So, who cares? Right? There are legal ways to hide money, so what?

To begin if these are secret stashes of money they probably haven't paid taxes. But, in the case of government officials, elected or not, hiding stashes of cash, their interests change and they make policy to protect their secret hideaways, make it legal to place monies offshore and make policies that benefit their interests in these investments. 

There are times when I read a bill or an article about a law passed by a governing authority that causes pause. I think what the heck is that all about because it is out of the mainstream of governance. Well, here it is. People with power hide their money and make policy to protect it and benefit it.

October 3, 2021
By Yelena Dzhanova

Dozens of current and former world leaders, billionaires, rockstars, and government officials (click here) have stashed billions of dollars in secret offshore accounts, according to an investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

The trove of documents, called the Pandora Papers, is a collection of nearly 12 million financial records that detail the existence of over 29,000 offshore accounts, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, and other outlets reported on Sunday. That's twice as many as the collection uncovered by the Panama Papers, a leak that exposed millions of financial and legal records and revealed the offshore holdings of powerful and influential people worldwide.

The findings of the documents, which will be rolled out in a series of stories over the next week, expose the secret offshore finances of about three dozen world leaders, including current and former presidents, prime ministers, and heads of state. The finances of about 100 billionaires and people of extreme wealth are also included in the trove. "Many use shell companies to hold luxury items such as property and yachts, as well as incognito bank accounts," the Guardian reported....

 I will write more later today and it is about Wall Street. Thank you for your interest.

Misplaced priorities are a poor excuse for refusing to pass direly needed legislation.

This evening I was interrupted by a severe thunderstorm that forced me to shut down computers that could suffer damage by high levels of static electricity during the storm. This storm, while not deadly to my knowledge, was a climate crisis storm. It's capcity for dumping water on the ground was rather incredible, but, this is not an unusual occurrence. In general, the weather Americans are witnessing no matter what state or area one lives is extreme. These weather outcomes of the climate crisis is a national agenda for the USA.

The changes that have to take place within the USA to sustain infrastructure and a prosperous economy are part of a $1 trillion federal bill that must pass into law currently being held hostage by a few people in our elected federal government. Every person regardless of party must move to bring about this new reality for a country ready and able to sustain the climate crisis and reverse it. 

October 1, 2021
By Emily Cochrane

...The vote, )click here) 69 to 30, was uncommonly bipartisan. The yes votes included Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, and 18 others from his party who shrugged off increasingly shrill efforts by former President Donald J. Trump to derail it.

“This historic investment in infrastructure is what I believe you, the American people, want, what you’ve been asking for for a long, long time,” Mr. Biden said from the White House as he thanked Republicans for showing “a lot of courage.”...

The vote in the US Senate was overwhelmingly bipartisan. President Biden was successful in bringing this bill to conclusion in a bipartisan manner and passed without question. This level of bipartisanship is rarely seen in the USA these days, but, this bill is so desperately needed in the USA that no reasonable Senator could stand in it's way. The problem is now the US House that has linked two legislative efforts.

...The measure faces a potentially rocky and time-consuming path in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a majority of the nearly 100-member Progressive Caucus have said they will not vote on it unless and until the Senate passes a separate, even more ambitious $3.5 trillion social policy bill this fall. That could put the infrastructure bill on hold for weeks, if not months.

The legislation is, no doubt, substantial on its own. It would be the largest infusion of federal investment into infrastructure projects in more than a decade, touching nearly every facet of the American economy and fortifying the nation’s response to the warming of the planet. Funding for the modernization of the nation’s power grid would reach record levels, as would projects to better manage climate risks. Hundreds of billions of dollars would go to repairing and replacing aging public works projects....

This is a more extensive list of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill listed by Reuters. The bill is bought and paid for already.

...The legislation (click here) is one of President Joe Biden's top domestic priorities and includes $550 billion in new spending, while the rest of the $1 trillion is previously approved funding.

Here are some of the details of the bipartisan bill:

* Roads, bridges and major projects: $110 billion

* Passenger and freight rail: $66 billion

* Broadband infrastructure: $65 billion

* Water infrastructure, such as eliminating lead pipes: $55 billion

* Public transit: $39.2 billion

* Resiliency, including flood and wildfire mitigation, ecosystem restoration, weatherization and cybersecurity: $47.2 billion

* Electric vehicle infrastructure, including chargers: $7.5 billion

* Addressing legacy pollution including cleaning up brownfield and Superfund sites, reclaiming abandoned mine lands, plugging orphan oil and gas wells: $21 billion

The plan has a number of proposals to finance the spending, including the following items and the revenue gains from each over the next decade, as estimated by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation and Congressional Budget Office.

* Repurposing unused COVID-19 relief funds: $210 billion

* Sales of future spectrum auctions and proceeds of February 2021 c-band auction: $87 billion

* Economic growth: $56 billion

* Return of unemployment insurance funds from some states: $53 billion

* Delaying Medicare Part D rebate rule: $51 billion

* Applying information reporting requirements to cryptocurrency: $28 billion

* Reinstating Superfund fees: $14.5 billion

The hold up in the US House is that the US Senate has not passed the $3.5 trillion that helps return the USA to a country of, by and for the people. It sets many social ills on a path to recovery. Will someone please find out why one US Democratic Senator, Senator Sinema, will not vote for this much needed bill. None of this makes sense. The country will benefit greatly by this, granted enormous bill, but it is not a frivilous effort. These are changes overlooked for decades and it is unfortunate Senator Sinema is burdened with a bill that will catch up the USA on just reform, but, that is her reality. This is a Democratic majority that is taking on the challeges of the past and correcting the path forward. The idea Senator Machin is not on board for the climate provisions is unfortunate as well, but, he needs to bite the bullet and pass the bill regardless of his excellent effort to reduce it's cost.

The facts are simple and I believe Representative Ocasio-Cortez states the truth about the bill and the need to pass it. To reduce the $3.5 trillion to less so that Sinema and Manchin will vote for it is slight of hand. The bill is important and there is not one aspect of it that is not urgently needed. The idea any Senator or US House member would not want to see the continuation of the Child Tax Credit is outrageous.

This Child Tax Credit is practially paid for when one realizes it keeps low income families together rather than removing children into foster care. There is an epidemic of catastrophe within the Foster Care paradyme and it has to stop. Low income is not supposed to be the peril of intact families. The child tax credit places federal monies where it should be on maintaining THE FAMILY regardless of parents ability to earn to support their family. We have heard over and over how such families are working three or more jobs to pay the bills when in fact that hurts quality of life for the children that need both their parents' love more regularly during the day and not just at bedtime.

The better place to look for cost cutting measures is in Foster Care as the child tax credit increases the better outcomes of intact families and Foster Care is needed less. This $3.5 trillion over ten years is not only needed to reform the current social policies of the USA, it is needed to maintain and create better opprotunities for children and their families. The reform must take place and it is now that it must move forward. It is long overdue.

Continued from entry below.

That was quite a storm. Besides sharp lightning, it sounded like a fire hose was opened on the roof. Deluge of water that came. There is no flash flooding where I am because of elevation from the surrounding area, but, there should have been flooding for the amount of water dropped out of the sky.

But, as to "Shock Soldiers," they are here now. There are currently corrupt persons involved in the election personnel that are sympathizers of this alternate governance. These people need to be eliminated from the election process. They are not simply activists and do the job as it is supposed to be done, but, they are in place to change the elections that they disagree with in it's outcome.

Every state needs to develop a standard for employees required to carry out the election process according to a democratic process. There can't be corruption within the governance of any election. Once again, the methods used in elections have to be transparent and solid. A certification process and pledge to carry out American elections should be in place and any deviction from that sovereign process can lead to automatic dismissal. In other words, "You're fired."

Some governors are already seeing attempts by Republican majorities at the state level to alter realities. The signing ceremony of a veto letter by Governor Whitmer is absolutely brilliant. If these legislative corruption was operating in the dark of a disinterested, distracted and uninformed public the fate of free and fair elections would definitely be eliminated for guaranteed and corrupted right wing outcomes.

October 3, 2021
By Beth LaBlanc and Hayley Harding

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed four bills (click here) Sunday night that she said would "weaken voting rights" and suppress votes.

Speaking at the Detroit NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner, she said the goal of the bills was to "perpetuate the big lie," the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

"I've done a lot of signing ceremonies when I sign bills," Whitmer said to a standing ovation from attendees at the event, whose theme was "Don't Rest on Your Freedom." "Tonight, I'm going to sign the veto letter in front of you."

While vetoing the bills, she also promised to reject more controversial voting bills that are making their way from the Senate. The House bills vetoed by the Democratic governor passed mostly along party lines in the Senate but had wider support from Democratic lawmakers in the House....

This is the level of vigilance and transparency all Governors should be exercising in the face of January 6th insurrection. These Republican bills are proof of the extensive level of corruption being exercised by the party. This is real and it is being conducted "in plain sight." Americans must act on any election to prevent corruption at every level to ensure their right to vote is not altered in any way. 

This is surprising, isn't it? That a long standing American political party can be corrupted so extensively that it imperils our democracy. Those elected and partaking in these practices should be scrutinized to their motives and eliminated from power with the idea their OATH ment nothing to them. They are conducting themselves corruptly and with total disregard to the USA Constitution. That is the reality. They are operating this corrupt political party once believed to be a conservative party in the open and in contempt of the voting rights of the American people.

President Biden probably needs to explain to Americans in a chat why these election laws are corrupt and how to eliminate their threat before their threat becomes reality. Most of the country is unaware or simply can't conceive of a trusted American political party as corrupt as the one now that exists with the GOP. I think the president needs to use these vetoed election laws as examples of what is taking place in backrooms to set our democracy on an agenda of failure as an expression of the people. There should be federal standards annouced as to what is good election practice and what is not recognizing the control of all votes belongs to the states.

Americans must be involved in election outcomes that reflect the true vote and eliminate those people from power that would alter those elections to benefit alternate governance.

We know the radical right Republicans agenda, now.

Kindly keep in mind Bannon has no loyalty to any constitution anywhere in the world. He makes his millions upon millions by getting people elected regardless of the harm they do to democracy. The Republicans that stand with or behind Trump state they are trapped by Trumpism. That is nonsense. The Republicans are looking for voters and find them where they are hiding, namely those Americans that hate government.

