Words Have Power

Inmates being put to work does NOT SAVE ANYONE TAX DOLLARS you are still paying exorbitant amounts of taxes to the prison industrial complex, almost all of which goes into these corporations pockets, btw—-not spent on prisoners.

I don’t know about any of y’all, but I would so much rather my tax money go to actually rehabilitating people and finding ways to keep them out of incarceration, rather than an entire industry set up around getting people to recidivate and return to prison time and time again, just so that prison industrial complex can pocket even MORE of my tax money.

Ok so my kid had an ear infection, right? As kids often do.

The doctor scraped out a bit of earwax to have a better look inside.

I was sent a bill for $200 PER EAR for this 5 second procedure which I did not give permission for them to do.

That was key- they did not ASK me if they could do this "procedure". And, as I OWN a medical practice (it's me. The medical practice is me, sitting in my house on video calls) I knew to call them when this bill came in to be like "You did not obtain informed consent for this procedure, and it was not en emergency procedure. You had full ability to gain my consent and didn't. I'm not paying."

And the massive hospital who owned the bill said "yuh-huh you do have to pay."

And I said "I own a practice. I know these laws. I do not owe you money for this."

And they conducted an "internal review" and SURPRISE! Decided I totally owed them money and they had never done anything wrong ever.

And so I called my state's Attorney General office, and explained the situation because, as I mentioned, I know the law. The AG got in touch within a couple days to say they were taking the case and would send the massive hospital conglomerate a knock it off, guys letter.

Lo and Behold, today I have a letter where said hospital graciously has agreed to forfeit the payment.

"How not to get screwed over by companies" should be part of civics class.

Know your rights and know who to call when they're infringed on. This whole process cost me $0 and honestly less effort than I would have expected.

May this knowledge find its way to someone else who can use it.

This post is super cute and all but like.... This isn't practical advice. I called the AG???? And they got involved over a $200 bill. Maybe because you yourself are a medical practitioner. Not just your knowledge but also your status.

Civics class wouldn't help most people in this case because the AG will not take on all these cases and most people cannot afford an attorney in this instance or more importantly, the hit to their credit.

The issue is not education over the system, it is the system

I agree the system is a mess but I think education does matter because people seem not to know that this is actually perfectly routine AG office stuff. I’m not the only person who’s done this- this is just what they do?

Were they going to get into a lawsuit over my $400 bill? No obviously not. But they printed up a letter on fancy letterhead to say to stop and it worked. They followed up with me the next day to be sure, and so ask how much money they had saved me.

They use dinky cases like mine to track habitual misbehavior of large scale companies to build cases they could actually go to court over.

And because people are shocked- I never spoke to the AG of my state directly. He operates mainly by overseeing a whole crew of people. And this is what those people do.

This didn’t happen because I’m special because of my tiny therapy practice.

This happened because this is what the AG office is for.

“The problem is systemic” doesn’t mean “and there’s nothing you can do”.

This is a systemic problem but that doesn’t mean there are no resources to help.

(not fun) fact: People in puerto rico can’t vote in US elections, but they still have to pay US taxes

Fun Fact Puerto Rico has voted to become a state in 2012, 2017, and 2020 after the 2020 vote (53% yes Statehood 47% no) a number of Congresspeople felt like they couldn’t possibly mean it, and passed a law requiring them, to again do another referendum on status, this year offering independence or statehood, lets see if Puerto Ricans get a 4th Referendum for statehood that Washington ignores because reasons.

Peer reviewed:

i got yelled at by my AP US Government teacher for not standing for the pledge, and the shade of red his face got when i explained that the supreme court ruled it to be protected under the first amendment made me think he was going to explode

Reading this just made me mad as hell lmao

Even in community colleges, it’s just too expensive in the US to take classes for education. You *have* to think of them in terms of paying back the debt the very same classes create.

That’s some fucking bullshit.

I cant believe this tweet is how I find out

now all the things you guys have told me about american high schools are starting to make sense

holy shit.

It's 100% because of abusers parents and guardians who want to deprive their children of a secular upbringing and indoctrinate them into whatever nonsense they believe in, as well as discipline them however they see fit and exploit them for money.

Specifically, Articles 13 and 14 are concerned with the freedom of expression, the freedom to seek out, receive, and impart information, and the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Article 17 concerns access to mass media of both national and international origin. Article 19 concerns protecting children from abuse and neglect. Article 24 concerns access to healthcare. Article 28 concerns access to education, and Article 29 further stipulates that education should promote tolerance and respect of other people and cultures. Article 32 protects children from economic exploitation.

