Rayna

Wife and mother to three beautiful children. She/her

[John Fugelsang @JohnFugelsang]

Happy Easter

[Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz]

The hypocrisy of right wingers cheerleading the Trump administration's assaults on free speech makes it clear that they have no idea why free speech came to be valued in our society. They think it's because it feels nice to be able to say whatever you want, and it upsets their feelings when people tell them they shouldn't say "retard" or make unkind remarks about trans people. They seriously think it's all about them and their feelings. They've never put any more thought or research into it than that.

From this point of view it makes perfect sense for them to say "It's fine to deport that person for criticizing Israel, because they're not a citizen. They don't have free speech rights." They think free speech is just a nice perk that lets you enjoy the nice feelings of being able to say whatever you want; the people having their green cards and student visas revoked for inconvenient speech don't have citizenship, so they don't get to feel the nice feelings.

But it has nothing to do with anyone's feelings. The first and foremost reason free speech is important is because it puts a check on the abuses of the powerful. The First Amendment of the US Constitution isn't there to ensure US citizens get to feel nice feelings, it's there to restrict the government's right to restrict the free flow of information, thereby enabling the citizenry to effectively organize any necessary opposition to the status quo. At least in theory.

Free speech, if sufficiently realized, could solve all our problems. If information was really flowing freely without being constantly manipulated and obstructed by the rich and powerful, our rulers would no longer be able to manufacture consent for our abusive status quo, because everyone would be aware of how bad things are and how much better they could be.

It is only because the rich and powerful are able to do things like buy up media companies, rig algorithms, fund think tanks, decide what films get made, decide who gets famous and who remains marginalized, silence and deport political dissidents, and restrict access to information by deeming it "classified" that our abusive political norms are able to be maintained. If information was truly democratized and freely flowing, nobody would tolerate being impoverished, sickened and oppressed for the benefit of a few oligarchs and empire managers.

The US government isn't deporting critics of Israel because it wants them to feel bad feelings, it's deporting them because it doesn't want Americans to hear legitimate criticisms of US foreign policy. They aren't merely violating the rights of the speaker by restricting the flow of this information, they're violating the rights of anyone else who would hear it. They are doing this to help ensure public consent for a genocidal status quo that a populace with an informed mind and an informed conscience would never consent to.

[cabral @doctor_cabral]

Funny how there are never enough democrats to pass their own “agenda” but always enough democrats to pass the republican agenda

[Chris Murphy 🟧 @ChrisMurphyCT]

There is a young man in jail today for protesting at his college. No charges. No criminal conduct. In dictatorships, they call this “a disappearance”.

I want to tell you why this case should matter to you, even if you strongly disagree with what he said or did.

[Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan]

Thissssssssssssssss

[Prof Zenkus @anthonyzenkus]

Democrats are really going to get into the streets to prolong an unwinnable war but wouldn't be caught dead at a rally to stop a genocide that has resulted in the deaths of over 200,000, mostly women and children. Make it make sense.

[jeremy scahill @jeremyscahill]

Major news organizations are making a conscious choice to frame Israel’s total violation of the ceasefire agreement as Hamas rejecting it. This is a demonstrable lie & has been through the entire duration of Israel’s war against Gaza. Israel is rejecting the deal it signed.

[Rathbone @_rathbone]

Welfare Queen can’t explain Social Security!

[B L A K E L E Y™℠©® LLC @_iamblakeley]

Did anyone warn us the ruling class would be coming for social security?

[B L A K E L E Y™℠©® LLC @_iamblakeley]

Americans are the only people in the world that thank and defend the corporations and 1% for screwing us.

[Ryan Grim @ryangrim]

Quite a scandal: Biden was prepared to spend a few hundred thousand dollars on Teslas for the State Department, and the Trump administration altered that to $400 million, then back-dated the records to make it look like Biden did it.

State canceled the contract after @DropSiteNews exposed it.

DOGE should ask us for tips in saving actual money for the taxpayer, beyond just canceling Reuters subs

[B L A K E L E Y™℠©® LLC @_iamblakeley]

Democrats are fascist collaborators

[Qasim Rashid, Esq. @QasimRashid]

The problem with America’s legal system

To practice law:
—4 year degree, take LSAT, 3 year JD, pass BAR, buy malpractice insurance, total cost ~$300K

To enforce the law:
—Here’s paid 13-week training & a gun

To write the law:
—0 merits needed, a billionaire can buy your seat

[B L A K E L E Y™℠©® LLC @_iamblakeley]

I need @IanCarrollShow and MAGA to tell us what we’re all supposed to be excited about?

Trump announcing we’re gonna ethnically cleanse Gaza on behalf of the genocidal Israeli regime?

[Jason Overstreet @JasonOverstreet]

On Gaza: Why is it so difficult for so many of you to simply say that Biden facilitated a genocide and Trump now wants to commit ethnic cleansing? Are you that politically robotic that you can’t even tell the truth? I loathe Trump. But Biden’s immoral actions helped usher him in.

[@[email protected] @Imani_Barbarin]

I thought it was TikTok that was watching us… ? No…?

[Fifty Shades of Whey @davenewworld_2]

Celebrities don't care about the censorship bill

[TizzyEnt @TizzyEnt]

THIS is why they are banning tiktok. It's long, but she deserves to be heard.

[Read Jackson Rising @JPHilllllll]

The House and the Senate have both approved a bill allocating $895 billion for war. It passed both with bipartisan support. No questions of how we'll pay for it. No questions of government waste. Just agreement to spend almost a trillion on violence.

[B L A K E L E Y™℠©® LLC @_iamblakeley]

Isn’t it fun to watch our Congress suddenly be active?

When it comes to helping the Israeli regime cover up their war crimes, they’re ready to get to work.

When it comes to doing anything for the American people, not so much.