Secret Service Takes 'Full Responsibility' For Assassination Attempt On Trump
Secret Service Takes 'Full Responsibility' For Assassination Attempt On Trump
(emphasis ours),
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said on Friday the agency takes full responsibility for the tragic events at former President Donald Trump’s rally last month, pledging changes such as flying drones.
“This was a mission failure,” https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/secret-service-director-agency-takes-full-responsibility-for-trump-assassination-attempt-vows-changes-5698792
Rowe at a press conference in Washington.
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Rowe replaced Kimberly Cheatle as director of the Secret Service amid intense scrutiny after she resigned in the wake of the attempted assassination of Trump, which saw one rallygoer killed and two more injured in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was struck at the tip of his ear by a bullet fired by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks while he spoke at a campaign rally. Crooks, who fired several bullets, was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
But agents should have had eyes on the roofs and other vantage points, Rowe said. And despite offers by local enforcement to fly drones, the Secret Service didn’t put one up.
That will change, Rowe said.
“We thought we might have had it covered with the human eye,” he said. “But clearly we are going to change our approach now, and we are going to leverage technology and put those unmanned aerial systems up.”
“We did not have a drone on site. We did not put a drone up. Based on the information I have right now, I am aware that there was a request from a local agency to offer to fly a drone on that day. And that is also part of the mission assurance review that I’ve asked to get some better insight in,” Rowe added.
Rowe said that the Secret Service also failed to communicate with local law enforcement over the radio at the rally. He said that the agency “fell short” of their responsibility to ensure Trump’s safety. “I’m working to make sure that this failure does not happen again,” he said.
Local police had identified Crooks as a suspect over an hour before the incident, but the Secret Service failed to secure the warehouse he fired from, which local police couldn’t cover.
Congress, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, and an independent review directed by President Joe Biden have been launched into the assassination attempt.
The Secret Service’s own Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting a mission assurance review. Rowe said disciplinary action would be taken if necessary, and procedures would be changed.
There should have been more of a physical law enforcement presence on site, Rowe said, given how close the building used by the shooter was to the stage where Trump spoke. If no law enforcement presence on the roof, there should have been “better security” preventing someone from getting up there, he said.
“That building was very close to that outer perimeter and we should have had more of a presence,” he said.
It’s hoped that a larger physical presence of law enforcement on site will deter future attempts.
“We want to deter people from even thinking about doing something like this again,” Rowe said.
Rowe also commended the bravery of the Secret Service agents who responded during the assassination attempt, noting their swift action to shield Trump’s body with their own “within three seconds of bullets ringing out in an unflinching act of bravery.”
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Sun, 08/04/2024 - 18:40
Charting The Percentage Of (Real) Women Competing At The Olympic Games (1896–2024)
Charting The Percentage Of (Real) Women Competing At The Olympic Games (1896–2024)
For the first time ever, an Olympic Games has achieved gender equality. Half of all competing athletes at Paris 2024 are women. But how did we get here?
This chart, https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-percentage-women-competing-olympic-games/
, tracks the share of male and female athletes participating through the Olympic Games over the years.
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Data is sourced from the International Olympic Committee (https://olympics.com/ioc/gender-equality/gender-equality-through-time
) as of 2024.
The Long Road to Olympic Equality
Paris 2024’s achievement comes more than a century after women were first allowed to participate in the games, as it happens, in Paris 1900.
Summer Olympic Games
% Share of Female Athletes
% Share of Male Athletes
1896
0
100
1900
2
98
1904
1
99
1908
2
98
1912
2
98
1920
3
98
1924
4
96
1928
10
90
1932
10
91
1936
8
92
1948
10
91
1952
11
90
1956
13
87
1960
11
89
1964
13
87
1968
14
86
1972
15
85
1976
21
79
1980
22
79
1984
23
77
1988
26
74
1992
29
71
1996
34
66
2000
38
62
2004
42
58
2008
42
58
2012
44
56
2016
46
54
2020
48
52
2024
50
50
Note: Figures rounded.
Back then, only 22 women took part in five sports: tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrian, and golf. They represented roughly 2% of the entire competition. Hélène de Pourtalès, a sailor representing Switzerland, became the first woman Olympic champion.
Since then women’s participation has ticked up slowly. It took until halfway through the 20th century to reach 10%, and then another three decades to cross 20%.
However, in the last four decades especially, the IOC has made a concerted effort to boost women’s participation. In 1976 for example, women were allowed to compete in three new sports: basketball, handball, and rowing. And then in 1991, the IOC mandated that new sports introduced to the Games had to have at least one event for women.
Aside from opening up eligibilities, the IOC also set quotas for National Olympic Committees to meet, and created mixed-gender events.
Beyond just the competition however, women are still underrepresented on the coaching and refereeing side. For example only five sports (tennis, triathlon, canoeing, sailing, and hockey) have achieved gender parity in their judges.
If you enjoyed this article check out https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-cost-of-hosting-the-olympics/
which traces how much countries spent on the event, all the way from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
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Sun, 08/04/2024 - 07:35
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/charting-percentage-real-women-competing-olympic-games-1896-2024
New York State Supreme Court Blocks NYC Mayor Adams' Attempt To Pause Migrant Arrivals
New York State Supreme Court Blocks NYC Mayor Adams' Attempt To Pause Migrant Arrivals
The New York State Supreme Court has denied New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s request for a preliminary injunction against busing illegal immigrants from Texas to the city.
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Adams, who faces https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/new-york-city-comptroller-announces-2025-run-against-mayor-adams-5696627
against 17 charter bus companies in January.
His goal was to stop the companies from busing migrants, many of them undocumented, from communities in Texas to New York. The mayor cited Social Services Law 149, which stipulates that any person “who knowingly brings, or causes to be brought, a needy person from out of state into this state for the purpose of making him a public charge” has an obligation “to convey such person out of state or support him at his own expense.”
But in her nine-page July 29 https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2024/2024-ny-slip-op-32594-u.html
, Judge Mary V. Rosado found that the lawsuit was “unconstitutional.”
The judge found that the matter was similar to a 1941 Supreme Court case, Edwards v. California, in which the Supreme Court found that an “essentially identical” law in California was unconstitutional for violating the Interstate Commerce Clause.
She cited the ruling, saying, “The Court finds that it cannot grant the ... request for injunctive relief as the merits of [the] claim are dubious at best given myriad constitutional concerns.”
The state supreme court’s ruling is a setback for the Adams administration, whose legal moves had succeeded in getting one bus company, Roadrunner Charters Inc., to enter into an https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000018e-5ccc-d978-a7af-ffef13690000
to pause busing migrants to the city until the court reached a decision. Now, Roadrunner Charters and other bus services are free to continue transporting migrants to New York.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott quickly responded to the ruling on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “Another WIN! ... Until the Biden-Harris Administration secures the border, Texas will continue to send migrants to sanctuary cities.”
Adams’s position was that dropping thousands of people in New York strained social services and the amount of available shelter space past the limit, costing more than $700 million. In a similar spirit to the busing lawsuit, the mayor has sought to enforce a 60-day limit on shelter space for asylum seekers in the city.
In the past two years alone, a reported 205,000 migrants have https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2024/06/following-asylum-seeker-odyssey/382850/#:~:text=More%20than%20205%2C000%20migrants%20have,countries%20in%20Africa%20and%20China.
in the city, straining existing social services and prompting the Adams administration to set up more than 200 emergency shelter sites.
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), which filed an amicus brief in the case, argued that people have a right to come to New York regardless of their immigration status or whether they are self-sufficient and that the injunction Mayor Adams sought was unconstitutional.
“The court has rightly rejected the city’s cruel attempt to limit newly arrived immigrants from traveling to and making a home here in New York City. Everyone, whether or not they are a citizen and no matter their resources, has the right to travel and reside anywhere within the United States—including Texas and New York,” Beth Haroules, a senior staff attorney at the NYCLU, said in a statement.
“New Yorkers deserve better than xenophobia and discrimination masquerading as policy,” she continued, adding that the NYCLU looks forward to the court’s full dismissal of the mayor’s case.
Challenge
The mayor’s stance on migration has put him at odds with not only the NYCLU but also other figures in city government, including Lander.
In recent months, the mayor’s rival in the coming primary election has made efforts to publicize what the comptroller believes are unduly harsh policies toward migrants.
the findings of an investigation into the mayor’s 60-day shelter limit for families seeking asylum. The comptroller’s office criticized the “haphazard” enforcement of the limit.
The investigation found that, as of April 28, the Adams administration had issued 60-day notices to a total of 10,229 families with children. Altogether, it affected 19,497 adults and 18,149 children.
The investigation found that the city did not provide clear and consistent guidelines and written notices to the people affected. In theory, families with newborns and pregnant women in their final trimester before giving birth were exempt from the limit, but the comptroller’s office charged that staff and contractors never received written instructions to this effect.
Moreover, the investigation said that the city “specifically discriminated” against families with elementary-school-age children in making shelter placements. It added that the city subjected 37,000 people to repetitive screenings for alternatives to shelters, the investigation found.
