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lighthousegod · 2 years

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This isn't miraculous related, just a vent. Using this site like reddit cause reddit sucks.

So like. Hear me out here.

I've had some shit friends before. Like, the gaslight, gatekeep, getawayfromme kind. And I ended that relationship, and the friend I have an issue with now is WORLDS better than the toxic ones I've had in the past. So trust me when I say I know this could be worse.

However,

Every time I talk to this friend I just get SO pissed off. She has PTSD, as well as OCD, and she just got taken off of some medication a few weeks ago, which has made things really hard for her. And I've been trying to be patient and be there for her. But I'm about to be at my mf limit y'all.

So the main issue is the complaints. Usually, I dont mind complaining, I'm pretty pessimistic myself so I do understand. It's hard not to. But god, every conversation we have is about how horrible her life is. Any time we talk, it always wraps back around to how "her brain hates her" and she can't catch a break. It's exhausting.

It's pretty clear that shes not lying, though. Something really is wrong. She has been missing class cause she has trouble making herself get out of bed, and her grades are steadily dropping. I know she doesn't want that and really beats herself up about it. And I have empathy for her, because I really do understand. I'm diagnosed with depression myself, and man, it takes me a LONG time to get myself ready in the mornings for that very reason. I take a lot of steps to make sure I have no other choice but to get out of bed. I even tried to share some of those strategies with her, like setting your alarm or phone far away from where you sleep so you have to at least get up to turn it off. Of course, she provided an excuse to why she cannot do that.

Now, more recently its gotten worse. I can't tell if I'm fed up or if she's gone downhill, or both. To preface, we spend a LOT of time with each other. We're both in college, and we're basically each others only friends. We knew each other in high school, so this isnt a new friendship. I could go on for another essay length post ab how I wish I would've forced myself to make friends at the beginning of the year instead of relying on her, but that's not what this is about.

So, she has OCD. She also has a lot of health issues, like allergies and asthma and all that. Pre-serum steve rogers comes to mind, except not that severe, of course. So, with these things combined, she's become a bit of a hypochondriac. Any time she has a cold, it's basically the end of the world. She'll convince herself she has a fever even if she hasn't taken her temperature, and hole herself up inside her room saying she's too sick to walk. Of course, when it all comes down to it, she usually doesn't have anything specific wrong with her, just a bad cold. Or maybe nothing at all. Now, I should preface that with this pandemic, I am certainly not saying she shouldn't be cautious. However, at this point, she has been tested and she is indeed negative for covid. She didn't even have a fever. And yet, I am still eating lunch alone, like I have been for days. I'm still receiving texts about how miserable she is for having to do her laundry or attend class in her state. I'm not her, so I can't say that this sickness is being blown out of proportion or not, but man is it exhausting anyway.

This situation where she leaves me to fend for myself for days, complaining the whole time, only to come back and have me by her side to keep her company, has become a trend. It's hard to let her wallow in her dorm alone like I do, because I'm usually so sick of sitting with my own thoughts that I take any opportunity to have some human interaction. If she's done self-isolating, I'm there. Even if I leave her company feeling worse than before. This is a weird issue to deal with as an introvert, so I'm navigating is as well as I can.

The last issue I have is the one I'm the most unsure about. This is because, as much as I've been complaining about her, she is actually a good friend to me most of the time. She is one of the only people that has ever let me talk to her about my problems, and recognized them as real problems instead of dramatics. For a while, I thought our relationship was strong, considering how many times we had talked about our respective traumas to each other. I truly can't thank her enough for letting me talk through some hard times over message with her.

But it's been a lot different lately. When I talk about my issues, it always circles back to hers. Her past is horrible, and the reason for her ptsd, so I completely support her talking about it openly instead of internalizing it. But man, she talks about it a LOT. I think its partly my fault, as I have trouble controlling my tone when talking about my mental health, past, etc. Its hard for me to be vulnerable like that, so I usually have a sort of neutral, emotionless tone. Even leaning towards the lighthearted side sometimes. Because of this, I assume she thinks its fine to talk about her problems too, because I dont sound upset. But when she brings up her issues, it does usually end up with her being sad or angry and me replying with a lot of "yeah, that's awful" and "man that really sucks, why would he do that to you." Its not that she DOESN'T listen to me, like I said, I do talk about my problems to her. It just feels disingenuous when the conversation always ends in us talking about her trauma, even if I started it by opening up about my own. And because I talk about mine some too, it feels wrong to tell her I'm not in a good place mentally to talk about hers. I'm really not in such a bad place that I cant handle her talking about her past, or even her present struggles. But it feels like mine are just- idk, overlooked? (Not to mention, any time I've confronted her about these things she apologizes profusely, but ends by telling me she's already internalized what I've said to her, and that she needs to talk to her therapist. Of course, she covers it with a lighthearted, self deprecating tone. But I still feel like shit. And somehow, she's the victim again.)

I've been struggling a lot lately, with a lot of similar issues (depression especially, although I have mental illnesses that she doesn't share, and vice versa. I realize our situations are not the same.) And I've even told her, or tried to. I know that people deal with depression in all different forms, but it's hard not to feel a bit of resentment when she complains about not being able to get out of bed. Like, god, I know. I really, really do. I have to scare myself awake with my alarm and force myself out of bed to turn it off. I have to wake up such a long time before my class starts because I get stalled with every step I take. So much of my mornings are spent staring at the floor in a loop of thoughts about how badly I want to get back in my bed and pretend I don't exist. But, lo and behold, I get to class. I cant afford to miss. And I know skipping class isn't good, it feels awful, I know that guilt well. But still, listening to her complain about not going to class feels like listening to someone complain about not being able to run into fire because they're not fireproof. No one's fucking fireproof. But still, here I am, covered in burns every day. Listening to someone whine about how horrible it is to watch everything burn from their window.

No, I don't feel the guilt of not trying. But that doesn't mean it's easy. That doesn't mean I come out unscathed.

#tw vent #tw depression #i dont wanna add a ton of tags im just venting ab my gay people problems #im not in any danger or anything im just filled with rage

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soupsockwarlock · 3 years

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Yall know what sucks?

Every so often on this site (and others, but Im focusing on here), I'll see someone say something about biphobia and/or praising bisexual people, and I'll be like "Yeah! That's great, I want to know more about this person!"

So I'll go onto their blog only to find... they hate pansexuals. One more person to block.

(Rant continues below)

If you are bisexual and anti-pan/panphobic I want you to know you are an idiot. You are not helping end biphobia by attacking a harmless label. And you can send me all the links you want on how it's "harmful" and the "history" of it or whatever (ive seen them all, it's ridiculous) but that won't change the fact that pansexuality does NOT spread biphobia, and it isn't biphobic. Attacking people for using the label pansexual (or panromantic) makes you no better than people who say bisexuals need to choose a side, or get over it, or stop being greedy. You claim to want to stop biphobia while you turn around and try to police other people's labels. And for what? So you can get purity points? What would this accomplish?

You can't claim to want to be a part of the community by also pushing others out of your own. You can't say you hate gatekeeping while also being a gatekeeper. You can't tell people you define your own label while also telling others what their labels are. You aren't helping anybody. You're doing more harm than a microlabel ever could.

I stand by the idea that bisexuals who hate pansexuality simply dont understand or like it, and instead of just not using the label themselves they try to scream biphobia to get others on their side. Which not only makes the bisexual community a less welcoming place, but also makes biphobia seem... cheap. Fellow lgbtq+ people are not your enemy, but if you continue trying to fight with them there will be no community left.

I dont want to argue with any dumbasses so just block me if you disagree.

#bisexuality #pansexuality #yall are so fucking annoying #get over it #biphobia #omni and poly are also valid but i see the most hate for pan so im focusing on that #stop discourse within the community ffs #bigotted cishets are the real enemy #panphobia #anti pan

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bigskydreaming · 5 years

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Not trying to be aggro today, in fact really really want to be just the opposite for a change, so put simply: From this point on, if you reblog shit that spouts off about how its only terfs and transphobes and exclusionists who don’t like the word queer and there’s really no other reason to be against it other than transphobic rhetoric, that’s an insta-block from me. No exceptions, no ifs, ands or buts, I do not give a flying fuck how long I’ve known you, it just is. I’m tired. I can’t keep doing this. I can’t have the same fucking argument over and over and over again, often with the same people, while at the same time doing MY part and regulating my OWN interactions and behaviors in order to make sure my issues with the word don’t intrude on anyone else’s positive associations with it.

I don’t give anyone shit for using the word queer, using it to describe our community, anything, EVER. The one and only thing I have EVER asked on this site or any other, REPEATEDLY, is to do me the one SINGULAR courtesy of not presuming my reasons for not embracing that word for MYSELF, for how *I* choose to describe my community. For using any of the other labels I have available for myself, or even just good old alphabet soup, instead. Because the word bringing you power and community doesn’t change the fact that the very same word only brings me pain and alienation. Nor does the fact that it brings me those feelings change what it means for you - and I have never once EVER argued that it does, or it should. I’ve simply asked, over and over and OVER, for people to respect that their experiences are not universal. Their associations with the word are not everyone’s association with the word.

Sometimes, peoples’ opposition to the community embracing a word that some of us have issues with, isn’t an indication that we have an issue with the community, or the inclusivity of the community.

Sometimes, its just an indication that....hey....you guys know you chose to embrace a word that SOME OF US HAVE ISSUES WITH, y’know???

I’m DONE trotting out my trauma to justify why I, for myself, am probably ALWAYS going to be uncomfortable with say, straight people being patted on the back for being progressive when they use the word queer for me, without asking, on the assumption that its the ‘polite and educated and INFORMED’ way to approach someone who’s openly LGBTQ+, like for me it isn’t just a reminder of the straight people gleefully using all its other associations while gay-bashing me. Like I’m not always gonna cynically wonder at the same time just how many of those oh-so-progressive and enlightened straight people are unironically using the word as a sign of their allyship now, when twenty years earlier maybe they were some of the very same ones laughingly playing ‘Smear the Queer’ and contributing to the internalized homophobia of who knows how many kids who sat out such games rather than play and spend the whole time feeling like the whole schoolyards’ literal punching bag.

I’m just done, guys. I’m tired. I’m not doing this anymore. It sucks. It fucking SUCKS feeling constantly shut out and silenced by the very members of your community who MOST pride themselves on being inclusive and obliviously declaring themselves inclusionists.

Its fucking exhausting constantly feeling like you have to rattle off a list of “I’ve never done this or that’” as a disclaimer any time you so much as speak up to respectfully ask someone to stick with calling me bisexual or referring to me as bi instead of shorthanding it to queer. I’m not denying there are people who go in other peoples’ inboxes and say ‘dont use queer, its a slur,’ but this isn’t about other people, this is about me, and what *I* have asked of MY mutuals, a fairly short list of people who I’ve been friends or at least friendly with, for years at this point.

I’m open and vocal enough that at this point, I think my actions and stated beliefs and intentions should be more than enough for people to decide based just on those whether or not I am transphobic, attempting to police my community or regulate who is allowed into it or allowed to speak, etc. If you believe any of those things of me, not sure why you’d even still be associating with me, but regardless, its one thing if any of my actions or beliefs lead someone to that conclusion. Its another fucking thing entirely for the eight simple words “I prefer not to be called queer, thanks,” to lead people to make that leap.

It really sucks having to take such a hard line with this, but nothing else works, apparently, and I’m sick and tired of having to wade through a shame spiral before reminding myself there IS nothing wrong with my personal choice not to embrace a word so many have chosen to view as the ONLY path to personal or communal empowerment as an LGBTQ+ individual, and it DOESN’T actually imply or indicate anything about me other than the fact that for me, interactions with that word are a reminder of it being used to dehumanize me on one of the worst nights of my life.

