Your hair was dealt with first. Being so long, it took perhaps nearly half an hour to brush it out smooth and braid it. Then it was swirled and pinned into place upon your head with crystal studded pins that dug into your scalp in a painful reminder. You’d been complimented on how lovely the crystal and flower pins looked within your lavender colored hair, and combined with the minimal makeup being painted upon your face you were sure to look the picture of perfection.

“Heaven’s Linaria could you at the very least respect your mother enough to get sleep during the night!” Your mother huffed, fretting and tutting over the bags beneath your eyes the makeup slowly concealed. “I have worked tirelessly to perfect this wedding and I will not have you ruining it with an unsightly appearance.”

“Yes mother,” You replied obediently. Her eyes, echoing your own but with a much harsher  tint, narrowed and she scoffed.

“Knowing you you’ll make a scene at the reception or even ruin the vows. Commodore Collins isn’t expecting a wildling for a wife! He is expecting a well bred, well taught, and docile wife to meet him at the alter. Do not disappoint me.” Your eyes met hers in the mirror for a brief moment before you dropped your gaze. Your silence wasn’t the answer she expected and taloned nails sunk into your pinned and yanked your head back.

Yelping, your fingers dug into your robe as you were forced to look into her cruel and hard eyes.

“Am I clear? You are to behave, Linaria, do not disappoint this family again,” Her warning was well and clear within her eyes. This was the last one she’d give you. Swallowing thickly, you agreed in the softest voice.

“Yes mother,” Your hair was released and you took in a silent breath of relief, grateful that she wasn’t tugging on your hair still. You were sure that a few of the pins would have to be righted after her harsh hold.

“I have to greet our guests, get her ready to dress,” Your mother snapped before striding from your bedroom in a swirl of heavy skirts. Rubbing your neck with a slight wince, Ann took place behind you and quickly fussed with your hair to return it to pristine condition.

“We beg you, my lady,” Ann pleaded, her fingers gently placing the pins back in order. “I fear what will happen to you the next time you go against the madam.”

“And where exactly would I go at a time like this?” You replied, looking at Ann in the mirror. “The manor and grounds is crawling with visitors, the help, and guards. I have nowhere to go. Besides,” You glanced at the wedding dress on the mannequin in your room. “You think I could run in that? The thing weighs more than I do soaking wet.”

After Ann and Gerbera had gotten your hair and makeup just perfect, they’d been dismissed by your mother’s personal maids. She didn’t trust you with your personal maids and had ordered her own to see to dressing you. So you were alone with maids that had no issue enforcing your mother’s orders. They had you get up and stand in the middle of your room, fluttering around while gathering up the layers of your outfit.

You were already in your underwear and bra, a decorative set that your mother had insisted you wear for the wedding, so when you peeled the robe from your body you weren’t especially shy. Valeria, your mother’s favorite, brought over the heavy dress and with the help of Clover, maneuvered the top of the dress over your head. Despite being made from airy lace, the bones of the ballroom dress were metal and ridged, structuring the dress in the precise way your mother had wanted your body to look.

As you placed your arms in the three quarter sleeves with layered lace and starched silk, Valeria’s fingers were quick to work on the strings of the corset. She tightened it immediately, making a small noise of pain emerge from your lips, and only drew the strings tighter and tighter. As elegant and beautiful as you may look, you felt like you were being tied into a jail cell. Clover joined in on tugging the corset tight, and the bruising tightness only grew worse.

You wanted to bite your lip as your ribs began to screech at you, not liking the pressure. But heaven forbid you turned up to your wedding with bitten and chewed lips. Clenched fingers it was. Several minutes later, after being jerked around and squeezed most viciously, the extravagant veil was being pinned into your hair. Another weight to add. Valeria departed to report to your mother while Clover remained to watch over you. Walking over to the grand mirror in your bedroom, you stared at yourself in dread.

You looked like a trussed turkey heading for the dinner table.

You could admit that you looked beautiful, the shape of your waist cinched in and the wide neckline decorated with fabric rose buds accented your collarbones. Months of work on the lace detailing had pulled out a wedding gown fit for a princess… or a lady from a very rich family. But you couldn’t enjoy your beauty, you couldn’t giggle or dance as the skirts of your dress swirled around your feet. You couldn’t enjoy anything about the dress, no matter how expensive or luxurious it was.

By some grace, an extra maid poked her head into your bedroom with a red face. She began rattling off a bunch of issues with minor details of the ceremony space that your mother was throwing an absolute fit over, an Clover glanced at you with a worried look. You could see her thought process. She was supposed to watch over you, but the wedding would not commence without everything being perfect. Well, it wasn’t like you were going to go anywhere. So Clover quickly followed the maid, leaving you in suffocating silence.

Suffocating was an understatement.

