What's in the News 3.0

[Shekinah]

well the one that was supposed to be the top candidate, the one from the philipines quickly got cut because an old video of him appeared singing John Lennon's Imagine. And in the song are the lines: Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us, only sky. 

So yeah couldn't elect someone who once sang there's no heaven and no hell which kinda are the bread and butter of Christianity 

[Al Terego]

So yeah couldn't elect someone who once sang there's no heaven and no hell which kinda are the bread and butter of Christianity

All of Christianity or just Catholicism?

[Shekinah]

All of Christianity or just Catholicism?

How should I know, I'm a buddhist who grew up in a country where Muslim was the dominant religion. I'm just trying to add what I know from dating my SO 

[Oniya]

Well, the song also includes the lines 'Imagine no possessions / It isn't hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for / and no religion, too'

If the possibility of heaven and hell not existing was an issue with the Vatican, the possibility of religion not existing would have been a bigger one.

[SaintSicaire]

I think the much bigger issue is, that he was a tad too outspoken about how he felt the church needed to be more open towards queer people and aloow divorced and remarried people to recieve communion, which are both pretty controversial topics.

That strikes me as a more convicing reason to chop him off. 
Instead they got the quiet guy, who's juuuust liberal enough.

[TheGlyphstone]

Yeah, someone *more* progressive than Francis was going to be an incredible long shot.

[Beorning]

The first round of Polish presidential elections will take place this weekend.

I'm worried!!!

Here's yesterday's final debate, if you want to see all 13 candidates

[/quote]

Unfortunately, the candidate I'm going to vote for this round, the leftist Magdalena Biejat, has no chance of winning. I lament that, as she really made a good impression on me during her campaign. The main fight will be between the centrist-right Rafał Trzaskowski (from the biggest party backing the current government) and Karol Nawrocki (a guy propped by PiS). Trzaskowski seems to have the bigger chance, but he came off kind of... meh during the campaign. Nawrocki is... PiS. If he wins, we'll be falling into authoritarianism again. Also, what was revealed about his past in the last months paints him as a really shady bastard.

The most bizarre candidate this campaign is Maciej Maciak, a guy who is openly pro-Russia. We're talking about a guy who admits that he admires Putin and that he considers Russia Today a more reliable source than any mainstream Polish media... And we have a totally nightmarish candidate: Grzegorz Braun, who is virulently anti-Semitic, anti-Ukrainian, anti-LGBTQ, anti-EU - and he really, really puts these views on display. The amount of bile he spews is really shocking. Personally, I suspect his a borderline psychiatric case. This is a guy who, yesterday, went on a rant how dessertion from the military should be punishable by death. "Bullet in the head! That's what the officers really have sidearms for: to shoot desserters and commit suicide when failing their mission!"

Anyway, worried. If Trzaskowski wins, things will be OK. If Nawrocki wins... it will be a catastrophe similar to Trump winning.

[Beorning]

(Darn! Bad formatting I cannot fix. Here's what I meant to say under (not inside) the spoiler)

Unfortunately, the candidate I'm going to vote for this round, the leftist Magdalena Biejat, has no chance of winning. I lament that, as she really made a good impression on me during her campaign. The main fight will be between the centrist-right Rafał Trzaskowski (from the biggest party backing the current government) and Karol Nawrocki (a guy propped by PiS). Trzaskowski seems to have the bigger chance, but he came off kind of... meh during the campaign. Nawrocki is... PiS. If he wins, we'll be falling into authoritarianism again. Also, what was revealed about his past in the last months paints him as a really shady bastard.

The most bizarre candidate this campaign is Maciej Maciak, a guy who is openly pro-Russia. We're talking about a guy who admits that he admires Putin and that he considers Russia Today a more reliable source than any mainstream Polish media... And we have a totally nightmarish candidate: Grzegorz Braun, who is virulently anti-Semitic, anti-Ukrainian, anti-LGBTQ, anti-EU - and he really, really puts these views on display. The amount of bile he spews is really shocking. Personally, I suspect his a borderline psychiatric case. This is a guy who, yesterday, went on a rant how dessertion from the military should be punishable by death. "Bullet in the head! That's what the officers really have sidearms for: to shoot desserters and commit suicide when failing their mission!"