I am a survivor, yes, and I call myself such, but that doesn’t mean I see any shame in admitting that means I was a victim as well. And for me, there is absolutely nothing empowering about the idea of taking responsibility for what OTHERS chose to do to me and the aftermath of THEIR choice to deliberately victimize me. My gay-bashing left me with scars, more metaphorical than literal, but scars nonetheless. My associations with a word my community has otherwise so enthusiastically embraced, is one of them. I will not ever accept being shamed for my scars. Not by anyone, and CERTAINLY not by my own community.

“I’m here, I’m bisexual, and I will proudly beat the ever-living SHIT out of any fuck that tries to give me or ANY other member of my LGBTQ+ community grief,” is admittedly not as short and catchy as “I’m here, I’m queer, get used to it.” But that doesn’t make it any less true, and I’m fresh out of fucks for anyone who wants to so much as imply my choice to pad a few extra words and syllables into my phrasing makes me any less a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Or any less empowered than others in it.

I have alternatives to that word. If you’re going to make less of me for making the CHOICE to use those alternatives instead of that word, you’re literally saying that there actually IS no choice in whether or not someone can be ‘fully’ a member of the LGBTQ+ community without using the word queer.

And sorry not sorry, there is NOTHING empowering about that.

I’m fucking done with this so-called discourse, because it isn’t discourse for me, it isn’t easy, it hurts, and I’m tired. Tired of being left feeling hurt and silenced by my own community when I’ve put in the work to make sure I don’t overstep and impede on anyone else’s choices for themselves. Narrowing down my ‘ask’ to make it as little an ask as possible:

Please just don’t blindly reiterate, reblog or support assertions that transphobic, exclusionist rhetoric or philosophies are the ONLY reasons that LGBTQ+ individuals might have issues with the word queer.

That’s it. That is literally ALL I ask.

I’m done with everything else about this. Please don’t make me be done with you, just because I don’t like being cast as gatekeeping or isolationist or exclusive simply because using one specific word for myself brings up painful memories.

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welcometonightgayle · 6 years

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Listen not that truscum give a fuck but you can pretend that some people who think they are trans and are confused (because that much more often the case than intentionally faking their gender) or some people who you think aren’t really trans by your standards are ruining the community, but let me tell you we’re way more hateful ever since truscum, gatekeepers, and exclutionists started gaining popularity and I fucking hate it so much.

I know you dont care but I’m just venting. I used to feel safe in the lgbt community, where I should as an SGA and non-cis person. But now, I’m scared meeting LGBT people irl, because they might hate my gender and start calling me the wrong pronouns and my birthname on purpose because of it. When I see an “only two genders” comment on an LGBT page, I can’t even console myself with “well, at least all these comments are defending me, that’s nice” anymore, half the comments are truscum telling enbies that we’re the reason transphobia exists.

Idk if i can get this all out coherently because im really tired and really upset I just honestly feel like with ace exclutionism and truscum and all of that we’ve just become so much more unnecessarily hateful. What’s the worst that’ll happen if someone who supports the LGBT community goes to pride carrying an ace pride flag? Does that do more harm than yelling at a thirteen year old at pride in a community that they feel safe in for the flag they’re holding? What about people who you don’t think are trans, or who really aren’t but think they are? You really believe that transphobes 100% supported trans people but then suddenly a few people with unusual ides about gender made them do an entire 180? Seems unlikely.

All I’m saying i guess is that we’re progressing backwards. Ace people are getting shamed again- and I don’t mean on posts where they make fun of LGBT people, I mean like, ace people can’t fucking make and ace pun or mention platonic relationships without this garbage site bullying them for it. Trans guys wearing bright colors ask “do I look like a trender in this?” when we used to be past the stage where we thought that how you dressed determined your validity, at least within our community.

I fucking hate what you did to our community. I should feel safe here, I belong here. It shouldn’t be acceptable that I’m harassed and bullied online for living my life. You probably don’t give a shit, but maybe you should give a shit that this has actually worsened my clinical depression and made me want to die sometimes because now there’s an even smaller section of the world who will support me, I can’t even rely on the LGBT community anymore.

I feel like discourse is about stupid things that kind of don’t matter. If people think theyre trans and figure out they aren’t, then okay, they learned about themself. If someone wants to have asexual pride, that’s really not the end of the world, that hurts no one. There’s bigger deals like conversion therapy still being very legal in most places and openly LGBTphobic politicians in office and people physically attacking and killing LGBT people for being LGBT so I just don’t think that someone who says that the best way they can describe their gender is that its similar to stars is the biggest of our fucking problems, but it IS a way too large percent of what we focus on.

#truscum #ace discourse #ace inclusion #nonbinary

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nonbinarypastels · 6 years

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About & FAQ Page

This page was last updated on July 31, 2018

About nonbinarypastels

This blog was created to combat REG (reactionary, exclusionist, gatekeeping) politics in the LGBTQIA+ community as well as other forms of harmful conservative rhetoric that’s become so common on tumblr through the spreading of positivity and information based posts. My goal for this blog is not only to validate and support LGBTQIA+ people (and people of all marginalized identities) but also to encourage people to be more accepting of others, more able to think critically about all issues, and more passionate about making a positive difference not only in their own lives but the lives of those around them.

What I post about

Positivity — Not only nonbinary positivity but positivity for all LGBTQIA+ identities and other people as well.

Social Justice/Politics

Mental Health/Mental Illness

Critical Thinking Skills

Fandom/Media

Miscellaneous Other Topics

If you’re only here for positivity

Please blacklist the #not positivity and #discourse tw tags.

Things you should know before you follow this blog

This blog is inclusionist. I believe that all aromantics and asexuals belong in the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m also firmly against other exclusionary rhetoric that seeks to exclude any non-cishet (by which I mean non cisgender, heteromantic, AND heterosexual) group from the community.

This blog supports creative freedom and a safe fandom environment. I don’t care what kind of fiction people write/read or what they ship as long as all of their content is tagged properly and kept in appropriate spaces. While I think media criticism and having civil discussions about what we’re writing and reading and why is a good thing, I think the ‘anti’ community on tumblr totally crosses the line with their behavior which goes beyond legitimate media criticism and straight into cyberbullying and harassment.

This blog does not support radical feminism. Radical feminism is a harmful conservative movement that harms and attempts to control the lives of marginalized people. I do not support any form of radfem rhetoric.

This blog does not support trasnmedicalsim or truscum. These are groups that actively harm trans and nonbinary people by pushing reductionist, transphobic rhetoric and policing the identities of trans and nonbinary people.

This blog is queer positive. I will not censor the word queer or exclude queer people from this blog or the community.

Please do not send me messages

About any medical or life-threatening emergencies you might be having. I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice and there’s also no guarantee I’ll be online when you send your message. If you’re in a life-threatening situation please contact the relevant local authorities (either 911 or your country’s equivalent) or get to a hospital immediately.

Calling out people I reblog from or who are reblogging from me about anything having to do with ships or fanfiction. As stated above, I don’t care what people ship or write/read as long as it’s properly tagged and not posted in inappropriate spaces. Any messages I get about “so-and-so ships ___” will be deleted.

About anything having to do with MAP discourse. I am a CSA survivor and am generally not comfortable discussing or reading about MAPs.

Telling me that a-specs “aren’t actually lgbt” or anything similar. You will automatically be blocked for being an aphobe.

Saying there are only two genders. You will automatically be blocked for being boring.

Asking me questions that have already been answered on this page. I made this FAQ for a reason. Any asks I get containing questions that I’ve already answered (or asking for definitions of terms that are listed in the glossary) will be deleted.

———————————————————————————— General Questions Do you have a question about what a certain term means?

Please check the glossary page to see if I have a definition already listed. If the term you’re looking for is not in the glossary, please feel free to send me an ask about it.

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/172930687066/glossary-page

Are you feeling down and need to be cheered up?

Please check the self care tag for posts you might find helpful.

http://www.nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/tagged/self+care

Why do you put image descriptions on your posts?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/165370079304/can-i-ask-why-you-provide-image-descriptions-i

Who is that in your icon?

Deadpool from Marvel comics

Icon by http://www.wadewicons.tumblr.com/

Do you take requests?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/172930396816/requests-page

Who are you/what is your main blog?

Considering how nasty I’ve seen discourse about the identities I’m trying to provide positivity for get and the things I’ve seen other blogs similar to this one having to deal with, I’m not comfortable disclosing the link to my main blog. I value my privacy and my safety and I hope my followers can respect that.

What are your pronouns?

Any pronouns other than it/itself are okay. I have no other preferences.

Are you a minor?

No.

Can people who aren’t nonbinary interact with this blog? Can cis people?

Anyone, nonbinary or not, is allowed to follow nonbinarypastels and reblog from us. Not only am I okay with cis people following this blog and reblogging from it, I 100% encourage them to do so. I think it’s important that not only do LGBTQIA+ people support ourselves and those who ID the same as us but that we support people of different identities and just as much I also think it’s vital for cis people to show that they support us. I think cis people reblogging positivity posts for people who aren’t cis is an excellent way to show that.

Can I interact with this blog if my blog is about ___?

I don’t care if your tumblr is 99% cute crayon drawings of pretty flowers or drawings of kinky furry porn, if you like the posts here or need them or want to spread the positivity with your followers I have no problem with you following + reblogging from this blog.

Can I share your posts on other sites?

Feel 100% free to share my posts on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media. Credit + a link back is appreciated but it’s not required. However, please do NOT upload my posts to sites such as redbubble, storeenvy, or other sites where you’ll be selling them to others.

Can I use your posts in moodboards/aesthetics posts?

Yes!

Where do you get the pictures for your image posts?

https://www.pexels.com/

http://www.unsplash.com

Why the pineapples?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/168615228296/hello-ive-noticed-your-recent-posts-about

——————————————————————————- Call Me Out Would you like to tell me that the term ‘a-spec’ was stolen from autistics and that it’s problematic to use it to refer to ace/aro people?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/162255685756/hey-idk-if-you-were-aware-of-this-but-you-have-a

Would you like to tell me to stop including the ‘I’ in the LGBTQIA+ acronym?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/161388049611/you-do-realize-that-like-a-lot-of-intersex-people

Would you like to tell me that butch and femme are lesbian-specific words and no one else has the right to use them?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169789232996/nonbinarypastels-since-i-keep-getting-anons-wrt

Would you like to tell me not to use queer as an umbrella term?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/165557176711/hey-uh-sorry-if-this-is-too-much-to-ask-but-dont

Why are you intolerant towards conservatives?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169509757921/being-an-intolerant-jerk-about-conservatives-and

—————————————————————————– Questioning Do you have tips for figuring out your gender identity?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160444273391/any-tips-to-give-to-help-someone-to-figure-out

Is it okay to use they/them pronouns if I’m still questioning my gender and might be cis?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/162316760041/i-feel-comfy-using-theythem-but-i-dont-know-if-im

I want to question my gender but I’m afraid I’m faking it all?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169375568051/hi-i-always-thought-i-was-a-cis-guy-but-ive

———————————————————————————– About Being Trans + Nonbinary Are nonbinary people trans?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160443055731/do-you-consider-nb-to-be-a-part-of-the-trans

Am I still agender if I have feminine interests/hobbies?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/159863843416/i-identify-as-agender-but-i-also-like-girl

Can you be lunarian and agender?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/159119628926/can-i-be-a-lunarian-agender-or-does-that-like

How do you deal with nbphobia?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/161289280081/tw-transphobia-tw-ableist-slur-tw-r-word-do

What do I do if my friends are nbphobic?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/161290197211/one-of-my-best-friends-is-a-radical-feminist-i

What’s the difference between being nonbinary and being a tomboy?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170485614676/im-having-a-mild-identity-crisis-whats-the

Can you be nonbinary and prefer she/her or he/him pronouns?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170449570882/hi-im-someone-who-identifies-as-non-binary-ive

Are nonbinary people to blame for trans people not being taken seriously?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/161287284091/how-do-you-respond-to-people-who-say-nbs-are-the

How do I deal with people saying nonbinary people are responsible for trans people being made fun of?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/167977849726/hey-i-got-some-really-messed-up-enbyphobic-anon

