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RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR A SATURDAY

Punishing the many for the acts of a few…

For all the talk about a new crime wave sweeping the country, almost the entire country is safe from homicidal maniacs. In most neighborhoods in the country–or even in the counties where the murders are concentrated–people are perfectly safe. Crime is concentrated in remarkably few areas.

Those are the findings of the Crime Prevention Research Center. And of common sense, if you think about it. Unless you live in a bad part of town you don’t worry about taking a stroll through a neighborhood and are totally shocked if something does happen in otherwise safe areas.

There are vast swathes of the country where violent crime is very very rare, and small areas of the country where it is common. And what the MSM doesn’t tell you when they scream from the rooftops about how common “mass shootings” are is that they are almost always gang members shooting gang members. Not that this is acceptable, but it is a far different problem than random crazies picking up a gun and shooting a place up.

It 's criminals being criminals, and the way to deal with criminals being criminals is to arrest them and lock them up, instead of pat them on the back and tell them society made them do it. <Source>

Supreme Court Leak…

The United States Supreme Court claimed it suffered one of the worst breaches of trust in its history, an assault on justice, when the draft opinion of the pending Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision was leaked in May 2022. Now, the Court informs us that it hasn’t found the leaker despite an extremely small number of individuals who had access to the leaked document. The Court even requested an “outside” review of the investigatory process that ultimately pronounced the investigation as thorough. Leading me to question whether or not the leak was sanctioned as a means to reduce public criticism of the Court. A time-tested technique used by politicians who want to diffuse public reaction to bad news. The official announcement can be found here.

We are now learning that the Justices and their wives may have not been questioned which makes a mockery of the “thorough” investigation. <Source> But they were spoken to? <Source>

Government accounting systems and system controls – defective by design?

“For years, the Department of Defense has struggled to accurately account for government property in the possession of contractors, known as government-furnished property. DOD has repeatedly revised its planned dates to address a GFP-related material weakness since auditors first reported it in 2001.”

“DOD’s lack of accountability over government property in the possession of contractors has been reported by auditors for decades. This long-standing issue affects the accounting and reporting of GFP and is one of the reasons DOD is unable to produce auditable financial statements. DOD estimated the value of its GFP at over $220 billion; however, that amount is likely significantly understated.”

The GAO is an investigatory agency with limited powers and no enforcement duties. Year after year they produce reports with recommendations which may or may not be followed, with failures appearing in the next report. Kabuki theatre to give the impression of actions after audits. Still waiting for the Department of Defense to address its inability to track equipment provided to government contractors. The GAO report can be found here.

Pompeo for President…

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, now a presumptive 2024 presidential candidate is slinging the anti-Trump mud in pre-release publicity for his obligatory memoir, "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love."

  • Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo's new book, Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love, alleges that Haley "played" White House chief of staff John Kelly by securing a personal Oval Office meeting but, in fact, bringing Kushner and Trump's daughter along with her, according to excerpts obtained by The Guardian. “As best Kelly could tell, they were presenting a possible ‘Haley for vice-president’ option,” Pompeo wrote. "I can’t confirm this, but [Kelly] was certain he had been played, and he was not happy about it. Clearly, this visit did not reflect a team effort but undermined our work for America.” Pompeo was serving as secretary of state at the time and Haley was Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. <Source>
  • Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleges in an explosive new memoir that former President Donald Trump told him to “shut the hell up for a while” about China hiding early COVID-19 pandemic information — after Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was a sore topic. <Source>

Let us not forget that Pompeo served as the CIA Director (January 23, 2017 – April 26, 2018) under Trump and that his Deputy Director was Gina Haspel who served as CIA Director until being replaced by Biden nominee William J. Burns on January 20, 2021. We are talking deep state swamp creatures here whose art of deception, diversion, and distraction are well known. Is this a plus for the presidency or empowerment of establishment “business as usual” Republicans who work with the Democrats to spend more and more money?

Presidenticide…

It appears that certain members of the deep state do not want a corrupt, inept, and mentally deficient Biden to run in 2024. Hence, the brouhaha over classified documents when there is ample evidence of real criminal activities.

Why? The answer is simple, Biden’s document crime is a solo act, unlike compromising our Southern border which implicates many deep state actors or the quid-pro-quo deals that reveal State Department/CIA actors.

It appears that this is the very same type of action that forced then-popular president Richard Nixon from office to be replaced by a deep state-friendly politician, Gerald Ford. Let us not forget that it was Nixon who first broached the subject of the CIA’s involvement in the assassination of John F. Kennedy to CIA Director Richard Helms. Remember four of the five burglars that broke into the Watergate offices of the DNC worked for the CIA. Funny how Bob Woodward, whose source for the Watergate story was Mark Felt, the Deputy Director of the FBI, was not a journalist by an intelligence officer performing classified duties for the government.

