Elon Musk and Twitter: The Turning Point

 Free speech is arguably the most important part for a functioning society to run itself. It is the premise where everyone is welcome to share their ideas and discourse on some of the world's hottest issues. And as such, the suppression of free speech is regarded as a violation of human rights. In today's world, free speech is now being contested by some who consider themselves as the "most tolerant" groups on earth, but in reality, they are some of the most hateful groups of people I've ever seen. It seems like free speech, at least according to these guys, is valid when the opinions are in line with their narrative, and if someone dared to go against the flow, they will be instantly suppressed. 

 

            For the last two years, free speech on the Internet is a hot topic to discuss, particularly on some social media platforms. This is the case of Twitter, one such company that for the last two years since the 2020 US General Election, has been the haven of the woke left, alongside TikTok. Whenever you open these two apps, there is always some "nonbinary" person trying to force their ideology to kids by circulating sexually explicit books and inviting drag queens to "family friendly" shows to outright spew hatred and division to anyone who just wanted to live peacefully, all in the name of social justice. Virtue signaling is everywhere in this platform. From celebrities, athletes, even political figures are competing on who is the most woke of the woke mob, and sometimes, things imploded on them. 

 

            This issue them prompted one particular billionaire, South African American (yeah, it's safe to say that he is African American at this point) Elon Musk to state his intentions to acquire the social media tech giant, after he witnessed what a dumpster fire it has become. Prior to his purchase, Musk owns Tesla and SpaceX, one is an electric car company, the other is more like a space agency. At first, when Musk submitted his bid for US$ 44 Billion (IDR 690 trillion as of 7th of November), the forces at Twitter actively fought against the bid, even submitting the list of demands that Elon himself must follow in the event of the acquisition. The buyout saga even reached the courts after Elon suspended his bid after Twitter executives failed to provide him the exact data of their users worldwide, which included bot accounts. After the legal debacle, the buyout finally came to fruition roughly 2 weeks ago, when Musk tweeted "let that sink in" while posting a video of him carrying a literal kitchen sink into Twitter HQ. 

 

            And straightaway, he sprang into action by firing top Twitter executives, those who responsible of censoring differing opinions, notably The New York Post's coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, even permanently banned a former US president. Those three were CEO Parag Agarawal, CFO Ned Segal, and chief content moderator Vijaya Gadde. So far, he already made changes on content moderation while ensuring that Twitter won't become a "free-for-all hellscape". Predictably, the woke left lost their marbles after learning this, and Elon's plan to slash the workforce to about 75% of them. As of now, the mass layoffs are currently ongoing inside Twitter HQ, with the employees finding out their fates by email, or by their computers being remotely wiped clean. Musk's changes to the platform including the total overhaul of the platform's premium services, a. k. a. Twitter Blue, which gives their users a "blue check mark" as verification marks for public figures. The way this thing works under Elon's ownership is now a subscription plan costing US$ 8 (IDR 125.000) per month. This is also the source of grief among the left-wing users, most notably US congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. The woman known by her initials AOC argued that Musk's idea of free speech is only a monthly subscription, in which Elon replied with the absolute gold "Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8."

 

            And the timing of the acquisition cannot be more perfect. As of this writing, the US is gearing up for the Midterm Elections, which will decide the control over the House of Representatives and the Senate for the next two years. For context, senate, congressional and several gubernatorial elections are held every two years, and the presidential elections held every four years. In this case, the presidential seat will be contested in 2024. Already there are some fact checking done by the platform, which now mostly consist of left-wing media, including the White House. 

 

            I guess what transpired over these past weeks has opened our eyes of the importance of free speech, not just for one group of people, but for everyone who has the right of speaking whatever they want to speak. Granted, there always be consequences for what they are talking about, but in this stage, that's besides the point. Free speech, whether we like it or not is important for a healthy society to function, and without free speech, all we ended up with is a dystopian world where censorship is rampant, everything is controlled, and people dying left and right just because of a twisted tongue. Let everyone speak freely, whether in person or on the Internet.

Religious Values VS Woke Liberal Agenda: An Unlikely Alliance

 Well, what do we have here? 2022 keeps on delivering some gold, and yet again exposing the crazy woke agenda that has been plaguing the world in recent years. For one, I am onboard this hype train of anti wokeness, as I am sick and tired of constantly having this rhetoric being shoved up my throat. I get that the world is moving towards a more inclusive environment, but at the same time, it also become more exclusive, particularly only for those who take those same woke ideology and shoved it down the throat whole. It seems like the world we live in today forces us to walk on eggshells in order not to piss off the wrong people, and it also seems like the woke mob finally pissed off the wrong community.

 

            This piece is being put together in the heels of the protests during a school board meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. It was almost the same case as many other cities and counties across the States, that being the inclusion of books and school curriculums that contain LGBT+ content, some of them even included sexually explicit pictures targeting kids as young as a kindergartener. Mostly in other cases, it was conservative Christians that are actively fighting against this woke indoctrination of the public school system, some of them even pulled their kids out altogether. But that was not the case in Dearborn. For context, Dearborn has a high concentration of Arab and Muslim Americans not just in the state of Michigan, but the entire United States. And as I previously touched many moons ago, Muslims are inherently conservative, even more conservative than any Christians would claim. 

