[blackqueerblog]

[papasmoke]

Biden approves plan to redeploy US troops to Somalia

President Joe Biden has approved a request by the Pentagon to redeploy US troops to Somalia in an effort to counter the terrorist group al-S

[entitledrichpeople]

Michael Shellenberger’s narrative of California homelessness is seductive. It’s also dangerous

It’s easy to dismiss Shellenberger as a long-shot candidate who entered the race to...

To afford a two-bedroom apartment in California, a household must earn $6,766 per month, or $81,191 annually, according to a study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Someone making California’s minimum wage would have to work 112 hours per week to afford rent. According to Shellenberger, however, this stark inequality has little to do with more people living in cars and in tents on the street.

Unlike his wishy-washy opponents beset by awful human emotions like empathy and compassion, Shellenberger is “obsessed with stoicism.” And his glib analysis of addiction and homelessness lead him to cruel and harsh solutions. California’s 160,000 homeless people inevitably arrive through a series of bad life choices. And they need a hefty spoonful of tough love, tough policing and personal responsibility.

As governor, Shellenberger would create an agency he calls “Cal-Psych,” a bizarre Big Brother-style structure of mass institutionalization run by the state whose mission would be to round up the unhoused and coerce them into a system of shelters and “treatment.”

And people who don’t want to enter his benevolent Cal-Psych program? They can go straight to jail.

The refusal of abled people to accurately view involuntary institutionalization as imprisonment, imprisonment with indefinite potentially lifelong sentences without a right to a trial and with fewer legal protections against state abuse than those in conventional prisons (you can be used as an unwilling guinea pig, for example, they can literally hold you down and forcibly inject experimental drugs into you and that’s not even illegal in the US), and failure to support disabled people in our fight against institutionalization and against denial of basic human rights is how things like this end up existing. 

The prison system and the involuntary institutionalization system are two parts of the same system of violence, punishment for being poor, racism, etc.

Setting up a system where people can be locked up forever without the right to a trial or an attorney is pretty fucking obviously creating an incentive for groups in power to use it to remove the oppressed from society and deny basic human rights.  I live in a state where a person who is involuntarily institutionalized permanently loses their right to vote unless they get an individual court order that requires a hearing to get.  Yeah, no way those rules could be easy to expand to abuse abled people too.

Even this article focuses on defending addicts, not opposing involuntary institutionalization of disabled people.

[zvaigzdelasas]

The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia

Renditions, an underground prison and a new CIA base are elements of an intensifying US war in Somalia.

As part of its expanding counterterrorism program in Somalia, the CIA also uses a secret prison buried in the basement of Somalia’s National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters, where prisoners suspected of being Shabab members or of having links to the group are held. Some of the prisoners have been snatched off the streets of Kenya and rendered by plane to Mogadishu. While the underground prison is officially run by the Somali NSA, US intelligence personnel pay the salaries of intelligence agents and also directly interrogate prisoners. The existence of both facilities and the CIA role was uncovered by The Nation during an extensive on-the-ground investigation in Mogadishu. [...]

The CIA presence in Mogadishu is part of Washington’s intensifying counterterrorism focus on Somalia, which includes targeted strikes by US Special Operations forces, drone attacks and expanded surveillance operations. The US agents “are here full time,” a senior Somali intelligence official told me. [...]

According to well-connected Somali sources, the CIA is reluctant to deal directly with Somali political leaders, who are regarded by US officials as corrupt and untrustworthy. Instead, the United States has Somali intelligence agents on its payroll. Somali sources with knowledge of the program described the agents as lining up to receive $200 monthly cash payments from Americans. “They support us in a big way financially,” says the senior Somali intelligence official. “They are the largest [funder] by far.”

2016

[plum-soup]

Every time I see something about Obama Admin stuff in Somalia I just remember how the US government backed a bunch of enthnonationalist former dictators in their bloody attempt at re-conquering Ethiopia and how those same dictators were essential in maintaining US influence and dominance in Somalia during this period and how the entire africa section of the US state department is currently stacked with people who think that Meles Zenawi was like, an okay non-evil dude because he helped them out in Somalia

[zvaigzdelasas]

Somalia and the United States: A Long and Troubled History

Guest Column - The arrival of the film "Blackhawk Down" in cinemas in the United States and around the world reminded Americans th

The essence of Siad Barre's foreign policy was Somali nationalism and irredentism, with a focus on uniting all Somali people under one flag. This policy constituted a major threat to Ethiopia's Ogaden region, where the vast majority of the inhabitants are Somalis. [...]

