Megathread: US Capitol Locked Down as Trump Supporters Clash with Police, Pence Evacuated | Part II
The U.S. Capitol locked down Wednesday with lawmakers inside as violent clashes broke out between supporters of President Donald Trump and police. An announcement was played inside the Capitol as lawmakers were meeting and expected to vote to affirm Joe Biden’s victory. Due to an "external security threat," no one could enter or exit the Capitol complex, the recording said. Both chambers abruptly went into recess. Part I
I (31F) moved into my first for-real house last summer, which has lawn covering the front and back yards. I love gardening and landscaping and fucking hate everything having to do with lawns. I hate how bland they are, I hate the pesticides, I hate the excessive water consumption and I HATE MOWING. My eventual plan is to install perenial flowers/shrubs/groundcover so I have a beautiful low-maintainence yard, but that takes time and money so this year I am considering clovering my lawn. The process is simple: at the very beginning of spring, mow the lawn down to like, an inch, spread clover seed all over, and the clover will take root and grow in with the grass. It's got a lot of benefits- reduces water use, keeps the grass short so you don't have to mow as often, and the bees and other pollinators love the cute pink-and-white flowers. Clover also is a plant that adds nitrogen back into the soil, which will enrich and fertlize it, making installing other plants later much easier. This was actually how lawns were done in most of the US for a long time, until Roundup was developed. That shit kills everything except lawn grass, including helpful clover, so the makers went on an enormous smear campaign to convince everyone that clover is a weed. It's not. It's wonderful Here's where I might be an asshole: I have no HOA nor reginal plant restrictions, so legally, there's nothing stopping me. but my neighbor is *obsessed* with his lawn. He's out there every saturday at 8AM mowing it to uniform perfection, with the fancy criss-cross like they do in baseball stadiums. He had his garage open once and there was a whole wall devoted to fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides (I'm on CO where lawn/kentucky blue grass has no right to be and requires life support most of the year). In the front yard, there's no particular deliniation between our properties and I caught him plucking dandelions on my side once, which I'm willing to chalk up to a "got focused on the task and carried away" thing because he apologized as soon as he realized which side of the property line he was on. If I put in clover, it's going to spread to his yard. Clover LOVES colorado's climate and grows like crazy, which makes it terrific groundcover. But this will definitely drive my neighbor completely insane. I considered talking it over with him once, while having a nice over-the-fence chat, where I mentioned looking for four-leaf clover in my back yard, and immediately he was offering to come over and "Deal With That Shit". Dude is retired and unable to participate in his regular hobbies due to the plauge, I think, but also sometimes old white men are just Like That. At least his taing his frustrations out on the local weeds? I have no legal restriction and it's my yard to do with as I please, but I know for sure that this action will spread beyond my property line and probably drive my neighbor completely insane, which feels sort of dickish. Would I be the asshole? Edit for clarifications:
clover is not an invasive species or noxious weed here.
the clover is an intermediate step between "Half-Dead lawn" and "Low-maintainence shrub and sedum garden", not a permanent solution.
Definitely I'll take all precautions to keep it from spreading- mulch barrier zone, planting a good five feet back from the property line etc., but the truth is that clover is hardy and spreads by both root and seed and the wind alone could carry it into his yard by 2022.
Definitely I'll talk to him before any major plans go through because that's the polite thing to do, but is clovering a reasonable concept to propose, or is it outlandish, like going up and proposing putting a toilet collection in the front yard? Is the less asshole manuver to propose "Hey I'm considering planting something you consider a weed in my yard and it's likely to spread, thoughts?" or to just abandon this project idea and not worry him at all?
I would also like to keep this convo to like. one conversation because God Help Howard the man doesn't have the sense to take any form of Covid precautions and even 10 feet apart over the fence feels like I'm playing with plauge-riddled fire.
TIFU by losing by cat on the side of the highway somewhere in Kentucky.
I recently closed my lease in Florida to move back into my dad’s house, in Chicago. I’m working from home, don’t need to be paying rent in FL if I can just live with family instead. So, I pack my shit up, store the rest in a storage unit, close my lease, and hit the road. My cat, Randall Flagg, accompanied me in the car as we drove through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and then Kentucky. I was going about 105 mph in a 70 MPH zone when the KY State Trooper pulled me over. I was making incredible time moving that quickly, but obviously the risk is being pulled over. Or death. Anyway, State Trooper comes to the passenger side of my car to stay away from highway speed traffic. My car was already off, so my window did not roll down when I tried that. Instead, he opened the door. During the discussion, we actually addressed the fact that my cat Randall could escape, and I asked if I could step out and keep the car sealed. That didn’t end up happening. After the traffic stop, maybe about a minute of driving later, I realize Randall is not in the car anymore. Bolt of absolute panic I pull over, again. This time without a state trooper behind me. I frantically shout for him inside the car. Check the foot boxes, seats, his little nooks, Nothing. My mind racing, I leave the car on the side of the highway, and begin running back south to where I was pulled over. I reach the area, completely spent. Voice is totally thrashed from shouting over the sound of the highway for Randall. The women who lives next to the highway, where I was pulled over, hasn’t seen him. I have burrs all over my shoes and shorts from tromping through the Kentucky woods and fields next to the highway. I call the non-emergency number, my vet, my mom. Dad. 45 minutes of shouting and walking along the highway. Serious emotional distress. My boy, my best bud is lost in these fucking woods somewhere. I see a state trooper nearby, he’s very helpful and actually drives me back around to the area I lost Randall to keep looking, and gets the officer who pulled me over to come back also. No luck. I interact with more nice families in the area, leaving my number with them. Randall Flagg is hiding somewhere out there and he is too scared to come out. Or. God forbid. He was hit. Cant think about that right now. The officers help me relax, take me back to my car back north up the highway. A detective with the troopers helps me look around the car again, just in case. No Randall. My car is now dead when I try to start it bc the hazards were on too long. Great. I have some jumper cables stuffed inside somewhere, but it’s full of my shit as I’m moving, so I have to start pulling things out. The Trooper with me didn’t have cables, somehow. So I’m pulling bags out to access the area where the cables are, when I see motherfucking Randall Flagg’s fuzzy black ass inside a half-full garbage bag that had a lot of my clothes and towels in it. He’s totally asleep, peaceful as a fat baby. I apologize to the officers profusely but they are completely professional about it, just glad that he’s been found. They help me jump my car, and I get rollin again. Stayed much closer to the speed limit after that. Randall Flagg and I safely made it to Chicago the next day. He’s extremely comfortable here at my dads. TL;DR I was pulled over and my cat escaped into the Kentucky woods next to a highway, but not really, he was just asleep in my car. I worked on my cardio and made friends in rural Kentucky while looking for him.
This is the easiest pick of the draft. The Jaguars battled all year to gain the first overall pick. Helped by a few late wins from the Jets, now the Jaguars are primed to get a generational quarterback in Trevor Lawerence.
NYJ – Ja’Marr Chase – WR – LSU
The Jets have a lot of questions at the quarterback position, and may not even have this pick come late April. However, in this draft, I’m going to assume they allow Darnold to have one more year and if that is the case, I will assume the Jets do everything they can to put playmakers around Darnold.
MIA – Devonta Smith – WR – ALABAMA
The Dolphins are on the verge of being a playoff team and now they can add the third pick in the draft. Brian Flores and his staff were just down in Mobile doing some early scouting. That’s where he got to converse with Smith for the first day. I have a feeling they fell in love and will reunite Tua and Smith.
ATL – Zach Wilson – QB – BYU
The Falcons still have a few years to go on Matt Ryan’s contract. But when a top quarterback slips to you at four and there aren’t any elite defenders coming out, you must think about your future. Wilson is a project with a big arm, who will learn a ton from holding the clipboard for a year or two behind an MVP-winning quarterback in Matt Ryan.
CIN – Penei Sewell – OT – OREGON
The Bengals already have their franchise quarterback and then they learned what it’s like to have your franchise quarterback get injured. Zac Taylor and his staff are not about to go through that again. Stocking up on offensive lineman early. Sewell will fit right into Cincinnati and will be an automatic starter from day one.
PHI – Kyle Pitts – TE – FLORIDA
Most people are mocking Patrick Surtain or Caleb Farley to the Eagles with the sixth pick. This is a very fair pick to mock given the Eagles’ desperation at the cornerback position, but with the news that Zach Ertz may be on his way out and Carson Wentz likely staying, I have the Eagles adding another tight end to help make Wentz feel more comfortable as a starter.
DET – Micah Parsons – LB – PENN STATE
The Lions are in desperate need at the linebacking core among many other positions. Parsons’ opted out of the 2020 season and has some off-the-field issues we need to keep our eye on. However, on-the-field Parsons has the potential to be an elite linebacker and that’s something the Lions haven’t had since DeAndre Levy.
CAR – Justin Fields – QB – OHIO STATE
Even if Teddy Bridgewater is back in a Panthers helmet next year, he isn’t the final answer. Combined with the quarterbacks dropping in this mock, it’s a perfect situation for the Panthers to get Fields. Though in late April there will be plenty of trades and the Panthers will really need to jump up if they want to get Fields.
DEN – Patrick Surtain II – CB – ALABAMA
The Broncos will try to let Lock keep his starting job one more year. With a healthy Sutton, Jeudy, Hamler, Patrick, and Fant, the offense could be ready for a breakout season. But that will need to be met with a tough defense if they want any shot of competing for the AFC West title. Surtain is a tough, physical cornerback who can step right in and guard the best of the best.
DAL – Rashawn Slater – OT – NORTHWESTERN
The Cowboys do need a lot of help on the defensive side. Farley was going to be the pick here or even Paye, but ultimately we know how much the Cowboys value their offensive line and with Slater sitting here they just can’t pass him up. Another very talented offensive lineman heading to Dallas.
NYG – Kwity Paye – EDGE – MICHIGAN
Most are mocking Waddle to the Giants here, and I’ve also been on that train with almost every mock draft. Yet the more I mull it over, it’s more likely they sit and wait to add a receiving weapon and try to keep adding to their defense. A healthy Barkley should allow their current receivers to see fewer double teams and be able to get open faster.
SF – Trey Lance – QB – NORTH DAKOTA STATE
The 49ers didn’t win the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. More quarterbacks could be dealt between now and the draft, but assuming the 49ers stick with Garopollo, I would like to think they bring in Lance to compete for the starting gig. Garopollo isn’t that expensive to cut if needed and if Lance wins out the QB1 role, we could see Garopollo become a cap casualty.
LAC – Jaylen Waddle – WR – ALABAMA
If Waddle falls this far, even with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, I would be shocked if the Chargers didn’t jump at the chance to add another electrifying piece to their offense. We saw Herbert throw great touchdowns to players we didn’t know were even in the league. Just think of how explosive this offense could be with the addition of Waddle.
MIN – Gregory Rousseau – EDGE – MIAMI
The Vikings aren’t really in a pressing situation to add an edge rusher, I understand. However, Rousseau performed his best when set up on the interior part of the defensive line. He can still get around offensive tackles and he can push around guards. He will add a big presence on the defensive side as they get a lot of injured players back. A perfect puzzle piece for this Zimmer defense.