In the USA, the land of the free, we can't have any of that! If a parent believes the outside world is evil and wants to keep their kids from reading books that aren't about how God will send them to Hell for speaking out of turn, they have that freedom! If a parent believes that medicine is evil and wants to keep their kid from being vaccinated or put their kid on a raw meat diet or use homeopathy to treat an inflamed appendix, they have that freedom! If a parent wants to teach their kid that white people are the master race and that it is their duty to massacre everyone else, they have that freedom! And if a parent wants to take their kids out of school to work on the farm or get into the acting business, they have that freedom!

Sure, a horrific amount of children might be subject to abuse that will scar them forever and potentially lead to their untimely deaths, but that's just the price we pay for freedom! Freedom for parents to treat their kids like property, that is. The kids don't get any freedom.

Pay attention to specific educational scenarios conservatives deem inappropriate and you notice a lot of them are actually tied to prevention of child abuse (such as teaching about consent and identifying inappropriate touch)...

“Why does the entire world hate America”

This is just what they did to Latin America

I read an article once about a social services program in parts of Baltimore, MD in the 70s (I could be wrong about some of the details, it's been a while since I read it). But basically, this program went around to childcare facilities, preschools, babysitters, and kindergartens and looked for the kids with behavior problems. Then they went to the families of those kids and asked how they could help.

Did the parents need parenting classes? Did the kid need medical help? Did the kid need additional childcare the family couldn't afford? Did the family need a larger support network of friends and family? Was there domestic violence going on, and if so, could it be stopped and/or could the abusive partner be separated from the family? Did one or both parents need addiction counseling or medical support? Did they need better housing? Did they need a better job? Did they need job training? What did the family need, and how could the social worker help them get it?

It was an expensive program to run; it required a lot of social worker time and a lot of wrap-around services. So it was cancelled in the 80s.

But the thing is, someone did a study comparing the neighborhoods where the program was run, and found that for every dollar you spent supporting that family when the child was young, you saved seven dollars by the time the kid was 18. The kid was more likely to graduate high school, less likely to commit vandalism and shoplifting and other petty crimes as an adolescent, less likely to join a gang, less likely to be removed from the family and placed in foster care.

For every $1 spent serving/helping families when the kids were young, the government saved $7 by the time the kid was 18. (And that doesn't count things like "businesses and residents saving money because there's less vandalism to fix")

But the program was closed because "it was too expensive."

It is much more expensive to put kids in foster care than it is to provide affordable housing. It is much more expensive to put kids in foster care than it is to provide food stamps/SNAP benefits. It is much more expensive to put kids in foster care than it is to do pretty much any of the things that will help keep them out of foster care.

Yet people will claim those things are "too expensive."

It's a lie. When you actually compare the costs, not only is keeping the kid out of foster care almost universally better for the kid, it is also cheaper for the government.

It's the guns.

Standing on the picket line is a cute gesture, but let's not forget how he prohibited the rail workers from striking for safe minimum staffing and the ability to take sick days.

Also, this “cute gesture” is something no US President has done.

Fuck off with yourself now.

Obligatory Biden not perfect disclaimer blah blah blah (do you people still expect to get perfect politicians??? apparently I guess)

But.

Going to a picket line is actually a huge deal. There is a reason no other president has done it.

Brief explainer:

A picket is not a protest. They have different goals and they are viewed differently under the law. A protest is meant to disrupt and to draw attention to an issue. A picket is meant to stop scabs from entering a workplace to replace the workers picketing outside.

This means that, historically, pickets were often very violent. When people in the 1920s wanted to stop you from entering a factory, they did not confine their tactics to angry yelling. This is why the courts treat pickets differently, and they do not enjoy the kind of broad free speech protections that protests have.

Biden standing on a picket line is huge in a number of ways. It's a statement by a sitting president that no one should go to work at that workplace, for one, which kind of wild in and of itself when you think of it. Who the fuck is gonna scab when you have to walk past a picket line that includes the fucking president.

It's also granting a kind of implicit sanction to picketing as an activity that it has never historically gotten. Picketing is one of those things that even the FDR administration was a little wary of. The law tends to approach it as something that is techhhhhnically allowed and we can't stop you...but it's something that needs to be reined in, controlled, corralled.

And like, is this the most radical thing a president has ever done? No. Is it going to magically fix everything related to organized labor? Absolutely not. Is Biden the most pro-union president ever? No again because FDR existed. But he is the most pro-union president of my lifetime.

And as someone who knows a lot of labor history, having a sitting president on a picket line is honestly kind of breaking my brain a little.

