Too many fandoms, too few pants

wolfmoon2845: thejusticethatissocial: You can buy Peace by...

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 13:24:45 -0400

thejusticethatissocial:

You can buy Peace by Chocolate’s Pride Bars here! While quantities last.

https://peacebychocolate.ca/

for anyone who’s worried about there not being a lesbian flag bar in the original post: they have added one!

gahdamnpunk: THIS

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 13:23:04 -0400

gahdamnpunk:

THIS

dragonsroarart: Hope this can help you guys :)

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 13:15:01 -0400

dragonsroarart:

Hope this can help you guys :)

inkstainsonmyskin:Let👏🏼disabled👏🏼people👏🏼be👏🏼angry👏🏼about👏🏼the👏🏼injustice👏🏼they👏🏼experience👏🏼

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 13:14:34 -0400

inkstainsonmyskin:

Let👏🏼disabled👏🏼people👏🏼be👏🏼angry👏🏼about👏🏼the👏🏼injustice👏🏼they👏🏼experience👏🏼

pervocracy: Everyone knows that on Uber/Lyft you should always give the driver five stars unless...

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 23:16:03 -0400

pervocracy:

Everyone knows that on Uber/Lyft you should always give the driver five stars unless they, like, drive the car into the ocean or something, right? You can’t say “the ride was fine, nothing special, so I gave them three stars,” because the company will punish them for being anything less than perfect.

Well, you should know that the same rule goes for any kind of customer service survey. Unless the service you received was unacceptable, give them 5/5 or 10/10 or whatever. It’s annoying, because it ruins the sensitivity of the survey, but it’s how it’s gotta be. 9/10 gets treated like a problem and 6/10 gets treated like a disaster. Understand this and do the workers a favor by grading easy.

manunkinda: So this is a problem. For those that don’t know, this November MA is putting a question...

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 23:15:38 -0400

manunkinda:

So this is a problem. For those that don’t know, this November MA is putting a question up on whether the transgender nondiscrimination law that was passed in 2016 should be repealed.

If this law gets repealed, transgender residents will face discrimination in public places and will have to by law use the restroom based on their assigned sex at birth, not what they identify as.

For those in other states who might be thinking “Oh, this won’t affect me at all!”

It will.

If this law gets repealed, the opponents (the people who approve of the repeal) will try to eliminate transgender protection laws across the United States.

Keep in mind, this article was at the back of the Pride magazine I picked up at a movie theater. Not many people I’ve talked to seem to know that this is going to happen.

I don’t care if this doesn’t fit your blog.

Spread this like wildfire.

crustyoltanker: northeastnut: markwing-davey: an-alarming-numb...

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 22:11:57 -0400

crustyoltanker:

northeastnut:

markwing-davey:

an-alarming-number-of-bees:

bertmacklin-atf:

mckitterick:

superheroesincolor:

Timeless (2016) S1E012 - The Murder of Jesse James

Bass Reeves, protrayed by Colman Domingo. Rufus Carlin, protrayed by Malcolm Barrett.

Watch it here , get Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth here

[Follow SuperheroesInColor faceb / instag / twitter / tumblr / pinterest]

It’s true!

Source: X

Bass Reeves was so dedicated to the law, he even arrested his own son Bennie for the murder of his wife. Bennie was sentenced to life in prison. With over 3000 arrests, 14 kills, went his entire 32 year career in law enforcement without being shot once.

He was assigned to bring in the notorious female outlaw Belle Starr. Once she got wind who was after her she turned herself into the federal court.

Reeves was one of a few Marshalls who would venture into Indian territory *oklahoma*. After the age of 67 he retired in 1907. He enjoyed his short lived retirement as a police officer in Muskogee Oklahoma, his assigned beat had 0 crime reported until he died at the age of 71 of Bright’s disease.

He was one of the true gun slingers of the west.

I would expect nothing less from a man with such a magnificent mustache

I love the story of Bass Reeves!

One of his famous tactics was, if he was captured or in danger by a criminal he was hunting down, he would ask them to read a letter from his wife before they killed him. He used their distraction to free himself and get the upper hand.

He was also a freed slave. George Reeves, his owner and reason for his surname, took Bass with him to fight in the Civil War. However, George became violently angry after Bass beat him at a card game, and Bass was forced to fight him (or kill, on some accounts) in self defense.

After running away and entering Native American territory, Bass learned how to speak the languages of the ‘Five Civilized Tribes’ (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muskogee, Seminole). This part of his life is where he mastered marksmanship. He got married and had a family after the Emancipation Proclamation was declared, and then later became a Marshal, going on the adventures listed above (and many more… Another famous criminal that Bass captured was Bob Dozier.)

He was the very first black US Marshal. May we never forget him, as history would suffer to lose such an outstanding figure.

Awesome story.

Awesome story, and a truly epic ‘stache!!

Here’s How You Can Help Fight Family Separation at the Border

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 23:11:06 -0400

Here’s How You Can Help Fight Family Separation at the Border:

chamerionwrites:

If you’re horrified by news of families being separated at the borders, here’s a bit of news you can use.

First, the policy: It helps to be incredibly clear on what the law is, and what has and has not changed. When Donald Trump and Sarah Huckabee Sanders say that the policy of separating children from their parents upon entry is a law passed by Democrats that Democrats will not fix, they are lying.

There are two different policies in play, and both are new.

First is the new policy that any migrant family entering the U.S. without a border inspection will be prosecuted for this minor misdemeanor. The parents get incarcerated and that leaves children to be warehoused. The parents then typically plead guilty to the misdemeanor and are given a sentence of the few days they served waiting for trial. But then when the parents try to reunite with their children, they are given the runaround—and possibly even deported, alone. The children are left in HHS custody, often without family.

