It should be a national holiday with free bus service!
Tuesday, November 08, 2022
Monday, November 07, 2022
More genocide and no escape by boat.
November 6. 2022
Ukrainian forces have been piling pressure on Russian troops on the western bank of the Dnipro that bisects Ukraine, fueling speculation that Moscow’s troops are preparing to retreat to the other side.
The Ukrainian General Staff’s spokesperson said in a statement that the fuel from the destroyed vessels had leaked into the river’s delta and also accused Moscow’s forces of appropriating the vessels’ engines and other equipment.
The Ukrainian General Staff gave no explanation for Moscow’s actions. Destroying civilian vessels would prevent Ukrainian forces from using them should they decide to cross to the eastern side in the event of any Russian withdrawal....
By Gaspard Sebag and Stephanie Baker
A Spanish court (click here) moved to seize a superyacht valued at $140 million that’s linked to a senior executive at a Russian defense conglomerate, after the owner stopped paying maintenance fees in June.
The court order to seize the 85 meter (279 feet) Meridian A — formerly called Valerie — was handed down by a Barcelona judge on Wednesday, according to the Spanish maritime authorities.
The vessel, linked to Rostec State Corp.’s chief executive officer, Sergey Chemezov, was immobilized in mid-March by Spanish authorities while it was at a Barcelona shipyard for repairs. The European Union considers the vessel is formally owned by the stepdaughter of Chemezov.
The court decision comes after the MB92 shipyard lodged a complaint when the vessel’s maintenance fees went unpaid.
Yachts owned by sanctioned businessmen have been immobilized in ports or naval yards across Europe in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That includes the blocking in Germany of Dilbar — tied to billionaire Alisher Usmanov — and French authorities’ move to prevent a possible swift departure of the Amore Vero.
A luxury yacht once owned by sanctioned billionaire Dmitry Pumpyansky was sold for $37.5 million at auction in Gibraltar....
Political violence are hate crimes.
A hate crime is, typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds.
November 7, 2022by Clare Foran
...The violent attack on Paul Pelosi (click here) has raised fresh concerns over threats of political violence driven by partisan animosity and increasingly hostile political rhetoric – and highlighted the potential vulnerability of lawmakers and their families in the current political climate....
The Republicans are tossing out their own ballots. NICK is voting absentee and most likely Republican.
November 7, 2022
By Amy Gardner and Emma Brown
By Amy Gardner and Emma Brown
The lawsuits (click here) coincide with a systemic effort by GOP leaders to persuade voters to cast ballots in person, not absentee
Republican officials and candidates in at least three battleground states are pushing to disqualify thousands of mail ballots after urging their own supporters to vote on Election Day, in what critics are calling a concerted attempt at partisan voter suppression....What makes Republicans think people listen to the instructions they provide? That is extremely narcissistic to think voters are actually listening to voters. Nick isn't listening to anyone. He completely goes by how his life is rolling out and if he doesn't like it he votes for the opposite party. He is voting by absentee ballot.
Those Republicans that want the party members to vote in person is a form of oppression. It is a strategy that is very illegal. Carrying out ballot purges while advocating only one day of voting is oppressing the vote. The voting is open only a limited number of hours to vote on election day. By demanding people only cast their vote in person is really oppressing the electorate. If this is Republicans that are following those rules, there is a chance there simply won't be enough votes cast.
Limiting votes to one day and in only polling places will eliminate voters that are fully engaged in the process, but, find the one particular day very inconvenient. That is especially true of 2 to 3 income families. They simply are unable to wait in long lines to vote. It is not only unethical and irresponsible, it is a deliberate strategy to eliminate the opportunity to vote for low and lower middle income families.
Those running for office should be encouraging all voters to exercise their rights and in a way that is easiest for them. Any other message is completely unethical. No candidate should give the impression elections can be rigged.
I am quite certain this is a philosophy not frequently heard. Perhaps it is more Republican in nature.
In speaking to my homeless veteran friend yesterday I found out he isn't destitute. I don't know why he prefers living in his car, but, evidently it is a life he enjoys. Maybe it is all the fresh air.
But, at any rate I asked if he had voted yet. He stated, "No. But, I have read all the issue votes and there are three out of four I will vote "no." He stated he did his homework and read every word of the proposals and there are some aspects of the issues he didn't like and will not see them pass with his vote.
But, as to voting for candidates this is what he said, "I don't really worry about the particular candidate. They are all alike. Voting is like flushing a toilet. If you don't like the current officials or the programs, just don't vote for them, vote for the other party. If they are worse then vote the other guys back in the next time."
I stated that is not any way to run a country. That candidates can be honest or corrupt. The particular candidates do matter and it is the choice of one candidate that brings on responsible government.
He said, "Nope. They are all alike. They are all corrupt. It is just a matter of whether or not we can live with them in office. It is just like flushing the toilet. Out with the stinkers and onto new menus."
If that is the way Americans vote, no wonder the country has issues.
Sunday, November 06, 2022
VOTE!
Stop looking for reasons to trust Republicans.
Vote Democrat if you love this country.
...Americans (click here) are increasingly talking about civil war. In August, after the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Florida home, Twitter references to “civil war” jumped 3,000%. Trump supporters immediately went online, tweeting threats that a civil war would start if Trump was indicted. One account wrote: “Is it Civil-War-O’clock yet?”; another said, “get ready for an uprising”. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, said there would be “riots in the streets” if Trump was indicted. Trump himself predicted that “terrible things are going to happen” if the temperature wasn’t brought down in the country. Perhaps most troubling, Americans on both sides of the political divide increasingly state that violence is justified. In January 2022, 34% of Americans surveyed said that it was sometimes OK to use violence against the government. Seven months later, more than 40% said that they believed civil war was at least somewhat likely in the next 10 years. Two years ago, no one was talking about a second American civil war. Today it is common....