In this article, he gives away the agenda he sees for Republicans and it does not include Trump as president or the USA Constitution surviving the elections ahead of us.

I will get into "shock troopers" in a minute. In the fourth paragraph, he states, "...when the next Republican president takes office." He states the MAGA agenda is important and he holds onto it because that is where the voters are, but, he isn't seeing Trump as president. Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, stated, "Trump is not running for president." I believe him. Trump likes power and is the head of the GOP right now, so he is stating he is running for president in order to make Republicans more important in the 2022 elections. This is one of the elections Bannon sees electing many Republicans. Another, reason he is running is money. Trump can raise money and ask for fees if he is running for president in 2024. So, I think Michael Cohen is very correct in stating Trump isn't going to be on the party ticket.

Steve Bannon (click here) predicts 'sweeping victory' for MAGA movement in next elections, tells NBC GOP 'shock troops' need to be prepared to take over

Steve Bannon said that "shock troops" need to be prepared to take over and "deconstruct" the state when the next Republican president is elected, reports say.

"Shock troopers." These are people preparing to take over leadership positions in the federal government that can pass any nomination process and will then, once in power, dismantle the federal government agencies to end the federal government with an exception of the military. Perhaps. There is no reason to maintain the military if the Bannon Republican president is going to hand the country to Putin. I believe whoever the Republican presidential candidate will see defunding the federal government as a real upside and that will include the USA military so that communists can take their place with "A COLLECTIVE AUTHORITY." 

It is interesting to hear Elon Musk state, the reason there is no cryptocurrency is China is because the communists are in charge year after year. Interesting because he is willing to say it and expect those that like crypto to see that as a reality. Elon might want to pay attention to the elections in the USA to be sure he is not facing communists at the top of the government after 2024.

Bannon made the comments in a phone call to NBC News following reports that he had met with Trump political appointees on Wednesday to discuss how they could help the next Republican president.

These people, the political appointees of Trump, like power and are convinced the government can be reformed to the point of nonexistence so it doesn't interfere in business. By Business, Trumpism refers to Wall Street. Trump never cared about small businesses. So the Trump political appointees are the new "Shock Troopers." They will be prepared in 2025 to take the offices, pass as qualified to take on the leadership of the agencies, including the Cabinet, to dismantle the federal government.

Why are they "Shock Troopers?" Because they don't intend to carry out the law, so much as dismantle it. The media will report them as people operating with impunity in dismantling the USA democracy. Therefore, if you thought Trump was shocking, these guys will exceed his ability to destroy the USA democracy. 

"If you're going to take over the administrative state and deconstruct it, then you have to have shock troops prepared to take it over immediately," Bannon told NBC. "I gave 'em fire and brimstone."

Bannon, who ran Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and later served as an adviser to the president, told NBC that he wants to see pre-trained teams ready to jump into federal agencies when the next Republican president takes office.

He said that Trump's agenda was delayed by the challenges of quickly filling approximately 4,000 posts at federal agencies, NBC said.

"We're going to have a sweeping victory in 2022, and that's just the preamble to a sweeping victory in 2024, and this time we're going to be ready — and have a MAGA perspective, MAGA policies, not the standard Republican policies," Bannon told the outlet.

MAGA is a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. Bannon described a 2024 electoral victory as a "second term" for Trump, reported NBC.

The launch party at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday where Bannon spoke was hosted by a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, NBC said.

Approximately 200 former officials from various Republican administrations attended, a person at the event told NBC.

"There are so many statutes and regulations as well as agency and departmental policies. It can be very overwhelming when you first come in," Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, one of the organizers of the group, told NBC.

Stever Bannon is a greedy man that has made a name for himself by getting people elected in spite of their inability to govern in any effective way. Think about that. Take a moment and think about that. 

A person like Bannon wants money and he doesn't care how he gets it. He will dismantle governments, hand them over to Putin and Communist China and have enough money to hide from authority when the job is done. He would be admired by the people that counted on him to be elected and stick around for awhile, but, he most likely will find a destiny of his approval. 

THERE IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM COMING AND I WILL BE BACK WHEN IT ENDS. THERE ARE TOO MANY LOOSE ENDS FROM JANUARY 6TH THAT IT NEEDS ATTENTION.

PROMISE.

DeJoy

He is deliberately slowing the US mail service to push the drive for an Amendment to the Constitution to eliminate the US Post Office. He is deliberately opening up cheaper rates to business to use other trucking carriers.

The other carriers will accept US Mail and hold it until they have enough to dispatch a trailer to a destination. This is NOT constitutional. The US Postal Service was written into the US Constitution for reasons of national security. Farming out the U. S. Mail to other trucking carriers is a break in national security standards.

The US Mail will hire independents to pull US Mail trailers after they have necessary checks on their legal status. By routing US Mail to other carriers they co-mingle the mail with other packages, etc.

This move by LeJoy enriches him personally, his family, and completely compromises the national security of this country. What is taking so long in removing him? The Board of Trustees or Governors or whatever they are. They are contributing to this breach of national security and should be removed as well!

Another victim of the illegitmate president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

This is outrageous. Isn't there somthing The West can do? The Russian people want to rid themselves of the corruption that runs that country and keeps Putin in office. There has to be something, the State Department, Reporters without Borders can do. There has to be someone to back up an editor of a newspaper in Russia.