NE – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – LB – NOTRE DAME
The Patriots need some playmakers on offense, sure. But they’ve tried and failed at adding “skill” positions in the first round, two of the last three seasons. I doubt Belichick goes back to that well. We will see him add some playmakers later in this draft, but for day one, I assume he targets Owusu-Koramoah or another offensive lineman like Christian Darrisaw. I chose the former for this mock draft.
ARI – Caleb Farley – CB – VIRGINIA TECH
As much as we all want the Cardinals to add Harris or Etienne with this pick, I just can’t justify drafting a running back this high. The Cardinals need a lot of help on the defensive side. Farley should be a top ten pick probably2, but in this mock, he’s fallen all the way to 16, right into the Cardinals’ lap. There’s no way they pass on Farley and we can expect him to step right into a starting role on this defense.
LV – Joseph Ossai – EDGE – TEXAS
Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden love to get players from big “football” schools. Texas fits that mold perfectly and thus, Joseph Ossai, is the perfect match for the Raiders. He will be able to make an instant impact along with Ferrell on this defense. Their offense should look better with their top receivers having a year of experience, so I assume the front office wants to keep bolstering that defense to help them get to Mahomes. Because we all know you must go through the Chiefs if you want to win the AFC.
MIA – Christian Darrisaw – OT – VIRGINIA TECH
The Dolphins already added the Heisman Trophy winner with the third pick. Now they attack their offensive line instead of adding another “skill” position. Darrisaw is someone who could easily be gone by this pick, but if he falls all the way to 18 the Dolphins would be crazy not to scoop him up. He will help open holes for whoever is running the ball and protect Tua from hitting the ground.
WAS – Rashod Bateman – WR – MINNESOTA
In most of my past mock drafts, I had the Redskins reaching a bit for Alabama quarterback Mac Jones here. I do think it’s likely they do that if they don’t address that position in the offseason. For this mock draft though, let’s roll the dice and try to add some more guys who can catch the ball for this team. The Redskins had a great defense last year with the league’s top pass defense. Now they need someone other than McLaurin to make big plays, enter Bateman.
CHI – Alijah Vera-Tucker – iOL – USC
The Bears need offensive linemen. It’s science. They will also need a quarterback if they don’t get on during the offseason, so another landing spot for Mac Jones here or potential suitor to trade up. Yet if everything stays the way it is, there is no way the Bears pass on the best interior offensive lineman in this draft. He will be able to set up Montgomery for a big season.
IND – Jaycee Horn – CB – SOUTH CAROLINA
This is probably the pick I’ve mocked most consistently outside of Trevor Lawerence to the Jaguars, which means there’s probably a .01% chance Horn gets drafted here. It seems like a perfect fit to add Horn here. Again, a team will need a quarterback so the Mac Jones thought or trade thought comes up, but if it all stays still, I love Horn here.
TEN – Christian Barmore – iDL – ALABAMA
The Titans need help on their defensive line. Plain and simple they most attack someone who can turn around and attack opposing quarterbacks. Barmore is the perfect fit. We saw his talents shown on the biggest of stages with Alabama and now will lineup with Jeffrey Simmons and company. Look for them to address the offensive line and wide receivers in the next rounds as I know many Titans fans think those are more pressing at the time.
NYJ – Najee Harris – RB – ALABAMA
The fifth Alabama player taken in the first round may be the best player from the team for immediate impact. Harris will step into the Jets backfield as the clear starter. We saw Ty Johnson find a groove running the ball behind Becton. As much as I advise for teams not to draft a running back early, this is kind of a no brainer pick. The Jets will be adding two impactful playmakers on the offensive side of the ball to give Darnold all the best chances to show he can be successful.
PIT – Samuel Cosmi – OT – TEXAS
The Steelers started hot with an 11-game winning streak but faltered towards the end of the season that was capped off to a brutal loss to the Browns in the playoffs. The Steelers had no run game all season and relied heavily on the near-retired Roethlisberger to keep them in games. This year, whether they draft a running back, sign one, or roll with the same crew, they will need offensive line help.
JAX – Trevon Moehrig – S – TCU
The Jaguars still need a lot of help at a ton of positions, so it’s a great thing they have an abundance of draft picks this year. One of their most scarce positions is the entire defensive secondary. They’ll need to address both the corner positions and the safety positions. The Jaguars already got the best quarterback and now add the best safety in this year’s draft rounding out a solid first round for the one-win Jags.
CLE – Jaelan Phillips – EDGE – MIAMI
With good Linebackers still available, I would be kind of shocked if they didn’t go after Bolton or Collins. However, let’s not count out the fact the Browns will need to address their Edge position and Phillips would be a perfect fit for this scheme. The Browns need to address their defense regardless, no matter the position. So this pick is up to whoever you think will be the best player available. I inserted Phillips because I think he can make the biggest factor next season as the Browns are in a full win-now mode.
BAL – Terrace Marshall Jr – WR – LSU
The Ravens might not go back to the well of a wide receiver in the first round, but we all know they need it. They took a shot on the speedster Hollywood Brown a few years ago, but he hasn’t been able to live up to WR1 status. He needs a solid X-receiver to come in and take pressure away from Brown. If the Ravens do this, they will be setting up Lamar Jackson for the best passing season of his career.
NO – Mac Jones – QB – ALABAMA
The sixth Alabama player taken in the first round is the man who touched the ball on almost every offensive snap this season. Mac Jones showed up during the Senior Bowl practices but ultimately couldn’t play in the game due to an ankle injury. But that won’t stop him from getting drafted in the first round. He will have big shoes to fill following future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees, but it’s not like he hasn’t filled some big shoes already.
GB – Zaven Collins – LB – TULSA
It seems pretty obvious the Packers should be drafting a wide receiver with the 29th pick this year. This is exactly why they don’t in this mock draft. Though they do get a steak of a player with Collins still on the board. Linebacker might not be the biggest need for the Packers, but after coming off a 13-3 season for the second straight season, it seems like they do not have a ton of hotels to fill. They go with the best player available and a player who will be an instant starter.
BUF – Nick Bolton – LB – MISSOURI
Bolton is the type of player that will embrace Bills Mafia and be a hometown hero. The Bills were so close to getting back to the Super Bowl but ultimately fell to the king of the AFC. As much as the Bills may need help at offensive line, running back and even wide receiver, it’s their defense that needs the most when it comes to the first round.
TB** – Azeez Ojulari – EDGE – GEORGIA
The Bucs could easily win the Super Bowl and have the 32nd pick, but for all intents and purposes, we will say the Chiefs run it back – That being said, the Bucs could use some help at wide receiver if Godwin leaves and at running back if Fournette leaves. But those roles can be filled by players taken later in the draft. They need to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and that’s where Ojulari will step right in.
KC** – Wyatt Davis – iOL – OHIO STATE
The Chiefs may not win the Super Bowl, but we will just assume that they do – The Chiefs will be losing Sammy Watkins this offseason and though, Hardman has stepped up a little in the playoffs, I will expect them to address the wide receiver position early in the draft. But not this early, get them a big inside offensive lineman to help keep their pride and joy, Patrick Mahomes, upright and healthy. 2021 NFL Mock Draft: SECOND ROUND 33. JAX – Alex Leatherwood – OT – ALABAMA
I’ll start, mine’s Bristol. I can get there in an hour and a half or 2 hours depending on where I am. I went to every night race from 2012-2018 and wasn’t happy when I had to miss the last two because of prior engagements. I’m a Kentuckian, so technically my home track should be Kentucky, but I live closer to Bristol, plus Bristol is a better track overall. In terms of a regional track, essentially all of them within an hour of me have closed down. Plus, I’ve never been to any of those that are still open. But the closest one to me is Mountain Motor Speedway. Also, what tracks have y’all been to? I’ve been to Kentucky (2), Bristol (8), Martinsville (2), Daytona (1), Talladega (1), Charlotte (2)
A quick breakdown of the anti LGBT bill just introduced in North Dakota and its Implications
As Biden is elected, the culture war against transgender individuals heats up. While losing in the national government Conservatives put a new focus on pushing out anti transgender bills at the state level. So far in 2021 13 states have introduced bills to remove rights of transgender individuals mostly focusing on minors. Most notably the majority of these bills are cookie cutter with select wording replaced. These practices are common at the state level with usually think tanks pushing out a template bill which state legislators then can just fill out the blanks. This practice is being pushed right now in hopes of overwhelming ACLU, HRC and other pro LGBT organizations and hope to push this anti LGBT practice into the political mainstream.
Chase Strangio, deputy director for Trans Justice at the ACLU. “At a time when perhaps bill-drafting and government might be slowed down by the states due to practical constraints because of COVID, you have well-resourced anti-trans groups that are drafting these bills and shipping them out to states. And they’re moving incredibly quickly.”
Over the coming months more and more republican states will push these same bills so today I decide to take a look at one of these bills to dissect what is really in them.
Definitions and their meaning
https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/documents/21-0831-03000.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3UJafL9DNTpzbWztQ2lnRX3YdG-2kD0rQGUu3MlErvnjF5WsVLZt3fSyY I decided to start with North Dakota with HOUSE BILL NO. 1476. These bills have to have definitions to attempt to exclude trans people with the idea that future medical treatment won't be able to curtail. You can no longer ban trans women base upon estrogen levels because the last 50 years allow trans women to be biologically identical in appearance. So they settle on the one thing Medical Science can't change. Under this bill this is the following definition for the genders.
1."Biological female" means a person who was born with female anatomy and with two x chromosomes in the person's cells. 2."Biological male" means a person who was born with male anatomy and with x and y chromosomes in the person's cells.
Notice that these definitions say "At Birth" so that in case medical science learns to change chromosome they can still enforce these laws against trans people base upon their presentation before their gender identity developed. Also notice how much this bill also targets intersex people in the crossfire. If a person isn't born with the correct chromosomes or with the correct chromosomes but lacks the "proper" anatomy they too are at the mercy of the North Dakota Legislators.
"Community standards of decency" means standards based on the reasonable observer perspective which are violated by appeals to the prurient interest or the patently offensive to the extent the appeals harm the general decency, safety, health,and welfare of the community. Acts of licentiousness are antithetical to this standard.
Now this is silly but also scary for trans people. Calling gender and sexual non conformity as "patently offensive to the extent the appeals harm the general decency, safety, health,and welfare of the community." This also harkens back to a dark era in trans history when trans people were arrested under "impersonation" or "public indecency" just for expressing their gender. This practice continues to this day with NYPD recently arresting a trans woman under "impersonation" charges and the widespread practice by police to profile all trans women as sex workers To call trans people and all other lgbt people "Acts of licentiousness" shows how far this bill is trying to enforce a gender and sexual conformity that never existed.
"Conversion therapy" means a therapeutic practice in which a licensed mental health expert, acting under authorized consent, assists the expert's client in realigning the client's sexual preference to cultivate attraction for individuals of the opposite sex who have corresponding reproductive anatomy.
Notice I titled this "anti LGBT bills" and not "Anti Transgender Bills" which most of the media uses. This is why, bury deep inside these bills are Trojan horses aimed at gay people wrapped in an anti transgender packaging. Why would a bill aimed at Transgender people, marketed as "protecting children" from Transgender "influences" would also include language about how "therapy" to convert people's sexuality? It is the same reason why there has been a focus on trans people by conservatives since 2015. There has been recent push to for transgender issues to be the new culture war. With transgender rights being seen as a wedge issue on the belief that Transgender rights are less popular then gay rights. If this bill was an anti gay bill and marketed itself as such it would be seen as national outrage. But since we have been desensitized to these anti trans bills they can push for conversion therapy for gays without raising any national news stories by sugarcoating it as an anti trans bill.