Word in the deep state, the favored candidate is not Vice President Kamala Harris, but California Governor Gavin Newsom. Now, the goal of the Washington elite is to protect the Democrat Party since Biden’s ship is sinking fast.

Is President Biden a foreign agent?

Between the end of his Vice Presidency and the beginning of his Presidency, it appears he participated in Ukraine projects that represented foreign countries – requiring registration under FARA, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Even worse, while President Biden has repeatedly denied discussing business with his son, Biden met with at least 14 of Hunter Biden’s business associates while he was vice president in the Obama White House. Including business associates from the U.S., Mexico, Ukraine, China and Kazakhstan. During this time, President Biden was receiving money, goods, and services from Hunter – including a portion of Hunter’s share of received funds. He was also complicit in selling access to his office during the Vice Presidency and Presidency.

Pelosi cover-up?

Why are the details of a crime involving Paul Pelosi being covered up when such information is routinely released on non-influential individuals? 

Even more unusual, why are left-biased news agencies like The Associated Press,  The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Press Democrat, CNN, Fox News, CBS, ABC, NBC and KQED, and an NPR-member radio station going to court to seek access to routinely available police body cam footage, tapes of the 911 call, interview details taken from the scene that night, and video from the security system monitored by the Capitol Police in D.C.?

Embarrassment, political or personal, has never been a consideration for information dumps previously. Is there a significant discrepancy between the official narrative and the evidence? <Source>

California corruption?

It has been previously reported that Governor Gavin Newsom engaged in the highly unethical practice of soliciting state vendors for campaign cash, and the first partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, solicited the same state vendors and the governor's campaign donors for gifts to her charity, The Representation Project.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s non-profit, The Representation Project, raises money from a who’s who of governor’s backers and state vendors – despite their charitable registration lapsing with the state. <Source>

Sounds just like political grifting to me, exploiting her husband’s office for personal profit. And him shaking down those who do business with the State of California. Democrat business as usual.

Stupidity must be hereditary…

John Kerry’s daughter Vanessa, a 44-year-old American healthcare administrator and physician married to an Iranian national, carried the word at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“A quarter of the world’s deaths currently are from preventable environmental causes.”

This fits the WEF’s mantra: we are facing existential crises and unless you give us dominion over the world’s nations and populations, you will die. Categorically untrue and her statement demands explanation. Dr. Kerry is the co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health, a non-profit that focuses on the power of investing in health and the health workforce for social well-being, economic growth, equity which transforms countries.

The greatest logic flaw…

The left’s position is that they represent democracy and any time they lose an election or fail to advance their agenda, democracy is under threat. Unfortunately, few stand up and point to the fact that the left is anti-capitalist and pro-authoritarian which is a true threat to democracy and freedom. A classic example of the left representing the very opposite of what they claim. Of course, both political parties participate in the charade as they pre-select the candidates running for office and which are offered to the voting public as pseudo-choice.

Trump was right…

Widely scorned by the globalists and progressive communist democrats when Trump said we should keep some of Iraq’s oil to defray our expenses, we not find that Iraq wants our money and assistance, but not so much our terms and conditions.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani defended the presence of U.S. troops in his country and set no timetable for their withdrawal, signaling a less confrontational posture toward Washington early in his term than his Iran-backed political allies have taken.

“We think that we need the foreign forces,” Mr. Sudani said in his first U.S. interview since taking office in October, referring to the American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troop contingents that train and assist Iraqi units in countering Islamic State but largely stay out of combat. “Elimination of ISIS needs some more time,” he added.

Until now, Mr. Sudani has been publicly silent about his views on keeping U.S. forces in Iraq, saying only that he would consult Iraqi commanders. Some pro-Iranian militia leaders and Mr. Sudani’s supporters in Parliament are pressing him to reconsider the U.S. presence.

That has left Biden administration officials unsure about the future of around 2,000 American troops in Iraq and a separate multinational training force under NATO command. <Source>

al-Sudani is closely aligned with Iran, so if Iraq wants our help protecting their oil revenues and countering Iran and the terrorists they support, let them pay – starting with refilling our national oil reserves at zero cost, including transportation.

“Scientific study” – a precursor to limiting access to national parks?

Hikers appear to have a strong negative influence on the movement of wildlife, research finds.

A study of Glacier National Park hiking trails during and after a COVID-19 closure adds evidence to the theory that humans can create a “landscape of fear,” as do other apex predators. Their presence seems to change how species use an area.

Glacier, which covers nearly 1,600 square miles of northwestern Montana, sees more than 3 million human visitors a year. It is also home to diverse range of animals with almost the full complement of mammal species that have existed in the region historically.

Thornton says park managers are faced with a balancing act between conservation and public use missions.

“It’s obviously important that people are able to get out there, but there might be a level of which that starts to be problematic,” he says. “Some additional research could help get a better understanding of that and help develop some guidelines and goals.” <Source> <The Report>

Fundraising using a condemned killer – with the money going to the non-profit news outlet.

On February 16, just 27 days from now, the state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute Richard Glossip, despite overwhelming evidence that he is innocent.

Glossip was sentenced to death for a murder that even prosecutors admit he wasn’t present for. No physical evidence linked Glossip to the crime. Instead, the case against him was built almost exclusively on the testimony of the admitted killer, who avoided the death penalty himself by saying the murder was all Glossip’s idea.

The entire case is a travesty and a grotesque miscarriage of justice.

The Intercept’s team has tirelessly covered Glossip’s story for years, revealing one example after another of police and prosecutors cutting corners and ignoring witnesses and evidence that contradicted their case.

Now, with Glossip’s execution looming, Oklahoma’s parole board may be his last chance. Our team is racing to elevate this outrageous injustice and uncover evidence that could save Glossip’s life.

Will you make a donation to The Intercept to help us continue to investigate this case and expose the gross injustices of the death penalty in the U.S.?

But if Oklahoma finally gets its way, Glossip will be executed by lethal injection on February 16.

Clemency may be the last chance for authorities to spare the life of a man whose case has become emblematic of the profound problems with Oklahoma’s death penalty system and capital punishment as a whole.

The Intercept is continuing to report on Richard Glossip’s case — and on the egregious failures of the death penalty throughout the U.S. justice system. To support our ongoing reporting, will you make a donation to The Intercept today? And in ultra-small print, “First Look Institute is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax ID number 80-0951255).”

Bottom line…

The most politically dangerous issue facing us today is the convoluted and inverted nature of our language where evil is good, wrong is right, down is up, and boys are girls. All without challenge from academics who should know better or the media that should call out absurdities and prevarications.

We are truly and thoroughly screwed.

-- Steve

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM GRETA THUNBERG

GRETA“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!

Let’s be clear, 20-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg’s narrative is ugly,  as the climate change campaigner returns to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to present her far-Left political agenda against 'racist' capitalism and fossil fuels.

Thunberg’s message is clear: destroying the current fossil fuel-based economy is critically important as we face a planetary emergency that will lead to a mass extinction event. Without a shred of credible scientific evidence or validation, she desires to overturn the capitalist system that has uplifted most of society in favor of a hypothetical socialist system of equality and abundance that ignores the vagaries and evil intent found in human nature. A system that has brought death and misery to millions as they were subjugated under despots who claimed to rule in the name of the people. 

“We are never going back to normal again because ‘normal’ was already a crisis. What we refer to as normal is an extreme system built on exploitation of people and the planet. It is a system defined by colonialism, imperialism, oppression and genocide by the so-called global North to accumulate wealth that still shapes our current world order.”

“It is a symptom of a much larger crisis. The sustainability crisis.”

“It has its roots in racist, oppressive extractivism that is exploiting both people and the planet to maximize short-term profits for a few.”

”We are still here, and we are not planning on going anywhere. Young people all over the world are stepping up, showing that our leaders messed with the wrong generation.”

It appears that Thunberg is ignorant, shameless, ill-educated, or lacks the self-awareness needed to see the irony in standing before the world’s elite, the carbon-spewing jet-set that exemplifies the very people plundering the system for power and profit, as she demands they surrender their freedom and commit financial suicide. The only two other choices are: child abuse--brainwashing, or she is the manifestation of evil. 

About Davos...

I am overcome with cognitive dissonance as I observe the Davos elite, a privileged, pampered, and white-badged group of individuals subtlety flaunting their status symbols and engaging in conspicuous consumption as they blather on about the evils of income inequality. Or, how climate change represents an immediate planetary catastrophe that promises to lead to war, pestilence, and the end of civilization,

And how leaders need to direct the government in marshaling private sector corporate resources to achieve important social-welfare goals that typify an authoritarian socialist/communist political system.

I sense an unfathomable arrogance and an all-knowing sense of entitlement and superiority in the Davos attendees that leads them to believe that they know what's best for society, no matter the harmful consequences encountered in building their mythical communist utopia.

Totally oblivious to the lessons of history and scientific knowledge. Surrounded by members of the defense industry and their enablers who view war as just another profitable enterprise to divert people's attention from the corruption of their leadership. Or those representing a pharmaceutical industry that thrives on debilitating disease and pestilence.

