What the heck? Meet-ups to stage a robbery event?

November 21, 2021
By Don Sweeney

Dozens of robbers swarmed a Nordstrom (click here) store Saturday night, Nov. 21, at an outdoor mall in Walnut Creek, streaming out with boxes and bags to flee in waiting cars, police said.

“I probably saw 50-80 people in, like, ski masks with crowbars, a bunch of weapons,” Brett Barrett, who manages a nearby restaurant, told KPIX. “They were looting the Nordstrom.”

“There was a mob of people,” Barrett told the station. “The police were flying in. It was like a scene out of a movie. It was insane."

The robbery spree broke out at 9 p.m. when as many as 25 vehicles pulled up in front of the store and 80 people in masks dashed inside, KNTV reported.

Police responding to 911 calls arrested three people in the chaos, two fleeing in a vehicle and one fleeing on foot, KGO reported.

A similar incident took place Friday night at Union Square in San Francisco, where a swarm of people ransacked stores, San Francisco police reported on Twitter.

Six were arrested after people shattered windows and ran off with merchandise from Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and other high-end stores, KTVU reported....

Proactive and not reactive...regulators are necessary - 100 miles of solar panels to power the entire USA - battery back up is a very tiny thing.

The Rittenhouse decision.

There are a lot of issues surrounding this jury verdict. I find the jury incompetent in its inability to discern the reason two dead man and the one maimed were assaulting Rittenhouse. The jury verdict was also contaminated by a judge that "set up" the prosecutor to fail. Because the prosecutor could not assert Freedom of Speech in accurating describing the victims of Rittenhouse's vigilantism, the jury was making assumptions they never should have regarding the victims to this crime.

I believe the Rittenhouse decision is the opening salvo of a civil war. All that is needed now are two sides at a demonstation brandishing weapons and democracy will be dead, too.

Rittenhouse was possible because of the false belief the USA government will come to arm it's military to destroy democracy. That would not be the case in any way. The "call to arms" so to speak is a false premise and needs to be seriously addressed in it's content and it's extremist views and agenda.

The gun lobby took a simple concept that is anti-government and turned it into political dogma within elections of people sympathetic to the capitalism of gun sales. The reason the gun lobby conducted itself in that manner is for profits and not any other reason. The gun lobby is not the friend of the people.

Capitalism is an enemy to the people in the allowance of extremism within it's politics. In the content to which the USA elections are corrupted by extremism, including, allowing an enemy foreign power to carry out pressure on the electorate is another example of how capitalism is running amuck in our society that results in two dead men and another maimed for life.

I think it is time to reread the book by Ron Suskind, "The Way of the World." I am confident the dynamics of Rittenhouse can be found in this book written in 2008.

The gun lobby played a huge roll in the exoneration of Zimmerman and now Rittenhouse. They invested millions in these trials. Money is the root of all evil and I believe it more today than ever before.

Where is the morality? Where are ethics? Where are all the invisbile qualities of the USA that actually improve the quality of life for the American people. Those invisible agents in our society are desperately missing and LEANS into extremism is becoming the norm.

With the climate crisis raging, the people of Flint have received permission from a judge to the settlement.

November 11, 2021

By Tyler Clifford and Kanishka Singh

A federal judge on Wednesday (click here) approved a settlement worth $626 million for victims of the lead water crisis in Flint, Michigan, in a case brought by tens of thousands of residents affected by the contaminated water.

"The settlement reached here is a remarkable achievement for many reasons, not the least of which is that it sets forth a comprehensive compensation program and timeline that is consistent for every qualifying participant," U.S. District Judge Judith Levy said in a 178-page order.

Earlier this year, the judge gave preliminary approval to a partial settlement of lawsuits filed by victims of the water crisis against the state....

November 28, 2021

By Isis Simpson-Mersha

Community members in Flint (click here) and surrounding areas are invited to partake in free dinners and turkey giveaways as Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

This year, Thanksgiving takes place on Thursday, Nov. 25.

Events are lined up this week and next for community members to enjoy a free hot meal, a turkey and cases of water to take home....

November 16, 2021

By Ron Fonger

Flint - Hurley Medical Center (click here) is operating at 100 percent capacity as cases of COVID-19 surge in Genesee County and multiple viruses circulate.

Bed occupancy statistics for the Flint hospital as of Monday, Nov. 15, show Hurley is at full capacity based on the number of beds available given current staffing, according to the state of Michigan’s coronavirus dashboard for hospitals.

