One Citizen Speaking

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WHAT I THINK TODAY, MAY 15, 2021

What I think today is much the same as I thought yesterday.

Israel…

I wish people would quit telling me that the Israeli/Palestinian situation is complex and requires a “nuanced” approach. There is no moral equivalency between good and evil. My best friend Al always accuses me of seeing the world in black and white rather than shades of gray. I know, by instinct, education, and self-learning, the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral. No moral equivalency between the cultures exists for me, just recognizing that it is all a power-play between Israel who wants peace and to be left alone and those malignant parties who want “more” and use religion, politics, and the perversion of language as a pretext for their power grab.

The fact that a terrorist state aggressor sent a thousand unguided rockets randomly into a civilian population can never be excused under any circumstances.

The assertion that Israel is committing “an act of terrorism” by responding to rocket attacks by hostile forces is a lie. Israel is using the Iron Dome anti-missile system to protect its citizens. At the same time, the Palestinians have no such protection belies the fact that it is the Palestinians who are lobbing rockets into Israel. Nobody is randomly targeting the Palestinian population. The fact that the Palestinians are hiding behind civilians is the proximate cause of civilian deaths.

The assertion that the Palestinians are responding to an attack on the Temple Mount, which they control, or over a 50-year-old court case over four homes, is just public relations pretexts that do not stand up to scrutiny in the light of day. The assertion that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would end if Israel agreed to a Palestinians State is a lie. The Palestinians have rejected such a state from the day Israel was created to this very day.

The truth, as I see it, is simple and two-fold. One, a faction of the Palestinians use the conflict to avoid the election that they will surely lose, while another is virtue-signaling to their base how powerful and pure they are by attacking Jews in Israel. Both factions are appealing to the international community, especially those who are covertly anti-Semitic, for funds to continue this religious battle – which, of course, is not about religion but political power and the control of the kleptocracy. Two, even worse, the Palestinians are proxies for the Iranians who are desperately trying to distract Israel from deterring their nuclear ambitions while encouraging assistance from the Obamacon-led Biden Administration seeking to restore Obama’s disastrous nuclear arms deal.

There is no real solution to the current problem, only détente until Islam is reformed and the destruction of Israel is no longer a religiously mandated duty. Not likely in our lifetimes because the Quran is the literal word of Allah and cannot be changed. It will then take several additional generations until the Palestinians acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and children are no longer taught to hate Jews.

By the way -- few people know that 75% of the multi-billion dollar military aid to Israel must be spent with U.S. contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and others who provide good-paying domestic jobs. Channeling corporate welfare through foreign policy.

Inflation…

While progressive socialist democrats can ignore federal laws about immigration and other matters, there is no way to ignore or nullify the laws of economics. Primarily the law of supply and demand when the economy grows and benefits everyone or the government continues to pump money into the economy while growth stagnates. Thus creating so-called stagflation where too much money chases too few goods, and the price of those goods accelerates as people are forced to pay more and more for the same goods.

There’s No Need to Panic over Inflation

The news that the Consumer Price Index rose 4.2 percent in the twelve months ending in April has shocked the financial commentariat. But such inflation is hardly inexplicable. Between President Biden’s COVID-relief package and (much more relevant) the Federal Reserve’s continued asset purchases, aggregate demand is getting a healthy boost. Supply conditions are improving, but not fast enough to prevent generalized price increases.

How worried should we be about this sudden inflationary pickup? The short answer is, not very. Inflation in the 3–5 percent range, so long as it’s temporary, is no cause for panic. In fact, rising prices come with a disguised blessing: They could force the Fed to end the irresponsible monetary policies it’s employed over the past year. <Source>

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, May 13, 2021

I have not seen such a bald-faced lying propagandist spinning facts since “Baghdad Bob,” the Media and Foreign Affairs Minister under Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, acting as spokesman for the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and Saddam's government, who infamously denied that there were American tanks in Baghdad although they were rolling through the city a couple of hundred yards from his news conference.

Our — the expectation from economists, both inside and outside of the government, is that the impacts of our proposed investments are transitory, are temporary, and that the benefits far outweigh the risks. So that — we look at it through, certainly, through that prism.

Obviously, we’ve seen, over the last couple of days — to your point — some reaction to the CPI numbers that came out just yesterday. And, you know, our view on that is it reflects the reality of an economy that’s rapidly turning back on because of a successful economic strategy.

And if you dig into the data, there are a couple of factors at play that I think people are taking a look at now that we’ve dug into the data more, including the fact that, you know, for example, airfare is increased by 10 percent but are still almost 20 percent below pre-pandemic levels. The — one of the biggest impacts we saw on the data yesterday was on used car sales, and that is a direct impact of the semiconductor chip shortage.
So, point is: There’s a number of factors here that can be explained and we’re working to address. And I think as we continue to communicate that, hopefully that will give some comfort to the American people and, of course, industries. <Source>

This is a Psaki lie. Any way you describe what is happening in our economy, the result is money gushing from your wallet. To pay increasing taxes to power a government purchasing goods and services at higher prices or to pay for the increasing goods and services themselves – which also carry a higher tax burden. The best example I can think of is a gallon of gasoline. With higher prices come higher federal, state, and local taxes on your purchase. A win for the government in terms of tax revenue, not so much for the consumer who is being forced to allocate scarce funds among the necessities of life and the need to get to work to earn the additional dollars necessary to support their lifestyle.

Liz Cheney …

You have to ask yourself why the radical progressive far left, including many in Congress like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY,) are openly praising Representative Liz Cheyney (R-WY) when she was almost universally reviled as an evil Republican prior to the election?