 

            But long before the straw that broke the camel's back, Muslims in America are in constant turmoil ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With the state of politics at the time, many Muslim Americans who are born in the states are constantly shunned and ridiculed, even subjected to racially charged attacks just because of their religious identity. As a result, despite their conservatism, most Muslims align themselves to the Democratic party due to the (supposed) inclusion policy that the party in question proudly exhibit. For the long time, they align themselves with this party in order to make America at least a little bit more inclusive. For me, this is quite bizarre, since the greatest American boxer of all time happens to be a Muslim. 

 

            But during this time as well, the Democratic party began shifting towards a more far-left attitude, by embracing the LGBT and critical race rhetoric and weaponize them to subdue the society to cave in with their ideology. They argue that Americans with darker skin tone, those who has female genitalia or has an alternate sexuality are systematically oppressed by the cisgender, heterosexual, white males who only care about themselves. But in reality, it was those same voices that are actively shutting down people who only wants to voice a different opinion on a discourse. 

 

            And this is what the unlikely alliance finally formed. It all started when Dearborn parents, who are mostly Muslims, went to a school board meeting to protest the circulation of LGBT books for children. The first meeting turned so volatile; it was suspended for a fire hazard. When the meeting was eventually rescheduled, the parents' apparent dislike of those literatures is pretty much evident, as some pro-LGBTQ speakers was met with jeers and boos as they tried to defend the circulation of those sexually explicit publications. During the same meeting, we can analyze the pattern of the speakers, with conservative Muslims and Christians present themselves as calm and collected, while voicing their opinions firmly, some pro-LGBT speakers showed nothing but suppressed anger as they deliver their remarks. Hell, one of the speakers, a black woman, showed a classic sign of the leftist victim mentality, by playing the race card by saying "black, queer woman who has to fight for their right to exist". Another one, Brian Stone, who is a gay man, also disrespected the entire Dearborn Muslim community by insinuating that the community hates gay people, when in reality, the parents are trying to protect their children from all those immoral materials. 

 

            And this is already happened at the heels of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential victory. All of the sudden, the floodgates were open, and all hell broke loose. From "fat acceptance", "open border policies", "critical race theory" to "gender-affirming care", the left-wing agenda has manipulated thousands of American citizens into thinking that somehow, everything is racist, homophobic, transphobic and bigots. Hell, those same voices also kept on rewriting the victim playbook. One of them even suggested that beside black people, Muslims, and nonbinaries, transgender Muslims are actually the most oppressed people when it comes to minorities. This is the obvious example of an oxymoron, by putting the words "transgender" and "Muslims" in the same sentence. When it comes to religious stances on LGBT issues, Islam has the strictest laws concerning gay people. I guess everyone reading this is familiar of the story of Sodom and Gomora, and Prophet Lot PBUH. According to the Quran's depiction, Prophet Lot had tried to preach faith to the people of those two cities, who were recorded as the first homosexual society ever existed. And in the end, God punished them by flipping the ground upside down, burying them alive, and filled the same land with water with the highest salt concentration. The remains of Sodom and Gomora is now known as the Dead Sea. Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad PBUH had stated his contempt of such behaviors despite never banning them, but both the Quran and the Hadith strongly condemn homosexual activity. Hell, in most Muslim-majority countries, LGBT practices could earn you a death penalty. 

 

            Back to the issue at hand, these recent events are said to mark a shift of political spectrum for the Muslim community, as even Democratic congresswoman from Michigan Rashida Tlaib is heavily disliked by her own people. I would not be surprised if the upcoming midterm election and the 2024 election, Muslim Americans vote Republican. If this is the sign of a huge cultural shift, they better prepare themselves for it.

 

            I guess what I am trying to say that inclusivity, in whatever form it takes, has its limitations, especially when it comes to morality. Of course, it is unethical to not include someone inside a community just because of their biological gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, and skin color, but everything has their limits. And if those inclusivity discourse crossed the limit, then prepare yourselves for the repercussions. Not everyone can be subjected to certain topics, especially those with sexual nature. Let kids be kids, let them explore the world and make their own decisions, and don't push them into these woke ideologies. Children are quite impressionable and mentally immature. One wrong move, and they are set up for failure that would last a lifetime. 

"Minor-Attracted Persons": Paedos in Disguise

 (Warning: Strong languages, graphic sexual description, and rants ahead)

 

            Just when you thought that the world just could not get any crazier, this shit came up on my feed as I sit down at my university campus for another lecture (I'm taking masters by the way). I want to touch on this subject for a long time now, but this is somehow too sensitive of a topic, even according to my own standards. It is not a secret that the ultra-left side of the political spectrum tends to spew crazy rhetoric after crazy rhetoric in order to steer the normal population and manipulating them into believing those ludicrous ideas. This included human sexuality. For years I have been witnessing the strange turn inside the LGBT+ community, from an innocent aspiration of just want to live their lives normally to this sheer insanity of trying to legitimize immoral sexual practices that has been banned or at least being frown upon for years.

