u/OfficialDCShepard

Hello my first time posting here. Not sure how to write this but looking for optimism here and how this either won't come to pass or whatnot. I'm worried about losing job to something ridiculous and not having proper union representation preventing that from happening. My question is how likely is this be passed and implemented and what can be done to prevent it from happening or taking effect? Any optimism for this will help alleviate my worries. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

https://www.afge.org/publication/proposed-changes-to-federal-employee-discipline-rules-betray-nations-public-workers-afge-says/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAS3dsFjbGNrBLd2vWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHis2H1vM27Ib675e4MauV4hAYByKwLw3-QzQdzzfANXJgHiY4n4uuTpjyDrs\_aem\_iceZJGG45HV2J6nb6L-\_gQ

Happy Pride, everyone and will link the artist I commissioned for this on Threads in the comments because she did an amazing job.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT from The Wind Empress: In Their Majesty's Service, ETA 2027

(Updates Will be on My YouTube Channel and Substack, So Please Subscribe and Hit the Bell!)

Palait de Fonte Segrassi (Palace of the Fountain of Wisdom)

Gran Metro, Capital of the Metropolitan Empire of Terragia

Sunsday, 16 Month of Dreams, Year 683 Imperium Constituit

The Empress didn’t walk into the palace’s centerpiece Conquerors’ Maze so much as they appeared out of the shadows.

They had mingled with the crowd but were now grateful to be wandering alone until the King of Baharea arrived here as agreed. Or as alone as one could be with two dozen Imperial Guardstholk wielding Charletienne lever-action rifles per entrance, waiting for those bold or stupid enough to approach the Empress without permission. Meanwhile, a thousand guests from a hundred nations in a menagerie of dresses and suits still ambled about the gardens of the Palace bordering the Lake of Wisdom southwest of Gran Metro, the capital of the Empire. Their first glimpse of the normally secretive Empress Endrelle I de Constanci four years into their reign that had started in tragedy showed such promise.

Endrelle dragged their pale, delicate left hand, midnight silk dress dotted with dream pearls, and earthen hair, all shining in the streaking light of the Broken Moon and its debris, along the damp green ivy that made up the maze. If you asked them, they could tell you for an hour straight of its commissioning and construction at the time of the early reign of their grandfather, Macusar II in 647 IC. His imposing, barrel-chested statue by the west entrance had one foot raised on a pedestal with mustache bushy, eyes full of martial fire. Yet his face was grooved with deep laugh lines, as if ready to once again lift gallon-barrels full of beer and pour them for the guests this night like it was any other noisy Imperial Feast. She’d only endured them staying by his Whitepuff dragon coat to block some of the noise when they were a child.

Endrelle I de Constanci was used to standing apart. They’d gotten their name when their mother, Crown Princess Serelie of the prestigious Continental Empire of Racontaer far to the north, yelled “Endrelle!”- meaning “Enough!”- after their birth thirty years ago this 33^(rd) of Dreams 652. Yet Macusar and Serelie had Chloe-Rose two years later and then Amelie-Grace a year after that, with Serelie finally dying giving birth to Typhinia and Typhon when Endrelle was five. Typhinia had black fever for three weeks but lived, while Typhon died from it the same day that she recovered.

The Gran Thurgs, or Great Chiefs of the Imperial Wind Cult saw Endrelle had the Darkness Curse, and in turn must have cursed their younger siblings by being born, so Endrelle was made to control their powers in friendly sparring with their equally Darkness-cursed sister Amelie and Flechdams prisoners (who were eager to gain parole consideration this way).

Endrelle had therefore not faced large crowds often, except when leading them in an aerial offensive. At least in battle, one could study their opponent with strategies horizon-tested for centuries. Meanwhile, “civil” society claimed to have one set of rules, then whispered the truth with the other. In response one had to create tactics in that moment, something which Endrelle struggled with at times.

Suddenly, the tail of their shadow buzzed from contact with another moving umbrage. Having to feel their shadow as an extension of their own body enabled Endrelle to detect many things beyond normal human senses, including, on occasion, fragments of others’ true thoughts. The downside of feeling shadows, though, was that it was like having exposed nerve endings everywhere. That meant their room had to be lined with three Whitepuff coats for soundproofing for when they needed to scream later. Thankfully for them, now it was as if a gentle feather alighted on them, and that was a phantom touch they knew well.

