It is not too late to plant a tree.

(Click here)

Hush Money

No doubt Trump will demand his lawyers make a plea that the hush money was an official duty before he ran for president otherwise his candidacy would not occur. That is nonsense. 

The monies used were personal monies to suppress the truth. The USA justice system demands the truth. Trump has a very long history of being a gas lighter. All Judge Merchan has to do is make a ruling that the prosecutors charges stand under New York law and the challenge is over. 

The Supreme Court deferred to the trial courts. End if discussion.

Typical of the extremist Robert ‘s Court…

…they are always trying to control the future.

“Not so much in deciding this case, but, the cases in the future…”

Since when does a Supreme Court require clairvoyant decisions?

Donald John Trump ordered the assassination of two Iranian generals, of which, he is yet to be indicted. There is no way any president should be shielded from murder. 

The use of drones in military operations is used primarily in intelligence gathering and destroying terrorist cells where it was in the interest of national security, including defending troop deployments. 

There have been proposals by Congress to define domestic use of drones (click here). 

In the case of Trump’s use of military drones to assassinate others, the USA was not engaged in any confrontation with Iran. The only motive that is possible in those assassinations was the war with Saudi Arabia and the Houthis (click here).

The USA was not engaged in that war. The assassinations were far outside any defense of American troops or within the Defense Department preview. The assassinations took place in Iraq where meetings were being held with the Prime Minister. Who is to say what the outcome of those meetings would have been? 

Typical of Trump. “I could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” (Click here) The Robert’s Court is completely derelict in its duty to the nation. The citizens looking to protect children from gun violence can forget about any of it.

What kind of an example is it to anyone/the world to have a president demanding the right to kill others with immunity as an official duty? The entire idea is completely beyond reason, yet, the court of six has no problem with it. Who is going to even sit in a meeting room with an image of a USA president capable of violence? Other leaders wouldn’t shake hands with Trump because of his idiotic comments like “small hands.” 

The “Court of Six” have no guardrails themselves and like Trump are little tin gods.

The responsibility of legitimate lawful behavior by the president falls to the Congress and the powers of impeachment.

The question is simple. Is TRUMP, as a former president, immune from prosecution? Simple question turns into a wild ride about the future. Can he stand trial? The answer is YES!

Richard Nixon was a criminal, too.

The reason he never stood for trial is because he was pardoned by then President Gerald Ford. The Robert’s Court has no right to interfere with criminal prosecutions of presidents that turn criminal. 

The DOJ is raising awareness.

Nearly 43,000 people died from gun violence in 2023

A few American cities with populations approximately 43,000:

Niagara Falls, New York

Florence City, Alabama

Hutchinson City, Kansas

Apache Junction City, Arizona

Momence City, Illinois

Cape Girardeau City, Missouri

Grove City, Ohio

Lebanon City, Tennessee

Charleston City, West Virginia

Wauwatosa City, Wisconsin

April 23, 2024

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (click here) visits the memorial outside a dance studio where a mass shooting took place on Lunar New Year’s Eve on Jan. 25, 2023, in Monterey Park, Calif. 

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland (click here) and Director Steven M. Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) dedicated a new “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit today at a ceremony hosted during ATF’s Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit. The exhibit honors and memorializes those whose lives have been tragically lost to gun violence.

“As we remember those we have lost to gun violence, the Justice Department promises that we will strive every single day to honor their lives in our work,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We promise that we will not rest until every family, every law enforcement agent, and every community is safe from the devastation of gun violence. As our dedicated ATF agents pass by the ‘Faces of Gun Violence’ exhibit every day, it will stand as a powerful monument to those they are fighting for.”

Farmers are high tech these days.

April 20, 2024
By Linda Qiu

Loren Brey, (click here) a poultry grower in Minnesota, walked onto the farm where his egg-laying turkeys nest in November to discover a handful of hens, dead from the highly pathogenic avian flu.

Within a week, he lost nearly half of his entire flock.

So when Mr. Brey’s turkeys began producing eggs again in the spring, he gave a seemingly unconventional prevention method a go: lasers installed atop his barns, firing beams of green light to fend off wild ducks, owls and other possible carriers of the deadly virus....

There are bird flu vaccines for humans, but they aren’t available to the public right now.  (click here)

There are currently several states that not only have some farmers frantic about protecting their flocks, but, also cow herds are experiencing the virus. Out of that comes a concern for the milk produced by these herds. There is a concern. It is legitimate, but, there is a precaution that all Americans can understand and heed.

DO NOT USE RAW MILK PRODUCTS.

That is the concern and the warning. The pasteurized milk does not contain the avian virus.

This is not an "inject bleach" issue. The scientists at the FDA are aware of the problems and are addressing each one. They do not believe any transmission of the avian flu will occur once the milk has been pasturized.

April 23, 2024

By Brenda Goodman

The US Food and Drug Administration (click here) said Tuesday that it had detected viral particles of H5N1 avian influenza in milk purchased at grocery stores, but the agency says it still believes that the milk is safe to drink.

In an update about an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in cattle, the FDA noted that it believes the viral particles were detected by highly sensitive lab tests and are likely to have been remnants of viruses killed during the pasteurization process. The agency said that it does not think it is likely that the particles would able to infect people but it is conducting additional tests to be completely sure....

From the CDC site:

...The best way (click here) to prevent bird flu is to avoid sources of exposure whenever possible. Infected birds shed avian influenza viruses in their saliva, mucous, and feces and other infected animals may shed bird flu viruses in respiratory secretions and other body fluids (e.g., cow milk)....

...Cooking poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚F kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu viruses. People should separate uncooked (raw) poultry from cooked foods and foods that won’t be cooked. Cook all poultry and poultry products (including eggs) all the way before eating. More information about safe handling and cooking of poultry can be found here: Chicken and Food Poisoning | CDC...

It is a darn shame.

(Click here)

But, the six consecutive justices value law over human life. The USA is entering into a new phase of oppression as exampled by the incredibly diminishing women’s rights. According to the Washington Post the Robert’s Court is about to state Idaho does not have to save a woman’s life if it means carrying out an abortion.

This court is very dangerous. Women are going to fear pregnancy if this continues. There will be more and more men having vasectomies. Is that the goal of the Robert’s Court? A sterile USA? 

It is difficult to realize a Supreme Court of this country is so immoral in most of its decisions. Letting a woman citizen perish when it is completely unnecessary is anti-American. I guess this is one way to end the Affordable Care Act; make doctors afraid of practicing. 

The Robert’s Court are human rights violators. They see words and not citizens.

Semester closes

The big crush by students at campuses across the country that want to see the end of Israel, is the end of the semester. Why not create encampments that could linger for years? Campus housing can be expensive. 

Perhaps the chancellors of the universities should declare a safety emergency, retreat to online classes for the remaining semester. Exams can be conducted off campus in controlled halls. Even the avian flu can be a reason. Nip it in the bud.

High School rankings are not weighted on all dynamics

US News and World Report comes out with a variety of ratings for the country. The most recent are high school rankings. I found one high school to be exceptional above all others.

Why?

It has an enrollment of over three thousand and still holds high ranks in both STEM and National Rankings. 

I find the rankings a bit skewed due to enrollment size. I haven’t looked at socioeconomic status of the schools, but, the actual fiscal demographics are probably interesting, too. 

Earth Day is about survival

It has always been about survival.

As the amount of greenhouse gases increase in the troposphere the temperature of Earth increases. 2023 is a record increase in temperature globally. Air conditioning will ultimately fail. The concentrations of greenhouse gases must come down. It is the only mitigation that matters and it is achieved by modifying consumerism to drastically lower the human carbon footprint.

It is isn’t just for schoolchildren (click here).

AXIOS is reporting drop in homicide rates

Only two exceptions have seen an increase in LA and Atlanta.

President Obama had it right.

Choosing someone for the judiciary wasn’t about political ideology or putting religious dogma before the USA Constitution.

(Click here)

He wrote this for a blog that followed the Supreme Court. It was the time he nominated then Judge Merrick Garland. It is the only way to choose a judge as far as I am concerned. It shows reverence for the Rule of Law, US Constitution, and the American people. The last component is completely missing in the Robert’s Court.

Burning man

Trump doesn’t care about people and could not care about the distress his lying Truth Social causes. It is a darn shame.

There is no such thing as absolute free speech in this country. The FCC should have a professional monitoring company report to them regularly about inaccuracy and lies from the Trump camp and their media companies. Distress as witnessed at Trump’s trial is alarming and needs to be understand stopped.

This is the fringe. 

A subversive Supreme Court

18 US Code 1512 (click here)

Look, the current case of Fischer v. US (click here) is clear. The law as written is below. It is my opinion given the overall performance of the Robert’s Court that they are a subversive court to the Rule of Law. Besides this case, there is the assault against New York use of law and Roe v. Wade, etc 

The US has a problem with this court. The conservative justices have given themselves permission to rewrite law passed by the legislature as well as stare decisis. That is subversive to the Rule of Law and leans heavily into corruption and permission of criminality.

Law enforcement officers were completely disabled from enforcing the rule of law  on January 6, 2021. It took the arrival of the National Guard to return law and order. 

Where does the Robert’s Court assault on the U.S. Constitution end? This is far more than political hubris.

Communism oppresses religious freedom

Ron DeSantis signed the teaching of communism into law during the most formative years of Floridian children (click here). 

Add to that former Attorney General Barr is now endorsing Trump for president and realize the idea of freedom is dead in the Republican Party. My first reaction is what does Barr need a pardon for?

At one time the fear of communism was never more evident when the fringe political left embraced communism. Now, a major political party of the USA is embracing communism in a toxic manner with our children. Communism is a dictatorship. If Americans have a reason to fear for their country it is on full display in Florida. DeSantis was a candidate for president. This reality with his priorities is starkly alarming.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Maror during Passover has never been more real.

(Click here) 

President Minouche Shafik is absolutely correct.

Anti-Semitic speech is not free speech, it is hate speech. There was an American valedictorian that wanted to erase Israel from the map. She stated same in her online account in social media.

Anti-Semitism is Anti-American.

People with influence such as a valedictorian and a professor that has values of anti-Semitism are subversive and do not believe in democracy. There is no room for hate within people of influence. Absolutely not!