"Drag queen story time" means a nonsecular event where men dress up as women and display an inherently sexualized performance targeting minors with the purpose of promoting and normalizing the faith-based beliefs and practices that stem from the secular humanist religion. The term describes an event that targets children and promotes licentiousness in attempts to justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of the state from the reasonable observer perspective
Lets begin from the obvious. There is never a requirement for drag queens to be men. Female drag queens Cis and Trans has existed as long as drag queens existed. Secondly there is nothing inherently sexual about drag queens that isn't inherently sexual about the female presentation. Yes it might be bizarre, colorful and out there but its never been inherently sexual. Of course with any fashion trend it could be presented in a sexual nature and media tends to latch to that but they are more often as conservatively dress as you expect any woman to be. Finally I need to talk about WTF is the " targeting minors with the purpose of promoting and normalizing the faith-based beliefs and practices that stem from the secular humanist religion." Painting LGBT acceptance as a religion isn't new in conservative circles, but what is new classifying it as a "secular humanist religion" as a way to ban it from public schools and government settings "in the name of fairness". I am sure evangelicals have no problem with child indoctrination into religion... as long as it's their religion.
"Emotional appeal" means a method of persuasion through sentiment, not logic,designed to create an emotional response. "Nonsecular" means faith-based, not proven, predicated on naked assertions, or emotional feelings, not self-evident objective fact. "Reasonable observer" means a person of ordinary prudence who views a policy or action from an objective standpoint in the context of the state's longstanding practice and through the lens of self-evident neutral, natural, and noncontroversial transcultural morality.
Facts and Logic, Love how they say that things are rational just because "Thats the way we always done it"
"Nonsecular self-asserted sex-based identity narrative" means an unproven faith-based identity implicitly religious moral stance that is not predicated onself-evident neutral truth and is a story that provides the individual with a sense of purpose and serves as a commentary on sexual practices, sexual preference, faith,morality, and life. The term includes expressions and speech that are controversial,sexualized, questionably moral, questionably plausible, and have a tendency to erode community standards of decency and promote licentiousness.
Wew very loaded definition. Lets start with the title of "self-asserted sex based identity". Transgender advocates are NOT and I repeat NOT talking about sex identity, but gender identity. Sex base identity should only be you and your doctor. What you present yourself as is your gender identity. Now for most of you the two seems linked because you never had to deal with a gender identity different from your sexual one. But trust me its there. Tell me how many hyper masculine guys you know feel uncomfortable with the idea of you putting makeup on them or anything borderline feminine. Next it is important to state that gender identity IS NOT SEXUAL in any means. Most trans people wanted to be their desire gender before they develop their sexuality. I knew I wanted to be a girl since I was 3-4 years old and it is now believed to be the age of which people develop their gender identity. The conservative attempt to fetishize trans people and to state they are sexual is so they can try to push it underground and limit the exposure of trans issues with laws about "public decency" and "we gotta protect our children"
"Nonsecular marriage" means any form of so-called marriage which does not involve a man and a woman and is inseparably linked to the religion of secular humanism. The term refers to so-called marriages between more than two people, persons of the same sex, a person and an animal, or a person and an object.
Again we see the painting of being LGBT as akin to a religion despite it being involuntary. Again this is to try to justify banning these things from a public funded setting by saying it violates the first amendment because the state is enforcing the religion of.... being... gay. Also again if this was marketed as an anti gay bill this would probably be a wide spread and national outrage but again this is buried deep in the legislation so people and the media outside don't see that the anti trans bill is also anti lgbt bill.
"Secular humanism" means a faith-based worldview that is also referred to as postmodern-western-individualistic moral relativism or expressive individualism, and antitheism, and is often the mirror opposite of theism. The term refers to a religion which has a doctrine of worshiping man as the source of all knowledge and truth. The term includes a belief system that is centered on the unproven assumptions there are no moral absolutes and no one moral doctrine should be used as the superior basis for law and policy. The term includes a series of unproven faith-based assumptions and naked assertions that suggest that morality and truth are man made convention sand that at the heart of liberty is man's ability to define his own meaning of the universe. The term refers to a religion that tends to promote licentiousness and to justify practices that are inconsistent with the peace and safety of the state.
This is a double dose of "Non Religion is a Religion" and "Without a higher power there is no morality"
"Sex reassignment surgery" means a nonsecular medical procedure where a person undergoes cosmetic surgery to cause the person's physical appearance to more closely align with the person's nonsecular self-asserted sex-based identity narrative.
"Sexual orientation" means a mythology, dogma, doctrine, ideology, or orthodoxy that is inseparably linked to the religion of secular humanism. The term includes self-asserted sex-based identity narratives that are often predicated on a series of unproven faith-based assumptions and naked assertions that are implicitly religious and have a tendency to erode community standards of decency and promote licentiousness. The term is synonymous with gender identity.
Note that they are tying Gender Identity with Sexual Orientation. This time they are also explicitly claiming that sexual identity is a choice, thus have no requirements of being respected. This might seem alot to write just about definitions that this bill defines but the whole issue is around definitions. It is so important to this bill it takes up half of the bill just to define everything. Also for me it shows the clear cut motive behind this bill. Of course some of you might see this bill as nothing but a product of ignorance then malice. But everything here is written carefully with great consideration with multiple meanings and implications hidden in each definition.
Lets get into the Bill Itself
First part I am going to ignore, it basically said that State of North Dakota shouldn't support LGBT issues because being gay is a religion. The second Part is more interesting and more damning than that. Under the second part of the bill the State and agents of the states are banned from the following:
Issuing or recognizing a marriage license that does not involve a secular marriage;
ban gay marriage
Appropriating, distributing, or awarding public funds in a manner that directly or indirectly respects, promotes, or endorses the plausibility of nonsecular self-asserted sex-based identity narratives, sexual orientation orthodoxy, or nonsecular marriage ideology;
ban from saying LGBT people exist
Appropriating, distributing, or awarding a grant of public funds to cover the cost of sex reassignment surgery;
ban state grants from covering sex changes, as trans people are more likely impoverish in America this is a well place dagger into trans healthcare
Prohibiting or unduly restricting conversion therapy;
ban protecting people from a predatory abusive practice
Displaying a flag that promotes nonsecular self-asserted sex-based identity narratives or sexual orientation orthodoxy in a manner that would be unconstitutional for the same state actor to display a flag that respects or promotes the edicts of an institutionalized religion;
bans flying the gay flag/trans flag
Promoting the use of puberty blockers, especially to minors;
This one is dangerous for two things. Puberty Blockers are a major part of modern transgender healthcare, but more importantly people with some cancers use the same drugs to treat their cancers. They too would be caught in the crossfire.
Permitting a person who was born as a biological male (or female) to change the person's gender to female (or male) on the person's birth certificate, driver's license, or any other official government form;
The biggest issue for transphobes is that its next to impossible sometimes to tell who is trans or not. Thus every anti trans legislation carries this in them to try to make it so its possible to tell who is trans or not by their IDs. Basically IDing trans people.
Assigning or housing an inmate who was born as a biological male in a ward or cell designated for inmates who were born as biological females;
This is bad for obvious reasons
Mandating pronoun changes.
Bans the state and state employees to ask people to use a different pronoun... uh huh But you might be asking "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN". Don't worry this bill carries special rules banning the public schools of North Dakota from the following:
Exposing students to a curriculum concerning nonsecular self-asserted sex-based identity ideology or sexual orientation orthodoxy unless the programming is part of a sex education program and only after a student's parents have:(1)Intentionally opted their child into participating in the programming in writing; or (2)Received a warning from the school or department of public instruction that the messaging could expose their child to licentiousness and one particular religious worldview.
Gotta sign a waver so Timmy can be told gay people exist
Permitting a student who was born as a biological female (or male) to participate in sports designated for biological males (or females);
Permitting a person who was born as a biological male (or female) to enter or use a locker room or restroom designated for biological females (or males);
Again with the bathroom bills, they know that its less awkward for trans people to go to their prefer restroom but they want to bully trans people back into the closet
Mandating pronoun changes
Hosting or sponsoring drag queen story time for children or similar programming.
Uhh huh.... These events are hosted by Libraries not by schools but go off I guess. Kinda shows how addicted to culture war these people made these bills are. The rest of the bill goes into punishments if any of these laws are broken. But towards the end is a tack on manifesto on why gay marriage should be banned in North Dakota. Again they front load the bill with anti trans rhetoric then slip in the anti gay stuff in the end. I don't have time to get into but you can read it for itself. Finally the last paragraph closes the bill with the following.
It is not proven or disproven whether sexual orientation is predicated on immutability and genetics and is therefore a matter of religious faith that falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the establishment clause balanced with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and section3 of articleI of the Constitution of North Dakota.
YIKES
Why should I care?