The Star of David was chosen for Jews, the pink triangle was used for gays and transgender people. It was against the law to be gay or transgender in Germany. Many other countries that freed the concentration camps had laws against gays and transgender individuals, especially Great Britain. So many of them went back to jail even though they were freed. That is why the LGBT community, especially the trans community, uses the pink triangle

Sunsday, 16 Month of Dreams 683 Imperium Constituit

Dear Honored Guest of the Empire's Beating Heart,

Thank you for picking up one of these complimentary maps of Gran Metro, now fully rebuilt under a new, peaceful Empire committed to constitutional principles (long may Their Majesty Endrelle I de Constanci reign!) and our foundational values of the Metropoles being Gathering Places for All. If you're here for excitement, you're in luck, for Gran is hosting a delayed 68th Royal Artistic Industrial and Scientific Exhibition that, however, will be better than ever. What better time, after all, to bring the world's finest food, art, scientific inventions, and other cultural innovations together than in this new era of coexistence for the entire continent?

While you're here, please consider picking up one of several tiers of weekly RAISE Passes to make the most out of your time here! All included experiences are included for the week without additional Imperial note fees unless otherwise noted.

[Historian's Note: One Imperial Note is worth about $30 in 2026...the math was kind of complicated when trying to peg it to 1893 Earth Francs so I watered it down a little, but I still wanted every pass to feel premium for the ordinary visitor or even Imperial citizen but within reach for the moderately well-to-do traveler. Individual experiences could also, of course, be bought separately for much cheaper, with tickets to RAISE itself perhaps going for N1 to N2 to be a little bit pricier than the 1893 Columbian Exposition that heavily inspired it but not much. However, this is my best effort to try and diegetically explain the map colors.]

RAISE Commons Pass (Sponsored by the Imperial Commons Administration)- N25 per adult, N10 per child under 12

• General Admission to all areas of the RAISE Hall (11) and Inventors Green (27)
• Parc du Conseitat (Park of the Councils of State, 7)
• Imperial Zoo & Dragon Sanctuary (11)
• Circuite Terragia (13)
• Stormaway Beach (14)
• Boardwalk (17)
• 10% off one food item or non-alcoholic beverage at Metro Forum Market (12)
• Plus, nearly two dozen other Commons parks and urban gardens throughout Gran!

RAISE Metro Transigoul Pass (Sponsored by the Imperial Gargoul Rail Administration)- N35 per adult, N15 per child under 12

• Everything included in the Commons Pass
• Unlimited ridership on any Metro Transigoul line for the week (grey lines)
• One free food item or non-alcoholic beverage per passholder on the scenic Boardwalk-Circuite Express and Dori Shore Shuttle lines (25)
• One included appetizer at Gran Metrogoul Central (23) or Emperor's Landing Air Harbor (26)
• 20% off one souvenir in either place or at Metro Forum Market
• Coupon for N5 per passholder off a single round trip to any destination on the Imperial Central Express (32), and two free food items or non-alcoholic beverages per passholder

RAISE Alsic Adventure Pass (Sponsored by the Aergonaut Guild and Aerographer Guild)- N50 per adult, N20 per child under 12

• Everything included in the Metro Transigoul Pass
• Unlimited boat rides on the Gran River (19), connected canals (35), and tributary rivers
• Free admission to all Cleinsia Guild Indoor Public Baths [Historian's Note: blue circles, stars, etc. inside the city)
• 10% discount on all items sold at the pools or markets at South Bend Cleinsia (21)
• One one-day airship tour of the Immortal Heights mountains (8), redeemable at any time during the week depending on availability
• Access to VIP booking assistance with non-Pass airship tours
• Fonte Segrassi (Lake of Wisdom, 20) by appointment only
• For your safety, the Royal Gargoul Forest [Historian's Note: The green shoreline around the Lake of Wisdom] is currently off-limits at this time

RAISE Guilder Pass (Sponsored by the Councils of Interests, the loose representative body running all the Guilds in the Empire)- N65 per adult, N35 per child under 12