April 17, 2024
By Gabriella Borter

A U.S. congressional committee on Wednesday (click here) accused Columbia University's president of failing to protect Jewish students on campus, echoing accusations leveled against three other elite university leaders at a hearing last year that sent shockwaves through higher education.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik responded to the accusations by some members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce by strongly denouncing antisemitic behavior by students and professors at the New York City-based Ivy League university, and by pledging there would be consequences.

Shafik said the university was facing a "moral crisis" with antisemitism on campus, and it had taken strong actions against suspected perpetrators. It had suspended students who participated in unauthorized protests, for example, and terminated a professor who supported the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, she said.

"Trying to reconcile the free speech rights of those who want to protest and the rights of Jewish students to be in an environment free of discrimination and harassment has been the central challenge on our campus and numerous others across the country," Shafik told the committee....

There is some criticism…

…that the case in New York regarding Trump’s Hush Money is not the most appropriate to start with. That is nonsense for several reasons. First, there aren’t politics that are suppose to rule any court, so there is no best trial to start with, there is just starting and the New York court was ready to begin.

Secondly, this is hush money to oppress harsh opinions about his adultery with a Playboy model and exotic dancer. This is about his election in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. If these facts were known would he have been elected at all? 

The hush money case exposes his willingness to discard USA law to benefit himself. It is a highly important case and is very appropriate one to begin the trials. The other cases exist after the fact he was elected.

Dismiss the U.S. House Impeachment

Senator Schumer simply needs to dismiss the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas. There is no legitimate basis for it. It is the Trump wing GOP use of the USA Constitution for the purpose of politics. The USA Constitution is not a political tool which is also the Robert’s Court needs to learn!

President Biden has important work that needs to be conducted. The Trump extremist GOP is not governing. The Congress must act for the country’s national defense and securing our allies as well. There is the ongoing genocide in Ukraine that cannot be tolerated. There is far too many national security issues and this impeachment is a waste of time.

It is also an unpaid advertisement for a former President with a criminal history and 2 impeachments besides. Trump’s impeachment was due to his direct assault on the USA national security and he upheld Putin’s genocide in Ukraine.

The U.S. House Representatives that brought this impeachment are extremists and should be recalled by their electorates.

Senator Kennedy can be added to the list of Congresspersons that should be recalled by their electorate. Israel and Ukraine needs the support of the USA Congress and Senator Kennedy is not practicing governance so much as politics. How stupid is this?

Just as a reality check, the Congress has not passed border law that applies to the circumstances that exists in 2024. In that is to realize these proceedings for impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas are all lies. By not acting to pass effective law it compromises the national security of the USA of which creates an egregious situation for the Secretary. The measures at his disposal are insufficient. It is not his fault there aren’t enough border patrol and funding. When Congress does not do their jobs the country suffers. The Republican House and Senate have refused to bring effective law and instead decided to roll out an impeachment in the practice of their politics. 

Inflation

This advice will be laughable to many Americans, but, there is a method to balance the current inflation. 

Banks don’t offer much in the way of interest to any savings. There is an option to beat inflation. The current inflation rate is about 3.6 percent. The current interest rate on US Treasury Bonds are higher than inflation.

I think for Americans where such investments into USA Treasury Bonds being impossible a “buying club” or “cooperative” may be a potential with proper legal advice.

Tax Reform

President Biden and a strong Democratic federal legislature can lead to a fair tax code without corruption. It is an interest proposal so far that is on the table and addresses the deficit.

Many economists, including Larry Summers supports many aspects of the proposed tax reform. Some actually applaud the current proposals. Larry Summers has one objection and I agree with him to some extent and that is in regard to increased stock values, but, unrealized income.

If I may?

There is a measure in the proposals that want to tax increased values of stock holdings. That is not income, but, further investment. If an investor allows increased value to stand without taking profit that is further investment. I think it is folly to bring such a proposal to law. 

Increased values of stock holdings is an asset and not an income. When stocks are sold for profit it then becomes income and should be exposed to taxes. 

As an added value asset a lot of options exist within the investment network and through banking including loans, both business and personal. Those loans or other use of these value added assets create tax deductions in the way of interest and fees. Those are legitimate uses of the tax code and should not change. 

The value added assets must be viewed, no matter what form they exist; including home ownership; as assets and not income. Value added assets are fluid and can lose value in the future. While a loss in value will be a deduction and not income it is a concern for corruption. 

If such value added stock tax were to become law it would open up the tax code to manipulation. There is nothing preventing an investor to throw money at stocks losing value while other stocks increase in value. This would put a huge hole in the tax code where manipulation would result in larger national deficit. Such a dynamic would affect the USA code on Moodys and the like. I think a great deal of caution to such concepts has to be viewed as excessive overreach in law.

The new tax code should have a reasonably predictable income for the country year after year. Those types of tax incomes to the USA treasury will stabilize the reliability of the USA, hence translating that stability to allied as well.

I think the Democrats are the absolute best party to pass this new tax code into law. They will listen to the people and provide stability to the USA treasury. The tax code will finally be fair while eliminating current corruption such as offshoring. The Democrats must pledge to bring about a fair tax code while eliminating corruption and regulations that do not service the country well.

EV glitches

This is an email between friends. It shows complete disregard for the importance of adapting to electric vehicles. At the first inconvenience it would seem some Americans at least run home to mommy and gas powered cars because it is what they understand. By all consumer standards these days both these people should be yelling and screaming to the manufacturers and elected officials about the lack of cohesive infrastructure for ease in using electric vehicles. 