With a key communications' base in Asmara, the United States countered the Somali arms buildup with a major military assistance program to the Ethiopian regime of Emperor Haile Selassie. Armed clashes between Somalia and Ethiopia took place on a regular basis, mainly in the Ogaden region [...]

In 1975, U.S. policy toward Somalia took an ironic 180-degree turn, when a military coup in Ethiopia overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie in favor of a Marxist pro-Soviet group known as the DERGUE, under the leadership of Mengistu Haile Merriam. [...]

As U.S.-Ethiopian relations cooled in the aftermath of the 1975 Mengistu coup, U.S.-Somali relations warmed. The United State increased military and economic assistance to Somalia, and the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu became one of the biggest American diplomatic missions in Africa. However, the U.S. faced a dilemma in its relations with Somalia because Washington did not want to be responsible for supporting Somali aggression against the Ethiopian Ogaden. Thus, Washington had to walk a fine line between the supply of defensive weapons to the Somali army, while parrying Siad Barre's constant demand for offensive weapons with which to attack Ethiopia. [...]

Siad Barre attacked Ethiopia in the aftermath of the 1975 Mengistu takeover, hoping to take advantage of the disarray in the Ethiopian military. In order to counter Somalia's initial military successes in the Ogaden in 1977, Ethiopia called for assistance from the Soviet Union, who financed the arrival of 5,000 Cuban troops. The Cubans helped defeat the invading Somali army. [...]

Human rights groups in the U.S. and elsewhere criticized the American policy of providing military support to the Siad Barre regime. There were efforts in Congress to cut off military assistance to Somalia. These succeeded in 1989, so Washington had to maintain relations with Siad Barre solely through the supply of humanitarian and economic assistance.

[albertserra]

Text - H.R.7311 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act

Text for H.R.7311 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act

https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022134

[zvaigzdelasas]

Vietnamese delegation’s loose lips caught on video during US-ASEAN summit

The video shows high-ranking officials using crude language and boasting about putting Biden in ‘checkmate’

RFA is US state media

The Vietnamese officials met with Blinken on Friday as part of the two-day U.S.- summit with the 10-member Association for Southeast Asian Nations. [...]

According to a series of tweets about the incident by Southeast Asia analyst Nguyen Phuong Linh, the [leaked] video shows the Vietnamese delegation laughing that U.S. President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Chinh that he could “not trust Russia.” Chinh also describes the meeting with Biden as “straightforward and fair and that Vietnam isn’t afraid of anyone,” after which the Vietnamese ambassador to the U.S., Nguyen Quoc Dzung, said they “put [Biden] into checkmate." [...]

The Vietnamese officials also refer to a number of U.S. officials without using honorific terms that, in the Vietnamese language, should be used in formal situations.

Lmao & also lol (16 May 22)

[sandersstudies]

If you add a bunch of extra shit and symbols or your own comments or unreadable fonts to YouTube video captions I’m mad at you right now specifically. 

[sandersstudies]

“Caption editor’s note” NO

Stop it with your dumb “keikaku means plan” bullshit and just write what is said, that’s it

[sandersstudies]

“Goat, standing on top of a barn, in response to the little girl: *screams*”

“*floodgates of his laughter finally open, laughing continues*”

JUST WRITE GOAT. JUST WRITE LAUGHS. This isn’t fuckin descriptive audio, it’s captions! Don’t write things that are visible! It’s not an essay with a 500 word minimum, it’s an accessibility tool! Don’t be a shit!

[sandersstudies]

“I wRiTe LiKe ThIs To ExPrEsS a FuNnY vOiCe!”

NO. DON’T. It’s hard to fucking read! Say *distorted* or *sarcastic* if it’s actually significant to know! Don’t make shit harder than it is!

[sandersstudies]

“(i agree uwu)”

Go to the FUCKING comments section if you have shit to say! It’s confusing to put it in the captions! You’re not fucking cute!