But Adams, whose administration has https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/exclusive-nyc-agency-struggles-to-cope-with-drastic-influx-of-asylum-seekers-urges-staff-to-work-overtime-leaked-email-shows-4638651
to find accommodations for the massive influx, has said the city is faced with a serious crisis.
During a town hall-style meeting in Manhattan in September 2023, the mayor described a crisis that surpassed anything he had seen in his career in public service.
“Let me tell you something, New Yorkers, never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to—I don’t see an ending to this,” the mayor said.
“This issue will destroy New York City,” he added.
Neither the mayor’s office nor the NYCLU responded by publication time to a request for comment.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 08/03/2024 - 14:00
"Relief Is Coming" To US After Summer Of Heat Waves
"Relief Is Coming" To US After Summer Of Heat Waves
About a week ago, we penned a note saying how 'https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/peak-summer-arrives-maximum-climate-fear-msm
Also, these alarmists usually cite temperature data several decades back or half a century back, failing to provide the big picture...
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Peak summer brings with it another scorcher on Thursday.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue posted on X, "2/3 of the Lower 48 by area will be at least 90°F today. About 250 million population, which is about 70%."
Maue pointed out some good news:
"No surprise -- first day of August can be hot in middle summer. But we're about to turn the corner on the extreme heat -- relief is coming from Canada."
2/3 of the Lower 48 by area will be at least 90°F today.
About 250 million population, which is about 70%
No surprise -- first day of August can be hot in middle summer. But we're about to turn the corner on the extreme heat -- relief is coming from Canada. https://t.co/WwgIe7C3Ja
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/1819053004626038938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Peak summer occurred in mid-July for the Lower 48. From here, temperatures should be less extreme, with cooler nights where you can open the doors and windows at night and save on HVAC costs.
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The NWS Weather Prediction Center also noted on X that "significant relief early next week" is coming to the Northern Plains and a "cooldown" for the Northeast.
🌡️ Major heat is expected to continue in the Northern & Central Plains, & the Southeast into the weekend. The Northern Plains is then forecast to experience significant relief early next week. Portions of the Northeast will also experience a cooldown, compared to previous weeks. https://t.co/PfmDKmRkZ5
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1819059814695424151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Great news, relief is coming.
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Fri, 08/02/2024 - 06:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/relief-coming-us-after-summer-heatwaves
Debate Erupts About Banning G-String Bikinis From Australian Waterparks
Debate Erupts About Banning G-String Bikinis From Australian Waterparks
In what can only be described as a pronounced step away from unifying an already divided world, thousands of people in Australia are calling for a ban on G-string bikinis in waterparks around the nation.
The clothing is being called “offensive” and “too revealing”, according to https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-trends/too-revealing-aussies-rage-over-gstring-bikini-photo/news-story/9e3b6deff4874726b609b8935e6a5f4e
.
Some people dislike the look so much they have called on local authorities to ban it. And the argument has spawned a Facebook group in Australia called “Should G-string bikinis be banned in water parks?”, the report says.
The group was accompanied by the following photo of the woman in the pink bikini:
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that the poll asked Australians to vote on a G-string ban by giving a thumbs up for "yes" or a laughing face emoji for "no." Over 7000 people voted, with the majority opposing the ban.
“What kids have see at the beach and theme parks, at such young ages, these days is ridiculous,” one user wrote.
Another added: “I’m female and I find it uncomfortable to see to be honest” while a man chimed in stating “It’s extremely inappropriate around little children."
“Isn’t it supposed to be nice, to leave something to the imagination? Those bikinis expose way too much of a sexual nature, and are too revealing,” another poll participant commented, the https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-trends/too-revealing-aussies-rage-over-gstring-bikini-photo/news-story/9e3b6deff4874726b609b8935e6a5f4e
says.
But it wasn't all anti G-string sentiment, with some clearer minds popping up in the polling. One woman stated: “We are Australia. Wear what you want. Other countries in the world have very strict laws which govern what people (inclusively females) can wear. We are better than that.”
“If your partner is ogling at the bum – that’s a problem with your partner, not the bum,” another said.
Finally, one user summed it up: “Couldn’t care less, we should all just wear whatever we want, and remember how lucky we are to live in a free country.”
Let freedom ring.
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Thu, 08/01/2024 - 17:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/debate-erupts-about-banning-g-string-bikinis-australian-waterparks
"This Is Unjust!" Female Boxer Quits Olympic Match, Melts Down In Tears After Biological Male Brutalizes Her In 46 Seconds
"This Is Unjust!" Female Boxer Quits Olympic Match, Melts Down In Tears After Biological Male Brutalizes Her In 46 Seconds
Feminists are once again silent after a female boxer was destroyed in 46 seconds by a biological male masquerading as a woman in an Olympic matchup.
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After just 46 seconds and two massive shots to the head, Italy's Angela Carini threw her helmet onto the mat and abandoned the bout against Algerian tranny Imane Khelif, shouting "This is unjust!"
A couple of punches to the head and it’s all over. /2 https://t.co/6egSrRj51s
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) https://twitter.com/fairplaywomen/status/1818961378780094862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The 25-year-old Carini, and Italian police officer, refused to shake hands with Khelif - who was https://www.iba.sport/news/statement-made-by-the-international-boxing-association-regarding-athletes-disqualifications-in-world-boxing-championships-2023/
from competition by the International Boxing Association after failing testosterone tests to establish gender qualification.
After the Olympic match was stopped, the referee raised Khelif's hand in the air, while a visibly furious Carini yanked her hand away from the official and stormed off, the https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13697397/Boxer-Imane-Khelif-cleared-compete-Olympics-despite-deemed-biologically-male-leaves-Italian-opponent-tears-fight-abandoned.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_mailonline
reports. She then dropped to her knees and burst into tears, saying she had never felt such strong blows in a match.
IOC allowed this male boxer to fight a woman. He won. Fight abandoned after 46s /4 https://t.co/YwUfZQ6ssb
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) https://twitter.com/fairplaywomen/status/1818964232831967398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"I'm used to suffering. I've never taken a punch like that, it's impossible to continue. I'm nobody to say it's illegal," she said after the match.
This is the power punch to the head that finished the match. https://t.co/ssJqe20dza
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) https://twitter.com/fairplaywomen/status/1818975995556167884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“I have never been hit so hard in my life. It’s up to the IOC to judge.”
Italy’s Angela Carini after lasting just 46 seconds against Algeria’s intersex athlete Imane Khelif.
Biological firestorm at Paris Olympics. https://t.co/BQRTF9Dc3m
— Pete Badel (@badel_cmail) https://twitter.com/badel_cmail/status/1818964680498393549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"I got into the ring to fight. But I didn't feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn't give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I'm leaving with my head held high."
Following the match, Carini spoke with the press where she was clearly distraught.
She said she did not walk away from the fight as a protest against her opponent's inclusion, but that was a decision for the Olympics to consider.
She was taken away for medical assessment to examine the seriousness of her facial injuries which included a bruised nose.
Carini's coach in the mix zone after the fight said: 'I don't know if her nose is broken. I have to speak with the girl. But many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: 'Don't go please: it's a man, it's dangerous for you.' -Daily Mail
Now, the IOC faces a harsh backlash - including UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, who wrote on X: " When will this madness stop? Men cannot become women. Why is the British Government not objecting to this?"
JK Rowling also chimed in, https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1818289917421629841
: "What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?"
My reaction was yours.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1818983414030082254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Absolutely https://t.co/twccUEOW9e
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1818986936310075743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
If anyone knows Angela Carini, or has a route to her - please reach out. What she's experienced is a public mugging. Her safety, her very humanity, have been treated with contempt. She will be feeling angry, humiliated, despairing. I would love to be in touch with her. DMs open
— Helen Joyce (@HJoyceGender) https://twitter.com/HJoyceGender/status/1818980241781448963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Olympics did the South Park meme https://t.co/vddHXQUuHW
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1818988924045246909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
And remember...
The people who support this are calling the people who don't "weird." https://t.co/jDM7YeWGcD
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1818991220271800802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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Thu, 08/01/2024 - 08:45
Arizona State Senator Claims "Political Persecution" After Ticketed Doing 71 MPH In A 35 MPH Zone
Arizona State Senator Claims "Political Persecution" After Ticketed Doing 71 MPH In A 35 MPH Zone
After being caught driving 71 in a 35 mph zone, Arizona State Senator Justine Wadsack is claiming she is the victim of "political persecution".
As a result, she's refusing the sign the citation, https://jalopnik.com/state-senator-claims-political-persecution-after-being-1851603506
, citing the Tucson Sentinel.
According to the report, in Arizona, driving 20 mph or more over the speed limit is a Class 3 misdemeanor. The penalties include up to 30 days in jail, up to a year of probation, a $500 fine, and three points on your license.
And in further proof our politicians get too much leeway, the incident occurred in March, but Wadsack wasn't ticketed due to her legislative immunity. Legislators can be charged after the session ends, which this year was on June 15.
At that point, when the Tucson PD tried to have her sign the citation, and officer said she “immediately became defensive and argued that she was in fact not speeding."
The officer continued: "I explained that there was probable cause to issue her a citation for criminal speeding and that she could present her arguments to the judge; however, she refused to meet to sign the citation and said she would not accept it."