Other things that the Biden administration is doing or has facilitated (by getting non corporate hacks into critical positions for example) which are not getting talked about:

2024 is coming.

The Republicans have the 2025 Project that wants to literally imprison and genocide queer and disabled people.

The Democrats are giving us our money and lives back.

Show this to EVERYONE WHO YOU KNOW.

Tell them the difference.

Get them out to vote.

We have a chance to have a country that is worth living in if Democrat candidates keep winning.

“Koreans are all brainwashed so you can’t compare them to Americans.”

Half of America is so patriotic they believe all school shootings are false flags. There was a ridiculous piece of misinfo that was floated around by mainstream news outlets that the DPRK was forcing people to style their hair after Kim Jong-Un. This was a complete lie, tons of Americans believed it and still do and won’t even do the two seconds of research needed to figure out it’s a complete lie.

Americans are one of the most brainwashed peoples on Earth. They have had their consent engineered since their birth. Ya wanna test this?

1 - Refuse to say the pledge of allegiance.

2 - Say anything negative about the military.

3 - Question Capitalism in any way.

4 - Say that America isn’t the best country in the world.

5 - Make a critique of mainstream American culture.

Do any of these things amoung others and an army of jingoistic super-patriots will descend upon you like an angry avalanche of stupidity with the exact same copy paste arguements they’ve been taught to rehearse.

Also remember that the American government and corporations have murdered and tortured political dissidents throughout history for opposing their interests

Continue Reading.

“it’s just a parking lot”

exactly. there’s nothing there. not a statue. not a plaque. nothing.

[drives over hitler’s death site]

Bloody amazing.

And you know what’s right next to it?

That’s right, the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden, which translates to the Memorial for the murdered jews.

So if you wanna go have a look at the monument commemorating the victims of Hitler’s regime, you can park your car right on the spot he died and walk there.

Makes ya think, doesn’t it?

Germany gets why you shouldn’t have monuments to your bad points in history.

But try explaining to Americans they have bad points in their history.

Farewell online privacy

What happened?

Trump happened.

just get a VPN?

You can’t just tell people to ‘get a VPN (Virtual Private Network)’. Buying a VPN is like buying a house. It’s very very important. Having no VPN or having a ‘wrong’ one can seriously damage your life. Especially for Americans because their privacy laws are garbage. I am going to try explain why you should get a VPN but bare with me, I am from Germany and my English is far from perfect. 

Let’s start with a simple test. Click this link here: https://whatismyipaddress.com/ It will tell your IP adres, your ISP (internet service provider), and your location. The location might not be very accurate, but then again, it’s just a simple website. Imagine what the government can do!

So basically, everyone can find out where you live. But there is more danger. Your ISP. Your ISP logs your every move online and they are required to keep it in case the government wants access to it (or if a 3rd party wants to buy your data (yikes). They have everything. What websites you visit. How long you stay on a website. What you download. Your search terms. European laws are more subtle on this but if you are from the US you are #@*#&, especially because Trump doesn’t support the open internet. It’s scary but maybe in the future you can’t get a job because the recruiter knows your searched on ‘how to deal with depression’ or anythings else that’s supposed to be private because it’s your f*cking right. Or you get a $100k fine because you pirated a movie 15 years ago. You need a VPN. You’re dumb for not using one. but what does a VPN do?

A VPN encrypts all your data so if it were be intercepted no one can ‘crack the code’ and damage your privacy. 

Usually being online goes like this (simplified): Your computer —-> ISP (—–> keeps data —–> sells it)

But with a VPN it goes like: Your computer —–> VPN (encrypts data)—–> ISP (ISP can’t see shit)

Furthermore, a VPN hides your IP address and location by giving you another IP address located in Spain for example (you can often choose from a list and change as many times as you want).  

Now that you know why you should get a VPN and what is does it is important to educate yourself because people often choose the wrong VPN. VPN providers are also businesses and have to obey the law. If you choose a VPN provider located in the US then you are throwing your money away because the laws in the US shits on your privacy. If the US gov wants the provider to give all their logs they have to obey.  The ISP  still can’t see what you are doing online and sell your data but the US gov can interfere with your VPN provider so NEVER CHOOSE A PROVIDER LOCATED IN THE US. 

I just wanted to make that very clear so my followers don’t buy false security.

There is still more danger!  Who says your VPN provider isn’t selling your data? You need to check their logging policy. Do they keep logs? If yes, what for? For how long do they keep them? Tip: Choose a provider who doesn’t keep logs

More about law  The US is part of the Five Eyes program (the worst):  

The Five Eyes, often abbreviated as FVEY, is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries are bound by the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence (source)

There is also a Nine Eyes (bit better) and Fourteen Eyes Program (better).  You don’t want a VPN provider who is located in one the Five Eyes countries.  If you had to choose go for a provider located in a country that’s part of the Fourteen Eyes Program or even better, go for a country that isn’t part of any program! 