Is trans day of visibility for nonbinary people too?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/159055092686/sorry-if-this-is-stupid-is-trans-day-of

Is there any proof there are more than two genders?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170985650804/sgaprivilege-sonoanthony-hatingongodot

Do you think it’s fetishizing for people to say they’re attracted to nonbinary people?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170815582801/whats-your-take-on-the-claim-that-mlnbwlnb-are

Am I still trans/nonbinary if I didn’t always know from a young age?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169845692030/hi-okay-so-im-trans-nonbinary-and-i-noticed-that

Am I still nonbinary if I never want to come out?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169159856571/can-i-still-be-nb-if-i-dont-plan-on-coming-out-to

How do I overcome internalized nbphobia?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169128988716/do-you-have-any-tips-on-overcoming-internalized

What can I call the nonbinary person I’m dating other than boyfriend/girlfriend?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/164729025088/hi-i-dont-know-if-you-guys-answer-questions-but

What’s your opinion on “there are only two genders” jokes?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169533948384/hey-i-was-wondering-if-you-might-be-able-to-give

Who is allowed to ID as nblm/nblw/nblnb? Do I have to have a certain alignment to ID with these terms?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/175370970607/hi-im-a-asexual-biromantic-agender-person-and

———————————————————————————- About Presentation + Dysphoria

Do you have any tips for dealing with dysphoria?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171870400516/urgent-im-a-non-passing-pre-everything-trans

What’s the difference between social dysphoria and body dysphoria?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171770067231/whats-the-difference-between-social-dysphoria-and

How can I write about trans/nonbinary characters who have dysphoria?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/163261302706/hello-there-nonbinary-questioning-black-anon

How can I bind safely if I can’t afford to buy a binder?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160277656876/hello-i-came-here-because-i-wanted-to-ask-if-you

Do you have any advice about buying your first binder?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171412780521/advice-for-somebody-who-is-getting-their-first

How can I look more androgynous?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160850193236/do-you-have-any-advice-for-nonbinary-teens-who

Is it normal to want top surgery but not want to take T?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/168600610588/is-it-normal-for-a-nonbinary-person-to-want-top

What can I do if I hate my voice?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169110950161/hey-i-am-non-binary-and-14-years-old-i-was

I want to change my hair but I’m afraid people will hate it?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/166569911301/hey-i-recently-came-out-as-non-binary-i-really

—————————————————————————— About Sexuality How can you be sex-repulsed without being asexual?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/159348049986/how-can-you-be-sex-repulsed-but-not-asexual

Can you be in a queerplatonic relationship if you’re not ace/aro?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171758800972/can-you-have-a-qpr-if-youre-not-acearo

What’s the difference between demisexuality and regular attraction?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160198336046/whats-the-differrence-between-demisexual-and-just

Is pansexuality transphobic/biphobic?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160201643591/hi-i-just-want-to-tell-that-i-heard-someone-say

Do bisexuals have straight-passing privilege?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/163139939492/hey-there-i-was-wondering-if-you-can-help-me

Can you be asexual and still like masturbation?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171408739131/so-i-was-wondering-could-you-be-asexual-and

Can you be wlw and mlm at the same time?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171269548272/hi-im-confused-this-is-a-genuine-question-pls

Can you be nblw, nblm, and nblnb at the same time?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171158368762/i-identify-as-a-nblw-nblnb-and-nblm-is-that

How can lesbians use he/him pronouns?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170496057755/this-is-an-ignorant-question-so-i-apologize

What is the split attraction model?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169931000321/hello-i-was-reading-that-post-about-asexual-stuff

———————————————————————— About Coming Out

Are you looking for coming out tips and encouragement? Please check my coming out tag!

http://www.nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/tagged/coming+out

Is it okay to come out to my friends before my family?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160086167706/i-am-trans-and-came-out-to-one-of-my-friends-who

How do I explain being nonbinary to my parents when they just don’t get it?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/168598203993/ive-accepted-im-nonbinary-and-my-parents-know

Do you have any advice for coming out as nonbinary?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171342286106/hey-any-advice-on-how-to-come-out-to-my-dad-as

How do I come out to my parents?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170782185301/hi-i-identify-is-non-binary-and-i-know-for-sure

How do I get my parents to use my name/pronouns and accept me?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/168598203993/ive-accepted-im-nonbinary-and-my-parents-know

——————————————————————————

Fandom & Fandom Discourse Related

What is an anti?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171868269706/what-is-an-anti-i-had-always-heard-that-anti

What have antis ever done wrong?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171966569929/shipping-isnt-morality-block-report-program

How can I deal with antis who are harassing me?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171974140371/hi-sorry-to-bother-you-i-was-looking-through

Do you support pedophilic ships?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170196527876/wait-you-support-pedophilic-ships-thats-gross

What’s your opinion about MAP discourse?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171209629491/so-what-do-you-think-of-maps-then-the-ones-who

If you’re not a bad person, why do you like bad things in fiction?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/164750728921/about-your-post-on-how-liking-certain-fiction

What is purity culture?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169710243376/do-you-know-whenhowwhy-purity-culture-started

What is your opinion on RPF?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/175123194126/i-wasnt-able-to-find-anything-on-your-blog-about

What is fujoshi discourse?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/174877862940/i-just-saw-someone-reference-fake-fujoshi-blogs

——————————————————————— Misc. How do you handle ignorance?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/160627538536/how-do-you-handle-ignorance-im-too-scared-to

What’s an invisible disability?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/163099887223/hey-i-have-a-quick-question-whats-an-invisible

What is TERF/radfem rhetoric?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/169015697831/on-radfemreg-rhetoric

How do I know if I have an eating disorder?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171664946546/ed-tw-i-guess-mmmm-since-i-was-young-ive

What’s the difference between being squicked and being triggered?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171341992144/um-so-ive-been-wondering-if-feeling-physically

How do you deal with bigots?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170516017459/exposure-to-identities-really-is-the-best-way-to

Why can’t someone be both anti-SWERF and anti-kink?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/170011993907/hey-quick-q-feel-free-to-ignore-but-i-had-a-post

When was gay used as a slur?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/166431435436/hello-i-just-saw-your-post-that-i-think-was-from

How do you find out about the free samples you post?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/163522947367/hey-this-isnt-about-anything-nonbinary-but-i-was

What is your opinion on self-diagnosis?

http://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/175045406707/what-are-your-thoughts-on-self-diagnosis-ive-been

#about page #faq page #mod post #long post

94 notes · View notes

bjornolf-bjarki · 2 years

Note

u realize theres like a $200 gas fee for selling nfts on most popular sites?? people worried about rent and food dont have that money to throw into a hole without a guarantee of return lmao. please educate yourself on how us Poors actually live before you go spouting nonsense. your anecdotes mean nothing to the rest of us.

I literally don't care. I know there are certain fees for official ways of doing it but there are other ways to do such things without paying that fee. So if it happens it happens.

And another thing. Nfts can literally be made images while on stream and can be paid for by donos. Ice seen a streamer sell a very shitty NFT by setting up a challenge for whoever payed the most in donations would receive it. Somebody gave him $1,000. This dude wasn't poor or barely hanging on but he was able to bypass stupid rules by making it happen thru donos. Anybody can use painting or graphical design software whether it's free or has a small fee for it.

And don't give me the "it doesn't help poors" gatekeeping shit. Honestly infuriating to know that people are gate keeping trying to find ways to get by. If that's the case then anybody can just roll up and say, "S*x work isn't real work." Or some other unorthodox gig like mercenary work that many veterans do. When you think of it like that.

Also I never disagreed with you (yes I know who's asking) about the first post, just wanted to bring up the fact there are desperate people out there that can and will try to use unorthodox methods. There are millions of poor people in the United States who are facing several degrees of poverty that either leave then with few choices or none at all. Also instead of asking anonymously and hiding behind that just show your account if you're so confident that you can speak for all poor people. I've educated myself plenty on this issue btw and be happy that I'm acting like an adult for this instead of going, "XD lol, this guy brought up a point about how a group of people may try this because they're desperate to survive and thrive in this world, what a dumbfuck."

I'm done with this interaction because I'm not acting in bad faith here, just brought up something that happens.

#economy #im debating it #don’t gatekeep #being poor

0 notes

patriotsnet · 3 years

Text

Should Republicans Vote In Democratic Primary

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/should-republicans-vote-in-democratic-primary/

Should Republicans Vote In Democratic Primary

Official Disinvites For Us Indys

Republican Caller: Should I Vote in the Democratic Primary to Undermine Bernie?

Because we’re disrupting the coronation. It has to be us, right? It can’t be that the candidate they are putting a thumb on the scale for is the problem…

The share of independents in the public, which long ago surpassed the percentages of either Democrats or Republicans, continues to increase. Based on 2014 data, 39% identify as independents, 32% as Democrats and 23% as Republicans. This is the highest percentage of independents in more than 75 years of public opinion polling.I was a registered democrat for over 40 years and left the party last Jan, changed back to caucus for Bernie here in CO and left the democratic party the day after.

Is It Common For Democrats To Participate In The Republican Primary And Vice Versa

In short, no. According to Elizabeth Simas, a political science professor at the University of Houston who spoke about this with Texas Standard, cases of strategic voting dont happen much in primary elections. Certainly, there are people who do it but we just dont see it happening as much as theres potentially this fear for it to happen, Simas said.

In areas dominated by one party, especially rural areas, voters might cross party lines in the primary to have more of a say in their local races.

In my county, all the local races are Republican. Judges, sheriff, district attorney, Martha Mims, a Democratic voter who lives Williamson County, wrote in The Texas Tribunes Facebook group, This is Your Texas. If I want to have a say in local government, I have to vote in the Republican primary.

Voters like Mims can do that, thanks to Texas open primary. Do you have more questions about voting in Texas? Submit them to our Texplainer series.

Disclosure: The University of Houston has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

How Do You Choose

When you show up to your polling location, youll decide whether you want a Democratic or Republican primary ballot.

But after choosing a side in the primary, you have to stay in that lane through the runoff. You cant vote Republican in the primary election and then participate in a runoff election between top Democratic candidates.

That said, voting in a primary does not commit you to vote for a particular candidate in the general election. You can vote for either partys candidate in the November election.

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Sorry Kid It Just Doesn’t Work That Way

This is not a high school glee club. If an independent wants to change their registration every four years for six months in order to vote in the Democratic or Republican party in NY, they can. You do not get to do one fucking thing to stop it. It has been happening for some time, and it will happen more and more as time marches on. I am a leftist. I have every god damned right to have a voice in who the leftist candidate in the GE is going to be. Tough shit if you and other loyalists don’t like it. And I have every right to say, well, that candidate that won does not represent me so I will vote for someone else even if that is a third party. Isn’t democracy a grand thing? This attitude is going to ensure future losses not wins. 47%. That is the number. That is the math!

Invite Independents Into The Process

The Democratic Party ought to open the nominating process to voters registered as independents, allowing them to sign up as Democrats on primary day. Sixteen states have created open primaries through laws or referendums, according to the nonprofit group Open Primaries, although the parties have the authority to do so unilaterally. Yet Democrats have done so in only six states, the group notes.

James Zogby is president of the Arab American Institute and a member of the Democratic National Committees executive committee. Bernie Sanders appointed him to the partys primary reform commission.

Reaching out to such voters currently alienated by the two major parties would increase the chances that the Democratic nominee can win in November. At the same time, the party needs to work to strengthen its bonds with its existing members.

The sad but simple truth is that being a Democrat no longer means very much to many Americans. According to the most recent Gallup poll, only 27 percent of voters identify as Democrats, and 30 percent say they are Republicans. At the same time, 42 percent call themselves independents, including half of millennial voters . This share of American voters who dont identify with any party has held constant for well over a decade.

The Democratic Party needs to give voters, including independents, a reason to become engaged in party-building. Since we need the votes of independents in the fall, shouldnt we give them a voice in the spring?