Hurley’s patient census includes 43 patients with COVID-19, 14 of whom are in the hospital’s intensive care unit....

October 26, 2021
By Ron Fonger

An emergency manager (click here) said no to the river after speaking to environmental regulators. An ex-Flint official said the governor’s office reversed that decision.

Flint - A virtual motion hearing (click here) in the criminal Flint water crisis case of former Gov. Rick Snyder has been rescheduled after problems with the courthouse WiFi system made it impossible for the judge to communicate with attorneys.

Genesee District Court Judge William H. Crawford adjourned the Tuesday, Oct. 26, hearing on a motion for a protective order that had been requested by attorneys for Snyder until Nov. 3.

Crawford stopped the hearing about 20 minutes after it started, while attorney Brian Lennon, who represents the former governor, was addressing the motion.

District Court Administrator Christal Jones said Tuesday that a morning power outage apparently caused the WiFi problem in the McCree Courts and Human Services Building in downtown Flint.

Snyder was one of nine current and former state and city of Flint employees charged with crimes related to the Flint water crisis in January....

Military Style Weapons are now the gun of choice to take to a protest rally. Vigilantism is a live and well. This is the second time a jury has declared a vigilante not guilty, the other was the late George Zimmerman (click here).

The Climate Crisis is reeking havoc and Xi and Putin are planning war. Ridiculous.

While on the subject, let me comment further. Isolation can be a death sentence and is why the Canadian government is moving quickly. There is no way into Vancouver to even replenish grocery shelves of food. Everyone knows this is a dangerous sitution. We saw something as dangerous in the USA that isolated people away from civilization and it wasn't a flood, it was a frozen terrain.

This is the climate crisis. I will tell you these scenarios are going to become more frequent and will overwhelm most if not all emergency measures civilization has put in place. Imagine a population of people in a food desert looking to McDonald's for their regular meals at least once a day. Then a severe storm comes and there is no way to get to McDonalds and when available every bit of food is sold and/or stolen. How are people going to survive? 

I am sure most college folks know the the phenomena of Easter Island. They did not survive and it was due to the lack of food. They created all sorts of godly scenarios, but, ulitmately none of their god worship saved them.

Think of civilization as many potential Easter Islands. Then look at the solutions. McDonalds would probably form a method to fly supplies into a distressed area to provide food to people. Right? I think it was Dominos that stepped up their humanitarian principles in the past and fed people and they did that for one reason, to save others. To save their customers. 

Realize now that flying planes into distressed areas releases carbon and/or greenhouse gases into the air and further complicates the very effect that is causing the distress in the first place.

What is humanity going to do to address these problems? How is the climate crisis suppose to end so long as the emissions of greenhouse gases continues to rise? Is the end game basically the end of human survival?

I ask these questions, not to be cruel or set up some distopian political game, but, because this is all real and no one is dealing with it.

Earth's history and its recovering into ice ages NEVER had this many people practicing consumerism that emits greenhouse gases. NEVER before has Earth been so challenged and it has physics, not a conscience.

 

Lukashenko' is treating human beings as chattel. There is a good example of the communists and their coveted propaganda.

The pompous butt hole of Belarus. I don't recall any summit between Poland, NATO and Belarus where they came together as partners to solve an immigration problem. The land between Belarus and Poland is now a Refugee Camp.

This is just so typical of communists that love propaganda as a leverage point to disgracing The West. Lukashenko takes people that would normally receive a great deal of sympathy for their circumstances and turns them into a weapon. You know, al Qaeda used infrastruture to wage their wars against civilization, basically, Lukashenko is a terrorist.

November 19, 2021
By Steve Rosenberg

Belarus's authoritarian leader (click here) has told the BBC it is "absolutely possible" his forces helped migrants cross into Poland but denies they were invited.

In an exclusive interview in the Minsk presidential palace, he told me: "I think that's absolutely possible. We're Slavs. We have hearts. Our troops know the migrants are going to Germany."

"Maybe someone helped them. I won't even look into this."

However, he denied inviting thousands in to provoke a border crisis.

"I told them I'm not going to detain migrants on the border, hold them at the border, and if they keep coming from now on I still won't stop them, because they're not coming to my country, they're going to yours.

"That's what I meant. But I didn't invite them here. And to be honest, I don't want them to go through Belarus."

Alexander Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus since 1994 but his re-election as president was widely discredited by the West and not recognised by the EU....