Bottom line…

The significant danger of Greta Thunberg is her adult-directed behavior to mobilize similarly ill-educated and politically indoctrinated youth who see her message as a call to action even though she lacks any real scientific credibility and parrots what she is told by those committed communists and globalists who use her like an evil sock puppet.

We must learn how to counter communist propaganda in a similar manner that is exciting, entertaining, and educational to young people who act on emotion and disregard reasoned positions in favor of feeling good about themselves and becoming more acceptable to their peers.

The idea that young people will “grow” out of wrongful thinking over time is dangerous as they tend to internalize the emotionally-driven lessons of their youth as a basis for their worldview.

Forget your alarmist predictions of catastrophic global warming or a potential mass extinction event and show me one valid scientific observation of identifying and measuring man's climate signal among the noise of natural climate variability or tell me the Earth's optimum temperature that satisfies conditions from the equatorial latitudes to the polar extremes. 

-- Steve

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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DEBT CEILING CRISIS: PREPARE FOR PRE-PLANNED ARTIFICIAL PANIC

Spend-it

U.S. to hit debt ceiling on Thursday, January 19, 2023
A debt ceiling standoff may trigger 'serious' fallout for Americans, warns economist. Here's what it means for you

  • Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. would likely hit its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling on Thursday.
  • The debt ceiling is the amount of money the U.S. is authorized to borrow to pay its bills. Since the cost of government operations generally exceeds federal tax revenues, the U.S. must raise money by selling Treasury bonds. The government can't do this after hitting the debt ceiling.
  • If the U.S. ultimately can't pay its bills, it will default on its debt. That's only happened once in U.S. history — and seemingly by mistake. Another default would mean likely recession and financial crisis, economists said. 

One might ask why the $1.7 trillion spending package, rammed through Congress without reading and signed into law by President Biden, did not automatically raise the debt ceiling.

I don't get the debt ceiling and the panicked nature that both parties use to shove these monstrosities through Congress at the last possible moment. Threatening dire consequences like a government shutdown or, heaven forbid, a default on our government obligations.

Because, essentially, Congress is fighting to pass the authorization to spend deficit dollars for legislation they have already approved and signed into law.

To me, it seems like this is a total scam designed to screw with the public rather than any serious attempt to implement prudent and fiscally responsible spending. Political brinkmanship and gridlock to gain leverage, rather than as a means of controlling government spending.

If  Members of Congress were honest, and most assuredly this is not the case, they would include the spending approvals -- automatically raising the debt ceiling for the legislation they have already approved and avoiding this last-minute Kabuki theater.

Of course, this would bring unwanted exposure to the necessity, priority, and cost of each program and a real debate over the issues instead of last-minute shenanigans. Shifting the argument from who to blame for this pig with lipstick to why we are wasting high-interest borrowed money on these unnecessary items. 

The way I think about the debt ceiling is that it is a plea to the national credit card company to raise our credit limit after we have bought the merchandise by promising that any debt, no matter how outrageous, will be paid by future taxpayers. This is a position sometimes used to justify providing amnesty to the invading hoard of illegal aliens -- unmindful of the fact that, on balance, they take more in entitlements and other assistance from the government than they return to the government in the form of taxes.

Bottom line...

It appears that the fight over the debt ceiling is a psychological ploy to allow Members of Congress to openly advertise, once more, that they are "doing something" to justify their existence while plundering the treasury to buy votes, donor support, and feathering their own nests.

The debt ceiling is not a viable instrumentality to re-negotiate programs that have already been passed and signed into law. So what's the game? If anyone has a good answer, let me know.

When you hear about the government's need to service the national debt, think about how a bull "services" a cow. Yes, it's the very same process.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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RELABELING RELIABLE INFORMATION AS DISINFORMATION DOES NOT ALTER THE MALEVOLENT INTENT OF THOSE DOING THE LABELING

Stelter

It is hard to believe that any panel comprised of compromised members of the media, a European regulator, and a Democrat have the balls to publicly speak on disinformation,  given their history of distorting the truth on behalf of the globalist regime.

The Clear and Present Danger of Disinformation
How can the public, regulators, and social media companies better collaborate to tackle disinformation, as information pollution spreads at unprecedented speed and scale?

Speakers include:

  • Brian Stelter, Fellow, Media and Democracy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and formerly the disgraced anchor of “Reliable Sources” on CNN – a program so partisan as to ignore the truth and simply repeat progressive communist democrat talking points.

CNN’s Brian Stelter compared the “radicalization” of President Donald Trump’s supporters by the “right-wing media machine” to that of ISIS members.

Stelter made the comments on his Sunday CNN show “Reliable Sources,” during which he blamed conservative media or radicalizing America. Fox News, Newsmax and One America News Network are among the networks responsible, Stelter said – Facebook, he added, harbors some blame as well.

“First, the best word for what is happening in America right now is radicalization. That’s what it is. That’s what this hyped-up, right-wing media machine is doing. That’s why it feels harder to talk about politics with other people,” Stelter began. <Source>

  • Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher, The New York Times, the inheritor of a legacy of lying and false reporting on historical world events such as the Holocaust, the Ukraine massacre, and the blatant reporting of progressive communist democrat propaganda as news while censoring or deceptively editing legitimate news and questioning points of view.

"How does this discussion of disinformation relate to everything else happening here today in Davos?" Stelter asked the panel."If you look at this question of disinformation," Sulzberger replied, "I think it maps basically to every other challenge that we're grappling with as a society, and certainly the most existential among them." 

"What it attacks is trust," he continued, suggesting that a lack of trust will result in the disintegration of society. "People fracture along tribal lines, and that immediately undermines pluralism, and the undermining of pluralism is probably the most dangerous thing that can happen to a democracy."

Sulzberger went on to claim that those who invoke terms such as "fake news" and "enemy of the people" were following in the footsteps of repressive regimes such as Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. [OCS: The New York Times demonstrably gave support to both the Nazi regime and Stalin. They have yet to return the Pulitzer Prize given to NYT correspondent Walter Duranty for his scurrilous reporting.]

He also contended that the information ecosystem had become poisoned to such an extent that it would require years of sustained effort to get things back on track. <Source>

  • Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA), an uber-partisan member of the “Trump is Hitler” club, openly compared the rise of Republican presidential front-runner Donald J. Trump to the election of Adolf Hitler. as he promoted his own candidate whose history was a litany of lies and corruption.  
Democratic Representative Seth Moulton said that Americans are taught that they do not have the right to yell “fire” in a crowded theater during a disinformation panel on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) week-long meeting in Davos, Switzerland, despite constitutional experts debunking the claim.

“This concept of preserving public safety, even under the banner of free speech, is actually something that we’ve accepted for a long time,” Moulton said. “We get taught in grade school the concept of ‘yes, you’re allowed free speech but not crying fire in a crowded theater.'” 

“Representative Moulton makes the typical mistake that most people make in paraphrasing this famous statement by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who said that freedom of speech doesn’t protect falsely shouting fire, causing a life-endangering panic.  But if the theater is on fire, that shout is life-saving! 

This critical distinction underscores that speech may be restricted if – but only if – it directly, imminently causes or threatens some specific serious harm.”“This old canard, a favorite reference of censorship apologists, needs to be retired,” he wrote. “It’s repeatedly and inappropriately used to justify speech limitations. People have been using this cliché as if it had some legal meaning, while First Amendment lawyers roll their eyes.” <Source>    

The panelists claimed that spreading fake news was among the greatest threats facing society, and praised Europe for its strict internet regulations.

The real questions that need to be asked…

(1)  How do we reduce regime-collaborative censorship and cancellation policies to ensure platform neutrality where ideas can be promoted, examined, and debated – while flagging inappropriate content?

(2)  How do we identify and modulate those elite self-serving globalists and progressive communist democrats who exploit real or imagined crises to push their personal, political, and profit agenda?

(3)  How do the legacy and social media regain their credibility after being party to suppressing legitimate warnings about medical information from well-credentialed and experienced professionals that could have challenged a false narrative and perverted science?

Bottom line…

Elitist bullshit as the panelists try to impress other powerful and influential attendees with their brilliance. For those wanting to watch the panel’s presentation, it can be found here.

Notice, they talk about collectivism and rarely about freedom, liberty, and inalienable individual rights that cannot be broached by the government.

We are so screwed when we allow these “elites” to assume control over the levers of power that provide critical information to our nation.

-- Steve.

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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CALIFORNIA: BEYOND SLAVERY -- REPARATIONS FOR DRUG ADDICTS AND PUSHERS

Once again, the progressive communist democrat lunatics in San Francisco are proposing to give away the taxpayer’s hard-earned money to purchase voter support for the Democrat Party.

CA-INSANITY
More Communist class warfare craziness in California…  

San Francisco Reparations Committee Recommends Paying $5 Million to Black Residents, Supplementing Income for 250 Years

A San Francisco advisory committee has recommended paying out hefty reparations to the city’s longtime black residents, including a $5 million payment per qualifying person and a supplemental income to low-income residents for 250 years. The city’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee released a draft report last month claiming that San Francisco’s “international reputation as a shining progressive gem in the west is undermined by its legacy of mistreatment, violence towards, and targeted racism against Black Americans.”

“While neither San Francisco, nor California, formally adopted the institution of chattel slavery, the values of segregation, white supremacy and systematic repression and exclusion of Black people were legally codified and enforced,” the group wrote.