Recommended Reading: What News Channel Do Republicans Watch

Well No That Defeats The Purpose Of Primaries

But I do think that they should be open. It was different when the majority of the populace was divided between the two parties, but now that Independents make up the largest voting group, it seems wrong to exclude them unless there is same day voter registration at polling sites. Too many states make it as hard as possible to vote now that the voting rights act was gutted, so we need to make changes to make the process as inclusive as possible. The more hurdles that people have to jump through to vote, the more discouraged and cynical people will be. That serves the interests of the PTB, but it doesn’t serve the country’s interests. We need and informed, engaged citizenry or our democracy-what’s left of it-will lose all legitimacy. That, at least, is my view now.

The Present Process Is Prone To Chaos And Capture

We need not recount here the devastating effectiveness with which Donald Trumps insurgent candidacy steamrolled the traditional gatekeepers, commandeered media attention, and mobilized what some of his backers called his troll army. However, the weakening of gatekeeping was not limited to one candidate or one party. The Democratic Party establishment found itself barely able to contain the insurgency of Sanders, even though he was not a Democrat and he did not win a majority of self-identified Democrats except in his home state of Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire.

Neither candidate changed the system all by himself. Rather, both saw and exploited the invisible primarys fragility. Candidates could bypass traditional moneymen by reaping donations online, tapping deep-pocketed tycoons, or funding themselves. They could bypass traditional media by using social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and they could hijack traditional media by behaving outrageously. They could treat their lack of endorsements as a mark of authenticity.

he nomination process makes unrealistic demands on voters, not because voters are lazy or stupidtheyre notbut because they are human.

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With No Republican Primary Gop Supporters Are Free To Vote For ‘chaos’

With no Republican presidential primary this year, Republicans are free to make what political scientists call negative strategic votes for Democrats without having to sacrifice the chance to vote for their own party.

Voters can cast ballots in only one primary per election, but they can vote however they choose in general elections despite the primary they choose.

A large crowd of candidates means smaller vote counts can swing elections and being early in the national process could also be expected to add to a particularly strong chances for crossover voting, said D. Sunshine Hillygus, a Duke University political science professor who has studied crossover and negative strategic voting.

She said the crossover votes can be negatively strategic, “trolling or throwing a wrench in it,” or they can be positively strategic as a backstop.

The only cost for Republicans who are so inclined to instigate “chaos?” They’ll get on a Democratic mailing list.

And, indeed, crossover votes could be a factor in the primary, said David Woodard, a retired Clemson University professor who has consulted with Republicans for decades.

Republicans who otherwise wouldn’t want to interrupt their Republican voting record could actually brag about crossing over this year, Woodard said. Fueled by impeachment and memories of Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Republicans will be highly motivated this year, Woodard said.

Get Rid Of Superdelegates Completely

Will President Trump encourage Ohio Republicans to vote in the Democratic Primary

Superdelegates had some of their power stripped from them after the contentious 2016 Democratic primary contest. Now its time to finish the job: They ought to be neutered entirely.

Selina Vickers was a delegate for Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She is a candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates, in District 32.

Superdelegates debuted at the 1984 Democratic convention, after the party reworked its rules to respond to President Jimmy Carters calamitous defeat in 1980. The idea was that these special delegates typically politicians and senior party officials wouldnt be bound by the decisions of state primary voters and caucusers: They could throw their weight behind whichever candidate they thought would perform best in the general election. This year, there are 771 superdelegate votes and 3,979 pledged delegates . The problem is that there can be a chasm between the judgments of party insiders and the grass roots about which candidates are most electable.

A certain number of elected party leaders could retain the title of automatic delegates, but they should not have a free or wild card vote at any stage. Instead, they should pledge to a candidate before their states primary or caucuses. If their candidates dont earn votes at the state level, they wouldnt have a say so they couldnt interfere in the democratic selection of a nominee.

Read Also: How Many Democrats Republicans Are In The Senate

What Is A Party Primary Election

The Democratic and Republican Parties are required to use primary elections to choose their candidates for the general election. Although it is up to the parties to decide who may vote in their primaries, generally only registered voters affiliated with the Democratic or Republican Parties may vote in that party’s primary election.

Democrats Plan To Keep Their Primary Strategy

Morgan Carroll, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party and a former state Senate president, said a proposal to forgo primaries would never receive serious consideration among state Democrats.

She called the idea ridiculous and undemocratic.

If we had a candidate that recommended it, I think theyd be driven out of town, Morgan Carroll said.

She sees the push as part of a larger pattern by Trump and his loyalists to basically move in an authoritarian direction, take away choices from voters, make it harder to vote, make it hard for the people to decide, and make it easier for them to install whoever they want in whatever position they want.

Want exclusive political news and insights first? Subscribe to The Unaffiliated, the political newsletter from The Colorado Sun. Thats where this story first appeared. Join now or upgrade your membership.

If the Republican proposal passes, she said its hard to know whether more unaffiliated voters would participate in 2022 Democratic primaries because they would be the only primary left they could vote in.

She thinks the move would backfire for Republicans as theyve struggled to win elections in Colorado in recent years. If I were a rank-and-file Republican person, Id be furious.

Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.

Read Also: Are There Any Other Republicans Running For President

Enhance The Role Of Superdelegates

We recommend doing the opposite of what the DNC chose to do with its Unity Reform Commission. Instead of diminishing the role of superdelegates by preventing them from voting on the first ballot or reducing their numbers, the party should augment their influence.

The purpose of superdelegates has never been to overturn the choice of voters in primaries. True, in principle they might act as a last barrier to a manifestly unacceptable candidate, like George Wallace or Henry Fordbut even that is unlikely, if a candidate has won a decisive victory in the primaries. Rather, their real importance is their indirect influence on the upstream end of the process. Their convention votes incentivize candidates to reach out to them in the early stages of campaigns. A candidate who seeks superdelegates support will need to listen to them and promise to work with them. Also, superdelegates commitments early in the process help establish party support and momentum for favored candidates. Superdelegates do not decide the nomination, but they do influence the nominees, the media, and the votersand that is exactly as it should be.

We recommend doing the opposite of what the DNC chose to do with its Unity Reform Commission. Instead of diminishing the role of superdelegates , the party should augment their influence.

Its Primary Day In Pennsylvania Heres What Voters Need To Know

Laura Benshoff

May 18, 2021

Voters, wearing protective face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus, stand at a distance from each other as they wait in line to casts their ballot in the Pennsylvania primary in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

Its Primary Day in Pennsylvania.

Voters around the commonwealth will pick representatives from their parties to put on the ballot for the November general election. In Philadelphia, where Democrats outnumber Republicans seven to one, the primary can be more determinative than the general election.

Judicial races, school board seats, and the Philadelphia District Attorneys office are all in the running.

Recommended Reading: What Percent Of Republicans Approve Of Trump

Over 150 Companies Sign Letter Supporting John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

One reason Republicans in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts may have focused their initiatives solely on voter ID laws, rather than including other election changes, is because public polling has shown those requirements have broad backing by members of both parties. A recent Monmouth University poll found that 80 percent of Americans back requiring voters to show photo ID in order to vote.

“The struggle with ballot initiatives are always getting the actual initiative on the ballot to start with,” said Garrett Bess, vice president of Heritage Action for America, a conservative advocacy group. “But if the question is put to the voters, then I think it’s an almost certainty to pass.”

Still, the effort marks a new chapter in the broader national Republican effort to advance new limits on elections following former President Donald Trump’s campaign of lies about last fall’s vote. A number of leading backers of the ballot initiatives have boosted Trump’s false claims of fraud.

Voter fraud in U.S. elections is exceedingly rare. Although there is no evidence of widespread malfeasance in last fall’s election, more than a dozen states have so far enacted changes this year.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states already ask voters to provide some form of ID, with most of them allowing voters without ID to cast ballots if they sign a form under oath.

Using An Analogy Such As A Private Club Or A Sports Team Is Neither Naive Nor Dishonest

If you are an Independent or non-aligned voter, you simply change your voter registration to Democratic if you want to vote for a Democrat in a Primary, or to Republican if you want to vote for Republican in a primary. There is absolutely no restriction on doing this, other than the need to do it a certain number of days before the primary. Whether or not the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are de-facto institutionalized political parties, sports teams, or clubs does not change this. If you want to vote in a closed primary, you simply change to the party that you want to be in within the allotted time before the primary. One can always change back to Independent or non-aligned afterward if one chooses. Why do you think this is “s***ting” on people? Candidate preference:Biden

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Professional Vetting Provides Quality Control

Our case so far has dwelt on the shortcomings of the plebiscitary nominating process. So, we ought to re-emphasize: We are not saying that primary elections bring nothing to the table. To the contrary, they surface all kinds of important information about candidates and voters. What we do believe is that two filters are better than one. Electoral and professional perspectives check each others excesses and balance each others viewpoints; and, more than that, they complement and improve each other. Each provides the other with vital information which otherwise might be missed. Perhaps most important, professional input aids in winnowing the field to those who will likely govern competently.

wo filters are better than one. Electoral and professional perspectives check each others excesses and balance each others viewpoints

Insiders look for whether candidates are able to work with others, and whether they have sound judgment, adaptability, a nuanced way of dealing with problems, and influential relationships inside and outside government. Insiders also observe candidates character, and they can detect personal flaws that might affect sound decision-making. Insiders know from experience the attributes and talents necessary for effective governing. Voters are not privy to that kind of detailed, hands-on knowledge.

Vetting not only evaluates politicians; it also helps equip them to govern.

Virginia Voter Guide: The 2021 Primaries

Will President Trump encourage Ohio Republicans to cross-over to vote in Democratic primary?

The 2021 election season in Virginia has begun.

The 2021 Virginia primary election, which will determine the candidates who will face off in the fall, will be held Tuesday. Voters are weighing in on the contest for the Democratic nomination for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general among other races. Most of the Republican races were already decided in a series of remote conventions May 8, although there will be a few GOP races on the ballot.

Most of the changes to voting in Virginia adopted last year due to the pandemic are still in place, but there are a few differences. Heres what you need to know.

Read Also: Do Republicans Vote In The Primary

Trump Has Zero Desire To Be Speaker Of House Spokesman Says

Oregon progressive Senator Jeff Merkley and Minnesotas Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar, introduced the For the People Act, along with majority leader Chuck Schumer, in the Senate in March.

Jeff Merkley

. is absolutely right. This bill is critical for our country. We must fight with everything we’ve got to pass the For the People Act and save our democracy.

Today they probably know it is going to be parked in a cul-de-sac and the Republicans, aided by Democrat Joe Manchin, are going to throw away the keys.

Heres what Merkley tweeted yesterday.

Jeff Merkley

Make no mistake: Our democracy is in crisis. Republican lawmakers are trying to restrict Americans’ right to vote all across the country. Tomorrow we have a chance to right these wrongs by passing the For the People Act. We must get it done!

And heres Klobuchar earlier today reminding everyone that Barack Obama has spoken out to support a compromise version of the bill put forward by Manchin .

Amy Klobuchar

Voters Need Help: How Party Insiders Can Make Presidential Primaries Safer Fairer And More Democratic

Summary

Presidential-nominating contests in both major political parties are at risk of producing nominees who aren’t competent to govern and/or don’t represent a majority of the partys voters. Raymond La Raja and Jonathan Rauch argue this is a result of the declining role of party insiders in the nomination process and call for the reversal of that trend. Primaries function best, they claim, when voters and party professionals work in partnership.

Don’t Miss: How Many Registered Republicans In Texas

The Republicans Planning To Vote In South Carolinas Democratic Primary

Save Story

Save this story for later.

Save Story

Save this story for later.

