The video reviews gym shorts sold by Arrowhead Tactical that have belt loops on the inside of the normal looking gym short waistband that allow you to use a belt to support a holster. An alternative to something like the PHLster system.
Exploring practical methods for preparing for the end times, including analysis of end time scripture and prophecy, current events, prepping and self-defense.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Bombs & Bants Episode 119
Some more lively banter concerning current events and our so-called superiors:
Photo Shows How Much Sun Has Changed In Just Two Year
The image on the left is from February 2021; the right is from October 2023 Source: "Dramatic Image Reveals How Much The Sun Has Changed in Two Years"--Science Alert |
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
U.S. Attorneys Claim That Bump Stock Allows 600 Round Per SECOND Rate Of Fire
That's a pretty amazing rate of fire, given that the fastest rotary machine guns can only get about 50 rounds per second. (Source: "SCOTUS Justice Jackson Just Said the Dumbest Thing About Guns and I Can't Stop Laughing"--PJ Media).
Globalism = Luciferianism
Brandon Smith at Alt-Market.us argues that the global elites are Satan worshippers in his article, "To Understand The Globalists We Must Understand Their Psychopathic Religion" (h/t Bayou Renaissance Man). He begins by observing that "[i]n the late 1800s and early 1900s the western world experienced a sudden burst of open occultism among the ultra-rich elites." Although he focuses on the Theosophy movement, the interest in the occult spread far beyond just the ultra-rich elites. You get a sense of this reading novels from the early 20th Century that frequently bring up the popularity of seances and spiritualism, with Agatha Christie's books being notable examples. (It is also remarkable, in this regard, that Harry Houdini frequently involved himself in exposing fraudulent mediums).
In any event, Smith discusses the Theosophists and Luciferians and then moves to the meat of his argument:
... But in our modern times some people might say “who cares?” It’s all mythical hoodoo and fantasy, right?
I would respond with a question: Do you think the deeply held religious beliefs of the people with financial and political power matter in how they make decisions? Wouldn’t their beliefs help explain why they do the things they do? If you want to know why the globalists are engaged in a very real war on the minds of the masses, you cannot overlook their religious motivations. What seems like fantasy to some is VERY real to the globalists.
But why would globalists be interested in Satan worship? According to Smith, the reason is two-fold.
First, Luciferianism mirrors their moral (or rather, immoral) values and desires. As you might remember from your Bible, Lucifer sought to supplant God. The globalists believe that they can make themselves into gods. It is the Tower of Babel, except this time dressed up technologically as "transhumanism" and socially as reforming mankind and society.
Second, it provides a necessary structure or discipline: "even psychopaths sometimes need a fundamentalist framework in order to maintain organization and inspire devotion within a group."
Smith acknowledges that he does not know if the global elites actually believe in Satan (although there are certainly enough hints--Podesta, anyone?--that at least some of them do), but he does argue that the globalist elites are literally psychopaths: bereft of a moral compass and conscience. Speaking of the globalist elites, Smith writes:
Their lack of empathy and conscience, their thirst for godhood and omnipotence, their drive to attain all encompassing surveillance of the population, to know everything about us at all time, to have total control over the environment and society, the narcissistic self image of a supreme ruler who is worshiped by the masses, and the delusion that they will be able to read minds and predict the future. These are psychopathic fantasies, and they are willing to chase these fantasies by any means necessary.
* * *
Their “do what thou wilt” philosophy of hedonism takes the idea of freedom and removes all responsibility – It is a degenerate view of liberty, rather than a principled view. Freedom, they think, is only for people like them; the people willing to desecrate everything in their path and upend the natural order.
* * *
... Their goal is to convince a majority of the populace that there is no good, and there is no evil. Everything is empty. Everything is relative to the demands of the moment, and the demands of society. Of course, they want to control society, so then everything would really be relative to THEIR demands.
Read the whole thing, and be sure to read Peter Grant's post as well as he adds some additional thoughts on the subject.
VIDEO: Tim Kennedy Discusses Illegal Immigration
He describes how the cartels control the flow of illegals and how they divert attention from those that they don't want to be caught while crossing. He discusses how the number that cross without being apprehended far exceed the official "catch and release" numbers that are reported in the media. He gives suggestions for regaining control over the border, including finishing the wall. My complaint about his suggestions, though, is that he wants faster and better processing rather than simply turning them away/returning them to Mexico.
Scott Adams Admits He Was Wrong About The Vaxx...
... and the anti-vaxxers were right. Key bit:
“Because really, I think the antivaxxers were just really distrustful of big companies and big government. That’s never wrong! It’s never wrong to distrust government. It’s never wrong to distrust big companies. So if you just took the position let’s just distrust everything the government did, well, you won!
News of the World
- He'd read reports indicating that the U.S. had boots on the ground in Gaza fighting for Israel: "Disturbed Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell told friends he had 'classified' knowledge of Gaza tunnels the night before he set himself on fire." (See also this New York Post article).
- Convenient timing: "Using marijuana in ANY form is linked to a 42% increased risk of a stroke - and 25% higher chance of a heart attack, study warns."
- We're going to lose our next real war: "Rodents incapacitate millions in eco-friendly military equipment in Ukraine: the unforeseen problem." Rather than insulate wires using icky plastic, European countries used coatings made from corn fiber which the rodents are eating.
- Another environmental disaster caused by the eco-warriors: "Klamath Dam Removal: ‘It’s an Environmental Disaster’." The dam was removed to, supposedly, replenish salmon populations. Instead it has "kill[ed] endangered species, destroy[ed] roads, threaten[ed] homes with bank collapse and is already seeing drinking water wells go dry." Now "the water is black and thick with mud and toxic heavy metals covering every bit of gravel needed for spawning, deer are dying in the muck as is chokes out all life – and it absolutely reeks."
- SF Mayor: Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes? "Workers at Macy's San Francisco say SHOPLIFTING is to blame for closure, despite mayor insisting crime was not a factor: Mens' dept. staffer says four blazers, 10 wallets and 20 packs of underwear stolen daily."
- Cultural enrichment in action: "Illegal immigrant, 19, from Honduras is accused of raping girl, 14, in Louisiana...as outrage grows over Georgia student Laken Riley 'murdered by undocumented border crosser'."
- Loser! "Biden LOSES to 'uncommitted' in Dearborn in Michigan primary: Alarm bells for the Joe, 81, as more than 100,000 voters protest handling of Gaza."