I have been reviewing some of the welcoming of Putin to the world of Wall Street, and he is not the same man as he was then. On November 12, 2001, shortly after September 11, 2001, there appeared an article in "Business Week" entitled "Vladimir'Putin's Russia, At an historic moment Russia is emerging as a key U.S. ally and a rising oil power". It was an article that recognized the fact Russia was the first on the ground in Afghanistan with a medical field deployment to treat injured Americans that were to soon be landing to defeat al Qaeda.

Back then The West saw a Putin that was engaged in expanding it's economy and was making grounds with the sale of oil to The West, including the USA. It was a welcome change to all involved, including Russia. But, then Putin was running for re-election as Russia's president and he ran into communist headwinds. His place as president was waning and it was the communists in Russia that was the power that would remove him from office. So, being the good KGB agent he always was, he turned away from any prosperity The West could bring and catered to those that opposed him, the communists. 

Today, Russia is in isolation from most other countries, except for the occassional G20 Meeting. He has corraled his diasphora, eliminated any dual citizenship within Russian borders and seeks to destroy The West through propaganda granted by for profit IT such Facebook. The Mueller Report clearly demonstrated a spy network that could cause problems politically leading to hostile elections and ultimatly an inept presidet of the USA.

Belarus is an ally to Putin when it should be separating from him and the only reason it is an ally is because of Lukashenko. It is no different than the former Ukraine president that is currently in exile in Russia. Putin is a desperate man these days and has made decisions to exacerbate tensions with The West and there is only one reason, the communist party in Russia has control over his presidency and re-election. They are feeling the opposition to them and they are damnable to achieve their goals.

Putin has been posturing for a fight since President Biden has come into office because he is scared the information fed to him by Trump will soon be obsolute. In other words, between Xi and Putin, "If not now, then when and if not us, then who?"

The people at the Belrus border are propaganda tools. Tools for opposition parties in The West that is food for people like Bannon and tools for the communists who will state The West are liars and have no real compassion. The propaganda won't work in the way it is hoped to work, but, everyone has to try, ya know?

The Belarus Refugee Camp must be addressed by the UN with a humanitarian mission if not already in the works. That is the best anyone can do right now.

It seems as though the judiciary isn't working very hard at their jobs.

Oklahoma needs to release Julius Jones. The murderer still needs to be found. Ther family should continue to advocate the truth. Certainly, The Howell family certainly can't rest until the real murderer is found.

November 17, 2021

Julius Jones was scheduled to be executed at 4 p.m. (click here) Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, however, announced at noon Thursday he has commuted Jones' sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

Jones, now 41, has been on death row for more than half of his life for the murder of Paul Howell. 

Jones has maintained his innocence, saying he was not responsible for the fatal shooting in Edmond in 1999....

 

Excuse me, but, because a victim to murder may have used a racial slur means they deserved to die? I don't think so.

Somehow a dead man is the problem? Really?

In a civilized society dialogue is paramount to democracy. There is nothing to say people can't get angry and verbalize their anger, but, to resolve anger with a gun is not allowed. There is NOTHING the victim of this crime did to cause his death.

People with guns often believe that is an extention of their authority no matter what form it takes. That is not the case.

I don't know what one would call that, the Castle Doctrine or the Stand Your Ground Doctrine or the You Got Me Pissed Off Doctrine.

November 18, 2021
By Jonathan Allen and Rich McKay

A Georgia judge (click here) will decide on Thursday whether a jury can hear from Travis McMichael about a racial slur officials say he uttered as Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, lay dying from shotgun blasts fired by McMichael last year.

Travis McMichael began testifying in his own defense on Wednesday, taking the stand even though it opened him up to questioning by prosecutors who have said they might ask him about evidence he had "racial animus" against Black people.

Travis McMichael, 35, his father, Greg McMichael, 65, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, all white men, are charged with murder, along with other crimes, in the Feb. 23 slaying of Arbery in their mostly white neighborhood just outside coastal Brunswick.

The McMichaels told police that they chased Arbery in a pickup truck because they thought he looked like a burglar, and Bryan joined the chase after they went by his driveway....

I don't think Wisconsin has a paparazzi law. MSNBC probably should challenge the judges ruling.

This is about freedom of speech and the information necessary to secure it regardless the scandalous or not topic. California took up the issue because of the film making business within it's economy. These are primarily civil suits that are filed to prevent the "assaultive" behavior of independent journalists when seeking pictures.