Few reasons, first this legislation, this language is the norm at red states as more and more conservative think tanks push out these "model legislation" for state representatives to copy. They know these bills won't fly at the federal level so they are spamming these at the state level hoping that some of these states pass these bills and many have. The reason why I covered this bill point by point is because the lawmakers and the think tank people who made these bills don't want us to care or know what is in this bill. They just want to market it as a bill that "protects children from transgenderism". The next question of course is why should we care if the courts are going to shoot it down anyways. Yea this bill if passed won't make it through court scrutiny but that safeguard only exists if we actively preserve it. American right know this too and they have been working their damn asses off trying to pact the courts to their favor. Without the courts there would be nothing stopping red states from passing such regressive and dangerous policies to the LGBT. It is critical for LGBT people everywhere that we preserve the courts to prevent state overreach. Finally I am frustrated in how these bills are covered. Even left wing media has been calling these "Anti transgender bills". That's what these lawmakers want. That's why they front load these bills with anti trans arguments then throw in the anti gay in the end. I feel like people just look at the title and first paragraph before writing their articles. Make not mistake these are the same anti gay bills they made before gay marriage. They just put the trans stuff first because hating trans people is more popular in America then hating gay people. I hope by making this post I open your eyes on what is currently on the floor of a dozen states in America right now. These bills only pass and survive due to the inaction of the people who support the LGBT. Remember to call your representatives if you live in these states and volunteer time to prevent this discrimination from being accepted in society I haven't really written an effort post in a long time so I am rusty. Ill probably write another one on these anti trans bills. Maybe a proper R1 on the High Court ruling or the criminalization of being trans in the US and UK. Thanks for your time <3
Hi, I've decided to steal u/NH-INDY-99's format for a 3-round mock draft. Though a Watson and Stafford trade are inevitable I decided against mocking it. **Round One** 1.01 JAX **Trevor Lawrence (QB) - Clemson** 1.02 NYJ ** Penei Sewell (OT) - Oregon** 1.03 MIA (via HOU) **Devonta Smith (WR) - Alabama* 1.04 DET **Justin Fields (QB) - Ohio State (TRADE)** *Atl trades to 1.04 to DET for 1.07, 3.72, 2022 Third* 1.05 SF **Zach Wilson (QB)- BYU (TRADE)** *SF trade 1.12, 2.43, 4.114, 2022 First, 2022 third to CIN for 1.05* 1.06 PHI **Micah Parsons (LB) - Penn State** 1.07 ATL **Kwity Paye (DE) -Michigan ** (TRADE) *Atl trades to 1.04 to DET for 1.07, 3.72, 2022 fifth* 1.08 CAR **Trey Lance (QB) - NDSU** 1.09 DEN **Caleb Farley (CB) - Virginia Tech** 1.10 DAL **Patrick Surtain II (CB) - Alabama** 1.11 NYG **Ja’marr Chase (WR)- LSU** 1.12 CIN ** Rashawn Slater (OT) - Northwestern** (TRADE) *SF trade 1.12, 2.43, 4.114, 2022 First, 2022 third to CIN for 1.12* 1.13 LAC ** Christian Darrisaw(OT) - Virginia Tech** 1.14 MIN **Jaycee Horn (CB) - South Carolina** 1.15 NE **Kyle Pitts (TE) - Florida** 1.16 ARI **Alijah Vera-Tucker (OL) - USC** 1.17 LV **Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB) - Norte Dame** 1.18 MIA **Sam Cosmi (OT) - Texas** 1.19 WSH **Jaylen Waddle (WR) - Alabama** 1.20 CHI **Alex Leatherwood (OT) - Alabama** 1.21 IND **Mac Jones (QB) -Alabama** 1.22 TEN **Greg Rousseau (DE) - Miami(FL)** 1.23 NYJ (via SEA) **Eric Stokes (CB) - Georgia** 1.24 PIT **Liam Eichenberg (OT) - Norte Dame** 1.25 JAX (via LAR) **Jaelan Phillips (DE) - Miami (FL)** 1.26 CLE **Zaven Collins (LB) - Tulsa** 1.27 BAL **Patrick Jones II (DE) - Pitt** 1.28 NO **Tyson Campbell (CB) - Georgia** 1.29 GB **Daviyon Nixon (DT) - Iowa** 1.30 BUF **Wyatt Davis (OL) - Ohio State** 1.31 TB **Christian Barmore (DT) - Alabama** 1.32 KC **Azeez Ojulari (DE) - Georgia** **Round Two** 2.33 JAX **Jalen Mayfield (OT) - Michigan** 2.34 NYJ **Najee Harris (RB) - Alabama** 2.35 ATL **Aaron Robinson (CB) - UCF** 2.36 MIA (via HOU) **Joseph Ossai (DE/LB) - Texas** 2.37 PHI **Rashod Bateman (WR) - Minnesota** 2.38 CIN **Jayson Oweh (DE) - Penn State** 2.39 CAR **Nick Bolton (LB) - Missouri** 2.40 DEN **Carlos Basham Jr (DE) - Wake Forest** 2.41 DET **Jay Tufele (DT) - USC** 2.42 NYG **Quincy Roche (DE) - Miami ** 2.43 CIN **Deonte Brown (OG) - Alabama** (TRADE) *SF trade 1.12, 2.43, 4.114, 2022 First, 2022 third to CIN for 1.12* 2.44 DAL **Trevon Moehrig(S) - TCU** 2.45 JAX (via MIN) **Pat Freiermuth (TE) - Penn State ** 2.46 NE **Kyle Trask (QB) - Florida ** 2.47 LAC **Landon Dickerson (IOL) - Alabama** 2.48 LV **Levi Onwuzurike (DT) Washington** 2.49 ARI **Rondale Moore (WR) - Purdue** 2.50 MIA **Travis Etienne (RB) - Clemson** 2.51 WSH **Walker Little (OT) - Stanford** 2.52 CHI **Terrace Marshal (WR) - LSU** 2.53 TEN **Kadarius Toney (WR) - Florida** 2.54 IND **Teven Jenkins (OT) - Oklahoma State** 2.55 PIT **Josh Myers (C) - Ohio State** 2.56 SEA **Shaun Wade (CB) - Ohio State** 2.57 LAR **Trey Smith (OL) - Tennessee** 2.58 BAL **Creed Humphrey (C) - Oklahoma ** 2.59 CLE **Joe Tryon (DE) - Washington** 2.60 NO **Jevon Holland (S) - Oregon** 2.61 GB **Asante Samuel Jr. (CB) - Florida State** 2.62 BUF **Greg Newsome II (CB) - Northwestern** 2.63 TB **Trey Sermon (RB) - Ohio State** 2.64 KC **Ben Cleveland (OG) - Georgia **Round Three** 3.65 JAX **Bubba Bolden (S) - Miami** 3.66 NYJ **Nico Collins (WR) - Michigan** 3.67 HOU **Hamilar Rashed (DE) -Oregon State** 3.68 ATL **Dylan Moses (LB) - Alabama** 3.69 CIN **Seth Williams (WR) - Auburn** 3.70 PHI **Paulson Adebo (CB) -Stanford** 3.71 DEN **Jabril Cox (LB) - LSU** 3.72 ATL **Kenneth Gainwell (RB) - Memphis** (Trade) 3.73 CAR **Dillon Radunz (OT) North Dakota State** 3.74 WSH (via SF) **Andre Cisco (S) - Syracuse** 3.75 DAL **Chazz Surratt (LB) - North Carolina** 3.76 NYG **Jackson Carmen (OT) - Clemson** 3.77 NE ---**FORFEITED**\--- 3.78 LAC **Rodarius Williams (CB) - OK State) 3.79 MIN **Marvin Wilson (DT) - Florida State** 3.80 ARI **Elijah Molden (CB) - Washington** 3.81 LV **Aaron Banks (OG) - Notre Dame** 3.82 MIA **Drake Jackson (IOL) - Kentucky** 3.83 WSH **Cameron Mcgrone (LB) - Michigan** 3.84 CHI **Hamsah Nasirildeen(S) - Florida State** 3.85 IND **Tylan Wallace (WR) - Ok State** 3.86 TEN **Darius Stills (DT) - West Virginia** 3.87 NYJ (via SEA) **Chris Rumph II (DE) - Duke** 3.88 PIT **Javonte Williams (RB) - North Carolina ** 3.89 LAR *Baron Browning (LB) - Ohio State** 3.90 CLE **Paris Ford (S) - Pittsburgh** 3.91 MIN (via BAL) **Rashad Weaver (DE) - Pitt** 3.92 CLE (via NO) **Alim Mcniel (DT) - NC State** 3.93 GB **Elijah Moore (WR) - Ole Miss** 3.94 BUF **Brevin Jordan (TE) - Miami** 3.95 TB **Jamie Newman (QB) - Georgia Tech** 3.96 KC ** Tutu Atwell (WR) - Louisville** **AFC** **Baltimore Ravens** 1.27 BAL - Patrick Jones II (DE) - Pitt 2.58 BAL - Creed Humphrey (C) - Oklahoma The Ravens have multiple needs this season, but none are as important as DE and Center. Center Matt Skura is still recovering from a significant knee injury where he tore his ACL, MCL and PCL in late November along with a disclosated kneecap and his future is unknown. While the franchise-tagged Matthew Judon registered 9.5 sacks and 33 quarterback hits — both team high, Jaylon Ferguson, a rookie, only finished with with 2.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits. **Cincinnati Bengals** 1.12 CIN - Christian Darrisaw(OT) - Virginia Tech(Trade) 2.38 CIN - Jayson Oweh (DE) - Penn State 2.43 CIN - Deonte Brown (OG) - Alabama(TRADE) 3.69 CIN - Seth Williams (WR) - Auburn The most important thing in Cincinnati this season is one thing and one thing alone, collect as many assets to protect and assist Joe Burrow this offseason. To make matters worse, Carl Lawson, AJ Green, and John Ross are free agents and most likely to be somewhere else in 2021. Cincinnati posted the second least sacks in 2020 and desperately needs to add playmakers on the edge. **Cleveland Browns** 1.26 CLE - Zaven Collins (LB) - Tulsa 2.59 CLE - Joe Tryon (DE) - Washington 3.90 CLE - Paris Ford (S) - Pittsburgh 3.92 CLE (via NO) - Alim Mcniel (DT) - NC State On defense, all three levels need to get better. But at the very least, Myles Garrett is locked in long-term as focal point of the defense and Denzel Ward seem likely to join him when he’s extended. I see the browns hammering the defensive side of the ball in the draft this year with a WR in the mix in the later rounds. **Pittsburgh Steelers** 1.24 PIT - Liam Eichenberg (OT) - Norte Dame 2.55 PIT - Josh Myers (C) - Ohio State 3.88 PIT - Javonte Williams (RB) - North Carolina With the retirement of Pouncey looming along with free agency of Villanueva, Steelers desperately need to find cheap options on the OL. Eichenburg and Myers provide elite, cheap fills and can be franchise players. The question mark for RB is also a big one. Do they resign Connor, find another option like Kenyan Drake, Jerrick Mckinnon, or Chris Carson or draft one. I think Javonte is great value at 88 and can be a huge boost to the backfield. **Buffalo Bills** 1.30 BUF - Wyatt Davis (OL) - Ohio State 2.62 BUF - Greg Newsome II (CB) - Northwestern 3.94 BUF - Brevin Jordan (TE) - Miami The Bills are a complete deep that doesn’t have many sports for an instant starter. Wyatt Davis is an ideal fit for filling one of the holes in the G position that struggled mightily on running. While Dawson Knox ended up filling an important TE spot late in the year, Brevin Jordan provides Josh Allen with an elite NFL prospect that has the potential to be a star. **Miami Dolphins** 1.03 MIA (via HOU) - Devonta Smith (WR) - Alabama 1.18 MIA - Sam Cosmi (OT) - Texas 2.36 MIA (via HOU) - Joseph Ossai (LB) - Texas 2.50 MIA - Travis Etienne (RB) - Clemson 3.82 MIA - Drake Jackson (IOL) - Kentucky In Tua year two, the Dolphins need to fill out their roster if they want to compete with the Bills. There are multiple needs Miami has, but filling out their OL and giving Tua elite options are the priority. Drafting Cosmi gives the Dolphins much needed OL depth though they drafted a OT in the first round last year. There is some belief that Cosmi can be placed at guard and will be a help wherever. Finally, Ossai is a perfect fit in the Dolphins D. The do-it-all Edge Rushing OLB will provide the Dolphins D with yet another playmaker. **New England Patriots** 1.15 NE - Kyle Pitts (TE) - Florida 2.46 NE - Kyle Trask (QB) - Florida Offense, Offense, Offense. Patriots need to hammer a rebuild on the offensive side of the draft if they even want to dream about the playoffs again. The Bills and Dolphins are a major threat in the AFC and Newton at QB wasn’t a longterm fix. Pitts provides Belichick with an elite pass catcher who can line up all over the field. The Patriots have been blessed with Brady long enough and they finally draft his replacement, Kyle Trask. **New York Jets** 1.02 NYJ - Penei Sewell (OT) - Oregon 1.23 NYJ (via SEA) - Eric Stokes (CB) - Georgia 2.34 NYJ - Najee Harris (RB) - Alabama 3.66 NYJ - Nico Collins (WR) - Michigan 3.87 NYJ (via SEA) - Chris Rumph II (DE) - Duke If the Jets want to compete next year, they need to address almost every position. If Robert Saleh decides to stick with his 23-year old QB, Sam Darnold, drafting Sewell and moving either him or Becton to RT might save years on Darnold’s life. While trading down or trading for Watson might be the move the Jets likely do if they decide not to draft a QB, passing on a so-called All-pro level OT is tough decision. Stokes is an elite outside corner fills a much needed hole. **Houston Texans** 3.67 HOU - Hamilcar Rashed (DE) -Oregon State Houston we have a problem. Who knows what’s going to happen in Houston, heck, the don’t have a head coach yet. The only thing we do know is that (as a Houstonian myself) they need to make impactful decisions this offseason on Deshaun Watson, JJ Watt, and quite frankly almost the entire roster. I mocked Houston a DE to provide depth on the DL but if they get a blockbuster trade involving Deshaun, we might see them in the top-5. **Indianapolis Colts** 1.21 IND - Mac Jones (QB) -Alabama 2.54 IND - Teven Jenkins (OT) - Oklahoma State 3.85 IND - Tylan Wallace (WR) - Ok State Indianapolis has an elite defense and if they can fix the holes on offense they will be a threat in the AFC for years to come. With the retirements of Phillip Rivers and Anthony Constanzo, LT and QB becoming immediate early draft picks or free agent acquisitions and I believe drafting Mac Jones and Teven Jenkins will be