Second is a new and apparently unwritten policy that even when the family presents themselves at a border-entry location, seeking asylum—that is, even when the family is complying in all respects with immigration law—the government is snatching the children away from their parents. Here, the government’s excuse seems to be that they want to keep the parents in jail-like immigration detention for a long time, while their asylum cases are adjudicated. The long-standing civil rights case known as Flores dictates that they aren’t allowed to keep kids in that kind of detention, so the Trump administration says they have to break up the families. They do not have to break up families—it is the government’s new choice to jail people with credible asylum claims who haven’t violated any laws that is leading to the heartbreaking separations you’ve been reading about.

So that is what is happening. Whether or not that is what the Bible demands is the subject of a different column. Good explainers on what is and is not legal detention of immigrants and asylum-seekers can also be found here and here and here.

Next: Which groups to support.

• The ACLU is litigating this policy in California.

• If you’re an immigration lawyer, the American Immigration Lawyers Association will be sending around a volunteer list for you to help represent the women and men with their asylum screening, bond hearings, ongoing asylum representation, etc. Please sign up.

• Al Otro Lado is a binational organization that works to offer legal services to deportees and migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, including deportee parents whose children remain in the U.S.

• CARA—a consortium of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the American Immigration Council, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association—provides legal services at family detention centers.

• The Florence Project is an Arizona project offering free legal services to men, women, and unaccompanied children in immigration custody.

• Human Rights First is a national organization with roots in Houston that needs help from lawyers too.

• Kids in Need of Defense works to ensure that kids do not appear in immigration court without representation, and to lobby for policies that advocate for children’s legal interests. Donate here.

• The Legal Aid Justice Center is a Virginia-based center providing unaccompanied minors legal services and representation.

• Pueblo Sin Fronteras is an organization that provides humanitarian aid and shelter to migrants on their way to the U.S.

• RAICES is the largest immigration nonprofit in Texas offering free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families. Donate here and sign up as a volunteer here.

• The Texas Civil Rights Project is seeking “volunteers who speak Spanish, Mam, Q’eqchi’ or K’iche’ and have paralegal or legal assistant experience.”

• Together Rising is another Virginia-based organization that’s helping provide legal assistance for 60 migrant children who were separated from their parents and are currently detained in Arizona.

• The Urban Justice Center’s Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project is working to keep families together.

• Women’s Refugee Commission advocates for the rights and protection of women, children, and youth fleeing violence and persecution.

• Finally, ActBlue has aggregated many of these groups under a single button.

This list isn’t comprehensive, so let us know what else is happening. And please call your elected officials, stay tuned for demonstrations, hug your children, and be grateful if you are not currently dependent on the basic humanity of U.S. policy.

Update, June 17, 2018: Thanks to readers who updated us with more organizations fighting this policy. Other good work is being done by the following:

• CLINIC’s Defending Vulnerable Populations project offers case assistance to hundreds of smaller organizations all over the country that do direct services for migrant families and children.

• American Immigrant Representation Project (AIRP), which works to secure legal representation for immigrants.

• CASA in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, and Pennsylvania. They litigate, advocate, and help with representation of minors needing legal services.

• Freedom for Immigrants (Formerly CIVIC), which has been a leading voice opposing immigrant detention.

• The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center represents all of the immigrant kids placed by the government in foster care in Michigan (one of the biggest foster care placement states). About two-thirds are their current clients are separation cases, and they work to find parents and figure out next steps.

• The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project is doing work defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education.

• Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights works for the rights of children in immigration proceedings.

• The Women’s Refugee Commission has aggregated five actions everyone can take that go beyond donating funds.

• And finally, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)—which organizes law students and lawyers to develop and enforce a set of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons—just filed suit challenging the cancellation of the Central American Minors program.

Update, June 18, 2018, 8:19 p.m.: Listed below are more organizations that are helping separated families at the border. Thanks again to readers who sent in information:

• Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative has a guide to organizations throughout Texas that provide direct legal services to separated children. Also listed within the guide are resources for local advocates, lawyers, and volunteers.

• Immigrant Justice Corps is the nation’s only fellowship program dedicated to expanding access to immigration representation. Some IJC fellows work at the border, and others work in New York, providing direct representation in immigration court to parents and children resettled in New York City and surrounding counties.

• The Kino Border Initiative provides humanitarian aid to refugees and migrants on both sides of the border. They have a wish-list of supplies they can use to help migrants and families staying in the communities they serve.

• The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network supports undocumented immigrants detained in Aurora, Colorado.

Several companies also match donations—if your company does this, you need to provide the tax ID of the charity you have given to, which is usually listed on these organizations’ websites.

genderoftoday: tarot-sybarite: Depression: Suicide Hotline:...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 17:47:55 -0400

genderoftoday:

tarot-sybarite:

Depression:

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (2433) – Can use in US, U.K., Canada and Singapore

Suicide Crisis Line: 1-800-999-9999

National Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-800-273-TALK (8245)

National Adolescent Suicide Helpline: 1-800-621-4000

Depression & Bipolar Alliances: 1-800-826-3632

Postpartum Depression: 1-800-PPD-MOMS

NDMDA Depression Hotline – Support Group: 1-800-826-3632

Veterans: 1-877-VET2VET

Crisis Help Line – For Any Kind of Crisis: 1-800-233-4357

Suicide & Depression Crisis Line – Covenant House: 1-800-999-9999

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide: (UK only) 0844-561-6855