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement on House Republicans’ removal of Conference Chair Liz Cheney by voice vote:

“Congresswoman Liz Cheney is a leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity. Today, House Republicans declared that those values are unwelcome in the Republican party. “The Republican denial of the truth presented by Congresswoman Cheney is reflected in their denial of the need to seek the truth in a January 6th commission and to repair the damage of January 6th with a security supplemental immediately. “For the sake of our democracy, reasonable Republicans across the country must take back their party.” <Source>

Chuck Schumer praises Rep. Liz Cheney for speaking ‘truth to power’ against Trump

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday praised Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney as a voice of conscience within the Republican Party for denouncing former President Trump. The powerful New York Democrat, on the eve of a vote to boot Cheney from the GOP leadership, called the Republican lawmaker an unlikely martyr to the cause of opposing Trump’s claims of election fraud. “Down the hall from us, House Republicans are plotting the demotion of a Republican member for the crime of repeating the truth: that Joe Biden is the president of the United States and that Donald Trump is lying,” Schumer said. “Liz Cheney spoke truth to power. And for that, she’s being fired,” Schumer added. <Source>

The answer is intuitively obvious, Liz Cheney is a tool, a useful idiot, that can be used by the radical progressive socialist democrats as a primary distraction from the manifesting domestic and foreign policy consequences of the Biden Administration that are being run by the Obamacons in positions of power. If one were to look beyond Joe Biden’s stage-managed appearances and frequent naps, one might find an Obama Cabal, headed by Susan Rice, former National Security Advisor to the President and currently Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, running the Office of the President. Both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appear to be sock puppets manipulated by those who hold the reins to power. Secondarily, to sow discord in the GOP while giving the mainstream media additional anti-Trump fodder.

Masks…

As a member of the highest risk cohort of those vulnerable to a catastrophic response to the Communist Chinese Party virus – and one who has studied much of the medical literature – I have decided to wear a mask while in the company of strangers -- even though I am fully vaccinated with two Pfizer shots spaced exactly twenty-one days apart. As for everyone else, it is a matter of your beliefs and internal risk/reward calculation. As for Saint Fauci, I believe he is a political bullshit artist who has successfully navigated the dark and swiftly moving political waters and says anything required at a singular point in time and tailored for a particular audience. A walking/talking ambiguity whose advice cannot be trusted. I will continue to follow the data.

Vaccine passports...

No way, Jose. Just another government surveillance program like national identification cards and gun registries. Where in the Constitution does it say your God-given inalienable rights are dependent on a government identification card.

The surveillance state…

Once again, we are faced with a technological achievement that can be used for good or evil – much like guns. I am speaking of Apple’s new AirTags advertised as a “supereasy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack.”

AirTag: Lose your knack for losing things.

Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And it's efficient, so there's no need to worry about battery life or data usage. <Source>

Hackers Are Having a Field Day With AirTags

Apple is pitching the AirTag, a 1.26-inch circle that looks like an Apple-branded button, as the most secure and reliable way to track whatever object you don't want to lose: a backpack, keys, a purse, a wallet, or even a pet. AirTags use Bluetooth beacons to share their position to any iPhones nearby, which then transmit the AirTag position to its owner via the Find My app.

Following up on detailed teardowns from hardware researcher Colin O'Flynn and well known repair company iFixIt, Thomas Roth posted a lengthy video on YouTube where he breaks down the AirTag's innards. Roth, who is a hardware hacker who goes by Stacksmashing online, then explained how he found a way to modify the firmware in the AirTag—essentially jailbreaking it—to make it send a malicious URL to an iPhone that scans it with NFC. [Near-Field Communication – used by wireless credit card chips, merchandise tags, etc.] <Source>

Track your car. Your wife. Your enemies. Tracking is limited only by your imagination.

The end to qualified immunity?

The chattering class demands the end of qualified immunity that protect police officers from being sued as civilians for their actions taken in an official capacity. A definite buzzkill for first-responders who must make split-section decisions, some of which are bound to be wrong and injurious to third parties. Of course, the proper course of action would be to sue the police department as the employer of the officer.

But think what havoc a legal doctrine that protects government actors from civil lawsuits could wreak if individuals were allowed to sue elected officials and bureaucrats employed by the government, over the consequences of their actions. Another great idea from the fifth column seeking to destroy America from within and the lawyers who love and support the progressive socialist democrats.

Maricopa County, Arizona, audit...

Why is the full weight of the Democrat Party, including their high-priced Perkins Coie attorneys, so hell-bent on preventing an audit of the 2020 election when it has been touted as the cleanest election in history? You would think they would welcome such an audit and celebrate its results. Why are they refusing to participate in the audit and hiding behind flimsy pretexts? Shouldn't the election officials recuse themselves during the audit to prevent the appearance of a massive conflict of interest?

Bottom line…

We are screwed. Made more so by the Obamacons controlling the Biden Administration. The truth is we can’t trust our government or our premier agencies. We can’t trust our educators, and worst of all, we can’t trust our media. For good or bad, I trust myself and my ability to correctly calculate risk/reward ratios – knowing that probability waits to kick my ass at some time in the future.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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TURNING ANY CAPTIVE PLATFORM INTO A LUCRATIVE ADVERTISING "VEHICLE"

All under the guise of providing an enhanced user experience…

You may purchase a car, but the software the controls your vehicle, including its entertainment system, is a licensed software produced and owned by a third party who may be able to claim access rights to your system.

The argument for co-opting your entertainment system is presented as an audio-visual extension of car radio advertising with the benefit of being able to target ads tailored to your interests and location. How long will it be before they monitor your speech or measure your physical characteristics with bio-sensors to assist in content delivery? Welcome to the surveillance state.