[sandersstudies]

Bringing this back because apparently y’all didn’t pay attention the first time! Captions are an accessibility tool for those who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing, non-native speakers, or have audio processing problems, they are NOT a place for you to dick around and add commentary. It is not funny or cute; it makes it more difficult to understand what’s going on. Quite seriously fuck you if you know you’re doing this and continue to do it.

[opencharacters]

YES PLEASE

LIKE TO CHARGE, REBLOG TO CAST

[images-that-are-only-cursed]

[patriciavetinari]

That’s not a cursed image

[karnalesbian]

Chess v2.001 Patch Notes

- Fuck pawns knights bishops and kings

- Rooks go hog wild

rooks be like

[charlesoberonn]

Bishops trying to catch up

[thickness-protection-program]

Knights just here to have a good time

[socialistexan]

Could y'all imagine the screaming headlines on Fox News if a trans teacher gave out instructional DVDs and candy to cis kids to try to convince them they aren't their gender?

Good lord what the absolute fuck.

[socialistexan]

Update 5/13:

It looks like this teacher resigned from his position before the school district could discipline him:

Hillesland Resigns from Watertown HS After Telling Transgender Kids to Find Biology and Jesus

Speaking of clearing out knuckleheads, transgender-denying and proselytizing German teacher Calvin Hillesland has resigned from Watertown Hi

[twofingerswhiskey]

reblog if you hate the current interior design trend of painting everything white with hints of grey or black. ignore if you have no taste

[angelsaxis]

[joanspoliticalposts]

[Image description: a series of tweets. The first is from Victoria Holmes, @spyturtle96, timestamped 3:06 PM, 04 May 22, with text as follows:

"Adoptees have been saying non-stop for months if not years they're getting ready for another baby scoop era and no one listened to us. And now "domestic supply of infants" is in a draft and people still won't listen to us."

It is tagged "#adopteevoices".

The next two are from Kim Penn, @kim_penn The first is timestamped 10:08 PM, 02 May 22 and contains the following text:

"I'm a very small Twitter voice, but I am begging my non-adoptee followers to educate yourself about what adoption is, what it does, and how evil and corrupt the adoption industry was and is. Listen to #adopteevoices. And then get your asses in the fight with us to end the system."

The second is timestamped 9:58 AM, 03 May 22, and contains the following text:

"I promise you, adoption is absolutely NOT the win/win, fucking fairy tale, happy ending you've been led to believe. For every #adoptee, our story begins with loss. That's our baseline. Any "happy ending" without acknowledging that is empty and an illusion."

It is tagged "#adopteevoices".

The final three are a Twitter thread from Laney (followed by three Chinese characters), @Lane_Xue, timestamped 8:55 PM, 03 May 22. The first contains text as follows:

"My parents faced reproductive, economic, social, & political injustice. I was relinquished because they could not keep me & I'm an adoptee. I am not a fucking (chess pawn emoji). Do not use my family separation to justify your desire to control others reproductive health care."

The second contains text as follows:

"Abortion is a reproductive decision.

Adoption is a parenting decision often made by poor, young, economically disenfranchised people not given the resources or support to raise their children.

Do not conflate the 2 to justify feeding the adoption industries demand for (baby's face emoji)."

The third contains text as follows:

"Do not fucking ask adoptees if they'd rather have been aborted. Adoptees are already 4x more likely to attempt suicide than non-adopted people.

The reason someone needs an abortion is none of your business."

All three are tagged "#adopteevoices".

After the final tweet there is a link to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov with the beginning of a title, "Risk of Suicide Attemptin Adopted and Nonadpoted Off…"

End ID]

[apas-95]

Saying the quiet part out loud. The west is demanding blood - the deaths of millions of Chinese people - in order to sustain Apple’s stock price a little longer.

[featheredcritter]

[criptochecca]

Several south and central americans countries threaten to boycott the Summit of the Americas because of the US not inviting Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Im starting to see the end of the american empire at the end of the tunnel 🙌

[criptochecca]

i think it would be hilarious if it happened again

[guerrillatech]

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

[demonius-darkblade]

The supreme court is on the path to remove every right that was established in the last 40-50 years and twitter dems want to focus on defending disney's exclusive rights to cartoon characters another century to own maga