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She was “also was upset that she was being cited several months after the fact and I explained that was due to the legislative session was ongoing at the time of the traffic stop (thus legislative immunity to be issued a ticket on March 15) however it did not prevent her from receiving a ticket once the legislative session adjourned.”
Then, she demanded to speak with the manager with the chief of police and claimed “political persecution”.
City attorney Mike Rankin commented: “Citing someone - Ms. Wadsack or anyone else - for putting other people in danger by driving at speeds more than 20 miles per hour above the posted speed limit within city limits is not ‘persecution.’ It is prosecution.”
When asked why she was driving more than twice the speed limit, Wadsack claimed she was rushing home because her 2015 Tesla Model S had a low battery.
This excuse is illogical, as electric vehicles are less efficient at high speeds. Even if she had a more plausible reason, like needing a restroom, she was still caught driving 36 mph over the limit. This behavior is reckless and dangerous, the report said, especially near the University of Arizona, where pedestrians are common.
Additionally, Wadsack's claimed residence raises questions. She and her husband own a home outside the district she represents. She listed an apartment in the district when running for office but now allegedly lives in a different apartment.
When stopped, she was about 10 blocks from her house, 17 miles from one apartment, and 19 miles from the other.
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Fri, 07/26/2024 - 18:00
Judge Rejects Disney's Bid To Toss Gina Carano's Lawsuit
Judge Rejects Disney's Bid To Toss Gina Carano's Lawsuit
Disney must face a discrimination lawsuit brought by actress Gina Carano, whom it fired from “The Mandalorian” in 2021, a federal judge ruled on July 24.
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Disney terminated Ms. Carano after she posted on social media, including a post supportive of conservatives, and a quote from an executive saying “she didn’t align with company values.” That termination constituted illegal discrimination, Ms. Carano said https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/gina-carano-sues-disney-over-the-mandalorian-firing-with-funding-by-elon-musk-5582008
, pointing to California law that prohibits employers from preventing employees from engaging in politics.
Disney asked the federal court in central California to dismiss the legal action. Company lawyers said the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment “means that a state cannot force an employer engaged in speech to speak through an employee whose own views or public profile could compromise the employer’s own message, even if the employee does not express her views on the job.”
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett rejected Disney’s arguments. Under U.S. Supreme Court precedent, for the First Amendment to protect organizations in cases such as the one brought by Ms. Carano, judges must determine if the organization engages in protected association, or joining with others to promote certain views.
“Although defendants indisputably engage in expressive activity—including, but certainly not limited to, producing and disseminating The Mandalorian—they have failed to establish that they engage in expressive association,” Judge Garnett wrote in her 23-page https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24999410-ruling-in-gina-carano-case
.
“Furthermore, at this stage in the litigation, the court cannot conclude, as defendants urge it to, that plaintiff’s continued employment by defendants would inhibit or intrude upon defendants’ rights to expressive association.”
The Supreme Court in a previous ruling, cited by Disney, ruled that the Boy Scouts did not have to hire an openly gay man as an assistant scoutmaster despite a New Jersey law against discrimination because the scouts aimed to instill values in its members including that homosexuality is not moral.
In another Supreme Court ruling, also raised by Disney, justices turned down an attempt by the United States Jaycees group to exclude females from becoming members, because, the group said, Minnesota anti-discrimination law requiring the nonprofit to allow female members would burden male members’ freedom of expressive association.
Unlike the Boy Scouts and Jaycees, Disney is not a members-only, nonprofit, the judge said.
Then-Disney CEO Bob Iger said after firing Ms. Carano that she did not align with Disney’s values, including “values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity, and values of inclusion.”
Disney and other defendants, though, “have not identified any evidence—in the complaint or otherwise—to substantiate a claim that they employ public-facing actors for the purpose of promoting the ‘values of respect,’ ‘decency,’ ‘integrity,’ or ‘inclusion,'” the judge said.
Even if Disney proved that employing actors was a form of expressive association, Ms. Carano has plausibly alleged that defendants fired her to distract from criticisms of Disney’s business dealings in China, according to the judge. In cases where two alternative explanations, both of which are plausible, are offered, then motions to dismiss cases are rejected under court precedent.
Ms. Carano filed an internal email that was inadvertently sent to her that showed Disney officials initially discussing criticism of the company for doing business with China before transitioning to how some social media users were calling for Disney to oust the actress.
A lawyer representing Disney and the other defendants, Lucasfilm and Huckleberry Industries, did not return a request for comment.
Ms. Carano https://x.com/ginacarano/status/1816294920782766403
on the social media platform X that she was moved to tears after learning of the ruling.
“After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity,” she wrote.
“What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward. Let it stop here.”
“the court DENIES defendants motion.”
I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity.
What happened to me was… https://t.co/q7r3MLhCEr
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1816294920782766403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ms. Carano also thanked Elon Musk’s, X’s owner, who helped fund the lawsuit.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Thu, 07/25/2024 - 19:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/judge-rejects-disneys-bid-toss-gina-caranos-lawsuit
Rosie The Riveter Is Back. New Ad Campaign Entices Gen-Zers To Quit Gig Economy For Welding Career
Rosie The Riveter Is Back. New Ad Campaign Entices Gen-Zers To Quit Gig Economy For Welding Career
We've all heard the liberating stories about the 'gig economy'—breaking free from nine-to-five jobs and offering flexibility.
For many Americans, it sounded super enticing. However, once in the gig economy, the reality is very different. The pay is often horrendous, and there's no work-life balance while ferrying people around town as an Uber or Lyft driver or delivering food for DoorDash.
The BlueForge Alliance, a nonprofit integrator supporting the United States Navy's Submarine Industrial Base, has kicked off a campaign with a new ad for youngsters, explaining their future is not an Uber driver but, in fact, helping to build America's next fleet of naval ships - in a stable job environment.
"The campaign seeks to reach a younger audience of next-generation talent who may be unaware of the substantial opportunities for stable and impactful careers in maritime manufacturing," BlueForge Alliance wrote in a https://www.blueforgealliance.us/news/blueforge-alliance-promotes-careers-built-to-last-with-a-modernized-classic-american-icon
earlier this month.
The ad campaign for millennials and Gen Zers will lead them to the "CareersBuiltToLast.com" website, which highlights well-paying, high-tech, high-ceiling manufacturing jobs. This is undoubtedly enticing for youngsters, some of whom have been financially paralyzed by elevated inflation and high interest rates—thanks to failed Bidenomics.
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"Many people across America aren't aware of the huge opportunities for careers in maritime manufacturing," said James Rowe, Managing Director at adam&eveDDB New York.
Rowe said, "The gig economy has created a transitory workforce, and we wanted to demonstrate that there are incredible long-term career opportunities across American manufacturing."
He continued: "Bringing an icon like Rosie the Riveter into 2024 felt like a unique way to connect with a new generation and make them aware of the prospects that a career in manufacturing has to offer."
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For the American blue-collar worker, who has been crushed by de-industrial trends over the last three decades, there is hope that re-shoring trends, beginning with former President Trump and continuing with President Biden, will eventually lead to high-paying jobs once again that can rebuild the middle class.
Television host Mike Rowe would likely be proud of these manufacturing jobs.
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Thu, 07/25/2024 - 06:55
Federal Judge Rejects Challenge To Chicago Ban On Gun Laser-Sights
Federal Judge Rejects Challenge To Chicago Ban On Gun Laser-Sights
Laser sights for guns are not protected by the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, a federal judge ruled on July 22, upholding the city of Chicago’s ban on the sights.
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Firearms are effective weapons without laser sights attached “and thus a laser sight ‘is not a weapon protected by the Second Amendment’” but is instead an accessory unnecessary to operate firearms, U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24946739-ruling-in-chicago-laser-sight-ban-case
, quoting a ruling in a separate case.
The organization Second Amendment Arms launched a legal challenge in 2010 against Chicago’s ban, which was imposed in 1999. The group said the laser sight ban violated the Second Amendment rights of its members and other law-abiding citizens.
Judge Kocoras said he analyzed the ban in light of the U.S. Supreme Court https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/supreme-court-strikes-down-new-yorks-unconstitutional-concealed-carry-gun-law-4553435
in 2022 that found governments that impose gun regulations must show the regulations are consistent with America’s historical tradition of gun restrictions.
Before looking at the history of restrictions, though, the decision guided courts to first decide whether the Second Amendment covers conduct restricted by a challenged regulation. The conduct must involve items “properly characterized as arms.”
Plaintiffs had argued that the laser sights are covered by the Second Amendment. The sights “are protected by the Second Amendment, as a modern version of something that has been a part of safe firearm usage for hundreds of years, i.e., firearm sights,” they said in a brief.
Chicago officials had told the court that “laser sights are not ‘arms’ within the meaning of the plain text of the Second Amendment, but are, rather, mere firearm accessories.”
Judge Kocoras said the plaintiffs did not meet the burden of showing laser sights are protected by the amendment. That included a failure to differentiate them from silencers, which were previously ruled to fall outside the amendment’s protection.
“Laser sights are neither firearms themselves nor necessary to the operation of a firearm, and are merely unprotected firearm accessories,” the judge said.
The ruling also dismissed attempts from Second Amendment Arms and others to obtain damages from an ordinance that banned many sales of firearms in Chicago until a judge declared it in violation of the Constitution in 2014.
The ruling came on the same day that Chicago announced it was dismissing a lawsuit it had brought against gun manufacturer Glock in March.
The suit had said the company was improperly selling firearms that could easily be converted into machine guns.
The notice of voluntary dismissal, filed with the federal court in northern Illinois, did not explain why the city was dropping the case.
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Tue, 07/23/2024 - 20:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/federal-judge-rejects-challenge-chicago-ban-gun-laser-sights
Globalist "Guru" Claims Trump's Re-Election Will Mean 'The Death Of Global Order'
Globalist "Guru" Claims Trump's Re-Election Will Mean 'The Death Of Global Order'
https://alt-market.us/globalist-guru-claims-trumps-re-election-will-mean-the-death-of-global-order/
Yuval Harari is best known as a globalist “philosopher” or “guru” closely tied to the World Economic Forum. He is infamous for his Ted Talks and summit speeches declaring the coming abandonment of personal individualism and independence while elevating AI as the harbinger of a new technological religion. He joyously preaches about the fusion of AI technology with the human body to give certain elitist groups the power of “gods.” His notions of the supposedly infinite abilities of algorithms to influence culture and politics are so overblown they enter into the realm of children’s fantasy.
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I mention Harari often in my work because I believe he is a kind of litmus test for the true intentions of globalists. He’s a lot like Henry Kissinger in his New World Order zealotry – He has a hard time keeping his mouth shut about the greater agenda and this works to our advantage. If you really want to know what the elites plans are, look up past discussions by true believers like Harari. When they start preaching their dark gospel they can barely control themselves.
Harari’s writings are replete with calls for digital authoritarianism and global government. I examined his power-obsessed philosphy and his moral relativism last year in my article https://alt-market.us/governance-by-artificial-intelligence-the-ultimate-unaccountable-tyranny/
It’s important to understand that Harari’s ideology is common among the globalists and the only thing I can accurately describe it as is “Luciferianism” – A narcissistic belief system that claims CERTAIN human beings can become gods and should be worshiped as gods. Harari and many globalists seem to think AI is their ticket to godhood. I would compare them to the corrupt high priests of ancient cultures like the Aztecs who used their secret knowledge of mathematics and the movements of the planets to predict solar eclipses and terrify the peasants into compliance. AI is the new solar eclipse; the great serpent eating the sun.
Combine this corruption with elitist desires for a one-world government and you can see the incredible danger here.
In his book ‘From Animals into Gods: A Brief History of Humankind’ in a passage that has recently been removed from newer additions, Harari says this:
“As the twenty-first century unfolds, nationalism is fast losing ground. More and more people believe that all of humankind is the legitimate source of political authority, rather than the members of a particular nationality, and that safeguarding human rights and protecting the interests of the entire human species should be the guiding light of politics. If so, having close to 200 independent states is a hindrance rather than a help. Since Swedes, Indonesians and Nigerians deserve the same human rights, wouldn’t it be simpler for a single global government to safeguard them?”
(From Animals into Gods: A Brief History of Humankind (2012), p. 244
Keep in mind that when Harari talks about “human rights” he is referring to human desires. He has stated on numerous occasions that he believes freedom and individuality are fantasies, constructs of the mind with no importance in the real world. For globalists, “human rights” are special privileges used as leverage to buy popular compliance. They are a gift from government, not a gift from God.
In the past couple of years Harari has suddenly shifted his rhetoric and argues that global government is not the ideal. He also talks about AI as a danger that needs to be contained by bureaucracy rather than a deity that needs to be worshiped. I suspect this is because there has been a sea change in public awareness since 2012 and now he has to be more careful about how he talks in the media. I have been working within the Liberty Movement since 2006 and I can say with some authority that many MILLIONS more people are aware of the threats posed by globalism today compared to 2012. This puts the globalist agenda in peril.
With the failure of the pandemic lockdowns I think the power brokers have been left stunned. This was clearly their big play to get the global governance they have long lusted after and it fell apart. Attempting to induce mass fear over a virus that 99.8% of the population would easily survive did not work out well for them.
Everything was riding on medical tyranny: They thought they were going to get vaccine passports which would have given them total economic control of the populace. They thought they were going to introduce CBDCs (digital currencies) and create a cashless society. They thought they were going to leverage the covid lockdowns into perpetual “climate lockdowns.” They got nothing and their agenda was fully exposed. The patriot movement in the US has exploded in popularity in response and now they have millions more rebels to contend with in the future.
In response to their failure, many of the prominent names during the lockdowns have faded into the background.
Klaus Schwab from the WEF was EVERYWHERE during covid; now he is gone.
Anthony Fauci has slipped into obscurity.
Authoritarian leaders like New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern have stepped out of the political limelight. Where did they go?
I think they know what’s coming. I think they fear a populist backlash, a rising of torches and pitchforks, and they are going into hiding.
This is where we must address the issue of Donald Trump and how he is viewed by the globalists…
In light of the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump I think it’s important to revisit the long running globalist narrative on the “world order” and Trump’s position as scapegoat for any and all calamities that befall it.
Their primary assertion is that any movement that values national interests over global centralization is an evil movement that must be suppressed or destroyed. This very rhetoric has permeated leftist political organizations (including Joe Biden’s administration) and the corporate media; it is being used as a justification for subterfuge and extreme violence against conservatives.
In an interview earlier this year, Harari suggested that the return of Donald Trump would mean the “death of the global order.” He then gaslights, claiming that there is no fight between nationalism and globalism and that the idea of a “globalist conspiracy” is entirely a fabrication of populist movements. These people truly expect us to forget the censorship and oppression they attempted during covid.
What I find most interesting is Harari’s take on the next few years, in which he offers what I would interpret as a thinly veiled threat. He argues that war is coming on an expansive scale unless nationalists (defenders of sovereignty) end their rebellion and return to “order” (the centralized control of the globalists). He ties this threat directly to Donald Trump.
The thing is, Trump is just a reflection of a larger movement against the globalist regime. Getting rid of Trump would change nothing. In fact, getting rid of Trump might make the populace commit to full bore revolution even faster. And, if it ultimately turns out that Trump doesn’t benefit the cause of freedom from the elites, that same revolution will eventually happen without him.
I have my own concerns about Trump, primarily what kinds of people he will place in his cabinet. But I have long said that above all else Trump is the most likely scapegoat for an international collapse that the GLOBALISTS CREATED. They set the stage for these crisis events by encouraging economic instability and geopolitical conflicts (Ukraine being one of many). I don’t see any globalists vying for legitimate peace. I do see them pushing to escalate various conflicts into WWIII.
The trick is, by blaming Trump they think that all conservatives and “nationalists” will be blamed by extension. It’s an obvious but somewhat clever ploy; by making conservatives into the villains behind a planetary catasrophe the elites can deflect suspicion while operating with impunity in the future.
Anyone who questions them can simply be labeled as “nationalist terrorists” as history is rewritten.
But is the “death of the global order” really a bad thing? I would say that it is only a negative if the globalists are left alive to continue to manipulate the chaos that follows. The real culprits behind war and economic collapse should be punished. They should be removed from power, imprisoned or done away with forever. Bottom line? The globalists need to go if real peace and order is ever to be established.
* * *
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Thu, 07/18/2024 - 23:10
MSNBC's Joy Reid Compares Biden Getting COVID To Trump Getting Shot
MSNBC's Joy Reid Compares Biden Getting COVID To Trump Getting Shot
https://modernity.news/2024/07/18/msnbcs-joy-reid-compares-biden-getting-covid-to-trump-getting-shot
MSNBC’s Joy Reid ludicrously compared Joe Biden getting COVID to Trump surviving an assassination attempt, asking, “Isn’t that exactly the same?”
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Yes, really.
The White House announced that Biden, who has supposedly taken every COVID booster shot available, had once again contracted the virus and was suffering with “mild symptoms”.
That prompted Reid to go on a bizarre rant in which she first expressed her hostility to Trump’s brave fist pump after he was almost killed.
JUST IN: A clearly flustered Joy Reid says Trump getting shot in the head is "exactly the same" thing as Biden getting cov*d.
Holy sh*t this woman is nuts.
Reid started by sharing her frustrations that Trump was able to raise his fist in the air after getting shot.
"Donald… https://t.co/omR4mtiKxL
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1813727548096061639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“Donald Trump is an elderly man who for whatever reason, was given nine seconds to take an iconic photo op during an active shooter situation. Weird situation. We’ll figure that out one day,” she said.
“But his survival of that and, and bouncing right back and going right to his convention is being conveyed in the media world as a sign of strength,” added Reid.
“This current president of the United States is 81 years old and has COVID should he be fine in a couple of days?”
“Doesn’t that convey exactly the same thing? That he’s strong enough, older than Trump, to have gotten something that used to be really fatal to people his age?”
“So if he comes back and is fine and is able to do rallies isn’t that exactly the same?” asked Reid.
Yes, Joy, nearly getting your head blown off by a matter of inches is totally the same as catching a cold.
Former White House propaganda czar Jen Psaki agreed with Reid that “it should” be treated the same.
Reid has had some notoriously bad hot takes of late, but this one really takes the biscuit.
She previously https://modernity.news/2024/06/27/joy-reid-declares-it-deeply-offensive-that-trump-can-stand-next-to-biden-at-debate/
that Donald Trump shouldn’t have even been allowed to stand next to Biden at the debate.
Before that, she https://modernity.news/2024/04/17/msnbcs-joy-reid-suggests-trump-trial-is-a-form-of-racial-revenge/
over ‘white boy summer’.
* * *
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Thu, 07/18/2024 - 08:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/msnbcs-joy-reid-compares-biden-getting-covid-trump-getting-shot
Germany Deports 7 Ukrainian Soldiers For Displaying Nazi Symbols
Germany Deports 7 Ukrainian Soldiers For Displaying Nazi Symbols
In the latest confirmation that Ukraine's military has a Nazi streak, the German government revealed that it has expelled seven Ukrainian soldiers who were displaying Nazi symbols while they were in the country for training.
Wednesday's https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/20/112/2011297.pdf
on a platform that opposes mass immigration, the green agenda, and the Western proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.
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Among other several other questions raising concerns over Ukrainian extremism, the AfD asked if Ukrainian soldiers training in Germany had been found displaying extremist symbols, and if so, "what, if anything, has the federal government done about it."
In a four-page https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/20/112/2011297.pdf
posted to the German Bundestag website, the government said (per Google translate), "Seven such cases were identified during training conducted by the Bundeswehr for the Ukrainian armed forces." The transgressing Ukrainians were "repatriated" to Ukraine.
The government added that German soldiers who are charged with training Ukrainians are trained to recognize right-wing extremist symbols and to address them. In addition, upon their arrival in Germany, Ukrainian soldiers are given "instruction regarding Nazi symbolism."
In its inquiry, AfD highlighted Ukraine's Azov Regiment, "which is classified by many experts as right-wing extremist and uses the Wolfsangel (a symbol of several SS units, banned in the Federal Republic of Germany) as a symbol."
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AfD asked if the government was aware that social media shows Nazi symbols appearing on Ukrainian weapons, and asked if the German government had contacted Ukrainian counterparts about that -- and especially about their potential appearance on German-supplied weapons. The government said the social media images don't include German weapons.
The government noted that approximately 10,000 soldiers were trained "on German soil in 2023." We can't help but ponder the likelihood that, beyond the seven deportations, there were plenty more cases where offenders were handled more forgivingly and discretely ("keep that tattoo covered"..."lose that patch!").
The AfD asked if Ukrainian extremism poses a threat to a potential peace process in Ukraine. The government https://www.rt.com/news/597743-germany-expels-ukrainian-troops-nazi-insignia/
, "No, it is Russia’s imperialism that underlies the illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and that threatens security in Europe.”
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin said one goal of the "special operation" was the "denazification" of Ukraine. The Soviet Union endured a staggering https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-worldwide-deaths-world-war
during World II.
It's worth noting a particular irony: The German party that's routinely demonized as being "far right" and "https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-07/afd-spy-allegations-why-german-far-right-party-has-run-into-trouble?sref=6uww027M
" is the one that pulled back the curtain on this new evidence of real-world Nazi tendencies in Ukraine.
Around the time that news of Germany's deportation of Ukrainian Nazis was breaking, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was dining in a war-veteran-themed restaurant in Kiev. Predictably, that place is adorned with extremist imagery too:
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 05/18/2024 - 08:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/germany-deports-7-ukrainian-soldiers-displaying-nazi-symbols
University Of California Now Discriminates Based On Parental Income, Education
University Of California Now Discriminates Based On Parental Income, Education
In 1996, Californians voted, 55 to 45 percent, to ban the use of affirmative action in admissions to state schools and in state employment. In 2020, Californians voted to maintain the ban by an even wider margin, 57 to 43 percent.
Last year, the United States Supreme Court struck down college affirmative action policies on the grounds they violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
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The clear message from the people and the Court is that admission should be based upon merit. But those running the University of California (UC) maintain their obsession with race and “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI). They are undeterred in their mission to enforce equity via affirmative action. Rather than complying with the law and the will of the people, they search for loopholes to achieve the racial balancing they deem ideal for the shaping of society.
The most recent example comes from its San Diego campus (UCSD) which implemented a rule that discriminates against students whose parents make more than a certain amount of money or who went to college. It just so happens that this rule greatly advantages black and Latino students. In a nice side benefit for the administrators, it hurts Asians, who are already overrepresented at the UCs (as well as most universities, as addressed in the Supreme Court case, https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf
, which specifically addressed discrimination against Asian students.)
Beginning next year, certain https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/advising/majors-minors/selective.html
(such as biology and most engineering degrees, including computer science) will have a special selection criteria at UCSD. “The selection criteria for entry to the major will consider academic achievement in the specified screening courses and will also be aligned with UC San Diego’s priorities of serving California residents, first-generation college students, and students from low-income families.” Thus, UCSD, without any direction from its constituents, has decided that it should prioritize students based on the status of their parents.
Here is how it works. There is a new point system “that awards one point each for having a 3.0 GPA or higher in the major screening courses; California residency; Pell Grant eligibility [i.e. parental income]; and first-generation college status.” Thus, half of the criteria is based upon the student’s parents. And since the majority of UC students are from California, and a 3.0 GPA is pretty easy, it really means that the primary determiner will be the status of the children’s parents.
The reason for the new policy is pretty obvious: It will advantage black and Latino students, and disadvantage white and Asian. It is unique, however, in that it is using old-school class warfare to achieve it.
Many have noted that the left has typically substituted race for class as a means of implementing socialism in the United States. Due to the U.S.’s strong middle class and upward mobility, class warfare has not worked as a means of implementing socialism here. But with courts striking down admissions policies based upon race, the left is now going back to old-fashioned class conflict. Will it work, or is it also illegal to discriminate based upon parental income or education?
If a court determines that the intent of the policy is to discriminate based upon race, then it will apply a “strict scrutiny” test to the policy. This is the standard the Supreme Court used in striking down affirmative action in the Harvard case. The UCSD policy, in fact, appears to be thinly disguised discrimination.
It is well-known that the average income of black and Hispanic people is below that of white and Asian, as is the percentage with a college degree. Thus, a court should hold the policy to the same standard as the ones struck down in the Harvard case. Justice John Roberts wrote that the Equal Protection Clause applies “without regard to any difference of race, of color, or of nationality” and thus must apply to every person. As such, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” adding that “For ‘[t]he guarantee of equal protection cannot mean one thing when applied to one individual and something else when applied to a person of another color.’”
It is interesting that the policy, for now, appears to only apply to currently enrolled students attempting to transfer into these majors, not upon admission. Perhaps recognizing that the policy will have a discriminatory effect and thus subject to challenge, UCSD limited it to leave open the argument that it is not denying anyone an education, simply the major of their choice. But this is unlikely to fly, considering that the two most important elements of a quality education is the school and the major. If you cannot get a degree in engineering, you cannot become an engineer, while a biology degree is the natural feeder to medical school.
The UCSD policy is not the first time the UC has attacked students based upon their parent’s income. It used the same rationale to https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/university-of-california-dumps-sat-test-in-favor-of-equity-4125929
. It argued that the test benefits children from wealthier families who can afford SAT prep courses. They now rely exclusively on high school grade point averages to determine scholarly merit. This allows them to easily create the racial balance they desire. They treat all high schools the same, whether it be the best private high school or the worst public school. We know that finishing in the top ten percent of your school is much easier to do at a public school than a private one, but that does not matter to UC. Achieving the desired racial makeup is more important to them than the merit of the individual.
The UC faculty, through the “Academic Senate,” oversees the admissions process. It explained getting rid of the SAT test: “This decision, which is part of the ongoing effort by the university to advance educational opportunity and equity, was based on the view that these tests are biased because they systematically and unfairly reduce the likelihood that underrepresented and low-income high school students will be accepted to the university.”
I have lots of stories from friends whose children could not get into a single one of the nine UC campuses across the state, but were accepted by the University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin, two of the best public universities in the country. That’s a nice consolation prize, except for the price, which is about five times more due to out-of-state tuition.
It is really incredible and the height of arrogance that California’s preeminent public university continues to fight against the will of its people. The Academic Senate asserts that “as a state public institution, the UC is obliged to create a student body that is representative of the demographic profile of California.” UC has even placed a Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, overseeing an entire department, at each campus to ensure this.
That sounds nice, the only problem is Californians have twice voted against it, and the discrimination required to achieve it is unconstitutional. But when you are on a cultish mission to create your utopian vision, those are minor inconveniences.
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Sun, 05/05/2024 - 10:30
Columbia Student Protesters Break Into, Barricade Themselves Into Building After Deadline To Disperse Passes
Columbia Student Protesters Break Into, Barricade Themselves Into Building After Deadline To Disperse Passes
Dozens of Columbia University students broke into Hamilton Hall on the New York campus early Tuesday and barricaded themselves inside, hours after the school began suspending students who violated a deadline to disperse from a pro-Palestinian encampment.
