#pillars — Public Fediverse posts

As of June 30, 2024, Germany had 1.96 million civil servants, judges, and soldiers. Although the latter two groups are not considered civil servants in the trad... https://news.osna.fm/?p=44338 | #news #education #employment #key #pillars

As of June 30, 2024, Germany had 1.96 million civil servants, judges, and soldiers. Although the latter two groups are not considered civil servants in the trad... https://news.osna.fm/?p=44338 | #news #education #employment #key #pillars

As of June 30, 2024, Germany had 1.96 million civil servants, judges, and soldiers. Although the latter two groups are not considered civil servants in the trad... https://news.osna.fm/?p=44338 | #news #education #employment #key #pillars

As of June 30, 2024, Germany had 1.96 million civil servants, judges, and soldiers. Although the latter two groups are not considered civil servants in the trad... https://news.osna.fm/?p=44338 | #news #education #employment #key #pillars

#Trifid #Pillars and #Jets
#Astronomy #Picture of the Day

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260503.html

#APOD #Nebula

The voyagers examined the web of cloth (1921) by Virginia Frances Sterrett, from Tanglewood Tales.

Source: New York Public Library / Internet Archive

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/20db3331-b796-4a1a-8121-8784920a8859

#pillars #mythology #art #publicdomain

Anonymous, null.

Source: British Library / Flickr: The Commons

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/b468f979-dd91-43a7-8449-07344f3749cb

#animals #pillars #decorations #horses #art #publicdomain

i have no idea what you mean by too many pillars

#Fantasy #IvoryColored #Pillars #Arches #Iridescent #Ornate #Pastel #Dreamscape #Palace #Magical
#Img2img #AiArt #AiArtists #AiArtCommunity #StableDiffusion

to over-the-top decorate with: https://aieris.art/featured/i-have-no-idea-what-you-mean-by-too-many-pillars-eris-and-ai.html

i have no idea what you mean by too many pillars

#Fantasy #IvoryColored #Pillars #Arches #Iridescent #Ornate #Pastel #Dreamscape #Palace #Magical
#Img2img #AiArt #AiArtists #AiArtCommunity #StableDiffusion

to over-the-top decorate with: https://aieris.art/featured/i-have-no-idea-what-you-mean-by-too-many-pillars-eris-and-ai.html

i have no idea what you mean by too many pillars

#Fantasy #IvoryColored #Pillars #Arches #Iridescent #Ornate #Pastel #Dreamscape #Palace #Magical
#Img2img #AiArt #AiArtists #AiArtCommunity #StableDiffusion

to over-the-top decorate with: https://aieris.art/featured/i-have-no-idea-what-you-mean-by-too-many-pillars-eris-and-ai.html

i have no idea what you mean by too many pillars

#Fantasy #IvoryColored #Pillars #Arches #Iridescent #Ornate #Pastel #Dreamscape #Palace #Magical
#Img2img #AiArt #AiArtists #AiArtCommunity #StableDiffusion

to over-the-top decorate with: https://aieris.art/featured/i-have-no-idea-what-you-mean-by-too-many-pillars-eris-and-ai.html

i have no idea what you mean by too many pillars

#Fantasy #IvoryColored #Pillars #Arches #Iridescent #Ornate #Pastel #Dreamscape #Palace #Magical
#Img2img #AiArt #AiArtists #AiArtCommunity #StableDiffusion

to over-the-top decorate with: https://aieris.art/featured/i-have-no-idea-what-you-mean-by-too-many-pillars-eris-and-ai.html

STRONG OPINIONS on ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE

https://piefed.social/c/historymemes/p/1579685/strong-opinions-on-ancient-architecture

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/wednesday-december-10-2025/

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/wednesday-december-10-2025/

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/wednesday-december-10-2025/

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/wednesday-december-10-2025/

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/wednesday-december-10-2025/

Abandoned Entrance
Hyères, French Riviera

#abandoned #gate #nature #leaves #metallicgate #abandon #villas #houses #iron #greenvines #fence #bars #pillars #palmtrees #grass #palms #entrance #foliage
#photography #colorphotography #photos #streetphotography #photos #urbanphotography #naturephotography
#jlbouzou

Hanging around with some pillars of the community.