 

            And now, there is another crazy ideology spewed by the lunatic jackasses of the far left, and it involves some of the most heinous criminals ever existed. Something like the white-haired fuckwit from Leeds, England Jimmy Savile (who, thankfully, is dead and currently rotting inside his shit-invested grave) or Glam Rocker turned sex offender Gary Glitter would do during their peak and prime. And the term in question known as "minor-attracted person". This term was coined by a university professor, of all people, named Dr. Allyn Walker. This "nonbinary" person (in reality this is a woman who has too much testosterone in her body with a fragile obsession to be masculine) who used to teach at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, USA argued that the term "pedophile" (which is the adequate term to describe these offenders in the first place) is deemed "too harsh" for "all persons attracted to minors" It seems like from her statement alone, this term is basically an umbrella term for sexual attractions toward minors. 

 

            First of all, what is this thing known as "pedophiles"? It's basically a condition where someone is sexually attracted to prepubescent children, mostly under the age of 13 years. It is also a self-discovered condition which grow stable over time, and often referred as a sexual preference disorder. It is still unknown what caused this type of disorder to develop in the first place, but we do know that it starts developing when someone hit puberty, where they start developing attractions to the opposite sex. It is commonly classified as a form of sexual deviation disorder known as "paraphilic disorders", as with many acts of indecency like the one I explored few months back. These heinous acts are not limited to outright sexual practices either. Other forms of abuse included child pornography, child grooming, indecent exposure, stalking, and statutory rape. This is based on various laws about age of consent. While the universally agreed age of consent is 18 years old, some countries are lower, mostly around 15-17 years old. For example, when it comes to statutory rape, any sexual activity involving a minor can be considered as such, if the other party is below the age of consent, thus legally unable to give consent to those activities. 

 

            There are some personality traits of pedophilia examined among sex offenders, particularly towards children. Studies conducted suggested that it often concurs with other traits such as low self-esteem and depression. But there are some differences when it comes to traits among those two, and that is what the left-wing media is trying to point out. According to them, sex offenders are certainly can be pedophiles, but those who are said to be born with it can decide to not follow through their desires. A first, this seems make sense, since some of them are describing themselves as "anti-contact" or "non-offending", meaning that despite their awareness of their attraction, they chose not to engage with it. But this is where the problem actually began. 

 

            I think this speaks volumes when I said that sexual attraction to someone under the universal age of consent of 18 years is viewed as immoral as it can be. Even in some cases, there are laws that allowed capital punishment for child sex offenders, like the ones introduced in India, or the recent chemical castration laws passed in Indonesia. But in the West, especially in the US, where the division between liberals and conservatives are way evident, it seems that the mainstream media and the liberal left are gunning for legalization of alternate human sexuality, and that include these creepy fucks under the umbrella term "minor-attracted people". First of all, whoever suggested this needs to be put down and tossed to a shark-infested pool. Secondly, if this "thing" becomes the norm, that means the human race has lost every ounce of its core values. People like Savile will be considered as a hero once again, and there might be another, more vicious Jimmy Savile’s, Gary Glitters or R Kelly's in the future. 

 

            There are some cases of these "MAPs" being recorded in recent times, and it almost always involving big-time celebrities or someone in the position of power. Take for instance actor Ezra Miller. The actor who self-identifies as "nonbinary" (fuck this shit, honestly) was involved in a scandal where he allegedly groomed an 18-year-old girl (who was convinced by him to think that she was nonbinary as well) since she turned 12 years old. He allegedly groomed her in a cult-like behavior. He also allegedly stuffed her with drugs and alcohol and exhibiting a pattern that is akin of "corrupting a minor". Despite this, Miller's career remained unaffected initially since his status as a "nonbinary" celebrity apparently acts like a free-pass card to sketchy behavior. This jackass even has the fucking audacity to actually scold a Hawaiian police officer arresting him for "misgendering" him. At the time, he was arrested for an assault on a woman. One word for Ezra Miller from yours truly, shut up and take responsibility, you weird cunt. And then there is R Kelly. This singer turned sex trafficker was sentenced to 30 years of incarceration for racketeering and sex trafficking of women and children. And his track record goes way before those allegations came to light. Remember the late singer and Actress Aaliyah? That one fine woman who starred in the movie Queen of the Damned? The sick fuck married her in 1994 when she was 15 years old! He forged the legal documents to falsify her age, at the time listed as 18. Thankfully it was annulled months later. 