Twelve years ago, Rush Limbaugh, who had not yet received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, urged the listeners of his enormously popular and very conservative talk-radio show to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries. In the patchwork process that is employed to nominate Presidential candidates, more than a dozen states have open primaries, which allow registered voters to participate in either contest. Limbaugh wanted Clintons close but seemingly losing fight with Barack Obama to go on for as long as possible, on the theory that a protracted battle would weaken the eventual nominee. He called the plan Operation Chaos. Limbaugh didnt think that Clinton was necessarily the weaker of the two candidatesin fact, he ultimately concluded that Obama was; by May, 2008, he was pushing his fans to vote for the senator from Illinois. Barack Obama has shown he cannot get the votes Democrats need to winblue-collar, working-class people, Limbaugh said. He can get effete snobs, he can get wealthy academics, he can get the young, and he can get the black vote, but Democrats do not win with that.

Oh You Don’t Want My Vote In Nov

I’m an Indy that votes Dem. My state has closed Repug primaries/caucuses. If I were Right leaning I’d be insulted that I have to change my affiliation to them and back afterward to have a say in who the best candidate to run for GE is.The Dem party is now smaller than the Indies, and will be even smaller in a few months after Hillary’s scorched earth antics. I don’t think you want to disinvite us all at this point.

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From Ohio To Florida Your Cheat Sheet For The Next Crucial Primaries

Five states voting Tuesday could be make-or-break for some presidential candidates. A primer on whos voting and what outcomes are likeliest

Tue 15 Mar 2016 11.00 GMT Last modified on Fri 9 Feb 2018 19.15 GMT

On 15 March, the names of the remaining presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich on the Republican side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democrats will be on ballot papers in five states and one US territory. Although this Tuesday will be less frantic than Super Tuesday two weeks ago, when 12 states and one territory held primary elections, its just as important. By 16 March, the race for the White House could look very different depending on how Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio vote.

Thats partly because the delegate numbers in those states are so high in total, 367 Republican and 792 Democratic delegates are available on 15 March. That brings us significantly closer to the finish line of having just two presidential candidates: at the moment, 33% of Democratic delegates have been pledged but by the time the polls have closed on 15 March, that number will rise to 50%. For Republicans, pledged delegates will jump from 46% to 61%.

Those percentages just mean that playing catch-up gets harder from here. Clinton is still on track for the Democratic nomination to change that, Sanders needs to pick up at least 326 of the pledged delegates .

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statetalks · 3 years

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Should Republicans Vote In Democratic Primary

Official Disinvites For Us Indys

Republican Caller: Should I Vote in the Democratic Primary to Undermine Bernie?

Because we’re disrupting the coronation. It has to be us, right? It can’t be that the candidate they are putting a thumb on the scale for is the problem…

Is It Common For Democrats To Participate In The Republican Primary And Vice Versa

In areas dominated by one party, especially rural areas, voters might cross party lines in the primary to have more of a say in their local races.

Voters like Mims can do that, thanks to Texas open primary. Do you have more questions about voting in Texas? Submit them to our Texplainer series.

How Do You Choose

When you show up to your polling location, youll decide whether you want a Democratic or Republican primary ballot.

That said, voting in a primary does not commit you to vote for a particular candidate in the general election. You can vote for either partys candidate in the November election.

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Sorry Kid It Just Doesn’t Work That Way

Invite Independents Into The Process

James Zogby is president of the Arab American Institute and a member of the Democratic National Committees executive committee. Bernie Sanders appointed him to the partys primary reform commission.

Recommended Reading: What News Channel Do Republicans Watch

Well No That Defeats The Purpose Of Primaries

The Present Process Is Prone To Chaos And Capture

he nomination process makes unrealistic demands on voters, not because voters are lazy or stupidtheyre notbut because they are human.

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With No Republican Primary Gop Supporters Are Free To Vote For ‘chaos’

Voters can cast ballots in only one primary per election, but they can vote however they choose in general elections despite the primary they choose.

She said the crossover votes can be negatively strategic, “trolling or throwing a wrench in it,” or they can be positively strategic as a backstop.

The only cost for Republicans who are so inclined to instigate “chaos?” They’ll get on a Democratic mailing list.

And, indeed, crossover votes could be a factor in the primary, said David Woodard, a retired Clemson University professor who has consulted with Republicans for decades.

Get Rid Of Superdelegates Completely

Will President Trump encourage Ohio Republicans to vote in the Democratic Primary

Superdelegates had some of their power stripped from them after the contentious 2016 Democratic primary contest. Now its time to finish the job: They ought to be neutered entirely.

Selina Vickers was a delegate for Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She is a candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates, in District 32.

Read Also: How Many Democrats Republicans Are In The Senate

What Is A Party Primary Election

Democrats Plan To Keep Their Primary Strategy

Morgan Carroll, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party and a former state Senate president, said a proposal to forgo primaries would never receive serious consideration among state Democrats.

She called the idea ridiculous and undemocratic.

If we had a candidate that recommended it, I think theyd be driven out of town, Morgan Carroll said.

She thinks the move would backfire for Republicans as theyve struggled to win elections in Colorado in recent years. If I were a rank-and-file Republican person, Id be furious.

Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.

Read Also: Are There Any Other Republicans Running For President

Enhance The Role Of Superdelegates

We recommend doing the opposite of what the DNC chose to do with its Unity Reform Commission. Instead of diminishing the role of superdelegates , the party should augment their influence.

Its Primary Day In Pennsylvania Heres What Voters Need To Know

Laura Benshoff

May 18, 2021

Its Primary Day in Pennsylvania.

Judicial races, school board seats, and the Philadelphia District Attorneys office are all in the running.

Recommended Reading: What Percent Of Republicans Approve Of Trump

Over 150 Companies Sign Letter Supporting John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Voter fraud in U.S. elections is exceedingly rare. Although there is no evidence of widespread malfeasance in last fall’s election, more than a dozen states have so far enacted changes this year.

Using An Analogy Such As A Private Club Or A Sports Team Is Neither Naive Nor Dishonest

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Professional Vetting Provides Quality Control

wo filters are better than one. Electoral and professional perspectives check each others excesses and balance each others viewpoints

Vetting not only evaluates politicians; it also helps equip them to govern.

Virginia Voter Guide: The 2021 Primaries

Will President Trump encourage Ohio Republicans to cross-over to vote in Democratic primary?

The 2021 election season in Virginia has begun.

Most of the changes to voting in Virginia adopted last year due to the pandemic are still in place, but there are a few differences. Heres what you need to know.

Read Also: Do Republicans Vote In The Primary

Trump Has Zero Desire To Be Speaker Of House Spokesman Says

Jeff Merkley

. is absolutely right. This bill is critical for our country. We must fight with everything we’ve got to pass the For the People Act and save our democracy.

Today they probably know it is going to be parked in a cul-de-sac and the Republicans, aided by Democrat Joe Manchin, are going to throw away the keys.

Heres what Merkley tweeted yesterday.

Jeff Merkley

And heres Klobuchar earlier today reminding everyone that Barack Obama has spoken out to support a compromise version of the bill put forward by Manchin .

Amy Klobuchar

Voters Need Help: How Party Insiders Can Make Presidential Primaries Safer Fairer And More Democratic

Summary

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The Republicans Planning To Vote In South Carolinas Democratic Primary

Save Story

Save this story for later.

Save Story

Save this story for later.

Oh You Don’t Want My Vote In Nov

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From Ohio To Florida Your Cheat Sheet For The Next Crucial Primaries

Five states voting Tuesday could be make-or-break for some presidential candidates. A primer on whos voting and what outcomes are likeliest

Tue 15 Mar 2016 11.00 GMT Last modified on Fri 9 Feb 2018 19.15 GMT

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/should-republicans-vote-in-democratic-primary/

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n333rdypirate · 4 years

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why make this

check under!

why was this blog made? -> ok, so the story is that my friend and i saw nezha 2019 in theaters in glorious IMAX and came out of the showing changed people lol. we also were super curious about nezha's origins since we both knew that the movie had changed the origin story greatly. so we were led to the wikipedia page about the Fengshen Yanyi/the Investiture of the Gods, a piece of classic Chinese literature. since the english title is kinda long i usually just say fengshen yanyi or FSYY for convenience's sake. please keep this in mind bc im a lazy person and i dont want to type out the whole thing all the time thanks lol.

anyways so my friend and i were interested in learning more and maybe reading the FSYY ourselves. however. we got blocked/discouraged by the expensive paywall of academia.

there is only one complete english translation of the FSYY. that's right. this almost 4,000 year old book has only been translated into english once. four!! thousand!!! years!!!!

and according to amazon and other book sites, the 4 volume set sells for somewhere between $120 to $800. (also to clarify, this isn't the newer version that's translated/by katherine chew. that version is more reasonably priced at around $20 to $25 on book sites i've seen. however, going through the amazon reviews, it seems that this newer version is rather abridged and not translated well. or something like that. it also sounds like this person did like half the saga and then stopped??? idk, im not quite sure since i havent read this version personally, but you can read the reviews yourself if you want, just search for this version on amazon. but tl;dr, it sounds like katherine chew’s fsyy translation is incomplete and/or abridged very heavily.)

needless to say, my friend and i were feeling very confused and frustrated. we just wanted to read a classic and influential piece of chinese literature!

luckily, a college nearby ours had the complete book set. i borrowed it through a intra-college library program in our city and used my iphone to scan the entire thing.

i was cleaning up/formatting/using my phone’s scanner app’s OCR feature to get the chapters with generally no problem until i hit the roadblock of just running out of space on my free dropbox account lol.

anyways, to both free up space on dropbox and also spread the availability of the book, ive decided to maybe uhhh copy and paste the scans into text and post them here. this will take a while since my scanner app’s OCR feature is a bit spotty and the text needs to be formatted/cleaned, and the OCR some chinese names kinda wonky/misspelled.

but yeah, that’s what i hope to do with this blog.

also general disclaimer about my usual stance on piracy. -> so, i normally don’t do this. i used to when i was younger and i watched anime on kissanime and stuff, as we all did. however, it was a big hassle. sites urls kept changing to prevent takedowns, things were confusing, unsafe, and we all had to awkwardly explain to our family that our siblings couldn’t use the single shared family computer for homework because we wanted to watch “INUYASHA SUB ENG EP25 PART 1/4” and infected the computer with like 900 viruses.

you know, the usual early 2000′s childhood.

plus as stuff in the western fandom became more streamlined/accessable and safer with legit sites like crunchyroll/netflix/hulu/etc., i just. stopped pirating. it wasn’t worth the hassle anymore. i also have a jump subscription bc it’s only like $2 a month and it’s been really good for me. i also use the library/was a student librarian so. yeah. i dont normally do this stuff and i dont normally encourage piracy.

however, in this case, this is just ridiculous. a 4000 year old classic piece of literature having only one translation? that’s stupidly overpriced? that is only physically available because there is no digital version? when you can literally find the original language version online for free on like 80 different sites bc its a classic and no one cares? wtf?

TL;DR - I don’t normally do/encourage piracy, but in this case, FUCK ACADEMIA/THE GREEDY PUBLISHING INDUSTRY/NEW WORLD PRESS/WHATEVER AND/OR WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUCKERY THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE TRAIN WRECK OF HANDLING/GATEKEEPING/PAYWALLING OF THIS VERSION. IM POSTING IT ONLINE.

#personal

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sweetlifetownsville · 5 years

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Solicitor Barry Taylor's Former Business Mate Gets Two And A Half Years In The Jug

The row over the state governments somewhat clunky internal factional power play about the protection of the Black Throated Finch habitat which is apparently threatened by the Adani Carmichael mine project is a right old knicker twister. The Astonisher iditor Jenna Cairneys dainties have taken a hell of a contortion, forcing her yet again into unintended humour. First we had two News Corpse journos in the same edition of the paper making exactly opposing claims about the birds. One, The Astonishers John Andersen, who knows about these things being a straight down the line bushie, quoted some of his widespread old timer country contacts that the bloody bird was everywhere, always had been, not just near the mine site. In the very same edition, the Astonisher had lifted a piece by tired old Courier Mail click-baiter Des Houghton trying it on that the bird would become extinct, killed off by feral animals (cats and pigs apparently) if the Adani land set aside for its protection area DID NOT PROCEED. Ando is the far more believable in this face-off, rather than the Alan Jones-Lite Houghton, who didnt explain how the dreaded cats and pigs would be kept out of the protection area signage perhaps?. The finch has become our own native Scarlet Pimpernel: They seek him here, they seek him there, Those pollies seek him everywhere, Journos seek him near, they seek him far, Under sun and under star, They try so hard, but they try in vain, For he eludes them yet again. But Bentley was there to record a meeting between avian cousins to solve the mystery.

