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Latest Posts by rivermedici - Page 2
Just an extremely Normal thing to say
Reminder they want to increase the budget for ICE from 3.5 to 45 billion dollars.
Reminder the majority of that will be for building new detention centers.
Reminder ICE are *currently* detaining tourists who can pay for a plane ticket home and people with visa issues that were already resolved, because they have to make quota so Trump can brag about the numbers going up.
Reminder most of these people were already in the immigration system - that's why they were easy to detain.
Reminder this is all at taxpayer expense.
Reminder these are people.
Are we clear? #LanguageMatters
Democrats, repeat this every day. Please!
I wish age gap discourse hadn't spiraled the way it has because I want there to be a safe space to say "Men in their 40s who date 25 year olds aren't predators, they're just fucking losers"
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This post is my attempt to track what’s going on with US politics. This post is constantly being updated so if you see this on your dash, check my blog (this post will be pinned) to see the latest version. If there’s anything I miss that you think should be included on this list, please let me know.
January 2025
February 2025
March 2025
April 2025
National Politics:
Pam Bondi is seeking the death penalty for Luigi Mangione [x][x]
Workers at at least five federal agencies are being offered “deferred resignations” [x]
Trump administration admits that one person sent to El Salvador was a mistake [x]
Trump unveils 10% tariff on all imports, plus reciprocal tariffs on dozens of nations [x]
Trump fires three national security officials after meeting with far-right activist Laura Loomer [x]
Dr. Oz has been confirmed to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [x]
Trump has once again extended the sell-by date for TikTok [x]
Federal judge orders return of man Trump administration accidentally sent to notorious El Salvador jail [x]
Supreme Court overruled federal judge about man deported to El Salvador [x]
Supreme Court is allowing Trump administration to deport under the Alien Enemies Act [x]
RFK Jr will tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in water [x]
Supreme Court lets Trump move forward with firing thousands of federal workers [x]
Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives are debating a bill to stop Trump’s tariff policy [x]
IRS will share information about taxpayers with Homeland Security in order to go after undocumented people [x]
A federal judge has ruled that Mahmoud Khalil can be deported [x]
State Politics:
A judge ruled that Alabama can’t prosecute people who help with out-of-state abortions [x]
Resolution pending in Alaska Legislature urges more federal support for NOAA weather buoys [x]
Arizona joins lawsuit to stop Trump administration from rescinding $11.4B in health funding [x]
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) signs a slew of legislation on issues including health care, development, real estate, and crimes against children [x]
Results from the special elections in Wisconsin and Florida [x]
Arkansas state legislature advances a bill that would effectively eliminate CVS pharmacies in the state [x]
Connecticut lawmakers are trying to pass a bill to protect immigrants from deportation [x]
Florida senate passes a law to adopt “Gulf of America” on state maps [x]
There’s a new case of measles in Hawaii [x]
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) signs trade agreement with the UK [x]
There are 5 new cases of measles in Indiana [x]
Other News:
Columbia Expels And Pulls Degrees For Some Students Who Occupied Building During Pro-Palestinian Protests [x]
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) broke the record for longest filibuster in Senate history [x]
Hundreds of thousands of Americans protest the Trump administration across the country [x]
A teacher in Florida has been fired for using a student’s preferred name [x]
I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to say because, honestly, I’m exhausted. And I’m sure you’re exhausted too. We need to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. So, don’t disengage or check out, but do make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Also, if you’re going to protest, please keep your protests peaceful. Resorting to violence makes you as bad as them.
And remember: we are stronger together. They want us to feel isolated, but we’re not. Diversity is strength. Community is strength. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Mouse Armor by Jeff De Boer
i like working at plant store. sometimes you ring up someone and there's a slug on their plant and so you're like "Oh haha you've got a friend there let me get that for you" and you put the slug on your hand for safekeeping but then its really busy and you dont have time to take the slug outside before the next customer in line so you just have a slug chilling on your hand for 15 minutes. really makes you feel at peace with nature. also it means sometimes i get to say my favorite line which is "would you like this free slug with your purchase"
fuck hussle culture, the toad to success is to sleep well, eat well and have fun
I'd just like to clarify some things about Senator Cory Booker's marathon Senate speech in protest of the present administration and everything they are doing to the American people.
Senator Booker was NOT allowed to sit down, eat, or use the bathroom during his speech. Sitting or leaving the room to use the bathroom would be considered yielding the floor. Eating would have interfered with his speaking and the person who has the senate floor must continue to speak, except when listening to questions that they will then answer.
He only took occasional sips of water.
The person who previously held the record for longest speech on the Senate floor did have bathroom breaks and also did things like read from the encyclopedia.
Senator Booker did not do that. His speech was to point out the damage that this administration is doing and he stayed on that subject.
Senator Booker's speech did reach many people. It wasn't a silly stunt that was done so that he could take the record for longest speech. He wanted to show the country that democrats will do something to bring attention to the problems we are facing. That democrats are listening to them.
Senator Cory Booker spoke for 25 hours and 4 minutes to "make good trouble."