Anyway, worried. If Trzaskowski wins, things will be OK. If Nawrocki wins... it will be a catastrophe similar to Trump winning.

[Beorning]

Update: elections tomorrow. I'm worried

[Beorning]

First round results are in:

https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/05/19/five-conclusions-from-polands-presidential-election-first-round/

This is... extremely worrying.

I mean, 30% for Nawrocki is not a suprise. He's a PiS candidate (even though he lies that he's not) and PiS voters would vote for anyone The Great Chairman Kaczyński points at. But... 15% for a ultra-libertarian Mentzen? A guy who kept embarrassing himself in most debates by telling nonsense? And who is so radically conservative he openly says that abortion should be banned even in the case of rape? That guy got 15% of voters?

And then... 6% for Braun. A hate-spewing bigot, Anti-semite and homophobe? A guy who has committed multiple acts of vandalism and aggression against people he doesn't like? A guy who openly admits that he wants his political opponents to be arrested, tried for treason and shot? A guy who is clearly *not right in the head*

Meanwhile, intelligent and sensible people such as Hołownia and Biejat got 4%. For crying out loud. What's wrong with people in this country???

And to the Polish community in the United States, who not only voted over 40% for Nawrocki, but a freaking 12% for Braun, I will only say this:

[EXPLETIVES DELETED]

[Missy]

I'm not gonna say I don't want people getting off on stupid inexcuseable horshit.

The solution to fascism, is fascism

[Beorning]

The second round of Polish presidential elections will take place this Sunday. Meanwhile, some new information surfaced regarding the PiS-supported candidate, Nawrocki:

1. In his twenties, he participated in organized (and bloody) mass brawls organized by football hooligans. When asked about it last week, he didn't even try to deny it - instead, he proubly announced that these were "sporting events".

2. During the 1x1 TV debate with Trzaskowski (the opposing candidate), he was seen putting something in his mouth. Most probably, some sort of tobacco product. He did it, even though he was on camera... Now, some people are asking: is he addicted to something?

3. Today, one news portal released a report claiming that they are witnesses of Nawrocki helping to solicit prostitutes for hotel guests (he was a hotel security guard and club bouncer in his twenties).

Meanwhile, it seems like he might actually win these elections. Aaaaaaargh!

[Missy]

Preservation of democracy demands a sufficient number of reasonably educated people capable of seeing clearly to stop the usurpation of democracy.

[Samael]

The second round of Polish presidential elections will take place this Sunday. Meanwhile, some new information surfaced regarding the PiS-supported candidate, Nawrocki:

1. In his twenties, he participated in organized (and bloody) mass brawls organized by football hooligans. When asked about it last week, he didn't even try to deny it - instead, he proubly announced that these were "sporting events".

2. During the 1x1 TV debate with Trzaskowski (the opposing candidate), he was seen putting something in his mouth. Most probably, some sort of tobacco product. He did it, even though he was on camera... Now, some people are asking: is he addicted to something?

3. Today, one news portal released a report claiming that they are witnesses of Nawrocki helping to solicit prostitutes for hotel guests (he was a hotel security guard and club bouncer in his twenties).

Meanwhile, it seems like he might actually win these elections. Aaaaaaargh!

...how
Poland "just" got rid of PiS, and now it seems like they are going to be replaced with someone worse?

[Samael]

In the face of Newsom's betrayal of the LGBTQ+ community in California, I want to post what Pritzker said about a month ago in contrast.


He also confronted the scapegoating of transgender youth, people of color, and immigrants, saying Democrats lost voters not because they defended vulnerable communities but because too many leaders lacked the guts to do it boldly.

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants—instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” he said to loud applause.

The speech stood in stark contrast to recent comments from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who LGBTQ+ advocates widely condemned in March after telling right-wing activist Charlie Kirk that it was “deeply unfair” for transgender girls and women to play sports with their cisgender peers. Newsom’s comments, aired during the launch of his podcast, sparked backlash from Equality California, HRC, and members of California’s LGBTQ+ caucus, who called his remarks “a betrayal.”