- Winner! "Donald Trump beats Nikki Haley AGAIN in Michigan Republican presidential primary: Ex-president carries on full steam ahead to a Biden rematch as his final rival defiantly stays in the race and insists he CANNOT win." Haley reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "I'm invincible!"
- Protecting "their" democracy: "Report: House Democrats May Not Certify 2024 Election if Trump Wins." It's only an insurrection if conservatives do it.
- Another useless AI has been developed: "Meta’s AI Achieves the Left's Dream, Makes Donald Trump Disappear." Asked to list the American presidents, it skips from Obama to Biden, completely omitting Trump, and listing Biden as the 45th president.
- What anti-racist means: "West End play tells white theatregoers they aren't welcome as it hosts all-black audience nights at Kit Harington production to 'protect' ticketholders from 'the white gaze'." If Leftists have their way, in not too many years whites will be hauled off to death camps.
- Death camps, I'm telling you: "‘Morning Joe’ Guests Demonize White Rural Voters as a ‘Threat to Democracy’."
- White privilege? "'Caucasian' Chicago cop sues the city for the right to change his ethnicity in personnel files." Mohammad Yusuf, who identifies as Egyptian and African American, claims that he originally marked himself as "Caucasian" because when he joined the force, the only other two options were "black" and "Hispanic." But now he wants to change his designation because, according to his lawsuit, "opportunities for advancement may be hindered because the department continues to consider him 'Caucasian'."
- Black lives matter: "Florida cops hunt gunman who opened fire outside school with an Uzi automatic pistol." Jahfahree Prince Edwards "is wanted for four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and felon in possession of a firearm."
- I'm shocked (not really): "More women are psychopaths than previously thought, expert claims - these are the 7 key signs to look out for." According to the article, the seven signs are:
- Expressing violence verbally
- Emotional aggression
- Spreading lies/rumors
- Deceit
- Flirtation
- Seduction
- Manipulation
Mitch McConnell To Step Down As Senate Majority Leader
Apparently negotiating deals to flood the country with illegals and shovel billions to Ukraine and Israel without consulting other Republican senators didn't work out for him. The Daily Mail relates:
A tearful Mitch McConnell has announced he will be stepping down as the longest-serving Senate leader in history and admitted 'father time remains undefeated'.
The Republican senator for Kentucky who turned 82 last week choked up on the Senate floor as he revealed he will leave the position he's served in for almost 20 years in November after a 'painful time' that included the death of his sister-in-law.
McConnell has battled constant calls to step down in recent months over his support for sending more aid to Ukraine and is the last member of the Republican leadership not to have voted for Trump.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
VIDEO: "Why You Shoot Low And To The Left"
Some things to look for if you find yourself (as a right handed shooter) shooting low and to the left:
The Continuing Saga Of Google's Deranged AI
I've had a couple posts mentioning Google's Gemini image producing AI being unable to produce images of white people--even historical figures--unless paired with the term "evil". As Breitbart reports, "Google’s Woke AI Disaster Continues with Insane Text Responses." A couple excerpts:
However, it’s not just the AI image generator that appears to be acting in a completely bizarre manner, Gemini has been responding to text queries with increasingly odd messages. When one user asked the AI to give him an argument for having a family of four children, the AI said it was unable to do so but was happy to provide an argument in favor of not having any. It seems the AI’s text responses are in line with radical leftist politics as its image generation.
And:
In another interaction, the AI refused to provide a recipe for foie gras due to “ethical issues,” but also refused to condemn cannibalism, saying that it was “a complex issue with many different perspectives.”
A Society Of Liliths
The GloboLeftist use of power can be objectively observed to be feminine. To put it bluntly, GloboLeftism is feminism. One way this is especially apparent is the tactics that the GloboLeft uses – it uses the tactics of gossip, the swarm, and ostracization of those that it deems unworthy.If you look carefully at how the GloboLeft attacks, it follows that pattern. Gossip against an enemy, a swarm against that enemy, and finally the ostracization of that enemy. ...
It seems that a lot of men in power in politics, industry and finance also seem to act that way. Maybe it is why they get along so well with women.
Anyway, getting back to John's post, he notes that women use these tactics against other women in a group and it is readily apparent when you watch groups of women interacting. He continues:
Back in the day, the worst case for a woman was to be shunned and shamed and denied resources. Being denied resources meant (in many cases) death for the woman, and her children if she had them. This is the core feminine fear, and is the basis for society today.
This was why, of all the crazy things developed by the commies, that feminism was the worst, because it preys upon a core fear. The result is that feminists have done everything that they can possibly figure out to remove any consequences for their action as feminism took hold.
He goes on to discuss how we see this drive to remove any consequence show up over and over in things ranging from divorce and family law, to welfare, and loss of sexual mores. And it is destroying society.
Read the whole thing.
Monday, February 26, 2024
"Venezuela getting safer as criminals, single men and gangs flee to other countries."
That quote was from a Tweet (an X?) by CNBC's Brian Sullivan back in December 2023 and reposted today by Elon Musk. I wonder where those criminals, single men and gangs went? I'm just kidding. We all know where they went.
News of the World
- Wendy's has come up with a clever idea to drive customers to its competitors at lunch and dinner. It is planning on introducing dynamic pricing where the price will be increased during busy periods and reduced during slow period. It will be rolling out the plan in 2025 in conjunction with digital menus.
- The Odysseus moon lander will be switched off tomorrow. It fell over on its side and has been unable to use its solar panels to recharge.
- A New York state appellate court has struck down a New York City law allowing non-citizens to vote, saying it is unconstitutional. If it had been allowed to stand, it would have allowed 800,000 aliens to vote in municipal elections (but only municipal elections--wink, wink). But the court agreed that the law impermissibly diluted the votes of citizens (i.e., disenfranchised citizens).
- The New Scientist magazine asserts that it is racist to believe cannibalism is morally wrong. To paraphrase Glenn Reynolds, Soylent Green was supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual.
- H.L. Mencken once wrote: "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." That seems apropos given this news story: "A mother in Manitoba, Canada, has revealed that teenage students at her son’s school were being provided with wooden phalluses, condoms, and a cartoon flip book featuring gay sex art as part of their 'sex education.'" But we're expected to believe that they're not coming after our children.
- Biden's public bragging of good sex with his wife could be a sign of dementia according to experts. Or maybe its a sign of his controlling and cruel nature, by embarrassing his wife.