The photographer was ticketed for running a red light. That is a dangerous citation and he should never have gone that far. He could have caused his injury or worse or others. It was foolhearty and he deserved the citation. But, to bar an entire news network from reporting on the trial of Rittenhouse basically unrelated to the independent journalist is just wrong. That is lumping all journalists that work with MSNBC into one category and it is not correct to do so.

There are people that watch and listen to MSNBC on a regular basis. How are they to get their news? How are they going to know about the jury's outcome in a verdict? People can be very loyal to news reporting media. They get used to listening to their favorite anchor. In slicing and dicing up the pool of journalists by a judge, MSNBC is put at a disadvantage. That effects a lot of things, including the advertisers that will be seen on that nework, hence, effecting the viability of the network itself. What does that do to the Americans that rely on MSNBC for their news?

I don't know what the conduct of the journalist would have been if he had caught up with the bus and was able to photograph or interact with the jurors, but, that is a different issue. That could be seen as interfering with a jury deliberations. Whoever spoke to him if there was an interaction would be taken off the jury and another juror put in that person's place. But, nothing like that occurred. For all we know the independent journalist may have simply photographed the bus with people leaving it. I don't think that is harmful.

...California passed a law in 1998 (click here) designed to protect public persons from intrusive conduct by paparazzi. California Civil Code section 1708.8 prohibits constructive invasions of privacy, defined as follows:

“A person is liable for constructive invasion of privacy when the defendant attempts to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, any type of visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression of the plaintiff engaging in a personal or familial activity under circumstances in which the plaintiff had a reasonable expectation of privacy, through the use of a visual or auditory enhancing device, regardless of whether there is a physical trespass, if this image, sound recording, or other physical impression could not have been achieved without a trespass unless the visual or auditory enhancing device was used.”

In 2006 the California legislature amended the law to provide that those who face such invasions of privacy can sue the paparazzi for “three times the amount of any general or special damages” caused by their conduct. Given the astronomically high-dollar demand for photos of celebrities, it is likely that the legislation will be tested in the courts in the near future with cases involving a charged paparazzo....

November 18, 2021

By Amika Kim Constantino

The judge overseeing Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial (click here) banned MSNBC from the courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Thursday after a freelance producer working for the network was accused of following a bus carrying jurors the previous night.

“I have instructed that nobody from MSNBC news be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial,” Judge Bruce Schroeder said during a hearing.

“This is a very serious matter, and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is, but absolutely it would go without much thinking that someone who is following a jury bus, that is a very ... that is an extremely serious matter and will be referred to the proper authorities for further action,” the judge continued.

Schroeder said the man who allegedly followed the bus identified himself as James J. Morrison and claimed he was a producer for NBC News employed by MSNBC.... 

Somehow "Kylo Ren" seems an easy reach for a former Marine.

Communists and dictators vs. the world.

I am not surprised Xi and Joe Biden are not getting very far in agreements when they speak. It is important they keep speaking, but, I am not surprised. China and Russia have itchy trigger fingers since the Trump administration. They must have learned a great deal from Trump. So, they feel more confident today they could go to war with the USA and end democracy.

Communists don't like democracy. They think it is dangerous. I guess to some extent they are correct when free elections result in a bozo in the White House. But, communism is highly oppressive. The communists don't think so, but, the issue with Taiwan is a great example of oppression vs. democracy.

The Taiwan economy is strong and it is famous for it's computer chips. Why would any leader want to oppress that? The same goes for Hong Kong. There are decades upon decades of people who have lived within democratic principles and have learned and accumulated knowledge. Why oppress that? Makes no sense. Communists don't see that, BUT, all China has to do is realize most if not all it's accomplishments since Nixon visited is due to spying on the USA.

China will not reflect on it's gross weaknesses and Russia just runs around the planet pretending to be a real country. It is highly speculative as to whether Russia is still a sovereign nation with so many in decent of it's leadership and very corrupt elections. No different than Belarus. That is what makes Russia so dangerous right now. Putin has his submarines off both coasts of the USA and he is firing rockets into space to destroy old Soviet satellites. There was a major incident because Russia is getting very reckless. It is taking it's cosmonauts out of the ISS. So, before it does it is going to show the world what Putin wants to do to the ISS after Russia is gone.

