Sleepygoat#FBPPR#FBPE#FollowBackFriday

Proud European

[Anon Opin. @anon_opin]

Jack and Jill's well is in the wrong place. It should be at the bottom of the hill, closer to the groundwater

[Saganism @Saganismm]

How to Confront a Fascist?

Bertrand Russell’s powerful and dignified refusal to debate Sir Oswald Mosley, Britain’s most prominent fascist leader.

…

Dear Sir Oswald,

Thank you for your letters and for your enclosures. I have given some thought to our recent correspondence. It is always difficult to decide on how to respond to people whose ethos is so alien and, in fact, repellent to one’s own. It is not that I take exception to the general points made by you but that every ounce of my energy has been devoted to an active opposition to cruel bigotry, compulsive violence, and the sadistic persecution which has characterised the philosophy and practice of fascism.

I feel obliged to say that the emotional universes we inhabit are so distinct, and in deepest ways opposed, that nothing fruitful or sincere could ever emerge from association between us.

I should like you to understand the intensity of this conviction on my part. It is not out of any attempt to be rude that I say this but because of all that I value in human experience and human achievement.

Yours sincerely,
Bertrand Russell

[Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) @MAGALieTracker]

BREAKING: Gavin Newsom just issued a defiant response to Trump after he sent federal agents after Newsom and his family. Trump continues to weaponize government to go after his political opponents. Everyone needs to watch and share this video.

[Ed Conway @EdConwaySky]

Most of the obituaries and tributes to David Hockney will, I imagine, focus primarily on his extraordinary craft and brilliance as an artist. Perhaps they might also mention his brilliance as a communicator (he was such a fine writer and speaker).

But there was something else rather unique about him too. He was also strikingly honest about the tricks/techniques artists use and used to paint. His book Secret Knowledge is a rather wonderful detective work into how renaissance and Dutch golden age painters used glass and mirrors to help them master perspective.

It's a pretty compelling case (see this video clip from a BBC doc he made alongside the book👇) though I'm sure some art historians will raise their eyebrows. Many will be aghast at the notion that greats like Vermeer might have been using lenses and camera obscuras to help them draw and paint. As if it were in some way "cheating". But Hockney was so self-evidently brilliant he was one of the few people who could document this without anyone gainsaying his own talent.

There are very few artists, living or dead, who have this degree of self-confidence. Not just to know their craft, but to be bracingly honest about how it works. One other who comes to mind is Paul Simon: not just an extraordinary musician but is also an extraordinary communicator about the tricks and techniques of how to write and perform music.

For many great artists, the temptation is to cloak their crafts in mystery, like a member of the magic circle. Hockney wasn't having any of it. So yes, he was a legend in all the obvious ways. But also in a few other less obvious ways as well. RIP.

[Donald Tusk @donaldtusk]

Unia Europejska jest niedoskonała, irytująca, nudna, ale niczego lepszego w naszej historii nie wymyśliliśmy. Czas pokoju, dobrobytu, wolności, demokracji i solidarności między narodami przez wieki walczącymi ze sobą to cud. Niech trwa jak najdłużej.

[The Rev. Anton Mittens 🌹👮🎓 @MittensOff]

Farage issues statement on why he 'changed his mind' about appearing on @bbclaurak this morning. #BBCLauraK #Farage #ReformUK

[Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder]

As the Hungarian example confirms, and the Polish one before that, the key to large turnout in actual practice is prior long-term, grass-roots organizational labor that helps people to understand how their single vote is a dignified part of a larger transformation.

[Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla]

The party’s finally over, Nige

[NXT EU @NXT4EU]

In 2027, Europe will ditch Visa & Mastercard.

5 European payment methods will work together to make their payment methods work around the union. Online & in store.

Europe is ditching America 🇪🇺

[Jessica Simor KC @JMPSimor]

It was completely obvious Trump was not fit for office way back in 2016. Despite that, many Brexit-supporting U.K. politicians backed his election. Even after the Jan 6 insurrection they continued to do so. Some even still support him now. None of them is fit for office either.

