TBC Since Tumblr’s Posting Methods Changed

Saw this shared on FB. It covers counter-arguments for a lot of the most common pro-gun points you’ll see people raise. Long read, but very helpful.

Confession: I used to belong to trump culture.

Not entirely willingly, mind. I was young, religious, and I made the naïve mistake in thinking that all Christians were like the ones I had encountered at my home church: warm, tolerant, kind. I fell in love, and we did what young, hormonal Christian teenagers did: rushed into a marriage.

I realized my mistake almost immediately, but it took far too long to get out.

Personally, I endured abuse at the hands of my new husband—mental, physical, sexual, economic, emotional. You name it, he did it. Brutal is an understatement. He systematically broke me down until I was a shell of a human being. I’m still dealing with the emotional fallout and physical side effects, and I probably will be for another decade at least.

That’s personally, but let’s talk his family. Because he was an extreme case, yes, but he was raised with the idea that women existed to keep their mouths shut and their legs open. I spit out two children faster than I could whip my head, because birth control wasn’t part of god’s grand plan for my life. I was fulfilling my purpose as a mother, and wasn’t that great? My husband didn’t want the first baby. He wanted me for himself, see? Abortion was unthinkable, but he fully expected to carry a baby—my baby—to term, then give it away.

Keeping him was my first rebellion. Keeping the next one was my second.

In the time I belonged to that family, I watched my mother-in-law endure the same, though less extreme mistreatment. I watched every young female family member be groped by the family patriarch. “That’s just how it is.” I was shamed for making a fuss about it. I watched an older cousin try to sexually assault my teenage sister-in-law and she was the one who felt ashamed. We women made family dinners while the men sat on their asses. My husband and I lived with his parents for a short time. She and I would go to work each morning—an hour each way—with our husbands sitting in their robes in the living room, playing video games. When we returned hours later, weary, exhausted, they hadn’t moved. The standard greeting? “What’s for dinner.”

That’s his family, and yes, some families are sexist, but let’s talk about church. That’s where all of this is validated, encouraged, taught. Imagine my shock, when I went to my new husbands’ family church and encountered muted xenophobia and racism, a heavy dose of homophobia, and some damned overt sexism (see above.)

Equal roles, but different. Sound familiar? This is still being taught to little girls today.

In church, I listened with quiet disgust as pastors preached about how awful my sister—one of the gays—was. I piped up and asked how that sexual sin was any different than the two young church kids who’d just been caught “in a bad way”, soon to expect their first baby. Sexual sin is sexual sin, isn’t it? I sure did get an earful for that one. We did church boycotts: Disney, Target. Every Sunday School class: Job, cookies, and lets pray God saves the moos-lims before they all come over and blow us up. We revered people with white savior complexes who went to be jesus’s hands and feet and save the poor, helpless Africans.

Hate and ignorance, wrapped up in the holy Scripture. Hallelujah.

Meanwhile, I endured this abuse. This abuse, and every door slammed in my face as my husband hit me, tortured me. “Stay true to your vows,” the pastor would say. “You have communication issues,” our sister-in-law would tell us. My mother-in-law: “Linds, you just have to accept it. Love is a choice.”

“But what about the part where it says that husbands are to love their wives like Christ loves the church?” I asked.

My brother in law, joking: “This is why women aren’t supposed to speak in church.”

This America is alive and kicking, kids. It’s never gone away; it’s just been lurking, behind closed doors. “Pass the casual racism and meat loaf, would you? And get me a glass of water while you’re up. Ketchup, too.” What I’m scared about, truly, is that I know this. And these ideas are now validated. Now mainstream. Almost 50% of our population believes this is a good idea.

“It’s our time to take America back.”

What in the hell, if they’ve been saying these things behind closed doors, and if they believe them In The Name Of God—what in the hell are they going to say in the open, now? What in the hell are they going to do?

The 50s are revered as the aspirational yester-year, days gone by. Progress, as we call it, is godlessness to them. We, the godless libs, took Jesus out of schools. We’ve gone wrong ever since.