Americans love their 401ks too much to be involved with a civil war. There is no practicality to it besides complete chaos. I don't buy it.
But, I do believe the Republican elite will try to undermine every aspect of civil rights they can. I sincerely believe Trump wants a kingship out of his next election. He wants to destroy this country and bring comfort to his own life. That is all he has ever wanted and did little to contribute to society or the country most of his adult life.
Thursday, November 03, 2022
Coney-Barrett…
…wanted to know when affirmative action ends. That was an actual question she asked.
I have a question for her. “Are there still under served minorities in the USA?” If she answers no, it means living in Cloud City actually prohibits reality. If she answers yes, she is a bigot. I don’t care if she has adopted minority children. That is not an exoneration of her bad judgement.
The current percentages of minorities in Ivy League schools are African-American 8 percent, Hispanic Latino 9 percent, Asian-Americans 20 percent, Multi-racial (Non-Hispanic) 5 percent, Native-Americans 5 percent. The rest are Caucasian.
USA Demographics 2021
Caucasian 59.3 percent, Hispanic/Latino 18.9 percent, African-American 12.6 percent, Asian-American 5.9 percent, Multi-racial (Non-Hispanic) 2.3 percent, Native American 0.7 percent. Pacific Islander 0.2 percent.
Poverty in USA 2020
African Americans 19.8 percent, Hispanic 17 percent, Caucasian 10.1 percent, Asian American 8.1 percent, and Multi-racial (Non-Hispanic) 8.2 percent.
Higher levels of poverty reflect a lack of opportunity. There are still disparaging circumstances for some Americans and Mississippi leads the country.
Wednesday, November 02, 2022
Appeasing Russia by Ukraine only increased the danger to the people.
While on mission in Bangladesh, (click here) I have been closely following recent developments in and around Ukraine with increasing concern.
I remind all sides conducting hostilities on the territory of Ukraine that pursuant to the declaration lodged on 8 September 2015, accepting jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court"), my Office may exercise its jurisdiction over and investigate any act of genocide, crime against humanity or war crime committed within the territory of Ukraine since 20 February 2014 onwards.
Any person who commits such crimes, including by ordering, inciting, or contributing in another manner to the commission of these crimes, may be liable to prosecution before the Court, with full respect for the principle of complementarity. It is imperative that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
My Office has also received multiple queries on the amendments to the Rome Statute with respect to the crime of aggression, which came into force in 2018, and the application of those amendments to the present situation. Given that neither Ukraine nor the Russian Federation are State Parties to the Rome Statute, the Court cannot exercise jurisdiction over this alleged crime in this situation.
My Office will continue to closely monitor the Situation in Ukraine. In the independent and impartial exercise of its mandate, the Office remains fully committed to the prevention of atrocity crimes and to ensuring that anyone responsible for such crimes is held accountable.
Following my return to The Hague, I intend to issue a more detailed statement regarding the Situation in Ukraine, providing clarity on my assessment and the next steps I envisage in relation to this file.
Last Friday, (click here) I expressed my increasing concern, echoing those of world leaders and citizens of the world alike, over the events unfolding in Ukraine.
Today, I wish to announce that I have decided to proceed with opening an investigation into the Situation in Ukraine, as rapidly as possible.
Ukraine is not a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court"), so cannot itself refer the situation to my Office. But it has twice exercised its prerogatives to legally accept the Court's jurisdiction over alleged crimes under the Rome Statute occurring on its territory, should the Court choose to exercise it. The first declaration lodged by the Government of Ukraine accepted ICC jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes committed on Ukrainian territory from 21 November 2013 to 22 February 2014. The second declaration extended this time period on an open-ended basis to encompass ongoing alleged crimes committed throughout the territory of Ukraine from 20 February 2014 onwards.
I have reviewed the Office's conclusions arising from the preliminary examination of the Situation in Ukraine, and have confirmed that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with opening an investigation. In particular, I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine in relation to the events already assessed during the preliminary examination by the Office. Given the expansion of the conflict in recent days, it is my intention that this investigation will also encompass any new alleged crimes falling within the jurisdiction of my Office that are committed by any party to the conflict on any part of the territory of Ukraine....
This handout picture taken and released on July 27, 2022 by Ukrainian Presidential press service shows Andriy Kostin during the hearing in the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv.
Political will is needed to establish a Special Tribunal (click here) to hold Russia accountable for crimes of aggression in Ukraine, and the number of countries supporting the creation of the tribunal is growing, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin has said.
“Due to legal restrictions, the International Criminal Court cannot consider the case of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and I consider this a primary international crime, without which all other horrors against the civilian population would be impossible. And we cannot afford to leave this act of violence against the whole country unpunished,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.
Kostin specified that it is about creating a tribunal from a very wide range of participants.
“It cannot consist of only five to seven countries, it should include all [countries], and I mention this at every meeting. It is important that, first of all, these are countries that are important from the point of view of the perception of the legitimacy of the results of this tribunal,” Kostin said.
At the same time, the Prosecutor General drew attention to the fact that the main thing for the creation of a tribunal is political will.
“Speaking about the need to create this institution, I always emphasize to foreign partners, ‘If you have already voted at the level of the General Assembly, PACE, the European Parliament and confirmed that there was a fact of armed aggression, then you should take the next step’,” he said....
The heinous crimes against humanity by Russia are well documented and witnessed. The reason that Russia nor Ukraine belonged to the International Criminal Court was appeasement for peace with Russia by Ukraine and now it presents some obstacles in the way of prosecutions of those guilty of these crimes.