The car never failed to operate and provide good service. It is the electric charging infrastructure that has yet to be adequately addressed. The charging stations must be less competitive and more able to adapt to all the cars on the road that need to be charged up.

Capitalism is a valuable aspect of the USA economy, but, to place charging stations in an attempt to dominate this need for consumers is simply wrong. This is a huge paradigm shift for this country and there is enormous opportunity to bring down the carbon footprint of the country. These charging stations are about a child's future, the richness of nature in that future, and a livable climate. The climate today is causing deaths and none of it can be ignored.

So, rather than any company seeking to have exclusive rights to charging stations forcing consumers to purchase only one type of car, there needs to be charging stations that are more generic to accommodate any and all electric vehicles on the road.

LET'S GET THIS RIGHT! 

There is no turning back. This is the future and Americans have to stop whining and "get with it!"

No complete solution

There is no complete fix for the poor in the USA. Former President Clinton once spoke to this in recognizing the need for supportive services. The needs of the poor must include the basics of human survival such as food, clothing, medicine, and shelter. 

Being poor in the USA has little to do with laziness or any other negative descriptors rendered by ignorant people who choose to hate instead of having a conscience. In 2024 conscientiousness is the opposite of hate. Not every person has to be involved in charity, but, every American should understand poverty. There are some Americans who aren’t capable of rising to upper middle class. There is such a thing as the working poor and multigenerational families in one home. 

So.

While the American Dream is vital to our society for all the right reasons, there are people completely unable to achieve it through no fault of their own. It is a form of denial, dismisses responsibility as a society, and removes compassion as an important quality of the character of the USA.

Strategy for Homeless

It has come to my attention by people who witnessed it that there are wealthy Republicans handing out phones and tablets to the homeless for their revolution and vote. 

Angry people come in all forms. The distribution occurs at places where the homeless congregate such as service areas, including food and clothing distribution organizations. If there is a way of corrupting the politics of the country Trump has already visited it.

It is a concern for potentially increased violence in the country with the right wing propaganda of  elements like Truth Social encouraging it. 

(Click here)

The Democrats need strategies to tap into this added population of voters to give them correct information about the country. People need to understand what gas lighting is and its pervasiveness. Hopefully the new electronic capacity of those most in need will help them find outreach to improve their circumstances, but, in all honesty it is amazing to realize how greed has effected the cost of housing in the USA. The lack of conscience is pervasive.

Immigration is good for business

(Click here)

New Jersey is experiencing growth in the billions due to immigrant labor. For every 1000 immigrants (Total 2.2 million) there are earnings of $21 million in annual wages resulting in local and state revenues of $2.1 million. There is also cultural enrichment improving quality of life. Immigration is great for the USA. 

The language surrounding immigration is toxic for our society (click here). Hatred is easy to tap into as a motivator to an election.

The trials start today and the Trump circus is outside the courthouse.

Trump is a disgrace to his country and has been for a long time.

...Trump (click here) — the presumptive Reublican nominee for president — is required to be present for the entire trial, which could last as long as eight weeks. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, a low-level felony punishable by up to four years in prison. The trial kicked off Monday, with both sides making legal arguments on outstanding issues ahead of the beginning of jury selection....

One would think for all the national debt he accumulated during his administration there would be no doubt how much of a disgrace he actually is. The so called fiscally responsible Republicans truly are not as they want to place him in the White House as emperor. The USA Treasury won't be solvent for a year if Trump were ever elected King.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

January 14, 2021
By Allan Sloan

One of President Donald Trump’s lesser known (click here) but profoundly damaging legacies will be the explosive rise in the national debt that occurred on his watch. The financial burden that he’s inflicted on our government will wreak havoc for decades, saddling our kids and grandkids with debt.

The national debt has risen by almost $7.8 trillion during Trump’s time in office. That’s nearly twice as much as what Americans owe on student loans, car loans, credit cards and every other type of debt other than mortgages, combined, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It amounts to about $23,500 in new federal debt for every person in the country.

The growth in the annual deficit under Trump ranks as the third-biggest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration, according to a calculation by a leading Washington budget maven, Eugene Steuerle, co-founder of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. And unlike George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln, who oversaw the larger relative increases in deficits, Trump did not launch two foreign conflicts or have to pay for a civil war....

He fell asleep (click here)? He is sedated. 

Why? What is Iran thinking? These are lands in Palestine.

Masjid Al-Aqsa (click here) is an important holy site in Islam, located in the Old City of Jerusalem in Palestine. It’s name translates literally as ‘the Farthest Mosque’. The wider compound includes the Dome of the Rock, seventeen gates and four minarets, and is usually referred to as al-Haram ash-Sharif, which means ‘the Noble Sanctuary’.

The Middle East

The Israel and Iran Conflict 

(Graphic click here)

Iran is in violation of international law when striking Israel. Breaking international law alone is a failure of Iran's authority.

Just a brief statement about war. There is a long history of conflict between the developed world and the undeveloped world. The causalities realized in the undeveloped world is always far larger than the developed world. There are very real reasons for this, but, the undeveloped world never stops aggression before there are large numbers of causalities. The dead in Gaza is not historically significant when looking at the outcomes of the wars between the developed world vs the undeveloped world. I know that is appalling to many, but, Israel is not committing genocide. It is conducting a war to defend their citizens with causalities in ratio no different than other wars with similar combatants.