Pritzker, by contrast, doubled down in New Hampshire. Without hedging, he called on Democrats to be proud defenders of trans rights, immigrants, and gay people.

[Beorning]

...how
Poland "just" got rid of PiS, and now it seems like they are going to be replaced with someone worse?

Actually, Nawrocki *is* PiS. He claims to be a "citizens' canditate", but he's a PiS puppet.

Anyway, yeah. One-and-a-half years ago, we Poles decided to kick PiS out, because we've had enough of their authoritarianism and corruption. And now, people seem to have... forgotten? Now they want PiS back?

I don't know whom to be angry about the most:

1. Right-wing voters ready to vote for Nawrocki, even though he's clearly a shady person?

2. Supporters and leaders of Razem (one of our leftist parties), who claim they don't want to support the democratic candidate, Trzaskowski, because he's not leftist enough - so, apparently, he's as bad as Nawrocki in their eyes?

3. A significant percentage of people who refuse to vote at all, just because?

Also, I am absolutely disgusted by the normalization of brutishness and violence we're observing currently. I thought that even conservatives would be shocked by the news of Nawrocki participating in football hooligans' fights. But no, apparently, there are many people who are OK with it! Because - some people online claim - it just shows that Nawrocki is "tough" and "ballsy". Meanwhile, Trzaskowski, with his higher education, language skills etc. is just a "sissy".

You know... I used to be bullied in the elementary schools. I kept telling myself that I was not pathetic for being a smart and non-violent kid. And now, turns out... the society decided that yeah, not being a thug *is* pathetic. Education is for stupid sissies, the true person worthy of adoration is someone who knows how to punch people in the face!

*groans*

[Regina Minx]

J.K. Rowling announces that she will be using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to develop the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights "in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces”.

https://www.advocate.com/news/jk-rowling-anti-trans-organization

[Shekinah]

J.K. Rowling announces that she will be using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to develop the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights "in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces”.

https://www.advocate.com/news/jk-rowling-anti-trans-organization

The more I learn about her, the more she opens her mouth, the more I start to doubt that woman really did write the HP books. 

[Callie Del Noire]

The more I learn about her, the more she opens her mouth, the more I start to doubt that woman really did write the HP books.

I used to think she was simply misguided. But now?

I think she’s frothing in the brain wacko

[Laughing Hyena]

I used to think she was simply misguided. But now?

I think she’s frothing in the brain wacko

Much like my mother and aunt, they got corrupted by right wing social media. Once down that information silo it is hard to pull them out of it. 

Like watching a loved one succumb to a drug habit until they are barely recognizable. It is sad to watch unfold over the course of twelve years.

[Callie Del Noire]

Much like my mother and aunt, they got corrupted by right wing social media. Once down that information silo it is hard to pull them out of it.

Like watching a loved one succumb to a drug habit until they are barely recognizable. It is sad to watch unfold over the course of twelve years.

Yeah I did what I could to save a friend from that even going into the cesspool of Fox and Brietbart but finally he told me to return to the GOP and reconnect with the family I broke ties with or we were done. Fun note. Even my 100 year old MAGA Breat uncle spoke to me still. I miss Kent Arnold my old f riend but I can’t tolerate the political bs a RINO has to tolerate to stay in the party.

[Tolvo]

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/26/trans-protest-downing-street-london-supreme-court/

A group of trans people protested topless at Down Street in London. This was in response to general transphobia currently rampant in UK as well as a recent ruling that effectively bans trans people from public restrooms at large.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/17/scottish-parliament-holyrood-trans-protest-supreme-court/

This is along with another topless protest of trans women that occurred outside Scottish parliament earlier in the month.  A point of the protests was to show the hypocrisy of transphobes and how for instance they'll say trans women aren't women but then still feel the need to censor trans fem nipples. Or if they had been arrested for being topless in public how that means they are legally to be considered(Which they ended up not being arrested).

And of course there are terfs/gender crits who are in response cisvestigating the trans women at these protests to analyze bone structure to try to prove they're "Actually cis women pretending to be trans to trick people into thinking trans women look like women" because brainrot has no mercy I guess.

[Al Terego]

More context:
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/04/28/ehrc-guidance-how-it-can-be-used-equality-act-2010/