- Pope Francis is blaming extreme cold weather in Mongolia on global warming. Heretical scientists disagree:
Despite the pope’s assertion that skepticism regarding the climate crisis is “perverse,” a group of over 1,600 prominent scientists (including two Nobel Prize winners) have dared to disagree with him, in a joint statement declaring that there is no “climate emergency.”In the “World Climate Declaration,” the scientists asserted that climate models have proven inadequate for predicting global warming, that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant, and that climate change has not increased natural disasters.The text noted that the world has warmed “significantly less than predicted by IPCC on the basis of modeled anthropogenic forcing” and the gap between the real world and the modeled world “tells us that we are far from understanding climate change.”“There is no statistical evidence that global warming is intensifying hurricanes, floods, droughts and suchlike natural disasters, or making them more frequent,” the document declares. “However, there is ample evidence that CO2-mitigation measures are as damaging as they are costly.”“There is no climate emergency,” the text declared. “Therefore, there is no cause for panic and alarm.”“We strongly oppose the harmful and unrealistic net-zero CO2 policy proposed for 2050. Go for adaptation instead of mitigation; adaptation works whatever the causes are,” it added.
- This is the way: "Idaho to execute death row killer Thomas Eugene Creech by lethal injection on Wednesday - 50 years after he was arrested for murdering five people across three states." He's probably killed far more than 5. Of course, there are the bleeding hearts that believe he is a changed man, including some of the staff at the state prison where he is incarcerated. But others that have met him have described a palpable evil when in his presence. I tend to believe the latter.
- Should this be the way? "Taliban publicly executes murderer by shooting him five times in front of his victim's family and thousands of spectators in football stadium."
Hikky Naley Vows To Stay In Race
Despite being overwhelming rejected by voters of her own state and losing the financial backing of the Koch brothers, Nikky Haley has vowed to stay in the race because, she says, "I'm a woman of my word." If she is a woman of her word, then that is yet another reason to not vote for her: she has promised to increase the issuance of work visas including those for white collar positions, particularly for her own people of India.
Another Conspiracy Theory True: NY Times Says CIA Been Involved In Ukraine For More Than Decade
Zero Hedge reports: "CIA Built '12 Secret Spy Bases' In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War For Last Decade, Bombshell NYT Report Confirms." An excerpt:
On Sunday The New York Times published an explosive and very belated full admission that US intelligence has not only been instrumental in Ukraine wartime decision-making, but has established and financed high tech command-and-control spy centers, and was doing so long prior to the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of two years ago.
Among the biggest revelations is that the program was established a decade ago and spans three different American presidents. The Times says the CIA program to modernize Ukraine's intelligence services has "transformed" the former Soviet state and its capabilities into "Washington’s most important intelligence partners against the Kremlin today."
This has included the agency having secretly trained and equipped Ukrainian intelligence officers spanning back to just after the 2014 Maidan coup events, as well constructing a network of 12 secret bases along the Russian border—work which began eight years ago. These intelligence bases, from which Russian commanders' communications can be swept up and Russian spy satellites monitored, are being used launch and track cross-border drone and missile attacks on Russian territory.
And then there is this quote from the Times article:
Putin has long blamed Western intelligence agencies for manipulating Kyiv and sowing anti-Russia sentiment in Ukraine.
Toward the end of 2021, according to a senior European official, Putin was weighing whether to launch his full-scale invasion when he met with the head of one of Russia’s main spy services, who told him that the CIA, together with Britain’s MI6, were controlling Ukraine and turning it into a beachhead for operations against Moscow.
...U.S. officials were often reluctant to fully engage, fearing that Ukrainian officials could not be trusted, and worrying about provoking the Kremlin. Yet a tight circle of Ukrainian intelligence officials assiduously courted the CIA and gradually made themselves vital to the Americans. In 2015, Gen. Valeriy Kondratiuk, then Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, arrived at a meeting with the CIA’s deputy station chief and without warning handed over a stack of top-secret files.
Be sure to read the whole thing. According to the article, Trump was not informed of the extent of CIA activity in Ukraine. Rather, this--and Russian invasion--appear to be yet another diplomatic "success" of the Obama and Biden administrations.
While we are on the topic of Ukraine, Time magazine explains that "Ukraine Can’t Win the War" and suggests that a peace will require Ukraine to accept the loss of territory--it simply doesn't have the manpower or resources to win back the lost territory.
The Biden Administration is entirely correct to warn that without further massive U.S. military aid, Ukrainian resistance is likely to collapse this year. But U.S. officials also need to recognize that even if this aid continues, there is no realistic chance of total Ukrainian victory next year, or the year after that. Even if the Ukrainians can build up their forces, Russia can deepen its defenses even more.
There are still some that believe that victory is still possible. For instance, the Time magazine article notes that "retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges among others, [contends] that Russia can be defeated, and even driven from Crimea, by long-range missile bombardment." This is reminiscent of the belief that strategic bombing could quickly end World War II, or that we could achieve victory in Vietnam through strategic bombing.
And a comment by Ben Wallace at The Telegraph similarly asserts that "History proves that Putin can be defeated" given Russia's generally poor showing. But even Wallace acknowledges that the war has bogged down into a war of attrition. Which means that victory will require even more support from the West:
First of all, they need more shells and artillery. The EU has failed to deliver the one million shells it promised; I am not entirely convinced we are doing our bit either.
The sad fact is North Korea has supplied more shells to Russia than the whole of Europe has to Ukraine in the past few months. We can and must counter Russia’s advantage, even if that means putting our own 155 shell factory on a war footing.
If Ukraine is to win the attritional phase, she must mobilise. In 1939 we did just that. In 1941 we additionally mobilised women for “war work”. An extra 300,000 to 500,000 troops will allow proper rotation and rest for the exhausted thousands.
But how could Ukraine train that many? The answer is we will do it for them. The UK has already trained and equipped over 30,000 in a year. A new coalition of European nations could easily train another 200,000.
Remember every Ukrainian soldier is already now better trained than every Russian “cannon fodder”. President Zelensky is worried about who will pay for this mobilisation. The billions are right in front of our eyes. After the murder of Navalny there is now no excuse not to seize all those Russian assets lurking in Europe, London and the USA and use them for Ukraine.
Yes, let's double down, throw good money after bad, further cement an alliance between Russia and China, and make the rest of the world even more afraid to trust Western financial institutions, just to deny the peoples of eastern Ukraine the right to self-determination and secure Ukraine's borders while gleefully admitting tens of millions of invaders into the West.