How much would a driver or passenger value an onboard system that could scan passing billboards to display key information on your car's entertainment system vehicle? Perhaps giving you a discount on desired content in return of access.

“Ford has a better idea.”

Oftentimes, billboards are located along roads to present information to drivers and/or passengers of vehicles traveling along the roads. In some examples, a billboard includes an advertisement for a business located nearby. The advertisement may include information related to the business, such as products and/or services provided by the business, an address and/or directions to a nearby location of the business, a phone number associated with the business, etc.

The driver and/or passenger of the vehicle has a limited amount of time to obtain information from the billboard located near the road as the vehicle approaches and passes the billboard. In some instances, the driver and/or passenger of the vehicle may miss information of the advertisement on the billboard that directs the driver and/or passenger to the corresponding business.

For example, while the driver may be able to identify an advertised product and/or service and determine whether the advertised product and/or service is of interest, the driver may be unable to identify the address of and/or directions to the location of the corresponding business before the vehicle passes the billboard.

In other instances, the driver may able to identify the address and/or the directions of the advertisement but unable to write the address and/or the directions down to facilitate driving to the business location. In such instances, the driver is unable to locate the business that is advertised via the billboard.

Just what I want…

Bottom line…

This is one of those “defensive” patents that all big companies churn out. More likely, either the billboard advertisers will pay to have a message sent to you, or billboard companies will sell information gleaned from passing cars to advertisers. Possible reading your real or electronic license plate to send you a customized message.

Just a thought, if the Biden Administration holds gun manufacturers liable for third-party events, could car companies be held responsible for accidents caused by diversion of the driver's attention while using the vehicle's entertainment system?

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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DADDY, TELL ME THE STORY ABOUT GOVERNMENT SECURITY AGAIN

Every time I hear the government attempt to reassure me about the safety and security of my personal and financial information, I am reminded that the government does not employ the best and brightest, awards contracts based on political considerations and connections, and selects the low-bidder knowing the system design is flawed and hopes to catch up with “engineering change orders.” Pretty much the reason there are so many large government system failures – even using the biggest of government contractors.

Hackers Leak Personal Data of Washington DC Police Officers

The ransomware gang Babuk released the personal details of several Metropolitan Police Department officers—essentially a full dox—in an attempt to extort the department into paying a ransom to stop further leaks. When Babuk announced that it had stolen 250 gigabytes from the MPD, a police spokesperson confirmed the data breach.

[OCS: Makes me wonder why the data was not encrypted, why there are no controls and verifications of large file transfers or requests for a large number of sensitive files, and who or what automated system is watching the logs? Who is watching the IP addresses? ]

A gang of cybercriminals who hacked the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department have started leaking alleged internal police files, including "background investigations" on police officers that includes psychological evaluations, polygraph responses, supervisor interviews, their credit history, information about their home, their social security numbers, date of birth, personal emails, home address, phone numbers, their driver's licenses, financial details, and their handwritten signatures.

The documents include the result of the applicants' medical evaluations, the background check into their criminal history and social media activities, their employment history, financial information such as their monthly expenses, whether they have student loans or other "financial liabilities," social media handles and screenshots of their profiles, their responses to the polygraph tests, a list of places they lived, a scanned copy of their driver's license, names of possible relatives, and several forms that applicants had to review and sign. The files released on each officer constitute, essentially, a full dox of that person's professional and much of their personal lives.

Ransomware gangs such as Babuk or Cl0p have recently changed the way they extort victims. They don't just encrypt files and ask for a ransom to unlock them, they also first steal the data and then use the threat of leaking it online as a way to put more pressure on the victims and force them to pay up.

"The negotiations reached a dead end, the amount we were offered does not suit us, we are posting 20 more personal files on officers, you can download this archive, the password will be released tomorrow," the hackers wrote on their dark web site. "If during tomorrow they do not raise the price, we will release all the data." <Source>

Commonsense advice from the FBI when they find time from pursuing Donald Trump and supporters…

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or malware, that prevents you from accessing your computer files, systems, or networks and demands you pay a ransom for their return. Ransomware attacks can cause costly disruptions to operations and the loss of critical information and data.

You can unknowingly download ransomware onto a computer by opening an email attachment, clicking an ad, following a link, or even visiting a website that's embedded with malware.

Once the code is loaded on a computer, it will lock access to the computer itself or data and files stored there. More menacing versions can encrypt files and folders on local drives, attached drives, and even networked computers.

Most of the time, you don’t know your computer has been infected. You usually discover it when you can no longer access your data or you see computer messages letting you know about the attack and demanding ransom payments.

Tips for Avoiding Ransomware

The best way to avoid being exposed to ransomware—or any type of malware—is to be a cautious and conscientious computer user. Malware distributors have gotten increasingly savvy, and you need to be careful about what you download and click on.

Other tips:

Keep operating systems, software, and applications current and up to date.
Make sure anti-virus and anti-malware solutions are set to automatically update and run regular scans.
Back up data regularly and double-check that those backups were completed.
Secure your backups. Make sure they are not connected to the computers and networks they are backing up.
Create a continuity plan in case your business or organization is the victim of a ransomware attack.

<Source: FBI>

Bottom line…

Every month I see GAO (Government Accountability Office) listing various problems with internal controls in government agencies. Almost always followed up by a dispute over the GAO’s findings or a promise to do better – until next time. Unfortunately, many of these systems are defective by design, deliberately avoiding transparency to allow for political manipulations.

Why are we not elevating threats to our national security and infrastructure?

Why are governments still allowed to have unencrypted personal non-public data in their files when private companies are forced to encrypt such data or suffer the consequences?

What is the government doing to ensure those with the “keys to the kingdom” are not sensitive to or compromised by outside forces or causes – and hand over their passwords and encryption keys?

Where is all this biometric log-in data, and are the biometric hashes protected?

Where is all the security money going if not to protect vulnerable systems?

Forget sensitivity, diversity, and critical race theory – how about constant training for security with frequent challenges. And, above all, firing those who fail to meet the security challenge,

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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THERE COMES A TIME WHEN THE PEOPLE PAY THE PRICE FOR THE LEADERSHIP THEY HAVE CHOSEN

I could easily have written about the downward momentum of America’s social and economic decline under the corrupt Biden administration, but today’s post is about the terrorist leadership of the Gaza strip.

Unlike the United States, much of the Middle East is fundamentally and irredeemably flawed by the corruption of a perverse religion that demands that unbelievers be killed or enslaved. That the religion is practiced by a billion people and only a militant ten to twenty percent are extremists does not mitigate the risk for the rest of the civilized world. Here, in the United States, we pretend that there is something noble about a fundamentally intolerant and abusive religion and engage in a futile exercise of moral equivalency when justifying their political acts of deviltry.

The absolute truth is there is no moral equivalency between those who exploit religion to attack their neighbors for their own purposes and on behalf of pure evil. The United States would destroy any nation that dared to send random, unguided missiles across its borders into military, let alone civilian, areas. Can we expect no different from the State of Israel, which has shown exceptional restraint in protecting civilians surrounding targeted areas?

Hamas Exploits Palestinian Unrest to Launch Rocket War Against Israel

Hamas, the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, has orchestrated Palestinian political violence for the past few weeks as part of its annual propaganda/terrorist offensive against Israel during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.

After Hamas and its political rival, the Palestinian Authority, competed to promote violent clashes with Israeli police at Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, Hamas in effect hijacked the protests and launched more than 1,000 rockets at Israel from Gaza, instigating its fourth mini-war with Israel since 2008.

A confluence of events provided convenient pretexts for the violence. Political tensions surged ahead of Israel’s annual Jerusalem Day celebrations, commemorating the capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. A long-simmering real estate dispute in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, involving four Palestinian families living on Israeli-owned land, was due to be resolved by an Israeli court.

That dispute, in a neighborhood that Palestinians hope to claim as part of a Palestinian state, was exaggerated to apocalyptic dimensions by Palestinian militants eager to ignite Palestinian riots against Israel.

Hamas seized the opportunity to exploit the crisis by posing as a guardian of Palestinian civil and religious rights, despite the fact that it systematically represses Palestinian human rights in Gaza. Hamas flags proliferated at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque on May 10, which was occupied and barricaded by Palestinian militants who battled Israeli police.

Hamas issued an ultimatum, threatening to attack if Israel did not withdraw its police by Monday evening. When Israel ignored that blackmail attempt, Hamas unleashed a rocket barrage at Jerusalem and southern Israel.

Since Monday, more than 850 rockets have detonated inside Israel, killing seven Israelis. Another 200 rockets fell short, landing inside Gaza.

Many of the most dangerous rockets deployed by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another Islamist terrorist organization, are provided by Iran, which shares their goal of destroying Israel. <Source>

Perhaps it is time for Israel to hold the Palestinian people accountable for their choice of leadership.

One, by threatening to exercise their internationally recognized self-defense right to attack ANY site from which a missile is launched against Israel. Since the terrorists site their missile launches from schools, hospitals, mosques, and residential areas, there will be significant collateral damage to civilians – but that is the price they must pay for selecting their malignant leadership.

Two, by holding Iran responsible for arming the terrorist regime with offensive weaponry.

And three, by implementing a public relations campaign in the United States to call out anti-Semitism wherever it is found – namely in left-wing progressive institutions.

Placing a red cross or medical marking on a military target violates the Geneva Convention…

Hamas hides in, under and around Gaza’s main hospital, and the media covers it up

Was a Finnish reporter the only one to have seen rockets fired from close to Al-Shifa, or is she the only one brave and honest enough to tell about it? There have been reports for years that Hamas uses the main hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa, as a headquarters. It reportedly has bunkers underneath, and uses the hospital itself.

There have been tidbits of media reporting on Hamas’ use of Al-Shifa as a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices. But mostly it has been covered up by reporters in Gaza, as I detailed in Media cover-up of Hamas crimes starting to unravel. Tweets have been deleted and articles taken down by reporters for major publications.

One Italian reporter who left Gaza blew the whistle on the fact that it was Hamas or Islamic Jihad misfired rockets that cause a large number of deaths in a refugee camps. The victims were transported to Al-Shifa, where another rocket had already hit. A Wall Street Journal reporter tweeted, then deleted, his observation that it was a Hamas rocket that hit the hospital. Once the evidence became clear that Israel was not responsible, the media moved on, as if it never happened. <Source>

The media cover-up?

Do you mean the honest, hard-working, ethical journalists of the mainstream media? Of course, this should come as no surprise as the New York times dishonestly and deceptively minimized the Holocaust and Ukraine Massacre on behalf of Joseph Stalin. The progressive left has always had a love affair with Russia and the European brand of socialism – even when the damage and misery of this toxic and dangerous ideology was readily apparent.

Today’s media is no different. Whether covering Hamas or Joe Biden, the coverage is dishonest and deceptive.

Bottom line…

For the present, Israel is screwed. America is screwed. And no matter what you thought about President Trump, look at what he accomplished in the face of congressional attacks, deep state resistance, and media opposition.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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CAN ISRAEL COUNT ON THE UNITED STATES?

Once again, we find Gaza militants unleashing a barrage of hundreds of unguided rockets randomly aimed at Israel’s civilian population…

In self-defense, Israel mounted airstrikes at military targets, including command and control facilities, rocket storage facilities, and top Hamas commanders.

One strike involved a 12-story high-rise building said to house Hamas offices. However, before the attack, a series of warning shots allowed people to escape and minimize casualties.

Where do you find such deliberate care to avoid or minimize civilian casualties? Unfortunately, the Hamas terrorists surround themselves with civilians, family members, and fire rockets from sites located next to schools, hospitals, mosques, and residential units. Nothing is better for their international charity shakedown than the outrage created by dead women, children, and civilians. Not so coincidently, martyrdom, dying for the cause, is Islam’s highest honor.

So, why am I not surprised to find one of the most anti-America, anti-white, anti-Israel anti-Semites in the United States Congress, Representative Ilhan Omar, invoking “moral equivalency?” Ignoring, of course, the aggressor has no legitimate claim to self-defense in a court of law or the court of public opinion.

Complaining that the Palestinian, who are shooting the Iranian rockets at Israeli civilians, don't have Iron Dome protections...

It is also no surprise that the anti-America, anti-white, anti-Israel anti-Semites in the communist movement known as Black Lives Matter would jump feet first into suggesting that the Jewish settlers, with an unbroken history of thousands of years in the area, are colonialists and that the Palestinians are being oppressed and in need of liberation. Ignoring that, the label “Palestinian” originated as a public relations ploy from Moscow’s representative in the region, Yasser Arafat, to create the appearance of legitimacy to the Arabs who were kicked out of Jordan or who left the area prior to a massed Abab attack on the new State of Israel.

What now?

Israel will respond in kind until the United States or the United Nations intervenes. Of course, the feckless Biden Administration with the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Obamacons steering the asterisk-president is busy blaming the conflict on conditions created by Donald Trump and his administration -- falsely reminding everyone that the Trump-Kushner efforts in the Middle East were a failure.

How many Americans, even American Jews, realize that Israel provides ongoing assistance, including utilities, to Arabs in the Gaza strip when they could easily turn off such aid and put the population under stress.

Don’t look for American secular Jews to rise to support Israel. They are too busy supporting a progressive socialist/communist regime that is selling them out as surely as Europeans turned away from getting involved in the slaughter of Jews.

Bottom line…

We fight together for a common goal, freedom, against those who would deny our God-given rights.

Until the people of Gaza decide to choose peace, there will be no peace. Until Americans choose freedom, we will continue to see our inalienable rights eroded one by one until they are gone.

We are so screwed with the anti-Semitic Obamacons pulling Joe Biden’s strings.

How many people know that the Biden Administration sent hundreds of millions of dollars to the Palestinians without demanding any concessions? Not even to stop them from paying the families of murderers who kill Jewish men and women in violation of the 2018, Taylor Force Act, prohibiting American economic assistance which “directly benefits the Palestinian Authority” as long as the PA continues to pay financial rewards for terrorism?

Reversing Trump, Biden Restores Aid to Palestinians

The package, which gives at least $235 million in assistance to Palestinians, will go to humanitarian, economic, development and security efforts in the region, and is part of the administration’s attempt to rehabilitate U.S. relations with Palestinians, which effectively stopped when Mr. Trump was in office.

In a statement on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States would provide $150 million in humanitarian aid, funneled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a vast agency created 72 years ago to assist displaced Palestinians.

Another $75 million would be allocated for economic development programs in the West Bank and Gaza, and $10 million would be for what Mr. Blinken described as peace-building operations carried out by the United States Agency for International Development. <Source>

--steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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JIHADISTS: FREE SPEECH FOR ME, BUT NOT FOR THEE

For those who do not understand the magnitude of the threat to civilized freedom-loving democracies posed by the theocratically-based religious/political system known as Islam…

With all of the turmoil over China and the Communist Chinese Party virus, let us not lose sight of the continuing attack on America by Islamic fundamentalists.

A theocracy is a form of government in which a deity of some type is recognized as the supreme ruling authority, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries that manage the day-to-day affairs of the government, which in turn manage the lives of those under the government’s jurisdiction.

Islam, the religion of the Muslims, is fundamentally an intolerant system based on theocracy, authoritarianism, patriarchy, and strict control over individuals of faith (and those encountered by individuals of faith).

A faith as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah where ALL civil, penal, financial, economic, administrative, cultural, military, political, laws, regulations, prohibitions, and permissions must be based on Islamic criteria.

While being promoted as the religion of peace, justice, and freedom, one need only look to the persecution of women, homosexuals, and those not of the Muslim faith in countries where strict Islam is practiced and where apostates (heretics) are more reviled than infidels (nonbelievers). Where cruelty, barbarism, rape, and mutilation are state-sanctioned.

According to some, “Islam is not even a religion; it is a social and political system that uses a deity to advance its agenda of global conquest by emigration, self-segregation, concentration, obtaining political power, advancing the cause, spreading out over the land, and repeating the process over and over until they assume control.

Using our own Constitution and laws against us to advance their religious agenda…

In the guise of a consumer protection lawsuit, a radical Muslim civil rights organization, Muslim Advocates, had launched a legal action against Facebook and several related individuals alleging the parties made "false and misleading" claims when they claimed that the company had deleted hate speech from the Facebook platform.

Plaintiff Muslim Advocates respectfully submits this Complaint against Facebook, Inc. and
the company's Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl
Sandberg, Vice President for Global Policy Joel Kaplan, and Vice President for US Public Policy, Kevin Martin (collectively, "defendants") for violating the District of Columbia's consumer protection law and bar on fraud, by making false and deceptive statements in the District of Columbia about Face book's removal of hate speech and other harmful content from its platform.

Yet Facebook refuses to “remove” this content or “take it down,” as its executives repeatedly promised that they and the company would do when they learn of such content. Instead, in an effort to convince Congress, civil rights groups, and the public that their product is safe, Facebook’s officials have consistently misrepresented the company’s actual practices when it comes to enforcing Facebook’s own its own standards and policies to keep Facebook free of hate speech and other harmful content.

This failure has amplified the volume of anti-Muslim hate bombarding Facebook users.
And the anti-Muslim hate that’s so pervasive on Facebook presents an enormous problem both online and in real life.

[OCS: Under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act, it is illegal for a company to make material misrepresentations about a good or service in the District of Columbia. This lawsuit alleges that Facebook’s executives have repeatedly done this by falsely telling Congress that the company takes down all content that violates its standards and policies when Facebook learns about such content.]

Muslim Advocates v. Facebook, Inc., et al.; Superior Court For The District Of Columbia, Civil Division; Case 2021 Ca 001114 B

This is problematical because, unlike Islam-related entities that have outlawed depictions of the deity, using his name inappropriately, criticisms of their holy literature, religious teachings, and religious leaders, there is no direct legal regulation of speech in America due to an American’s inalienable right to free speech as recognized in the American Constitution.

So before we give credence to any complaint involving so-called “hate speech,” we are compelled to ask, What is hate speech, and is it simply another manifestation of malignant and divisive identity politics?

UNITED NATIONS STRATEGY AND PLAN OF ACTION ON HATE SPEECH

There is no international legal definition of hate speech, and the characterization of what is ‘hateful’ is controversial and disputed. In the context of this document, the term hate speech is understood as any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.

This is often rooted in, and generates intolerance and hatred and, in certain contexts, can be demeaning and divisive. Rather than prohibiting hate speech as such, international law prohibits the incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence (referred to here as ‘incitement’). Incitement is a very dangerous form of speech, because it explicitly and deliberately aims at triggering discrimination, hostility and violence, which may also lead to or include terrorism or atrocity crimes. Hate speech that does not reach the threshold of incitement is not something that international law requires States to prohibit. It is important to underline that even when not prohibited, hate speech may to be harmful.

Hypocritical and ironical given that the United Nations Human Rights Commission is filled with representatives of despotic and oppressive nations.

Commonsense bullshit test?

What is the venue?

Do the individuals within that venue enjoy the Constitutional protections of free speech?

Who defines hate speech?

Can the literal truth or description of an observation be defined as hate speech?

Is opinion hate speech?

Is there a universal agreement on what constitutes hate speech or is it a matter of opinion, mindset, or viewpoint?

Is the organization investigating and reporting hate speech an independent neutral third-party or an ideologically-bound entity with an agenda?

Bottom line…

The Jihadists' goal is the legal suppression of any criticism of Islam, Jihad, or Sharia.

Not only do Americans have their inalienable right to free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution, but we are in conflict with numerous radical Islamic entities who openly fight against American personnel but who also constitute a threat of both state-sponsored and lone-wolf terrorism in our nation. To promote awareness and provide information regarding these Jihadist activities is not hate speech.

The progressive socialist Democrats condemn Praeger University, the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and Jihad Watch as hateful organizations but are quite content to allow the truly corrupt and hateful Southern Poverty Law Center to define hateful organizations.

I find it amazing that Muslim groups, especially those found in American educational institutions, are almost always associated with anti-Semitic hate speech, the demonization of Israel, and the promotion of un-American values, many of which are associated with Sharia law.

We are so screwed when we accept this nonsense from our enemies with good grace. Screw ‘em all.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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IS MICKEY MOUSE A COMMUNIST "HATER?"

A headline like this would have been inconceivable when I was growing up.

Living in Southern California, amid members of the entertainment community, I had the usual Disney swag and frequent trips to the Magic Kingdom. I found that most Disney employees, in and out of the park, were friendly, smiling sorts. The concept of racism never entered my mind. As I grew up, I found out that Disney was a business and employed psychological techniques to maximize user experiences and engagement. Still no hint at racism. If anything, Disney seemed to have an abundance of gay employees, something rarely noticed in an “artistic” and “Performance” community.

Now, I am dismayed to find that the Disney Corporation may have doubts about America and certain of its employees. Mandating training that looks suspiciously like the reeducation found in communist regimes. Why not?, the concepts and training manuals were produced mostly by America-hating Marxists (nee Communists.)

From the City Journal…

THE WOKEST PLACE ON EARTH

Disney mounts an internal campaign against “white privilege” and organizes racially- segregated “affinity groups.”

The Walt Disney Corporation famously bills its amusement parks as “the happiest place on Earth,” but inside the company’s headquarters, a conflict is brewing. In the past year, Disney executives have elevated the ideology of critical race theory into a new corporate dogma—and bombarded employees with trainings on “systemic racism,” “white privilege,” “white fragility,” “white saviors,” and launched racially-segregated “affinity groups” at the company’s headquarters.

I have obtained a trove of whistleblower documents related to Disney’s “diversity and inclusion” program, called “Reimagine Tomorrow,” which paints a disturbing picture of the company’s embrace of racial politics. Although the intention of the program might be noble, multiple Disney employees, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals, told me that the Reimagine Tomorrow program has become deeply politicized and engulfed parts of the company in racial conflict.

“21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge”

The challenge begins with information on “systemic racism” and asks participants to accept that they have “all been raised in a society that elevates white culture over others.” Participants then learn about their “white privilege” and are asked to fill out a white privilege “checklist,” with options including: “I am white,” I am heterosexual,” “I am a man,” “I still identity as the gender I was born in,” “I have never been raped,” “I don’t rely on public transportation,” and “I have never been called a terrorist.”

Disney is playing with fire. The premise of the company has always been to provide an escape for middle Americans, but Disney’s executives seem to have growing contempt for the very people who visit their amusement parks, watch their films, and buy their merchandise. Disney is no longer neutral ground; instead, the company has committed to becoming the “wokest place on Earth,” whatever the consequences. <Source> To read a sampling of Disney documents, visit the author’s site. <Source>

From the New York Post who noted the author’s work…

Disney goes woke with new anti-racist agenda for employees

Disney is pushing critical race theory on employees through a new plan called “Reimagine Tomorrow,” urging workers to recognize their “white privilege,” in a battery of training modules on topics such as “systemic racism” and “white fragility,” according to internal documents obtained by City-Journal’s Christopher Rufo.

Staffers are told to reject “equality” for “equity” and must “reflect” on America’s “racist infrastructure” and “think carefully about whether or not [their] wealth” is derived from racism, according to the documents.

“The great irony of this is that the people who are in charge of Disney are some of the richest and most powerful and privileged white males in the history of humanity and they are pushing this divisive, critical race theory based ideology as corporate dogma and the only end of this is division. It’s self-hatred,” Rufo said Friday on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

A Disney spokesperson told The Post Saturday that the internal documents are being “deliberately distorted as reflective of company policy.”

“In fact their purpose was to allow diversity of thought and discussion on the incredibly complex and challenging issues of race and discrimination that we as a society and companies nationwide are facing,” the company said, noting its “long history of inclusivity with stories that reflect acceptance and tolerance and celebrate people’s differences.” <Source>

Disney and the surveillance state…

I wonder how many people know that Disney was behind the push to change copyright law and to insert GUIDs (Globally Unique IDentifiers) into all electronic files to protect its intellectual property from falling into the public domain? These are the people who pushed to change copyright infringement from a civil matter that was pursued at the creator’s expense in civil court to a federal matter which puts the total weight and resources of the U.S. government behind copyright investigations and prosecutions. These are the guys that empowered the electronic tracking of the current surveillance state – all to protect its mouse and The Mouse House.

A dangerous practice...

Critical Race Theory Training in Workplace Could Lead to Increased Bullying, Anxiety, Expert Says

HR expert and author Jim Stroud says the impact of critical race theory (CRT) in workplace training could be detrimental to employees because it could lead to increased bullying and anxiety in the workplace.

The quasi-Marxist theory has been heavily promulgated throughout academia, entertainment, government, schools, and the workplace in recent years and rose to new prominence following the rise of far-left groups such as Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Some workplaces have included concepts from the doctrine in their “racial and cultural sensitivity” training, which essentially teaches employees that the United States is fundamentally racist, or that one race is inherently superior to another race.

Stroud, who has 20 years’ experience in human resources and has written about CRT’s impact on the workplace, argues that such training could negatively impact workplace dynamics and teaches employees to mistrust each other.

“So imagine that you’re working in a space and the day before the training, everything was fine,” Stroud told NTD’s “The Nation Speaks.” “You work with your co-workers, you had good friendships, good team building exercises, everything is fine. After the training, you’re looking at your co-workers in a different way. You’re wondering, okay, I thought you were my friend but because of this training, I now believe that you’re oppressing me, so I don’t really know if we’re really friends. I don’t really know if we’re really working together. I don’t know if the reason why you refused me taking on some project is because my idea wasn’t valid or because you’re racist.” <Source>

Bottom line…

It appears that Disney and its well-paid progressive socialist democrat executives are buying membership into the fifth column that seeks to destroy America from within. Cooperating with “trained Marxists” who are anti-America, anti-White, anti-Semitic, and anti-capitalist.

In a day when the average five-year-old knows about anal sex, may believe they can be a boy or girl on a whim or lacks an appreciation of their country’s rich and diverse history that is still changing, we find our culture further defiled by Disney.

In a sense, we are all privileged to have been born or live in America, the greatest nation in the history of civilization. To segregate and shame a significant portion of our population is tyranny by the minority. A communist plot to bring about radical transformative change to be built on the ruins of present-day society.

As for Disney, let them shove their bad woke selves up their collective communist asses. Buy Disney stock. Complain. Vote against all directors. And, like cockroaches, expose them to the light of patriotism.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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CRAZY CALIFORNIA POLITICIANS: IS STUPIDY CONTAGEOUS?

The United States becomes energy-independent. Natural gas is both abundant and relatively cheap. The aging electric grid is under extreme pressure. Electricity is subject to disruptions caused by equipment failure, freak accidents, preventative maintenance, high seasonal demands, high-wind blackouts to reduce wildfire dangers, and electricity being made artificially more expensive due to mandated “green power’ mandates and subsidies.

So what is the solution that benefits Californians?

The progressive socialist democrats in San Francisco and Sacramento decided to eliminate the source of cheap, plentiful natural gas energy in favor of overstressing our electric grid by mandating electricity over natural gas and eliminating provisions for the use of gas in new construction and certain remodels.

The draft code update released by the California Energy Commission would require new single-family homes to be equipped with circuits and panels that would allow them to be powered by all-electric appliances for heating, cooking, and drying clothes. This is preparation for cities to ban the use of natural gas. Cities like Bezerkeley … “In the summer of 2019, the city council in Berkeley, California, made a bold and unprecedented move: They banned natural gas hookups in most new building construction.”