As such, the committee proposed the city make a lump sum payment of $5 million to black residents who are at least 18 and have identified as black or African American on public documents for at least ten years. Residents must also meet at least two of eight other requirements. Among those requirements is that the resident is “personally, or the direct descendant of someone, incarcerated by the failed War on Drugs” or is a “Descendant of someone enslaved through US chattel slavery before 1865.”

[OCS:  Beyond slavery – notice how the progressive communist democrats in California have moved the goalposts beyond slavery – and introduced a new eligibility requirement—someone who is personally or a direct descendant of someone incarcerated by the failed War on Drugs. They seem to disregard that a high proportion of those incarcerated for drugs are likely to have been drug dealers that may have been responsible for the death, suffering, and medical costs of treating their victims. What about reparations for their victims? ]

“A lump sum payment would compensate the affected population for the decades of harms that they have experienced, and will redress the economic and opportunity losses that Black San Franciscans have endured, collectively, as the result of both intentional decisions and unintended harms perpetuated by City policy,” the committee said. The group also suggested that the city supplement lower-income recipients’ incomes to meet the Area Median Income (AMI) of about $97,000, for at least 250 years.

The panel released a lengthy list of recommendations, another of which was to create a “a comprehensive debt forgiveness program” for black residents to cancel student loans, housing loans, and credit card debt in an effort to give “Black households an opportunity to build wealth.”

The report also suggests that the city offer financial compensation for families affected by “education harms” on black students, though it does not include specifics.

[OCS: It seems that the educational harms inflicted by the union-controlled school system should apply to everyone who suffered harm from a corrupt, ineffective school system that deliberately chose indoctrination over education.]

Other proposals include allowing black residents who are eligible for reparations to receive first choice of subsidized rental units and prioritizing “members of San Francisco’s current and past African American communities for employment opportunities, training programs, professional certification, partnerships and contracting.”

[OCS: Affirmative action on steroids! It seems they left out the Black “get out of jail” pass for any Black person who attacks their white oppressor, regardless of age.]

The report suggests the city and county of San Francisco and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development should offer black homeowners grants for home maintenance and repair costs.

The group is set to submit its final proposal in June. <Source>

Just asking…

  • Where is the “fairness” recommendation that only Democrats, the party of slavery, secession, segregation, the fight against civil rights, and their affiliated unions and institutions be responsible for paying any reparations?
  • What penalty should be applied to Black slaveholders and slave masters?
  • Is San Francisco planning to contract the genealogical research necessary to verify the claim status to the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or a Communist Chinese DNA processor?
  • What happens after the cradle-to-grave welfare system fails and turns the City of San Francisco into a ghost town?
  • How long before the whole world demands reparations attributable to American colonialism?
  • Will Blacks be designated as super-citizens?
  • How is this scheme constitutional?
  • Are any Whites, Hispanics, Asians, or conservative Republicans on the Committee?

The inclusive non-racially biased reparations committee…

Committee

To read more about this Committee, visit their website here. African American Reparations Advisory Committee; San Francisco Human Rights Commission; 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94102; [email protected].

Bottom line…

What next? Reparations for the descendants of those who were denied entry into the U.S. or deported? What about Mexican farmworkers? Or Asian railroad workers?

It appears that certain San Franciscans who support this nonsense have been so deeply compromised by smelling shit on their streets every day that they cannot even recognize bullshit when they see or smell it.

We are so screwed when radical progressive communist democrats assume political power and are not individually held responsible for their dystopian and un-American behavior.

-- Steve

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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BILL TO CRIMINALIZE CRITICISM DIRECTED AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR

Jackson-lee

There is no doubt in my mind that Texas Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a progressive communist democrat, is the face of an angry, ignorant, un-American racist grifter pandering to a segment of the population that has a disparate impact on America by committing a level of crime disproportionate to their percentage representation in the general population of the United States.

How else can you explain Jackson Lee’s introduction of proposed legislation that is muddled, incomplete, overly broad, and prima facie unconstitutional? In essence, claiming that any speech attacking a non-White person may be the precursor to a federal crime?

Does Representative Jackson Lee not understand or honor the American tradition of free speech where ideas, even those abhorrent to a particular audience, are protected under the law?

Does Representative Jackson Lee not understand the equal protection clause in the 14th amendment?

XIV Amendment - Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Excerpts from House Resolution 61…

H.R.61 - Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023

To prevent and prosecute white supremacy inspired hate crime and conspiracy to commit white supremacy inspired hate crime and to amend title 18, United States Code, to expand the scope of hate crimes.

SEC. 2. WHITE SUPREMACY INSPIRED HATE CRIME.

(a) In General.—A person engages in a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacy ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.