I know this is a shitty explanation and please pardon my english but now it’s time to do your own research. Take your privacy seriously. Maybe WWIII breaks out and you get killed for liking the ‘wrong’ FB-page.  

Go to this website: https://thatoneprivacysite.net/simple-vpn-comparison-chart/

Make sure that your future VPN provider both has green boxes for Privacy Jurisdiction and Privacy Logging. 

I recommend ovpn.se and trust.zone. ovpn is located in Sweden so they are part of the 14 Eyes Program and they keep minimal logs. Their business ethics, however, are alright. 

Trustzone is located in the Seychelles. No country can interfere and their privacy jurisdiction is the best you can get. The US want your data but needs to get it from Trustzone? The Seychelles will simply give them the finger and wave them goodbye. However, this makes this provider very appealing for people who torrent and criminals because they keep no logs (and that is how it shoud be) Also,  there are almost no marketing efforts so this provider is one the cheapest)

Also, often providers such as ExpressVPN are being called ‘The Best’ on websites about VPNs but know that this is just marketing which also makes those provider more expensive (and they too shit on your privacy)

This must be the worst article you have ever read but please, please take your privacy very seriously.

EDIT: I got many people asking me which provider I use. For those who want to know, I use Trust Zone. They offer a free 3-day trial with no strings attached. But still do your own research! 

I am also with Trustzone but I think you forgot to explain one of it’s most important features. It protects you when you are using someone else’s Wi-Fi. If you are at Starbucks and you use their Wi-Fi your privacy is at risk. Anyone with ill intentions could steal your information. Especially if you are using an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot. With a VPN your data gets encrypted so no one can steal it. 

Wait, what’s going, on? Did trump destroy internet privacy with a bill or something? Where’s the news? Oh wait, why am I getting visions of Alex Jones and selling water purifiers?

He hasn’t yet but he says he wants to. And if he is serious about it it would be really easy to do. Since all our data is already recorded, as the person above explained.

Trump wants more surveillance of Muslim Americans. This in a country where internet privacy is already close to non-existent. 

Trust.Zone has a free trial. Use it. 

btw this post only has 11k notes? That’s quite disappointing for something this important. 

Don’t reblog this post to save a life. Reblog this to protect an entire family!

@earth-ruins @writing-prompt-s Should I get trustzone for my mobile device?

If you use public Wi-Fi, then yes. Which VPN you use is up to you, amigo. Take @earth-ruins advice. Do your own research first. 

@elvesfromthedeep​ just brought the current situation in the US to my attention (March 30, 2017). 

Sources

To all my friends in the US, please read this entire post. Making everyone aware of VPNs is going to be my mission. Your privacy matters. Please reblog this post.

Don’t tell me you just wanted to scroll past this. Stop looking at pictures of cats for a moment, okay? Don’t you realize how important this is? This is dangerous! ‘America, the best FREE country in the world’ my ass.

With this new law your ISP can sell your Internet history which could include passwords, usernames, religion, credit card numbers, race and much more to the highest bidder. So here is what I want you to do. You are going to read the whole thing and before you think ’this is so important. Let me reblog this real quick and go back to admiring cats again-’ NO! Don’t reblog this. Take action first. Then reblog. Sign up for a free trial! Trust.Zone offers one (here). Yes. It might be difficult to set up a VPN for some people. But is that going to stop you from protecting yourself and your family? 30 minutes. 30 minutes is all that it takes. 5 if you know how to install software. The problem with some of you is that you see ‘difficult’ as something negative. I want you to see difficult differently. I need you to push through this stuff. You are going to protect yourself. There is nothing negative about that. VPNs are fun and costsaving too! A VPN bypasses geographical restrictions so you can access websites you normally can’t or you could start Netflix’s one month free trial over and over again- forever. And it’s legal! (unless you use it to buy weapons etc.,) Don’t tell yourself that you are too tired and that you will do this tomorrow. Because that isn’t going to happen and you know it. You have to do this right now. You only have to click on it. Don’t let this/shit/life just happen to you. Take yourself seriously. Get a VPN.

Privacy is not a privilege, it’s a fundamental human right

Emma Goldman, “Patriotism, a Menace to Liberty” (1911)

tumblr fourth of july in 2012: America is the best!!!!!!! hahaha @ all you non american nerds :))))))

tumblr fourth of july in 2017: