President Biden can end the Iranian drone attacks if he meets them with the weapon that inspired them.

December 7, 2011
By Scott Shane and David E. Sanger

The Shahed 136 (click here) is an Iranian loitering munition, (suicide drone). In Persian Shahed stands for Witness. This drone was designed by Shahed Aviation Industries and produced by HESA. In 2019 this drone was launched from Iran against the Saudi oil plant....

Washington - The stealth C.I.A. drone (click here) that crashed deep inside Iranian territory last week was part of a stepped-up surveillance program that has frequently sent the United States’ most hard-to-detect drone into the country to map suspected nuclear sites, according to foreign officials and American experts who have been briefed on the effort.

Until this week, the high-altitude flights from bases in Afghanistan were among the most secret of many intelligence-collection efforts against Iran, and American officials refuse to discuss it. But the crash of the vehicle, which Iranian officials said occurred more than 140 miles from the border with Afghanistan, blew the program’s cover.

The overflights by the bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel, built by Lockheed Martin and first glimpsed on an airfield in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2009, are part of an increasingly aggressive intelligence collection program aimed at Iran, current and former officials say. The urgency of the effort has been underscored by a recent public debate in Israel about whether time is running out for a military strike to slow Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon....

Iran's drones have to be met with weapons to counter it's ability to kill and destroy within Ukraine. The Iranian threats are all too real. Among the real threats to the globe is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It is a real threat to international stability and Russia is counting on it. Iran had to contribute to the voracity of the alliance, hence, the drones. Iran could not go on forever seeking to be protected without offering a reason to be an ally to communist countries. Iran now has thrown its support to Belarus to join the SCO. Initially the SCO was organized to support trade and peace, that has morphed into an alliance to fight Putin's wars.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) (click here)  is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). In 2021, the decision was made to start the accession process of Iran to the SCO as a full member, and Egypt, Qatar as well as Saudi Arabia became dialogue partners. 

Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues, its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCO’s priorities also include regional development....

The SCO has become a convenient method to circumvent the Free World sanctions. 

December 14, 2022

Iran’s trade with Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s member states, (click here) excluding crude oil exports, stood at 33.8 million tons worth $27.02 billion during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Nov. 21), latest data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show.

China with 23.03 million tons worth $9.78 billion was Iran’s main trade partner among SCO member states during the period. It was followed by India with 4.51 million tons worth $1.93 billion and Russia with 2.62 million tons worth $1.01 billion.

Iranian exports hit 27.18 million tons worth $13.47 billion during the period.

China with 20.27 million tons worth $10.41 billion, India with 3.18 million tons worth $1.26 billion and Pakistan with 2.62 million tons worth $1.01 million were the main export destinations....

November 16, 2022

Before the outbreak of recent mass protests, (click here) Iranian leaders were working to ameliorate their country’s international isolation through official membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). According to the official state news agency, Iranian officials still maintain that officially joining the SCO—which is slated to occur by April 2023—will bring benefits in the economic, commercial, and strategic sectors. Furthermore, from the perspective of the SCO itself, Iran's political cooperation may be useful for the organization’s relations with the Islamic world. However, considering the impact of international sanctions and other forms of pressure—which have only intensified following Iran’s crackdown on protests—this step may not bring about radical change in the region’s geopolitics....

The USA holds responsibility to ending the assault of Iranian drones on Ukraine. IF. There is actually an end in sight. Russia is losing the war. It is bombarding Ukraine because it is the only hope it has to maintain a militarized zone at its borders with Ukraine.

Russia is hoping it's new surviving General Sergey Surovikin (click here) will prove to be the military prowess it needs to turn the corner in Ukraine. Other Generals that attempted Putin's political war with Ukraine have been assassinated. There is also a report of a Russian business man and wife falling to their deaths in India (click here).

Putin's new general is bombarding the Ukraine borders in hopes to buy time to improve the Russian military. Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia that was a place holder until Putin could be made permanent Czar, is taking a new posture. He is going to succeed in transforming the Russia military into a juggernaut. At least that is the propaganda. Medvedev has received a head nod from Putin. How many people of the original government industrial complex is still living anyway?

1 August 2022
By Shaun Walker

Joe Biden is a “strange grandfather with dementia”. (click here) The EU leadership are “lunatics”. Russia will ensure that Ukraine “disappears from the map” in the near future.

Welcome to another week as seen through the eyes of Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and prime minister, and currently the deputy head of the country’s security council....

President Biden is indeed a grandfather that predicted Russia's initial invasion into Ukraine long before it took place. That is hardly demented. But, Medvedev has to say something to the remaining citizens in Russia.

Russia is seeking every affiliation it has to rework it's aggression and try to overtake Ukraine's defenses. It is using missiles to prolong an attack in hopes of reworking it's military to not only sustain the militarized borders, but, escalate the war to remove and/or kill all Ukrainians from their homeland.

This is genocide. It began as a "walk in the park" military action by Vladimir Putin to fit his politics and maintain control with the communists that line the Kremlin. More than 50 percent of Russians oppose his dictatorship and many of those have left Russian borders for safer land to avoid military service which is basically suicide.

It is unfortunate, but, the affiliates of Russia, including those in the SCO are more or less supporting this genocide. The leadership of the SCO need to be made to understand they are supporting genocide and in that a danger to their people if their participation escalates this conflict.

Trials regarding the Ukraine genocide by Russia needs to begin in absentia. The world needs to understand this is not politics, this is genocide and any participation in it results in guilty findings in the world courts.

She will always be a hero that loved her country and its Constitution.

December 28, 2022

2022 was a year of political splintering in Wyoming; (click here) a year in which the effects of the Colorado River water crisis traveled upstream to the state’s river banks; a year when a “trigger” law banning most abortions boiled over into a debate about the fundamental rights of Wyoming residents.

Though the Republican Party continued to consolidate power in this ultra-red state, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney was ousted in a high-profile takedown after turning against former President Donald Trump. Intra-party tensions, meanwhile, deepened longstanding divisions in the party.

Wildlife managers had their hands full as chronic wasting disease continued its insidious spread, ungulates overran private land and development plans collided with wildlife values. The consequences of budget cuts to mental and behavioral health resources grew more troubling with an uptick in violence and use of restraints at the Wyoming Boys’ School as well as reported crises within school communities. Resignations from top offices led to accusations of political allegiance trumping experience or qualifications in the appointment process. And four Missouri hunters, a checkerboard pattern of land ownership and a heated debate over what constitutes trespass turned into a national story of inaccessible public land....

...As Wyoming’s lone representative in the House of Representatives, Liz Cheney voted with former President Donald Trump 93% of the time. The staunch conservative and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney was popular in Wyoming through her first four years in office. But following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Cheney launched an unsparing if lonely campaign to repudiate and hold Trump accountable for his role in inciting the crowds.

Cheney quickly began to lose favor of the Republican Party, which censured her on county, state and national levels. Trump placed her squarely in his cross-hairs, hand-picking Cheyenne attorney Harriet Hageman to unseat Cheney in the August primary. What ensued was an increasingly public spat and a Wyoming political race that drew international curiosity as people wondered: Would Cheney’s disloyalty to Trump cost her her job?

In ultra-red Wyoming, where some voters wondered if she was too focused on Jan. 6 work and others said they lost interest in the cause, the answer appeared to be yes. Hageman easily ousted Cheney, winning nearly 70% of primary votes....

The work the January 6th Committee did is proving to be correct, laudable and legally intact. It is exceptional work by a US House Committee, a group of legislators that love their country, its democracy and its Constitution. They have every reason to be proud.

I find it unfortunate, the Republican Party remains divisive in their radical rhetoric and politics. It is not the time for division of loyalties. The Party does not take precedent over the USA Constitution. They are wrong and Liz Cheney as well as Adam Kinzinger are national heroes along with the other members. Shame on the GOP for being irreverent to their own country's constitution. It brings Republican politics scrutiny.

Judge: Jan. 6 committee evidence suggests Trump asked rally crowd to break the law

December 28, 2022

By Kyle Cheney

The Jan. 6 select committee’s finding that Donald Trump lured followers (click here) to storm the Capitol does not absolve them of legal responsibility for their actions, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, the first opinion to cite the congressional panel’s criminal referrals of the former president.

U.S. District Court Judge John Bates cited the select committee’s report and criminal referrals to swat down a Jan. 6 defendant’s claim that he believed Trump had authorized him and other rioters to enter the Capitol when he urged the crowd to march down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Bates, an appointee of President George W. Bush, ruled that defendant Alexander Sheppard should be prohibited from making the “public authority” defense because there’s simply no evidence Trump told his followers that entering the restricted grounds of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was legal. In fact, his incendiary rhetoric — especially telling his supporters to “fight like hell” — may suggest Trump was asking them to break the law, Bates said.

His words “could signal to protesters that entering the Capitol and stopping the certification would be unlawful,” Bates found.

Bates’ ruling is the first to reckon with the select committee’s finding that Trump violated at least four federal laws in his crusade to subvert the 2020 election. And it is an early window into how the judiciary might interpret the unusual findings of criminal violations by a congressional committee....

The can be only one reason…

 …why Elon bought Twitter, he wants to control the dialog to advance his chances at being President of the USA.

A man that has clearance into NASA’s launch pads and control rooms wants to take the agency in directions that serve the imagination.

No one can argue about his genus. But, he is trying to appear more red than blue with his move to Texas and his mingling with million-billionaires that would like to see Dogcoin as the USA’s official currency and why? A Wall Street currency would look attractive if it increases in value to pay down the national debt.

A man that believes in democracy, capitalism and free markets purchases an enormous and very influential social media program, fires executives, becomes chief cook and bottle washer, throws journalists opposed to his policies off Twitter while keeping their media organizations in full view.

Hm?

Then in what seems more appalling and somewhat bizarre, Elon decides those banned from Twitter must be allowed to return as it is free speech after all.

Let me ask just one question. Just one. Where best is it debated as to who is the better candidate for president, Elon or any other opponent? Being completely open about opinions of others by allowing a platform to launch any candidate into celebrity, where is it best debated? 

End of discussion.

Except, with a Robert’s court that rewards money as a citizen, the platform is also very lucrative. Assuming the debate takes place on Twitter. 

We are getting there, one step at a time.

Near border allies of Russia cannot be tolerated. Guido's government was elected by the people. Basically, Maduro holds power because of the military which is still loyal to him. Maduro's government is a coupe government due to a "clientele" strategy (click here).

Clientele for creating a government when there is none is based in corruption and criminal content. Hezbollah has a hold on the drug trade from Venezuela. It's continued interest in Venezuela's corruption has made Hezbollah stronger with sales from the drug market. Maduro is served by the illegal drug trade because it pays the military to serve him and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a client of the Maduro dictatorship. Russia is a client of Maduro to attempt a near border regime to the USA.

The USA is trying to assist the people of Venezuela to return it's democracy. The delicate representation of democracy in Venezuela by Guido is still susceptible to instability and those not served by democracy, but, by Maduro's clientele government oppose the return of democracy. In addition, there are power players that want to be the answer to the instability they will cause by rejecting Guido in a parliamentary vote.

As a side note and in reflection of the Biden Administration's policies and efforts, Trump backed Maduro mid 2020 after he took office. No surprise there. Just before leaving office he reversed his position with the entrance of the Biden Administration.

June 19, 2021

The Trump administration (click here) issued a parting shot at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday, announcing a sweeping round of stiff financial sanctions that target a network accused of moving oil on behalf of the president’s alleged frontman.

In a sign of future U.S. policy toward Venezuela, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to be secretary of state, Antony Blinken, during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing in Washington showed support for the decision to recognize opposition politician and Maduro rival Juan Guaidó.

Blinken also expressed frustration about the results of current U.S. policy, which hasn’t led to free and fair elections in Venezuela. He said there is room for better coordination with allied nations to restore democracy to the crisis-stricken South American nation....

December 28, 2022
By Antonio Maria DelGado

A majority bloc of the Venezuelan opposition (click here) is preparing to dissolve the so-called interim government of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, in a controversial move described as a logical step by 
some but that others see as an error that will end up benefittng the Nicolas Maduro regime.

The move against Guidó is supported by more than two thirds of the 112 deputies who originally appointed him as interim president of Venezuela after declaring that Maduro was illegally holding power after committing massive fraud during the 2018 presidential election. While the opposition leader held no real power inside Venezuela, his appointment as Venezuela’s legitimate leader was recognized by the United States and nearly 50 other nations.

The vote to ratify the dissolution of the interim government is scheduled for Thursday, but sources within the National Assembly said the process could extend until Friday or even next week, given that some deputies were requesting on Wednesday to postpone the proceedings....

March 5, 2022
By Anatoly Kurmanaev, Natalie Kitroeff and Kenneth P. Vogel

Senior U.S. officials (click here) are traveling to Venezuela on Saturday to meet with the government of President Nicolás Maduro, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Biden administration steps up efforts to separate Russia from its remaining international allies amid a widening standoff over Ukraine.

The trip is the highest-level visit by Washington officials to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, in years. The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Mr. Maduro and closed its embassy in Caracas in 2019, after accusing the authoritarian leader of electoral fraud. The Trump administration then tried to topple Mr. Maduro’s government by sanctioning Venezuelan oil exports and the country’s senior officials, and by recognizing the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as Venezuela’s lawful president.

Mr. Maduro responded to the sanctions by seeking economic and diplomatic help from Russia, as well as from Iran and China. Russian energy companies and banks have been instrumental in allowing Venezuela to continue exporting oil, the country’s biggest source of foreign currency, despite the sanctions, according to U.S. officials, Venezuelan officials and businessmen...

December 23, 2022
by Joshua Goodman

Miami - A federal judge in Miami on Friday (click here) rejected attempts by a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to shield himself from criminal charges, ruling Alex Saab isn't entitled to diplomatic immunity in the U.S. and must stand trial on accusations of money laundering.

The l egal fight over Saab's purported diplomatic status was being closely watched by Maduro's socialist government, which has demanded the release of the Colombian-born businessman as part of furtive negotiations with the Biden administration.

The U.S. in 2019 stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader, and Judge Robert Scola cited that determination as a basis for rejecting Saab's motion to dismiss the criminal charges.

He also sided with prosecutors who raised doubts about the legitimacy of several official Venezuelan credentials that Saab relied on to bolster his claim to diplomatic status — and questioned why he never mentioned his purported diplomatic status in several secret meetings with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

“The evidence suggests that the Maduro regime and its accomplices have fabricated documents to cloak Saab Moran in a diplomatic dress that does not befit him, all in an effort to exploit the law of diplomatic immunities and prevent his extradition to the United States,” the judge wrote....

February 19, 2018

...But while global warming (click here) isn't in the foreground of the Venezuelan story, it may be part of the backdrop. That's because much of the country's last decade has been marked by a severe and persistent drought, an occurrence that scientists say will become more frequent due to warming. Venezuela has also lost four of its five glaciers since the 1990s....

...A cold and snowy climate (click here) at high elevations is key for glaciers to exist in the tropics, the region of Earth straddling the equator between latitudes of about 30°N and 30°S. Most of Earth’s tropical glaciers are found in the tropical Andes, which runs through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. But warming air temperatures have contributed to their decline, including Humboldt Glacier....

Drs. Mary Ball and Andrés Yarzábal and their team of undergraduate students, before beginning the ascent to La Corona glacier on top of Humboldt’s Peak in 2012.

...Centuries ago, (click here) the glaciers had covered the mountain in a thick layer of ice. Mérida was once famous for nearby ski competitions and ice merchants. But by 2012, when Yarzábal mounted his first expedition, all that was left to greet him on the mountain were two small ice fields. Nevertheless, Yarzábal and his colleagues were triumphant, taking samples of the glacial ice -- samples they hoped would contain life.

"It was a really amazing adventure," said Yarzábal, now at the Catholic University of Cuenca in Ecuador....

The loss of ice and snow destroys tourism economies that help the people of any country.

...In the absence of government action, (click here) international organisations and local activists are piecing together data on the extent of climate risks. The World Bank’s Climate Research Unit divides the country into five ‘climate groups’ to better understand seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The World Bank, and others, have observed how Venezuela has already lost four of its five glaciers since the early 1990s: the remaining Humboldt glacier is expected to disappear in under two decades. This will make Venezuela potentially the first country on earth to lose all its glaciers. The rapid retreat of the ice sheet is affecting water cycles and availability, though the government hopes somehow (don’t ask) that ‘global cooling’ could reverse these trends. Some universities and research institutes are also keeping tabs on other metrics of climate change, but with piecemeal data....

 Happy Kwanza.

The weather system coming from the west…

 …is bringing above freezing temperatures. That means while the country is digging out from a frozen state, it also needs to prepare for large scale flooding. While people are safe inside their homes right now, lower elevations near rivers and lakes need to add a caution for potential evacuation with rising temperatures. 

It is not only rising temperatures that cause slushy and slippery conditions, the system in the western USA can also bring rain which accelerates snow melt. All NGOs involved in these types of disasters should now be on alert, stocked and ready.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Scientists told you so.

The petroleum and coal carbon based energy industry and their corrupt politicians held more clout that human life and American prosperity.

They have to be stopped, charged with reckless endangerment…

…on a global scale and the EPA needs to bring charges for an atmospheric release of particulates where the delicate ozone resides. 

https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/24/1066041/a-startup-says-its-begun-releasing-particles-into-the-atmosphere-in-an-effort-to-tweak-the-climate/amp/

Geoengineering is reckless and stupid and there is research to prove it.

The start-ups are along the line of opportunistic capitalists. Sort of like all the million-billionaires that are building rockets with no real destination except government money to do so without any viable destination. 

Geoengineering to effect climate isn’t even necessary with the movement to alternative energies at the national level in most if not all Free World countries. The progress forward to zero greenhouse gas emissions is significant and reassuring that extreme measures require little consideration.

At least seven known dead in Buffalo, New York.

“This will go down in history (click here) as the most devastating storm in Buffalo’s long, storied history of having battled many battles, many major storms,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

The wind will take the body heat out of a person and leave them unable to realize they need to get indoors out of the freeze. Just, stay home. There is no reason good enough to be out in this weather, even to walk to the end of the driveway. The heat in the house has to be high enough to fight off the wind driven cold that robs a house of it's heat.

Buffalo is used to bad weather. They receive feet of snow in a storm all the time, but, this time it is below freezing with high wind. Sometimes being tough is not the best way to think about adverse weather. Sometimes people just need to surrender to the wind and cold and settle in with some warm, mulled apple cider.

When temperatures are 17 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Fahrenheit that is still 12 to 15 degrees below freezing. With air that cold wind will rob anyone of their body heat regardless of wearing very good ski suits. There is just sometimes when saying no to being strong enough to survive is the best path. Save it for the sunshine and sunglasses to fight the reflection off the brilliant white snow.

 

With all due respect, I never was told about a midwife. It seems out of sync with the story.

December 20, 2022
By Katie Yoder

A team of archaeologists (click here) has unearthed artifacts from an ancient Jewish burial cave associated with Salome, who according to some Christian traditions was a midwife at the Nativity of Jesus.

The cave is the site of a centuries-old Christian pilgrimage destination located in the Lachish region in central Israel, the Times of Israel reported Tuesday. Looters first happened upon the elaborate cave in 1982 before it was formally excavated in 1984. Now it’s being examined once again, and the team of researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) is preparing to open it to the public.

“We believe that pilgrims would come here, rent an oil lamp, perform their prayers inside, and go on their way,” IAA archaeologist Zvi Firer said, according to the Times. “It’s like today when you go to the grave of a revered rabbi and light a candle there.”

The burial cave became a pilgrimage destination after local Christians identified it as Salome’s burial place in the Byzantine era, Firer said....

We need the DOJ to review all this. It is pure corruption as far as I am concerned.

There is no recognizable sense of justice anywhere. Bringing clean bottled water, fundraising for mitigating the disabled children to learn and other social programs to right the wrongs of Snyder's government is not justice. All the mitigation measures are expected, but, it is not justice, it is a rescue from injustice. The law never brought brevity to the crimes.

December 21, 2022
By Ed White

Prosecutors again lost a key decision Wednesday (click here) in another effort to revive charges against Michigan’s former health chief who was accused of negligence in certain deaths linked to the Flint water crisis.

The state appeals court said a Flint-area judge followed an “explicit directive” from the Michigan Supreme Court to dismiss an indictment against Nick Lyon.

“This court is unable to grant any relief,” a three-judge panel said in a terse order.

The Supreme Court in June said indictments returned by a one-judge grand jury in Genesee County were invalid. Nine people were charged, including former Gov. Rick Snyder, who was facing two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty.“Mr. Lyon and his family are heartened by the dismissal of the prosecution’s appeal, as it demonstrates how our system of justice is to work,” defense attorney Chip Chamberlain said.

State-appointed managers switched Flint’s water source to the Flint River in 2014, but the water wasn’t treated to reduce its disastrous impact on old pipes. As a result, lead contaminated the system for 18 months.

Lyon, who was head of the state health department, had no role in the water switch. But the river was blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which is typically caused by bacteria spreading through cooling systems.

Lyon and former chief medical executive Eden Wells were charged with involuntary manslaughter in nine deaths. They were accused of failing to timely warn the Flint area about the outbreak....

There is gross malpractice by the Snyder administration, including the AG's office. The AG's office completely ignored the events that were costing the people of Flint, Michigan their lives. They ignored it for over a year and even then it was treated as a political issue and not one of malicious neglect by the Snyder government. The Michigan Attorney General simply looked the other way. The charges brought were grossly inadequate for the brevity of the neglect. Snyder's responsibility was wiped clean by blaming the Emergency Managers and every other Michigan official remotely responsible for these crimes. There was a huge amount of money placed before the people of Flint and that is where it was supposed to stop. That is not a legal response, it was a diversion and the gaslighting of crimes.

Order date: 3/23/2022 (click here)

Docket No. 164191

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, Christopher Kessel
Plaintiff-Appellee,

v (Bypass Application)

(Genesee CC - Kelly, E)

NICHOLAS LYON, Chip Chamberlain
Defendant-Appellant. John Bursch
Summary

The defendant is facing criminal charges as a result of his alleged involvement in the Flint water crisis. Genesee Circuit Judge David Newblatt, acting as a one-person grand jury under MCL 767.3 and MCL 767.4, issued a felony indictment against the defendant. The defendant filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, arguing that he has a statutory right under MCL 767.4 to a preliminary examination and also asserting constitutional violations. The circuit court denied the motion to dismiss, and the defendant filed an interlocutory application for leave to appeal in the Court of Appeals. He then filed in the Supreme Court an application for leave to appeal prior to decision by the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court has ordered oral argument on the application to address: (1) whether MCL 767.3 and MCL 767.4 violate Michigan’s constitutional requirement of separation of powers, Mich Const 1963, art III, § 2; (2) whether those statutes confer charging authority on a member of the judiciary; (3) whether a defendant charged after a proceeding conducted pursuant to MCL 767.3 and MCL 767.4 is entitled to a preliminary examination; and (4) whether the proceedings conducted pursuant to MCL 767.3 and MCL 767.4 violated due process, Mich Const 1963, art I, § 17.

Opinion of the Supreme Court of Michigan (click here)

PEOPLE v PEELER PEOPLE v BAIRD PEOPLE v LYON Docket Nos. 163667, 163672, and 164191. Argued on application for leave to appeal May 4, 2022. Decided June 28, 2022. Nancy Peeler (Docket No. 163667), Richard L. Baird (Docket No. 163672), and Nicolas Lyon (Docket No. 164191) were charged with various offenses in the Genesee Circuit Court for actions they took as state employees during the Flint water crisis. The cases did not proceed by the prosecutor issuing criminal complaints and then holding preliminary examinations in open court at which defendants could have heard and challenged the evidence against them. Instead, at the request of the Attorney General’s office, the prosecutor proceeded under MCL 767.3 and MCL 767.4, which authorize the use of a “one-man grand jury.” Judge David Newblatt served as the one-man grand jury, considered the evidence behind closed doors, and then issued indictments against defendants; defendants’ cases were assigned to a Genesee Circuit Court judge....

Wall Street are the biggest cry babies.

Goldman Sachs was never all that before the Bush economic collapse. Henry Paulson came riding to the rescue when then US Treasury Secretary John Snow had no clue about what was happening on Wall Street. Snow replaced the Late Paul O'Neil (click here) that wrote a book describing the methods of the "W" White House.

At any rate, Goldman's announcement of a large number of layoffs should be no surprise. Goldman and Paulson put a lot of investment into China and it has blown up in their face.

There will be little sympathy for the year end bonuses.

December 23, 2022
By Dan DeFrancesco

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. (click here)

When things were going good, Goldman Sachs' CEO David Solomon could seemingly do no wrong. Last year, thanks to a booming M&A market and a favorable trading environment, life was good at the elite Wall Street bank.

Sure, there were some signs of trouble within Goldman's consumer business, as Insider reported at the time, but who could be bothered worrying about that. Everyone — even the juniors — was making money!

Fast forward to today and boy are things different. The M&A market has been about as quiet as a church mouse, the consumer division is on its last legs, layoffs have hit the bank, and the juniors are getting worked to the bone again.

As if all that wasn't bad enough, word has come down that bankers shouldn't get their hopes up about year-end bonuses. And while most banks plan on handing out lighter payouts, Goldman's are shaping up to be considerably smaller compared with last year....

See, the CEOs of Wall Street don't understand when the USA economy is actually working for the working class and why that is a good thing. For the first time since the early Clinton the USA Middle Class is doing well. It is from my perspective. The salaries of workers have increased and not just a little bit. The average American worker is now making a living wage. 

The American worker is not only making a living wage, but, the unemployment insurance that came from the federal government helped them pull out of debt and find a path that would be better for their families. Recently there was an article that Americans have returned to the debt level before the pandemic. That might be the case, but, they are doing so from a better financial base than they had before. And the return to pre-pandemic debt levels were recent, like for the holidays. Who doesn't go into debt at that time of year?

The reason Wall Street can be seen crying in their beer is because the money is no longer at the top, it is in the hands of the people that make the CEO's job possible; the workers, the producers of the wealth, the assembly persons, the folks in the warehouse working tonight to mail out those packages as soon as they can to hopefully make it to Santa in time for his sleight ride. Also the delivery people and the chefs and grocers make living possible even through a pandemic. Not only livable, but, who ever thought Americans would still be getting their favorite pizza through the pandemic?

The CEOs that are not receiving a big check at the end of the year still have reasons to smile. Their companies kept America going through some wickedly bad times. The CEOs also backed candidates that love this country and its people. The Dems kept money flowing as McConnell bellyached the important people weren't getting the help so much as the Middle Class that will simply waste it all. McConnell was complaining during the height of the pandemic that the Middle Class was actually purchasing big ticket items like Quads, Boats and the like. What a jerk McConnell was and still is.

The good news is there will be no recession like Wall Street predicts. Why? Because the American Middle Class is the largest producing and consuming group of people in the USA and the world. When a large number of people are still working, collecting value and worth, purchasing items that sometimes require a loan, there is no recession. Now, Wall Street might be in recession, but, so what. A Wall Street recession simply means the stockholders aren't getting high dividends and CEOs can't collect on that part of their contract because they have not outperformed previous years.

We are fine. What is important is that American workers are finally beginning to trust the power of unions again. Those unions must be in place to protect those increased earnings and most of all continue to guard a safe workplace. Stockholders will always receive a dividend. It is just that the American economy is normalizing and those dividends are not the way of the past. American workers are the best work force in the world and there is every reason they receive the pay they are due and the increase in quality of life for themselves and their families.

Sure, Unions have had a bad reputation in the past. There was fertile ground for corruption. But, it is different today. American workers want their representatives at the bargaining table to be honest and forthright. The members of unions are not a bit afraid to hear the truth about any corruption within their bargaining process. There is an entire governing body at the federal level, the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) (click here) that can protect the members in their fiduciary relationship with their unions. Members can assert their interests if they find dishonest dealings. In the year 2022 American workers are smarter and more interested in the truth and honest dealings than ever before. 

The Fed has been doing the right thing in raising interest rates. The Fed has slowed the economy down enough to begin to see the end of the maddening costs of which were perpetrated by greed. The costs are slowly stabilizing and that means wages are worth more than if the cost of goods continued to rise.

The USA is not isolated from the rest of the world though. Issues of national security and the balance of trade is in play and that means changing paradigms. The USA and it's allies need to recover their economies that have been exported to more hostile countries. Additionally, the pandemic is still very real. One place Free People have not concentrated enough interest is the continent of Africa. Africa needs to be more stable and poverty ended. Building economies in Africa can replace the economies of hostile countries. There are over 1.2 billion people living in Africa and they all can become a new economy for American exports. Africa has problems and they are huge problems in places like Somalia, but, if the USA and it's allies don't take an interest in that continent there will always be a Somalia rather than emerging economies. 

The paradigms are changing in the world and they are changing for the better. It will be a time of concern and by no means can anyone think their lives are settled. We have a planet to recover from a deadly cycle of heating and a world that is still not safe from terrible weapons of mass destruction.

The American people are doing fine. They need to move forward with their agenda of change and solidify their own well being and not back on Wall Street 401ks that are used far too much as political propaganda. The 401ks are good for one thing and one thing only and that is the percentage the employer is providing and protecting it from being dissolved again because someone no one really knows says investing in risky products bring greater income. That is a lot of nonsense. The hard earned money invested in a 401k along with the employer's contribution should not be lost because of speculation.

Well. Enough for now. Let's enjoy a special time of year no matter the religious faith one practices or simply because it is a lot of fun being an American this time of year.

Paris killings

 Where did the gun come from?

President Zelensky wishes the American people peace.

 He wishes Americans the happiness of raising their children and grandchildren with long lives.

He appreciates Americans support for the Ukrainian people. He sees further ambitions of Putin if Ukraine was not successful in its defense.

It seems obvious to me the President of Ukraine represents a great love of their families, especially the children. They aren't any different from us. We love family and embrace children as a heart at the center of our families.

President Biden believes military strength is where national security lies and with Ukraine's neutrality violated by Russia, military strength has to be built to defend the people.

President Biden believes "looking someone in the eye" enhances an understanding of the person. That is why President Zelensky has come to Washington, DC to meet directly with President Biden. 

I think this press conference and this meeting in Washington, DC and the address President Zelensky will make to a bipartisan and bicameral Congress is a strong statement to Russia to end this conflict. The plans for Ukraine appear to be defensive and not escalatory. Building a strong defense for Ukraine is no different than a strong defense for the USA. We see the answer similarly. Peace is the objective and it is established by a strong national defense

February 21, 2022

Factbox: What are the Minsk agreements on the Ukraine conflict? (click here)

There was Minsk I and Minsk II and they both failed because the Rebels along the Russian border never stopped their assaults. Putin didn't end the assaults either. Russia provided more and more weapons and never took a stance with the Rebels to end the conflict. Minsk meetings were a smoke screen to prolong the timeline so Putin could launch his ideological war into Ukraine. In other words, the Free People are fools for agreements while Putin does as he likes.

The peace meetings at Minsk were conducted by France and Germany. That is NATO. The meetings were in earnest with NATO's intentions to end the conflict and begin strong economic outcomes for Europe, Russia and Ukraine. That effort by the Presidents of France and Germany were not met with the same goal by the Russian president.

It is a great moment in the USA with President Zelensky visiting.

December 21, 2022

By John Wagner, Amy B. Wang, Mariana Alfaro, Azi Paybarah, Eugene Scott, Annabelle Timsit and Adela Suliman

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (click here) arrived Wednesday at the White House for a meeting with President Biden that is part of his first trip outside Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of his country in February. Biden put his arm around Zelensky as he walked him into the White House. After the two moved to the Oval Office, Biden said he was “delighted” that Zelensky had made the trip. Zelensky offered “all my appreciations from my heart and from the heart of all Ukrainians.”

Later, Zelensky is scheduled to address a joint meeting of Congress....

Number of civilian casualties in Ukraine during Russia's invasion verified by OHCHR as of December 18, 2022 (click here)

6,826 confirmed killed of which 428 were children.

10,769 confirmed injured, some disabled of which 790 are children.

Just yesterday a verdict in the last Nazi tried for the deaths of World War II at the hand of Hilter came down and she was found guilty. It brought a stunning reality to the Ukraine invasion by Russia. It is still a bit unreal in the year 2022 that we are still facing autocratic leaders with no respect for life.

December 20, 2022
By Paul Kirby and Robert Greenall

Not all (click here) of the Stutthof camp remains and the site is now a memorial

A former secretary (click here) who worked for the commander of a Nazi concentration camp has been convicted of complicity in the murders of more than 10,500 people.

Irmgard Furchner, 97, was taken on as a teenaged shorthand typist at Stutthof and worked there from 1943 to 1945.

Furchner, the first woman to be tried for Nazi crimes in decades, was given a two-year suspended jail term.

Although she was a civilian worker, the judge agreed she was fully aware of what was going on at the camp.

Some 65,000 people are thought to have died in horrendous conditions at Stutthof, including Jewish prisoners, non-Jewish Poles and captured Soviet soldiers.
Furchner was found guilty of aiding and abetting the murder of 10,505 people and complicity in the attempted murder of five others. As she was only 18 or 19 at the time, she was tried in a special juvenile court....

At Stutthof, located near the modern-day Polish city of Gdansk, a variety of methods was used to murder detainees and thousands died in gas chambers there from June 1944.

The court at Itzehoe in northern Germany heard from survivors of the camp, some of whom have died during the trial....

President Zelensky is in the USA because he believes in democracy and the human and civil rights that accompany such governance. He is leading a war to defend the very principle of democracy, the right of a free people to govern themselves and pursue happiness. All the Ukrainian people wanted was the same the American people have defended for over two centuries now, the right to live a life that is productive and allows comfort.

Their requests cannot be denied. If Ukraine fails, there is no stopping the autocratic leaders that hate free people.

Ukraine was a declared and constitutional neutral country. The people wanted to have an economy that was open to Europe as well as Russia. That wasn't good enough for Putin, he had a date on his five year calendar and invaded a peace loving people with death and destruction and absolutely no regard for their lives. Basically, the Ukrainians were IN THE WAY of Putin's ideological plans.

Mr. Trump’s fortunes changed...Really? I guess we know why being in the Oval Office is important, huh?

If it weren't so serious, it would be laughable. It took running for office and sapping donors for money as well as leveraging power in the Oval Office in order for he and his family to get out of debt and even that was short lived. 

Trump wasn't just the worst business man for all his bragging, but, he was a disastrous businessman year after year after  year. And for this we never had Hillary Clinton as the first woman President of the United State of America. Disgusting.

December 21, 2022
By Charlie Smart

Mr. Trump’s fortunes changed (click here) during his presidency, according to the figures in the report, which include details on the former president’s tax returns from 2015 to 2020. In the two years before he became president, Mr. Trump suffered heavy business losses, the records showed. In his first three years as president, he had an adjusted gross income of $15.8 million....

And we don't even know how fraudulent his tax returns are in previous years. How can anyone trust Trump with anything if he can't even balance his check book?

December 7, 2022

By Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle

A Manhattan jury (click here) has found two Trump Organization companies guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records connected to a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by failing to report and pay taxes on compensation for top executives.

The Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp. were found guilty on all charges they faced.

Donald Trump and his family were not charged in this case, but the former president was mentioned repeatedly during the trial by prosecutors about his connection to the benefits doled out to certain executives, including company-funded apartments, car leases and personal expenses.

The Trump Organization could face a maximum of $1.61 million in fines when sentenced in mid-January. The company is not at risk of being dismantled because there is no mechanism under New York law that would dissolve the company. However, a felony conviction could impact its ability to do business or obtain loans or contracts....

There might be a fire sale at Indian Creek Island.

December 7, 2020
By Sara Nathan and Emily Smith

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (click here) have splurged on a $30 million-plus lot of land on Miami’s uber-swanky and high-security Indian Creek Island — known as the “Billionaire’s Bunker” — Page Six can exclusively reveal.

Ahead of President Trump’s exit from the White House, the couple is busy making plans for life after DC and have viewed numerous properties and lots of land in the Miami and Palm Beach area.

The private, guarded and gated Indian Creek Island is also one of the most secure places in Florida, as it boasts a 13-man police force for just 29 residences....

 It speaks for itself.

There are going to be airline flight delays and cancellations within the next few days.

North America Extra Large Composite Water Vapor Satellite (click here)

NOAA Weather (click here)

December 21, 2022
By Ayana Archie

Winter weather (click here) across the country is expected to impact holiday travel, and several airlines have already begun offering customers more flexibility on their flights.

A bulletin from the National Weather Service (NWS) says a "strong arctic high pressure system," was sweeping down from Canada on Tuesday and appears poised to march toward the Great Plains, the Midwest and into the Southeast on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, bringing life-threatening blizzard conditions and cold weather systems across 17 states.

This is what airlines are doing to anticipate the conditions....

This is also a precaution about driving plans. Do not risk driving in seriously dangerous conditions. Blizzard conditions bring with it not just high amounts of snow, but, white out conditions that makes it impossible to travel.

Imagine being in a seriously "white out" condition and seeing the road is impossible so stopping the car and getting out to walk may seem realistic. Walking in "white out" conditions is just as serious as driving if not more so, because, there is nothing protecting a person from freezing temperatures except their clothing. 

"White Out Conditions" is not just a set of words, it is seriously dangerous conditions that no one regardless of experience with winter weather can survive.

There has been a devastating earthquake in California. It isn't over.

The aftershocks are 3.0. That is a problem all by itself.

December 20, 2022

By Natalie Nevsa Alund and Orlando Mayorquin

At least two people died and 12 were injured (click here) after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake rocked Northern California early Tuesday, local authorities said.

The temblor, which is the strongest earthquake the area has seen in years, also damaged infrastructure and cut off power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses around Humboldt County, about 250 miles north of San Francisco.

A local emergency was declared by Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal Tuesday night due to widespread damages in the county. Following the county's declaration, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency to support emergency response....

December 20, 2022
By Lena Howland

San Francisco - Tuesday morning, (click here) while most people were still sleeping, things started crashing down from shelves in homes, cabinets and drawers pushed open, the Fernbridge cracking, leaving more than 70% of people (around 72,000 people) across Humboldt County in the dark, without any power.

To the west of Ferndale, California, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit around 2:30 a.m....

...According to the USGS forecast, there's a 50% chance of a magnitude 4 or larger earthquake happening and an 11% chance of a magnitude 5 or larger in the next week.

"Earthquakes always follow this pattern of every particular magnitude of an earthquake, there are 10 times as many of the next magnitude or smaller and 100 times as many the next magnitude or smaller," Minson said. "What happens is that the rate of earthquakes goes up and down, so when you have a significant earthquake, it kicks up the earthquake rate."...

The current aftershocks are still over 3.0. Anytime the coast is involved there is always a chance of tsunamis. To date that has not happened in the Northern California quake.

What to do after an earthquake (click here)

Expect aftershocks hours, days, or weeks after the main quake.

Aftershocks can cause building damage and falling debris that could injure you.

Avoid open flames in damaged buildings.

Earthquakes can damage gas lines, so don’t use lighters or matches

.If you live near the coast, stay away from the beach.

Earthquakes can cause dangerous tsunamis and flooding.

Drive carefully and plan alternative routes.

Structural damage and traffic light outages may make it difficult to get to your destination.

This was only one week ago. There is no climate name that accurately portrays the power of this storm.

 But, a TORNADO OUTBREAK near Christmas was never heard off a decade or so ago. The tornado outbreaks have become the norm and not the occasional and rare deadly outcome.

So, the states that hate immigrants absolutely consent to insulting federal authority at it's borders for profit.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today applauded (click here) the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ move to eliminate the state revenue sharing cap that the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) establishes. Kennedy has worked closely with committee members and his Senate colleagues to lift the revenue cap that penalizes Gulf states unfairly and has remained especially focused, in recent days, on moving this bill to the Senate floor.

The Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act, which Kennedy cosponsored, would reform GOMESA to allow Louisiana and other states to share more resources from offshore oil and gas leases. Kennedy also introduced the Offshore Cap Parity Act to eliminate the GOMESA cap.

“The current GOMESA cap unfairly targets oil producing states and denies them revenue that they have earned. Without this money to build infrastructure and storm barriers, Louisianians remain even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Eliminating the GOMESA cap is key to protecting people’s lives and livelihoods, and I’m glad we’ve made a way to move this bill forward. There’s still more to be done, but this is a step in the right direction,” said Kennedy....

I have always wondered what "thoughts and prayers" means to Republicans. Now I know. It is about the petroleum income to the federal government. See, Louisiana's Kennedy recently expressed his sorrow for all those suffering from the climate crisis. Sorry, he considers the components of climate as different from the climate crisis caused by his beloved petroleum pet companies.

