Touch Me In My Special Place

This is the official US Department of War social media page, the man on stage with the Secretary or War Pete Hegseth is his pastor, Doug Wilson.

Wilson is a self-declared Christian Nationalist and theonomist. He believes that biblical law, specifically the judicial and moral laws of the Old Testament, remains binding and should form the basis of modern civil government and society.

I listened to a two hour interview with Wilson on Sam Harris' podcast, convinced that there must be a more reasonable context to his beliefs than what was reported.

Instead, I heard Wilson argue in favour of a future US State in which only the men in each household could vote, that slavery wasn't immoral and could return, and that executing individuals for defying biblical law was theologically obligatory.

It appears he is now giving sermons at the Pentagon.

The fact that Trump didn’t sue her says everything. As litigious as he is, it’s the people he DOESN’T sue who tell the story.

When an MP decides they want to defect to another party a by-election should be automatically triggered to allow the constituents the opportunity have their democratic right to agree or not with their elected official. Regardless of political views I believe you vote for both the individual candidates and their stance on issues and the more general direction and policies of the party they stand for. When an MP decides that they no longer wish to be a member of the party they stood for when you voted for them the electorate should have the opportunity to also change their mind by voting in a by-election.

Currently at 65k signatures

Government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures (waiting for response)

At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be "considered" for debate in Parliament

However, the government have subsequently (9 February) released the following reply:

There are no plans to make changes to the current constitutional arrangements, whereby voters elect individual candidates, and not the political party they represent. It is an established constitutional principle that at UK General Elections, voters cast their vote for individual candidates, and not the political party they represent. When a Member of Parliament (MP) decides to change their party affiliation, it is for the MP to decide whether to continue to sit in the House of Commons (as a representative of their new political party or as an independent MP) or to stand down from their seat to trigger a by-election and, if they wish, seek re-election. There are no plans to make changes to the current arrangements. Cabinet Office

So basically, "Yeah we're going to debate a subject which we have already decided the outcome of".

What a fucking surprise.

That's James Maddison's flute. James Maddison owned over 100 slaves. Due to debts he had to sell land and slaves over his lifetime. By the time of his death he owned 36 slaves. No slaves were freed during his lifetime or in his will.

The power that this successful Black woman has over his legacy right now.

Not just playing his flute, but shaking her ass while playing his flute.

Oh, the white supremacists are so mad.

You know how often people play instruments that are hundreds of years old? Instruments are made to last hundreds of years. They're preserved through use. First chair violinists in major orchestras often use violins that are centuries old.

My aunt owns and sells instruments both young and old, and it's a huge dishonor to the memory of the creator to demand that the instrument go in a museum never to be used.

She invited Lizzo by @ her on Twitter because she saw Lizzo would be in town for her tour. Lizzo spent three hours touring the LoC and looking at historic flutes in the collection.

Carla Hayden was previously the head librarian of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, which is the city library organization for Baltimore. She kept the libraries open during the Freddie Gray riots so people would have a safe place to bring their kids.