#Edinburgh #Edimbourg #photography #photographie #architecture #RSA #RoyalScottishAcademy #pillars

3 Pillars of Trump’s Power—Including Tariffs—Head to Supreme Court | TIME

Sep 10, 2025, 4:00 AM PT

3 Pillars of Trump’s Power Are Tested, as Pivotal Cases Head to Supreme Court

• Politics
• Trump Administration

By Brian Bennett, Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME.

The Brief September 10, 2025

The Brief September 10, 2025

Editor’s Note: Audio on the linked article/site. Not available to embed.

In early September, President Donald Trump’s White House sent out a press release laying out ways Trump has been “delivering historic results.” It outed $158 billion in tariff revenues coming into the U.S. since Trump took office. It said that Trump’s border crackdown has led to a 97% drop in northward migration from Central America and that his use of the military for law enforcement in Washington DC is a “model” for other cities.

It was just the latest example of the Administration highlighting how Trump is following through on his campaign promises to aggressively deploy tariffs, ramp up deportations, and send the National Guard into U.S. cities. But a recent drumbeat of court rulings have called those three central actions of Trump’s presidency into question. Lower courts are repeatedly finding that Trump has exceeded his powers as President under the Constitution. In just the last two weeks, federal courts ruled that most of his tariffs are illegal, that he violated a law prohibiting the use of soldiers for law enforcement inside the U.S., and that many of his most high-profile deportations were based on a faulty reading of law.

The White House is challenging all of those decisions, setting the stage for the Supreme Court to ultimately determine if if Trump may have to rein in his efforts in those areas The high court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority thanks to the three justices Trump hand-picked during his first term, has so far taken an expansive view of Trump’s ability to act.

Here are three major actions Trump has taken that are in jeopardy and appear destined for the Supreme Court:

Issuing Tariffs

A federal court ruled in late August that most of Trump’s tariffs are illegal because they were imposed without Congressional approval. But that lower court held off on enacting its order to give the Trump Administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the high court announced it was expediting the tariff case, demanding briefs from all sides from the government and the plaintiffs by Sept. 19 in order to hear in-person arguments in early November.

The case was brought by a group of small businesses that said the tariffs Trump imposed so far “amount to an average tax increase of $1,200-$2,800 per American household.” The business owners argued that issuing those tariffs were beyond the President’s powers under the Constitution. Article I of the Constitution empowered Congress to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises” and demands that bills for raising revenue “shall originate in the House of Representatives.” (CONTINUED)

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: 3 Pillars of Trump’s Power—Including Tariffs—Head to Supreme Court | TIME

#2025 #America #DemocraticStates #DonaldTrump #Education #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #NationalGuard #Opinion #Pillars #Politics #Resistance #Science #SpeedingDeportations #Tariffs #Three #Time #TimeMagazine #Trump #TrumpAdministration #TrumpSPower #USCities #UnitedStates

Pillar Three: The Rule of Law – Safeguarding Justice in Modern America

Pillar Three: The Rule of Law – Safeguarding Justice in Modern America

The rule of law is more than a legal doctrine. It is the backbone of democracy, the invisible framework that ensures the three branches of government — legislative, executive, and judicial — work in harmony under a shared commitment: that no one is above the law. Without respect for the rule of law, democracy is nothing more than a fragile promise, vulnerable to the whims of those who would wield power.

America’s founders understood this deeply. From their debates in Philadelphia emerged a Constitution that both empowered and limited government. They created a system in which law, not personality, guides authority. Every branch was bound to follow the same rules, creating a balance meant to resist tyranny.

Historical Foundations of the Rule of Law

The concept stretches back centuries. The Magna Carta of 1215 first declared that even the king was not above the law. That principle found new life in the American Revolution, when colonists insisted that arbitrary rule violated their rights as citizens. The U.S. Constitution enshrined this balance of powers, reinforced later by the Bill of Rights and centuries of court precedent.

From Brown v. Board of Education to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, progress in America has always come when leaders and courts reaffirmed the supremacy of law over personal power.