Beyondblue info line: (Australia only) 1300-22-4636

24/7 Crisis Line:(Canada only) 905-522-1477

Lifeline Australia: 13-11-14

Domestic Abuse:

National Child Abuse Helpline: 1-800-422-4453

National Domestic Violence Crisis Line: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

National Domestic Violence Hotline (TDD): 1-800-787-32324

National Sexual Assaut Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

Center for the Prevention of School Violence: 1-800-299-6504

Child Abuse Helpline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-548-2722

Healing Woman Foundation (Abuse): 1-800-477-4111

Child Abuse Hotline Support & Information: 1-800-792-5200

Women’s Aid National Domestic Violence Helpline: (UK Only) 0345 023 468

Sexual Abuse Centre: (UK Only) 0117 935 1707

Sexual Assault Support (24/7, English & Spanish): 1-800-223-5001

Domestic & Teen Dating Violence (English & Spanish: 1-800-992-2600

Relationships Australia: 1300-364-277

Alcohol & Drug Abuse:

National Association for Children of Alcoholics: 1-888-55-4COAS (1-888-554-2627)

National Drug Abuse: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Al-Anon/Alateen Hope & Help for young people who are the relatives & friends of a problem drinker): 1-800-344-2666

Alcohol/Drug Abuse Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Be Sober Hotline: 1-800-BE-SOBER (1-800-237-6237)

Cocaine Help Line: 1-800-COCAINE (1-800-262-2463)

24 Hour Cocaine Support Line: 1-800-992-9239

Ecstasy Addiction: 1-800-468-6933

Marijuana Anonymous: 1-800-766-6779

Youth & Teen Hotlines:

National Youth Crisis Support: 1-800-448-4663

Youth America Hotline: 1-877-YOUTHLINE (1-877-968-8454)

Covenant House Nine-Line (Teens): 1-800-999-9999

Boys Town National: 1-800-448-3000

Teen Helpline: 1-800-400-0900

TeenLine: 1-800-522-8336

Youth Crisis Support: 1-800-448-4663 or 1-800-422-0009

Runaway Support (All Calls are Confidential): 800-231-694

National Runaway Hotline: (US only) 1800-231-6946

Child Helpline: (UK Only) 0800-111

Kids Helpline: (Australia) 1800-55-1800

Youth to Youth: (UK only) 020-8896-3675

Kids Help Phone Canada: ~~1800-688-6868~~ CORRECTION - 1 (800) 668 - 6868

National Youth Crisis Hotline:(US only) 800-442-442-4673

Pregnancy Hotlines:

AAA Crisis Pregnancy Center: 1-800-560-0717

Pregnancy Support: 1-800-4-OPTIONS (1-800-467-8466)

Pregnancy National Helpline: 1-800-356-5761

Young Pregnant Support: 1-800 550-4900

Gay and Lesbian Hotlines:

The Trevor Helpline (For homosexuality questions or problems): 1-800-850-8078

Gay & Lesbian National Support: 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564)

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Youth Support Line: 1-800-850-8078

Lesbian & Gay Switchboard: (UK Only) 0121 622 6589

Lothian Gay & Lesbian Switchboard – Scotland: (Scotland Only) 0131 556 4049

Other Hotlines:

Self-Injury Support: 1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288) (www.selfinjury.com)

Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention: 1-800-931-2237 (Hours: 8am-noon daily, PST)

Eating Disorders Center: 1-888-236-1188

Help Finding a Therapist: 1-800-THERAPIST (1-800-843-7274)

Mental Health America: For a referral to specific mental health service or support program in your community. Phone: 800-969-NMHA (6642

National Alliance on Mental Illness: Provides support, information, and referrals. Phone: 800-950-NAMI (6264)

Panic Disorder Information and Support: 1-800-64-PANIC (1-800-647-2642)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: 1-802-296-6300 (not toll-free)

TalkZone (Peer Counselors): 1-800-475-TALK (1-800-475-2855)

Victims of Crime: Multi-language service available. 1-800-FYI-CALL (394-2255)

Parental Stress Hotline: 1-800-632-8188

Parent Help Line (Australia only): 1300-364-100

National AIDS Helpline: (UK Only) 0800 567 123

Mensline Australia: 1300-789-978

Want a country by country list? Here are some more resources: helplines

The following sites also provides a country by country list of helplines available:

befrienders

international suicide hotlines

Also for my followers: Trans Lifeline - 877-565-8860

Jogger crosses US-Canada border by mistake, is held for two weeks in detention centre

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 14:07:32 -0400

patrickat:

thefingerfuckingfemalefury:

asymbina:

thefingerfuckingfemalefury:

between-stars-and-waves:

the-independent-new-yahoopartner:

A French tourist who accidentally crossed the border into the US from Canada during an evening jog was sent to a detention centre 125 miles away and held for two weeks until she was released.

Cedella Roman, 19, who is mixed race, was apprehended by US border patrol guards in White Rock, near Vancouver, after illegally entering the country.

She said she had not seen any signs marking the border as she ran along the beach before she went down a path to take a photo of the setting sun when two male officers arrested her.

“[The border guard] started telling me that I had crossed the border illegally and told him that I really did not do it on purpose,” she told Radio Canada.

She was threatened with a five-year ban from the US as the officers explained to her that they could not release her because she had been caught on surveillance cameras.

“I thought, maybe I’ve crossed the border, but maybe they’ll just fine me or they’ll say ‘come back to Canada’ or berate me a little bit,” she said.

Ms Roman had been in Canada since September 2017, spending time with her mother and learning English.

She did not have any identification on her when she was stopped, which further complicated her situation.