November 16, 2021
By Kylie Atwood, Jim Sciutto, Kristin Fisher and Nicole Gaouette

The US strongly condemned a Russian anti-satellite test (click here) on Monday that forced crew members on the International Space Station to scramble into their spacecraft for safety, calling it "a reckless and dangerous act" and saying that it "won't tolerate" behavior that puts international interests at risk.

US Space Command said Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite, or DA-ASAT missile, striking a Russian satellite and creating a debris field in low-Earth orbit of more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris that is also likely to generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris.

US officials emphasized the long-term dangers and potential global economic fallout from the Russian test, which has created hazards for satellites that provide people around the world with phone and broadband service, weather forecasting, GPS systems which underpin aspects of the financial system, including bank machines, as well in-flight entertainment and satellite radio and television....

The communists don't have really great conventiional forces. That is why they are a real nuclear threat. The USA, to the dismay of the public in general, has a really great conventional force and look to that aspect of our military and not nuclear components. But, since the Trump admiistration there has been a growing enbolded status by China and Russia. China doesn't see that talking with The West is worthwhile so much as just preparing for war. They really want to end the democracy in Europe, Australia and the USA. They really do.

The USA has a very vibrant military. It has many branches of expertise and people make the miltiary a career move. The Congress is always looking for ways to make the military personnel and their families happier. HOUSING is still a problem in some instances. But, for the most part I think Congress doesn't want military families to be on social welfare programs as they have in the past. The public complains if they preceive the military abusing it's people and even neglecting them to some extent. The Iraq War changed the profile of a USA soldier in many good ways. Our sons and daughters are safer as soldiers today, but, in realizing that also realize they are more of a threat as well.

Russia and China are isolating. Russia began that about four years ago. It began to require Russians to declare dual citizenship, called home it's diasphora and closed off the internet from The West. I don't know if Chinese citizens and Russians communicate, but, doubt that. The languages are too diverse. If it is done it isn't on a large scale. But, all that is moving into isolation. Since Russians had to register if they have dual citizenship, there have been more constraints in expressing loyalty to Russia.

Russian submarines have always played with USA borders and so have their jets. The USA primarily monitors what is going on and is ready to pounce if it has to, but, those scenarios never manifest. Yet.

I find it oddly interesting that Putin, the illegitimate president of Russia, is flexing muscles along the USA borders and in space.

Both China and Russia are barking up the wrong communist tree.

Ya know, when Nixon went to China it was to open it's doors to the possibility of joining the rest of the world. Now. With Xi. It seems as though China came out to play and has decided it doesn't like it much. Leaders before Xi weren't so foolish. I remember the pride in China at the first Olympic Games. This mess that has resulted after Trump is a fools game. 

November 17, 2021

By Yen Nee Lee

The U.S. and China (click here) have just emerged from a high-profile meeting between their two leaders, with both sides striking a positive tone about their relationship going forward — but one big question remains unanswered, said an analyst.

“The open question for the broader relationship is whether the US and China can constructively manage the slow-motion collision that is now unfolding between their very different worldviews,” said Stephen Olson, senior research fellow at Hinrich Foundation, in Tuesday note after the virtual summit.

The U.S. and China still face “hard-edged, irreconcilable differences” that are deeply entrenched — and it remains to be seen whether the fallout between them will ease after the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Olson....

There is a weather phenomena that is becoming a real trouble maker, called "Atmospheric River."

Atmospheric River (click here)

This phenomena is becoming part of the weather in the northern tier of states. It is becoming more frequent.

Four tornadoes in Long Island in the middle of November. What a mess this is.

The Northwest USA, include California in that, and Canada are getting these enormous dumps of water. California is probably getting some of it's required needs, but, not enough to end the drought. Yet. Above is the current drought map for the USA.

If this PATTERN doesn't end soon, there are going to be very difficult circumstances for these people. They are isolated at this point and have damage to their property and homes, but, if this pattern continues there are going to be real problems with flooding and sustained high levels of water.

The governors have to be ready to establish communities on empty military bases where shops might exist where businesses can be opened with current displaced business owners. It could get that bad. People won't have land to live on and it is quesitonable to the extent, even after flood waters recede, what the land and civilization looks like and how viable it is.

By relocating the displaced people they can rebuild a community and economy. Higher elevations are important. Water runs downhill.

November 16, 2021

Long Islanders witnessed a historic weather event on Saturday (click here) when four tornadoes struck from Woodmere to Levittown, East Islip to Oakdale, Shirley to Manorville, and Remsenburg to Westhampton.