• Everything including in the Alsic Adventure Pass
• Three-hour early access to the RAISE Main Stage and Inventor's Green for one day
• One private tour of the Imperial Interior Seaway Canal (34)
• One night's stay at the Lookout Sandbar Hotel (36), with free breakfast
• Private tours of:
  • The Factoriate Guild (22), by appointment
  • The Imperial Stock and Clearing House (24)- the only place in Gran where gambling is permitted, whether on games of chance or Guild stocks
  • The Old West Guild Wall Ruins (28)
  • The Old Guild Citadel (31)
  • The Councils of Interests (32)
  • Unlimited tours of Guild Transigoul lines [Historian's Note: Pink lines]
  • Additional "Live like a Guild member" discount of 25% at Metro Forum Market

RAISE United Council Pass (Sponsored by the United Councils of Imperial State)- N80 per adult, N45 per child under 12

• Everything included in the Guilder Pass
• Free Council Lounge access all week at Porta Dori (Port of Gold, 33), Gran Metrogoul Central and Emperor's Air Harbour
• Unlimited private airship tours of Gran's scenic farmland (yellow) from the Imperial Groundskeeper's House (9) plus free samples; ground visitation strictly prohibited
• Unlimited ground tours of historic, inactive Imperial forts (gold circles)
• Pre-approved gallery access to any active Curiate legislative sessions, including a very good chance to see the Empress signing laws!
• ONE private tour of each passholder's choice of:
  • Cambrera du Logoslatif (Curiate, 9)
  • Tour de Direteurri (executive Directorate, 8)
  • Chateau du Tribunat (judicial Tribunate, 10)
• Free Council Box Seats at any Circuite Terragia event, including Air Grand Prix races, during the week subject to availability of both events and seating
• Unlimited, historic clockwork trolley tours of the Old Imperial Palait District (18), and 10% off one food or beverage (including alcohol and psychleaf for adults over 18) item in the District
• One free lecture of your choice per passholder per week from Gran University (37), with unlimited access to private study rooms in its Imperial Library
• The Imperial Family's Palaces (1- Empress Endrelle, 2- Gran Enchantress Amelie-Grace, 3- Crown Princess Chloe-Rose, 4- Head of Imperial Household Typhinia) are strictly off-limits except by personal invitation

RAISE Duchieve Pass (Sponsored by the Duchieve Rossi, Duchieve Appensellit, and the Gran Thurgs of the Imperial Wind Cult)- N500 per adult, N250 per child under 12

• Everything included in the United Council Pass
• One VIP ticket to a Gustdancer Troupe show at the Temporat de Tourafas (Temple of All Gusts, holiest site in the Imperial Wind Cult, 15)
• One VIP ticket to any show at the Theatri du Crosei (Theater of the Crossings, 29)
• 5% discount off any one food item at Rossi Restaurant Group, including the legendary walking gargoul restaurant by Alsic de Corrinau The Steam Trap
• Personal airship or ground tours and tastings (including wine and psychleaf tastings for adults over 18) at Rossi Farms [Historian's Note: Purple land in the south, next to the other farmland]
• One night's stay at the Nimbus Overlook (16), Rossi Industries' new, mobile air hotel with unbeatable four-flipper service as rated by Mertholks' Guide, four first-class restaurants and spectacular views of anywhere in the city

We hope you enjoy your stay in Gran Metro, and please don't hesitate to ask a friendly RAISE Team Member at any participating business, Guild or non-Guild [Historian's Note: black lines indicate independently owned streets and businesses ever since the Guild Monopoly was broken due to wartime necessity] any questions you may have!

In Gleanings 87, Baha'u'llah speaks of Syriac as being an older language that preceded Abraham, whereas modern linguistics recognize it as a later dialect of Aramaic that developed after Hebrew. Another poster asked about this, and I have pasted my response below. I wanted to include the image above and didn't see how to do that in a response, so I just created a new post.

My understanding is that, in the sacred writings, some things are taken from a macro-perspective overarching large periods of time. The language in question appears to be some sort of ancient proto-Aramaic or proto-Semitic. There is no known name for this language, but Baha'u'llah identifies it with one of its much later descendants, Syriac, as being in a direct line.

