Earlier today, I took a long walk on the Hill because it's gorgeous outside. I was passing by the Supreme Court, and at the intersection was this gentleman screaming into a mic and speaker about abortion. No one was around. (short thread)
He wore a floppy hat and sunglasses and had a cardboard sign propped up against the speaker. He shouts "God doesn't love abortionists!" I pass him and mind my own business. He looks at me--because again, no one is around--and shouts: "God doesn't love abortionists, right?!"
I glanced at him, shrugged my shoulders, and simply said "God loves me" and crossed the street. He was silent for a good five seconds. Seems that he didn't know how to respond. I have no idea if he perceived me as trans or what, but the man clearly didn't know how what to say.
But as I reached the other side of the street, he shouts into his mic: "God... God doesn't love you!" I didn't turn around, but I did say out loud: "Nope, God loves me! She said so." And this pisses him off, and he starts shouting and I put my headphones in and keep walking.
I can vaguely hear him shouting at me still but have no idea what he's saying. But then, I turn left on Constitution and I get about 50 yards down, and this car pulls up beside me. A gentleman is inside, rolls down his window, and asks, "Excuse me, was he talking to you?"
I say: "Yeah, I think he was."
And the gentleman says: "Ignore him. God loves you, and you are perfectly made. Ignore him." And he drives off.
It was a very sweet moment, that this stranger took time out of his day to make sure I felt affirmed.
Anyway, that made my day. /end
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I've lived in D.C. for the better part of two decades. Nearly my whole adult life. Something folks aren't talking about--a giant elephant in the room--is the amount of "brand protection" going on right now.
(thread)
I don't mean fear of Trump or political persecution, although those can overlap.
When I say "brand protection," I mean the things someone in the political arena does to preserve their career longterm. It's not even necessarily "reputation protection," which is a somewhat different vibe.
"Why should I care about U.S. Space Command being transferred to Alabama? I hate the military-industrial complex."
There are a number of reasons you should care, but you really only need one.
(thread)
An ICBM launched from Russia can reach the U.S. in 27 minutes. An ICBM launched from North Korea takes about 30 minutes; some estimates have it as low as 24 min. That doesn't mean we all get a text alert on our phones saying an ICBM is gonna hit in a half hour.
In reality, most of us wouldn't get much of a heads up at all. Because the ICBM needs to be properly identified and confirmed and reconfirmed. Then it has to be imperfectly tracked. Then agencies have to be notified. Then the press. Then the rest of us.
This is being somewhat misreported, and I think it's important to correctly frame it, so that folks don't sound clownish when they're advocating for the retirement benefits of trans service members.
The Air Force is denying *early retirement* to trans service members who have served 15-18 years and are being forced out.
As most folks know, Active Duty members of the military are eligible for retirement at 20 years. This is a separate thing from medical retirement, by the way.
Yet again, we're in one of those moments when a college offers an interesting elective course, and clowns online get all huffy about it and whine that college education has become trivial and ask what job a student will get with this course.
The typical undergraduate education, a bachelor's degree, is 120 credit hours over four years. Just about every degree program at every college or university in the country leaves at least 9-12 of those credits open as free slots for other subjects a student wants to explore.
That usually works out to at least 3-4 courses over the entire four years. Some degree programs have more. Some students will opt to use those elective slots toward a double major. Some will use them toward a joint degree program (bachelors and masters) over four or five years.
The criticism over Zelenskyy not wearing a suit is not only foolish but more importantly: completely fails to understand why he doesn't. Of course the man own suits. That's not the point.
His clothes are intentional symbolism. A country and its leader under immediate and existential threats from a tyrannical force have no time for suits and neckties.
Notice, too, that he's not wearing a formal uniform.
He has no visible rank or medals or nametapes. He has no commander’s cap or mirror-shined shoes. He has no epaulets or brass buttons or starched creases. He isn’t even wearing patches.