The current meeting of the UN Security Council is correct, the hostilities need to stop. There are sincere methods to settle the current hostilities without further war. The region of the Middle East hosts many forms of governance within the understanding religious preferences play a major role in such governance. The region must stop hating each other and find a path to peace.

Now as to Iran. Iran has committed international crimes in attempting to cause far larger Israeli deaths than it already has with it's militia, Hamas. It is more correct to state this is a war between Israel and Iran. Iran expresses it's hate of any other religion than Shi'ite Muslim through violence and death of innocent people. That expression is done through Iran's militias. The Iranian militias currently employed are Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis to carry out war against Israel and the region when considering the disruptions of the Gulf of Oman, Straits of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf. All these waters border Iran as does the Caspian Sea. Iran has no legal right to carry out these aggressions as they are international waters.

April 13, 2024
By Dan Williams

...Earlier on Saturday, (click here) Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that a Guards helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries.

MSC, which operates the Aries, confirmed that Iran had seized the ship and said it was working "with the relevant authorities" for its safe return and the wellbeing of its 25 crew.

MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac said in a statement, adding that MSC is responsible for all the vessel's activities. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Iran of piracy....

Iran has committed piracy in taking ships away from owners and interrupting their purposes. There is no reason to consider this simply mischief. This is a violation of international laws and maritime laws that have been violated many times and not simply once. There is no doubt Iran is completely out of step with it's peers and the international community. Where does Iran take permission to carry out these attacks against the developed world? Every possibility to be a part of an international community of peace and good economy has been open to Iran, but, it insists on hatred of all others to justify it's extensive terrorist networks. Iran must stop it's hostilities with other countries to end the disruption and return missile.

The Shia Crescent (click here) is an interesting aspect of world populations, but, it in no way indicates Iran has a right to vanquish all the countries that welcome Shi'ites as citizens. Iran can act as a homeland, but, to think for one minute Iran has the right to kill at will to establish a Shi'ite empire is bizarre and complete nonsense. The leaders of Iran are fools to allow the Shia Homeland act as a "state" to communists. These communist countries have horrid human rights records, as well as high levels of corruption that destroy economic viability. Iran's leaders need to begin to make far better decisions to engage their citizens within a global economy that thrives within peace.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty…

…has been ignored and abused far too long!

She’s fine.

It is called self-expression. If anyone bothered to review the dresses (If you can call them that vs. costume.) at the Oscar parties, Ms Sanchez dress is rather tame.

There have been others that have graced the White House with beauty such as Marilyn Monroe. Ms. Sanchez was simply being herself. Most any picture of her anywhere is of a woman that is sexually expressive. There is nothing wrong with that.

State dinners are a diplomatic occasion. It is the place where one can reach out to others to have a richer view of life. I am certain Ms. Sanchez welcomes any criticism as well. It was good of her and Jeff Bezos to join the Biden’s at this lovely occasion.

Today is a sad day.

October 7th was sad, but, today is more so.

The lines have been blurred so many times regarding the attacks at the Maidan in Kyiv.

Please note these are all unarmed protesters. They have no real weapons. They have shields in an understanding that violence was possible.

At this point in the country Yanukovych was still in power. The national military still existed but was completely disarmed by him. What Yanukovych put in place of the military were militias owned and operated by oligarchs friendly to him. Basically, Yanukovych booby trapped the country. While the people could still protest at their own peril, the militias were to enforce the dictates of Yanukovych. If one recalls, he was spirited away to Crimea where under cover Russian officers saw him aboard a jet to self-exile in Russia. So, this is not a Ukraine dynamic. This is what occurs when those loyal to Russia rule in Ukraine. They destroy the Ukrainian Constitution and rain authority and violence on the people. 

So, why do Ukrainians fight? Why not? They had no peace under Yanukovych. They don't want it back!

The first investigations of the Maidan violence were considered falsified. We know for a fact there was extreme Russian corruption in Ukraine. The European Union demanded the corruption to be removed before Ukraine could be eligible for membership. It is one of the reasons President Zelensky was elected. He was well known to the Ukraine people, liked, and trusted. He promised to establish good relations with Europe by cleaning up the corruption as well as good relations with Russia for the same purpose; to engage a vibrant economy. Then, in time, as Zelensky installed a magnificent, young, and corruption free government Putin decided good relations were not possible and started a war with a wonderful country full of earnest people.

Now.

Those earnest people are engaged in war with many dead and many more refugees into eastern and western Europe.

Living with Putin is not life at all, it is oppression without end. This is why the Post-Soviet states are not interested in any relationship with Putin in power and quite possibly communist influence forever. It is why they made choices to align with NATO. NATO does not interfere with their independent governance.

This violence and killings were 20 years ago. Twenty years is a generation and Americans forget the reason these people are resolved to be alive under democracy and freedom. To them there is no going back and they still mourn the taking of their children by Russian soldiers into re-alignment camps. Ukraine children are not suppose to be Ukrainian anymore, but, citizens of Russia. That is a form of genocide.

Children in Russia help supply the country with militarized items (click here).