December 15, 2022

By Ron Brackett

At a Glance (click here)

• A tornado hit the New Orleans metropolitan area.
• Multiple deaths and dozens of injuries reported in Louisiana.
• People were trapped in their homes after a tornado in New Iberia, Louisiana....

Those 20 tornadoes are due to the climate crisis. It is due to the propagation of the petroleum industry. Kennedy comes to the defense and promotion of the petroleum industry without remorse when realizing these deadly events. These tornadoes were part of a very violent front that moved across the country and caused enormous danger to the Northeast USA.

When a politician with divided interests like Kennedy makes these statements about thoughts and prayers, it is perfectly good to thank him and his spouse for their prayers, but, it is also better if they clarify what their thoughts actually are and whether they are in line with what is best for human life in Louisiana.

That is the most ridiculous regulation I have ever read regarding immigration and/or asylum seekers.

...Under the INA, noncitizens (click here) are inadmissible and therefore (1) ineligible for a visa, (2) ineligible for admission, and (3) ineligible for adjustment of status, if, in the opinion of DHS (or the Department of Justice (DOJ)) or consular officers of the Departments of State (DOS), as applicable),[2] they are likely at any time to become a public charge.[http://3]....

That is completely bigoted and racist against those in need that come to the USA border for asylum from slavery, life threatening danger including climate refugees and/or complete impoverishment due to political constraints in another country. Venezuela, under Chavez, used to send his young people to be educated in the USA at the college level. When they were finished they were encouraged to remain in the USA by the Venezuelan government rather than returning to the country and improving the quality of life there. That is a reason to revoke a visa or otherwise, but, the people coming to the borders of the USA today are families with children.

Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (click here) just have their hands full long about now.

If you file Form I-485 before Dec. 23, 2022, you must use the 07/15/22 edition of Form I-485 or we will reject your filing. (click here)

This is the correct form (click here).

The immigration offices of the USA can't simply throw out an application because it has the wrong publication and printing date. The correct date is at the bottom of the form. 

This is outrageous. The immigration offices are CAUSING a backlog and prolonging immigration and asylum. Immigration is at the very heart of the history of a strong country and economy. The USA thrives because of immigration.

Controlling immigration was due to the fact companies seeking wealth were bringing foreign citizens to the USA for cheap labor. The work was dangerous and the lives of the foreign citizens were never valued and certainly they didn't carry the brevity of the vote. But, controlling immigration has become more or less an political act to satisfy cronies, such as the Kushners (click here).

1. Early American Immigration Policies (click here) Americans encouraged relatively free and open immigration during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and rarely questioned that policy until the late 1800s. After certain states passed immigration laws following the Civil War, the Supreme Court in 1875 declared regulation of immigration a federal responsibility. Thus, as the number of immigrants rose in the 1880s and economic conditions in some areas worsened, Congress began to pass immigration legislation.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Alien Contract Labor laws of 1885 and 1887 prohibited certain laborers from immigrating to the United States. The general Immigration Act of 1882 levied a head tax of fifty cents on each immigrant and blocked (or excluded) the entry of idiots, lunatics, convicts, and persons likely to become a public charge.

These national immigration laws created the need for new federal enforcement authorities. In the 1880s, state boards or commissions enforced immigration law with direction from U.S. Treasury Department officials. At the Federal level, U.S. Customs Collectors at each port of entry collected the head tax from immigrants while "Chinese Inspectors" enforced the Chinese Exclusion Act.

But, the sincere immigration of people in need is historical and makes for a far stronger country when those that come here work hard to make their lives and the lives of their family better. 

Trump made the issue of immigration a fear tactic, when in fact, immigration is necessary if an economy is in need of workers. At the time Trump was mocking immigration to enforce fear there were cities in the USA that wanted immigrates. I don't think those needs have been filed yet and the idea that sending immigrants into USA courts to fight for their lives is completely counter productive.

...All of which has some Republicans in Michigan (click here) scratching their heads about why the national conservative discussion on immigration is being forced on Michigan. “We have a city like Detroit that needs human capital, we have agricultural interests that need people to harvest their crops and we have the largest Arab community in the country,” says Republican attorney Richard McLellan, who served in the Ford administration, both Bush administrations, and worked for Michigan Republican governors William Milliken and John Engler. “From my perspective, anti-immigrant issues don’t really exist very much in Michigan.”...

Immigration in the USA needs to be fixed. It needs to be reidentified as a good and benevolent act. What is happening in Texas is anti-American, anti-economy and anti-Constitutional law as the federal borders do not belong to the Texas Governor to reek havoc. It is all the toxic, racist and bigoted Texas politics that is causing harm to human beings seeking to live a little longer due to climate, poverty and harsh governments.

December 20, 2022

by Uriel J. Garcia and Alex Nguyen

El Paso - National Guard members and state troopers (click here) formed a line on the banks of the Rio Grande on Tuesday and blocked dozens of migrants who had already crossed the river from surrendering to nearby Border Patrol agents.

About 75 men, women and children stood on a narrow strip of concrete between the river and the guard members, facing coils of razor wire, seven National Guard members holding rifles and two state troopers as a National Guard member holding a bullhorn told them in Spanish that they would not be able to enter the country here and directed them to a port of entry.

Border Patrol agents positioned behind the National Guard and state troopers watched the standoff. A Border Patrol spokesperson on site said Border Patrol agents would not process the migrants....

The Pentagon needs to review the reasons the Texas National Guard is being used by the Texas Governor.

The immigration courts need to rule on the constantly changing forms and reforming of lines for cases. The immigration courts are embarrassingly slow to move the cases forward because of all the ever changing regulations both state and federal. 

Enough already. These people have real reasons to show up at the border and it isn't because they wanted to just take a chance a dangerous walk would win a lottery for them. They are looking for humanitarian relief from the lives they left behind. They are looking for work. It is called civilization.