Early on the International Criminal Court definitely stated the actions by Russia were genocide. The definitions of the crime are clear and the action of Russia more clear. Because these two countries were outside the abiding authority of the ICC there was an imbalance in thinking about human life. Russia believed Russian speaking people were a Russian commodity to be used and disposed of as Russia saw fit. The Free World, with an interest in humanity, witnessed the atrocities and began to take refugees by the millions while assessing the Ukraine military and it's ability to take and hold ground to protect Ukraine borders.
The atrocities are real. There are Ukrainians dead today, including children and babies, that should be alive. The Free World as well as others need to provide a strict understanding that such atrocities will not be tolerated and there is a peaceful way of making such a statement in a court of justice.
This court must go forward. It must make the statement that every crime against humanity will require justice. To allow such brutality in the world is only asking for it to happen again. The war Russia chose to carry out is nothing short of heinous and illegal in every definition of war.
If a tribunal is all the world has to remedy this level of self-righteous killing by Russia then it must be held and those responsible for Ukrainian deaths must face the world in their acts of violence that killed the innocent.
Clearly, no desperate act of appeasement will work in facing war with Russia.
John Roberts does it again.
Politics. If Trump’s tax records are released to Congress at all, it will be after the elections. Amazing the gall.
Monday, October 31, 2022
It is all politics. I do not trust the Robert's Court.
1964 – Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law. This was landmark legislation prohibiting employment discrimination by large employers (over 15 employees), whether or not they have government contracts. Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The Robert's Court talks out of both sides of their mouths. In one breath they state the court should not legislate and they use that ideology over and over to justify their dismantling of USA law.
...The court will now almost certainly (click here) issue separate opinions in the two cases, though it is possible that the challenge to the University of North Carolina case will do most or all of the heavy lifting and that the Harvard opinion will say little more than that the appeals court’s ruling is affirmed or reversed for the reasons stated in the U.N.C. case....
In this case there exists legislation for a very long time. There has also been subsequent legislation. The latest being October 19, 2022 (click here).
The interpretation of Brown has also had major impacts on admissions at the K-12 level. When the court invalidated a voluntary integration effort in Seattle public schools in 2007, Justice Roberts wrote that limiting how race could be used as a factor in admissions was “more faithful to the heritage of Brown.” He memorably added that “the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
...Unfortunately for Dworkin, (click here) his alma mater, Harvard University, may have fatally undermined the assumption that racial classifications can be “non-invidious,” at least in the educational admissions context. Next term, the Supreme Court will decide Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a challenge to Harvard’s use of race as a factor in admission decisions. The petitioners present substantial evidence that Harvard’s admission policies and practices, by considering race, effectively stereotype and penalize Asian applicants. Harvard responds that “universities have a compelling interest in pursuing the educational benefits that flow from student bodies that are diverse along many dimensions, including race.” This assertion is little more than a Dworkinian variant as it presents the consideration of race in admissions as not discrimination at all....
The Robert's Court talks out of both sides of their mouths. In one breath they state the court should not legislate and they use that ideology over and over to justify their dismantling of USA law.
...The court will now almost certainly (click here) issue separate opinions in the two cases, though it is possible that the challenge to the University of North Carolina case will do most or all of the heavy lifting and that the Harvard opinion will say little more than that the appeals court’s ruling is affirmed or reversed for the reasons stated in the U.N.C. case....
In this case there exists legislation for a very long time. There has also been subsequent legislation. The latest being October 19, 2022 (click here).
The Robert's Court is actively dismantling the legislature. They are taking apart the law of the land and they think nothing of it.
The interpretation of Brown has also had major impacts on admissions at the K-12 level. When the court invalidated a voluntary integration effort in Seattle public schools in 2007, Justice Roberts wrote that limiting how race could be used as a factor in admissions was “more faithful to the heritage of Brown.” He memorably added that “the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
That is double speak. It also sounds a great deal like the nonsense that comes out of the Federalist Society that distains discrimination as a factor in any form of law.
In this particular case Ronald Dworkin is god to the Federalists. Dworkin talks about the "philosophy" of law and the fact certain forms of law are undesirable as it takes away societies right to be it's own decision maker about discrimination on any level.
Dworkin denies that there can be any general theory of the existence and content of law; he denies that local theories of particular legal systems can identify law without recourse to its moral merits, and he rejects the whole institutional focus of positivism (click here).
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
April 17, 2021
By Anemona Hartocollis
Relying on philosophers or a particular philosopher as a basis for judicial decisions erases the USA Constitution and replaces with anarchy. At least anarchy short of murder. When it comes to bodily harm the Robert's Court finds that wrong, but, so did God in the Ten Commandments.
The legislature of the USA is elected to carry out writing of bills that will pass into law. The only entity it relies on to write those bills is the Parliamentarian, who by the way relies on stare decisis in assisting in the wording of the bills that will pass into law.
There is no Dworkin sticking his nose into the USA legislature to influence the words used in bills or to negate words vital to stating what will become a law. Yet, the Robert's Court is using the Dworkin form of anarchy to erase the influence of law in our democracy and instill society as the real judge of what is legal and what is not. That is a method of returning to the Dark Ages where the only other authority to any laws was the church.
The Federal Society is seeking to undermine the American democracy and in it's place put a form of anarchy that simply doesn't care if their is racism, bigotry or discrimination in aspect of society, hence, enforcing oppression.
Theories such as this is not supposed to be the over riding factor in DEMOCRACY.
The Robert's Court are not anchored to the USA Constitution so much as their own political preferences developed in part by the Federalist Society that would turn the USA Democracy into a theocracy where by only Christians existed in this part of North America.
