Mach 329

[Veterans For Responsible Leadership @VetsForRL]

Message from VFRL on America’s 250th Birthday:

Two hundred fifty years ago, a bold group of men decided to break away from the most powerful empire in the world. Their reason was simple: they wanted to live their lives the way they intended, not how it was dictated to them. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a document drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, working alongside a five-man committee that included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. For the first time in human history, the inherent rights of mankind were declared in writing, with the explicit intention of building a government founded on those principles. That bold proclamation set in motion a movement that did not just create a new country; it helped create a new world.

The men who crafted this document were not perfect. In fact, they were deeply flawed. They understood that their own words carried a sense of hypocrisy, since many of them enslaved other human beings. But their living up to their verbiage was never the point. The point was to create a nation where their descendants could strive toward those lofty goals. Their backgrounds, desires, and motivations varied but they agreed that whatever course they took, they would take it together, and that they alone would chart it. Nearly a century later, Frederick Douglass would give voice to that unresolved tension in his 1852 address "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", forcing the nation to reckon honestly with the distance between its founding words and its founding practices; a reckoning that, in many ways, continues today.

The founding of the United States has never been about creating a perfect union; it has always been about the pursuit of one. As mankind has reached out and literally touched the heavens, our ideas, values, and philosophies have changed. What has not changed is America's core commitment to self-determination; the right of a people to govern how they live. As our nation has aged, the rights once reserved for landowning white men have rightfully expanded to all citizens within its jurisdiction, through amendments, struggle, and generations of citizens insisting the promise be kept.

The truest measure of America's founding is simple: that each generation of its citizens becomes the proper torch-bearer of an idea. A nation, in Lincoln's words at Gettysburg, "of the people, by the people, for the people." Not one individual. Not a group of oligarchs. But the average, everyday American, regardless of background, creed, color, gender, or identity. Because that is what freedom truly is — the ability to live your life the way you choose, and to pursue happiness on your own terms.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone. Please take a moment today to reflect on where we've been, and where we still intend to go. - Bobby Jones, VFRL President

[@RGBAtlantica @RGBAtlantica]

On June 7, 2021 MSNBC's Brian Williams aired an ad that showed police officers attacked at the Captiol Riots, that Fox News refused to air, produced by @MeidasTouch @11thhour @MSNOWNews

[Acyn @Acyn]

Johnson: If we lose the midterms, these Democrats will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they'll go after the president's family, the cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you.

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@jprutherford The Blues aren't going anywhere without an additional top-6 center. Brady would not have changed that, but he would have cost the team dearly in valuable assets required to add where there's real need.

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@StevenBibas Nope. Trade him for future considerations and retain half his salary for the last four years of his terrible contract. Cheaper than the buyout and probably the only way to move him.

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@spittinchiclets Bear in mind that the success of the Thomas line came at the expense of MacKinnon and Necas, both -3. Woof!

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@lkorac10 When you consider that the success of the Thomas line came against the MacKinnon line, it's all the more impressive. Mackinnon and Necas were both -3. What a statement.

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@GBX_Press That is not an F-15. The truth is bad enough without manufacturing bullshit.

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@20th_Centurygal Beatles Abbey Road

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

In the early 1990s, while filming Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) in San Francisco, Robin Williams made a quiet request. He asked the crew to hire a few people from a nearby homeless shelter. No one knew why—he didn’t want anyone to. Later, an assistant director revealed that Robin had a habit of doing this on every film he worked on. He always wanted jobs to go to those struggling to find a place in the world.

One man, hired to help with catering, later said, “He treated me like I’d been part of the team all along. He joked with me every day like we were old friends.”

It wasn’t just a one-time act of kindness. Throughout his career, Robin quietly made sure at least ten homeless people were hired on every movie he filmed. By the end of his life, around 1,500 people had been given jobs because of him. He never spoke about it in interviews, never wanted credit. Only after his death did directors start revealing what he had done.

In the late 1980s, after a stand-up show in New York, Robin slipped into a nearby shelter—alone, no cameras, no attention. He brought pizza, sat cross-legged on the floor, and just listened. One man later said, “He didn’t ask about our mistakes. He asked what made us laugh as kids. Who does that?”

While filming Good Will Hunting (1997), Robin again asked the studio to hire people from local shelters. One man, who had been homeless, ended up saving enough to rent his own apartment. “Robin bought him a suit for job interviews,” a crew member remembered. “He said, ‘Everyone deserves a second act.’”

Many shelters later discovered that large “anonymous” donations had come from Robin himself. One Los Angeles shelter only found out when a thank-you letter was returned marked “no such address.” A worker recognized the handwriting as Robin’s. He never wanted the spotlight—just results.

Whoopi Goldberg once said, “He didn’t want applause for helping. He wanted action.”

During Patch Adams (1998), Robin visited a shelter in West Virginia carrying boxes of socks, gloves, and coats. When a volunteer asked why, he smiled and said softly, “The weather’s turning. And cold doesn’t care if you’re tired.”

Even when he was on tour, Robin would quietly walk the streets at dawn, handing out coffee and sandwiches to those sleeping rough. A guard once asked why he came. Robin simply replied, “Because this is where people are.”

When promoting The Fisher King (1991), where he played a homeless man, Robin said something that summed up his heart:

“It’s not about feeling sorry. It’s about recognizing someone’s humanity, even when the world refuses to.”

Robin Williams never needed applause to do good. He gave love without asking for it back. He used laughter to heal, kindness to lift, and silence to build bridges where the world had built fences.

“He believed that the smallest act of kindness could echo louder than any standing ovation.”

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@jprutherford @andystrickland Ross Johnston is a UFA at season end, nothing against Torpo, but with all the young players coming to the roster, I'd love to have Johnston 4th line LW. #stlblues

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

James Carville EXPLODING on Trump is a must watch today.

His point is this. Millions of Americans aren’t “afflicted” with Trump Derangement syndrome. They are blessed with it:

“Look, you fat f*ck Trump — if you listen to this, you listen good!

I got Trump Derangement Syndrome. I hate the motherf*cker! And you know what? I don't want to get rid of it. I don't want to get better! I want to get WORSE! I want to hate him MORE!"

"I pray to God in heaven: God, reign the righteous reign of Trump Derangement Syndrome on me. Pray for me, Lord. I'm your vessel on this earth."

"Pray for the people that listen to this. We want MORE! We want to HATE the son of a b*tch so much that we can't see straight!"

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@Cosmicneurons13 Blues fan here. Still love DP!! Incredible competitor and a great human being. Hope he finishes in a Blues sweater, but until then, go Wings!

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@Destrada1211 @2MINIHULK Dirtiest f****** hit I've ever seen. Thornton's a douche.

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@puckempire Binnington was available.

[PuckEmpire @puckempire]

As a result of a Russian missile strike on the night of March 7, elementary school teacher Olena Udovichenko and her nine-year-old son Gordiy were killed in Kharkiv.

Gordiy played for HC Bilyibars in Ukraine.

End War. 💔🇺🇦

[Mach 329 @Mach329]

@jthom1 Can't take too much ice time from this guy. Nope, need to buff him up so he has some market value pre-draft. Give him 3rd line minutes with easier matchups and PP to pad his stats. Then get him out of here.

[Katherine @supressedvoic]

Former U.S. intelligence officer Josephine Gollbeau spoke about human rights violations committed by America in front of Congress.

She's right!

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

Today, U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy dragged a Marine veteran out of a room while he was peacefully protesting the war against Iran, possibly breaking his arm.

RETWEET if you think Sheehy is a disgrace!