@blogdiva raise you “vampire coffin” funded - https://mastodon.social/@dahukanna/113968064979615490

The idea came to Moylan on a rainy day in April 1986 when he hopped in one of Ford's employee fleet cars to drive to a meeting at another building.

The Associated Press reports: The president of the Kennedy Center on Friday fiercely criticized a musician’s sudden decision to cancel a Christmas Eve performance at the venue after the White House announced that President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the facility. “Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response …

Most years, I share _The St. Stephen’s Day Murders_ by The Chieftains on this day — a nod to my late friend Ruth, who threw a warm, raucous open house on or near Boxing Day. It’s usually my moment of post-Christmas irreverence, a small way to honor both her sense of humor and her love of the season. But this year, I just don’t have it in me. I woke up early this morning, restless from the storm outside, and — despite promising myself I wouldn’t — I read the news. And what I saw has sat heavy in my chest ever since. Bombs were dropped in northwest Nigeria. Justified as retaliation. Framed as protection for Christians. Announced on Christmas Day, of all things. And I can’t stop thinking about it. Not just the violence itself, but the _way_ it was framed. The way faith is being used once again to justify cruelty. The familiar thread of righteous vengeance dressed up in the language of holiness. The name of Jesus invoked not for mercy, but for war. Yes, I’ve since learned that the Nigerian government coordinated with the U.S. That the threat of Boko Haram and ISIL in the region is real, brutal, and ongoing. That this situation, like most, is more complex than a single headline suggests. But that doesn’t quiet the ache. Because I also know there are people here in the United States who are _celebrating_ this. People who see the deaths of brown and Black people far from their own borders and feel something like satisfaction. People who see faith not as a compass for compassion, but as a justification for harm. It’s all part of a deeper sickness we don’t talk about nearly enough: **toxic masculinity**. The idea that power means control. That strength is domination. That violence is justified if you believe yourself to be the righteous one. It’s the same sickness that feeds religious nationalism, that tells women their worth lies in modesty and motherhood, that erases queer people in the name of “purity.” It’s the same poison behind the kind of cruelty we see in policies, in pulpits, in politics. It’s the same thread that ran through the Epstein files, through the silence and complicity of powerful men. The belief that wealth or status or whiteness makes you untouchable. That entitlement trumps accountability. And yes, I _feel_ it all. I’m an empath. I’ve talked about that before: how difficult it is to walk through the world with your heart open all the time. I can’t shut it off. I don’t want to. But it means the pain sticks. The cruelty cuts deeper. The headlines become personal. I used to wield sarcasm like armor. I used to keep people at arm’s length, ashamed of growing up poor, of not fitting the mold. But I’ve grown into myself. Not perfectly, not without missteps. But with intention. I believe that apologies require _action_. That true accountability is lived. That we have a responsibility to care, even when it hurts. _Especially_ when it hurts. So today, instead of laughter, I offer truth. I honor Ruth by showing up honestly. I honor the children and families in Nigeria by refusing to look away. I honor my own spirit by staying open, even when it would be easier not to. This isn’t the post I meant to write. But maybe it’s the post that needed writing. And here’s the song. For Ruth. ### Share this: * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Click to print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_