Covid Vax Linked To Tinnitus And Vertigo
The article, which originally appeared in the Epoch Times, is entitled "New Study Finds Hearing and Balance Disorders Among COVID Vaccinated." The article relates:
More cases of hearing and balance disorders have been observed after people received COVID-19 vaccines, according to a recent study, which asked vaccinated people to remain alert to such complications.
The Australian peer-reviewed study, published in the Vaccine journal on Feb. 22, aimed to determine whether there was an increase in “audiovestibular events” following COVID-19 vaccination in south-eastern Australia. Audiovestibular refers to conditions related to hearing and balance disorders.
“Healthcare providers and vaccinees should be alert to potential audiovestibular complaints after COVID-19 vaccination,” the authors said.
Also:
Researchers found a rise in vertigo and tinnitus cases after vaccination. Tinnitus is a condition that makes an individual hear sounds like humming, ringing, or rushing, in the absence of external stimuli. Vertigo makes people feel like they’re spinning, and can result in dizziness.
“Our study found an increased relative incidence of vertigo in the 42 days following mRNA vaccines, and an increased relative incidence of tinnitus in the 42 days following both Vaxzevria adenovirus vector and mRNA vaccines,” researchers wrote.
“We are the first to confirm this increased relative incidence of tinnitus and vertigo post COVID-19 vaccines,“ they stated. They speculated that the audiovestibular events may be an ”immune mediated injury” triggered by the COVID-19 vaccines.
Trans Murderer Also Put Cat In Blender
Here is the relevant part of the headline from the Daily Mail: "How trans predator live streamed killing a cat in a blender before carrying out twisted murder in echo of notorious Luka Magnotta." The article begins:
This is the moment smiling Scarlet Blake relishes putting a cat in a blender before carrying out a twisted murder in a chilling echo of a Netflix true crime documentary.
Blake, 26, live-streamed the killing and dissection of a cat four months before she targeted Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, as he walked home from a night out in Oxford in July 2021.
Harrowing audio released by police revealed how Blake, who is a transgender woman, said 'one day I want to learn how to do this to a person' after killing the cat.
She had admitted dissecting the animal, removing the fur and skin and placing it in a blender but blames her former partner Ashlynn Bell.
And:
Prosecutors said Blake had deliberately set out to kill after previously revelling in the slaughter and dissection of a neighbour's cat.
While her death obsessed partner Bell watched from her home in the US, Blake live streamed cutting up the cat while it was still alive.
A vet determined it would have been in extreme pain until its heart was ripped out.
Police would later find the heart in a trinket box that Blake kept as a souvenir.
It was only after Blake's arrest in August 2023 they discovered the cat killing video and her fetish for strangulation and they launched Operation Ingmar.
As for Bell, the article relates: "Despite being the tipping point in the case by identifying the murder - potentially crucial witness Bell - who herself was obsessed with guns and death - told police that she was too mentally damaged to give evidence in court."
Some other role models:
- "Colorado trans teen who plotted mass school shooting in violent 'schizophrenic' manifesto sentenced to 6 years"--Fox News (1/31/2024).
A transgender teenager who admitted to plotting to shoot up three schools and wrote a disturbing violent manifesto has been sentenced to six years in prison.The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office on Wednesday said the defendant, William Whitworth, who identified as "Lilly" and – according to a DA spokesperson – was in the process of transitioning to female at the time of her arrest.
- "Trans woman is charged with threatening to copy Nashville school shooting and rape Christian girls in bathrooms after cops intercepted sick livestream of them saying 'I am gonna f*** f*** them until they're dead'"--Daily Mail (11/24/2023). The article relates that "Jason Lee Willie, who identifies as 'Alexia N. Willie,' allegedly modeled threats after the transgender Nashville Christian Covenant School shooter, Audrey 'Aiden' Hale."
- "California transgender murderer - who targeted lesbian couple in hate crime - is placed in WOMEN's prison, drawing outrage from activists who say she could prey on other inmates"--Daily Mail (6/26/2023). The article mentions that "Dana Rivers, 68, was convicted in November of the 2016 killings of Oakland resident Charlotte Reed, 56; her wife Patricia Wright, 57; and Wright's adopted 19-year-old son, Benny Toto Diambu-Wright."
- "Racist transgender woman faces prison sentence after being found guilty of battering Chinese man on New York City subway in brutal hammer attack"--Daily Mail (6/21/2023). "Christian Jeffers, 49, who identifies as a woman, was found guilty of attempted assault, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and aggravated harassment," according to the news story.
- "Top Tennessee Republicans Receive Suspicious Packages, Radical Trans Activism Suspected"--Daily Wire (6/22/2023).
- "Utah Target Evacuated After Trans Extremists Threaten to Bomb Multiple Store Locations for Removing LGBT Merch"--Info Wars (5/27/2023). The article also mentions that threats were received by stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
- "Wild moment transgender North Dakota pastor claims Nashville school shooter has been treated like Jesus being CRUCIFIED... after gunman shot dead six including two children"--Daily Mail (4/24/2023).
Micah Louwagie, who goes by they/them pronouns, was recently installed as the pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Fargo, and delivered their first Easter-themed sermon to a small congregation on April 2.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Google Gemini Is Inherently Racist
You've probably seen articles or memes about the inability of Google Gemini AI program--which generates images--to produce historically accurate images of white people or groups. But it is worse than that. As this video explains, Gemini will not even provide positive images of white people.But it goes beyond Gemini to other Google products.
VIDEO: "Google Gemini AI is anti-white - and so is Google search"
Leo Kearse (11 min.)
More::
Why It's Dangerous That Conspiracy Theorists Are Being Proven Right
We live in a rather unique period in history where some of the wildest conspiracy theories have proven to be true. But what are the implications of that? Nothing good if you are woke.
The authors of "Conspiracy theorists keep getting things right; experts warn that’s dangerous" note that many conspiracy theories are being proven correct:
The exposure of government surveillance programs like PRISM, the revelations surrounding the secret experiments of MKUltra, and the acknowledgement of covert military operations like Operation Gladio, have all served as a sobering reminder that conspiracy theories are not always baseless. Darker still, we’ve even learned that the US government experimented with syphilis on Black folks and were the ultimate cause of the high rate of STDs among non-white populations.
More recently, the lab leak theory regarding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet again sparked totally unnuanced “conspiracy theorists were right” discourse. While initially the lab leak theory was clamped down on for being a dangerous conspiracy theory, the hypothesis has — more or less by random chance — been the one to recently gain traction in expert opinions.
And while the true origins of the virus remain unclear, the fact that a modern conspiracy theory could potentially hold elements of truth has raised alarm bells among guardians of democracy like journalists and experts.