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"The safety of every single member of this community is paramount," said Ben Chang, vice president for communications at Columbia University, in an emailed statement to https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/columbia-students-take-over-building-on-campus-as-deadline-to-seize-protesting-passes-5640235
, adding "In light of the protest activity, we have asked members of the University community who can avoid coming to the Morningside campus to do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy."
Holy…. https://t.co/42Lw4kaRHY
— Jessica Schwalb (@jessicaschwalb7) https://twitter.com/jessicaschwalb7/status/1785169988032032825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Taking over Hamilton Hall as done in 1968, Columbia students unfurl a banner that reads "Hind's Hall," in reference to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces.
Hundreds of students cheer as the banner is revealed, erupting into chants to "Free Palestine." https://t.co/Oi8WgdZmqf
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) https://twitter.com/prem_thakker/status/1785185190815359313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
' Katabella Roberts notes further; According to The New York Times, the students began occupying the hall at around 12:35 a.m.
The protesters linked arms and blocked off the main entrance to the building at the Ivy League institution after previously marching around campus to chants of “free Palestine,” according to the publication.
A statement shared on the social media platform Instagram by student groups said the protesters had “taken matters into their own hands,” and would remain in the building until the university “divests from death.” Protesters have been urging the university to pause its investments in companies that, they claim, are profiting from Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The statement included video footage that appeared to show the students carrying metal barricades into Hamilton Hall as other students cheered them on.
“This escalation is in line with the historical student movements of 1968, 1985, and 1996 which Columbia repressed then and celebrates now,” the statement read. “This action will force the university to confront the blood on its hands.”
In the statement, the student group further accused the university of having been “complicit” in “Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on the Gaza strip” for the past seven months.
“The students are on the right side of history,” the statement continued. “We know that the university will remember them as anti-apartheid, anti-genocide activists with moral clarity.”
Protesters Make Demands
According to Politico, protesters hung a sign reading “intifada,” which is Arabic for uprising, from the front of the building.
A spokesperson for the New York Police Department told Politico that law enforcement officers were outside the university campus as of Tuesday; however, they declined to elaborate further on exactly how many officers were on site or whether they had authorization to enter the school grounds.
The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson at Columbia University and the New York Police Department for further comment.
The takeover of Hamilton Hall occurred just hours after the university confirmed that it had begun suspending some students. The pro-Palestinian students failed to disband before Monday’s 2 p.m. deadline.
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Students have occupied the lawn in the middle of campus—in which graduation ceremonies are scheduled to take place for roughly 15,000 students on May 15—for nearly two weeks while calling on the university to disclose and divest from any of its financial ties to Israel.
They are also calling for an end to alleged “land grabs” in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and Palestine, no more policing on the university campus, and no academic ties with Israeli universities.
However, negotiations between university officials and student protest leaders broke down earlier in the day when the university rejected their demands, prompting officials to issue the 2 p.m. deadline.
In a statement, Minouche Shafik, Columbia’s president, said that ultimately, the university will not divest from Israel, adding that the school is committed to maintaining its core principles and shared values, which include ensuring no students suffer from harassment and discrimination and no anti-Semitic language is used.
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School, Students Fail to Reach Agreement
“Both sides in these discussions put forward robust and thoughtful offers and worked in good faith to reach common ground,” Ms. Shafik said. “We thank them all for their diligent work, long hours, and careful effort and wish they had reached a different outcome.”
While the University will not divest from Israel, it has offered to “develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters,” Ms. Shafik noted.
“The University also offered to publish a process for students to access a list of Columbia’s direct investment holdings, and to increase the frequency of updates to that list of holdings,” she added.
Ben Chang, vice president for communications at Columbia University, confirmed the suspensions had begun in a press conference late Monday, USA Today reports.
He added that students had been notified in advance that they would face disciplinary action, including suspension if they did not vacate the encampment by 2 p.m. ET and sign a form committing to abide by student politics until either June 30, 2025, or until their graduation, whichever came first.
The site of the protests has created an unwelcoming environment for many Jewish students and faculty members, he said. It has also been a source of loud noise.
“We’ve been suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on campus,” Mr. Chang said.
Mr. Chang did not provide further details regarding how many students from Columbia and its affiliate Barnard College have been disciplined. However, he confirmed that those suspended would not be able to finish the semester or graduate, Axios reports.
They will also be banned from entering any campus housing or academic buildings, he added.
Juliette Fairley contributed to this report.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 04/30/2024 - 11:40
'Chestfeeding' And Other Transgender Terms Banned In NHS By UK Government
'Chestfeeding' And Other Transgender Terms Banned In NHS By UK Government
The UK government is updating the constitution of the National Health Service specifically to expunge the creeping effort to ‘transition’ medical language by radical gender ideologists.
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The move is being taken to ensure hospitals use language that is medically accurate and based in biological science.
It means that terms such as ‘Chestfeeding’ as a replacement for breastfeeding will be effectively banned.
Referring to ‘people with ovaries’ instead of women will also no longer be considered acceptable.
The Telegraph reports that the Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins, is scheduled to announce the changes this week.
The NHS is to crack down on transgender ideology in hospitals, with terms like “chestfeeding” set to be bannedhttps://t.co/D09brjfRgs
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1784467582847688966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The update will also prohibit biological men from being treated on single-sex female hospital wards in an effort to protect the “privacy and protection” of women and girls in hospitals.
Previously, biological men self identifying as transgender were https://modernity.news/2023/10/03/trans-to-be-banned-from-female-hospital-wards-in-uk/
.
As we also previously highlighted, references to women were erased from NHS https://modernity.news/2022/06/29/nhs-removes-references-to-women-from-advice-about-menopause/
, as well as cervical and ovarian cancer.
In addition, Midwives were mandated to use ‘gender-inclusive’ language and issued a list of ‘acceptable’ terms to use when addressing patients, including “mothers or birthing parents”, “breast/chestfeeding” and “maternal and parental.”
Instead of using the term “breastmilk”, they were asked to choose from “human milk” or “breast/chestmilk” or “milk from the feeding mother or parent.”
In 2022, a Freedom of Information Act request https://modernity.news/2022/08/15/just-29-of-142-nhs-hospitals-refer-to-pregnancy-as-exclusively-biological-female-issue/
that just 29 of the 142 NHS hospitals in England with maternity units still exclusively use the words “woman” or “mother” to refer to pregnancy, while all the others include terms such as “birthing people” or “pregnant people.”
In February it was also revealed that an NHS hospital had claimed drug-induced ‘chestfeeding’ milk produced by biological men who identify as transgender is just as good as natural mother’s milk for babies.
The taxpayer-funded NHS was also found to be https://modernity.news/2023/12/06/uks-cash-strapped-nhs-wastes-money-asking-old-people-if-theyre-gender-fluid/
huge amounts of money asking patients, mostly elderly people, what gender they identify as.
The government changes are aimed at reversing all of this and ensuring it doesn’t happen with other NHS resources.
Maya Forstater, chief executive of the campaign group Sex Matters, described the move as a “major step” on the path to overturning “capitulation to the demands of gender extremists, which has damaged policies and practices, created widespread confusion and harmed patient care”.
The gender extremists are going down, hard 👏👏👏
— Watson (@ImWatson91) https://twitter.com/ImWatson91/status/1784334156723331182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“These much-needed changes to the NHS constitution will help secure essential sex-based rights in healthcare across England,” she further asserted, adding “Clear language, single-sex wards and access to intimate care provided by a health professional of the same sex are crucial to the wellbeing and safety of female patients.”
“They should never have been compromised,” Forstater urged.
The development comes after the NHS banned puberty blockers ahead of a major review that concluded the drugs are potentially seriously harmful and the grounds on which they are being used not medically sound.
Last year it was https://modernity.news/2023/11/29/number-of-kids-put-on-puberty-blockers-doubles-despite-nhs-promising-to-stop/
that the number of children placed on puberty blockers for ‘gender affirming care’ doubled in the UK in a year despite the government run body saying it would stop the practice outside of clinical trials.
, some of them government funded, continue to espouse the virtues of the drugs in their materials, which are being actively used inside schools.
* * *
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via https://pauljosephwatson.locals.com/support
.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 04/30/2024 - 03:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/chestfeeding-and-other-transgender-terms-banned-nhs-uk-government
Sierra Nevada Awarded DoD Contract To Build Next-Gen 'Doomsday Plane'
Sierra Nevada Awarded DoD Contract To Build Next-Gen 'Doomsday Plane'
Aerospace and defense company Sierra Nevada Corporation won the $13 billion Pentagon contract to develop a successor to the "Doomsday Plane" that serves as a mobile command post in the event of nuclear war.
The current 1970s-era Boeing E-4B "Nightwatch" serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and is a key component of the National Military Command System for the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
However, the fleet of E-4B Nightwatch, which can withstand nuclear blasts and electromagnetic effects, is aging and needs to be replaced.
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That's where Sierra Nevada comes in with the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center project, which will replace the E-4B Nightwatch by 2036.
"In case of national emergency or destruction of ground command and control centers, the aircraft provides a highly survivable command, control, and communications center to direct US forces, execute emergency war orders, and coordinate actions by civil authorities," explained an E-4B Nightwatch fact sheet produced by the US Air Force.