good replacements. Lastly, Tylan Wallace fills depth at WR and is one of the smoothest WR in the class. **Jacksonville Jaguars** 1.01 JAX - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson 1.25 JAX (via LAR) - Jaelan Phillips (DE) - Miami (FL) 2.33 JAX - Jalen Mayfield (OT) - Michigan 2.45 JAX (via MIN) - Pat Freiermuth (TE) - Penn State 3.65 JAX - Bubba Bolden (S) - Miami The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently in the process of completing their regime change under new head coach Urban Meyer. Once that happens, it will be all about making improvements to the roster this offseason. With Lawrence as a lock, Urban Meyer has to surround his franchise QB with a roster that’ll be competitive. Jaelen Phillips brings an elite edge threat to a team that registered the least amount of sacks last year and Mayfield (Had to draft a Michigan Grad and 2 Miami grads to Urban) will fill a much needed hole on the OL. **Tennessee Titans** 1.22 TEN - Greg Rousseau (DE) - Miami(FL) 2.53 TEN - Kadarius Toney (WR) - Florida 3.86 TEN - Darius Stills (DT) - West Virginia By far, Tennessee’s biggest problem right now is a lack of consistent pass rush, which should have them targeting an edge defender early in this draft. Greg Rousseau fills the need and provides a high-upside EDGE to assist whatever they bring in in free agency.. Toney has a special combination of speed and quickness that makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the field. He shakes defenders with ease when facing man-to-man coverage and has shown the ability to find soft spots against zone. Once the ball is in his hands, Toney kicks it into high gear and often leaves the defense in his dust. **Denver Broncos** 1.09 DEN - Caleb Farley (CB) - Virginia Tech 2.40 DEN - Carlos Basham Jr (DE) - Wake Forest 3.71 DEN - Jabril Cox (LB) - LSU With the 9th pick, the Broncos should be targeting one of the several talented cornerbacks in this 2021 NFL Draft class. The Broncos brought in former Pro Bowler A.J. Bouye via trade with the Jaguars and he has been on and off the field due to injuries this season. I think Farley is incredibly talented and he fills a need for Vic Fangio's defense. On the other side of Fangio’s scheme, his defense is one that allows edge rushers to thrive. Look at the work he’s done specifically in Chicago with Khalil Mack. With Von Miller battling injuries and getting older, the need for a possible future edge rusher has become more apparent for the Broncos. By selecting Basham and Cox, Fangio gets elite depth and pieces that he maneuver all over the field. I wouldn’t be surprised if Broncos all try to go after Teven Jenkins or Jalen Mayfield in the second round if they are available. Though they have JuWuan James returning, they struggled with OL depth last year and need to get more consistent if they are going to compete. **Kansas City Chiefs** 1.32 KC - Azeez Ojulari (LB) - Georgia 2.64 KC - Ben Cleveland (OG) - Georgia 3.96 KC - Tutu Atwell (WR) - Louisville One thing the Chiefs will need in 2021 is help at the edge rusher position. Right now, Frank Clark and Mike Danna are the only two players currently under contract. They’ll need to find a few more in the draft and undrafted free agency if they don’t re-sign any of their pending free agents. At 6-3, 240 pounds, Ojulari might be a better fit for a 3-4 defense, but he can get after quarterbacks with the best of them in this class. A smart defensive coordinator will move him around on defense and let him loose. Cleveland is in his third season at Georgia, playing right guard, and he has not allowed a sack or even a quarterback hit at Georgia. There are also questions about Cleveland's athleticism, but he is looked at as a strong, intelligent player for the Bulldogs at right guard and that could be a nice addition to the Chiefs' interior offensive line, which still has its fair share of struggles. Lastly, by adding Tutu Atwell to the chiefs, you give Mahomes another Tyreek Hill. Atwell (5'9/165) was one of Louisville's most prolific playmakers on the offensive side of the football in 2019. He established a new school record in receiving yards (1,276) and tied the school record in touchdown receptions (12). **Las Vegas Raiders** 1.17 LV - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB) - Norte Dame 2.48 LV - Levi Onwuzurike (DT) Washington 3.81 LV - Aaron Banks (OG) - Notre Dame When it comes to the draft, the Raiders still have plenty of holes to fill, particularly when it comes to the team’s defensive side. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have spent plenty of picks on the defense but have yet to draft a player who looks like he can be All-Pro, or even pro bowl material on defense. JOK is a bit undersized at only 220 pounds, but he is incredibly athletic and quick twitch. On top of that, he is a very smart player and would provide many of the coverage traits that the Raiders thought Littleton would provide. With the Raiders possibly letting go Richie Incognito, Aaron Banks slides in as an instant starter on the OL. **Los Angeles Chargers** 1.13 LAC - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech 2.47 LAC - Landon Dickerson (IOL) - Alabama 3.78 LAC - Rodarius Williams (CB) - OK State The most important thing this summer, similar to the Bengals, is to protect Burrow at all costs. A big, dominant athlete at the position, Darrisaw is a blast. His footwork is some of the smoothest in the class. In the open field, Darrisaw moves and climbs to the second level with ease and efficiency. Darrisaw immediately slides in at left tackle as a long-term upgrade over Trey Pipkins. Just from a purely schematic standpoint, Darrisaw fits better into a zone-run scheme. His movement ability and experience with the Hokies lends itself to that. It is exciting when you realize that Darrisaw still has room to grow in his frame. In the 47th pick, I selected Landon Dickerson. Center Dan Feeney is not the number one priority to be upgraded upon, but Landon Dickerson is excellent value at this spot. A steady, polished prospect, Dickerson is the definition of a plug-and-play starter. This is a young man that gets push and sets a tone. Lastly, they select Rodarius Williams. It is sad seeing Casey Hayward fall a bit off the proverbial cliff. The man is 31 years old, and now that is the age where many cornerbacks meet their demise. On the positive side of things, Michael Davis is emerging as a real gamer. Chris Harris is still solid inside at the nickel, too. However, cornerback is emerging as a massive need for the Chargers to address. **NFC** **Chicago Bears** 1.20 CHI - Alex Leatherwood (OT) - Alabama 2.52 CHI - Terrace Marshal (WR) - LSU 3.84 CHI - Hamsah Nasirildeen(S) - Florida State Matt Nagy desperately needs to overhaul their offense if they want to compete with the Packers in the upcoming years. To start, I believe the biggest needs the Bears must address this offseason is the offensive line and Receiver. If the Bears want to find an adequate replacement for the expected departure of Allen Robinson, they’ll have to strongly consider using their first pick, however in this mock draft I have them assessing OT first. **Detroit Lions** 1.04 DET - Justin Fields (QB) - Ohio State (TRADE) *Atl trades to 1.04 to DET for 1.07, 3.72, 2022 fifth* 2.41 DET - Jay Tufele (DT) - USC With the departure of Stafford announced, Lions have a new QB coming to town. While they will most likely receive draft compensation in return, I decided against mocking a trade in this draft. With the Jets deciding to select Sewell, Miami, ATL, and Cinn will all be interested in trading down. Justin Fields comes in as an immediate started and DET gets to keep their second round pick. **Green Bay Packers** 1.29 GB - Daviyon Nixon (DT) - Iowa 2.61 GB - Asante Samuel Jr. (CB) - Florida State 3.93 GB - Elijah Moore (WR) - Ole Miss Like the other 3 teams that made the Championship Weekend, the Packers have minimal needs. Kevin King was exposed versus the Bucs and I wouldn’t be surprised if they draft a CB with the first round pick. If the Packers can add another monster upfront, it would help them in so many areas. For starters, it would make life easier on their inside linebackers and open up more gaps for the backer to fill in the running game. A player who can get after the quarterback by pushing the pocket would also alleviate some stress on the secondary and free up blockers for the Packers’ edge rushers. **Minnesota Vikings** 1.14 MIN - Jaycee Horn (CB) - South Carolina 3.79 MIN - Marvin Wilson (DT) - Florida State 3.91 MIN (via BAL) - Rashad Weaver (DE) - Pitt With the 14th pick, the Vikings can go many routes, address the OL, draft an edge rusher, or fix the back end of the defense. With Spielman as GM, it is very unlikely that the Vikings will never draft an EDGE rusher in the first round. The Vikings gave up the second-most passes of 20 or more yards (63), and they lack any sort of elite talent at cornerback. Jaycee Horn would be an immediate upgrade and one of the most impactful picks of my 2021 NFL mock draft. Head Coach Mike Zimmer said that “this years defense was the worst defense he’s ever had”, and I believe they do all they can to reinvigorate their squad. **Dallas Cowboys** 1.10 DAL - Patrick Surtain II (CB) - Alabama 2.44 DAL - Trevon Moehrig (S) - TCU 3.75 DAL - Chazz Surratt (LB) - North Carolina Going into the 2021 draft, the Cowboys have multiple holes they need to address. To start they desperately need to address their secondary. If the Cowboys do not keep Chidobe Awuzie they could be in the market for at least two corners. Along with that, the Dallas Cowboys have not drafted a safety in the first round since 2002 when the team selected Roy Williams with the eighth overall pick. While linebacker has some talent and depth, being a less premier position, does not hold the value to spend a first-round pick. **New York Giants** 1.11 NYG - Ja’marr Chase (WR)- LSU 2.42 NYG - Quincy Roche (DE) - Miami 3.76 NYG - Jackson Carmen (OT) - Clemson I think that the Giants are an ascending football team, but they need to be more explosive offensively. Ja’Marr Chase might be the number one WR in the Class and has the size and speed to be the main target for Daniel Jones. One of the more bizarre stats to come out of the 2020 regular season was that the Giants’ top four pressure marks all came from interior defensive linemen. Leonard Williams (62 pressures), Dexter Lawrence (29), Dalvin Tomlinson (28) and B.J. Hill (22) all produced more quarterback pressures than New York’s top mark from an edge defender — Kyler Fackrell with just 19. By drafting an EDGE in the second round, they bring in a dire need. **Philadelphia Eagles** 1.06 PHI - Micah Parsons (LB) - Penn State 2.37 PHI - Rashod Bateman (WR) - Minnesota 3.70 PHI - Paulson Adebo (CB) -Stanford The Eagles have massive holes to fill and might have multiple key players from their SB team leaving this offseason. The Eagles haven’t drafted an off-the-ball linebacker in the first two rounds since 2012 when they took Mychal Kendricks at No. 46 overall. But wow, is Parsons special. He can drop in coverage, wrap up in run defense or get to the QB when turned loose on a blitz. They happen to get unbelievable value at 37th pick with Rashod Bateman. Last year, they took the speedster when they snagged Jalen Reagor at No. 21. In this mock draft, the Eagles find a more complete receiver in Rashod Bateman. **Washington Football Team** 1.19 WSH - Jaylen Waddle (WR) - Alabama 2.51 WSH - Walker Little (OT) - Stanford 3.74 WSH (via SF) - Andre Cisco (S) - Syracuse 3.83 WSH - Cameron Mcgrone (LB) - Michigan It's no surprise that the Football Team needs a QB, but they most likely need to give up an unbelievable amount of draft capitol if they want a taste at the top 4 QBs in the draft. With the abundance of QB’s in the market this offseason, it won’t be a surprise if they make a run at Matt Stafford, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jimmy G, or Matt Ryan if they become available. Washington could bring in one of the elite Receivers in Free Agency, but Waddle at 19 is hard to pass up. Walker Little provides much need OL depth and very well could start at RT this upcoming season. Finally, Andre Cisco and Cameron Mcgrone add playmaking abilities to their defense and make their defense an elite force for the 2021 season. **Atlanta Falcons** 1.07 ATL - Kwity Paye (DE) -Michigan (TRADE) *Atl trades to 1.04 to DET for 1.07, 3.72, 2022 fifth* 2.35 ATL - Aaron Robinson (CB) - UCF 3.68 ATL - Dylan Moses (LB) - Alabama 3.72 ATL - Kenneth Gainwell (RB) - Memphis (Trade) Atlanta comes into the 2021 Draft in a unique position. They have plenty of talent, but a team full of aging superstars and an abysmal defense brought them to the number 4 pick. Most likely the top 6 will be Lawrence, Sewell