She was then transferred to a detention centre in Tacoma, a Department of Homeland Security holding facility, 125 miles south of where she first encountered the officers.

“They put me in the caged vehicles and brought me into their facility,” she said. “They asked me to remove all my belongings, as well as my jewellery; they searched me completely.

“That’s where I realised it was really serious and I started to cry a little.”

At the centre, Ms Roman rang her mother who brought her passport and study permits to prove her identity and right to be in Canada.

Staff at the centre, however, said the Canadian immigration authorities would have to validate the documents before she could be released, which led to a two-week stay at the facility.

“It was just unfair that there was nothing, no sign at the border,” said Christiane Ferne, Cedella’s mother. “It’s like a trap … anybody can be caught at the border like this.”

She was released on June 6 once authorities were satisfied her story was true.

A spokesman for the US Border Services declined to comment on Ms Roman’s case but told Radio Canada that crossing the US border at a place other than a customs post was illegal.

“The regulation applies even if the person claims to have crossed the border accidentally,” the statement said.

Last year, 288 people were arrested for illegally entering the US from the Blaine area of Washington State.

>:-(

The brave “People” of US “Border Control”

Protecting the world from the Terrifying Threat of people JOGGING

I mean we can’t have JOGGERS running around free

next thing you know they might start power walking or cycling

Or, gods forbid, CrossFit

Locking up this 19 year old girl out for a jog for two weeks is the only thing standing between the world and the terrifying threat of a Fun Run

Remember how the U.S. lost its collective shit over Americans who accidentally strayed over a border being imprisoned indefinitely in Iran, China, or North Korea? America is now like those countries and we’re apparently proud of it because “rules are rules” and “just following orders”.

A Tasting Menu of Female Representation:

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 14:05:17 -0400

rehfan:

madlori:

qfeminism:

thisisrabbit:

priscellie:

cl-hilbert:

The Bechdel:

two or more women talking to each other about something other than a man

The Mako Mori:

at least one female character with her own narrative arc that is not about supporting a man’s story

The Sexy Lamp:

a female character that cannot be removed from the plot and replaced with a sexy lamp without destroying the story.

Chef’s Specials:

The Anti-Freeze:

no woman assaulted, injured or killed to further the story of another character.

The “Strength is Relative”:

complex women defined by solid characterization rather than a handful of underdeveloped masculine-coded stereotypes.

Furiosa test.

^^

“Ghostbusters” blows all of these tests completely out of the water.

And generates at least one that I think ought to be added:

The Pizza Night Test

Women are shown eating non-salad food and no comment is made about anyone getting fat or breaking their diet.

I love everyone in this bar.

dreadedloreenkid: stripedwoolenjumper: liz-squids: sixth-light: theauspolchronicles: nerdtastic...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 14:00:15 -0400

dreadedloreenkid:

stripedwoolenjumper:

liz-squids:

sixth-light:

theauspolchronicles:

nerdtasticami:

theauspolchronicles:

Oh boy if you’re mad about the US separating children from their parents, putting people in camps, and having a zero tolerance policy towards asylum seekers that has led to deliberate extensive cruelty as a futile deterrent wait until you hear about Australia.

…what’s going on in Australia?

Buddy! Strap in because there are two parts to this:

The past 100+ years of ripping kids from their families, racism, and attempted genocide

The past 20+ years of racism, but now island torture prisons! LEVEL UP!

Australia has had a long history of separating children from their parents. The government decided that mixed raced children of Indigenous Australians were not OK so literally kidnapped them and raised them to assimilate into white society and “breed the colour out.” This started about 1905 and ended about 1970. We call them the Stolen Generations. This has had long lasting negative effects on Indigenous Australians as it was a decades long attempt to absolutely destroy their culture and commit genocide. “But that was the past?” Surprise! By “ended in 1970″ I mean “the reasons in which we en masse tear children away from their families now has a different reason” and Indigenous children are now being taken away at even higher rates than during the stolen generations. Australia saw its Indigenous population, thought “how do we destroy their culture?” and when we were done thought “gee, how do we blame them for having all these issues in their communities?”

BUT THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING!

Fast forward to now: Trump is using kids as political leverage to stop people from coming to the US right? Buddy he’s ripping Australia off. Scott Morrison, Minister for Immigration at the time once did that.

OK so for context: when people try to come to Australia via boat seeking asylum because they’re fleeing war/persecution we do either 2 things: turn them back and let them just… die elsewhere… Or we lock them up in detention centres on Manus/Nauru Island. That’s where we keep them indefinitely in bad conditions, give them dodgy medical care, smear them in the press, and react indifferently when they die from suicide/negligence/assault… and cover up sexual assaults from guards and the incredibly high rate of self harm and depression even in children. The entire idea is to be as cruel as possible so other people hear about it and go “geez, let’s not go to Australia. They’ll literally torture us before they give us a protective visa.” And when I say indefinitely I mean indefinitely. Some refugees have spent 5 years wasting away in these prisons. Some children have spent their entire life in these prisons. And the government openly admits that they’re genuine refugees. They’ve been rigorously vetted and known to be safe people with no intention of harming us but it’s the zero tolerance principle. You tried to come here via boat? You go jail but we call it “detention.”

Well Scott Morrison decided once to tell the Senate that he could release a few kids from detention centres but only if they voted for a bill that increased his powers to send refugees back to where they would suffer persecution and basically told them if they don’t vote for it the kids will continue to suffer. He held children as ransom for his own political power. Our Human Rights Commissioner slammed it as terrible to use kids as bargaining chips. You know what the government did? Personally attack her and ask her to resign over his bias. Our Prime Minister at the time complained that Australia was “sick of being lectured” by the UN over how we keep torturing refugees.