Not to mention the revelations about UFOs, the evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, and the growing realization of deleterious side effects of the Covid vaccines. The problem, according to the authors, is not that the government has proven itself to be the enemy of the people, but that the people might stop trusting the government and other authorities.
The specter of true conspiracy theories heralds profoundly dangerous implications for our ability to function as an open, inclusive, and equitable democratic society. As once-dismissed theories find validation, shadows of doubt are cast upon the credibility of the mainstream institutions and experts who set out to protect us to begin with.
Big Brother loves us--of course he is going to protect us!
So what is the solution to a public that might have had too much to think? Why, more censorship and propaganda, of course. The authors continue:
Public acceptance of parts of even one conspiracy theory will inevitably erode trust in essential institutions and have profound consequences for our ability to shape societal cohesion and protect marginalized minorities like BIPOCs and women.
What the experts all agree on is the importance of critical dialogue about the dangers of conspiracy theories, and the need for democracy’s stakeholders — NGOs and governments — to come to the table and explain how they intend to combat the danger. Government also needs to lay out a dynamic and resilient framework for cooperation with the private sector so that we can present a multifaceted and unified front against conspiratorial thinking in all areas of society.
In other words, stop giving the rubes a public platform! "Our" democracy depends on it:
This is no less than a fight for democracy itself, and so it must be transparent, provide accountability, and be vigorous in upholding our democratic values. We must all come together to strengthen the fact checkers and counter narratives that exploit people’s fears, insecurities, and distrust. Our efforts should focus on rebuilding trust in institutions, amplifying marginalized voices, and ensuring that accurate information is priority-available to the common person in the street.
Notice that the solution is not to make institutions more trustworthy but to brainwash the public into believing they are trustworthy.
The authors continue:
But the fight against conspiracy theories goes beyond facts alone. We must nurture an informed and resilient society-mass that can build pathways around the dangerous challenges posed by conspiracy theories, and we must do it all while while upholding our core values of progress, justice, equity, and human rights.
That sounds nice. So what is the catch?
Because it’s ultimately the safety of marginalized bodies that are at stake. And if history has taught us anything it is these three, powerful words: Black lives matter. Women’s lives matter.
Our lives matter.
But not white lives. Nice.
What the authors reveal is that their greatest fear is that the lies we've been fed about race, diversity, the LGBT agenda, etc., will be exposed and people will rebel. And then there will be hell to pay.
Diversity is a Strength: S.F. Store To Require Escort to Shop
The New York post reports: "San Francisco store requires customers to shop with employee escort to curb shoplifting."
Fredericksen’s Hardware and Paint in the city’s Cow Hollow neighborhood has put up a sign announcing that during certain hours it will be taking customers only one at a time to curb the incessant thefts.
The shop is blocking off part of the store’s entrance and corralling shoppers in a waiting area until an employee is able to help them, KRON4 reported.
“Attention shoppers,” the sign reads. “Due to the rampant shoplifting, Fredericksen has introduced a one-on-one shopping experience: wait here and a clerk will be right with you to help you with all your shopping needs.
As I noted a few days ago, you can let criminals roam free or you can have a high trust society, but you can't have both.
Immigrants Contributing To Society: Murder and Rape
I did.a quick search on Google asking "why is immigration good" and the answer that came back is that immigrants boost the economy and are essential to economic growth. Small consolation to the victims and families of these crimes:
- "Illegal migrant from Venezuela is arrested for murder of UGA nursing student Laken Riley: Was released from CBP custody because of overcrowding"--Daily Mail.
- "US student, 20, is raped in supermarket parking lot in Milan: 'Egyptian attacker is caught virtually red-handed and stopped by bouncers from nearby nightclub'"--Daily Mail.
NASA Confirms Odysseus Lander Tipped Onto Its Side
NASA has confirmed that the Odysseus lander tipped over on its side after landing on the Moon last week. From a Daily Mail article on the topic:
Odysseus is believed to be getting solar power, but laying on its side is hindering radio transmission.
Altemus explained in a press conference that the craft's foot caught the surface while moving sideways, resulting in the lander tipping onto a rock.
The majority of the payloads are in view, allowing each to collect science.
'We are hopeful the top deck solar array is not damaged and that the sun comes around the lander to get some power,' said Altemus, as he used a model to show Odysseus' position on the moon.
He continued to explain in the press conference that Odysseus has much of its operating abilities regardless of being tipped over.
Even having tipped over, the mission appears to be mostly a success; although it all depends on whether it will be able to charge its batteries. Odysseus isn't the only lander that has tipped over lately. I wonder if the shape--tall with a relatively narrow base even with the landing legs extended--contributed to it. The Apollo landers were, by comparison, relatively squat with a wide base.
Friday, February 23, 2024
VIDEO: The True Biden
A video from Freedom Tunes showing Biden switching between being an evil super-villain in private and the senile dolt that we see on the television.
Video: Gang Member Describes Difference Between Predator and Prey
This video from Fight Science that has clips from an interview of a gang banger. The clip illustrates differences in mindset between predator and prey. What it comes down to is that in the violent, inner city "gangsta" culture there is no pity for the weak and no tolerance for showing pity or mercy. At one point, the gang banger observes that the law does not distinguish between shooting someone in the leg or shooting them in the torso ("above the belt") so, he reasoned, you might as well shoot them above the belt. This is the way a sociopath thinks.
Immigration Is A Strength: Illegal Child Labor
The Daily Mail reports that, after a serious injury to one of the young teens, federal inspectors discovered that slaughter houses operated by Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC in Sioux City, Iowa, and Perdue Farms in Accomac, Virginia, had been illegally using young teens to clean dangerous equipment. The children were apparently employed by Fayette Janitorial Service, a subcontractor that has contracts to clean meat and poultry plants across 30 states--in other words, not a small operation. From the article:
Child labor violations soared in the US in the 2022-2023 fiscal year to their highest level in nearly two decades, with 5,792 minors found to be working illegally — an 88 percent increase since 2019.
Unscrupulous bosses frequently hire migrant kids with poor English who need a paycheck and don't ask questions about safety.
Jessica Looman, an administrator from the department, said the violations in Iowa and Virginia had 'real consequences on children's lives.'
'Our actions to stop these violations will help ensure that more children are not hurt in the future.'
In a statement to DailyMail.com, officials said the children worked in 'overnight sanitation shifts,' which is prohibited because it interferes with schooling.