The United States of America started as an idea that would remove tyranny from the land and set governance that would be taken to mean FOR CENTURIES all the people were to have one vote as a voice as well as the same opportunity to thrive within these borders. The USA Constitution is it's OWN PHILOSOPHY and no others should impose alien values to the truths we base our lives in under the law.
By Anemona Hartocollis
...At the University of California, Los Angeles, (click here) freshman applications rose by 28 percent, and even more for racial minorities — by 48 percent for African-Americans, by 33 percent for Hispanic students and by 16 percent for American Indian students.
The easing of the reliance on standardized tests, which critics say often work to the advantage of more educated and affluent families who can afford tutors and test prep, was most likely the most important factor in encouraging minority applicants.
Only 46 percent of applications this year came from students who reported a test score, down from 77 percent last year, according to Common App, the not-for-profit organization that offers the application used by more than 900 schools. First-generation, lower-income, as well as Black, Hispanic and Native American students were much less likely than others to submit their test scores on college applications....
The easing of the reliance on standardized tests, which critics say often work to the advantage of more educated and affluent families who can afford tutors and test prep, was most likely the most important factor in encouraging minority applicants.
Only 46 percent of applications this year came from students who reported a test score, down from 77 percent last year, according to Common App, the not-for-profit organization that offers the application used by more than 900 schools. First-generation, lower-income, as well as Black, Hispanic and Native American students were much less likely than others to submit their test scores on college applications....
I suppose if a person is a member of those of the 77 percent that weren't admitted to a choice university, then they feel cheated. That is no reason to dissolve Affirmative Action. Quite frankly, it is the reason to uphold Affirmative Action.
I swear as soon as minorities of brown and black skin find success in the USA there are always people aggrieved at their success to attempt to end it.
Racism in this country needs to die. There should be no other loyalty to any outcome of law or judicial decisions.
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Rigged System
While Trump loves strongmen that hold power forever, he wants to be king. Imagine the envy of King Charles III.
But, there is only one way to talk about communism and that is of a rigged system. The leaders of Communism have been in the pipeline for a long time. It isn’t like Free World politics where name recognition can bring about a political nomination.
Communism is run by ideologues devoted to the rules and principles that govern. The leadership is “brought along” so to speak.
I am expecting an American to take leadership someday in Russia. He will have been born in the USA through birth tourism and raised under the direction of communists.
At the same time another Russian born in the same manner will be running for President in the USA. They might even be siblings. Won’t that be interesting.
Good night.
Hi.
I have a really cool opportunity to teach tomorrow, so let me see if I can find something interesting to post.
This is mildly interesting. The communists are killing off their old leadership.
Mikhail Gorbachev was most likely euthanized, which is legal in Russia and now Hu Jintao is missing.The communists are getting rid of the old guard. Why? Because peace is not an agenda item and the old guys are saying things like, "Are you crazy?" I find it interesting Hu Jintao found it necessary to approach party leadership in order to deliver a message. Why is it so difficult for the President to speak to the leadership of the party. No Xi is not president of China. There is a division of authority that is very different. It is communism. It is very different.
No communist leadership wants to hear from Hu otherwise it would not be a struggle to communicate with Xi and he would not be escorted away.
It is another five year plan. I guess the old guard is not welcome.
It is a moment (click here) that for many observers has come to define strongman leader Xi Jinping’s tightening grip on China: his visibly frail predecessor, Hu Jintao, being escorted out of a key Communist Party meeting during a five-yearly leadership reshuffle – apparently at Xi’s behest.
Images of two men ushering the 79-year-old from his seat and toward the exit were beamed across the world as the party’s National Congress came to a close Saturday, leading to days of speculation over whether Hu was the victim of a deliberately public power play.
This week, those rumors have only grown – despite a claim by Chinese state media on Twitter that Hu left due to ill-health – and the intrigue is likely to grow further still with the release of footage showing the 90 seconds leading up to his sudden removal....
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Rubio is channeling Q.
October 28, 2022
...The compound (click here) has become an object of fascination, however, among COVID-19-truthers and adherents of QAnon, the fringe, baseless theory that a well-sourced government agent called “Q” leaks top-secret intel about a global cabal of Democratic and Hollywood pedophiles through cryptic and grandiose messages known as “Q-drops.” The quasi-cult’s sway has grown considerably in recent years, thanks in part to the tacit encouragement of Donald Trump. On Tuesday, a QAnon promoter named Marjorie Taylor Greene won 57 percent of the vote in a Republican primary for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, all but ensuring her victory in November. “There’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it,” Greene once said in a video from 2017. Trump applauded Greene’s primary victory....
By Scott Maxwell
It’s almost Halloween. (click here) So you can find scary movies galore on TV. But just as scary are the political ads in between.
Marco Rubio, for instance, is warning us over and over that Val Demings is basically a witch who wants to magically “turn boys into girls” as part of her overall plan to “destroy America.”...
...I used to think people weren’t dumb enough to believe such ridiculous (and in this case LGBTQ-phobic) claims. Now, I’m not so sure....
...For one, truth just doesn’t seem to matter as much anymore. Politicians lie with impunity and still get elected.
For another, many news outlets simply don’t call out lies anymore. Fact checks and ad-watches that used to be staples of local journalism are rarer today.
Plus, the entire concept of fact-checking has been demonized by politicians who don’t like seeing lies exposed. The Pulitzer Prize-winning site Politifact recently penned a piece about how some of their journalists have been personally harassed. The piece specifically cited Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bellicose spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, for bashing journalists, saying she liked to “attack them on Twitter, urging online mobs to vilify things that are legitimate practices of journalism.”...
...So how can you tell whether claims are true?
For starters, don’t take any ad at face value. Question everything. That’s what George does — even when it’s a claim coming from a campaign he supports. Boy, I respect that.