Your heart was trying to beat its way out of your chest in pure fear. You had but a mere fifteen minutes before you would be truly locked in an inescapable prison. If you thought it was hard to breath wearing this dress it was nothing to the looming doom that was mere minutes away. Your eyes flickered to the balcony of your bedroom, the doors had been locked after you had tried running before… but with the cleaning of the manor in anticipation for the wedding, they were no longer barred from use.

Memories of what had happened to you as a result of being caught and dragged back to the manor flickered into your mind. You’d never been in that much pain. Fear of repercussion prickled in your veins, rooting you to where you stood. Eyes catching sight of the tops of the ships harbored, your throbbing heart leaped into your throat.

“I’ll never have another chance,” You whispered to yourself, desperation winning over fear.

Date Published: 11/13/23

Last Edit: 11/13/23

Masterlist | Next

#one piece #one piece shanks #shanks x y/n #shanks x you #shanks x reader #red haired shanks

[vyhalia57]

Although, I'm happy that Armie has been found innocent of all of those HEINOUS/TRUMPED-UP charges/accusations, I'm personally also quite sad for him. I wonder will he be able to sometime in the near future return back to acting. One of the reasons I LOVE plus ADMIRE himself much is not only because he is a VERY HANDSOME GENTLEMAN but because he is an ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST in his own right. The multifaceted characters he portrayed in his films fully display his acting range, bringing those to life from script to screen (on both stage, film and TV). Furthermore, from his IG photos and shorts , he shows that he is a very loving, caring plus nurturing father. His children, I'm certain, love their Dad very much. He has provided for them immensely as well, I'm sure. However, I've heard some rumors that: He might not return to acting. He might decide to embark on some other different profession for a change. If he does this--and I personally hope to hell not, though it is his life-- I for one will miss the FUCK OUT OF HIM! I say this (with CUSSES) because I was REALLY looking forward to sequels of "CMBYN" plus " MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.". Moreover, the other projects (planned and upcoming) he would be auditioning for and winning those roles. I know it's quite silly, but when I read these rumored statements, I got depressed. I hope and pray that whatever Mr. Hammer decides to do, I, like his other LOYAL FANS, know that it will be beneficial for the health, self-care, and betterment for him and his family. [I'm NOT a CRAZED STAN, but---> He. Is. My. FAVORITE ACTOR!] PEACE OUT!

#cmbyn and charmie advent 2023

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.

McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement about the leadership post was unrelated to his health. The Kentucky senator had a concussion from a fall last year and two public episodes where his face briefly froze while he was speaking.

“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”

The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump. The two have been estranged since December 2020, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Joe Biden as president was the product of fraud.

But while McConnell’s critics within the GOP conference had grown louder, their numbers had not grown appreciably larger, a marker of McConnell’s strategic and tactical skill and his ability to understand the needs of his fellow Republican senators.

McConnell gave no specific reason for the timing of his decision, which he has been contemplating for months, but he cited the recent death of his wife’s youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection. “The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer,” McConnell said.

But his remarks were also light at times as he talked about the arc of his Senate career.

He noted that when he arrived in the Senate, “I was just happy if anybody remembered my name.” During his campaign in 1984, when Reagan was visiting Kentucky, the president called him “Mitch O’Donnell.”

McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine.

“I am unconflicted about the good within our country and the irreplaceable role we play as the leader of the free world,” McConnell said.

Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House.

“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them,” McConnell said. “That said, I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed. For as long as I am drawing breath on this earth I will defend American exceptionalism.”

Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020.

McConnell and Trump had worked together in Trump’s first term, remaking the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary in a far more conservative image, and on tax legislation. But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator.

Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions.

McConnell’s critics insist he could have done more, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial. McConnell did not, arguing that since Trump was no longer in office, he could not be subject to impeachment.

Rather than fade from prominence after the Capitol riot, Trump continued to assert his control over the party, and finds himself on a clear glidepath to the Republican nomination. Other members of the Republican Senate leadership have endorsed Trump. McConnell has not, and that has drawn criticism from other Republican senators.

McConnell’s path to power was hardly linear, but from the day he walked onto the Senate floor in 1985 and took his seat as the most junior Republican senator, he set his sights on being the party leader. What set him apart was that so many other Senate leaders wanted to run for president. McConnell wanted to run the Senate. He lost races for lower party positions before steadily ascending, and finally became party leader in 2006 and has won nine straight elections.

He most recently beat back a challenge led by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last November.

McConnell built his power base by a combination of care and nurturing of his members, including understanding their political imperatives. After seeing the potential peril of a rising Tea Party, he also established a super political action committee, The Senate Leadership Fund, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Republican candidates.

Despite the concerns about his health, colleagues have said in recent months that they believe he has recovered. McConnell was not impaired cognitively, but did have some additional physical limitations.

“I love the Senate,” he said in his prepared remarks. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”

But, he added, “Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”

There would be a time to reminisce, he said, but not today.

“I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm which they have become accustomed.”