and a run on QBs and WRs bringing the Falcons in a unique position. If they decide to draft a QB, they are in perfect position to pick one but I believe the best idea is to trade down. With Detroit, Carolina, Denver, NE, SF, WFT, and Indy all possibly lining up with a new QB in 2021, ATL can get good value if they want to trade down. **Carolina Panthers** 1.08 CAR - Trey Lance (QB) - NDSU 2.39 CAR - Nick Bolton (LB) - Missouri 3.73 CAR - Dillon Radunz (OT) North Dakota State If Trey Lance falls to 8, Carolina would be happy to pick Lance with the eighth pick. Drafting a quarterback is almost a certainty at this point but if the Panthers take the "aggressive" approach that new general manager Scott Fitterer has talked about, they will likely trade up for either BYU's Zach Wilson or Ohio State's Justin Fields. The Carolina Panthers are going to need a long-term solution to their middle linebacker spot sooner rather than later and Nick Bolton fills the void left by Luke Kuechly. Nick Bolton is a physical hitter who has the right sort of speed to become a sideline-to-sideline force at the next level. Finally, Tackle in particular is a priority with the Panthers likely to move on from left tackle Russell Okung 32, and right tackle Taylor Moton likely to draw interest in free agency that could make him too costly. Offensive line is one of the hardest positions to evaluate unless that player is dominating, and it's highly unlikely Sewell will fall to No. 8. There aren't many after him who are guaranteed a first-round grade, so Carolina likely will have to build that area with lower picks. **New Orleans Saints** 1.28 NO - Tyson Campbell (CB) - Georgia 2.60 NO - Jevon Holland (S) - Oregon The Saints have many decisions this offseason regarding their elite defensive that puts them in a tough spot. It’s currently uncertain what the New Orleans secondary will look like next season as Janoris Jenkins, PJ Williams, Justin Hardee, and Ken Crawley are all set to be free agents, and adding a top tier talent like Campbell and Holland could help the team for years. **Tampa Bay Buccaneers** 1.31 TB - Christian Barmore (DT) - Alabama 2.63 TB - Trey Sermon (RB) - Ohio State 3.95 TB -Jamie Newman (QB) - Georgia Tech The Bucs have a really solid roster. Suh is already 34, so they should look to beef up their defensive line. Christian Barmore is an elite DT prospect with a massive frame that will complement Vita Vea and Such greatly. By adding Sermon, the Bucs gain an elite, powerful back that can be an elite blocker and difference maker. Finally, Jamie Newman at 95 provides Tampa with a solid back-up that can be a quality starter in a few years once Tom Brady is retired. **Arizona Cardinals** 1.16 ARI - Alijah Vera-Tucker (OL) - USC 2.49 ARI - Rondale Moore (WR) - Purdue 3.80 ARI - Elijah Molden (CB) - Washington There’s a good chance they go defense here with 14, but we know Arizona is an offensive team first, and that’s where the priority is. Alijah Vera-Tucker will hold the middle, protect Kyler Murray, and solidify the base. With Horn, Surtain, and Farley, all selected before their choice, look for the Cardinals to select a player to help solidify their OL. At the 49th pick, Arizona takes an elite WR that very could be taken in round 1. **Los Angeles Rams** 2.57 LAR - Trey Smith (OL) - Tennessee 3.89 LAR - Baron Browning (LB) - Ohio State Going into the 2021 offseason, the Rams have quite a few question marks among the OL. Whitworth is old and the rest of the OL might be gone this offseason. They violently need to address the OL in the draft and this offseason. Trey Smith is an elite run blocking guard and though he played mostly inside, he can be flexed on the outside if needed. The Rams may have their most questions right now at the linebacker position and several key names could be gone by next year. Cory Littleton and Dante Fowler were lost this offseason, Samsom Ebukam will be a free agent next year, and Leonard Floyd was only signed to a one-year contract. Baron Browning is a must for the elite Rams D and provides Sean Mcvay with an athletic playmaker. **San Francisco 49ers** 1.05 SF - Zach Wilson (QB)- BYU (TRADE) *SF trade 1.12, 2.43, 4.114, 2022 First, 2022 third to CIN for 1.12* San Francisco has an important offseason in front of them if they want to continue being atop the NFC West. Injuries battered the 49ers this year and it was a disappointing season all around. The 49ers are in salary cap hell next season and needs to do something if they want to resign Trent Williams, Richard Sherman, Soloman Thomas, and Jason Verrett among others. If I was the 49ers GM, you have many options but none more complimented than the QB. Garoppolo has a $26.9 million salary-cap hit next season, and it only costs $2.8 million to cut him. At this point, it's far from a guarantee Jimmy G plays quarterback for the 49ers in 2021. **Seattle Seahawks** 2.56 SEA - Shaun Wade (CB) - Ohio State Seattle only has one pick in the first 3 rounds and they drastically need to improve their secondary. Ohio State defensive back Shaun Wade will be a hotly contested prospect after seeing his fair share of successes and failures with the Buckeyes program. Wade burst onto the scene as a dynamic freshman and starred in a nickel corner role for a Buckeyes secondary that was loaded with talent throughout the course of his first two seasons in Columbus. But Wade’s junior season saw a transition to the perimeter and a fair share of struggles with life on the outside, calling into question whether or not Wade can play on the boundary and whether or not he’s destined for a role as a nickel or safety. Based on Wade’s 2020 play, a transition to strong safety feels like a safe bet to maximize his athletic skills, length, and hitting power without tasking him to cover too much ground or play on an island in coverage. Wade’s ceiling really shines when he’s able to be protected vertically, so even if he went into the pros as a cornerback, he’d be best suited to play in a two-deep variation. In all, Wade has plenty of potential; but after three seasons in Columbus, he feels no closer to reaching it and a position change may be his best ticket to getting there.
RoyalRoad Index Previous Next This was supposed to be the last chapter, but I split the finale again! Government Outpost 32, Zakabara Prime Whoever built this outpost was an idiot, Sajark decided. It was possibly the most tactically indefensible position on the entire continent. Sitting at the bottom of a steep valley where enemies could fire down on them all day, the only reason they hadn't abandoned this compound yet was because its hundred or so defenders have been ordered to hold every inch of ground from the rebels. This was day two of the assault. The rebels attacked in waves. They blew a whistle to signify a new wave. It was a primitive way of coordinating, but it boosted morale for their troops and put the government security soldiers on edge. Whenever the whistle sounded, hundreds of rebels with rifles or even just melee weapons would charge into the valley towards their outpost. Sajark thought he would probably hear that whistle to the day he died. Which could very well be today. Sajark had burnt through at least a hundred thousand rounds of ammunition. They were lucky. The resupply trucks had come in the day before yesterday, right before the attack started. If the rebels kept up their attack, they would become less lucky. The commanders of the base kept reassuring them that the relief reinforcements were coming, but the cavalry was apparently preoccupied elsewhere. There were a lot of rebels. They were everywhere. And this badly built outpost probably wasn't on Popptaw's list of high priority installations to protect. Sajark followed his training and the example of the veterans. Shoot, take cover to reload, pop out somewhere else, and keep shooting. When the bird next to you calls out a target, suppress it with volume of fire. He didn't know how many rebels he killed, but the barrel of his weapon melted and had to be changed, several times. That was not a concern. There were plenty of weapons lying around without their owners. By the end of the second day, he'd become a veteran too. They all were. "Medic!" he heard someone yell out in the distance. Two tired but well-disciplined field medics grabbed an improvised stretcher and ran out towards the voice. Two minutes later, Sajark saw them come back with a fellow who had been shot once in his left wing but was still clinging onto life. They'd probably get a medal for this, he mused. The rebels didn't stop at night. If anything, they tried harder. If they could get into the camp, their melee weapons and otherwise inaccurate old guns could actually do some real damage to the soldiers. The base had to constantly fire off illumination flares into the air to see whether more were coming. Nobody in the outpost got any sleep. They just waited for the whistles. On day three, the rebels celebrated dawn with yet another whistle. This time, Sajark saw what must be thousands of determined birds gliding down the hill with nothing but the wings on their back and sharp knives clutched in their beaks. They didn't need their own weapons, Sajark realized. There were plenty lying around everywhere. The machine gunners in the fortified buildings spat fire at them, cutting down many on the way down into puffs of feather and flesh. It was not enough. A panicked voice came over the radio from the barracks: "Enemies in the wire! They're right next to us! We're being overrun!" Every internal security soldier still alive in the outpost clutched their rifles in their wings and said a silent prayer for the poor birds still left in the barracks. Planetary Palace, Zakabara Prime "Popptaw, there are rumors that troops are beginning to stop patrolling some areas and neighborhoods controlled by The Students due to unacceptable casualties. Some outposts are seeing sustained attacks," reported a Lord of internal security. Another Lord complained, "our supply routes keep getting cut because they've taken over many roads. Some of them are even taking our weapons and turning them against us." "It's not all bad news," an intel Lord tried to inject some positivity. "We've been using some of the new weapons we copied from the humans to some positive effect. Especially the ones that fire automatically. The Students are throwing themselves at us and sustaining many casualties. They can't possibly keep up forever. We just need to resupply them." "We can't let these traitors win! From now on, we will show these mobs what they're truly dealing with," Popptaw ordered, "Canouah! Have your ships work closely with the internal security troops and support them. They aren't doing anything against the Seconders or humans in space anyway!" "We will let the rebels know what the meaning of high ground is!" Industrial District 4, Zakabara Prime The ambush started out so well. The target was a convoy of trucks carrying ammunition for the regime. The biggest advantage the internal security troops had on the ground were their human-imitation automatic weapons, mass-produced in assembly lines all over Zakabara Prime. The rebels had managed to take over some of them, but with supply chains nonexistent and the workers needed to operate them scattered, they had a long way to catch up. Most rebels had slow firing rifles, or worse, farm tools. Some units simply set traps for the enemies and ran away before firefights could develop. This firepower came with drawbacks, one of which was their constant need for resupply and new ammunition. The Students could target those and starve their units and then slowly pick them apart. In theory. In this case, they managed to stop the trucks. A volley of shots at the front windshield killed the lead driver instantly. The rebels guessed that this was a minimally staffed convoy, mostly carrying supplies, with little room for infantry. They were wrong. Dozens of well-trained soldiers poured out of the trucks under fire. These guys had automatic weapons, the rebels realized. It was too late. They had to fall back. One by one, the Prime rebels died or fell back further into the city. The soldiers didn't chase too hard. After all, that wasn't their job. Government Outpost 32, Zakabara Prime Sajark was somehow still alive. He took cover behind a sandbag, taking potshots at what was formerly their barracks. The rebels there had quickly taken out the small token force posted there, and they'd taken their former positions. Judging from the increased volume of fire coming back from that direction, they've obviously found the guards' automatic rifles more useful than their own. With the enemy pushing right up to them, things were getting more desperate, if that were possible. Sajark looked over at the ammunition bunker less than ten steps