Then enter the obviously discombobulated Astonisher iditor Jenna Cairney, the very same Jenna who gave a good laugh in a recent iditorial when she insisted the Bulletin only did fair and balanced reporting. Deputy Premier The Treacherous Trad came to town to talk about flood recovery measures during the week, asking what could be best done for the victims, but the Astonisher wanted to talk about the Black Throated Finch. Trad swatted away a few weak attempts to engage on the matter, somehow judging that the governments flood recovery measures were surely the overriding topic of the moment. Boy, didnt that make Jenna stampn her feet in rage, she saw red, and fired off a blistering iditorial, suggesting, (topically if unfortunately), that we were being sold down the river which is where a fair amount of Townsville ended just a few days ago. But then, right in the middle of this foot stamping tantrum, this little thigh slapper popped up from nowhere.

A moment,please (gasp, wheeze, splutter ahem, sorry.) Leaving aside the absurdity of this virtue-signaling boast, this twaddle comes from an iditor who wagged a finger at those who have had the temerity to raise questions about the handling of the flood emergency.

Even your southern betters arent buying that one they can apparently walk and chew gum at the same time, handling more than one story at once heres just one instance from the Courier.

Heres a newsflash, dearie the days of outfits like the Bulletin being the gatekeepers of information are long gone, and you no longer set the news agenda. Some Say The Council Over The Years Has Had A Lack Of Vision Any inquiry into the handling of the flood is should not be restricted to just recent events themselves, but should surely delve back into council building policy and approvals over many years, to see why so many inappropriately designed structures, both private and commercial, were allowed to be built on clearly identified flood plains. A Nest read sent is a photo that might help explain the problem he believes this is the TCC building where these decisions were made.

Mayor Mullet Jumps On The Boycott Bandwagon Again Ms Cairney, under your newly announced tough question policy, any chance of asking Mayor Mullet about her bogan bluster that if insurance companies use southern tradies to do repair work in Townsville, she will name and shame them.

Even your own reporter, Clare Armstrong (the soon to join the Sydney Telegraph), described this piece of electoral grandstanding as extraordinary. Embarrassing empty threat might have been just as apt. Talk about Qantas boycott redux this implicitly means that your paper, Jenna, will have to be the mayors bully pulpit in this naming and shaming exercise of companies that are major News advertisers, going about their legal business funded by shareholders, and who couldnt give a fig about Mayor Mullet and her barroom style bluster. You OK with that? Or is there the odd tough question you might like to ask your pal the mayor? Naming and shaming? The bottom line, if it is followed logically, is that Mayor Jenny Hill is on the boycott bandwagon again, threatening to call for a boycott of companies who legally, if not morally, use outside tradies for whatever reason (like legally binding existing contractual arrangements). Given her shoot from the lip bravado over several issues recently, Mayor Mullets big stick is in reality a squizzle stick: she must have quite a supply of used lying about. And You Can Add Casual Racism To Her CV, Too Another shoot from the lip, when talking about the two blokes who drowned while ruinning from the police.

You cant pick your family members? What the hell does that mean? Judge Jenny at her best. Sorry, what was that? Oh, yeah, right, forgot, Palm Islanders dont have a vote in Townsville local elections Well, remember, all you other folks, you can choose your mayor soon, up to you. Ghosts Of Mates Past Coming Back To Haunt Bazza Taylor

Big Bazza Taylor As reported here recently, solicitor Barry Taylor was once briefly in business in Townsville with convicted briber Wayne Myers. During the week, Chief Judge Kerry OBrien gave Myers two and a half years in chokey, to be suspended after six months, for greasing the wheels of corruption with council and contractor officials in Ipswich.

As reported here recently, back in the early 2000s, Myers and Taylor tried to start a local teleco company with the council, with Barry charged with roping in local bizoids to pony up $20k each for the venture. The then Mayor Tony Mooney saw the scheme was a financial rip-off, and knocked it on the head. While hes living down that little episode, Bazza now waits to see how big will be the embarrassment of another of his erstwhile clients, Craig Gore. The question here is which will be the biggest embarrassment , Gore refusing to keep his promise to return from Sweden to face trial on multiple fraud charges, (how he was allowed to go only God and a Brisbane judge know), or if he does show up (ring Tab Extreme Bets for the odds on that), is found guilty and cops an expected dozen or more years for his grubby rip-offs. Gore was squired around town by Bazza also in the 2000s, while the shyster was spruiking the completely impossible canal estate scheme in front of the casino. To the best of The Pies knowledge, Taylor had no stake in the venture Gore was only here for a short visit but if Bazza had any sense of shame, he wouldve been red faced when all that turned to highly questionable shit. Probably not, since he only hosted the grub to brown-nose his Labor pals in Brisbane. Wonder if Baz will lead the defence in the unlikely event that Gore does return. Probably not, not at Bazs prices. Puppy Love It was Valentines Day during the week, and public mawkishness was all around, it was unavoidable. But then The Pie discovered that zoos around the world they all regularly stay in touch to talk shop had decided that their animals had been left out of the annual love fest long enough. From San Diego to Sydney, to London and all points around the globe, this was the very punny result.

Lets get straight to the point anyone want a shag?

Stop! Youre making me tawny!

Talk birdy to me.

So glad we could support each other on this day, because as they say love is a cattlefield.

Of course I mean it! Id love you to the baboon and back.

Alpaca my bags.

May our love never tapir off.

Seal-iously, we think youre all keepers. A Warning Sign In These Trouble Financial Times

And our gallery of the week from Trumpistan

Finally The Pie normally likes to leave you laughing with a parting joke, but lets break from that rule this week, and ask you to think about this emotive tweets rarely penetrate the Magpie necessary cynicism , but, perhaps because he the father of a daughter, this one hit home for the old bird. Simply but shatteringly highlights the horror of being a school kid America, and the damage being done to an entire generation. It also shows why we are a far saner and safer society, natural disasters and all, here in Australia. A mother in Delaware tweeted this during the week. So my kids school had a genuine lockdown today. Some whack job called in a bomb threat Police came and everything was fine, Thank God! My guys seemed fine when they got home and they talked about it with me, and told me their versions of what happened and then went right into their homework and normal after school stuff, and all seemed fine. It wasnt until later when Vanessa was changing out of her school uniform that I saw this on her arm.

I say to her, why did you write that on your arm?She says, in case the bad guy got to us and I got killed, you and daddy would know that I love you, and she started to cry (as did I as I watched a little piece of her innocence get stolen away) To know that my 7yo was put in a position to think that thought is absolutely gut wrenching and its killing me inside.Its now been a couple hours, and I cant seem to shake this awful feeling, feeling of sadness, fear, and plain disgusts for this new normal our kids have to deal with on any given day..its a very scary and disturbing society we now live in, and its heartbreaking It certainly is. What have they wrought? Its unfathomable. .. A tumultuous week gone, and all The Magpies thoughts to those getting their life back together. Have your say about anything on the blog comments, they run 24/7. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/solicitor-barry-taylors-former-business-mate-gets-two-and-a-half-years-in-the-jug/

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purrfurnax · 7 years

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okay so heres how all my kintypes and fictives ‘became’ mostly for me to keep track but also if youre curious

wyvern awakening: i met my spirit guide whos a dragon, i started to get all these ideas about the world and a bunch of morals humans thought were weird, looked all that stuff up and most of it was either written in books/info sites about draconic paganism or things from dragons channeled by energy workers (people say dont trust that stuff but some of them are trustworthy and i have that same experience)

i had dreams in an order that told a story, dont remember what most of them were but they ended with a cloud that was sucking the life from every being, i got sucked into it and came out my wyvern self, after that i started to feel wings that werent realy there, mental shifts, those beliefs i had intensified to what it is now (not that its a good thing because im constantly fucking pissed)

i told a friend about it, she said i could be dragonkin, i looked it up and it said basically everything i felt on draconity.com

horse awakening: when i was little (8ish-15ish) i always used to pretended to be a horse, collected breyer horses, rode horses, sometimes would gallop or paw the ground, and neigh at other horses

this was like wayyyyyy before i even knew what otherkin was at all but i kinda remember feeling ears and pinning them back when i was mad or nervous and sometimes feeling like there was a body trailing behind me, sometimes still do and i have a few memories, sometimes i jsut have this weird thing where i crave ‘horse food’ like oats/oatmeal, granola, carrots, apples, pears, any leafy food, bitter things like dark chocolate and red lettuce, always had that during mental shifts and normally i dont really like those things

after i found out what otherkin was im just like ‘yep definitely a kintype’

raptor awakening: i thought it was just weak wyvern shifts or something, but my toes as a wyvern are more like a chickens than a raptors

i always had shifts mostly when i saw pictures or info about raptors, and realllyyy straong when i watched jurrassic park and stuff with them

then i had memories, the first one of chasing some little black flying thing, then one of laying in the rain paralyzed

khajiit awakening: this ones kinda blurry and its mostly phantom and mental shifts, everyone was telling me ‘what if you were just a normal cat’ and i was kinda going like that but i didnt walk on 4 legs at all

i started having memories of that, one where i was drunk in a tavern and threw a chair at some guy then passed out over a table, and one me and paar share of us looking at each other (also we used to call ourselves literal dovahkiin before The Gatekeepers tm started trying to make us explain with their own beliefs and he didnt want to anymore)

im also kinda questioning some kind of bird kintype

okay how paar came to be: i thought i had what was a really strong mental shift one night, forget exactly where we were but it happened a few more times enough for me to think i was fictionkin

but your kintypes ARE you, he was separate and could talk to me

he was in my dream one night, he was meditating on this cliff mountain thing by a lake, the sky was pink and purple with stars and planets everywhere it was all wavy and moved, turned out to be our headspace, called ‘the lake’

the lake has this completely empty stone castle across from the lake, the ground around the lake is different in each ‘area’, one place is made of cement and sharp gravel, the place on paars side is mud with yellow grass and lavender, the castle has really soft warm sand, sometimes random dragons just fly over the lake

then goris’s place is just a hole in the side of the hill the castle is on with a wooden door and the inside is all metal and theres fucking books everywhere even outside what the fuck goris clean your house

how i first heard about him was on shamchat, someone was rping as him, i had no idea who he even was but after that he just started developing the same way paar did, he has way more control when he fronts than paar, i started looking up stuff about him

then there elision, ugly fuck from dragons dogma who keeps coming here jsut to be like ‘what am i doing here, i hate you and i hate looking in the mirror’ then just leaves idk what thats about but he needs to just fuck off for good

and yeah thats everything pretty much sorry this is so long

#long post

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taleshalance4 · 5 years

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TECHSHOW Tips: How to Maintain Client Responsiveness in Chicago

Capture leads, serve clients, and keep your law firm running smoothly.

Solo and small-firm attorneys attending TECHSHOW have one extra thing to consider while they’re out of the office—something that doesn’t affect those who work for big firms, universities, large associations, and other high-headcount organizations with ample front- and back-office support: When you’re at TECHSHOW, you’ll be in sessions, at parties, in meetings, networking, maybe even catching a few Chicago attractions. Days are densely packed. That means you’re unavailable. And you probably don’t have a backup.

Breaks before, during, and after each day’s activities offer time only for the most urgent work matters. So how do you get your time and money’s worth during TECHSHOW without risking time and money back home? Look to these five simple and surprisingly affordable solutions to stay responsive to new and existing clients.

1. Add texting to your landline office phone number

Lots of lawyers still rely on a landline phone service. If that’s you, it’s common to feel uneasy and out-of-touch when you’re away from the office. Even if you forward calls to your cell phone, you won’t always be able to pick up—if you’re in a session, for example.