(b) Conspiracy.—A conspiracy to engage in white supremacy inspired hate crime shall be determined to exist—

(1) between two or more persons engaged in the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of a white supremacy inspired hate crime; or

(2) between two or more persons—

(A) at least one of whom engaged in the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of a white supremacy inspired hate crime; and

(B) at least one of whom published material advancing white supremacy, white supremacist ideology, antagonism based on “replacement theory”, or hate speech that vilifies or is otherwise directed against any non-White person or group, and such published material—

(i) was published on a social media platform or by other means of publication with the likelihood that it would be viewed by persons who are predisposed to engaging in any action in furtherance of a white supremacy inspired hate crime, or who are susceptible to being encouraged to engage in actions in furtherance of a white supremacy inspired hate crime;

(ii) could, as determined by a reasonable person, motivate actions by a person predisposed to engaging in a white supremacy inspired hate crime or by a person who is susceptible to being encouraged to engage in actions relating to a white supremacy inspired hate crime; and

(iii) was read, heard, or viewed by a person who engaged in the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of a white supremacy inspired hate crime.

SEC. 3. CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

Section 249(a)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—

(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by inserting after “race, color, religion, or national origin of any person” the following:, “or because of a white supremacy based motivation against any person”; and

(2) in subparagraph (B)—

(A) in clause (i), by striking “or” at the end;

(B) in clause (ii), by striking the period and inserting “; or”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following: “(iii) the offense was in furtherance of a white supremacy based motivation.”.

<Bill Source>

Just asking…

How does Texas Representative Sheila Jackson Lee justify her membership and participation in the Democrat Party when it was the Democrats who gave us Slavery, Secession, and Segregation and fought against civil rights legislation for Blacks? Or her membership and participation in the Congressional Black Caucus, whose radical anti-White, anti-America, anti-Semitic members have extensive ties to several major Marxist organizations?

I wonder how Jackson Lee would respond to the scientific fact that White is not only a color but the most inclusive color because it is the presence and reflectance of ALL colors. In contrast, Black is the absence of reflectance of any color. A racist statement that should be criminalized if published?

Bottom line…

I am deeply offended that a Member of the House of Representatives would violate their Oath of Office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that to bear true faith and allegiance to the same – to promote this overly-broad, vaguely-worded, unconstitutional racist garbage.

What kind of nation would we live in if someone spoke out against the corrupt Communist front group known as Black Lives Matter and was criminally prosecuted for their actions if some random second person decided to take action against the group or its individual members?

Where is the federal prosecution of Black rioters who caused a loss of lives and more than $2 billion in public and property damage – with similar treatment to the January 6 rioters?

We are so screwed.

-- Steve

P.S. Jackson Lee is not ill-educated: She earned a BA in political science from Yale University in 1972 and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975.

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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AND THEN WHAT?

FTC-1

The Federal Trade Commission has proposed a ban on noncompete agreements, viewing such agreements as unfair methods of competition. 

The Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule that would ban employers from imposing noncompetes on their workers, a widespread and often exploitative practice that suppresses wages, hampers innovation, and blocks entrepreneurs from starting new businesses. By stopping this practice, the agency estimates that the new proposed rule could increase wages by nearly $300 billion per year and expand career opportunities for about 30 million Americans.

The FTC is seeking public comment on the proposed rule, which is based on a preliminary finding that noncompetes constitute an unfair method of competition and therefore violate Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

“The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy,” said Chair Lina M. Khan. “Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand. By ending this practice, the FTC’s proposed rule would promote greater dynamism, innovation, and healthy competition.”

“Research shows that employers’ use of noncompetes to restrict workers’ mobility significantly suppresses workers’ wages—even for those not subject to noncompetes, or subject to noncompetes that are unenforceable under state law," said Elizabeth Wilkins, Director of the Office of Policy Planning. “The proposed rule would ensure that employers can’t exploit their outsized bargaining power to limit workers’ opportunities and stifle competition.”

The evidence shows that noncompete clauses also hinder innovation and business dynamism in multiple ways—from preventing would-be entrepreneurs from forming competing businesses, to inhibiting workers from bringing innovative ideas to new companies. This ultimately harms consumers; in markets with fewer new entrants and greater concentration, consumers can face higher prices—as seen in the health care sector. <Source>

Purpose…

A non-compete agreement is a legal contract between an employer and an employee in which the employee agrees not to work for a competitor of the employer for a certain period of time following the end of their employment. The purpose of a non-compete agreement is to protect the employer's business interests, such as trade secrets, client relationships, and confidential information, by preventing the employee from using that information to benefit a competing business.

Advantages…

There are several advantages of non-compete agreements:

  1. They can protect a company's confidential information, such as trade secrets and client lists, from being used by a former employee to benefit a competitor.