Europe knows the degree Russia poisons anyone it deems unruly or a threat to their communist state. This is a clear demonstration of the oppressive regime in Moscow at the head of the government. An editor was brave enough to establish A TRUTH and now he is at peril because of it. This is a huge milestone for the Russian people. It cannot be ignored.

September 30, 2021
By Anton Zverev and Tom Balmforth

Roman Dobrokhotov, the editor-in-chief of "The Insider" Russian news outlet, who was taken in by Interior Ministry officers for questioning over a slander case, is escorted to a police van in Moscow, Russia July 28, 2021, in this still image taken from video. Video taken July 28, 2021.

Moscow - The editor of a Russian news outlet (click here) that angered the Kremlin with its investigations, including into the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, said the authorities had declared him a wanted man.

Roman Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of The Insider, told Reuters the authorities had accused him of illegally crossing the border to leave Russia.

He said he was currently outside Russia and did not want to disclose his location. He did not say how he had left Russia.

The Federal Security Service, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB, said Dobrokhotov had illegally crossed the border into Ukraine on the night of July 31 on foot with the help of other unnamed. individuals....

Justice for the people of the Flint, Michigan poisoning.

I had to list this with Flint tonight. I applaud this effort by the State of Michigan to set former inmates free of their past. Every American is allowed a one time chance to expunge a criminal record. Ususally that right falls in around the age of 50 years. So, a former inmate will have only 12 years or so adding to their SSi balance. It is very victimizing.

There is only one other time in an American's life to eliminate any criminal convictions and that is as a minor. The record of a minor can be locked away forever to prevent impact on an American life.  That means there are 32 years an inmate has to accept poor paying jobs and a real chance at an American lifestyle and upward mobility.

These efforts to remove old chemical records is wonderful. It provides a chance for younger men or women to find good jobs even in the professions. There is no reason to prevent this one time opportunity. That may also mean ti can provide THE VOTE back to former inmates. If these efforts are controlled by a governor or otherwise, it has to be viewed as racist with the real fact that African Americans are incarcerated more often then Caucasians.

September 25, 2021
By Cheri Hardmon

Flint - There have been all kinds of challenges (click here) since Eequindre Stewart started his own home and business restoration company three years ago.

The biggest roadblock in taking his company to the next level is something Stewart did in 1996.

“I actually worked for a company that didn’t pay and they left their payroll office open and so I went and made checks out for me and the guys that worked with me,” Stewart said.

He was convicted of a felony check cashing fraud charge and served seven years in prison. That life altering decision is still with him 25 years later....

...He was hoping to change that Saturday and have his record wiped clean by attending one of the expungement fairs now taking place during Michigan Clean Slate Expungement Week. It’s an opportunity for Michiganders to remove old convictions from their public record and have a clean slate.

“That means our company will be able to grow. That means we will be able do more things as far as traveling and doing things in other states,” Stewart said....

This is amazing. It is probably the beginning of the end of the settlement. The idea a medical center is negligent in protecting their patients is an important finding. It should not be easily dismissed. The question is do the families of the dead suffer with their loss and to what degree can they tolerate legal processes to find justice. The settlement provides an income to people that cannot wait for justice. That is a good thing, but, if there is a large enough number of people opting out of the settlement, those that cannot financially tolerate it well may need to be identified and provided for in a legislative bill. 

Justice is about THE CORRECT WAY TO ADDRESS problems. It is not about a QUICK GET RICH SCHEME. These particular people suffering after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan should receive the best outcome considering this is such an egrigious event on the American landscape. I think taking these issues to court and allowing the legal system to play out will bring clarity and IMPORTANT findings and decisions by a jury of the peers of the people in Genesee County. The findings of any jury in any of these cases could be making not only a statement about the crime and the impact of the surviving relatives and effected adults and children in a community with a high minority population, but, how a society based in democracy handles such crimes to minority populations. 

The events that follow the poisoning of the people of Flint, Michigan is vital to the rest of the country to prevent such events from occurring again to people that are the most vulnerable in our society, the impoverished. Frequently, people that are unable to hire lawyers or pay court costs are negatively impacted. The proceedings here could change all that. HOWEVER, it is completely unfair to ask the people of Flint to withstand more suffering. Being a hero is not the idea of justice either. Finding justice is also timely so victims can recover. These are all very weighty decisions by the victims of Flint. But, the last thing I want for them, or this country should want for them, is to ask them to be martyrs to a legal process when relief to their suffering can occur now.

September 30, 2021

By Ron Fonger

Flint - McLaren Regional Medical (click here) wants more time before deciding whether to remain a part of the $641-million settlement of claims tied to the Flint water crisis.

In a filing in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Sept. 28, the hospital asked Judge Judith Levy for a stay of 60 days to an Oct. 10 deadline in the proposed settlement as officials continue to consider their opt-out options.

McLaren paid half of its share of the settlement pool -- $10 million -- previously and says in its motion that the remaining $10-million payment is due Oct. 10.

Court officials have said the hospital has an escape clause in the settlement, giving it the right to withdraw from the agreement if any of the 31 persons who sued the hospital, alleging exposure to Legionella during the water crisis, opts to take their case to trial....

continued...