The National Weather Service confirmed the fourth tornado Monday morning. The twisters rarely occur in November, and Long Island last had one touch down in summer 2019 in Manorville. The last time Long Island saw three in a day was in June 1998, yet it had never seen four in a day until now.

Luckily no injuries have been reported. However, the tornado blew down trees, ripped material off of buildings, and ultimately left lots of severe property damage in its wake. Residents have been sharing their photos and videos taken during and after the storm.

The weather seemingly changed from a bright day to a dark, stormy one “in just a few minutes,” said Tim Needles, who posted this photo:

Okay, okay, I am more than a biologist. I have three degrees biology, environmental science and women's studies.

My biology degree is very diverse. The university was generous to my interests because they didn't offer a Climate Crisis program. So, my biology degree contains geology, geography, anthropology (almost had a degree in anthropology), and it is a BS and not a BA. So, it is very dense in the sciences. Even took some graduate classes for credit within my BS. The university was really nice about everything. If anyone wants to know more without pursuing a degree (the tuition still has to be paid) audit a course. Do the work. It amounts to knowledge.

The geography is where weather is studied. It was a liberal arts university in that the degree programs were well rounded in the first place.

Yep.

I was never interested in advance degrees because NOAA and NASA have that tied up in the way of providing information. I was interested in understanding the planet in a general way and it's effects on people. I am also a retired health care professional.

It will be necessary to dissolve corporate health care.

What is becoming more and more realistic is that the vast incorporation of health systems across the USA will not be able to take care of people when infrastructure fails. Small community hospitals where there is every service of medical and surgical practices; needs to return to local hospitals that provide well being to people as storms continually impact infrastructure of transportation.

While Governors and Mayors are on the subject of creating local authority to maintain people's health when cut off from the corporate structures, they will want to address keeping local economies at all cost. The local economies will survive where others won't.

A good project for the US Army Corp. will be to disasemble the USA and/or allies into areas where infrastructure will fail and isolate towns from essential services. In that, the future needs of the people can be realized in a world that is highly disruptive to a once civilized society.

Every human need will have to be available in local economies so that when isolation occurs there will be services that support life.

This is going to be the toll of the climate crisis and it is serious. Long haul trucking may become obsolete and ports only effective for the local region. The USA is going to have to be self-sufficient in all it's needs. It is the way of the future and it may as well start now before planning is too late and lives are in danger in isolation from transportation of people and goods.

It is difficult to turn a big boat around, but, that is exactly what governance has to do and quickly. No different than Earth's physics, the economy of the USA is in peril due to the climate crisis. The people are important and supporting them into new realities whereby local areas are self-sufficent is vital to the stability of the people in their abilities to survive into the future.

In the picture from NASA below, Bellingham (lower right corner) is the USA. It is downstream from Vancouver, Canada.

An image from Nasa's worldview on Tuesday shows the extent of the flooding across the British Columbia region

November 17, 2021
By Artur Gajda and Rod Nickel

Merritt, British Columbia - Floods and landslides (click here) that have killed at least one person have cut al-l rail access to Canada's largest port in the city of Vancouver, a spokesperson for the port said on Tuesday.

Two days of torrential rain across the Pacific province of British Columbia touched off major flooding and shut rail routes operated by Canadian Pacific Rail (CP.TO) and Canadian National Railway (CNR.TO), Canada's two biggest rail companies.

"All rail service coming to and from the Port of Vancouver is halted because of flooding in the British Columbia interior," port spokesperson Matti Polychronis said.

At least one person was killed when a mudslide swept cars off Highway 99 near Pemberton, some 100 miles (160 km) to the northeast of Vancouver....

November 17, 2021

Leyland Cecco

At least one person (click here) has been killed and several more are feared dead after a huge storm hit the Pacific north-west, destroying highways and leaving tens of thousands of people in Canada and the US without power.

Canada’s largest port was cut off by flood waters, as emergency crews in British Columbia announced on Tuesday that at least 10 vehicles had been swept off a highway during a landslide....

Michael Flynn has turned his back on the US Constitution.

An American can't be advocating one true religion and still be loyal to the USA Constitution. It is not possible. Considering he was/is one of Trump's minions there is every reason to believe this is a belief of that political group in the USA and requires investigation and quite possibly prosecution.