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In December, Reuters sources said Boeing - the incumbent manufacturer of the E-4B Nightwatch, https://www.zerohedge.com/military/boeing-drops-out-usafs-doomsday-replacement-plane-competition
with the Air Force on data rights and contract terms for the replacement plane.
Currently, the Air Force operates four E-4B Nightwatch planes, with at least one on full alert at all times.
Given Boeing's https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/boeing-doom-loop-endless-crises-sends-shares-tumbling-longest-losing-streak-five-years
, it's probably best that Sierra Nevada was awarded the project for one of the nation's most important aircraft.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 04/27/2024 - 13:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/military/sierra-nevada-awarded-dod-contract-build-next-gen-doomsday-plane
Breakfast Cereals Scrutinized For Pesticide That May Harm Reproduction
Breakfast Cereals Scrutinized For Pesticide That May Harm Reproduction
(emphasis ours),
Imagine starting your day with a bowl of cereal that could be silently affecting your family’s health. Recent studies show that chlormequat, a pesticide linked to reproductive issues, has been found in popular breakfast cereals like https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2024/02/ewg-finds-little-known-toxic-chemical-four-out-five-people-tested
As this substance infiltrates the American food supply, the potential risks to our health and future generations loom larger, raising urgent questions about the safety of our everyday food choices.
In a https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-024-00643-4
published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology on Feb. 15, 2024, researchers revealed alarming findings regarding the prevalence of chlormequat.
Chlormequat was detected in the urine of 4 out of 5 people or 80 percent of Americans tested. Additionally, 92 percent of oat-based foods tested contained chlormequat, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios.
This study—the first to report urinary chlormequat measurements in adults living in the United States—highlights the possible widespread presence of chlormequat and the necessity for transparency and further investigation into potential health implications for consumers.
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What Is Chlormequat?
Chlormequat, widely known in the salt form as chlormequat chloride, is an agricultural chemical first registered in the United States in 1962 as a plant growth regulator. Plant growth regulators are chemical substances employed to control and regulate plant growth, flowering, and fruit yield, according to a https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16466532/
in the International Journal of Andrology.
Chlormequat application in grain crops results in reduced stem height, thereby minimizing the occurrence of lodging (bending over), which can reduce the efficiency of the harvesting process.
Chlormequat is the world’s most common plant growth regulator according to a https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32622971/
published in Toxicology. “Chlormequat is often the most detected pesticide residue in grains and cereals, as documented by monitoring surveys spanning several years,” according to the 2024 study. It is approved for use in Europe and parts of North America.
In the United States, chlormequat is permitted exclusively for use on ornamental plants and is prohibited for application on food crops grown within the country. Therefore, the presence of chlormequat in Cheerios and other oat-based foods sold in the United States raises questions regarding its introduction into the food supply chain.
How Did Chlormequat Enter the US Food Supply?
In April 2018 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allowed chlormequat into the food supply by establishing acceptable food tolerance levels for chlormequat chloride in imported oats, wheat, barley, and select animal products. This action allowed for the importation and sale of those agricultural products even if treated with chlormequat.
Consequently, U.S. consumers may unknowingly be ingesting tainted imported foods—potentially exposing themselves to chlormequat or its residues.
In 2020, the allowable chlormequat levels were https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/05/26/2020-10331/chlormequat-chloride-pesticide-tolerances
the first-ever use of chlormequat on barley, oat, wheat, and triticale grown in the United States. If passed, exposure levels may increase, raising concerns about its implications on health and food safety.
Heath Concerns Surrounding Chlormequat
Chlormequat, while not as notorious as other pesticides, has long been linked to reproductive and developmental concerns in animal research.
In the 1980s, Danish pig farmers observed reproductive declines in pigs consuming chlormequat-treated grains, according to a https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1365-2605.2005.00629.x
in the International Journal of Andrology.
The observation led to a controlled laboratory study, which confirmed impaired reproduction. Specifically, sows fed chlormequat-treated grain experienced impaired reproduction, primarily disruptions in oestrus cycling, and difficulty mating, as cited in the 2006 article.
These findings prompted the Danish pig industry to recommend restricting the use of crops treated with chlormequat and other growth regulators (up to a maximum of 30 percent of diet energy) due to potential reproductive issues.
Similar findings were observed in 1999 when male mice exposed to chlormequat through food or drinking water demonstrated “significantly diminished fertilization and cleavage rate” of sperm, indicating a decrease in sperm function, according to https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10560589/
in Reproductive Toxicology.
Of significance, the estimated intake of chlormequat in the abovementioned pig (0.0023 milligrams (mg)/kilograms (kg) body weight (bw) per day) and mouse (0.024 mg/kg bw/day) experiments fell below the reference dose published by the EPA (0.05 mg/kg bw per day) and the acceptable daily intake published by the European Food Safety Authority (0.04 mg/kg bw/day), according to the 2024 study. These findings raise concerns regarding the current established limits set by regulatory authorities.
Recent studies further demonstrate chlormequat’s reproductive and developmental toxicity, including:
Delayed onset of puberty: According to a https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31689472/
in Toxicology Letters, male rats exposed to chlormequat from postnatal day 23 to 60 demonstrated reduced prostate weight and delayed onset of puberty.
Reduced sperm motility: Male rats exposed to chlormequat in utero demonstrated a delayed onset of puberty as well as decreased sperm motility, according to a https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378427421002058?via%3Dihub
in Toxicology Letters.
Decreased testosterone: Male adult rats exposed to chlormequat by oral gavage (delivering substances directly to the stomach via a bulb-tipped needle) demonstrated lower testicular weight, decreased sperm motility, and decreased testicular testosterone, according to a https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29447956/
in Toxicology Letters.
Moreover, developmental toxicity studies suggest that chlormequat exposure during pregnancy can disrupt fetal growth and metabolism postnatally, indicating a lasting impact on offspring development in rats. For instance, a https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32622971/
published in Toxicology reported maternal exposure to chlormequat in rats led to adverse effects on postnatal health, including hypoglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hyperproteinemia seven days after birth compared with controls.
A https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17849106/
in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry reported detectable levels of chlormequat in blood, as well as its transfer into milk, in pigs exposed to chlormequat. While these markers have not been thoroughly investigated in humans, they raise concerns regarding potential implications for fetal exposure during pregnancy and infants’ exposure through breastfeeding.
Some studies have failed to detect significant impacts of chlormequat on reproduction in https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1365-2605.2005.00629.x
in the International Journal of Andrology, “Reports from the industry do not show any effects at these low levels.”
Aim of New Ground-Breaking Study
Considering the health concerns underscored in the scientific literature, the goal of the 2024 study was to assess the impact of the EPA’s decision to permit chlormequat in the United States food supply.
Study Design
The 2024 study assessed chlormequat levels in the urine of individuals from three distinct geographic regions in the United States spanning from 2017 to 2023. Specifically, 21 urine samples were gathered in South Carolina in 2017, 25 samples were collected in Missouri from 2017 to 2022, and 50 samples were obtained in Florida in 2023.
The study also examined chlormequat levels in oat and wheat-based products acquired in the United States during 2022 and 2023. Specifically, 25 conventional oat-based food items were analyzed during this period, along with eight organic oat-based products and nine conventional wheat-based food products.
Study Results
Urine Analysis
Chlormequat was detected in 80 percent (77 out of 96) of urine samples.
The authors noted a rising trend in chlormequat exposure over time, with detection frequencies notably elevated in 2023 samples compared to those from 2017 and the years 2018 to 2022. Specifically, in 2017, 69 percent of samples tested positive, while from 2018 to 2022, 74 percent were positive. In stark contrast, 90 percent of samples in 2023 were positive, representing a significant increase compared to all previous years examined.
According to the researchers, “These data indicate likely continuous exposure given the short half-life of chlormequat [2–3 hours].”
To assess whether the rising concentrations detected in the urine samples reflected potential dietary exposure to chlormequat, the researchers analyzed chlormequat levels in oat and wheat-based food products purchased in the United States.
Food Exposure Analysis
The results of the food analysis were equally concerning: a high percentage of conventional oat-based products tested positive for chlormequat, with popular brands like Quaker Oats and Cheerios among those affected.
Specifically, 92 percent (23 out of 25) of conventional oat-based products tested positive for the presence of chlormequat, “indicating a high prevalence of chlormequat in oats,” according to the study. This highlights the potential risk posed to consumers, particularly children, who may consume these products regularly.
Chlormequat was detected in 12.5 percent (one out of eight) of organic oat-based products tested. Additionally, 22 percent (two out of nine) of conventional wheat-based products tested positive for chlormequat.
Collectively, the urinary and food exposure data “may reflect the likely recent introduction of chlormequat into the U.S. food supply due to EPA regulatory action changes involving chlormequat, including establishing a limit on chlormequat in food in 2018 and raising those limits for oats in 2020,” according to the study.
Conclusion
This groundbreaking study sheds light on the possible widespread prevalence of chlormequat in the United States food supply, as documented in both urinary and food exposure analyses. The findings reveal a concerning trend of increasing chlormequat exposure over time, with detection frequencies spiking notably in recent years.