The main line of attack against refugees: “they’re just coming here to take advantage of our welfare.” Oh no! It’ll cost the taxpayer money to subsidise a refugee to live in a safe country! So instead of having them “rip off” the taxpayer with a couple hundred a fortnight we’ll just lock them up on an island where it costs $1 million per person on average over the past 4 years and operational costs have wasted $5 billion in 4 years. Why help someone for barely enough money to survive when you can torture them and keep them imprisoned for several times more!

Scott Morrison, or Sco-Mo as we kids call them, loved the US’s Muslim Ban idea by the way. He said it was proof that the rest of the world was “catching up to Australia.” Yeah. Geez guys. What took you so long to be as bad as Australia?

Mandatory detention has had bipartisan support from the two major parties since its creation by the Keating government in 1992. We have been keeping people in prison for seeking asylum for 26 years.

Oh and the government super doesn’t them to come here. The Abbott government spent $4.1 million on a propaganda movie to be shown overseas to deter refugees.

We also don’t want to get rid of them. There was a deal under the Obama administration to take some of these refugees but this process has carried on into the Trump administration. He was livid the idea that he should uphold this deal because 1) OooOBaMaaaa!! 2) REFUGEES?? In America??? So that’s currently going nowhere. Meanwhile New Zealand, our good ally and close neighbour, has said “I’ll take some of them” and the current PM (Turnbull) has said no. His excuse? We have a deal with the US. We should see where that goes. It’s going nowhere. So he conveniently can just pretend his hands are tied and let refugees continue to be tortured and die under his care.

(And he hasn’t said it but I bet he’ll never let refugees settle in New Zealand because if they become NZ citizens they’ll have travel rights to come to Australia without the same visa restrictions as other countries AND THEN THE REFUGEES WOULD WIN).

Papa New Guinea (Manus Island isn’t Australian, we just have a deal to pay another government to let us keep a torture prison on their land… hmm I feel like there’s a US equivalent somewhere too…) decided a while back “hang on, this is unconstitutional and horrible. You need to close down the detention centre on Manus.” So we “did.” And then made a new building on the same island to keep them in and forced them to go into it despite it not being finished. This was after guards physically beat the refugees to make them go to this new prison.

I could go on but you get the idea.

So let’s top this all off with the icing on the cake: a phone call between Trump and Turnbull when Trump was getting acquainted with all the world leaders last year. Turnbull explained our zero tolerance refugee policy and the cruelty as a deterrent that is employed and Trump said “That is a good idea. We should do that too. You are worse than I am.”

“That is a good idea. We should do that too. You are worse than I am.”

Let that sink in.

And that’s where we’re up to now in modern history. See everyone likes to go to the obvious big example we have of the Nazis and their camps but the truth is… this never stopped. There are similar examples of this abhorrent behaviour happening right now and have been for decades. Governments have been putting people in camps and trying to destroy cultures, or ethnicities, or deny people safe havens from wars, and be utterly heartless and deliberately cruel since forever. This is the ongoing drive of conservatism: keep people out, keep people a certain way, and the current example in the US is just that bubbling over the horribly inescapable surface. We are deluded to think that this cruelty took a 70 year respite when WW2 ended and it’s taken this long to get this strong.

The world has always been racist. Trump just doesn’t bother to filter it. And Australia just wants to keep it on an island so no one can see it.

Also, that Australia/New Zealand immigration deal? Australia has slowly been taking away the rights of New Zealanders resident in Australia - including children born in Australia to Kiwi parents - and making it nigh-impossible for them to actually get Australian citizenship, basically all because of paranoia that brown people will move from NZ to Australia. They’re aggressively deporting Māori and Pasifika New Zealanders, even those who may have come as small children and have no memory of New Zealand, both for things like being convicted of any crime and for things like “being of bad character”. Or, rather, they don’t deport them. They put them in offshore prison camps and tell them they can’t leave until they agree to leave Australia. (It’s not that these things don’t affect Pākehā NZers, it’s that we’re not the real targets.)

During our election campaign last year, the Deputy PM of Australia openly said that if Labour were elected to government it would be bad for Australia because they would encourage refugees to try and get to Australia hoping to be taken by New Zealand. They have an island fortress mentality Trump hasn’t even started to achieve.

And the thing about Australia – there isn’t the coverage that America has. Not even in our own country. It’s hard to find out what’s happening – visas for journalists to visit Nauru are prohibitively expensive – and … no one really cares. It’s so entrenched that it’s the status quo, and when I called my MP and senators to go, WTF guys? the response was like, “…oh yeah, thanks for your feelings, cool, bye”.

I honestly tune out a lot of the coverage because, at this point, I don’t know what to do. Both major parties support these policies, so I vote for the Greens. I contacted my representatives. I walked in protest marches. I donate to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and other charities.

So I guess, if I have advice for Americans, it’s to not let this become the status quo. Because you’ll wake up one day and it will have always been like this.

Holy shit, I knew it was bad here but I didn’t know it was that bad. Why don’t we hear about the depth of these things in Australia, how can they keep us so in the dark?

@stripedwoolenjumper

Part of the reason is because the government keeps passing legislation to silence whistleblowers and journalists (they currently have a bill to make possession of any information that might “damage Australia’s reputation” illegal), and the other part is that most of the media won’t or can’t report on it.

What you can do to help the Human Rights crisis in Australia:

If you are Australian:

Keep up to date and informed. The only major media outlets that routinely reports on this issue is The Guardian Australia. They are free online but consider donating if you can to keep it free access.