'Minors were used to clean dangerous kill floor equipment such as head splitters, jaw pullers, meat bandsaws, and neck clippers,' said the statement.
Children under the age of 18 are not allowed to work in slaughterhouses under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Odysseus Moon Probe Successfully Lands On Moon
The Odysseus probe is the name of Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 lander. CNN relates:
The company was able to confirm that mission control received signals from the lunar surface shortly after landing. But it wasn’t until two hours later that Intuitive Machines shared that the spacecraft was “upright and starting to send data,” according to an update from the company on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In yet another update Friday morning, Intuitive Machines revealed the spacecraft was “alive and well” and mission controllers were seeking to download science data from the vehicle.
“We continue to learn more about the vehicle’s specific information (Lat/Lon), overall health, and attitude (orientation),” the company said in its update, adding that more information is expected at a news conference on Friday afternoon.
The spacecraft’s position has been a key question since touchdown on Thursday evening, as communications issues became an immediate concern and flight controllers indicated they were getting weak signals from the vehicle.
And while Intuitive Machines said it is also working to process images from Odysseus’ cameras, the company has not yet shared any pictures from the landing.
Still, the spacecraft has already accomplished a historic feat, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to soft-land on the moon, and the first US-made vehicle to touch down on the lunar surface since the Apollo program ended more than five decades ago. This mission is of key interest to Intuitive Machines’ primary customer, NASA, which is seeking to scout the moon using robotic explorers developed by private contractors before sending astronauts there later this decade through its Artemis program.
“Today for the first time in more than a half-century, the US has returned to the moon,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships. Congratulations to everyone involved in this great and daring quest.”
More details about the initial communications problem, an issue with the probe's own landing system that required it to switch to a lidar package being carried as a payload--what better test than to actually use it for the landing--and more information as to other payload packages on the lander.
The Ugly Side Of Leftism: Refusing To Treat Patients
This story comes from the Daily Mail: "Woman, 25, with life-threatening ectopic pregnancy is refused treatment by Texas hospital - because doctors say it constitutes an abortion." From the lede:
A Texas woman with a potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy was denied emergency treatment due to concerns about the state's stringent abortion ban.
Texas has imposed a near-total ban on abortions and, despite the law including exemptions for cases of extreme danger to the mother, doctors have been hesitant to provide care in rare circumstances for fear of government-issued penalties.
The article adds:
The Texas law stipulates that doctors can end a pregnancy if it is ectopic. Doctors said there was a chance the pregnancy could still be viable, though major medical authorties disagree with this.
Still, most doctors were afraid to perform a procedure that could land them in prison.
The Texas law says that doctors may terminant a pregnancy when it is ectopic
But the threat of jail time and six-figure fines for medical professionals has led some hospitals and doctors in the state to deny or delay care.
Dr Morgan said it 'baffles' him that doctors declined to help Ms Norris-De La Cruz, saying: 'Any kind of ectopic, anything like that is excluded.'
Thomas Sowell has noted that Leftism, which adopts an "unconstrained vision" of humanity, is not averse to cracking some eggs in order to advance their agenda to "perfect" governments and people. I suspect the motivation here--where there was a clear exception in the law--was not because of fear of the law but to protest the law.
While we are considering the myth of the noble doctor, you might want to check this out: "We’re Not Curing Cancer Here, Guys"--The Free Press. The article begins:
A top cancer surgeon at Columbia University is under scrutiny after one of his research papers was retracted for containing suspect data. Twenty-six other studies by Dr. Sam S. Yoon, who conducted his research at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, have been flagged as suspicious by a British scientific sleuth called Sholto David. David raised the alarm after spotting the same images across different articles that described wholly different experiments. He has also found duplications and manipulated data in papers published by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston that have since been retracted.
The rest of the article discusses how we don't actually know how much of cancer research (or other scientific research) is just made up. Shades of the Replication Crises in sociology and psychology.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
New Defensive Pistolcraft Newsletter
I don't know how I missed this, but Jon Low of Defensive Pistolcraft posted a new newsletter last week.
Jon breaks his newsletters into general sections--Prevention, Intervention, Postvention, and Education--each of which is further subdivided into more narrow topics. At the very top of the "Prevention" section are links and short excerpts from a two-party article from Dave Spaulding entitled "Trendy or Noteworthy?" I liked this bit:
Remember, fighting is final. If you engage in combat, you run the risk of being hurt or killed. It’s not a video game. There is no way to engage in nice fighting. There is no room for “politically correct” in this arena. I fear that some American cops and armed citizens have reached a time when force is preferably “minimal” instead of “objectively reasonable.” On the other end of the spectrum, some want to use military-style, battle zone tactics in domestic conflict.
This seems to be a growing trend but which seemed to take a boost in order to punish those that dared defend themselves against rioting BLM mobs. We saw several prosecutors and/or judges take the position that it was "objectively reasonable" to discern between the members of a violent mob and "mere protestors" that were intermixed. This was a deliberate strategy, I believe. We saw Antifa and BLM specifically train to mix ordinary protestors among the violent rioters in order to shield them from police action and, as we saw, provide a legal excuse to go after a member of the public that drew a weapon. No court would have made the distinction 100 years ago--even if you weren't actually throwing the stones or Molotov cocktails, if you were amongst the mob you were part of the mob.
Jon also links to an article entitled "Home Defense Considerations: Answering the Door" by Salvatore. The author makes the argument:
"Speak to the stranger through the door, but don’t open it."
"Some may argue that simply not answering the stranger on your doorstep is the best policy. I disagree. Many home invasions begin as a simple burglary in which a single criminal, or multiple criminals, invade a home under the presumption that nobody is home. By letting it be known that the house is indeed occupied you immediately reduce the likelihood of the breach."
I'm the type of person that I would go to the door and demand to know what the stranger is doing on my doorstep. I'm also a grown man. But would that work as effectively with a child or someone that might come across as timid or weak speaking to them? I don't know. Maybe if that person said they were going to call 911 unless the stranger left, it might. In any event, whatever position you have on speaking to the stranger through the door, please check the article out because there are other good tips and suggestions for securing your home.