This is the America people want back, and that’s my first fear.

The second is this:

I got out. And I’m terrified that this, my success story, won’t happen anymore.

I’m the rare statistic. I un-brainwashed and educated myself. I got counseling (against every Christian advice) to treat severe post-partum depression. In the process of becoming a healthier person, I realized what a goddamn mess I was.

It took three tries and a pastor-pseudo-therapist legitimately telling me, “You know if he hits you again, Linds, I’m going to have to tell you to leave.” 

All regretful, like it was bad news.

“Why should I stick around and wait for it to happen again?” I asked.

He didn’t have an answer. I left the next week.

It took a few boldfaced lies (it’s temporary, it’s just a separation), and a few miracles, and a large support system of family and friends who all but plucked me out of that hell.

For leaving? My price was excommunication. From his family, our friends, our church. I am the heathen who Divorced my Husband and broke our home. In that entire city, only three people talk to me now.

(No loss, but it took a long time to recognize that.)

I never, ever would have made it on my own. I had two small children, a new job that barely paid a living wage, and I was, as I’ve said, a shell of a human being. I left him and went straight to the human services office. Without subsidized childcare, healthcare, and food supplements, we would have starved or been homeless. It never would have been possible.

These are the services that will probably be cut first.

How will anyone in my situation ever be able to leave? They won’t. Not to mention federal funding for shelters, crisis counseling for families, healthcare for abused women, and legal services for domestic violence victims. Throw in a court system that doesn’t value women, and a cultural mentality that believes what happens behind closed doors should stay behind closed doors… What hope do abused, trapped women have? None in hell.

If this is what makes America great again, I want out. I’ve been there, done that, and I’m never, ever doing it again.

You’ll take it back over my cold, lifeless body.

Reblog this sigil to attract love into your life

These are the Monday Money & Abundance Crystals. They have been charged with the healing frequencies of Solfeggio Arpeggio at 432 Hz. 

Seeing this image will bring money to you, all your needs will be fulfilled, and you will be surrounded by love. Know that you are loved, and everything will fall in place. Like and/or reblog to charge them. Like and/or reblogging on a Monday adds extra magick to them. Smile & blow a kiss to add even more!

Emoji Spell to strengthen a relationship (romantic or otherwise)

~💓✨🌸❤️🌸✨💓~

Likes charge, reblogs cast

Emoji spell for calmness of mind

🌕🌱☕️☁️🧠☁️☕️🌱🌕

Like to charge

Reblog to cast

Emoji spell for money to make its way into your pockets 😉😉

💲💚🕯💵💰💵🕯💚💲

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Signs In a Shady Fight And How To Face Them

(A shady fight is a tense conversation full of shady remarks, personal attacks and it usually goes off the top pretty fast)

Fire Signs: Go full on fight mode, sick of it. To stop them, expose all their bad traits and be sure you have people to rely on (possibly not Pisceans, they wouldn’t win over a Leo easily for example) so that they feel like they better stop. Also facts can help a lot.

Water Signs: Damn good at throwing the best temper tantrums, they can make you look guilty even when you’re not. Do not answer back because it’s something they’re really good at doing, just show them facts and tell them to grow up and stop being pathetic.

Air Signs: Will avoid conflict and just tell you to get lost, just let them know you’re getting pretty done with their shit and that if they want to win this argument they better come up with stuff and stop saying nonsense. If they do, act like an Earth sign and be the adult.

Earth Signs: They tend to act snarky, mean and superior to intimidate you and feel bigger than they are. Just hit a weak spot and act like you’re having the best fun ever. They’ll slowly stop trying to hit you with facts and internally will feel confused.

And this is HOW you do it.

People helping people. That’s all this world should be about cuz all we got is each other. Love seeing this kindness from big companies. Needs to happen more often in corporate America. 

🔮🌙✨⚔🌸🍼🐑🌸⚔✨🌙🔮

⭐️An emoji spell to help bring you sweet dreams and keep you safe while you sleep…⭐️

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