A boy wearing camouflage walks past a mural depicting a special forces soldier during a military-style competition organized by the National Guard security force for military cadets and youths, at a training ground in Balashikha, outside Moscow.

I am quite sure Vladimir's children are not involved.

This video appendix shows shootings (click here for video) of Maidan protesters from Maidan-controlled buildings and areas during the Maidan massacre in Kyiv in Ukraine on February 20, 2014 and a massacre of Maidan protesters in Khmelnytskyi on February 19, 2014. It uses content analysis of brief segments of well-known videos of these massacres and unbroadcast segments of a widely broadcast Belgian VRT News TV video of the Maidan massacre to reveal such shooting. This is the online Video Appendix C of papers prepared for presentation at the virtual 52nd Annual Convention of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies in the US in 2020 and the 10th World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies in Montreal in 2021.

The case of Ms. E. Jean Carroll's gun has been handled.

She is a law abiding citizen that happens to have been sexually assaulted by Donald J. Trump.

SHE WAS RAPED.

What does anyone expect from a woman, a business woman, faced with violence? Her rape was not down a dark ally by a drunk, it was in broad daylight in of all places a high end store's dressing room.

Ms. Carroll's gun should not be a surprise considering she was not at all empowered to file rape charges against Trump. She has stated many times as a woman employed in a job she loved she would be compromised in her employment if she became a topic of social gossip because of Trump's rape of her.

So, fast forward to 2024 and this time she has braved public opinion to stand up for other victims that believe silence is a better resolve than the law.

Trump's lawyer aggressively pursued Ms. Carroll's gun ownership in court as being illegal and an attempt to defame her. She was very defamed by Trump even after the trial, so this aggression by Trump continues. But, regardless of any latent fear of him she relinquished her gun to law enforcement. The problem is mitigated. She did not pull a right wing rant about gun rights and how government is taking all the weapons from Americans, she realized her error and compromised her ownership to allow New York gun laws to prevail.

There really isn't anything else to say about this. Even if she ranted and raved about gun rights she would have faced a summons to court and this would probably be the result anyway. She isn't a law breaker. She doesn't sexually assault men. She is a victim of violence and that would be recognized in any court of law. By relinquishing the weapon to authorities she ended any confrontation.

I sincerely believe Ms. Carroll was and may still fear him. She is only one of dozens of women sexually assaulted by Donald John Trump. They remained silent for a long time. Why?

"Women are being a bit too kind in too many situations." (click here)

April 12, 2024
By Katherine Doyle

Police in New York took possession of a gun (click here) belonging to writer E. Jean Carroll in February after she said during testimony in her defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump that she had an unlicensed firearm at home, according to a police report obtained by NBC News.

The chief of police in Warwick, N.Y., visited Carroll at her home on Feb. 15 “to discuss some open issues,” the report states, including Carroll’s disclosure of the handgun while she was on the witness stand Jan. 17.


During the second day of the civil trial, Carroll had told the federal court in lower Manhattan that she kept a “high standard revolver, nine chambers” at home with ammunition. “By my bed,” she said.

"I still do not have a license," Carroll added.

John Rader, the reporting officer, said in his report that he “offered to secure the weapon at the police station’s property for safekeeping.”

Carroll and a member of her security team surrendered the gun a day after Rader visited, and the firearm was being held until Carroll receives a New York pistol license, the report said....

Iceland is suffering economic downturn due to volcanic activity.

It sincerely is a beautiful country. The volcanic activity really is isolated to the very tip of the southwestern region. There are towns and people effected, but, the country is taking care of their own and the dangerous areas are not occupied.

The Blue Lagoon is open. It is a worthwhile vacation spot. I do believe there is still some proximity to the volcanic activity that bothers tourists. All I can say to that is Iceland is very aware of the activity of it's geography.

January 12, 2024
By Alison Fox

The Blue Lagoon (click here) has once again re-opened to visitors in south Iceland following the volcano eruption that caused weeks of closures.

The iconic spa, restaurant, and hotel had a staggered opening over the last week, welcoming visitors back to soak in its milky blue waters and relax amongst its otherworldly landscape, the spa shared with Travel + Leisure. The pools, spa, cafe, retail shop, and Lava restaurant first reopened (though with slightly reduced hours) on Saturday, followed by the Silica Hotel and Retreat Hotel on Tuesday, and finally the property’s Michelin-starred Moss restaurant on Wednesday.

“After three wonderful days of welcoming back our staff and day guests at the Blue Lagoon, we’re also thrilled to be able to reopen our hotels,” Helga Árnadóttir, the chief operator of sales, operations, and services at the Blue Lagoon, said in a statement shared with T+L. “We’re very appreciative of our staff who worked tirelessly to reopen our establishments, and we look forward to continuing to create moments of joy for each person who walks through our doors.”...

If unpredictable volcanoes are a concern, there are alternatives.

September 5, 2023
By Lisa Abend

Early on a Sunday morning in July, (click here) two brothers from Boston sat on Reykjavik’s rocky coast, with their faces turned toward the chilly waters of the bay and their feet soaking in what felt like a warm bath. Ben and Lucas Zheng had landed around 4:30 a.m. at Iceland’s international airport, and didn’t have too many early-morning options for how to spend the start of their eight-hour layover before flying on to Venice. So, taking advantage of the season’s round-the-clock daylight, they walked 40 minutes from the city center toward the northwestern tip of the Seltjarnarnes peninsula. There on the stony beach, they rolled up their pants and sat for a couple of hours, their legs submerged in the naturally warm Kvika pool, which, at 12 inches deep, is more foot bath than hot tub.