In order for the USA to become a theocracy with only a few powerful leaders, no different than Iran, the First Amendment needs to be eliminated. That is ridiculous. Losing the First Amendment IS surrending the democracy.

 

I believe the judge's solicitation of the jury has a second purpose.

I think the judge, along with the defense lawyer, believes those that want to come back tomorrow have decided this is going to demand a deliberation to come to a conclusion and do not believe the defendant is innocent. The jurors that want to meet tonight regardless of the lateness of the proceedings have already made up their mind and believe he acted in self-defense. What are the chances this is a hung jury and unable to come to a conclusion?

I think this kind of CLUE about the jury will make the defense attorney rethink his strategy to the jury. I think the judge is faulty in his actions with the jury and is playing them as well.

The defense attorney's have no appreciation of the FACT Rittenhouse aggrivated every one of the situations whereby he used his gun to terrorize, kill and maim. The dead men were intent on getting the gun away a killer. That is all they saw. They died attempting to save lives. Rittenhouse was pointing the gun at people without reason. He is dangerous and the people that night knew they had a problem. The prosecutor proved that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defense attorney is ineffective. He is to me. He is raising doubt with every authority involved in the prosecution. It is a POPULAR MIND-SET and he is hoping the jury buys it. If he wants to raise doubt, do it where it is plausible that mistakes were made. Every person for the prosecution is not lying or biased against Rittenhouse. That is not realistic.

...The Marsy’s Law (click here) initiative began in California and was led and sponsored by Marsy’s brother, Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III. When it passed in November 2008, Proposition 9, The California Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008: Marsy’s Law, became the strongest and most comprehensive Constitutional victims’ rights laws in the U.S. and put California at the forefront of the national victims’ rights movement....

The prosecutor doesn't believe in the Rule of Law either. There are ethical issues here.

...Imperfect Self-defense (click here)

Sometimes a person may have a genuine fear of imminent physical harm that is objectively unreasonable. If the person uses force to defend themselves from the perceived threat, the situation is known as “imperfect self-defense.” Imperfect self-defense does not excuse a person from the crime of using violence, but it can lessen the charges and penalties involved. Not every state recognizes imperfect self-defense, however.

For example, a person is waiting for a friend at a coffee shop. When the friend arrives, he walks toward the other person with his hand held out for a handshake. The person who had been waiting genuinely fears that his friend means to attack him, even though this fear is totally unreasonable. In order to avoid the perceived threat, the person punches his friend in the face. While the person’s claim of self-defense will not get him out of any criminal charges because of the unreasonable nature of his perception, it could reduce the severity of the charges or the eventual punishment.

Some states also consider instances where the person claiming self-defense provoked the attack as imperfect self-defense. For example, if a person creates a conflict that becomes violent then unintentionally kills the other party while defending himself, a claim of self-defense might reduce the charges or punishment, but would not excuse the killing entirely....

A killer cannot cause the event of a murder and then say it was self-defense regardless of any assessment that attacks were not going to happen. Rittenhouse, then a teen of 17 years can be said to be innocent in his assessment in going into the crowd in the first place and that is why there are people dead and maimed. 

Rittenhouse knew the AR-15 was dangerous. He decided there were "bad people" in Kenosha that should not be there while he does not live there. That is vigilantism and just because he didn't think of himself as a vigilante doesn't mean he is innocent of causing the circumstances leading to the murders. The defense is trying to blur the line between wrongful actions of a 17 year old by saying all the gun charges are dropped, therefore, Rittenhouse was allowed to do what he did. 

Rittenhouse is guilty. He carelessly went into a KNOWN dangerous situation where police were already involved in protecting the city as best they could. He complicated the scene and caused more problems and not less. He aggrivated aggression by others simply because he was there with an AR-15.

No one is saying the rioting was legal or correct, but, it isn't suppose to kill.

Kyle Rittenhouse knew he was a vigilante and he knew he was part of a militia. The majority of the gun owners in the USA are not part of a militia nor would answer the call to charge into a crowd for the purpose of killing people under the guise of protecting property.

August 27, 2021
By Barbara Ortutay and Anita Snow

...The Atlantic Council researchers (click here) said that before the attack some of the online discussions encouraged acts of violence while the conspiracy website InfoWars amplified the call to arms, potentially encouraging more armed people to head to Kenosha. In Wisconsin, people 18 and over can legally openly carry a gun without a permit....

Debating the law?

 I am not impressed with the Rittenhouse judge's quantry to the Rule of Law.