Add-on texting services, like ZipWhip, let you send and receive texts with your existing business phone number. The extra-smart feature they offer is automatic responses. Consider ways this can help you respond quickly and accurately:

A potential client texts to see if you’re taking new clients. You are. You set up an auto-response triggered by certain “new client indicator” keywords that say not only “Yes,” but also confirm they’re looking for an attorney in your practice area. And if so, here’s the link to your online calendar to book a consult.

An existing client texts to see if they can pay their invoice with a credit card. Yes, they can, because you have online payments through LawPay, Headnote, or another similar program. You send the link to your online payment page and get paid instantly. The client’s thrilled, too: It’s one item crossed off their to-do list.

An existing client texts you an image of the document you asked them to complete. They’re not computer-savvy and don’t know how to share the file via your secure document-sharing software. No problem, you upload the image to the software from the app on your phone. The case can now stay on track without delay.

ZipWhip offers a 14-day free trial, which gives you ample time to set it up before TECHSHOW and to assess its worth during your travels. After that, plans start at a palatable $35/month.

Bonus points: Ready for something that stacks on top of your new texting strategy? TimeMiner logs your time spent texting clients, so you can bill clients for your time spent communicating with them via SMS and MMS. Get started with a 30-day free trial, and then choose a plan: It’s $9.99/month for Android users and $12.99/month for iOS users. (The $12.99/month plan also gets you Clio integration.)

2. Book consults with new leads using online calendaring software

Fully featured and affordable online scheduling tools abound, and there’s even a free option available through Calendly, an easy online program that plugs into Google Calendar, Office 365, Outlook, or iCloud.

With online scheduling apps, you can make your calendar accessible on your website, in your email signature, and to your in-house or remote staff, so clients and firm staff can book consultations and appointments with you, without your direct involvement.

For example, see the steps that Justie Nicol, owner of Nicol Law Offices in Fort Collins, Colorado, outlines on her website for her solo criminal defense law practice:

Step one is basic intake using an online form (hers is built using Typeform). Step two is a 30-minute free consult using her online calendar, which she runs through Acuity Scheduling. It looks like this:

When help is needed, in-house and remote staff, like virtual receptionists, can use her Acuity links to book new consults like these, as well as other appointment types, like those for existing clients, court staff, or other attorneys.

Let’s say Justie’s heading to TECHSHOW. All of these bookings can happen while she cruises the EXPO Hall or dines at a Taste of TECHSHOW meal.

3. Add FAQ to your website to address routine questions

Your website is the best first line of defense for answering basic questions about your firm for new clients before they interrupt you with a call, text, or email. And you know those questions that are most frequently asked. Add a page dedicated to these FAQ, or just add them as a section on your homepage.

You can even take it a step further with online knowledge-base tools like HelpDocs, which offer a repository for these Q&A, easily plug in to your existing website, and allow visitors to search through topics, like how your fees work, how clients can make payments, details of your policies, what areas you practice in, and more. The result? More clients can “self-service” their needs instead of prompting you for help.

HelpDocs plans start at $39/month and there’s a 14-day trial, which is more than enough time for a TECHSHOW test run.

Bonus points: Put web chat up on your site and further stem calls and emails from folks who still can’t find an answer. Bots can auto-respond with simple answers and links to those FAQ, and live chat agents can provide custom-tailored answers. Chat services that also provide live phone services can even turn a chat into a call, for a very high-end client service experience for web visitors who appear to be very strong leads (or happen to be VIP existing clients).

4. Outsource call answering and web chat to virtual receptionists

When you hand off call answering to remote receptionists, you maintain (and even improve) responsiveness while you’re out of office. Better yet, have them return non-sensitive calls (like calling back web-form leads and clients rescheduling appointments). Even better, have them respond to chats on your website, so they don’t even have to call or email in the first place. Services that offer a free trial can even get you through the half-week while you’re gone, like many of the other services I’ve mentioned here. Now is prime time to get these trials going.

For example, Smith.ai offers a 10-call trial that lasts up to 30 days. Get set up this week and identify exactly what the receptionists are going to do on your behalf, but start forwarding calls only when you take off for TECHSHOW.

You can even set it up so calls ring first to you and then to the receptionists, so they’re backup during times you can’t pick up.

Or, if you have an IVR or phone tree (e.g., “new clients, press 1”) route calls for new-clients only. They can not only answer these calls, but also screen them based on your criteria, schedule a consult on your calendar, take payment if you charge for consults, and capture basic intake information so you’re prepared for your consult when you return to the office.

Bonus: You’re always in the loop thanks to: 1) immediate post-call email and text summaries, and 2) software integrations, which mean callers are added as new contacts in ClioGrow/Lexicata, Lawmatics, HubSpot, Client Sherpa, Lead Docket, or whatever intake software you’re using.

Example: Remember that online scheduling scenario? A phone receptionist or live chat agent can serve as a gatekeeper if you don’t want to post your calendar online. Just provide the link to the receptionist or live chat service, and instruct them when and how to book appointments for you.

It could go something like this when a client reaches your website and indicates they’re a good potential new client (instead of “today” pretend the chat agent is saying “Monday, March 4”!)

Behind the scenes, the chat agent booked the appointment on your calendar and the chat transcript was sent to you via email. Done and done!

Live chat can also be used to help guide new potential clients as they complete the basic intake form and book an appointment on your website. Remember Justie? Chat agents are able to instruct new web leads on how to best answer intake questions to help them have a successful, informed first consultation appointment with her. Chat widgets begin with a disclaimer, and then proceed with helping the new lead:

Not only is Justie not interrupted, but she’s even more likely to have a consultation booked with a new potential client who has properly completed her intake form (which is short but not insubstantial), and has also likely had some routine questions answered. Meaning, the first consult will be more productive—and with a potential client who’s likely very serious about hiring her. Something she’ll be particularly thankful for as she catches up on the backlog of work that’s inevitable to follow after TECHSHOW.

5. Reduce interruptions by filtering out unqualified leads

Sometimes the most frustrating inbound calls, texts, and emails are from people who contact you about a family law matter even though you clearly state on your website and everywhere online and in print that your firm only handles criminal defense cases. Unfortunately, some people don’t read. Don’t let them waste your time. Using some of the services above, like auto-responder texts, web chat, remote receptionists, and online calendaring, you can screen out bad leads before they ever reach you.

For example, in ZipWhip, you can set up an automated response when a potential client texts you about a case outside of your practice area. Let’s say they use a keyword like “divorce,’ you (and I’m calling you Joan here) can respond with a polite, instant text back that says something like, “Hi, thank you for contacting me. I don’t currently handle family law matters like divorce. I focus on personal injury cases. If you ever need help with a personal injury matter, please reach out to me. All my best, Joan.”

Bonus points: It doesn’t have to stop there. In fact, I recommend it doesn’t. Instead, build goodwill (and potentially earn referral fees) by referring unqualified leads to other firms you recommend.

First, inform them briefly about your firm and what types of cases you do handle. You never know if they may be a good potential client for a different legal matter in the future, which your firm does indeed handle. Or, they may encounter someone in the future who they refer to you since they will now better understand what matters your firm does and does not handle.

Then, recommend one or a few firms that are better suited to their needs.

If you have a process for referrals and a list of firms you recommend (identified by criteria, like practice area and cost), you can even hand off referrals to in-house and outsourced staff.

Check that out. Now, you’re not only queuing up new business and serving clients while you’re in Chi-Town—you’re also building positive sentiment for your firm back home, whether that’s down the block or across the country.

Questions? Contact me.

If you have questions about anything I covered above, or simply want to dive deeper into some of these suggestions, feel free to email me at [email protected]. I’d be happy to help you identify the best solutions to suit your firm’s specific needs. Or, come find me at booth #102 in the EXPO Hall and let’s chat in person!

Maddy Martin is the head of growth and education at Smith.ai, which provides superior virtual receptionist services for live calls and web chat, through a combination of U.S.-based professional receptionists and AI technology. She has spent the last decade growing tech startups from New York to California, and has expertise in digital marketing, small business communications, lead conversion, email marketing, SEO, and event marketing. Maddy can be reached at [email protected], and you can also connect with her on LinkedIn.

This is a guest post from Smith.ai. Visit them at ABA TECHSHOW in the EXPO Hall at Booth #102 and learn more about the Conference.

The post TECHSHOW Tips: How to Maintain Client Responsiveness in Chicago appeared first on Law Technology Today.

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Should Republicans Vote In Democratic Primary

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/should-republicans-vote-in-democratic-primary/

Should Republicans Vote In Democratic Primary

Official Disinvites For Us Indys

Republican Caller: Should I Vote in the Democratic Primary to Undermine Bernie?

Because we’re disrupting the coronation. It has to be us, right? It can’t be that the candidate they are putting a thumb on the scale for is the problem…

Is It Common For Democrats To Participate In The Republican Primary And Vice Versa

In areas dominated by one party, especially rural areas, voters might cross party lines in the primary to have more of a say in their local races.

Voters like Mims can do that, thanks to Texas open primary. Do you have more questions about voting in Texas? Submit them to our Texplainer series.

How Do You Choose

When you show up to your polling location, youll decide whether you want a Democratic or Republican primary ballot.

That said, voting in a primary does not commit you to vote for a particular candidate in the general election. You can vote for either partys candidate in the November election.

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Sorry Kid It Just Doesn’t Work That Way

Invite Independents Into The Process

James Zogby is president of the Arab American Institute and a member of the Democratic National Committees executive committee. Bernie Sanders appointed him to the partys primary reform commission.

Recommended Reading: What News Channel Do Republicans Watch

Well No That Defeats The Purpose Of Primaries

The Present Process Is Prone To Chaos And Capture

he nomination process makes unrealistic demands on voters, not because voters are lazy or stupidtheyre notbut because they are human.

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With No Republican Primary Gop Supporters Are Free To Vote For ‘chaos’

Voters can cast ballots in only one primary per election, but they can vote however they choose in general elections despite the primary they choose.

She said the crossover votes can be negatively strategic, “trolling or throwing a wrench in it,” or they can be positively strategic as a backstop.

The only cost for Republicans who are so inclined to instigate “chaos?” They’ll get on a Democratic mailing list.

And, indeed, crossover votes could be a factor in the primary, said David Woodard, a retired Clemson University professor who has consulted with Republicans for decades.

Get Rid Of Superdelegates Completely

Will President Trump encourage Ohio Republicans to vote in the Democratic Primary

Superdelegates had some of their power stripped from them after the contentious 2016 Democratic primary contest. Now its time to finish the job: They ought to be neutered entirely.

Selina Vickers was a delegate for Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She is a candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates, in District 32.

Read Also: How Many Democrats Republicans Are In The Senate

What Is A Party Primary Election

Democrats Plan To Keep Their Primary Strategy

Morgan Carroll, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party and a former state Senate president, said a proposal to forgo primaries would never receive serious consideration among state Democrats.

She called the idea ridiculous and undemocratic.

If we had a candidate that recommended it, I think theyd be driven out of town, Morgan Carroll said.

She thinks the move would backfire for Republicans as theyve struggled to win elections in Colorado in recent years. If I were a rank-and-file Republican person, Id be furious.

Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.

Read Also: Are There Any Other Republicans Running For President

Enhance The Role Of Superdelegates

We recommend doing the opposite of what the DNC chose to do with its Unity Reform Commission. Instead of diminishing the role of superdelegates , the party should augment their influence.

Its Primary Day In Pennsylvania Heres What Voters Need To Know

Laura Benshoff

May 18, 2021

Its Primary Day in Pennsylvania.

Judicial races, school board seats, and the Philadelphia District Attorneys office are all in the running.

Recommended Reading: What Percent Of Republicans Approve Of Trump

Over 150 Companies Sign Letter Supporting John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Voter fraud in U.S. elections is exceedingly rare. Although there is no evidence of widespread malfeasance in last fall’s election, more than a dozen states have so far enacted changes this year.