The Saturday Paper is another independent online news source that reports on this.

Follow or sign up to GetUp!. GetUp! is Australia’s largest progressive grassroots activist group and has lots of campaigns and information about this issue and many others, such as climate change, economic justice, and democratic and civil rights. Donate if you can, sign their peritions, follow their campaigns.

CONTACT YOUR MPs AND SENATORS. This is really important, especially if they are supporters of the policy. Keep public pressure on then, make them feel it. Letter templates are good, but personally written letters/emails are better. Call them if you can. And respond to them with your displeasure if they send you a cookie cutter response of their party’s policy on “stopping the boats”.

SHOW UP TO PROTESTS. Another really important one. Even if you just show up and march, your physical presence counts. They’re not as scary as it might seem.

DONATE. I really cannot stress this enough, if you can afford it, donate.

WHO SHOULD I DONATE TO?

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) provides financial and legal support, as well as counseling and community services, to refugees already in Australia.

Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) are a group of state-based advocacy groups that support refugees in Australia and advocate for those trapped in Australia’s offshore detention regime (link is for the Sydney group but contains links to other states).

GetUp! is one of the best to donate to for political action. They have options to donate to the organisation as a whole, or to specific campaigns.

If you are a member of the Australian Labor Party, please do what you can to bring up this issue and pressure the party leadership to change its policy.

If you are NOT Australian

Do what you can to contact your government and representatives to bring up this issue and pressure Australia to change their policy.

SPREAD THIS POST AND OTHERS LIKE IT. Australians do not have the numbers and influence on his site that Americans and British have. Please spread this information and resources so that other Australians might see it and feel like they have some power to change it or even know about it.

If you are a New Zealander: please continue to keep the pressure on your government to call out Australia and offer to take refugees.

#CloseTheCamps #BringThemHere

Important Warning Please Read and Share

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:54:27 -0400

featheredclaw:

youngnoblewoman:

ohsweetcrepes:

ifreakinglovemarshmallows:

simonalkenmayer:

kelincihutan:

arashi-of-ota:

dearnonacepeople:

So Scientology has recently been purchasing ad spots on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook. Scientology has always worked hard to recruit young people it seems like they’re investing in social media as well now. I know most people think Scientology is a joke but it’s a seriously dangerous cult which uses fear, extortion, violence, vandalism and various other unethical actions against those who oppose them both inside and outside the church. Here is key information on the abuses committed by Scientology:

•Scientology uses a form of pseudo-therapy called auditing which focuses largely on embarrassing and traumatic memories. Scientology collects the information you share and uses that information to threaten you if you oppose the church. They also charge huge amounts of money for auditing sessions (which is why they really are doing all this).

•They are extremely anti-psychology and psychiatry and pressure you against taking any antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication or any other drugs for mental health.

•They believe homosexuality can be “cured” and are blatantly homophobic. •Enemies of the church are labeled “suppressive persons” and it is forbidden to communicate with such people. This isn’t just to limit the negative press they receive but also is a manipulative tool. If you are in the cult and decide to leave or criticize the church you stand the risk of being completely cut off from your friends and family. “Suppressive Persons” are often also harassed, stalked, or threatened.

•If you’re new to Scientology and your family or friends are worried about you being in a cult you’re instructed to cut them out of your life, increasing your reliance on the support system (though there’s nothing supportive about it) the church give to you.

•Scientology’s doctrine includes the concept of “Fair Game”. This basically says that those who are judged a threat to the Church can be punished and harassed by any and all means possible.

•Because of this, they have no moral qualms about having their members lie in court which they use to defend themselves from lawsuits or charges that they’ve broken the law and also to help win lawsuits against their enemies. •They essentially spied on and stole information from the IRS and tried to frame the mayor of Clearwater Florida for a hit and run.

•Scientology filed 50 different lawsuits in one year against the Cult Awareness Network, an anti-cult organization. Using false testimony they won one of the suits and because the organization couldn’t pay the fine Scientology took the organizations name and logo so if you were calling to get out of Scientology you’d be unknowingly telling Scientology of your intentions. (For full transparency my mom was a member of the Cult Awareness Network before it was taken over and was sued individually by the Church of Scientology)

•Scientology has an official branch known as the Sea Org, a mixture between a paramilitary group and slavery, comprised of their most dedicated members including many children/teens who’ve been raised in Scientology. This is where some of the most rampant and terrifying abuse in Scientology occurs.

•Sea Org members often work over 100 hours a week for Scientology for around 2$ per hour.

•Sea Org member’s living conditions are terrible; they live in overcrowded communal rooms with up to 12 other people, are not given healthcare unless there is a free clinic in the area, often are forced to miss meals or sleep in order to successfully completed their work.

•Several former Sea Org members have accused the church of physical abuse. •Sea Org members may not have children and women who have become pregnant have reportedly been forced/coerced by their higher-ups to have abortions.