The Zheng brothers had stumbled onto the most Icelandic of experiences. With more than 600 natural hot springs, the volcanic island gets the better part of its heat and energy from geothermal sources. But it has also incorporated that bounty of warm water into its culture, turning bathing in public pools into a sociable national pastime that is, according to some, the secret to its citizens’ happiness....

Go say hello to the Iceland cliffs and Puffins. The Puffins (click here), by the way, are having a terrible time surviving in the Pacific, especially the Russian coastal area. Iceland may be the only country with hearty populations of this really cute bird.

What could be better, clear skies, beautiful blue waters of the Atlantic, whales, and some of the cutest birds in the world.

There is a rift valley along the plate boundary. It is a fascinating tour if one is curious about Iceland's geography. Pumice lines the beaches that are accessible to tourism.

(click here for map)

The Middle East Peace Table

Asking Hamas to be a partner in peace is like asking a soldier to guarantee he speaks for a sovereign power. Hamas is a terrorist network acting in the interests of Iran and both should be held responsible for deaths of Israeli and Palestinian citizens. It is Hamas with Iran’s support that put Palestinian people deliberately in harm’s way.

It is Iran most responsible for the terrorist networks that are the soldiers on the front lines of Iranian hatred of global religions other than its own. It is Iran that must participate in peace talks and a pledge to end terrorist networks. Until Iran comes to the table its hatred will never be understood.

Iran must end it’s global march with terrorists doing it’s bidding.

Today, Iran has seized a ship in the Straits of Hormuz stating it can shut down the entire waterway. That is an act of war. Now, is every ship going to need a military escort in the Straits? 

There are two sides of these tensions already established: the allied powers and the axis powers. Iran sent drones to Russia for one reason only and that was to ensure Russia would carry out power against allied powers that itself cannot achieve. Along with Russia comes China. I think Iran has set up the world for WW III. I mean honestly are other countries going to go along with Iranian hatred? To what end? 

The communists love capitalism. Will the communists, including North Korea, actually take on the mantle of Iranian religious hatred as a reason to destroy their own countries and people? That is what war is, an invitation to harm one’s own land and people for the sake of what exactly? Hatred? Hatred is a reason for war? I thought aggression, like Hamas carried out, was a reason for war.

A war can end aggression, but, it will never end hate.

In a sincere understanding of national security, one power cannot control the world. Iran has wayward understandings of the power of a sovereign. 

I might add USA intelligence is spot on. President Biden was calling out Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine while all others denied it would ever happen.

Enjoy your weekend, Donald.

People in glass houses.

12 April 2024

People hold up portraits of victims of the 1994 bombing of the Argentinian Israeli Mutual Association, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 18 July 2018.

A new ruling by Argentina’s highest criminal court (click here) has blamed Iran for the fatal 1994 attack against a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, declaring it a “crime against humanity” in a decision that paves the way for victims to seek justice.

That huge blast at the Argentinian Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), was blamed on a suicide bomber driving a stolen van loaded with explosives. It killed 85 people, wounded 300 and devastated Latin America’s biggest Jewish community.

In their ruling late on Thursday, the judges ruled that the bombing was carried out by the Shia militant organization Hezbollah and responded to a “political and strategic design” by Iran. The court said the attack came in retaliation for Argentina reneging on a nuclear cooperation deal with Tehran....

The demonstrating American Palestinians may have had their deepest wishes come true by demanding Israel end it's defense of it's nation, but, even fewer will survive when Iran takes advantage of any perceived weakening of Israel’s resolve.

IRAN IS THE AGGRESSOR.

Iran has been the aggressor for a long time using proxies to carry out terror attacks.

Pakistan Designates Iran-Backed Shiite Militant Group Zainebiyoun (click here)
April 11, 2024

The Iranian regime has been an active actor in the Syrian conflict which started in 2013 and has so far claimed the lives of around 500,000 people, at least 60 percent of whom were civilians.

To help maintain Assad’s rule, Iran dispatched its other proxies to Syria as well, including Hezbollah, Iraq’s Nujaba Movement, and also the Fatemiyoun Division, which was composed of Afghan Shiite fighters.

Iranian officials and state media frequently credit former IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani as the man behind launching, training and funding all these militant groups. Soleimani, who served as the Iranian regime’s top military and intelligence operator in the Middle East, was killed in a US drone strike in January 2020 in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

Observers contend that Tehran’s attempts to mobilize Shiite militant groups, such as Zainebiyoun, and their active participation in the Syrian war fanned the flames of sectarian violence in the Middle East, provoking Sunni communities to employ a similar strategy in the region....

Israel had a good reason to have carried out this strike. Iran's generals were having a good time in Syria. Hezbollah has been carrying hate strikes against Israel.

8 April 2024

An Iranian general (click here) killed in a strike in Syria’s capital last week was a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, the powerful Lebanese terror group’s decision-making body, a source close to the movement said.

The April 1 airstrike leveled the Iranian embassy’s consular annex in Damascus, killing seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members, including two generals.