away, and he realized that he was the last line of defense for the entire outpost. Once they took this position, there would be no more ammo for the rest of the troops. The rebels could just wait them out at their leisure. Sajark took a low position on the sandbag, hoping that he could stall long enough… He wasn't sure what for. The reinforcements weren't coming. They'd given up hope for that hours ago. But he would make the traitors pay for every inch of ground they took. Thousands of them had already died taking this useless outpost, and he was determined to take more of them with him. He popped out of cover for a second, and sighted in on the barracks windows. He squeezed off a short burst of rounds and was rewarded by a cloud of feathers and a mist of blood as they found his target. Two of his squad mates, wounded in several places already, ran towards him from the medic tent to reinforce his position. They all knew what would happen if the rebels took this outpost and captured them. Their commanders had told them. The savages would feed them to the humans as food. The humans ate birds. Everyone knew that. They would rather die fighting. Industrial District 4, Zakabara Prime "You guys see anything down there?" Munnifa asked. As the pilot, she only had access to instruments and radar, not the scopes that her commander and gunner were looking through. "Not much," Rekala the gunner replied. The district had been mostly cleansed of rebels. The soldiers on the ground were taking some casualties, but the leadership found that acceptable and the enemy was getting pushed back. He felt lucky that he was sitting in a ship in orbit, rather than on the ground with the grunts. Even with the advanced weapons they were now fielding, they sometimes found themselves in ambushes. They still died. After all, they weren't human. The commander listened intently on her headset for a second, and then relayed her orders. "There's an insurgent cell that retreated from an attack on one of our resupply convoys. We've been ordered to take them out with one of our new ground missiles." Rekala's eyes lit up with excitement. They hadn't even tested those yet! Supposedly they were based on a human air-to-surface design that a rogue group on Earth had managed to sell to the Zakabarans. The commander fed input from her orders into the radar. Munnifa fed the radar information to the gunner. And Rekala pulled the trigger. The only thing they heard was the cargo bay doors opening and closing as the missile ejected out of their ship. They watched as the symbol marking the missile disappeared into the atmosphere on their radar. "Did we hit anything good?" Munnifa asked, hoping her crew would have some insights she didn't have on her radar. "Can't tell. I'm not even sure where we fired it at," Rekala replied. After about five minute, they got another message on their radio: enemy warehouse destroyed, great work space birds! It was very sterile, Rekala noted. Exactly like in their training. They just hit a button and were told whether they got hits after a while. He hoped that's how it would continue to be. Spaceport 30, Zakabara Prime As they came in to land, Munnifa noticed that there were a lot less civilian ships at the spaceport. That made sense. After all, there was a civil war going on. The traders would know to avoid the spaceports that were close to conflict zones. As she powered down the ship's systems for refueling, she heard some commotion on the ramp. Munnifa walked over to see what was going on. It was Rekala arguing with another uniformed bird. "… how are we supposed to do our jobs with half?" "You'll have to make do like all the other ships! They're all getting the same orders," explained the supply officer. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have other ships to get to!" Disgusted, Rekala spat on the ground as the bird walked off. "What's the matter?" Munnifa asked, wondering what that was all about. "Apparently, there's not enough ammunition for all the ships. The rebels are everywhere, and we have limited stocks of explosives. We don't get missiles. We don't get rail gun ammunition. And they only gave us half our cannon rounds!" he angrily complained. "Alright, alright," she tried to calm him down. "That means we get to fly easier missions, right?" "Don't you get it?" Rekala asked in a low voice. "It looks like we're winning the war because we're beating them from the sky, but haven't you noticed? There's more and more of them every time. And we're running lower on ammunition and supplies everywhere." Munnifa wanted to counter his defeatism, but she didn't know how to reply. Luckily, she didn't have to as she saw the commander jogging back from her short briefing. "Looks like we drew the fun mission this time, crew," the commander grinned. "Get ready to make room in the back. We're transporting troops into battle this time!" Industrial District 6, Zakabara Prime "So, where are we dropping?" Munnifa asked the birds in the back. They were a small squad of 20, crammed in the back seat with their weapons clutched in their wings. It wasn't comfortable, but this was going to be a short ride. Looking out the small window, one of the troopers asked, "you see that square in between those four new factories?" She nodded. He said, "it would be nice if you could put us down there, but if that's not possible, somewhere close where we could walk to it would be fine." Munnifa nodded again. Like most other pilots in the Zakabaran fleet, she did not have a lot of flight experience. After all, fuel and training were expensive. They were spending much of their GDP on the fleet, but that went for development of new ships and equipment, not for training. However, her species was familiar with the concept of flight, and a lot of these things just came intuitively to them. It was a small square, but she should be able to put the ship down in the center. As she came in to land, Rekala noticed something on his zoom scope. "There are people on that factory roof, and those don't look like ours!" Right as he said that, he saw sporadic muzzle flashes coming from the roof. "They're shooting at us. Permission to fire?" he looked calmly at the commander. She replied, "fire at will, gunner." He armed the explosive cannon, targeted the roof where he's seeing the flashes, and squeezed off a shot. It disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and he stopped seeing flashes. Then, he noticed shapes running up onto the other factory buildings. It was far, but he could see quite a few of them. Not being able to tell whether they were friendly, he didn't want to shoot at them before he could confirm their identity. A second later, they answered the question by opening fire too. One lucky bullet even managed to hit the moving spacecraft, but it bounced clearly off without even scratching the paint of the hard outer shell. Rekala bared his beak and targeted each roof. The rebels on each disappeared under the cloud of shrapnel that followed each shell. One factory building wasn't built sturdy enough. A small portion of the roof caved in to the force of the shot, exposing parts of the factory interior as the dust settled. That's when he noticed a large crowd of fighters through the hole, hiding inside the factory. He felt a chill up his spine. There were so many of them! "Commander, we can't land in the square. There's too many of them in the buildings. The ship may be fine, but once we open the ramp, all of our infantry will instantly get overrun." The commander frowned at the development and turned to the troopers. "I thought this area was supposed to be ours." "It was a couple of days ago," their sergeant said, frowning at his map too. "I think if you take us down to the north side of the district, we could maybe link up with our guys on the ground and see where we're supposed to go." North Industrial Sector 4, Zakabara Prime The north side of the district was in tatters. It was clear that a lot of air and space support missions had been here. Many buildings had collapsed, and even the ones that hadn't were not spared. Every building had several holes. Rekala was glad he didn't know anyone in this area. He didn't see how anyone could have survived. Zooming in on one of the ruins, he saw a series of muzzle flashes coming from two of the buildings. "I see a firefight on the ground," he pointed out on his screen, "should we do something about that?" The commander nodded and hit the transmit button on her radio, "this is orbital to friendly birds on the ground. Mark your building with green smoke so we can provide you with support!" Moments later, they saw smoke wafting into the sky from one of the buildings. "Should I fire on the other building?" Rekala asked. "Demolish it," she ordered emotionlessly. He complied. The rebels disappeared under a relentless barrage of explosive cannon fire. The building collapsed. Yet another casualty in the great battle over Prime. "Thanks for the support orbital!" came the reply on the radio, "that was quite a firefight we had going before you arrived." "No problem," the commander replied. Then remembering what they were here for, she asked, "where's your local headquarters? We have 20 birds that we need to drop off." "Haha," chuckled the other end of the radio humorlessly, "local headquarters? You're looking right at it. We'll welcome any extra wings we can get." As Munnifa started landing at a clearing behind their building, Rekala saw them cheer the incoming spaceship. The birds were boarding up holes in the wall, hauling sandbags, and tending to the injured. They smelled horrible, but their morale was high. The air and space support were saving the day and pushing the rebels back everywhere. Rekala admired their tenacity and strength, but this trip made him glad he wasn't a ground pounder. The spaceship life was better, he decided. He had a second family here, too. He was glad for Munnifa, who he treated like a sister. Their commander was a bit aloof, but that was okay. She was unflappable in a fight, and made the hard choices for them. They respected her. The fresh troopers bid their farewell to the crew and ran into the building to find the local commanding officer. The garrison loaded their heavily wounded onto the back of their ship to evacuate for treatment, and they took off. All in all, a good day's work in the service of Zakabara Prime. Spaceport 30, Zakabara Prime Munnifa was having a serious crush on her crewmate. Rekala was handsome, observant, and he always treated her so nicely, even if she knew she didn't have the sharpest beak or the most colorful feathers. Unfortunately, this was a military ship, and she didn't want that to get in the way of their unit cohesion, so she kept her feelings to herself. Bottled under that outer shell of calm friendliness was a bird desperate for attention. After the victories of the day and the excitement of flying through it all, she let the adrenaline get into her head. The rules were silly, she decided. They worked together so closely, and what does the brass know about them, huh? So, she shyly asked him out. "Sorry, Munnifa, but you know the rules," Rekala rejected her apologetically. He felt bad about saying no, but he just didn't think about her that way. "Besides, I'm sure you can find other birds who would-" Munnifa stormed off without hearing whatever drivel he was going to spout at her next. As the adrenaline and sad reality came crashing down on her, she realized what a stupid bird she'd been. She stomped her way towards the alcohol vendor. Officially, alcohol from humans was banned. Officially, this vendor only sold Zakabara Second alcohol. At least that's what it said on the bottle. "Can I have a glass of whiskey?" she asked. After paying, the vendor pulled out a shot glass and filled it to the brim with Kentucky's finest bourbon. Before, he used to sell these by the bottle, but after hearing about the human restaurant businesses offworld, he'd put down a few stools in front of his booth and started selling his wares by the glass. It was much, much more profitable. And that led to yet another business opportunity… "You must be having a bad day, pilot," he observed to Munnifa. "Yeah, just got rejected by a bird I like," she replied, looking at him. Upon closer inspection, he had a disheveled appearance. His feathers were uncombed, and he wore no paint on his beak. On one hand, it was kind of gross. On the other, she was digging the bad bird vibe. Maybe she could take him back to the ship… The vendor wasn't hitting on her, however, and he replied nodding, "ah, that happens. A lot of my customers are like that. I might have something that may help you though." He winked at her as he grabbed something from the back of his booth. She saw him fill up an interesting tube contraption with some kind of