•Leaving Sea Org without permission automatically makes you a suppressive person, so young adults who’ve been raised in Scientology who want to leave are cut off from everyone they’ve ever known with no money or job and getting permission to leave can require 3 years of hard labor, social isolation, and group pressure.

thie above is 100% true. one of my friends has scientology and other cults as a special interest. there are hundreds of pages of documentation of their abuse that you can publicly read about.

it’s one of the scariest “religions” you’ll ever meet if not THE scariest because it was PURPOSELY created to make money. unlike most cults that do have some seed of genuine belief however twisted and off base the founders are, scientology was never a belief system - it was a get rich quick scheme for a terrible hack author who saw that there was more money to be made in manipulating people into a cult and then not letting them leave. higher and higher levels of scientology, which you have to take to be truly “clear” aka free of evil spirits, will cost you thousands and even millions of dollars. they will literally hook you into a billion year contract and then pursue you for any money you “owe” them, thousands of “back fees” for their religious training, if you try to leave.

oh and it has literally driven people to suicide as part of its goal to keep “suppressive persons” from spreading information. someone even made a fucking song about its abuses.

stay the fuck away from anything marked scientology or dianetics. narconon (NOT the same as narcotics anonymous, the 12 step program) is also their thing. never even step FOOT into one of their free dianetics “auditing sessions” because they will use it to manipulate you into joining. they are incredibly persistent and will use every trick in the book to get you on board.

scientology: not even once.

Off the top of my head, a non-exhaustive list of “Brand Names” used by Scientology:

Narconon

Dianetics

Associate of Better Living and Education (ABLE)

Criminon

Applied Scholastics

Delphi Schools

The Way to Happiness Foundation

Author Service Inc.

Bridge Publications Inc.

Golden Era Productions

New Era Publications

Citizens Commission on Human Rights

The National Commission on Law Enforcement and Social Justice

Do not join any of the organizations. Do not work with them. Do not use their materials. Do not give them your money. Do not sign any documents.

^^^^

I can add nothing to this post except to say that this is true. I’ve crossed paths with these people several times. It’s a fascinating and terrible psychological control.

Took notes on Scientology from a public speaker and regrettably this is very true, based on the research done afterwards. But I think the obvious tell is the fact that the speaker began by explaining for 20 minutes straight about how “Scientology is not evil. It’s not a cult. People are just wrong and stupid.” Anyway if you have to preface your speech with a multitude of reasons why people shouldn’t think your belief system is god awful, then you may have a problem.

I fucking heard a commerical for them on a fairly popular radio station and am absolute appalled

I’ve heard them, too, and they’ve set up their own TV channel as well.

Particular PSA for the Tumblr crowd as I know there’s a lot of creators on here: They’re also behind the “Writers of the Future” and “Illustrators of the Future” contests, which are run by “Author Services Inc” and “Galaxy Press” so beware of those if you’re looking to submit anything to contests

Fyi scientology is considered a cult in France since 1995 and as a “dangerous cult” since 2006

Those two contests I thought about entering for scholarship/college money; then my mom asked “isn’t that the guy who made scientology?” So I looked it up and *yes it is*

Needless to say I was disappointed, but grateful for my mom pointing it out. Hopefully this will help others out in case they’re considering too.

chromatocloo: angelbabyspice: fishwrites: g-r-i-m-a: g-r-i-m-...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:39:50 -0400

chromatocloo:

angelbabyspice:

fishwrites:

g-r-i-m-a:

g-r-i-m-a:

I discovered something useful today, taking breaks or exercising never helps me but THIS does, sharing to save a life

I just found out that some pro artists that work for companies like Dreamworks etc sometimes hold their pens this or similar way so it gotta work. Recently I spent 5 days on drawing for long periods of time (we talk about min 5 hours in one go to max 12 hours long crunch) and not once did my hand bother me.

For any artist friendos ???

oh wow i gotta try this

۶ʕ˶◉ᴥ◉˵ʔ٩

naamahdarling: blome3kissesbitch: blome3kissesbitch: squeakykins: rabbitinheadlights: I feel...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:39:39 -0400

naamahdarling:

blome3kissesbitch:

blome3kissesbitch:

squeakykins:

rabbitinheadlights:

I feel like the reason certain dog-lovers insist cats are evil is because they read their body language as if they were dogs. So here’s a very basic guide to common “mean” things cats do that actually aren’t mean at all if you know what they’re thinking.

Rolling and exposing belly- attacks you when touched
Does not mean: Give belly rubs! - haha I tricked you!
Actually means: I’m playful! If you reach for my belly I’ll grab your arm and bite it because I think we’re playfighting!
Lazily exposing belly - still attacks when touched
Does not mean: tricked you again!
Actually means: I’m showing you my belly because I trust you. Please don’t break that trust by invading my personal space. I might accept a belly rub if I’m not ticklish and I know you well.

Snapping at you while being pet
Does not mean: I suddenly decided I dislike you!
Actually means: You’re petting me in a way that gives me too much restless energy. Please focus on petting my head and shoulders instead of stroking the full length of my back next time.
Is in the same room but makes no attempt to interact
Does not mean: I’m ignoring you
Actually means: We’re hanging out! I’m being respectful by giving you space while still enjoying your company.

Slapping/scratching your hand when you try to pet them
Does not mean: I hate you!
Actually means: You’ve failed to establish that we’re not playing, or the way you’re approaching me scares me. Be calmer, speak more gently, make eye-contact and blink slowly at me before you try again.

I love this post omg, thank you so much. As a lifelong cat person, dogs perplex me because they’re so completely different behaviourally.

I love dogs too but, I’ve been trying to tell people, you canNOT treat cats like you treat dogs. They arent the same animals and have very different personalities

P.s.: people often pet cats way too hard. Dogs like a firm pet or a pat on the belly, cats dont have the same bone structure and are more flexible than dogs so what you’re doing probably hurts them

Sitting and staring
Does not mean: I am challenging you/plotting your demise/just generally evil and creepy.
Actually means: I am a desert-adapted species, so my natural tears are very thick and keep my eyes moist for a nice long time. I do find people interesting and enjoy watching them. I just don’t need to blink very often!