  2. They can prevent employees from using their knowledge and expertise gained while working for a company to start a competing business.

  3. They can provide a company with a competitive advantage by limiting the ability of former employees to work for competitors.

  4. They can help to ensure that employees do not take advantage of the training and resources provided by a company, and then leave to work for a competitor.

  5. They can serve as a deterrent for employees who may be considering leaving a company to work for a competitor, as they will know that they will be restricted from doing so for a certain period of time.

  6. They can be included as a clause in an employment contract or in a separate document, which can provide a legal framework for action in case of violation.

Disadvantages…

There are several disadvantages of non-compete agreements:

  1. They may limit an employee's ability to find work in their field of expertise, which can be detrimental to their career and earning potential.

  2. They can also restrict competition in a given market, which can limit consumer choice and stifle innovation.

  3. They may be difficult to enforce, especially if the employee is not provided with compensation or other benefits in exchange for signing the agreement, or if the agreement is overly restrictive.

  4. They may deter talented individuals from working for a company or cause existing employees to leave.

  5. They can be challenged in court, and if found to be overly broad or not reasonable, may not be enforced by the court.

  6. Some states may have laws that restrict the use of non-compete agreements, and if an agreement is found to be in violation of such laws, it may be unenforceable.

And then what?

Unfortunately, most government agencies promulgate rules and regulations, enforced by costly penalties, that come with unintended consequences, many of which are glossed over or ignored by bureaucrats.

There is no question that noncompetes can limit an individual's ability to use their skills and knowledge to earn a living, which is considered a property right. But what protects the company that has invested a considerable amount of time and effort training an employee in a highly marketable skill only to see them jump ship and apply that costly expertise to a competitor’s benefit?

A recent example …

An experienced machinist, highly competent in manual and semi-manual machining methods is sent through an expensive and time-consuming series of software and hardware courses that allow the machinist to create engineering-level drawings for new and existing products and then process those drawings into the intricate instructions used to drive complex numerically-controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, and other tools – followed by a costly process of gaining operational experience using different toolsets and feedstocks. 

What keeps that individual from using that specific knowledge from joining a direct competitor, allowing it to immediately jump the learning curve and avoid employee training expenses?

Bottom line…

At risk are the federal usurpation of 47 state laws and the nullification of an estimated 30 million non-compete contracts.

The FTC acknowledges the rule would reduce capital investment, worker training, and possibly job growth while increasing the wage gap.

What gives the Federal Trade Commission the statutory authority to alter state laws and to promulgate agency rules that have “vast economic and political significance?" Clearly, questions of employment are decisions for Congress. 

While I take no position for or against specific industry noncompete agreements, especially in the personal services industry, I must ask a few questions.

  • Will this rule usurp Congressional powers and abrogate states' rights?
  • Will this FTC rule have significant unintended consequences and disrupt the labor market during economic fragility?
  • Might some of these knowledgeable and highly-skilled employees be enticed away from critical positions in the defense industry or other essential areas to serve our enemies operating U.S.-based front groups?

Considering the politicization of government agencies and the preponderance of amoral partisan lawyers with few core values, I suggest we are about to be, once again, screwed by a federal agency power grab.

-- Steve

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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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PROGRESSIVE ART SUCKS AS MUCH AS THEIR IDEOLOGY

EMBRACE-WORK [I do not believe the word "radically" was a mistake, and they intended to use the word "racially."]

Once again, I am convinced that progressive communist democrats have a vested interest in creating meaningless ugly public art to allow the creation of the fashionable narrative of the day.

Here we find a $9.5 million 20-foot-high bronze sculpture called "The Embrace" being unveiled in the Boston, Massachusetts Commons to commemorate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, It is said to be one of the country’s largest public memorials dedicated to racial equity. The statute is said to represent four intertwined arms, a symbolic representation of the embrace between MLK and his wife, Coretta Scott King when they learned he had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Ironic because Martin Luther King wanted a color-blind society where individuals were judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. A one hundred and eighty-degree divergence from the progressive communist democrat social justice warriors and their Critical Race Theory, which is all about color over character. I dare say that MLK would be appalled to find that Blacks were actively taught that they are victims and oppressed by systemic whiteness.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

What I see is another race-based progressive communist democrat front group doing what they do best: organizing, fundraising, and advancing identity politics and class warfare.

T-1 T-2

Bottom line…

I find it abhorrent that any group that promotes racism and exacerbates racial tensions in America should be allowed to mask its true agenda without comment and criticism. The only structural racism I see is in the Black community, where profiting from racial politics is more profitable for those selling collectivized snake oil than promoting individualism and responsibility for one's actions.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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

| Comments (0)

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