 

            And yet these brain-dead liberals are still on about these "MAPs" and how they are suffering from their condition. I have to say that these people truly need help, but for the love of God, please don't normalize these behaviors! It will only embolden them to commit even the most heinous crimes, those even Ted Bundy would shiver. It is immoral and demented, and should be frown upon at least, and persecuted at most. And the crazy thing about this is they are somewhat included under the LGBT+ umbrella, which means if we call out these behaviors (which is clearly immoral), we would be branded as a bigot, homophobe, transphobe and a racist almost instantly. But it is a reality of this world ruled by wokeness. Anything and everything are wrong, and freedom of speech only applies if the statements are in line with their sick agenda. Hell, those who actually worked in mental care (a fucking "sex therapist" in this case) actually condone these sick fucks, even encourage them (here's the short video on YouTube if you want to know what I mean).

 

            What can I say about these "minor-attracted persons"? It means that those who are attracted to children EXCLUSIVELY. They are some if not the most heinous criminals of all time, those that would made Idi Amin or the aforementioned Savile look like a saint. It is morally demented, inappropriate, and should be purged at all costs. Parents, if you are reading this, make sure to keep your children safe. Their future should not be wrecked by these paedos disguising themselves under this term. 

Kanjuruhan Stadium Disaster: When Sports Fanatism Turned Deadly

 Indonesians, like me love their sports. It means that I have no shame whatsoever to admit that I've been a sport fan for the entirety of my life. We love our football teams, our athletes, our badminton athletes, and whenever our national team in any sport play a game, all Indonesians come together for their support. But just yesterday, we witness probably one if not the biggest sports tragedy ever witnessed in history. As I said earlier, we Indonesians are quite fanatic when it comes to football (or soccer). And sometimes, the fanatism of said football teams could turn deadly in an instant.

 

            The site is Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java. It was an ordinary Liga 1 regular season between Arema FC VS Persebaya Surabaya. In hindsight, it would appear that these two clubs are only playing regular season football as part of the 2022/2023 season. But for the rest of us, it goes way more than that. These two clubs in fact, are somewhat of a bitter rival, fighting for football supremacy in the eastern part of the Java Island. The rivalry can be traced as far as the two competitions they were initially part of. Arema, formed in 1987, played in Liga Sepakbola Utama (Galatama), Persebaya on the other hand, are much older being first established in 1927, and was part of the amateur-oriented Perserikatan. As a result, Persebaya was pitted against Persema Malang in Perserikatan, and Arema had feuds with Mitra Surabaya in Galatama. When the two competitions merged, many supporters aligned themselves with either Persebaya or Arema. Since then, Persema's form dropped, and Mitra Surabaya was disbanded.

 

            The main cause of this bitter rivalry, however, was not the antics of the players on the pitch, but by the supporter base of each side. There are 4 teams inside the Indonesian league system that have the most devoted fans. each 2 teams represent the west and east region of the Java Island. On the west side are Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung. Two teams from two different provinces, one from the Jakarta SCR and the other represents the capital of West Java with equally hostile environment. Their fanbase, Jakmania (Persija) and Bobotoh (Persib) each have their own ways to intimidate each other, and whenever these two teams play each other, extra security measures are often enforced to reduce the chance of a riot between the fanbases. This is known as the Indonesian equivalent of the El Classico Derby. And there is the Super East Java Derby, guaranteeing hard matches and equally hostile fanbase. The relationship between Aremania (for Arema) and Bonek (for Persebaya) is so dangerous, each supporter base decided to form an agreement in 1988 to not visit each other whether the two teams play each other in any circumstances.

 

            I have seen many instances of stadium riots throughout my lifetime, and each of them is heavily covered. But on this instance, it might be the most devastating. As mentioned earlier, Persebaya supporters were nowhere to be seen when the match kicked-off on Saturday, 1st of October at 08.30 PM Western Indonesia Time. The match itself was intense, with the visitors taking an early two-goal lead, before the hosts equalized towards the end of the first half. Then heartbreak for the hosts happened inside the second 45 minutes, as Persebaya pulled an extra goal, snapping their 23-year home match unbeaten streak. The game finishes 3-2 for the visitors, and the upset Aremania then flooded the pitch while others threw objects in disappointment, demanding explanation from the players and officials for their horrid performance. Riot then ensued when the police, employed by the match organizers threw tear gasses hoping to contain the chaos, but that would only triggered mass panics, as fans rushed towards the only exit gate available. With the combination of mass panic and unbottled anger, several stadium facilities were damaged, and two police vehicles were vandalized. There was also mass stampede as the spectators rushed for their lives. Children got separated from their parents, others trampled by those who had no concern other than their own well-being, and some of them even suffocate due to the tear gas. As the time of writing, they were approximately 448 casualties, including at least 130 deaths from the riot, two of them were police officers.