I heard that Senator Sinema has a standard to be a maverick like the late Senator John McCain. Senator McCain was a Republican that sometimes agreed with Democrats. He was a maverick within the Republican ideology. Is Sinema saying she is a maverick within the Democratic party? What exactly does that mean?

If the Late Senator McCain is an idol to the newly minted Senator, then she needs to realize then Senator Clinton and the Late Senator were great friends. They sponsored bills together like the Carbon Emissions Tax. Not that I think that is a great idea, but, it was an attempt to bring about some path forward to environmental stewardship.

West Virginia needs jobs. Don't ask me what Manchin is thinking.

His votes do not make sense to me and it has nothing to do with politics. West Virginia is not a wealthy state and is dependent on federal dollars for health care and food stamps. Job diversity does not exist in West Virginia. If a citizen isn't working for the coal companies or a trucking company then they are making low wages.

The graph to the left is from Zip Recruiter. (click here) As a US Senator that is nothing to brag about. He will probably be replaced by a Republican that won't be any better AFTER he is elected.

September 8, 2021
By Darrough Roche

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) (click here) has suffered a decline in his approval rating among voters in his home state, according to the figures in the latest WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll.

Manchin now enjoys 42 percent approval in West Virginia, compared with 37 percent of respondents who disapprove. This is a notable change compared with results in the same poll in October, 2020.

The poll comes as Democrats in the House and Senate are pushing ahead with President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion infrastructure proposal, though Manchin has indicated he will not support that amount of spending....

Challenges to authority.

The thing that occurs to me when I read about challenges to a mask mandate is that the person involved in issuing that order is usually a governor and/or a president. 

Dr. Fauci could easily pledge to a court COVID-19 is a public health issue that has multiple dimensions of threat, including, the OPPORTUNITY for a Level Three virus to mutate creating a severe life threatening issue to human beings on planet Earth.

I sincerely believe public health mandates should be issued by the leadership of any health department, including HHS. The executive of the government can always back that public health mandate. But, in all sincereity I believe a mask mandate if issued by the leadership of the health department at any level, local, state or federal, is far more enforceable and less of a States Rights and/or Individual Liberty problem to the courts. 

It is difficult to argue with a health official if they have the credentials, knowledge and research to back them up. The executive, on the other hand, does not necessarily have the credentials. The executive has the ability to issue enforcement of that public health mandate which he or she is controlled by as well. A public health mandate would require the executive at any level of government to fall into line with the issuance of the emergency.

Public health issues on a federal level means the contagion can travel across state boundaries and controlling THE SPREAD is a matter of national necessity as well as individual and/or state necessity. An example is the bordering states problem. There are states that comply with CDC, FDA and NIH recommendations and then there are bordering states that do not require any protections from THE SPREAD. One state that is irreverent to the potential of a Level Three virus can cause enormous problems for everyone and that is what we are seeing.

I challenge any state in this country to violate the Clean Air Standards. The EPA can pass regulations that would classify the virus contagion as a threat to air quality. We know that Dr. Fauci uses indoor air standards differently than outdoor air standards. The US EPA has indoor and outdoor air standards. This contagion is no different than a deadly sized particle or a gas that causes disease over time.

The Clean Air Act is completely applicable in this instance as well as any standard the USA military may have in protecting the lives of Americans from biological or chemical warfare. I remind, that under the presidency of George W. Bush, there were enormous numbers of vaccine stored for the purpose of vaccinating the American people from a 1918 flu type epidemic. Therefore, there is precedent. 

I strongly believe if these principles were applied to the existing efforts, the mask mandates and vaccine mandates will hold as what is necessary for every American to OBEY in the case of ending this very dangerous virus and it's variants. Variants are real and adhere to existing science in understanding viruses. This is not a political game. This is survival and the courts have to see it that and enforce the standards handed down by public health authority.

Ask anyone in non-compliance with established science if they rather be in a jail where the virus has rampaged and see what they say.

Just as a side note, I remember when I was 5 years old. Yes, I remember. Imagine what the children today are going to remember. My father took me to the local elementary school gymnasisum to recieve sugar cubes containing polio vaccine. The polio vaccine could be taken orally.

If those days of WELCOME compliance to save the lives of children from an acquired nightmare that would alter their reality forever, is gone, then the methods of government has to change with the bizarre antics of making COVID-19 a political issue. COVID-19 is a non-discriminating virus that doesn't recognize political lines.

Pregnancy is a medical condtion that is managed by Obstetricians. Where are the health requirements in treatment?

If a pregnant woman does not want to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine, then place them in protective quarantine as a measure of public health. If abortion is such a social ill, why isn't the lack of vaccination?

By the way, Texas clinics regardless of a judge prohibiting the Texas law about abortion that will kill women and their fetuses, are struggling financially to stay open.

The reason pregnant women are followed by medical professions is that pregnancy is a co-morbidity, regardless of the immune status of women. Not being vaccinated against a known deadly contagion ADDS to the co-morbidity of pregnancy.