Do your own research. Sure, use Google. But only rely upon information you get from sites you recognize and trust. Politifact.com is a good one. So is OrlandoSentinel.com where you can find our Voters Guide and watch interviews of the candidates to hear from them directly.
Another great resource is the League of Women Voters’ site, Vote411.org. There, you can type in your address and get a list of every race that will appear on your personal ballot, along with the candidates’ own answers to policy questions. (Be skeptical of those who didn’t answer — the politicians who want your vote but won’t tell you where they stand.)
There are other good sites. Just please don’t trust the ads. Because, while some people may have valid reasons to vote for Amendment 3 or for Marco Rubio, it shouldn’t be because you’ve been duped into believing the amendment will help veterans or that Rubio’s opponent wants to turn every little Joey she sees into a Jolene.
People who buy into that bunk just encourage more of it.
It’s almost Halloween. (click here) So you can find scary movies galore on TV. But just as scary are the political ads in between.
Marco Rubio, for instance, is warning us over and over that Val Demings is basically a witch who wants to magically “turn boys into girls” as part of her overall plan to “destroy America.”...
...I used to think people weren’t dumb enough to believe such ridiculous (and in this case LGBTQ-phobic) claims. Now, I’m not so sure....
...For one, truth just doesn’t seem to matter as much anymore. Politicians lie with impunity and still get elected.
For another, many news outlets simply don’t call out lies anymore. Fact checks and ad-watches that used to be staples of local journalism are rarer today.
Plus, the entire concept of fact-checking has been demonized by politicians who don’t like seeing lies exposed. The Pulitzer Prize-winning site Politifact recently penned a piece about how some of their journalists have been personally harassed. The piece specifically cited Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bellicose spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, for bashing journalists, saying she liked to “attack them on Twitter, urging online mobs to vilify things that are legitimate practices of journalism.”...
...So how can you tell whether claims are true?
For starters, don’t take any ad at face value. Question everything. That’s what George does — even when it’s a claim coming from a campaign he supports. Boy, I respect that.
Do your own research. Sure, use Google. But only rely upon information you get from sites you recognize and trust. Politifact.com is a good one. So is OrlandoSentinel.com where you can find our Voters Guide and watch interviews of the candidates to hear from them directly.
Another great resource is the League of Women Voters’ site, Vote411.org. There, you can type in your address and get a list of every race that will appear on your personal ballot, along with the candidates’ own answers to policy questions. (Be skeptical of those who didn’t answer — the politicians who want your vote but won’t tell you where they stand.)
There are other good sites. Just please don’t trust the ads. Because, while some people may have valid reasons to vote for Amendment 3 or for Marco Rubio, it shouldn’t be because you’ve been duped into believing the amendment will help veterans or that Rubio’s opponent wants to turn every little Joey she sees into a Jolene.
People who buy into that bunk just encourage more of it.
Why trust a man that will sell his soul to the latest Trumpian fear mongering campaign?
This is the Republican base.
These are the people Rubio is chasing with his lies and deceit.
There are no ethics here.
This is all drama for the sake of votes. Americans are being validated as idiots willing to do anything for power and popularity. The woman holding the item that looks like an oversized candy corn wants something from her demonstrating. If what she wants is a fantasy and Rubio is willing to entertain making it come true, there are no stops within our democracy to quackery and gas lighting.
Rubio's pandering is dangerous, highly unethical and REPLACES our democracy with the concept of POWER OWNING. It is wrong and it is extremely dangerous as witnessed with Trump and January 6th.
The Texans that backed Trump's media ideology are prime examples of people who want to practice POWER OWNING and not democracy. I don't care what they say, they do not believe in the USA Constitution and are willing to provide a platform for destroying it.
Poll: 15-20% of Americans believe in core QAnon conspiracy theories
Poll: 15-20% of Americans believe in core QAnon conspiracy theories
Poll: (click here) 15%-20% of Americans believe in core QAnon conspiracy theories.
...The compound (click here) has become an object of fascination, however, among COVID-19-truthers and adherents of QAnon, the fringe, baseless theory that a well-sourced government agent called “Q” leaks top-secret intel about a global cabal of Democratic and Hollywood pedophiles through cryptic and grandiose messages known as “Q-drops.” The quasi-cult’s sway has grown considerably in recent years, thanks in part to the tacit encouragement of Donald Trump. On Tuesday, a QAnon promoter named Marjorie Taylor Greene won 57 percent of the vote in a Republican primary for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, all but ensuring her victory in November. “There’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it,” Greene once said in a video from 2017. Trump applauded Greene’s primary victory....
Just for the record adrenochrome is a naturally occurring substance in the body related to adrenaline oxidation (metabolism) that is not approved by the FDA. It was examined at one point as a potential cause of schizophrenia. I don't think the substance was made illegal, but, there is no legitimate use for it.
July 21, 2020
By Brian Friedberg
THE DARK AGES (click here) were rife with plague, fanaticism, and accusations that Jews secretly fed off the blood of children. In 2020, we too are beset with plague, rampant medical misinformation, and a persistent rumor that “global elites” torture children to harvest the chemical adrenochrome from their blood, which they then inject in order to stay healthy and young.
A favorite topic of interconnected QAnon and Pizzagate conspiracy communities, so-called “adrenochrome harvesting” long predates these groups. It has, however, resurrected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Google Trends shows significant spikes in searches for adrenochrome in March and June of 2020. It’s prevalent on TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram. Reddit removed a dedicated adrenochrome subreddit on July 30. On Friday, July 31, conspiracy theorists plan to hold the first “Child Lives Matter” protest in Hollywood to “expose” child trafficking, advertising the event with references to #adrenochrome....