 

            While I can safely rule out supporter-on-supporter violence, there are some problems that indirectly played their part during the riot. The first was the venue. Kanjuruhan Stadium used for Arema's home games has a 42.000-seat capacity, all of them were sold out. The organizers suggested before the game to only provide 38.000 spectator tickets for this game, with Persebaya fans banned from the premises. The police had also advised, per security concerns, to move the kick-off time ahead from its original timeslot, at 15.30 Western Indonesian Time (03.00 PM). But the match still went ahead on primetime slot due to agreements with the match broadcasters. The other problem being the use of tear gas to disperse crowds. FIFA strongly discourages the use of this contraption but has no say whatsoever for its usage by local match organizers.

 

            The stampede is now recorded as the second-deadliest sports disaster behind the Lima football disaster in Peru which left 328 people dead and ahead of the Accra Sports Stadium disaster in Ghana which killed 126 people. Liga 1 competition is temporarily suspended by the Indonesian FA and President Joko Widodo, until proper evaluation to every security concern is carried out. Arema are also banned from organizing home matches for the rest of the season. It means that by the time the competition is reinstated, Arema FC games are to be played in neutral territory. I might be a proud sports fan, but there is no way that this is something to be proud of. This deadly fanatism within Indonesian football has taken too many lives but with too little mitigation from the Indonesian FA. I wish I could say "let this be the last incident", but with our history of hooliganism, I highly doubt that. For all lives lost during the riot, rest in peace. For those who are injured. I wish you all a speedy recovery. 

Jake Davison: From Incel to Murder

 (Warning: Strong languages and graphic description ahead)

 

            With the immortal words of Carl Johnson from the game GTA: San Andreas, "Oh shit, here we go again", we dive head-first (again) into the world of the involuntarily celibate. It is a bottomless pit to explore, especially with the members of this particular sub-culture is basically men who has little or no care of their appearance or social cues, desperate for some good times with some girls that are way out of their league. This time, it's about another deranged unsub (thanks, Criminal Minds) who resented his life, his sexlessness and his lack of romantic attraction, to the point of lashing out onto the world, even dared to hurt his own mother.

 

            The story is set in Keyham, Plymouth, Devon County, England. The unsub in question was Jake Davison. His exact birthdate is unknown, but by the time of the shooting, he was 22 years old. He was the youngest of three from Mark and Maxine Davison, previously settled in Shetland Islands, just outside of mainland Scotland. His parents were poor, and his dad was arguably the worst of all. He was known as an antisocial fisherman with the tendency of violence and struggled with alcohol abuse. He has two siblings, Zoe, and Josh, but with Mark's alcohol problems, tensions are often unavoidable, and by the time Maxine fell pregnant with Jake, they left the island and moved back to Keyham. He was a quiet kid, but apparently had developed anger issues. He then diagnosed with ADHD and autism and attended Mount Tamar School for special needs children. The school is a public-funded, but was severely underfunded and consequently, the school's reputation was not very good. Jake was a quiet kid at school who didn't get along well with his peers. He wasn't necessarily a bad kid, though. He was described by his neighbors as a "pleasant kid", and often seen helping his mom with groceries. 

 

            As like other teenagers at the time, Jake wanted to lose his virginity, but due to his autism diagnosis, struggled to even socialize in person, much less finding a possible romantic partners. But as with other subjects of the incel world, he was active on online forums and video games. As an outlet to vent on his loneliness, he documented his personal thoughts and views on his YouTube channel with the name of Professor Waffle. In one of the videos on the channel, he often blamed his mental barrier (that being his autism) as an excuse of his inability to secure a girlfriend. He also blamed his appearance, commenting that he was "fat as fuck". His personality shift happened way before that. In 2016, when he was 17 years old, he once attacked a 25-year-old man while accompanying his pregnant girlfriend. He allegedly punched the man almost 20 times unprovoked while they were walking around the local neighborhood. Jake was warned by the police but didn't escalate into a prosecution due to the lack of evidence. He would also argue with his mother, who just wanted him to get the help that he needed. This also exasperated by the fact that when he turned 18, his mother lost her government funds to support their economics. From then on, he found work as a scaffolder, but his hatred towards his mother would only grow bigger.

 

            As I said earlier, he was active on online forums and his YouTube channel. He would often complain about his encounters with women, not just about his own mother. He would complain about women being simple-minded and only cared about money. He was a nihilist and a proud misogynist. He would also share his blatant homophobic views on Reddit, as well as other subreddits dedicated to either the involuntary celibacy movement or the nihilism subreddit, like r/doomer. Davison presented the classic characteristics of an incel, such as his sense of entitlement to women and sex, and also his resentment towards the more attractive men who could effortlessly get women to do the nasty together. This is known as the "black pill" ideology, where in order for someone to successfully settle for a partner, he must be physically attractive or economically stable (or in this case, being a filthy rich person akin to the members of the Royal Family). 

 

            Strangely enough, in 2017, he applied for a gun license. When it comes to gun control laws, the United Kingdom has a fairly strict laws that dictates for those who want to apply for a gun ownership must state that they must be judged not to pose a threat for safety and has a fair reason for owning one. Radically different than those in the United States, which thanks to the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, permitted their citizens to purchase and own their own guns freely as well as establishing a "well-regulated militia", with laws about carrying those guns dictated by individual states. Weirdly enough, despite his circumstances, he was approved to own a firearm, and subsequently purchased a pump-action shotgun. If that weapon was a simple handgun or a rifle of some sort, it would be understandable, at least for the Englishmen standards.