The alternative to quarantine is every person in the country wears masks to protect others. I ask myself, does everyone in the country wear masks? No, there are people in the country that have COVID-19 that would be happy to walk up to a pregnant woman and cough in their face in the name of acquired immunity otherwise known by the extreme right as herd immunity. The people of the USA are living with propaganda designed to kill them. The only venue that will protect pregnant women who are not vaccinated is quarantine. The quarantine should be reported to the local public health authorities to enforce it.

This is not a minor problem.

September 24, 2021
By Nancy Lapid

Vaccinated Women pass on antibodies to babies. (click here)

Pregnant women who get an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 pass high levels of protective antibodies on to their babies, new research shows. Doctors analyzed umbilical cord blood from 36 newborns whose mothers had received at least one dose of an mRNA vaccine from Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech or Moderna (MRNA.O). All 36 babies had high levels of antibodies that target the spike protein on the surface of the virus - and all of the antibodies could be traced to the mothers' vaccinations. The findings, reported on Wednesday in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Maternal Fetal Medicine, indicate that "the antibodies that the mother is building to the vaccine are crossing the placenta and that's likely to confer benefits for the infant after it's born," said coauthor Dr. Ashley Roman of NYU Langone Health in New York City....

Stillbirths are up as well. One other thing, Red State governors do not recognize poverty as a co-morbidity so much as laziness.

September 9, 2021

By Britney Shammas

Mississippi has recorded 72 fetal deaths (click here) in unvaccinated pregnant women infected with the coronavirus, state health officials announced Wednesday, sounding the alarm on the virus’s danger in pregnancy.

Speaking during a news conference, Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said those deaths had occurred since the start of the pandemic. The number, which includes only deaths that occurred past 20 weeks of gestation, “is twice the background rate of what would be expected,” he said.

“That’s quite a number of tragedies that, sadly, would be preventable right now,” Dobbs said, referring to the availability of vaccines.

He said the state is also investigating the deaths of eight pregnant women who were infected with the virus. Those deaths occurred over approximately the past four weeks, during the delta variant-fueled surge, he said. Many underwent emergency Caesarean sections in an attempt to save their babies....

Where has all the civility gone?

Representative Dingle happens to be correct. The USA has many laws controlling abortion. There is no such thing as Late-Term Abortion anymore. We have a lot of policies regarding the borders of the USA, including the southern border. There is no tolerance of drug cartels or other illegal acts. Immigrant facilitators are not legal in the USA and can be arrested if discovered for human trafficking.

Greene is not a good legislator. She is underprepared for her responsibility as a US House Representative, and she practices inflammatory politics from morning 'til night and from the floor of the US House. Inflammatory politics is the stock and trade of the extreme right-wing that has found its way into powerful seats in the federal government. The problem is the inflammatory politics don't stop at politics, it continues into their priorities as legislators. 

If Representative Dingle didn't interrupt the ranting by Greene, Greene would not have stopped. She planned to OCCUPY the PRESS SPACE through the entire assembly on the Capitol steps.

 

Why did Gabby Petito die?

Yeah, I am going there. The person who killed Gabby is fully responsible for his actions, but, why didn't she leave?

In the films of her behavior with police and otherwise, she was heavily dependent on the idea of being perfect. She wanted to be a person others turned to about quality information about national parks, etc. She was very dependant on the idea of "being liked." She fully accepted her FAULTS as part of her reality to become popular.

In those videos, she is highly self-blaming and even self-hatred. She never once blamed her male escort for his behavior. NEVER ONCE.

Since the inception of Facebook and all its variants, I believed and believe still this was a toxic element in the USA. Since, Facebook, which started as a WOMAN RATING WEBSITE AT HARVARD (click here), this country's dynamics including its democracy has been noted to have adverse effects traceable to Facebook. This is not healthy for anyone, but, especially young people. 

There is a rating system for movies and it contained X-Ratings. I strongly suggest Congress adopt a unique rating system for the internet, especially social websites like Facebook where young people congregate to insult each other in the spirit of IMPROVING themselves as socially acceptable. It plugs in directly to the natural emotions of young people to be accepted among their peers as well as evolving sex appeal as teens becoming young men and women. 

There is a lot of damage being done to the young people in this country that is carried into their adulthood. I believe Gabby Petito is a prime example. There is no real empowerment, only criticism with the intent to emotionally hurt others and create acceptable ideals. That is horrible as a society. These invisible standards are stronger than law in some instances. We also know they are stronger than family ties because young people exposed to these dynamics commit suicide.

These social networks are not healthy for a democracy, let alone young minds and hearts.

September 30, 2021
By Cecilia Kang

Antigone Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, (click here) is expected to face harsh questioning from senators on Thursday morning about Instagram’s effect on teenagers, addressing accusations that Facebook has known for years that its photo-sharing app has caused mental and emotional harm.

The hearing, which starts at 10, is the first of two that the Senate’s consumer protection subcommittee will hold on the effect that Facebook has on young people. The second, on Tuesday, will be with a whistle-blower who has shared information about Facebook’s research on teenagers.

The hearings were called after The Wall Street Journal published a series of articles this month about internal research at Facebook. One of the articles reported that, according to Facebook’s findings, one in three teenagers said Instagram made his or her body image issues worse. Among teenagers who had suicidal thoughts, 13 percent of British users and 6 percent of American users said they could trace those thoughts to Instagram.