Staring and blinking slowly
Does not mean: I’m smug and think I am smarter than you.
Actually means: I like you! But I don’t need to get up in your face to show it. I can just sit over here and blow kisses at you to show you I am glad you are around!

It’s very frustrating for me when people expect cats to act like dogs, or act like they’re deceitful. They aren’t! They just AREN’T DOGS.

Today's gender is panicking about which name and pronouns to use to introduce yourself when you start college in september

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:31:21 -0400

lonicera-caprifolium: turbomun: gauntletspirit: polypaganpancakepearl: thefusspot: So it appears...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:28:32 -0400

lonicera-caprifolium:

turbomun:

gauntletspirit:

polypaganpancakepearl:

thefusspot:

So it appears that Autodesk did a thing.

Go nuts, my friends.

this is my favorite art program. it’s *much* more intuitive than photoshop/gimp or corel paintshop, but it still has the full functionality of a digital art program (layers, brush stabilizer, etc.). it’s not overwhelming to start on like practically every other decent art program I’ve tried, you can just pick a brush and start drawing as if it were paper if you want. plus you can download extra brushes for free! and they publish free art tutorials pretty regularly

ANYONE looking for a free art program: worth looking into.

YALL I LOVE THIS PROGRAM, especially the ipad version!! and i’m psyched that i don’t have to pay $30 a year for it anymore!!!

This is the program that I use, and it’s wonderful!
The set up is nice, not too cluttered so it works really well for my ADHD ((programs like photoshop or sai or krita’s toolbars are too busy, and very distracting/agitating to me)).
I highly recommend giving it a try, if you’re looking for something new. :D

tami-taylors-hair: sidleyparkhermit: tami-taylors-hair: She...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:26:16 -0400

tami-taylors-hair:

sidleyparkhermit:

tami-taylors-hair:

She says to DM her if you have info/speak any of these languages

UPDATE on this call: Fowler says the group she is in contact with has found enough translators, but she provides a long thread of other groups that may also need translators during this crisis.

FYI!

thanks @sidleyparkhermit!

chescaleigh: reverseracism: welcometonegrotown: It’s an...

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:25:42 -0400

chescaleigh:

reverseracism:

welcometonegrotown:

It’s an extremely popular opinion among middle and upper class white people.

Also, aside from this completely uneducated reasoning as to why minimum wage was created…

I can guarantee that there are tens of thousands of teenagers who have to pay bills and help support their families or are the only financial supporter to their family.

not to mention, if minimum wage was meant solely for high school students how would the business survive when students are in school?? are they only supposed to be open on the weekend? this “unpopular opinion” makes no sense.

i feel like this is important for black travelers who are driving long distances:

Sat, 23 Jun 2018 03:10:11 -0400

eshusplayground:

startorrent02:

grumpytrans:

sad-but-rad-universe:

muse-of-mbaku:

lowkeylioness:

joncat71:

chubbygirlindreamland:

jlbi245:

laylamajandra:

alwaysbewoke:

cajunnspicee:

whatsavagesays:

ashrae720:

marley-gang:

sneakershoptalk:

narcissismonhigh:

blackgirlshit:

furbytheminx:

furbytheminx:

ankh-niggas-anonymous:

but what are some sundown towns do y’all know of? like if someone were to do a cross-country trip, what are some towns they should absolutely not go through?

Small towns in south ga and noth fla

Ga: Jonesboro, tifton, Albany, valdosta, Macon

Fla: Gainesville, Perry, Madison, Marianna, Quincy, Jefferson county, hell I wouldn’t stop in Tallahassee either

Texas: Vidor, Orange, Deep Santa Fe

Texas: Jasper & Lumberton

I’m from Albany and recently the police beat up a young brother for no reason. They were attempting to say he had drugs but he of course had nothing.

If you go to Stone Mountain and find yourself on the trails close to night leave because they still have active Klan rallys up there

I was driving through north Florida during the day and I felt uncomfortable

The Negro Motorist Green Book was guide for black folk traveling in the 60s. It’s gives a breakdown of sundown towns. 50 years later, I’m sure it’s still relevant.

I feel like the Deep South is just a gamble.

Ohio…just in general

Central Florida, especially the little towns. If you must stop to pump gas, pay away the pump and get outta there asap

Once you get out of St. Louis county start being careful.

St. Genevieve, MO is definitely a no go for me if I’m traveling south.

If traveling in Louisiana stay away from small town with low speeding zones. If you are to go into those please drive the speed limit and don’t stop for gas. You will get a ticket for tint of your car. If your military I pay you drive the speed limit and don’t have a military tag. Get gas in the daylight.

I’m glad you’re looking out for your bros, at the same time it’s a pathetic look at the country in the 21st century.

Saving this and reblogging for myself and my tumblr fam stay safe love you guys (also check the notes for comments on more cities to avoid)

Ohio: Hartville, Sebring, Salem are all in NE Ohio. Had the worst experience of my life in Hartville.

Mississippi. Just. All of it. Especially if you’re LGBT and a POC.

Michigan (from what ive observed/been told): Novi, Troy (maybe?), Dearborn, Benton Harbor/St. Joe area (mostly racial profiling by police), small towns up north

TX: Bowie, Amarillo, Wichita Falls

FL: Gainesville (if you’re in the east part there’s more black people so guess what the patrol cars do? Not to mention the police there in general aren’t kind to black people anywhere so yeah) Ocala, parts of Tampa, the villages near Orlando

The whole of Pennsylvania, Indiana and WV.

Buffalo, NY.

There’s another Green Book for today: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/04/a-revival-of-the-green-book-for-black-travelers/557081/