 

            For years, Jake's dramatic personality shift sparked concerns on his family, particularly Maxine and freshly out-of-the-prison Mark, who has since reformed. Then 2020 happened, the world went into lockdown, and NHS was overrun, understaffed, and underfunded. At this point, mental health care was deemed almost impossible. Maxine even resorted to call the police to do a welfare check on Jake but was met with deaf ears. In December 2020, he was involved in a fight with two teenagers that turned so volatile, it resulted in his gun license revoked, and his shotgun taken away. His previous offence being unrecorded and registered, means that his gun ownership would be instated, if he attended anger management class, which he completed in July 2021. This was a disastrous decision on their part, that would set up the horrific events just one month later.

 

            The date was 12 August 2021. Keyham was enjoying warm summer weather, but not for one Jake Davison. He himself was a ticking time bomb at that point. His rage was at his peak, and he just got his shotgun returned. His reddit account was suspended just one day prior due to his inappropriate remarks on a 16-year-old American girl on an online gun forum. He had his usual argument with his mother, before storming back into his room, burst into Maxine's room, and shot her at point blank range twice, each shot targeted the chest and head. She died instantly. Without remorse or any slight thought of compassion, he reloaded his shotgun, and exited his home, and found 43-year-old Lee Martyn and his adopted daughter, 3-year-old Sophie. With his sight set on the father-daughter duo, Davison opened fire, killed both of them. At this point, the shotgun shots were so loud, multiple police calls were made on Biddick Drive, Jake's home neighborhood. He continued down the neighborhood, and locked eyes with Ben Parsonage and his mother Michelle, 53 and 33 respectively. They were struck, but manage to drag themselves into safety, and subsequently survived the ordeal. He then turned into the local park, and shot another unsuspecting victim, 59-year-old Stephen Washington. He then continued his rampage, shooting at random directions without any care in the world. His last victim was 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who was fatally wounded in front of her own salon. Sensing that police were on his heels, and also the thought of no longer living his life as a free man, he encountered a bystander, said the words "there is nothing to worry about, mate", before turning the gun on his head, and pulled the trigger, having stolen 5 innocent souls and cowardly taking his own as well. The rampage lasted for 6 minutes, and left a devastating aftermath to Keyham, and to the county of Devon as well. 

 

            The wake of this incident sparked a massive reform to the UK's gun control laws. On 15 August 2021, the British government announced that it would issue guidance to require police to investigate social media posts of firearms license applicants and current holders. Before the new guidance is published, the Home Office asked all police services in England and Wales immediately "to review their practices and whether any existing licenses need to be looked at again". The two officers who handled Jake's reinstatement of his license were disciplined, and the police issued new guidance on applicants with history of mental illness. In remembrance of the 5 lost lives, an evening vigil was held on 13 August at North Down Crescent Park in Keyham. Flags in the city were flown at half-mast, and Smeaton's Tower was lit up that evening as a mark of respect.

 

            This case, at least at the surface, was like a typical incel rampage, with one man who is frustrated to the world who turned their backs against him, unleash rampage in the name of sexual desire, Having little to no conscience of their actions. But what lies beneath is despite the excellent services, the NHS was lacking the mental health department. It would take forever to someone to be noticed, and by the time that chance came, it was almost all too late. For those 5 innocent lives snatched from the rampage, rest in eternal peace. And Jake Davison, I hope you rot in the deepest pits of hell, sucking the biggest devil dicks imaginable. A coward killer incel belongs to a special place in the very depths of hell.

The Beast of Gevaudan: A True French Terror

 (Warning: Graphic description ahead)

 

"To the father and the son

Came the beast of Gevaudan

Terminator, a traitor, half wolf, and half machine

To the prior and the nun

Came the beast of Gevaudan

A redeemer, believer of fatal, mad, and mean

Beast of Gevaudan!"

 

-"Beast of Gevaudan", performed by Powerwolf, 2021.

 

            Yeah, I know. I only found out about this beast from a Powerwolf song, talking about a wolf-like beast, subsequently known as la bête du Gevaudan (the beast of Gevaudan), that terrorized an ancient region of Gevaudan in France between 1764 and 1767, but aside from the song, the beast itself was known for its cruel method of killing, by ripping out their throats, and in some cases, also decapitated. There are many interpretations about the existence of this beast. One of which being about how the beast was sent as an act of God to punish sinners in the area. 

 

            There are many descriptions about this beast, many of them are exaggerated due to the mass hysteria caused by the killings. But general description of the beast was a wolf-like canine with a tall, lean frame capable of taking great strides. Other descriptions being it has the size of a horse, has elongated head with flattened snout, pointed ears, and a wide mouth sitting atop of a broad chest. Some even said that the beast had the capability to speak like humans do, but this is heavily disputed. 

