Years ago I stopped at roadside yard sale and left with this teapot. It still has a tag inside that says $12. I still love everything about it and these days I admire the message even more. #teapot#wwii#worldwarii#democracy#allies#resist
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Today is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing at #Normandy, #France, where ~160k #Allied troops pulled off the largest invasion by sea in history. From that point on #America was in charge of #AlliedForces & it was the beginning of the end of #WWII
As we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of #DDay, I would hope that some people on the right who know better would set their ambition aside for a moment & contemplate one of the reasons that horrific slaughter happened….
The bond between the #UnitedStates, #Canada & #Europe has been as strong as ever since that cataclysmic event 8 decades ago, at least until recently. Today Europe is bewildered by what is happening to its American #allies. & you can't blame them. Most Americans wonder the same….
#Biden calls #America’s democratic values the “grounding wire of our global power” & its #alliances “our greatest asset.” …#Trump, called for withdrawing American forces in #Europe & #Asia & has promised… to cut loose even our closest #allies if they don’t do as he tells them. …Trump sees all countries as unreliable, the relations between them #transactional. That sentiment has spread throughout a #GOP that once championed America’s values abroad…
To kick off this year's :_gaysparkle: Pride Month :_gaysparkle: I was asked to write an article for a LGBTQIA+ site. So I decided to turn my queer, autistic, goldfish brain towards a trans/enby topic that I'm trying to understand better: The journey of—and impact on—friends and family of a transgender person undergoing transition.
I want to hear from anyone who has been a friend, family member, or partner of someone who is transitioning/has transitioned.
Specifically, the following:
Did it have an emotional impact on you? What was it?
Do you feel that you underwent a period of mourning for the "person you knew"?
What did your reaction look like and, knowing what you do now, would you change anything about it?
If you are trans, first off you're lovely :heart_trans:, secondly I also want to hear from you about your perspective on if/how it changed your relationships. Was it taken positively by those around you? Was it not? How did others' reactions impact you?
I want to hear the good and the bad. I want to know what went well and what people struggled with.
If you feel comfortable responding in the replies, please do, as I'd like your answers to be visible for anyone else who goes on this journey.
If you don't feel comfortable sharing publicly, then please DM me, email me, or reach out on Matrix (contact info in profile)
And this should go without saying, but be kind to each other in the replies—even if you disagree. I'd hate to ban anyone for being an asshat.
Thank you all so much in advance, it means a lot to me, and I'm sure it will mean a lot to plenty of other people too.
The #UnitedStates will impose sanctions on Iran’s missile & drone program, as well as entities supporting the Iranian regime or military, #NationalSecurity adviser Jake Sullivan announced late Tues.
Earlier in the day, #Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said additional sanctions on Iran would be forthcoming in retaliation for its attack against Israel over the weekend.
#US ofcls & their #EU#allies are discussing potential #economic responses to Iran, as leading Western ofcls converged on Washington for the spring meetings of the % #IMF & #WorldBank. Their options are limited because #Iran is already one of the most heavily penalized countries in the world, w/ US #sanctions in effect on its #banking, #manufacturing & #energy sectors.
#House Speaker #MikeJohnson’s job is in serious jeopardy as #FarRight members are threatening to oust him after the #Republican leader proposed a complex plan intended to #fund key foreign #allies during wartime.
Johnson introduced a 4-part prop Mon night to decouple #aid for #Israel, which faced a barrage of missiles & drone threats from #Iran over the weekend, & help for #Ukraine in its fight against #Russia, along w/2 other measures.
I spent some time this morning getting to know @rloveplus. They represent a small group that runs a collaborative blog for 🌈 LGBTQIA youth (and adults) in Russia. And as you might know, Russia isn't exactly queer-friendly 😢
So I'm asking for people in the LGBTQIA+ Mastodon community to visit the blog, read a bit, and please consider writing a short encouraging contribution. If that's not something you have time for, consider sending a few dollars instead.
Please 🥺 I want to see an outpouring of support 🫂 It would mean a lot to them and to me 💖
If you want to write something, you can submit something on the blog, or reply here and @rloveplus will post it on your behalf.
With continued American #aid to #Ukraine stalled & against the looming prospect of a 2nd Trump presidency, #NATO ofcls are looking to take more #control of directing #military support from Ukraine’s allies — a role that the #US has played for the past 2 yrs.
Under a prop being discussed at the #military#alliance’s HQ, #NATO would oversee the #Ukraine#Defense Contact Grp, currently led by the #UnitedStates, that coordinates the donation & delivery of weapons to the battlefield.…
“A stronger NATO role in coordinating & providing support is the way to end this #war in a way where Ukraine prevails,” SecGen Stoltenberg said on Wed.
“There is a need to give this a more robust & institutional framework to ensure #predictability & #commitment for the long haul,” Stoltenberg said. He added: “I strongly believe it’s important that #allies make decisions fast. And that includes, of course, the #UnitedStates.”
#Trump’s anti- #Ukraine view dates to the 1930s. #America rejected it then. Will we now?
by Robert Kagan
The original #AmericaFirst Cmte was founded in Sept 1940. Consider global circumstances at the time. 2 yrs earlier, #Hitler had annexed Austria & #invaded & #occupied Czechoslovakia. 1 yr earlier, he had invaded & conquered Poland. In the 1st months of 1940, he invaded & occupied Norway, Denmark, Belgium & the Netherlands.
In early June 1940, British troops evacuated from Dunkirk, & #France was overrun by the #Nazi#blitzkrieg. In Sept, the very month of the cmte’s formation, German troops were in Paris & Edward R. Murrow was reporting from #London under bombardment by the #Luftwaffe. That was the moment the #AmericaFirst movement launched itself into the battle to #block#aid to #Britain.
Cutting off #Ukraine seems like small beer by comparison,but behind it lies the same “#AmericaFirst” thinking.For #Trump & his followers,pulling the plug on Ukraine is part of a larger aim to END #America’s broader commitment to #European#peace & #security. America’s commitment to #NATO, Trump believes, should be conditional, at best: #Russia can do “whatever the hell they want” to #allies who do not pay their “fair share” & meet certain defense-spending objectives.
Whoa, I'm starting to get anxiety about paying server bills 👀 !!! Only 2 more business days until bills are due. If you can help Turtle Island server expenses:
Currently 29% of goal due Apr 1
"The Biden administration plan for the “day after” in Gaza is rooted in American hubris and ignorance, and therefore doomed to failure."
"The United States has a long history of misunderstanding the Mideast, but this level of ignorance and willful blindness far surpass anything we’ve seen before."