Using An Analogy Such As A Private Club Or A Sports Team Is Neither Naive Nor Dishonest

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Professional Vetting Provides Quality Control

wo filters are better than one. Electoral and professional perspectives check each others excesses and balance each others viewpoints

Vetting not only evaluates politicians; it also helps equip them to govern.

Virginia Voter Guide: The 2021 Primaries

Will President Trump encourage Ohio Republicans to cross-over to vote in Democratic primary?

The 2021 election season in Virginia has begun.

Most of the changes to voting in Virginia adopted last year due to the pandemic are still in place, but there are a few differences. Heres what you need to know.

Read Also: Do Republicans Vote In The Primary

Trump Has Zero Desire To Be Speaker Of House Spokesman Says

Jeff Merkley

. is absolutely right. This bill is critical for our country. We must fight with everything we’ve got to pass the For the People Act and save our democracy.

Today they probably know it is going to be parked in a cul-de-sac and the Republicans, aided by Democrat Joe Manchin, are going to throw away the keys.

Heres what Merkley tweeted yesterday.

Jeff Merkley

And heres Klobuchar earlier today reminding everyone that Barack Obama has spoken out to support a compromise version of the bill put forward by Manchin .

Amy Klobuchar

Voters Need Help: How Party Insiders Can Make Presidential Primaries Safer Fairer And More Democratic

Summary

Don’t Miss: How Many Registered Republicans In Texas

The Republicans Planning To Vote In South Carolinas Democratic Primary

Save Story

Save this story for later.

Save Story

Save this story for later.

Oh You Don’t Want My Vote In Nov

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From Ohio To Florida Your Cheat Sheet For The Next Crucial Primaries

Five states voting Tuesday could be make-or-break for some presidential candidates. A primer on whos voting and what outcomes are likeliest

Tue 15 Mar 2016 11.00 GMT Last modified on Fri 9 Feb 2018 19.15 GMT

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sweetlifetownsville · 5 years

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Solicitor Barry Taylor's Former Business Mate Gets Two And A Half Years In The Jug

Even your southern betters arent buying that one they can apparently walk and chew gum at the same time, handling more than one story at once heres just one instance from the Courier.

Lets get straight to the point anyone want a shag?

Stop! Youre making me tawny!

Talk birdy to me.

So glad we could support each other on this day, because as they say love is a cattlefield.

Of course I mean it! Id love you to the baboon and back.

Alpaca my bags.

May our love never tapir off.

Seal-iously, we think youre all keepers. A Warning Sign In These Trouble Financial Times

And our gallery of the week from Trumpistan

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sweetlifetownsville · 5 years

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Solicitor Barry Taylor's Former Business Mate Gets Two And A Half Years In The Jug

Labor influencer Wayne Myers getting jail time for his role in the Ipswich corruption scandal must be embarrassing for Big Bazza Taylor, the worlds most touchy solicitor when it comes to his business dealings. Mind you, Taylor did no wrong when he teamed up briefly with Myers in Townsville more than a decade ago, but unfair perceptions of guilt by association may be about to get worse for our much loved legal foghorn. Our receding floodwaters have revealed some home truths about the cupidity of our council, and the fallacy of the Bulletins tub-thumping agenda. Do you reckon that her call for a Qantas boycott was our mayors finest hour? Well, now the she who would be the Battlers Boedicia has gone one better threatening insurance companies with a big stick, which may well end with a more damaging push back than the Qantas call. But spite of all our tribulations, love was in the air during the week, when we endured that annual dork fest of bad poetry and unrequited lust known as Valentines Day and this year, animals got in on the act no no, you grubby lot, not like that, they just played it for laughs. But first Getting Even Since Indias gift to the desecration of Australian native bird life is the unpleasant Indian Mynah, somehow it seems only fair it is a native Aussie bird that is now taking its revenge on an unpleasant Indian miner. The row over the state governments somewhat clunky internal factional power play about the protection of the Black Throated Finch habitat which is apparently threatened by the Adani Carmichael mine project is a right old knicker twister. The Astonisher iditor Jenna Cairneys dainties have taken a hell of a contortion, forcing her yet again into unintended humour. First we had two News Corpse journos in the same edition of the paper making exactly opposing claims about the birds. One, The Astonishers John Andersen, who knows about these things being a straight down the line bushie, quoted some of his widespread old timer country contacts that the bloody bird was everywhere, always had been, not just near the mine site. In the very same edition, the Astonisher had lifted a piece by tired old Courier Mail click-baiter Des Houghton trying it on that the bird would become extinct, killed off by feral animals (cats and pigs apparently) if the Adani land set aside for its protection area DID NOT PROCEED. Ando is the far more believable in this face-off, rather than the Alan Jones-Lite Houghton, who didnt explain how the dreaded cats and pigs would be kept out of the protection area signage perhaps?. The finch has become our own native Scarlet Pimpernel: They seek him here, they seek him there, Those pollies seek him everywhere, Journos seek him near, they seek him far, Under sun and under star, They try so hard, but they try in vain, For he eludes them yet again. But Bentley was there to record a meeting between avian cousins to solve the mystery. Then enter the obviously discombobulated Astonisher iditor Jenna Cairney, the very same Jenna who gave a good laugh in a recent iditorial when she insisted the Bulletin only did fair and balanced reporting. Deputy Premier The Treacherous Trad came to town to talk about flood recovery measures during the week, asking what could be best done for the victims, but the Astonisher wanted to talk about the Black Throated Finch. Trad swatted away a few weak attempts to engage on the matter, somehow judging that the governments flood recovery measures were surely the overriding topic of the moment. Boy, didnt that make Jenna stampn her feet in rage, she saw red, and fired off a blistering iditorial, suggesting, (topically if unfortunately), that we were being sold down the river which is where a fair amount of Townsville ended just a few days ago. But then, right in the middle of this foot stamping tantrum, this little thigh slapper popped up from nowhere. A moment,please (gasp, wheeze, splutter ahem, sorry.) Leaving aside the absurdity of this virtue-signaling boast, this twaddle comes from an iditor who wagged a finger at those who have had the temerity to raise questions about the handling of the flood emergency. Even your southern betters arent buying that one they can apparently walk and chew gum at the same time, handling more than one story at once heres just one instance from the Courier. Heres a newsflash, dearie the days of outfits like the Bulletin being the gatekeepers of information are long gone, and you no longer set the news agenda. Some Say The Council Over The Years Has Had A Lack Of Vision Any inquiry into the handling of the flood is should not be restricted to just recent events themselves, but should surely delve back into council building policy and approvals over many years, to see why so many inappropriately designed structures, both private and commercial, were allowed to be built on clearly identified flood plains. A Nest read sent is a photo that might help explain the problem he believes this is the TCC building where these decisions were made. Mayor Mullet Jumps On The Boycott Bandwagon Again Ms Cairney, under your newly announced tough question policy, any chance of asking Mayor Mullet about her bogan bluster that if insurance companies use southern tradies to do repair work in Townsville, she will name and shame them. Even your own reporter, Clare Armstrong (the soon to join the Sydney Telegraph), described this piece of electoral grandstanding as extraordinary. Embarrassing empty threat might have been just as apt. Talk about Qantas boycott redux this implicitly means that your paper, Jenna, will have to be the mayors bully pulpit in this naming and shaming exercise of companies that are major News advertisers, going about their legal business funded by shareholders, and who couldnt give a fig about Mayor Mullet and her barroom style bluster. You OK with that? Or is there the odd tough question you might like to ask your pal the mayor? Naming and shaming? The bottom line, if it is followed logically, is that Mayor Jenny Hill is on the boycott bandwagon again, threatening to call for a boycott of companies who legally, if not morally, use outside tradies for whatever reason (like legally binding existing contractual arrangements). Given her shoot from the lip bravado over several issues recently, Mayor Mullets big stick is in reality a squizzle stick: she must have quite a supply of used lying about. And You Can Add Casual Racism To Her CV, Too Another shoot from the lip, when talking about the two blokes who drowned while ruinning from the police. You cant pick your family members? What the hell does that mean? Judge Jenny at her best. Sorry, what was that? Oh, yeah, right, forgot, Palm Islanders dont have a vote in Townsville local elections Well, remember, all you other folks, you can choose your mayor soon, up to you. Ghosts Of Mates Past Coming Back To Haunt Bazza Taylor Big Bazza Taylor As reported here recently, solicitor Barry Taylor was once briefly in business in Townsville with convicted briber Wayne Myers. During the week, Chief Judge Kerry OBrien gave Myers two and a half years in chokey, to be suspended after six months, for greasing the wheels of corruption with council and contractor officials in Ipswich. As reported here recently, back in the early 2000s, Myers and Taylor tried to start a local teleco company with the council, with Barry charged with roping in local bizoids to pony up $20k each for the venture. The then Mayor Tony Mooney saw the scheme was a financial rip-off, and knocked it on the head. While hes living down that little episode, Bazza now waits to see how big will be the embarrassment of another of his erstwhile clients, Craig Gore. The question here is which will be the biggest embarrassment , Gore refusing to keep his promise to return from Sweden to face trial on multiple fraud charges, (how he was allowed to go only God and a Brisbane judge know), or if he does show up (ring Tab Extreme Bets for the odds on that), is found guilty and cops an expected dozen or more years for his grubby rip-offs. Gore was squired around town by Bazza also in the 2000s, while the shyster was spruiking the completely impossible canal estate scheme in front of the casino. To the best of The Pies knowledge, Taylor had no stake in the venture Gore was only here for a short visit but if Bazza had any sense of shame, he wouldve been red faced when all that turned to highly questionable shit. Probably not, since he only hosted the grub to brown-nose his Labor pals in Brisbane. Wonder if Baz will lead the defence in the unlikely event that Gore does return. Probably not, not at Bazs prices. Puppy Love It was Valentines Day during the week, and public mawkishness was all around, it was unavoidable. But then The Pie discovered that zoos around the world they all regularly stay in touch to talk shop had decided that their animals had been left out of the annual love fest long enough. From San Diego to Sydney, to London and all points around the globe, this was the very punny result. Lets get straight to the point anyone want a shag? Stop! Youre making me tawny! Talk birdy to me. So glad we could support each other on this day, because as they say love is a cattlefield. Of course I mean it! Id love you to the baboon and back. Alpaca my bags. May our love never tapir off. Seal-iously, we think youre all keepers. A Warning Sign In These Trouble Financial Times And our gallery of the week from Trumpistan Finally The Pie normally likes to leave you laughing with a parting joke, but lets break from that rule this week, and ask you to think about this emotive tweets rarely penetrate the Magpie necessary cynicism , but, perhaps because he the father of a daughter, this one hit home for the old bird. Simply but shatteringly highlights the horror of being a school kid America, and the damage being done to an entire generation. It also shows why we are a far saner and safer society, natural disasters and all, here in Australia. A mother in Delaware tweeted this during the week. So my kids school had a genuine lockdown today. Some whack job called in a bomb threat Police came and everything was fine, Thank God! My guys seemed fine when they got home and they talked about it with me, and told me their versions of what happened and then went right into their homework and normal after school stuff, and all seemed fine. It wasnt until later when Vanessa was changing out of her school uniform that I saw this on her arm. I say to her, why did you write that on your arm?She says, in case the bad guy got to us and I got killed, you and daddy would know that I love you, and she started to cry (as did I as I watched a little piece of her innocence get stolen away) To know that my 7yo was put in a position to think that thought is absolutely gut wrenching and its killing me inside.Its now been a couple hours, and I cant seem to shake this awful feeling, feeling of sadness, fear, and plain disgusts for this new normal our kids have to deal with on any given day..its a very scary and disturbing society we now live in, and its heartbreaking It certainly is. What have they wrought? Its unfathomable. .. A tumultuous week gone, and all The Magpies thoughts to those getting their life back together. Have your say about anything on the blog comments, they run 24/7. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/solicitor-barry-taylors-former-business-mate-gets-two-and-a-half-years-in-the-jug/

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