 

            The first instance of the attack happened sometime on early summer of 1764, when it attacked a young woman named Marie Jeanne Valet whilst taking care of her cattle. The beast was about to attack her when her bulls charged forward, obstructing it. They then drove the beast off when it tried to attack again. Valet was lucky enough, but a 14-year-old shepherdess named Jeanne Boulet didn't share the same fate; she was the first recorded victim of the beast of Gevaudan. The attack occurred on 30th June 1764. During the remainder of the year, more attacks and killings are reported throughout the region, made worse by the fact that the beast often preyed on lone men, women and even children as they tended to their livestock in the forests. There are reports that stated that the beast targeted the neck and head area. The fact pretty much explained the state of the victims at the time of the discovery, with many of them have their throats destroyed, or even worse, decapitated. By the end of 1764, there are also speculation that there is more than one beast lurking around the area. This is due to the fact that there had been such high number of attacks in such short time span, and many attacks or reports that occurred happened almost simultaneously. On early 1765, The Kingdom of France was alerted of the attack after the beast attacked 10-year-old Jacques Portefaix and his seven friends, all aged between 8 to 12. They survived the attack, and subsequently caught the attention of King Louis XV, who then rewarded Portefaix and his friends for their bravery, and later promised that the state will help to eradicate the beast. By this point, the beast was known as la bête féroce (the ferocious beast). 

 

            The French crown then sent many hunters to kill the beast, who at that point, had a bounty of 6.000 French livre. The first was First captain Duhamel of the Clermont Price dragoons and his troops but was met with non-cooperative farmers and local herders. His strategy was awfully executed too. He organized a large hunting party to hunt for the wolf-like creature, but when chances presented itself, it was hindered by the incompetence of his guards. This prompted louis XV to send a father-son duo of Jean Charles Marc Antoine Vaumesle d'Enneval and Jean-François. Their tactics were radically different from the previous, by using stealth techniques to kill the beast. After the pair failed to capture the beast as the attacks continued, François Antoine was sent on Jun 1765 to continue the hunt. On the 21st of September, Antoine shot an unusually large wolf measuring 80 cm (31 in) high, 1.7 meter (5 ft 7 in) long, and weighing 60 kg (130 pounds). He hunted the rest of the pack, and returned to Paris a hero of France, receiving titles and large sums of money. They thought that the attacks were over, but on early December 1765, two boys were attacked, but survived the ordeal. This suggested that the wolf killed by Antoine months prior was not the beast of Gevaudan.

 

            The terrors eventually stopped on the 19th of June 1767, when a local hunter named Jean Chastel shot the beast on the slopes of Mont Mouchet (now la Sogne d'Auvers) during a hunt organized by a local nobleman, the Marquis d'Apchier. The body then was transferred to the castle to be examined, and upon being opened, the beast's stomach contents revealing the remains of its last victim. 

 

            When you look at this story, from the first attacks all the way to the last, you might think that this could came out of a science-fiction movie, but the attacks by the beast of Gevaudan were horrific, to the point that even the king of France had to interfere. Usually, I'm quite a fan of historical stories and mythologies, but this one is actually scaring me, not because of the fact that the beast has killed people, but by the method of the killings themselves. And as I said in the beginning, the German metal band Powerwolf introduced me to this legend with the song Beast of Gevaudan, depicting this beast as a divine intervention and an act of God to punish all the sinners in the ancient region of Gevaudan. Seriously, if you look up the lyrics of this song, you will find that this song is actually about the wolf doing the act of cleansing the world of the sinners. Although the story behind the song and the lyrics are quite grim, I actually liked the song itself. In the end, the story of the beast of Gevaudan served as a lesson to always be vigilant to your surroundings. You would never know who or what is coming after you.

Elizabeth II: The Everlasting Royal Legacy

    Well, they say that the inevitable will eventually come. We all anticipated this news from many years ago, yet when the bitter end comes, we are still in shock. Just this morning, 6 AM Jakarta time, I woke up to the news that the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II passed away in her Scotland residence of Balmoral Castle at the age of 96 years, just seven months after celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, marked her 70th year as the monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth realms. It was also two days removed from greeting her 14th Prime Minister of Great Britain Liz Truss, who will instead become the first Prime Minister to serve under her son's reign, now known as His Majesty the King, Charles III. Official news from Buckingham Palace stated that she passed away peacefully surrounded by the Royal Family in Balmoral Castle on the 8th of September 2022 at 6.30 PM BST.

             As we remember the beloved queen, let's dissect her life, from her time in the royal family, her military service, until her eventual ascension to the British Throne. Her Majesty was born Elizabeth Alexandra May on the 21st of April 1926 in Mayfair, London, England, the eldest of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Then known as the Duke and Duchess of York). She then assumed the title of Princess Elizabeth of York and was made the heir to the British Throne directly after George VI. At first, during the reign of her grandfather, King George V, she was third in line of succession, behind Edward VIII and her father. Had Edward married and had kids, she would be pushed further back. Then Edward assumed the throne in 1936 after her grandfather's death, and she became second in line. Then during the same year, Britain entered the constitutional crisis caused by Edward's abdication of the throne, due to him marrying Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who happened to be a divorcee. Technically speaking, if she had a brother, he would be the heir apparent, but since all she had as sibling was Princess Margaret, her younger sister, she became the heir presumptive. 