One of them was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, the Guards’ foreign operations arm....

This isn't the first time in recent years that an Iranian general found their deaths. Hezbollah for decades, if not longer, has been seeking to kill Israelis. 

January 3, 2020
By Nectar Gan

Qasem Soleimani, (click here) who was killed by a US airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport on Friday, was hailed as a hero in Iran – brave, charismatic and beloved by the troops.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once called him a “living martyr of the revolution.” But the United States viewed Iran’s top general as a ruthless killer.

One of Iran’s most powerful men, Soleimani cut a highly controversial figure. He was head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations – and one deemed to be a foreign terrorist organization by the US.

Having started his front line military career in the Iran-Iraq war during the early 1980s, Soleimani rose to prominence to become an indispensable figure in Iran, playing an instrumental role in spreading its influence in the Middle East....

This is from Al Jazeera.

The Israeli military (click here) says sirens have sounded twice within the space of 30 minutes. Earlier, the military reported that they had struck several Hezbollah military compounds in southern Lebanon. The military also stated that it had detected “a number of launches from Lebanon” but had struck the sources of the fire.

These attacks happen with Israel all the time and Israel has a right to return fire and limit regrowth. Hezbollah is not denying the attacks on Israel.

This is from Alarabiya:

April 11, 2024

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group (click here) said it fired “dozens of Katyusha rockets” at Israeli artillery positions Friday, a bombardment it said was in response to Israeli strikes in the south.

Hamas ally Hezbollah has exchanged near-daily cross-border fire with the Israeli army since the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7 triggering war in Gaza....

Why is any terrorist organization attacking Israel? Israel, before being attacked October 7, 2023.

Approx. 40 launches were identified crossing from Lebanese territory by the IDF, some of which were intercepted by Israel. The IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted 2 Hezbollah explosive UAVs that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory earlier this evening.

February 29, 2024

By Steven A. Cook

...The claim that Hezbollah does not want war (click here) hinges on a further claim that Iran fears a conflict between its proxy and Israel. The logic that underpins these two arguments is compelling: In recent years, Hezbollah has become an expeditionary force for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), playing important roles in supporting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad in its bloody campaign against its own people, working with Iranian-backed Iraqi militias, and training the Houthis in Yemen.

Yet before it was an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah was—and remains—first and foremost a critical component of Iran’s deterrence. The group and its reported 100,000-plus rockets are Iran’s second-strike capability. If Israel or the United States were to attack Iran’s nuclear program, Hezbollah’s arsenal would deliver a devastating blow on Israeli population centers. As much as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian leaders are committed to Israel’s destruction, they are more devoted to regime survival and do not want to lose the deterrent capability that they have invested in Hezbollah....

Oddly, I believe this has nothing to do with the war in Gaza. These are entities in the Middle East have hated Israel for as long as Israel has existed. The Gaza War only provides an excuse to escalate attacks that are more routine against Israel than rare.

This is why the USA is always at the center of protecting Israel, because, it cannot do it by themselves.

April 12, 2024
By Gerald Michael Feierstein

“Hezbollah has a lot of capabilities. They have a lot of missiles, They have a lot of drones. They have a lot of weapons that they could use.” Israel fears attacks from Iran and Hezbollah as they could launch an attack that could "cover all of Israel”, says former US ambassador to Yemen Gerald Michael Feierstein.

April 12, 2024

ByShannon K. Crawford, Luis Martinez, Anne Flaherty, and Mary Bruce

President Joe Biden told reporters Friday afternoon (click here) he expects an Iranian strike on Israel to occur "sooner than later" amid urgent concerns that Iran was about to retaliate for the bombing of its consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.

Asked for his message to Iran in the tense moment, Biden was blunt, saying simply, "Don't."

"Would the U.S. respond?" ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked repeatedly as the president walked away after the end of an unrelated event. He paused, thought for a moment and then returned to the lectern.

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he said.....

The region is experiencing escalation by Iran's terrorist organizations. The presence of the USA isn't just about Gaza. The Houthis have been turned loose by Iran as well.

December 4, 2024
By Jon Gambrell

Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels (click here) struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.

The strikes marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war, as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict. The U.S. vowed to “consider all appropriate responses” in the wake of the attack, specifically calling out Iran, after tensions have been high for years now over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

“These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement. “They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world.”...

These aggressions are all conducted by Iran's terrorist networks, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. In complete honesty, it looks as though Iran has decided to declare war and October 7, 2023 was simply one of the attacks that have been ongoing. These conflicts, including all that Israel is mired in is about Iran's aggression and not simply Hamas.

"The 23rd serious attack by Houthi rebels since November."

If one is to understand Israel's vulnerability to Iranian terrorist attacks, it can be understood why Israel will not stop until every tunnel is destroyed in Gaza and every Hamas member is dead. Israel is about eliminating the danger and not simply retaliating for every attack. There are profound reasons that is Israel's survival at play with the decisions of its military leaders. This is no joke. And now, the USA is once again standing up for Israel and awaits attacks by Iran itself.

These three men should be at the peace table, not the proxy terrorists that Iran hides behind.

I really think the media has it wrong. President Biden has been strengthening alliances for very good reasons. He has also been strengthening the economy domestically.