Chlormequat’s documented toxicological properties, particularly its association with reproductive and developmental issues, raise significant concerns about its long-term effects on human health. Moreover, there is currently https://www.ewg.org/research/ewg-investigation-dangerous-agricultural-chemical-chlormequat-found-popular-oat-based
of chlormequat in food products in the United States, leaving consumers vulnerable to potential risks.
With the EPA’s proposed expansion of chlormequat usage on domestically grown crops, the study’s findings serve as a crucial call to action for greater transparency in pesticide usage and monitoring, as well as consumer awareness so we can work toward a food supply that safeguards the well-being of the individual.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 04/19/2024 - 22:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/breakfast-cereals-scrutinized-pesticide-may-harm-reproduction
"Returning To Petrol": Volkswagen EV Sales Plunge 25% In Europe
"Returning To Petrol": Volkswagen EV Sales Plunge 25% In Europe
Europe is "returning to petrol", https://finance.yahoo.com/news/volkswagen-electric-car-sales-plunge-122915038.html
which highlighted Volkswagen's EV sales as the canary in the coalmine.
Sales of Volkswagen's electric vehicles have declined by nearly 25% in Europe, with a noticeable shift back to gasoline-powered cars amid waning interest in battery-operated models, the report says.
It notes that the downturn, observed in the initial quarter of the year, is attributed to heightened inflation and escalating energy costs, which have cooled consumer enthusiasm for electric cars. Worldwide, Volkswagen, which also owns brands like Audi, Skoda, and Porsche, saw a 3% decrease in electric vehicle sales, totaling 136,400 units. In contrast, sales of traditional combustion engine vehicles rose by 4%, approaching two million units.
The report notes that demand for electric vehicles has dipped as governments in Europe reduce subsidies and soften ambitious goals to phase out petrol and diesel cars.
In the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delayed the prohibition of new petrol and diesel sales from 2030 to 2035 and removed incentives for new EV purchases last year. Despite Volkswagen's strong presence in the UK market with models like the Audi e-Tron and Volkswagen ID, petrol car demand is growing faster than electric.
In the EU, discussions are ongoing to modify bans on fossil fuel cars to permit synthetic fuels. The end of EV subsidies in Germany, coupled with the EU pausing emissions targets, has notably impacted Volkswagen's sales. Additionally, competition is intensifying with cheaper, subsidy-backed Chinese EVs entering the market.
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Despite a significant drop in European EV sales, Volkswagen reported a 91% increase in China. Other manufacturers like BMW and Stellantis are also adjusting their electric vehicle strategies amid fluctuating consumer interest.
“Our diversified product portfolio gives us the necessary flexibility to compensate for fluctuations in demand in certain segments – as is currently the case with all-electric vehicles – in others,” said Hildegard Wortmann, a member of Volkswagen’s executive board.
about the influx of competition in EVs coming from China. Earlier this month, Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius urged the EU to lower tariffs on EVs that are being imported from China. The call comes at the same time the European Commission is mulling whether to raise import duties as Europe continues to grapple with Chinese subsidies.
Källenius said that the increased competition would "help Europe’s carmakers produce better cars in the long run" and that government protectionism is "going the wrong way.
Källenius' comment is a free market slap in the face to the EU, which has claimed China is "distorting" the EV market. Recall https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/eu-opens-chinese-ev-subsidy-investigation
that the EU was opening an investigation into Chinese EV subsidies.
At the time, we noted that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was taking exception with the fact that "the global market is flooded with cheap Chinese cars".
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 04/16/2024 - 04:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/returning-petrol-volkswagen-ev-sales-plunge-25-europe
German Intel Chief Defends His Efforts To Police The "Thought And Speech Patterns" Of Citizens
German Intel Chief Defends His Efforts To Police The "Thought And Speech Patterns" Of Citizens
https://www.eugyppius.com/p/german-domestic-intelligence-chief
The German Interior Ministry continues to defend https://www.eugyppius.com/p/germany-announces-wide-ranging-plans
. The sentiment is prominent across all parties, except of course for the Greens, who believe that all is well with the Federal Republic.
The creepy, dissolute and rodent-looking BfV chief, Thomas Haldenwang, has taken to the pages of the Frankfurter Allgemeine to defend the conduct of his office and his plans to shape the “thought and speech patterns” of ordinary people through official repression.
The thing about “freedom of expression,” Haldenwang https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/verfassungsschutzchef-thomas-haldenwang-verteigt-sich-gegen-kritik-19623960.html?premium
, is that it “is not carte blanche for enemies of the constitution”.
Recently, public discourse has repeatedly featured headlines and articles calling the work of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) into question. There is talk of an “opinion police,” a “language police” and even a “Government security service”. They say the BfV discredits political opinions “on command” as extremist as soon as they depart from the social and political mainstream, or when they embark upon criticism of Government action or the work of the democratic parties.
One thing should be unmistakably clear: freedom of opinion prevails in Germany – and that is a good thing! Freedom of opinion is a fundamental element of our constitution and one of the greatest assets of our liberal democratic order. As such, it is also protected by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
“Freedom of opinion,” Haldenwang explains, is what “distinguishes a democracy from an autocracy or a dictatorship.” In the Federal Republic even “offensive, absurd and radical opinions” are protected.
Well, kind of:
[E]ven freedom of expression has its limits. The outermost boundaries are set by criminal law, for example with regard to punishable propaganda offences or incitement to hatred. Even within the limits of criminal law, however, expressions of opinion, despite their legality, can become relevant for constitutional protection. [emphasis mine, here and below]
In theory, you can think and say whatever you want in Germany, so long as what you think and say does not violate the law. Within the range of legal expression, however, there is a grey area that Haldenwang and his minders in the Interior Ministry get to define. If you enter this danger zone, you may end up inviting the unwelcome attention of the political police even though you have not broken any laws.
Put less charitably, there is clearly illegal speech on the one hand, and on the other hand there is speech which is alas not yet illegal, but which existing authorities will use all the administrative tools at their disposal to dissuade you from. Such speech, we might say, is pre-illegal, and only reluctantly permitted because the hurdles to banning it are too substantial.
Specifically, you become susceptible to surveillance and harassment by the BfV whenever you express opinions that suggest you are interested in “eliminat[ing] the free democratic order” of the Federal Republic. Your mere freedom of expression is “not a licence to evade observation and evaluation” by the political police if there are “factual indications” that your thought is tending in unconstitutional directions.
Unsurprisingly, the scope of what is “unconstitutional” in thought and speech turns out very wide indeed:
For example, if elements of our free democratic basic order are attacked, e.g. if the human dignity of members of certain social groups or political actors is violated, if permissible criticism and democratic protest escalates and turns into aggressive, systematic delegitimisation of state conduct (including calls for violence), when legitimate criticism and opinions turn into extremist agitation intended to shake the foundations of our democratic order and thus prepare the ground for unpeaceful and violent activities – such statements can constitute evidence of endeavours directed against the free democratic order.
As I https://www.eugyppius.com/p/german-domestic-intelligence-services-9b8
, the BfV has been targeting political dissidents it deems guilty of “delegitimising” the state since 2021 – a concept that takes aim at a wide range of expression and that reminds one of defunct DDR laws against “defaming the state”. Here, Haldenwang quietly expands this concept, explaining that you may become a case for the BfV if your “permissible criticism” crosses some invisible boundary to become the “delegitimisation of state conduct”. Comparing the Federal Republic to the DDR is an example of delegitimising the state; comparing the behaviour of the BfV to the behaviour of the Stasi is presumably an example of delegitimising state conduct. The goal here is to make it effectively impossible to criticise the German Government for its antidemocratic and unconstitutional policies without drawing the attention of the BfV, because attacking our nominally democratic leaders for antidemocratic behaviour is the very definition of “delegitimisation”.
Otherwise, to understand how ominous this is, you must remember that the present political establishment in general, and the BfV and Haldenwang more specifically, exercise a total sovereignty of interpretation over everything you say. It doesn’t matter whether you intend to violate “the human dignity of members of certain social groups” with your statements, or even if this is a remotely defensible interpretation of your words. It only matters if the constitutional protectors decide you are guilty of doing so. Thus if our constitutional protectors decide that your statements are “intended” to call into question “our democratic order” or “prepare the ground for unpeaceful and violent activities”, you’re on the radar of the BfV, regardless of what you said or how you meant it. This is a licence to go after anyone saying anything our political leaders don’t like.
Haldenwang believes that “in the post-War history of our country, democracy has rarely been in such danger as it is now”.
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This is because “the number of extremists and the potential for extremism have been on the rise for years”, because “digitalisation and virtualisation” are helping bad people “spread their ideologies”, and because “authoritarian states” are propagating “disinformation” which “often meets with approval and applause from domestic organisations and actors”.
What Haldenwang is really terrified about, of course, are the upcoming elections for the EU Parliament and for the state parliaments of Brandenburg, Thüringen and Saxony.
That is why we have to read so much in the press every day about “Right-wing extremism”, https://www.eugyppius.com/p/in-the-latest-victory-against-right
.
In the Federal Republic there is nothing so threatening to democracy as free and open democratic elections.
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Sat, 04/06/2024 - 07:00