I will have to say from my experience, the simplest way to secure your home is to make sure your door are kept locked, even when you are at home, so someone can't just walk in--it always amazes me how many people leave their doors unlocked when they are home. And if you live in an apartment or rental where a landlord, property manager, or maintenance staff might have a key, I would suggest getting a security bar for your door. I've used both a model that fits under the door handle similar to this one (Amazon link) and one similar to this (Amazon link) for glass doors. Please note that I said "similar"--I haven't used those particular brands. Of course, it doesn't matter how good are your locks and how strong your door if you open the door and let some criminal in. As John Farnam states in another article linked by Jon, entitled "Unprepared!," "Never unlock and open your door for people of whose motives you are suspicious." Just don't. Criminals thrive in high trust societies because they can take advantage of others' inherent goodness. But sometimes you just have to harden your heart. That person on your doorstep at 3 am saying that they need to call someone for a ride? They can give you the number so you can call for them--but don't open the door. It's sounds like a terrible thing, but one of the prices of tolerating criminals is giving up that high trust society. You can have one or the other, but not both.
Jon links to a good article on conceptualizing the factors to good performance: "Stairway To Performance" by Steve Tarani.
The difference between shooting skill and performance, is best illustrated by champion shooter Rob Leatham’s timeless quote “Shooting well requires a level of understanding, a level of skill and a level of performance.” In a nutshell, performance is one of three stairsteps leading to optimal consistency in both competitive and defensive shooting.
The bedrock is your “level of understanding.” It is the essential foundation of conceptual familiarity, where you “get it” intellectually but have not yet made it part of your physical skill set. You cannot pass “go” without first mentally grasping exactly what you are trying to accomplish.
The next step up from level of understanding is your level of skill. Here is where you attempt to manifest your understanding physically by first gaining a basic level of hands-on familiarity and comfort with the initial concept.
At the top of the staircase awaits your level of performance. Here is your ability to perform a physical skill on demand with optimal consistency. At this step, you can meet your performance objectives almost every time regardless of condition or circumstance.
Read the whole thing.
Jon recommends a YouTube video entitled ""How to Disappear Completely Without a Trace and Never Be Found Again" by Ex CIA agent Jason Hanson. Jon comments:
Because you might not want to surrender to police. The beatings and forced sodomy in jail may not be something to want to experience. Remember Jeffery Epstein. He couldn't survive; and he was rich, powerful, and connected. The prison guards are not going to protect you. The prison guards killed Epstein. That's why they (including the Warden) were all transferred to other facilities. That's how they "fire" civil servants. They can't fire them, so they transfer them to bumfuck Egypt. The civil servant refuses to go, so he resigns to avoid being fired for not going. But if you're doing a job for the Clintons, they will find you another job.
What makes you think you could survive? Do you have what it takes to survive in prison?
We all die. Better to die free.
Racking the slide to load a cartridge into the chamber requires two hands. Youwon't have two hands.
"I can rack with one hand."
A one-handed rack requires something of the appropriate shape, rigidity, andmass to rack against. You won't have such a thing. Muphy's Law guarantees it.Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, at the worst possible time.
Murphy's Law is a law of nature. It doesn't matter whether or not you believein Murphy's Law. Like gravity, Murphy's Law doesn't care what you believe.The only way to defeat Murphy's Law is to eliminate anything that can go wrong.So always carry with a round in the chamber. You won't have time to load.And you certainly won't have time to get your pistol if it is not on your body.
I'm only aware of only one semiautomatic handgun designed to be racked one-handed: the M1911 and M1911A1. They were designed to be used by cavalrymen on horseback who would be pushing the pistol up against their saddle bows to rack the slide with one hand while holding the reins with the other. You probably don't have an M1911 or M1911A1 (and even if you have a 1911 clone, you probably have the single piece guide rod which won't allow you to do this anyway) and it is a pretty safe bet that you won't be riding a horse when you do need to use the handgun.
Jon has much, much more in his newsletter, so check it out.
Another Leftist Lie Shot Down: Non-Binary Student NOT Beat To Death In School Lavatory
On February 2, 2024, I made a post supportive of male students who had torn down a tampon dispenser installed in the boy's restroom at their school ("This Is The Way: Teens Rip Down Tampon Dispenser In Boys Lavatory"). One of the comments I received was an hyperbolic claim that this incident would lead directly to a trans student being beat up or murdered. So it was with some glee that person returned on February 20 to report a non-binary student had been "murdered in a bathroom" in a school, "beat to death by 3 other students" and citing to a DailyKos article which turned out to just be a propaganda piece hating on conservatives.
In examining other news sources that actually contained some facts, I learned that the dead teen (Nex Benedict) and a friend had been involved in an altercation with three girls. The fight was quickly broken up by a teacher. Nex Benedict was marched down to a principal's office, her mother was called and informed that Nex was suspended from school for two weeks. Nex's mother left school with her and took her to a medical clinic where she was examined and released to go home. The next day, Nex collapsed while at home and subsequently died. At the time of the comment from my anonymous reader, no autopsy had been performed, the cause of death was unknown, and no charges had been filed. In other words, at the time my anonymous commentator posted his/her comments and made his/her claims, all of his assertions were either incorrect or unknown.
Today, the Daily Mail reports: "Nex Benedict - non binary Oklahoma teenager - did NOT die from injuries sustained in school fight, cops say."
Nex Benedict, the non-binary Oklahoma teenager who died after a fight at school, did not die from injuries sustained in the fight, police have said.
Nex, who was born Dagny, texted their family to tell them about three 'bullying' girls jumped them in a restroom on February 8. They died the next day.
Now, police say the 16-year-old did not die as a result of those injuries but they have not clarified the cause of death.
'At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received,' police said.
'The official autopsy report will be available at a later date,' Owasso police said on Wednesday night.
I also found this interesting, given the assumption from Leftists that Nex was without fault:
'I got jumped at school. 3 on 1, had to go to the ER,' Nex wrote [in text messages to relatives], adding: 'They had been bullying me and my friends and I got tired of it so I poured some water on them and all 3 came after me. School did not report to police.'
Sounds like Nex escalated a verbal confrontation into a physical one.
In the interim, however, the Trans community and their enablers poured out their hate for conservatives. The DailyKos article to which my anonymous commentator linked described Chaya Raichik, owner of the social media account Libs of TikTok, as "stochastic terrorist" and blamed her and other conservatives for the incident. For instance, the article states:
A motive for this killing has not been shared by law enforcement, but we know that schools in Oklahoma have been specifically pushing violent eliminationist rhetoric against transgender and non-binary youth— a fact exemplified by the state’s hiring of Chaya Raichik following her incitements of terror against the state’s schools over LGBTQ+ rights. The Independent interviewed Sue Benedict, the mother of Nex Benedict, and confirmed that Nex Benedict was aware of Chaya Raichik’s now-deleted tweets targeting their local pro-LGBTQ+ teacher. In fact, Benedict had greatly admired this teacher before they were forced out of the job by Raichik’s harassment, according to their mother. “Nex was very angry about it,” she told their reporter.