July 21, 2020
By Brian Friedberg
THE DARK AGES (click here) were rife with plague, fanaticism, and accusations that Jews secretly fed off the blood of children. In 2020, we too are beset with plague, rampant medical misinformation, and a persistent rumor that “global elites” torture children to harvest the chemical adrenochrome from their blood, which they then inject in order to stay healthy and young.
A favorite topic of interconnected QAnon and Pizzagate conspiracy communities, so-called “adrenochrome harvesting” long predates these groups. It has, however, resurrected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Google Trends shows significant spikes in searches for adrenochrome in March and June of 2020. It’s prevalent on TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram. Reddit removed a dedicated adrenochrome subreddit on July 30. On Friday, July 31, conspiracy theorists plan to hold the first “Child Lives Matter” protest in Hollywood to “expose” child trafficking, advertising the event with references to #adrenochrome....
The Late John McCain knew when the right wing extremists were out of control and knew when to push back. There is no push back anymore.
This attack was the result of decades of the political right wing peddling fear and lies and Trump turned it lose.
This has all gone too far. There are reports of men with bullet proof vests and armed with assault rifles standing at ballot drop sites. Average citizens simply carrying out the responsibility of voting has to face down these idiots.
Published: Oct. 26, 2022 at 12:52 AM EDT
By Michael Biesecker and Bernard Condon
The man accused (click here) of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s California home and severely beating her husband with a hammer appears to have made racist and often rambling posts online, including some that questioned the results of the 2020 election, defended former President Donald Trump and echoed QAnon conspiracy theories.
David DePape, 42, grew up in Powell River, British Columbia, before leaving about 20 years ago to follow an older girlfriend to San Francisco. A street address listed for DePape in the Bay Area college town of Berkeley led to a post office box at a UPS Store.
DePape was arrested at the Pelosi home early Friday. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she expected to file multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and elder abuse.
Stepfather Gene DePape said the suspect had lived with him in Canada until he was 14 and had been a quiet boy....
Donald John Trump is an active participant in The Big Lie.
October 27, 2022
By Mark Niesse
An auditor from Gwinnett County (click here) who was falsely accused of election fraud in the film “2000 Mules” is suing the movie’s makers, Dinesh D’Souza and True the Vote, alleging they lied to advance a phony narrative at his expense....
By Mark Niesse
The Big Lie is not simply a spoof on Trump's willingness to be paranoid about the election of 2020. The Big Lie is an active campaign by Trump and the Republicans. When real human beings are being targeted and victimized, this is not a small issue. This is criminal. There is no getting around it. This is political harassment to drive people to destroy, kill and remove the USA Constitution as the Rule of Law in the USA.
A tour de force (click here) exploring the limits of how many suckers there are willing to pay for fantasy.
A tour de force (click here) exploring the limits of how many suckers there are willing to pay for fantasy.
"True the Vote" is conducting criminal acts and Americans victimized by these bozos are left to handle it themselves. THESE ARE CRIMINALS!
September 14, 2022
By Natalia Contreras
A defamation and computer fraud lawsuit (click here) filed this week against Texas-based True the Vote asks a judge to essentially determine whether the election integrity group’s campaign against a small election vendor constitutes slanderous lies or a participation in criminal acts.
The suit was brought by Konnech Inc., a small elections logistics company based in Michigan. It alleges that True the Vote and its followers launched a stream of false and racist accusations against the company’s founder, forcing him and his family to flee their home in fear for their lives and damaging the company’s business. The suit cites True the Votes’ public claims that it hacked the company’s servers and accessed the personal information of nearly 2 million U.S. poll workers.
In a rare move, the judge granted Konnech’s request for a temporary restraining order against Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, leaders of True the Vote, a nonprofit organization known for making allegations of voter fraud without evidence to support their claims. Judge Kenneth Hoyt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas found a “substantial likelihood” that Konnech would “suffer irreparable injury” without it. The order also prohibits True the Vote from accessing, or attempting to access, Konnech’s computers or disclosing any of the company’s data and orders the group to disclose more information about the alleged breach....
Trump never had the money to bail out his own media.
...The documents show Truth Social’s early backers (click here) include six businessmen outside of the Silicon Valley mainstream — including two executives from an oil company and a gym chain, several Republican donors, a former U.S. ambassador to Portugal and the head of a mail-order fruitcake company.
The involvement of the previously unnamed financial backers of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) – parent company of social media app Truth Social – shows how Trump tapped his political supporters to launch an outlet aimed at political conservatives and libertarians after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on Congress....
October 28, 2022
By Helen Coster and Krystak Hu
I feel a boycott coming on. These are all Texas bozos. They have issues with freedom, they like to control it. They don't care how. It might even take guns.
In a statement to Reuters, August Pfluger’s spokesperson said he doesn’t have a personal investment in Trump Media & Technology Group, adding: “He earned the endorsement of President Trump long before the creation of Truth Social.”
Patrick Walsh, chief executive of the holding company that controls luxury gym brands including TMPL (click here), Palm Beach Sports Clubs (click here), and LIV (click here), invested a total of $6.2 million between December 2021 and February 2022. He had worked with Phillip Juhan (click here), who was the financial chief at fitness chain operator Town Sports International Holdings until Juhan left to take on the same role at TMTG, according to a May SEC filing from DWAC.
It is Texas billionaires backing Trump.
Texas telecom billionaire Kenny Troutt, a vocal Trump supporter, invested $4 million through his money manager Nicholas Merrick (click here) between May and November 2021. He donated $200,000 to the Trump campaign in 2016, and another $925,000 to Trump’s 2020 re-election campaigns, according to publicly available campaign finance data.
Roy Bailey, the chief executive officer of Bailey Deason Capital Investments (click here) in Dallas, Texas and the national co-finance chairman of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, invested at least $200,000 between May and October 2021.