Think of it like this: The parent language has many children, and here Baha'u'llah designates one of them, Aramaic or Syriac, as the "heir" to carry the family name. Inversely, the anonymous ancestor language is in turn referred to by the currently known name of its successor. From a scientific, linguistic perspective this may appear anachronistic, but in a religious context this sort of identification connects languages and entire communities with a long-reaching spiritual heritage.

Moreover, in Gleanings 87, Abraham stands at a crossroads in linguistic and prophetic history. The proto-Hebraic language spoken by Abraham and His descendants is identified as Hebrew, because it is the ancestor of the language of the Torah, in a direct line linguistically and spiritually.
Ismail, as the father of the Arabs, represents the roots of some sort of proto-Arabic that later evolved into Arabic.

"Syriac" here indicates in a broad macro-perspective sense the language of greater Syria. Aramaic is the direct successor to proto-Semitic that did not branch off to become the language of revelation to the Jews or Arabs. Syriac is the form of Aramaic regarded as the successor of this tradition. It is also the form of Aramaic that became most closely associated with Middle-Eastern Christianity.
To put it differently, ancient languages are seen as being an embryonic form of later developments and are already referred to at a very early stage by the name of what they would evolve into.

May 31. On this date in 1988, the Universal House of Justice responded to a paper presented at a Baha'i Studies conference which raised the possibility that women could one day be eligible for membership on the Universal House of Justice.

Women on the Universal House of Justice by / on behalf of Universal House of Justice 1988-05-31 first written or published 1998

We have been informed of a paper, presented at a recent New Zealand Bahá'í Studies conference [online here], which raises the possibility that the ineligibility of women for membership on the Universal House of Justice may be a temporary provision subject to change through a process of progressive unfoldment of the divine purpose. We present the following points as a means of increasing the friends' understanding of this established provision of the Order of Bahá'u'lláh that membership of the Universal House of Justice is confined to men.

The system of Bahá'í Administration is "indissolubly bound with the essential verities of the Faith" as set forth in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdul' Baha. A unique feature of this system is the appointment of authorized interpreters, in the persons of Abdu'l Baha and the Guardian, to provide authoritative statements on the intent of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation. Writing in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, Shogi Effendi stated that "Abdul' Baha and the Guardian " share . . . the right and obligation to interpret the Bahá'í Teachings". In relation to his own function as interpreter, he further stated that "the Guardian has been specifically endowed with such power as he may need to reveal the purport and disclose the implications of the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and of Abdu'l Baha". The significance of this important provision is that the religion of God is safeguarded and protected against schism and its essential unity is preserved.

The function of the divinely appointed interpreters is evident in the progressive disclosure and clarification of the details of the Bahá'í teachings concerning the membership of the Universal House of Justice. Bahá'u'lláh, in his writings, ordained both the Universal House of Justice and Local Houses of Justice. However, in many of his laws he refers simply to "the House of Justice" and its members as "Men of Justice", leaving open for later clarification to which level or levels of the whole institution each law would apply. Abdu'l Baha, the Center of Bahá'u'lláh's covenant and the unerring interpreter of his word, not only provided for the establishment of National Spiritual Assemblies, to be designated at some future time as Secondary Houses of Justice, but He also outlined the means by which the Universal House of Justice was to be elected. In His will and testament, the Master wrote:

"And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers . . . By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one . . . (p. 14)

And in one of His Tablets He had already written:

At whatever time the beloved of God in each country appoint their delegates , and these in turn elect their representatives, and these representatives elect a body, that body shall be regarded as the Supreme House of Justice.

In the following passage, 'Abdu'l Baha refered to membership on the "House of Justice" being restricted to men, without a specific designation of the level or levels of the institution to which this provision applied:

"The House of Justice, however, according to the explicit text of the Law of God, is confined to men; this for a wisdom of the Lord God's which will ere long be made manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon. (Selections from the writings of Abdu'l Baha (rev. ed) Haifa: Bahá'í World Center, 1982), p. 80) Later the Master clarified that it was only the Universal House of Justice whose membership was confined to men. Abdu'l Baha wrote:

"According to the ordinances of the Faith of God, women are the equals of men in all rights save only that of membership on the Universal House of Justice, for, as hath been stated in the text of the Book, both the Head and the members of the House of Justice are men. However, in all other bodies, such as the Temple Construction Committee, the Teaching Committee, the Spiritual Assembly, and in charitable and scientific associations, women share equally in all rights with men. (from a newly translated tablet). Shogi Effendi, in a letter written on his behalf to an individual believer, provided the following authoritative elaboration on this theme:

"As regards your question concerning the membership of the Universal House of Justice; there is a Tablet from 'Abdu'l Baha in which he definitely states that the membership of the Universal House of Justice is confined to men, and that the wisdom of it will be fully revealed and appreciated in the future. In the local, as well as the National Houses of Justice, however, women have the full right of membership. It is, therefore, only to the International House of Justice that they cannot be elected. . ." (28 July 1936)

'Abdu'l Baha Himself, it should be noted, had, as attested by the above-cited extracts from His Tablets, affirmed that the ineligibility of women for election to the Universal House of Justice had been set out "in the text of the Book" and "in the explicit text of the Law of God". In other words, this provision was established by none other than Bahá'u'lláh Himself.

Further, in response to a number of questions about eligibility for membership and procedures for election of the Universal House of Justice, the Guardian's secretary writing on his behalf distinguished between those questions which could be answered by reference to the "explicitly revealed" Text and those which could not be. Membership to the Universal House of Justice fits into the former category. The letter stated:

"The membership of the Universal House of Justice is confined to men. Fixing the number of the members, the procedures for election and the term of membership will be known later, as these are not explicitly revealed in the Holy Text." (27 May 1940) Hence, 'Abdu'l Baha and the Guardian progressively have revealed, in accordance with divine inspiration, the meaning and implications of Bahá'u'lláh's seminal teachings. Their interpretations are fundamental statements of truth which cannot be varied through legislation by the Universal House of Justice.

The progressive clarification of the details of the laws concerning membership of the Houses of Justice has been accompanied by a gradual implementation of their provisions. For example, based on the texts available to the believers at the time, membership of local Houses of Justice was initially confined to men. When the Master began to elaborate on the difference between the levels of this Institution, He clarified that the exclusion of women applied only to the Universal House of Justice. Thereafter, women became eligble for service as members of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies. Women in the West, who already enjoyed the benefits of education and opportunities for social involvement, participated in this form of service much sooner than, for instance, their Bahá'í sisters in Iran who were accorded this right only in 1954, "removing thereby the last remaining obstacle to the enjoyment of complete equality of rights in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Persian Bahá'í Community". It is important to note that the timing of the introduction of the provisions called for by the interpretations of 'Abdu'l Baha and the Guardian in relation to the Local and National Spiritual Assemblies, rather than constituting a response to some external condition or pressure, was dictated by the principle of progressive implementation of the laws, as enjoined by Bahá'u'lláh Himself. Concerning the implementation of the laws, Bahá'u'lláh wrote in one of His Tablets:

"Indeed the laws of God are like unto the ocean and the children of men as fish, did they but know it. However, in observing them one must exercise wisdom . . . One must guide mankind to the ocean of true understanding in a spirit of love and tolerance." As mentioned earlier, the law regarding the membership of the Universal House of Justice is embedded in the Text and has been merely restated by the divinely appointed interpreters. It is therefore neither amenable to change nor subject to speculation about some possible future condition.

With regard to the status of women, the important point for Bahá'ís to remember is that in the face of the categorical pronouncements in Bahá'í Scripture establishing the equality of men and women, the ineligibility of women for membership on the Universal House of Justice does not constitute evidence of the superiority of men over women. It must also be borne in mind that women are not excluded from any other international institution of the Faith. They are found among the ranks of the Hands of the Cause. They serve as members of the International Teaching Center and as Continental Counsellors. And, there is nothing in the text to preclude the participation of women in such future international bodies as the Supreme Tribunal.

Though at the present time, it may be difficult for the believers to appreciate the reason for the circumscription of membership on the Universal House of Justice to men, we call upon the friends to remain assured by the Master's promise that clarity of understanding will be achieved in due course. The friends, both women and men, must accept this with faith that the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh will aid them and the institutions of His World Order to see the realization of every principle ordained by His unerring Pen, including the equality of men and women, as expounded in the Writings of the Cause.

The Universal House of Justice