The Rule of Law in Modern Times

Today, the principle is under direct assault. Respect for courts, legal institutions, and independent judges has been eroded, most visibly by former president Donald Trump. His open defiance of rulings, manipulation of the Department of Justice, and attacks on judges illustrate a troubling departure from America’s democratic norms. In his second term, the problem has grown sharper: the executive branch has become not a steward of law, but a weapon against political opponents.

The Supreme Court, too, has shaken confidence. In a landmark decision granting Trump sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts,” the Court broke faith with the very concept of equal justice. By creating a carve-out for presidential lawbreaking, the Court has itself undermined the rule of law, establishing that a president may stand above accountability. Such a ruling contradicts centuries of precedent and the Constitution’s text.

Ten Violations of the Rule of Law under Trump, Term 2

These violations are not abstract; they are lived realities, reshaping governance and democracy. Among the most alarming:

• 1. Defiance of Court Orders: Repeatedly ignoring or delaying compliance with federal rulings.
• 2. DOJ Weaponization: Turning the Justice Department into a tool for prosecuting rivals while shielding allies, dubious pardons. Armed deployment of soliders on American soil, in no Emergency.
• 3. Targeting Judges: Public attacks on individual judges, undermining judicial independence.
• 4. Politicized Pardons: Granting clemency not for justice but as political reward.
• 5. Election Interference: Efforts to override certified state results and intimidate election officials. Latest idea Trump had was to kill mail-in voting.
• 6. Retaliatory Investigations: Pursuing inquiries into President Biden, former officials like William Barr, and political opponents without basis.
• 7. Congressional Defiance: Ignoring subpoenas, refusing oversight, and treating legislative checks as optional. Particularly, Trump has tried to seize the power of the purse, funding schools and research, legislative financial matters for the nation’s Finances and Budget.
• 8. Intelligence Misuse: Pressuring intelligence agencies to produce findings that serve political ends. Firing those who don’t produce “intelligence” Trump wants — like the Air Force General he fired.
• 9. Supreme Court Manipulation: Praising and leveraging favorable rulings to advance an agenda above law. There is no balance. It’s right-wing. SCOTUS must be re-aligned, without built-in bias.
• 10. Normalizing Lawlessness: Using rhetoric and action to convince supporters that accountability itself is illegitimate. January 6 was just another day to Trump, as he pardoned those who tried to take over our Government by force.

The Consequences for Democracy

When the rule of law is weakened, democracy itself erodes. Citizens lose faith that the system is fair. Leaders exploit divisions and concentrate power. History shows how quickly democracies can crumble when legal institutions are hollowed out — Hungary under Viktor Orbán, Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and others. America is not immune. The erosion here is visible and accelerating.

Unchecked, these violations risk transforming the presidency into an untouchable office, severing the balance the founders fought to establish. When law is reduced to politics, freedom itself is endangered.

A Call to Renewal

Photo shows the space that the Law Library occupied in the United States Capitol from 1860 to 1950. The space was the Supreme Court Chamber, 1859-60, and before that the Senate Chamber. Samuel Morse sent his first telegram from this room on May 24, 1844. Date circa 1895. This image is available from the United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division, under the digital ID cph.3b17241.

The rule of law must be renewed — in courts, in Congress, in executive offices, and in the conscience of the American people. Leaders must respect judicial independence, protect agencies from politicization, and reaffirm that accountability is not optional. Citizens must demand it. Without this, the pillar of law collapses, and democracy along with it.

It is not enough to hope that norms will save us. America’s survival as a democracy depends on a national recommitment to the principle that no person — not even the president — stands above the law.

Section Bibliography

• Brookings Institution. “Why the Rule of Law Matters in U.S. Democracy.” Brookings, 2024. brookings.edu.
• Ginsburg, Tom, and Aziz Huq. How to Save a Constitutional Democracy. University of Chicago Press, 2018.
• Knight First Amendment Institute. “Presidential Immunity and the Rule of Law.” 2025. knightcolumbia.org.
• Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How Democracies Die. Crown Publishing, 2018.
• American Bar Association. “Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law.” ABA Reports, 2023. americanbar.org.
• U.S. Supreme Court. Trump v. United States (2025). Opinion and dissent.
• Comparative analysis on Hungary and Turkey from Freedom House Reports, 2024.