 

            When war came, most royal families would evacuate to somewhere safer. But during the events of World War II, Elizabeth and Margaret were to be evacuated as suggested by Lord Hailsham, but their mother outright rejected the idea, stating that the children will stay as long as the King stay. Interestingly enough, she served in the British Army during the struggle, served as a trained mechanic and driver and was given the rank of honorary junior commander. During her time in the Royal Family as Princess Elizabeth, she went to many countries, her first overseas tour occurred in 1947, accompanying her parents to southern Africa. One of the most memorable overseas visits that everyone will remember was when she was standing in for her father visiting US President Harry S. Truman in 1951. By that time, she was already married to her longtime husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. 

 

            Her marriage with Prince Phillip in and on itself, was also controversial. Although served in the Royal Navy and became a British subject in the process, Phillip was a foreign-born, formerly Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark. He was also in no financial standing and had sister who had married German noblemen with links to the Nazi. Before marriage, he renounced his Greek and Danish titles, and converted to the Anglican branch of Christianity, which basically a variant of the Protestant Christianity. Their marriage lasted until Phillip's death on 9 April 2021 and had four children, His Majesty King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

 

            In early 1952, The news of the death of George VI arrived just as Elizabeth and Phillip arrived in their Kenyan Home during their Australia-New Zealand Tour by the way of Kenya, with His Royal Highness Prince Phillip broke the news to the new monarch. As per tradition, whenever the sitting monarch passed away, their first in line of succession becomes the new monarch with immediate effect. She was 27 years of age when the her coronation ceremony occurred on the 2nd of June 1953 and witnessed many important events during her reign as the Queen of Great Britain and the leader of the Commonwealth. By this time, the Commonwealth had evolved to include 56 states, 15 of them are known as the Commonwealth Realms, where the head of state is the reigning monarch of The United Kingdom, which starting from this day onward, is King Charles III. In 1956, France was almost included in the Commonwealth, but instead signed the Treaty of Rome, which is the precursor to the European Union. She celebrated her Silver, Ruby, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilee, each marked her 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. She also witnessed the rapid decolonization of former British colonial territories in the 60s and the 70s, as many countries moved towards self-governance. She was also the first British Monarch to visit a communist country in 1970 when she visited Yugoslavia and President Josip Broz Tito. 1992 was the year marked by the Queen as annus horribilis, or horrible year, as she witnessed the divorces of Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and then-Prince Charles from their spouses. There was also a rise of the Republican Movement in Britain, calling for a change in government from a monarchy to a republic with elected head of state. Her 70+ year reign was marked by various events in history, with the latest being the Covid pandemic, the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union, and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

 

            When we look at the numbers during her reign as the Queen, Elizabeth II was perhaps the most well-known monarch in recent history. There are 14 prime ministers who served under her reign, most notably Winston Churchill, who was the last PM served under her father, Margaret Thatcher, a.k.a. The Iron Lady, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Theresa May, and the last under her reign and recently resigned Boris Johnson. Liz Truss was appointed Prime minister under her reign but will serve her post under King Charles III. With the United States, especially the presidents, 14 different presidents were elected at the same time as her reign. Her first meeting with Truman may be the first, but the meeting occurred while she was still Princess Elizabeth. Her first proper visit as Queen was when she visited President Dwight Eisenhower on October 1957. Then came Presidents John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, who apparently tried to set up his own daughter Tricia to marry Charles, Gerald Ford, whom she shared a dance with, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, who instantly bonded due to their shared hobby of horse riding, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush, all the way to Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. All of which has either visited her or she visit them personally. The only US president that the Queen never met was Lyndon Johnson, that honor instead went to Princess Margaret. Up until her passing, she exceeded her great-great-grandmother's record for the longest serving monarch in British history. For the record, Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years and 216 days. Her official time as the monarch clocked at 70 years and 214 days. It means that most of us are actually born under her reign. 

 

            For the next 12 days, Great Britain and the Commonwealth will enter a mourning period culminating to the royal funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. All sports, entertainment and comedy programs are banned during this period. King Charles III is also expected to tour the capitals of each home nations of Britain and will set up his coronation later down the road. For now, Operation London Bridge is in motion, and as the world gathers around in grief, we offer our greatest condolences to the royal family in the wake of the Queen's passing. She left a lasting legacy not only for Britain, but for the rest of the world. She will be missed, and may God provide a good health for the new king as he takes his rightful place to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and subsequently, the leader of the Commonwealth. Rest in peace, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and (I know I'm not British, but I'll say this anyway) God Save the King.