On Wednesday evening, Facebook released two slide decks from the research cited by The Journal. The company heavily annotated the slides, at times disputing or reframing the accuracy and intention of the research report. The company said in its slides that many teenagers reported positive experiences on Instagram, including that the app at times helped with mental health....

Joe, How did you know what is good for the people is good for Wall Street?

September 28, 2021

By Ethan Wu

The team managing the $238 billion Walmart family fortune (click here) disclosed its holdings, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The Walton Investment Team held $5 billion in the stock market at the end of June, a 32% gain from $3.8 billion six months prior

The investment team managing the $238 billion Walmart family fortune revealed its stock picks in newly released disclosures, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The Walton Investment Team held $5 billion in the stock market at the end of June, up from $3.8 billion six months prior. That 32% gain came on the back of several low-cost exchange-traded funds as well as a few choice stocks.

The Waltons' largest holding was a $2.2 billion stake in VWO, Vanguard's emerging markets ETF, which rose 8.4% between December 2020 and June of this year. Other ETF holdings included various Vanguard and iShares funds in emerging markets and Treasury bonds.

Stock picks ranged widely from Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo to private equity giant Apollo Global Management and cloud computing firm Snowflake....

I think Walmart released it's earnings in hopes that Warren would think they had a better idea than Gates.

June 30, 2021

By Hamza Shaban

Wall Street wrapped up the first half of 2021 at record highs, (click here) with investors defying pessimistic projections of a broader pullback and pushing past concerns of rising inflation and potential rate hikes.

The Dow Jones industrial average advanced more than 210.22 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 34,502.51 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 edged up 5.70 points, or 0.1 percent, to settle at 4,297.50 and chalked up its 34th record finish of the year. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 24.38 points, or nearly 0.2 percent, to end the session at 14,503.95.

Wednesday’s session marked the midway point of a year that saw a new president move into the White House, shift in power on Capitol Hill amid the continuing shocks of the coronavirus pandemic. The three major U.S. indexes are up by double-digit percentages, with the Nasdaq advancing 12.5 percent, the Dow adding 12.7 percent and the S&P 500 surging 14.4 percent since Dec. 31, 2020....

Opinion: Debt ceiling negotiations again see Republicans misleading and endangering

The "Des Moines Register" is in Iowa. The people are not happy about this political agenda of the Republicans. The people elect representatives believing they have an input to the decisions made in the US Senate.

September 28, 2021

By Hans Isikson

Every few years (click here) it seems that another argument erupts over raising the national debt ceiling. So, let’s explore this oft-misunderstood macroeconomic metric. According to the Treasury Department, the "Debt Limit" (or ceiling) “is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments.”

These “existing legal obligations” were incurred during past administrations of both parties. They were duly enacted by Congress and signed into law by the president at the time. But authorizing an increase in the debt ceiling does not give a green light to whichever political party is in charge to spend taxpayers’ money on whatever their new pet projects happen to be....

Is "long haul" COVID-19 killing people?

September 26, 2021

By Martha Ross

Freshman (click here) Riley Christiansen, a business administration major, passed away November 9. He was 18.

The day before Riley Christiansen took his life at Lookout Point, (click here) the scenic cliffs near Chico State University, the 18-year-old searched online for anything to explain his bewildering bouts of memory loss and why he felt so “down.”

“What to do if you start to talk less?” the usually affable college freshman from Clayton typed into a search engine on Nov. 8 and again the day of his death. “What to do if you are losing your personality?”

Two months earlier, Riley had tested positive for COVID-19 during an outbreak that swept campus just a few days into the fall semester. At first, Riley’s case seemed mild — he briefly lost his sense of taste and smell and developed a cough.

But afterward, Kevin and Lisa Christiansen said their son exhibited symptoms of “brain fog” — problems with memory, concentration and sleep, hallmarks of “long-haul” COVID. Beset by short-term memory issues, Riley quit his new job busing tables because he didn’t remember working the night before. In hindsight, his comments to friends and family in the weeks leading up to his death show his increasing distress over changes in his mood and personality.....

 year later, that COVID diagnosis has become the focus of questions about Riley’s Nov. 9 suicide. His family’s and friends’ concerns are informed by ongoing research into serious mental health struggles for even those with mild COVID cases.

Out of Context

 The “Fry President Biden” Movement including US Senators on the Armed Services Committee is achieving nothing but corrupted politics. 

Statements made by President Biden that the USA military would stay until all Americans were given transport out of the country previous to the terrorist attack in Afghanistan by Daesh changed afterward. As a matter of fact, any allies in Afghanistan made an immediate withdrawal of their personnel after the attack. They waited for no one.

It was impossible to say because some Afghans that wanted to leave the country were in hiding and didn’t make an effort to get to the airport. 

This US Senate hearing is off the rails due to the dense political content rather than the facts. This hearing is achieving nothing.

Afghanistan as a country dominated by the Taliban is not a threat to the USA or the region. There is absolutely no reason to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan.

I have yet to hear a reason why the Afghan military collapsed and why if the people were so scared of the Taliban support the Taliban during the previous 20 years? I know the answer to that because I pay attention. Not one US Senator is desiring answers about “Why the Taliban?”

This committee hearing is all politically motivated and no one is getting the business of the people fine.

“Don’t Americanize the war.” Well said.