This is part 3 of 6 parts. See the entire series here: https://drwebdomain.blog/pillars-of-democracy-series/

#2025 #America #Books #democracy #DonaldTrump #Education #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Opinion #Pillars #PillarsOfDemocracy #Politics #Reading #Resistance #Science #Technology #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates

The Constitution: Blueprint of a Nation – Pillars of Democracy

The Constitution: Blueprint of a Nation

Pillars of Democracy, Part 2 of 6

The Constitution is more than an old document locked in glass. It is the nation’s operating system, the rules by which democracy stands or falls. Written in 1787, amended, re-interpreted, and sometimes ignored, it remains the central framework of American democracy.

The Framers knew their work was imperfect. Compromises over slavery and representation haunted the text from the beginning. Women were left out entirely. Yet what made the Constitution revolutionary was its ability to adapt. Through amendment, interpretation, and public struggle, it became a living blueprint rather than a frozen artifact.

Founding Strains

The Constitution faced its first stress tests almost immediately. Federalists and Anti-Federalists sparred bitterly over how strong the central government should be. The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) pushed the limits of free speech and dissent, raising fears that the young republic was already betraying its founding promises.

This debate over liberty versus order has never gone away — it is the recurring heartbeat of American constitutional life.

Civil War and Reconstruction

No crisis tested the Constitution more than the Civil War. Could a Union built on voluntary states survive secession? Could the founding document withstand the moral weight of slavery?

The answer came in blood. In the aftermath, the Reconstruction Amendments — the 13th, 14th, and 15th — abolished slavery, redefined citizenship, and guaranteed voting rights for freedmen. These amendments expanded the Constitution’s reach dramatically, even as violent resistance and Jim Crow laws undermined them for a century.

Progressive and New Deal Battles

The late 19th and early 20th centuries brought industrialization, inequality, and social upheaval. Constitutional fights erupted over labor rights, regulation, and the scope of federal power.

During the New Deal, the Supreme Court initially struck down Franklin Roosevelt’s programs as unconstitutional. Only after fierce conflict did the Court shift, allowing broader federal authority to respond to national crisis. That moment reshaped constitutional interpretation and left an enduring legacy on how government addresses economic security.

Civil Rights and Equal Protection

For decades, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) had entrenched racial segregation under the guise of “separate but equal.” The Constitution seemed powerless against injustice. But in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court reversed course, declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Brown became a beacon — not just a legal ruling, but a moral turning point. It showed how constitutional meaning could evolve, even after generations of resistance.

Rule of Law and Executive Power

The Constitution has repeatedly faced moments where presidential power threatened to overwhelm the system.

In Watergate, President Nixon claimed near-absolute executive privilege. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected that view in United States v. Nixon (1974), forcing release of the tapes and proving that no leader is above the law.

That principle remains vital today. The balance between executive power and accountability is one of the Constitution’s most fragile edges.

Contested Elections

Democracy depends on trust in constitutional processes. In Bush v. Gore (2000), the Supreme Court’s intervention to stop Florida recounts highlighted how deeply divided constitutional interpretation could be. The 2020 election once again tested whether the Constitution could withstand misinformation, legal challenges, and pressure on state and federal institutions.

The document survived — but not without scars to public faith.

Amendments that Reshaped Democracy

• The Bill of Rights (1791) safeguarded freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and more.
• The 19th Amendment (1920) enfranchised women, doubling the electorate.
• The 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18, recognizing young Americans drafted into war deserved a political voice.

Each amendment was not only a legal change, but a reflection of democratic growth.

Originalism vs. Living Constitution

Today, debate rages between those who see the Constitution as “fixed” — only interpretable through the framers’ intent — and those who argue it must evolve with society. This philosophical battle plays out in every Supreme Court nomination, every landmark ruling, and every national argument about rights.

Both camps claim fidelity to democracy. Both shape the pillar’s future.

The Constitution in Our Time

Modern crises raise new questions:

• Does the Fourth Amendment protect digital privacy in an age of mass surveillance (Carpenter v. United States, 2018)?
• Does the First Amendment extend to online platforms and misinformation?
• How do we balance gun rights with public safety under the Second Amendment?
• Can partisan gerrymandering erode “one person, one vote” without violating equal protection?

These aren’t academic hypotheticals. They are the pressing tests of whether the Constitution still holds us together.