[Bill Herbert @billherbert]

#MidnightCapybaraUpdates (including snack and eyelash tips):

[Léon Chaland 🇪🇺 @LeonChaland]

This is my flag.

It stands for unity, freedom, peace, democracy, equality, civilization, diversity, rule of law, science, beauty and strength.

There is nothing more important to fight for.

[ML Smith @maria48308]

Republican take down! We need more people like this getting in their damn faces!

[Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress]

Gray-haired man in civilian coat runs into flames at Kharkiv kindergarten hit by Russian drones y'day. Emerges with child—pink pants and slippers visible under his jacket. Goes back in.

2 journalists recognized him 👇

[Angry Staffer @Angry_Staffer]

The White House is asking people not to share pictures of the East Wing because it’s even worse today.

[Harry Eccles @Heccles94]

Can we get this story about Farage and his dodgy tax Retweeted 10,000 times?

#NoTaxNigel #FarageOut
#FarageTheFraud

https://t.co/2bwATYQRPS

[The Purple Pimpernel @Eyeswideopen69]

The results are in!

Asked to name this creature via nationwide poll, the public has overwhelmingly plumped for…

Cunty McCuntface.

It wasn’t even close.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will.

I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the vast majority of undocumented immigrants don't.

My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby.

I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.

The lack of legal immigration has totally shaped my life. It has made every interaction with the law much scarier. It has shaped which opportunities I could or could not get. It has taken an emotional toll, as this legal issue hangs over your head like a black cloud.

There are millions of people in my situation — people who were brought here as children, some babies, and were unable to raise their hand during this process and say "maybe we should hire a lawyer." Parents may have crossed the border not knowing about the law, as the law can be pretty confusing and lawyers are expensive. Perhaps, in the end, they should have hired a lawyer; but sometimes life is messy. In the end, they crossed for the same reason many people rise every day: to support their families.

I think it's unreasonable to deport millions of people who have contributed positively to society. It's simply not true that the majority of these people are violent criminals carrying drugs. Many own small businesses; many work as skilled laborers (including garment workers!). The vast majority are good, honest people. For those of us who grew up in the United States, sending us "back" to our "home" country would mean sending someone to a foreign land, as they grew up in the United States. Tearing families apart based on immigration status seems inhumane.

About twenty years ago, I watched with some small measure of hope that the Dream ACT would pass and help a portion of undocumented immigrants. I saw people march angrily in the streets (something I supported). But I was dismayed to see nothing really come about. In fact, when Obama passed DACA, I was skeptical that it would be sensible to give your information to the federal government without a guaranteed path to citizenship. It seems that the Trump administration may use those lists to hunt down immigrants.

I think the ICE sweeps are inhumane. I support and admire the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line for non-violent resistance. Ultimately, I think we need to solve this issue on a systemic level. It's unreasonable to me to expect that the government will deport some 10-20 million people. Even deporting 1 million will cause an insane amount of chaos, not to mention an incredible amount of wasteful government spending. The militarization of law enforcement is over the top and only escalate the situation.

I have seen people march on this issue, only for it to be dropped later and dissolve into quiet grumbles. In the end, nothing is done for immigrants. Time passes until decades later, we have another political crisis like the one we have today. This cycle seems unsustainable. I hope people sustain this energy to solve the immigration issue and put undocumented immigrants — most who are peaceful, skilled, and hard-working citizens — on a path to citizenship. As time continues to go by, many undocumented immigrants are seeing their lives wasted away.

If you care about this issue, I hope you get involved on the long haul: volunteer for pro-immigrant groups, donate to mutual aid, and perhaps pursue career paths that help people in this situation. I was moved to read someone on here say that, when they found their employee was undocumented, they helped them get a green card. The path was difficult, as our immigration system is broken (it took them 11 years). But I can tell you that this is like pulling someone drowning in raging waters.

Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.

[Florence Lox 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @floboflo]

Is it time we banned cunt lids?
Or maybe restrict them to farmers.

[Sleepygoat#FBPPR#FBPE#FollowBackFriday @commaself]

@Parody_PM FROGE