George Glass, an Oregon real estate developer and Trump fundraiser who served as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal during the Trump administration, invested $500,000 on Jan. 24, 2022. Another $100,000 was invested the same day by Bob McNutt, the chief executive officer of a mail-order fruitcake company in Corsicana, Texas (click here). McNutt is a longtime Trump supporter.
Texas telecom billionaire Kenny Troutt, a vocal Trump supporter, invested $4 million through his money manager Nicholas Merrick (click here) between May and November 2021. He donated $200,000 to the Trump campaign in 2016, and another $925,000 to Trump’s 2020 re-election campaigns, according to publicly available campaign finance data.
Roy Bailey, the chief executive officer of Bailey Deason Capital Investments (click here) in Dallas, Texas and the national co-finance chairman of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, invested at least $200,000 between May and October 2021.
It is very obvious Glass bought his ticket to ambassador.
Bailey, Pfluger, McNutt, Glass, Walsh and Troutt didn’t reply to requests for comment....
Bailey, Pfluger, McNutt, Glass, Walsh and Troutt didn’t reply to requests for comment....
Thursday, October 27, 2022
There is fraud involved with the electorate. Yes, definitely. But. It is not the voters, it is the Republicans in government.
End the racism!
October 27, 2022
By Liz Granderson
...Back in 2018, (click here) the Lone Star State — and its eager-to-please attorney general, Ken Paxton — used Trump’s lies about 2016 to justify creating a voter fraud unit. Some saw the move as Paxton positioning himself to replace the embattled Jeff Sessions as Trump’s attorney general. Others wondered whether he was seeking a presidential pardon because he had been indicted. Regardless of why Paxton started the fraud unit, it’s how he has used it that’s disturbing.
An ACLU analysis found in 2021 that more than 70% of the voter fraud cases out of Paxton’s office had targeted Black and Latino voters. When Paxton heard of Hervis Rogers, a 60-something Black man who stood in line for more than six hours to vote in 2020, the state attorney general had him arrested for voter fraud. The primary was in March, but Rogers’ parole didn’t end until June. He said he didn’t know he was violating parole by voting.
The maximum sentence for that offense is 20 years in Texas. Given Rogers’ age, that could have meant life in prison....
...Back in 2018, (click here) the Lone Star State — and its eager-to-please attorney general, Ken Paxton — used Trump’s lies about 2016 to justify creating a voter fraud unit. Some saw the move as Paxton positioning himself to replace the embattled Jeff Sessions as Trump’s attorney general. Others wondered whether he was seeking a presidential pardon because he had been indicted. Regardless of why Paxton started the fraud unit, it’s how he has used it that’s disturbing.
An ACLU analysis found in 2021 that more than 70% of the voter fraud cases out of Paxton’s office had targeted Black and Latino voters. When Paxton heard of Hervis Rogers, a 60-something Black man who stood in line for more than six hours to vote in 2020, the state attorney general had him arrested for voter fraud. The primary was in March, but Rogers’ parole didn’t end until June. He said he didn’t know he was violating parole by voting.
The maximum sentence for that offense is 20 years in Texas. Given Rogers’ age, that could have meant life in prison....
End the corruption!
The monies are evidence. The state can remove the monies from DeSantis.
By Sheridan Wall
Gov. Ron DeSantis (click here) has millions at his disposal, yet his campaign has not returned $213,000 in contributions from a fugitive charged with making illegal straw donations.
The donations came from Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, the owner of an online payments processing company called Allied Wallet, Inc., and one of Khawaja’s companies. Khawaja now faces straw donor and wire fraud charges connected to his California-based business.
Khawaja, described in court filings as a fugitive, currently lives abroad and is fighting extradition....
How important is nature?
All Roads (click here) home textiles are designed in the Mojave Desert, and handwoven by artisans in Chiapas, Mexico. “Nature is our biggest inspiration and sanctuary,” says co-founder and fiber artist Janelle Pietrzak, “So it was effortless to pull color from our surroundings— greens from pi\u00f1on pines and juniper; and specks of black and pinky tans from the large granite boulders in Joshua Tree.
Johnson Brothers moves production of all products, including Franciscan Ware patterns Desert Rose and Apple, to China.2013
Franciscan Desert Rose discontinued.
Why do we bother with Antarctica?
Because it is the bottom of the Earth. It has been a huge land mass of ice. We know that ice structures on Earth is what keeps Earth a habitable planet. One of the best indicators of a healthy Antarctica is the wildlife there. That is probably true of most of the areas where scientists studies include animals and plants.
Scientists predicted all that is occurring with climate now. No one would be talking about climate without their dedication and perfection in understanding their particular interests.
Yes, it is important to know all these things.
Earth is our only home and to understand it is to ensure its viability for all generations born.
The work scientists perform everyday is vitally important, as is their accumulated knowledge.
How good are the scientists involved with climate and diminishing diversity of Earth?
This was predicted twenty years ago.
I was in the office of an Antarctic scientist that is a Marine Ornithologist in 2003. He provided me with copies of his recent research from Antarctica. We chatted about the climate and future and he stated the Emperor Penguins has a high chance of extinction because they are hard wired to their habitat. They migrate to and from feeding and nesting grounds on cue by nature and always in the same manner and the same habitat.
Antarctica was a solid ice mass on land for millennia. It was only in the past 150 years that the warming of Earth would destroy life as we know it.
By James Doubek
The emperor penguin population of Antarctica (click here) is in significant danger due to diminishing sea ice levels and is being granted endangered species protections, U.S. wildlife authorities announced Tuesday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it has finalized protections for the flightless seabird under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), listing the penguins as a threatened species.