Reflections…

The Constitution is both fragile and resilient. Fragile, because it bends under pressure, its meaning shifting with courts and politics. Resilient, because through civil war, depression, scandal, and upheaval, Americans have kept returning to it as the shared foundation of democracy.

It will not survive on autopilot. Each generation must decide again to honor it, amend it, and live under it. If we give up on that choice, this pillar crumbles — and democracy falls with it.

Section Bibliography

• U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights — National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs
• Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) — National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/alien-and-sedition-acts
• 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments — National Archives:
  • 13th: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/13th-amendment
  • 14th: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/14th-amendment
  • 15th: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/15th-amendment
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) — National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/plessy-v-ferguson
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954) — National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brown-v-board
• United States v. Nixon (1974) — Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1973/73-1766
• Bush v. Gore (2000) — Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2000/00-949
• 19th Amendment — National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/19th-amendment
• 26th Amendment — National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
• Carpenter v. United States (2018) — Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/16-402

#2025 #America #democracy #DonaldTrump #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Opinion #Pillars #PillarsOfDemocracy #Politics #Resistance #Science #TheConstitution #Trump #TrumpAdministration #USConstitution #UnitedStates

https://www.fromoldbooks.org/Smith-GothicArchitecture/pages/231-the-alcazar-at-toledo/

The Alcázar in Toledo was a palace in Roman times, made into a fortress in the 10th century. It was restored in the 16th century; Juan de Herrera designed the South Façade and the monumental staircase, and perhaps more, between 1571 and 1585. This #engraving is from before it was rebuilt after the civil war.

A great job with scale & perspective.

#vintageArt #fobo #gothicArchitecture #arches #Spain #palace #pillars #columns #blackAndWhite #GIMp #Gimp_3 #GIMP3

"A Beacon in the Night" by Elizabeth Gadd

https://tmblr.co/Z7VXvxhviSA2Cm00

#iceland #self #portrait #beach #black #sand #pillars #basalt #volcanic #reynisfjara #flickr #thingsdavidlikes

#Beautiful #Old #Albury #Station by Kaye Menner #Photography Wide variety #Prints & lovely #Products at:

https://kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/beautiful-old-albury-station-by-kaye-menner-kaye-menner.html

#nsw #australia #night #train #trainstation #platform #dof #clock #pillars #old #famous #longplatform #homedecor #mastoart #fediverse #fediart #fedigiftshop #giftideas #wallartforsale #Art #artforsale #BuyIntoArt #AYearForArt #Artist #FineArtAmerica #PhotographyFeed #VisualArts #CreativeArts

Stairs to the villa of Queen Mary on Oplenac in Topola in Serbia

Prints available @ https://dejan-travica.pixels.com/featured/stairs-to-the-villa-of-queen-mary-on-oplenac-in-topola-in-serbia-dejan-travica.html

#oplenac #topola #stairstothevilla #stairs #pillars #whitegranitepillars #tiledpath #queensmariavilla #oplenacpark #karadjordjevicdynasty #greenery #trees #greengrass #flowers #granite #serbia #architecture #Art #Artwork #ArtWorkForSale #Photography #FineArtPhotography #MastoArt #ArtForSale #Wallart #WallartForSale #Walldecor #GiftIdeas #ArtMatters #TheArtDistrict

The National Theater building in Subotica, Serbia.

Prints available @ https://dejan-travica.pixels.com/featured/the-national-theater-building-in-subotica-dejan-travica.html

#theater #nationaltheater #subotica #sky #tree #street #pillars #corinthianpillars #eclecticism #squares #citysquares #buildings #architecture #sights #plaza #cityscape #serbia #Art #Artwork #ArtWorkForSale #Photography #FineArtPhotography #Landscape #landscapePhotography #MastoArt #ArtForSale #Wallart #WallartForSale #Walldecor #GiftIdeas #ArtMatters #TheArtDistrict

Rustbelt Ripper Fest
@ The 5 O'Clock Lounge, Cleveland Oh.
February 24, 2023
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https://pbase.com/image/173424765/original / https://www.instagram.com/p/CpF-nDaJFEK/
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#cleveland #clebands #minoritythreat #pillars #february2023