It was never a priority to stand up an Afghan military and government. It was the job of the USA military to find and kill or capture Osama bin Laden. The war dragged on because the USA military continued the assessment that al Qaeda was still alive and doing well in Afghanistan. A generation went by and even after bin Laden was dead they continued to JUSTIFY the USA presence.

If the USA military cannot end a war as soon as possible but insist on a forever war there is something very wrong. In the USA Homeland the FEAR directive in the politics bolstered the idea the USA was still under threat. It is all nonsense.

Our troops died for no real reason at all. The death of Osama bin Laden took place in Pakistan with the very able Seal Team. There was no reason to be in Afghanistan. NO REASON.

The conflict in Afghanistan was and is a civil war and nothing was achieved that could stabilize a Western friendly government. The people of Afghanistan never stood behind any Western presence except it was NICE to have money to spend and additional freedoms for women and girls. 

“They miss us now that we are gone. Gee whiz, we have a military fan club.”

Iowa’s US Senator is playing simpleton politics. We aren’t in the country so diplomacy is not possible. Ernst needs to talk to THE SWISS. She is either an idiot or a jerk . Not sure which. Maybe both.

Afghanistan is not the 51st state.

North Carolina's Senator lied and PLAYED THE PART with the general for the benefit of fear politics in the USA Homeland.

August 26, 2021
By Ivana Saric

U.S. allies have rapidly begun to wind down their evacuation operations (click here) from Kabul amidst heightened security concerns and ahead of the August 31 withdrawal deadline.

Driving the news: The U.S. is in control of Kabul's airport but plans to end its operation by Aug. 31, which the Taliban considers a red line, and needs time to evacuate its troops. Thursday's attack at the airport will only increase the urgency. In the meantime, allies including Canada, Germany and Poland have already ended their evacuations.

The big picture: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement condemning the attack at the Kabul airport Thursday that the U.K. is approaching "the very end" of its evacuation operation....

The Republicans are completely out of context in their questions and badgering the panel. But, then the nation's fear since September 11th is not within the definition of reality. If one is a Republican and trapped in "the fear culture" in order to win elections, why not continue an unnecessary war, the Republicans don't have to pay for it. Their millions in their war chest are theirs to keep.

Fear is a strong and necessary emotion. It is more or less a spontaneous emotion that creates a feeling of vulnerability. If a political party can capture the emotion and use it to relate the idea they are the best to protect the country, it is an easy vote for everyone. 

The USA has fought two unnecessary wars in the region and has managed to spend enormous amounts of money on their "wars of image."

The military did their jobs and did it well. Their mission was never clear. How do you tell military leaders they are fighting a war that is politically advantageous?

That was cute, the General now has an order from a US Senator to read the books that contain his comments. Amazing. What has that to do with Afghanistan? 

I think the STUDY GROUP needs to be established to bring a clear view of the invasion into Afghanistan. It is a chapter of USA history that should tell the truth.

Josh Hawley is shameful as a US Senator. He is a treasonist. Just that simple. There is no reason to take him seriously about anything. Americans in Afghanistan by choice, not circumstances. Spouses not having passports or background checks are not the fault of the USA military.

General Milley is telling the truth about China. His responsibility includes maintaining working relationships with other countries' military leadership and not just China. We live in a nuclear world. Mistakes happen. It is why non-proliferation is important.

I think my point was made in that all the generals stated THE REMNANTS of al Qaeda were still in Afghanistan. There is nothing that we can do about that. There was no reason to remain. These extremist Islamists are here to stay. Keeping a chronic war only reinforces the mission of those REMNANTS. No one ever states the war in Iraq resulted in Daesh. There is always a worse scenario that results when the current authority is disrupted and war ensues. There can be a good result where a war is met with appreciation by the people. 

A current-day war that resulted in a heroic appreciation of the USA military force is the USA attack into the Balkans. The USA was hailed by the people as heroes to their well-being and preservation of their countries. There is a place for the USA in the world with its enormous and very competent military. It is NOT in prolonged generational and/or forever wars. Forever wars harden those that oppose the presence of the USA. I think the world understood the attack on Afghanistan by the USA in 2001, what doesn't go well is prolonged occupations in attempts of national building. The military's purpose is never to include nation-building. Ever!

 The filibuster vs USA democracy

There is nothing else to say. A return to a 51 vote majority in the US Senate is paramount to protecting the USA democracy.

"Good Night, Moon"

Waning gibbous

20.4 day old moon

68.1 percent lit

September 26, 2021
By Victoria Cavaliere

Welcome (click here) to the 98th edition of 6 Storm Team Starwatch! This is a blog that will be posted every week that will list events happening in the sky!
Tuesday, September 28th 2021

Tonight is the Last Quarter Moon (Sky & Telescope). Remember, a Last Quarter Moon looks like a half Moon. The Last Quarter Moon takes place at exactly 9:57 PM EDT (Sky & Telescope).

Wednesday, September 29th 2021

If you like to stay up late, check out the night sky between 1 or 2 AM EDT and early dawn Thursday morning (Sky & Telescope). At this time you will be able to see the waning Moon near the bright stars Pollux and Castor (Sky & Telescope). Castor will be above Pollux (Sky & Telescope)....