The prosecutor has had a huge opposition to his pledgings by the judge and now the judge further has opposition to the prosecutor's clarify on the charges made against Rittenhouse. 

I think the prosecutor already has reasons for an appeal. 

The judge needs to be reviewed by peers to determine his competency in OBEYING the Rule of Law. I am sure he can walk, talk and chew gum at the same time, but, I believe there is a sense of self-righteousness when coming to his particular of the court. He could easily be determined as an activist judge.

Perfect Self-Defense

Perfect self-defense (click here) is the use of force by one who accurately appraises the necessity and the amount of force to repel an attack. 

The two dead men were unarmed.

It meets all of the generally accepted legal conditions for such a claim to be valid. Perfect self defense requires that when deadly force is used the defendant reasonably believed it to be necessary to kill the decedent, to avert imminent death or great bodily harm, and the defendant was not the initial aggressor nor was responsible for provoking the fatal confrontation.

It is necessary to realize there were no military style guns in the crowd, no matter how one defines the crowd. Rittenhouse walked into the crowd knowing he would kill people that HE determined to be breaking the law. There is no other reason to carry that military weapon. He is a vigilante and cannot be viewed as an individual within the crowd as an innocent person that was attacked for no reason. The men that attempted to disarm him were afraid for their lives, too, as well as the lives of others. That weapon can CUT DOWN human beings in large numbers at any point in time in seconds. There was no time to think about what Rittenhouse's reasons were, the presence of the gun was threatening. Words are not necessary to be considered a terrorist either. Rittenhouse turned the crowds actions into combat with the presence of the AR-15. The gun changed the thoughts of the people in the crowd and Rittenhouse was a huge threat.

Testimony could not be given by dead men.

September 3, 2020
By Chuck Goudie and Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner

After a worldwide social media audience (click here) watched 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse open fire in the middle of a Kenosha, Wisconsin street with an AR-15 style rifle, he returned to his family's home in Chicago's northwest suburbs.

The I-Team has learned from federal investigators that the gun was legally purchased, however, authorities are still working to figure out how it ended up in the teen's hands.

A few hours later, when Rittenhouse voluntarily surrendered to Antioch police, "our department did take possession of two Smith and Wesson M&P 15 Rifles" the ABC7 I-Team was told Thursday by police chief Geoff Guttschow. "These rifles were subsequently turned over to the Kenosha Police Department in furtherance of their investigation into the shootings that took place there," chief Guttschow said.

Even as the teenager is being held in a Lake County lockup while extradition proceedings play out, investigators on both sides of the state line work to "determine when, where, how and by whom the firearms were purchased; and to determine if any crimes were committed in our jurisdiction in doing so," Guttschow said....

The judge is solicitous of the jury.

It is Wrong!

Completely and absolutely wrong for countries and companies that use capitalism as their economic engine to come to the CLIMATE CRISIS accords expecting to water down and/or protect their fossil fuel industries from dire changes of the use of their products. This is absolutely no different than the Montreal Protocols. Everyone gets on board for a complete and absolute change in energy and transportation.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR BACKSLIDING. 

NONE, EXCEPT, GREED AND GREED IS GROSSLY IMMORAL.

"Good Night, Moon"

The waxing gibbous

10.9 day old moon

84.3 percent lit

Earth has more satellites than the moon.

November 11, 2021
By Benjamin N. L. Sharkey,Vishnu Reddy,Renu Malhotra, Audrey Thirouin, Olga Kuhn, Albert Conrad, Barry Rothberg, Juan A. Sanchez, David Thompson &
Christian Veillet

Little is known about Earth quasi-satellites, (click here) a class of near-Earth small solar system bodies that orbit the sun but remain close to the Earth, because they are faint and difficult to observe. Here we use the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and the Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT) to conduct a comprehensive physical characterization of quasi-satellite (469219) Kamoʻoalewa and assess its affinity with other groups of near-Earth objects. We find that (469219) Kamoʻoalewa rotates with a period of 28.3 (+1.8/−1.3) minutes and displays a reddened reflectance spectrum from 0.4–2.2 microns. This spectrum is indicative of a silicate-based composition, but with reddening beyond what is typically seen amongst asteroids in the inner solar system. We compare the spectrum to those of several material analogs and conclude that the best match is with lunar-like silicates. This interpretation implies extensive space weathering and raises the prospect that Kamo’oalewa could comprise lunar material....