2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

Rulemaking Docket # 21-BSTD-01
Pre-Rulemaking Dockets # 19-BSTD-03 and 19-BSTD-04

The 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) will improve upon the 2019 Energy Code for new construction of, and additions and alterations to, residential and nonresidential buildings.

Workshops will be held to present revisions and obtain public comment. Proposed standards will be adopted in 2021 with an effective date of January 1, 2023. The California Energy Commission (CEC) updates the standards every three years. <Source>

Summary of the Proposed Standards and Effect

Therefore, the CEC proposes the following amendments to the Energy Code:

• Revise the prescriptive compliance path available for building projects to include only heat pump technology in specific circumstances;
• Revise the “standard design” used for the modeling-based performance compliance path available for building projects to establish the performance baseline based on heat pump technologies in specific circumstances;
• Improve existing residential energy efficiency standards for solar photovoltaic systems, including battery storage, and associated compliance options;
• Add new prescriptive solar photovoltaic and battery requirements for the following newly constructed nonresidential building types: high-rise multifamily, hotel-motel, tenant-space, office, medical office or clinic, restaurant, grocery store, retail store, school, and theater/auditorium/convention center buildings;
• Add new requirements that mixed fuel buildings be electric ready, meaning that electrical connections and other features needed to allow use of non-combustion equipment options are installed at the time of initial construction;
• Establish new energy efficiency standards for lighting, envelope, and space conditioning systems serving controlled environment horticulture spaces;
• Improve energy efficiency standards for commercial and industrial process loads, including, computer room air conditioning, refrigerated areas, fan systems, compressed air systems, and steam traps;
• Improve nonresidential and multifamily efficiency standards for building envelopes (e.g., exterior walls, windows, roofs, and floors), fan and duct systems, HVAC controls, boilers and service water heating systems, indoor and outdoor lighting systems, and grid integration equipment such as demand responsive controls;
• Improve minimum standards for residential kitchen ventilation;
• Update and enhance requirements relating to duct sealing and ventilation;
• Added language for requiring operational guides and maintenance of local exhaust systems in a multifamily building;
• Added language to require data registries to submit electronic data along with paper compliance documents to the CEC Repository;
• Revised the language to reduce the burden for local jurisdictions to designate Outdoor Lighting Zones;
• Revise the community shared solar compliance option for clarity with additional requirements for location, size, and opt-out;
• Require the Commission to make specified findings before reviewing an application for a nonresidential data registry; and
• Make numerous minor revisions to existing provisions to improve the clarity of the regulations.

Progressive tripe…

Here is one of the public comments submitted through the “Do Gooder” website that facilitates progressive pressure campaigns on elected officials, appointees, and agencies.

As a supporter of Mothers Out Front and a California resident, I urge you to adopt an all-electric code for new construction beginning in the 2022 code cycle. An incremental approach is completely inadequate to address the public health and climate crises. We need you to act swiftly to protect our health, safety, and climate and promote equity by ensuring that new buildings do not perpetuate the use of fossil gas infrastructure.

[OCS: The plea by mothers (now known as “birthing persons”) and the same children manipulated by the teachers’ unions are not even worth considering anymore to justify progressive socialist democrat positions.]

• Health: The use of gas appliances, particularly gas stoves, degrades indoor air quality and harms health. Children living in homes with gas stoves are 42% more likely to experiences symptoms of asthma.

[OCS: Imagine the hundreds of millions of individuals who survived their childhood in pre-progressive snowflake times.]

• Safety: Gas is a leading cause of structure fires, burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning, causing half of all fires post earthquakes.

[OCS: What about downed power lines being the primary cause, along with natural lightning strikes, of those disastrous wildfires that dump carbon products and pollution into the air?]

• Climate: Fracked gas releases methane at every step of the production cycle, making "natural" gas more destabilizing to the climate than coal.

[OCS: This message brought to you by our enemies who miss the boatloads of money flowing into the Middle East for petroleum products.]

• Equity: Communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately harmed by the extraction and storage of gas as well as the combustion of gas in the home, leading to inequitable health outcomes and increased mortality from COVID-19.
There is no justification for continuing to build with dangerous and destabilizing gas when affordable and highly efficient electric appliances are readily available, including induction cooktops and heat pumps. The market is ready, it just needs a clear signal from the CEC.

[OCS: It is impossible for a progressive to comment without invoking identity politics. The fact that poorer families may not be able to afford inflated electricity prices is of little concern. Because the government stands ready to subsidize their very existence. And, individuals rarely purchase appliances for new construction as that is part of the developer/builder package.]

Bill McKibben wisely notes that, when it comes to the climate crisis, “Winning slowly is the same as losing.” Don’t fail our children by punting this necessary change to future code cycles. Take action now to initiate a just transition to all-electric new buildings so our children can have a healthy environment today and a livable climate tomorrow.

[OCS: McKibben is a screaming alarmist whose “science” is both selective and suspect. As for winning slowly, that is the modus operandi of the progressives who are swallowing our freedoms slowly, one slice at a time.] <Source>

Bottom line…

Once again, the progressive socialist democrats are trying to destroy America from within by controlling the energy that is the key to our economy, our healthcare that is the key to our freedom, and the voting integrity that is the key to their perpetual power.

It is time to stop this Democrat power grab in the guise of environmentalism, benefits to children, or some form of social justice or equity.

We are so screwed in California with its progressive communist-socialist democrat majority rule. All aided by oligarchs seeking to keep what they have. Don’t let Californication destroy your city and state.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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