Steph

My ❤ has been taken by my four legged friends.

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?"

Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England, wrote this magnificent response:

"A few things spring to mind.

Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.

For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.

So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever.

I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.

Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.

Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.

And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.

Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.

He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.

He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.

That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.

There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
* Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.
* You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.

After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.

In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:

'My God… what… have… I… created?

If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set."

[Sen. Bernie Sanders @SenSanders]

Instead of stealing Greenland from Denmark, let’s steal some of their policies.

In Denmark:

- Health care and college are free.  

- The starting wage is $22/hr.

- Paid parental leave is 1 year.

- Paid vacation is 6 weeks.  

- All workers get pensions.

[Kristen Howerton @kristenhowerton]

"I can't believe you would make a political issue in light of a tragedy" <-- this is so irrational. If you think the impulse to problem-solve around protecting kids from guns is a "political issue", your adherence to an ideology is blinding you to both compassion and common sense

[Natasha ❀ @ndelriego]

This thread will be dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

As a parent, my heart is broken seeing these faces and their ages.

My condolences to their families during this difficult time 🙏🏻

Xavier Lopez, 10. He was a 4th grader at Robb Elementary.

[Shaun Groves @shaungroves]

I’ve never heard an American pointing to events in Nigeria or Indonesia as foretold in Revelation. It’s always stuff happening in America. It’s almost like we think we’re the lead character in God’s story. Almost.

[Phil Vischer @philvischer]

If only we had fought racism with the same passion we are now bringing to fight against anti-racism. Would there have been a need for an anti-racist movement?

The church allowed racism to flourish. Now we’re mad about secular solutions to a problem we wouldn’t solve.

[Dr. Jill Biden @DrBiden]

Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished.

[Justin Giboney @JustinEGiboney]

Do you know what’s more effective than creating statements condemning Critical Race Theory? Actually dismantling racism so CRT is obsolete.

Evangelicals still can’t see that their lack of credibility on racial justice lends credence to the things they condemn.

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

#KaliefBrowder was held at the Rikers Island jail complex, without trial, for allegedly stealing a backpack.

[Karen Swallow Prior (Notorious KSP) @KSPrior]

“The most precious resource the U.S. health-care system has in the struggle against COVID-19 isn’t some miracle drug. It’s the expertise of its health-care workers—and they are exhausted.” https://t.co/BUI9Vp2sBt

[Dr. Michael F. Bird @mbird12]

On mask-wearing at church:

Things in the Bible:
"Carry one another's burdens"
"Love does no harm to a neighbour"
"Use your freedom to ... serve one another"

Things not in the Bible:
"My face, my right"
"Get government off my face"
"Fauci is a fraud"

[Jack Jenkins @jackmjenkins]

Two key things here:

1. Evidence that a new coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective seems like really, really good news!

2. They were literally only able to report this data this early *bc US case spikes are so bad it gave them data they needed sooner.* https://t.co/ZR4JjHtnlL

[Jack Jenkins @jackmjenkins]

The Democratic president-elect just quoted the Bible and a hymn in his victory speech, closing out a campaign whose slogan was about the “soul of the nation” with a story about “spreading the faith.”

This despite his GOP opponent, Trump, once insisting Biden would “hurt God.”

[Jonathan Merritt @JonathanMerritt]

THREAD: Theology is a double-edged sword. Be ever mindful of the ways you wield it. During the last four years, partisan evangelical shills spun a theological web to prop up Donald Trump and cover his agenda with a moral veneer.

[Dan Rather @DanRather]

Good night, America. #Peace. That’s my hope... and prayer. See you tomorrow.

[Jonathan Merritt @JonathanMerritt]

It’s time to rescue the ‘pro-life’ label from anti-abortion activists - my latest column @RNS: https://t.co/kNVkvpIlQt

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

700 human beings.

[Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo @NYGovCuomo]

These children may never see their parents again. Ever.

All because of a pointless, heartless policy.

Horrific, cruel, and inhumane.
https://t.co/QeJxw9ZBFN