white powder from a plastic resealable bag. It had some sort of straw-like device at the other end. "Here," he said, "hold this up to your nose and breath in." "What is it?" she asked curiously. This didn't look like alcohol to her. The vendor looked around nervously, and said, "it's an alien product. We just call it Mountaintop-High around here." "Alien? Is it contraband?" Munnifa asked. "No, no, this is completely legal," he hurried to explain, "it comes from Second! I even have the receipts for it!" She didn't bother to ask more, and she let him show her how to hook it up to her nose. Munnifa breathed in the powder, and she coughed at their unexpected intrusion into her lungs. Then, it hit her. It felt wonderful. Exhilarating. The most glorious thing she'd ever experienced. It felt like she was flying fast in her spaceship just inches above the ground, faster than allowed by the laws of physics. And then, minutes later, as quickly as it came, the good feeling went away. "Can I have some more of the powder?" she wheezed at the alcohol vendor. "Sure! I have plenty. But you gotta pay for it. 120 credits a gram." "What? One twenty!" she whined, "but what about earlier when you just gave me some!" "Yes, that's our policy. First taste is free, but you gotta pay for anything after that. You can have the feeding device for free if you get two grams today." Munnifa thought about it for a second. It was very expensive, worth months' of pay, but she had some money in her account from all the pay she'd saved up as a combat pilot. And she did want to feel the high again. Government Outpost 32, Zakabara Prime The third night of the attack was approaching. Sajark looked at the barracks. There seemed to be a lull in the enemy's firepower from there. Maybe if he could get his squad together, they could attempt to retake it… Then, he heard the cursed whistle again. This time, the number of enemies screaming down the valley from all directions almost blotted out the sun. How were there so many more of them?! Sajark fired wildly. Empty magazine, reload- He felt a bullet puncture his left wing. It wasn't immediately fatal, but he slumped down onto the ground. He felt blood run down his back as he gasped for air. One of his squad mates hurried over to dress his wound. He was tired. He hadn't slept in three days. Looking into the sky as he waited for the end, he thought he saw three unusual shapes in the sky above. Then his radio buzzed: "This is orbital support to the loyal birds at outpost thirty-two. Mark your current positions with green smoke." Sajark watched as his squad mate complied hurriedly, and green smoke filled his vision. The ground shook. Fire poured from the sky for minutes. The occupied barracks crumbled into dust. The surrounding valley was bathed in high explosives and littered with the bodies of the dead traitors. He could no longer hear. He wasn't sure if that was from him losing consciousness due to blood loss or because his eardrums had ruptured from the bombardment. As his vision faded to black, Sajark thought he saw an emergency evacuation spacecraft coming in to land at the outpost. Planetary Palace, Zakabara Prime "The resistance is crumbling," one confident ground Lord reported. "We are driving the enemy back in every sector, and we expect to fully regain control of our planet in a few more weeks!" Another ground Lord spoke up, "we're having a lot of success with our new strategy. Space Lord Canouah has been a lot of help with his spaceships! And Popptaw, your idea of investing our economy fully into those a couple of years ago has really paid off in spades! And with the fight calming down in some areas, space shipping between Prime and Second is returning to normal." Popptaw nodded in appreciation and saw Canouah do the same on the viewscreen. He had complained a little about some of their ships using up their supply of ammunition, but Zakabara's factories would soon all be under her control again, and they would be able to produce more. The intel Lord spoke up, "we've also learned of some new technology that allows us to track the enemies by their radio signals. This has allowed us to find cells effortlessly, and they haven't figured out how we're getting to them." He declined to mention where he found this technology. The same place as usual. The intel Lord continued, we are seeing worrying signs of discipline in some of our units. Several officers have reported their troops using a highly addictive alien substance called Mountaintop-High that would degrade their mental capabilities. They're asking us for guidance on that." Popptaw's eyes narrowed, and she asked, "alien goods? From offworld?" "Yes, we raided a vendor and found that she had receipts for them from Second," the intel Lord reported. "Valid as it is, the substance is still dangerous for our birds to get too dependent on it, as is the case in some units." Popptaw nodded more. If this was bringing down combat effectiveness… "Ok, let our birds know that Mountaintop-High is now banned! If we made it illegal for them to use it, they would surely stop!" Underground Students Safehouse, Zakabara Prime "We've lost contact with another one of our outpost attack forces. They must have gotten wiped out to the last bird," Shikoba reported sadly but honestly to her cell. "The new combined arms strategy they're employing is too effective. All they have to do when we ambush them is to pin us down with their automatic weapons, and then cannons, railguns, or even missiles from the sky follow." Morale was low. Many cells were even deserting or just lying low. "We are not soldiers, and we only have very limited equipment," Pohanadas replied miserably, "maybe there is some kind of ceasefire option we can bring up with the regime for prisoner exchange?" "We can't just give up!" Shikoba insisted. Then, she added in a quieter voice, "we're getting some new equipment from offworld that we think may be able to even the odds a little." "Offworld?" Pohanadas glanced sharply at her, "what are you talking about?" "I've been talking to some human groups," Shikoba said to some surprised gasps and wide eyes, "they've been talking about sending us some of their weapons for a while, and it seems like they may finally start coming through." The humans' weapons had mythical status, but like most things they made, they were costly and more importantly banned for civilians on Zakabara Prime. None of them had even seen one yet. "Even if we get new weapons," Pohanadas said, trying to contain her rising hope, "we'll still lose every battle when the ships get above us." "We'll see about that. We can hold out at least another month before these tyrants. We just need to keep the faith: the will of the people will prevail!" Spaceport 14, Zakabara Prime "It's fertilizer. For crops and farms. It's from Zakabara Second," Zoron said, handing over a slightly crumpled receipt to the suspicious internal security guard, "you guys are really taking the inspections seriously now, eh?" Ignoring her last comment, the guard handed the document over to another who had only recently learned to read. Literacy was still not that common on Prime. He glanced suspiciously at her; aliens were really only tolerated in Prime ports because there simply weren't enough native traders to ferry the volume of imported goods that they wanted. Any whiff that they were carrying foreign goods without proper documentation, and they were gone. "It checks out," the other guard said almost reluctantly, handing her back her papers. The guards poked and prodded her big bags of fertilizer with their batons but didn't ask her to open them. They smelled terrible, and after all, this was just one of hundreds of ships they had to inspect every day. If they had looked more closely, they might have been even less happy with Zoron. Considerably less. On her route between Second and Prime, a sleek and angular looking ship painted in black had mysteriously appeared alongside her and called her on the radio by name. Curious about its purpose, she allowed it to dock alongside her. A well-dressed and polite human named Mark had transferred over several bags of fertilizer into her cargo. He wired her an eye-watering sum of credits and official looking documentation for the bags, and then told her the obviously fake names of the locals to hand it off to. Zoron didn't ask him many questions, and she didn't bother to report this encounter to any of the authorities on Prime. Happy customers were repeat customers. And currency had a funny way of making her forget small details like that. Yes, Operation Galewind is a reference to that other well-known CIA campaign named after a tropical storm. RoyalRoad Index Previous Next
Kentucky Downs will open at 9 a.m. and run through 5 a.m. weekday mornings while operating around the clock on weekends, spanning from 9 a.m. Fridays until 5 Monday morning. The first-floor diner will be open at limited seating capacity, with the bar open to serve beverages. Simulcasting also will be extended into the second-floor Director's Room. Kentucky Downs has emerged from novelty to an industry leader even with one of the shortest thoroughbred horse-racing meets in North America. But in those five days, which start the Saturday before Labor Day and feature only turf racing, Kentucky Downs will pay out more than $11.5 million in purses, its average daily purses the highest in North ... A Kentucky Downs press release (photo provides a glimpse of the new spacing between gaming terminals to allow for social distancing) FRANKLIN, Ky. (Friday, June 5, 2020) — Kentucky Downs will reopen its Historical Horse Racing gaming on Wednesday, June 10 at 9 a.m. Central. The facility will open at 33-percent capacity and guests will undergo temperature […] Continue Reading Kentucky Downs will open at 9 a.m. and run through 5 a.m. weekday mornings while operating around the clock on weekends, spanning from 9 a.m. Fridays until 5 a.m. Mondays. 2nd visit to Kentucky Downs. Really enjoy this little casino. The machines are fun to play and pay a lot better than Tunica or Metropolis. They are expanding and that is very exciting. The staff we interacted with were all very friendly.. Read more. Date of experience: December 2019. 1 Helpful vote. FRANKLIN, Ky. (WKRN) – Kentucky Downs closed until further notice during the COVID-19 crisis. Officials say the historic race track was set to reopen March 30th but decided against so as a ... Visit Kentucky Downs Gaming, just 30 minutes north of Nashville, for exciting gaming action, dining, drinks and more. ... Open 24 Hours (open 9AM Friday) Hours may differ based on holidays and events. GET DIRECTIONS CALL 270-586-7778 . Facebook. Instagram. email club ... Kentucky Downs Plans to Open $25M Historical Horse Racing Expansion By Late Summer. Posted on: February 3, 2020, 11:06h. Last updated on: February 3, 2020, 11:29h. Kentucky Downs is a Casino and Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee. It is in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. I visited the Casino while in Tennessee for work on the last day before my return home. The Casino was hitting pretty good I must say. At first the casino seemed ... Jackpots are closer than you think! Visit Kentucky Downs Gaming, just 30 minutes north of Nashville, for exciting gaming action, dining, drinks and more.
The Open Pro Shootdown from London, Ky during the TRU Ball/Mathews ASA Pro-Am. Levi Morgan, Shane Bragg, Jack Wallace, Jeff Hopkins, and Joseph Goza were all... Morticia was scary good in winning the $500,000, G3 Spendthrift Farm Ladies Sprint at the RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs Saturday. Hear what jockey Tyler Ga... Its been raining here for a while and the river is coming up. Kentucky Dam has their spillways open for the first time in a while and I've been waiting on it. Finally got it...I had video once ... About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators ... Why Red Robin is struggling today and caught in a downward sales spiral involves a number of issues. It's time to investigate what's going on with this burge... Follow Me On Twitter https://twitter.com/Horseracingkid5Selections Preview for races 8,9My Suggested wager: 2 Dollars to win and the minimum trifecta or sup... Follow us on Twitter for news, live racing events, and more! https://twitter.com/KYDownsRacing Kentucky Downs Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/KYDowns... I've been told a few times since arriving in Indianapolis that "Kentucky fans are the worst." But as they were filing out of the student section after losing... #KentuckyDerby2020 #NBC #HorseRacingGlobalDerby Most-Watched Sporting Event Since Super BowlThe race had 20% more viewers than the most-watched sporting even... About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators ...