Hi Bitches! I have a fun food story I think you'll like.
So I recently discovered there's a produce rescue in my state that purchases unsold wholesale produce at the border to prevent it from being tossed in the landfill. They then sell it off at hella cheap prices. You don't get to pick what's in your box, but, uh. It's 70 pounds of produce for $15, you get what you get and if you're like me you will figure out what to do with it rather than let it go to waste.
Anyway, my last box included an absolutely insane number of Persian cucumbers. So I decided I'd try something I've wanted to try for years, because if I wrecked one or two in the process it wasn't as big a disaster as if I'd tried it with expensive store bought ones, and...
I can make my own glatt kosher dill pickles now, and holy crap, Vlasic can eat its heart out. Mine are crunchier, more flavorful, better-cut and kept perfectly good food from being thrown away, doing them with my produce box meant they were about 1/8 the price, and also pickling is very easy but people think you're amazing and fancy if you pickle your own stuff.
Also if anyone is in Arizona and wants in on this action, it's called Borderlands P.O.W.W.O.W. (Produce On Wheels WithOut Waste) and you can find them here. Here's what my last box looked like:
I should note that's what's left after I split the box half and half with a friend.
HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHITBALLS THIS IS AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing this extremely frugal win AND telling the rest of us how to get in on it. With grocery prices the way they are, this is sure to keep a lot of people from going hungry or missing out on necessary nutrition. I encourage everyone outside of Arizona to look for similar programs in your state! (Though I suspect it's mostly only applicable to border states.)
Also, drop that super crunchy pickle recipe, baby.
Here's more advice:
How to Shop for Groceries like a Boss
You Should Learn To Cook. Here's Why.
Did we just help you out? Say thanks by joining our Patreon!
hi, a lot of you need a perspective reset
the average human lifespan globally is 70+ years
taking the threshold of adulthood as 18, you are likely to spend at least 52 years as a fully grown adult
at the age of 30 you have lived less than one quarter of your adult life (12/52 years)
'middle age' is typically considered to be between 45-65
it is extremely common to switch careers, start new relationships, emigrate, go to college for the first or second time, or make other life-changing decisions in middle age
it's wild that I even have to spell it out, but older adults (60+) still have social lives and hobbies and interests.
you can still date when you get old. you can still fuck. you can still learn new skills, be fashionable, be competitive. you can still gossip, you can still travel, you can still read. you can still transition. you can still come out.
young doesn't mean peaked. you're inexperienced in your 20s! you're still learning and practicing! you're developing social skills and muscle memory that will last decades!
there are a million things to do in the world, and they don't vanish overnight because an imaginary number gets too big
March 27, 2025, 12:15 PM EDT
By Ja'han Jones
As Florida officials enable Trump’s mass deportation policies, lawmakers in the state are looking to children to take on some of the jobs that have typically been done by immigrants.
Making its way through the state Senate is a new law, Senate Bill 918, that aims to loosen child labor laws and allow teenagers to work overnight shifts.
" Magic works through the practitioner, not around him. This means that anything I call forth tends to pass through me on its way out into the world. Sending a curse, in my experience, is a little like spitting poison from your own mouth. It can be rinsed out... but it changes your spirit ever so slightly."
- Roger J. Horne's Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore, Land, & the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner.
if USPS has a million fans, I'm one of them
if USPS has 5 fans, I'm one of them
if USPS has 1 fan, that is me
if USPS has no fans, I'm no longer alive
if the world is against USPS I'm against the entire world
till my last breath I support USPS
I joke but actually USPS is the literal lifeline for so many housebound disabled people who receive lifesaving medications through it- especially housebound people in rural areas. so many private shipping companies do not serve rural areas. try getting anyone else to drive hours into the middle of nowhere to deliver. try it. not all disabled people live in urban areas. USPS saves disabled lives ‼️ without USPS many housebound disabled people will die.
USPS is a disability rights issue
You know what I think is really cool about language (English in this case)? It’s the way you can express “I don’t know” without opening your mouth. All you have to do is hum a low note, a high note, then another lower note. The same goes for yes and no. Does anyone know what this is called?
Acknowledging that “critical thinking” means “thinking about things in a thorough way from different perspectives” and not “finding every flaw in a thing and fixating on it until all the joy is gone” is so liberating.
It’s supposed to be about intellectual curiosity, not about finding ways to devalue things that aren’t perfect or that we personally dislike.
It’s not lost on me that Bernie Sanders is the only mainstream politician touring the country rn listening to Americans’ concerns, giving them hope that a better world is still possible. Not campaigning for President, not an election year, just inspiring swing town voters to use their power to incite change in their communities.
Bernie is 83yo, doing the work that every single Democrat could be doing simply in their own district. He’s packing overflow rooms by the thousands in suburban and rural towns, not “democratic strongholds”. It is possible to get through the next four years but the status quo Dems aren’t going to make that happen.
Imagine what a true progressive party could do for the US. Leftist policy is popular and wins elections. Bernie and others have told us this for decades. If you tuned out his message before, I have to wonder what side you’re truly on. Because his shtick has not wavered with everyday Americans.
Not me, us.
10 weeks of poster illustrations for my weekly challenge this year. honestly 2025 is shaping up to be the most I've ever drawn consistently in my life
Okay, so I try hard to cover global queer history, and this isn't marking a stop to that, but I am aware that most of my audience is American, and I want to address them very directly right now.
Google Removed Pride Month From Its Calendar App, and Stonewall National Monument's "LGBTQ" status was changed to "LGB" on the government website. This is the beginning of the erasure of queer history, not the end. I don't know what the future of the United States looks like, as someone who studies queer history and has done so for many years, I want to share some tools with you.
Now is a good time to prioritize local queer history, Making Gay History is a great project, so is the Digital Transgender Archive, but also check your city and see what resources there are.
Read and buy books about queer history. I have an affiliate list with some of the books I personally recommend.
If you use Google Calendar, repopulate that resource with so much queer history with a free queer history calendar plug-in, it has names from queer history that you can also learn more about for free when they come up. As the author of these articles, feel free to save them, print them off, whatever makes them freely accessible as suppression get's worse.
Use your local library. Email the board about book bans, request banned books, request queer books, and make your voice heard.
Make queer art. Share queer art. Protect queer art. Here is some public-domain queer art to use as you wish.
Keep up with queer news, THEM is a great resource.
All of these tools are currently freely accessible with an internet connection. Queer history is a community responsibility, do your part.
Resisting tyranny takes a lot of forms.
I have been thinking a lot about what a cancer diagnosis used to mean. How in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when someone was diagnosed, my parents would gently prepare me for their death. That chemo and radiation and surgery just bought time, and over the age of fifty people would sometimes just. Skip it. For cost reasons, and for quality of life reasons. My grandmother was diagnosed in her early seventies and went directly into hospice for just under a year — palliative care only. And often, after diagnosis people and their families would go away — they’d cash out retirement or sell the house and go live on a beach for six months. Or they’d pay a charlatan all their savings to buy hope. People would get diagnosed, get very sick, leave, and then we’d hear that they died.
And then, at some point, the people who left started coming back.
It was the children first. The March of Dimes and Saint Jude set up programs and my town would do spaghetti fundraisers and raffles and meal trains to support the family and send the child and one parent to a hospital in the city — and the children came home. Their hair grew back. They went back to school. We were all trained to think of them as the angelic lost and they were turning into asshole teens right in front of our eyes. What a miracle, what a gift, how lucky we are that the odds for several children are in our favor!
Adults started leaving for a specific program to treat their specific cancer at a specific hospital or a specific research group. They’d stay in that city for 6-12 months and then they’d come home. We fully expected that they were still dying — or they’d gotten one of the good cancers. What a gift this year is for them, we’d think. How lucky they are to be strong enough to ski and swim and run. And then they didn’t stop — two decades later they haven’t stopped. Not all of them, but most of them.
We bought those extra hours and months and years. We paid for time with our taxes. Scientists found ways for treatment to be less terrible, less poisonous, and a thousand times more effective.
And now, when a friend was diagnosed, the five year survival odds were 95%. My friend is alive, nearly five years later. Those kids who miraculously survived are alive. The adults who beat the odds are still alive. I grew up in a place small enough that you can see the losses. And now, the hospital in my tiny hometown can effectively treat many cancers. Most people don’t have to go away for treatment. They said we could never cure cancer, as it were, but we can cure a lot of cancers. We can diagnose a lot of cancers early enough to treat them with minor interventions. We can prevent a lot of cancers.
We could keep doing that. We could continue to fund research into other heartbreaks — into Long Covid and MCAS and psych meds with fewer side effects and dementia treatments. We could buy months and years, alleviate the suffering of our neighbors. That is what funding health research buys: time and ease.
Anyway, I’m preaching to the choir here. But it is a quiet miracle what’s happened in my lifetime.
Not "humans are inherently good" or "humans are inherently evil" but a secret third thing (humans are inherently social animals which means that we're very good at cooperating and being compassionate towards those we perceive as being part of our community but we're also very good at being tribal and violent towards those we perceive as threats to our community and everyone defines their community differently)
Still feels weird that the same band made "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" and "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)"
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I have a hard time giving any amount to someone telling me witchcraft is dangerous for xyz reasons that usually are a requirement for a behavior they wish to see.
Let's be clear.
My witchcraft is not your witchcraft, we are not related to each other, you have no power dynamic over me, we do not do the same things.
And you do not speak for me. You do not know me. You do not know my practice. You can't know my practice, you can't even replicate my practice because it's closed.
And this whole thing becomes a slippery slope for what real witches do / practice discussion and that's not a slope you want to be on, because I will straight up just kick you down the slope right into the Block oubliette.
I'm not having it.
I don't have discussions about "what a witch does" if the word real is ever put it in because that's engaging in a discussion with an unreasonable person whose whole purpose is not to discuss but to tell. And again, you have no power to tell me anything.