"This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis and highlights the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before population declines become irreversible," Service Director Martha Williams said in a statement. "Climate change is having a profound impact on species around the world and addressing it is a priority for the Administration. The listing of the emperor penguin serves as an alarm bell but also a call to action."...
Another species of penguin to be worried about are the Adelie Penguins. They are the next to smallest. Their habitat is different from the Emperor Penguins. The Adelies like the coast. The greatest change in habitat occurs along Antarctica's coast. So, currently the Adelies are considered "near threatened."
Adélie penguins (click here) were discovered in 1840 by scientists on the French Antarctic expedition led by explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville. D’Urville named Adélie Land, in southern Antarctica, after his wife, Adéle. Scientists Jacques Hombron and Charles Jacquinot also attributed this name to the species....
It is expected that if all the other species fail, it will be the "Chinstrap" penguins that will survive. At least that is the estimation.
It is amazing the amount of money Republicans spend to beat Democrats.
Add to that the propaganda and lies and it really takes a lot to defeat a Democrat.
Amazing how gullible American voters currently are to walk away from their best interests.
This is directly from Secretary Yellen's Treasury website. There is no recession. The two months that others are crying about as a recession is a very small numeric indicator. The numbers are fractions of a fraction of a percentage. The numeric indicators of a recession are well within the margin of error. Given the facts and the growth occurring, 2.6 percent at the moment, to say there is a recession based on numbers that very well may be in error is irresponsible.
In 2005, (click here) the year of Katrina, a gallon of gasoline in 2015 the dollar value was $2.74. The actual cost of gasoline in the 2005 dollar value was $2.30.
The Republicans were in charge in Washington when Peak Oil happened. They did nothing to tell the people of this country that burning fossil fuels had to end. See, Peak Oil never meant the petroleum would dry up in 2005, it meant that it was the peak of the commodity in volume. There would still be petroleum to pump out of the ground, but, in diminishing amounts. It looks to me as though that is occurring.
It really is time to get away from burning fossil fuels, because, there simply a diminishing supply and the USA should preserve it's capacity to serve the military.
October 24, 2022
...Just over a week ago, (click here) I had the opportunity to meet with my counterparts from across the world at the IMF and World Bank in Washington. We spoke about many topics. But one thing was clear: we are at an important moment for the global economy. In the United States, we are focused on transitioning our economy to stable and sustained growth. The U.S. economy retains significant strength. But inflation remains too high, and we are contending with serious global headwinds.
So today, I’ll focus first on our Administration’s policies to address the immediate challenges we’ve faced: those that led to a historically strong recovery and subsequently, our concerted actions to address high inflation and energy costs.
Then I’ll turn to our longer-run strategy of investments in the strength of the American economy. As we tackle our immediate challenges, we must not lose sight of what lies on the other side. The United States has long faced structural pressures that have held back our economic potential. But I believe our Administration’s recent legislative accomplishments position the United States to lead the global economy in the decades to come....
There is no recession. Why the high prices? Besides greed? There are some lingering supply chain issues. I don't know why, the USA needs to be self-sufficient in everything the country needs. I know Wall Street doesn't see it that way, but, they are heavily invested in foreign capital and it isn't with allies necessarily.
The United States of America has to restock it's self-sufficiency. No Wall Street financial firm will lead in that direction and will not invest in that direction because they are too tied up in foreign interests.
At least 38 percent get it. That is only one third of business leadership that sees the handwriting on the wall. Basically, building and growing a business in communist countries is a huge mistake. And it certainly should not be viewed as the future of their company's growth. That is complete folly.
The answer to supply chain issues is not to import materials or finished products from hostile sources.
Right now Secretary Yellen is looking to Ohio, the manufacture state, to speak to leaders and citizens about revitalizing the manufacturing sector. President Biden has stated, to curb costs of goods to the American people there has to be healthy competition. At this point in the USA, it is more than healthy competition, it is a national defense strategy. Imagine the peace of mind all citizens will have as well as our allies, when they no longer have to accept communist countries as a source for materials and goods.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to Cleveland on Thursday (click here) to promote the Biden administration's economic initiatives aiming to revive U.S. manufacturing, especially in overlooked cities, the Treasury said.
In the latest of a series of campaign-influenced economic speeches ahead of Nov. 8 U.S. congressional elections, Yellen will discuss the growth of Ohio manufacturing brought about by recent legislation enabling hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of investments in infrastructure, semiconductors, research and clean energy technology....
Thank you all for joining me today. (click here) This is the second of six roundtables we are hosting on the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate and clean energy tax incentives.
I am looking forward to hearing from you about how we can accelerate the build-out of a clean energy economy.
As you know, the Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant investment in clean energy in our nation’s history. It puts President Biden’s climate goals within reach. At the same time, it creates jobs, saves households money, and strengthens our nation’s energy security.
To realize the promise of this law, we are working in tandem with all of you: utilities, project developers, manufacturers, organized labor, community organizations, and other critical actors who help supply the clean power our economy and our planet need.
As you all know, the Inflation Reduction Act provides the long-term clarity that clean energy developers have sought for years. We’d like to hear from you about how our guidance can help provide further certainty so that investments can move forward and our economy can realize the benefits as quickly as possible....
Hopefully, the governors of every state are looking at the future and building infrastructure that is smart and clean. I would be nice if they were all on the same page and pulling in the same direction.
The era of fossil fuels is ending. It makes sense. There is finite amount of petroleum and there needs to be a shift in the paradigm to ensure the future is safe and prosperous for all Americans, Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders, Japanese, South Korea and the friendly countries in Africa.
We need to take care of ourselves. There is no time to waste and there is plenty of opportunity and investment for Wall Street. The financial markets don't have to crash, they can actually transition into a framework of CERTAINTY. The lessons with Russia are profound and cannot be repeated.
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