“This is the inevitable result of the anti trans moral panic,” said civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo, who shared an article about Benedict’s death published by the Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents Blog. “This is horrifying, and comes as lawmakers are increasingly spreading fear over trans people in bathrooms,” wrote LGBTQ+ journalist and advocate Erin Reed regarding this murder.
Violent attacks on transgender and non-binary youth have been increasing across the nation as a legislative blitzkrieg from Republican lawmakers targets their collective rights to exist. According to a report from UCLA’s William Institute School of Law: 33% of transgender and non-binary youth in the United States have had gender-affirming healthcare key to their existence banned by their local governments. Last year, a transgender teenager named Jacob Williamson was murdered after being stabbed and cut over 30 times. Anti-LGBTQ+ hate trafficked by Raichik and others like her have real world consequences. Lives are already being lost in this climate.
Another article, this one from The Independent, had a headline that screamed: "Oklahoma banned trans students from bathrooms. Now a bullied student is dead after a fight." It also blamed conservative efforts to protect children from sexual deviancy as the cause of the fight which it claims killed Nex and, per the Leftist script, similarly focused its ire on the Libs of TikTok. I guess this is a good example of "you know you are over the target when the flak is heaviest."
Of course neither article mentions the Covenant School shooting or other violence or threats of violence directed against Christians by trans activists.
Speaking of trans violence: "A 6' tall, bearded trans basketballer arrogantly slams a young girl to the ground.... she collapses in agony. RILEY GAINES hits back: We used to call this domestic abuse - so why are we now calling it 'sport'?"--Daily Mail.
- More: "Trans activist attacks Students for Life"--Campus Reform.
And, of course, the brainwashing of the kids never ends: "Brooklyn elementary school gives kids Black Lives Matter coloring books teaching them 'queer affirming', 'trans affirming' and 'restorative justice' for Black History Month."--Daily Mail.
- Related: "They're Coming for Your Kids: Even Red State Parents Are Losing Their Children to Trans Ghoul Authorities"--PJ Media.
But being trans means you never have to be sorry: "Transgender killer smirks at relative of Portland cab driver she stabbed in unprovoked attack, after progressive DA gave her plea deal - then declares she WON'T apologize because her gender identity makes her 'vulnerable'"--Daily Mail.
Update: Red State reports ("The Tragic Story of Nex Benedict Is About Far More Than the Vulture Media's Exploitative Narrative" (March 27, 2024)) that the autopsy report showed that Benedict died from an overdose of Benadryl--she would have had to consume 50 to 100 pills to reach that toxicity level. It also relates that she had a very emotionally troubled past, having been molested by her father over a period of years, suffered from various mental illnesses, engaged in self-harm, and apparently was suicidal. He father had only recently been released from prison before her suicide. Yet the media used the incident as a opportunity to attack conservatives. The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office had indicted it will not be filing any charges in relation to her death.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Cultural Enrichment In Action: Eritreans Clash In Netherlands, U.S.
This is something that happened this past weekend, but didn't get much news coverage.
- "At least four police hurt in Hague riots after rival Eritrean mobs torched cars, trashed buildings and hurled bricks at cops - turning Dutch city into a war zone"--Daily Mail.
- "What's happening in Holland? Video shows rioters breaking into opera house in The Hague"--Not The Bee.
- "Netherlands: Another Eritrean clash: This time in the Hague"--Martin Plaut.
Dozens of people, including at least 26 police officers, were injured during unrest surrounding an Eritrean cultural festival in the southwestern German city of Stuttgart in September 2023.A fight the same month between Eritrean government supporters and opponents in Tel Aviv led to violent street confrontations among African asylum-seekers and migrants.Months earlier, a clash at an Eritrean festival in the western German city of Giessen left 22 police officers injured.
However, Not The Bee indicated: "The Express in the UK is reporting as well that the whole thing started as a battle between two East African gangs that the police had to step in the middle of."
But that isn't the only place that Eritreans are enriching. That same day (Feb. 17) Andy Ngo posted on X: "African migrants & immigrants from Eritrea in Charlotte, N.C. are rioting & attacking police. The riot coincides with Eritreans in the Netherlands also setting fires and assaulting police. Warring Eritrean factions have taken their violence to the countries they claim asylum in." Fox News reported: "Charlotte protesters attack officers, set tractor-trailer on fire in riot at Eritrean 'cultural event': police." From that article:
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department said eight people were arrested Saturday during a 10-hour "protest and standoff" that stemmed from an Eritrean "cultural event."
Clashes erupted between rival groups of Eritreans, and police confirmed that officers trying to disperse the unlawful crowds were attacked by people wielding sticks, rocks and other items.
Crowds also set a tractor on fire in North Carolina's largest city, and police seized a total of two firearms over the course of several hours.
Fox News Digital reached out to the department Sunday seeking the identities and more information about those eight arrested.
The incident first began shortly after 11:30 a.m. Saturday, when CMPD’s Providence Division responded to "an unlawful protest happening in the parking lot of a business hosting an Eritrean cultural event" on Monroe Road. "Protesters were on private property and were spilling out into the road, which prompted officers to close Monroe Road. Dispersal orders were repeatedly given to protesters throughout the duration of the protest, however they refused to disperse," police said in a press release. "Charlotte Fire and MEDIC responded to assist."
Shortly after 3:00 p.m., CMPD Bike Unit officers attempted to move protesters out of the street.
"Several protesters threw objects and pushed back against the officers. Officers then deployed pepper spray," the department confirmed. "Multiple protesters and officers were treated on scene for injuries related to the pepper spray."
Just remember: out government wants more of this.
News from Wakanda: Power Shortages Worsen
A little over a week ago, BNN Bloomberg reported that "South Africa Faces Most Severe Nationwide Power Cuts in Months." Per the article, "state-owned power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. announced that it would implement so-called Stage 6 outages — taking 6,000 megawatts of demand off the grid — from midnight Saturday [February 10] until further notice." This, even though the utility had returned two units to operation. The reason for the outages was that two other units were being taken off line, apparently because of the need to replenish two pumped storage dams.
But there may be more to this than just poor maintenance and the run-of-the-mill corruption common to Africa. Energy Central, in its article, "South Africa’s Power Cuts: Sabotage, politics, and election fears cloud the grid" published last week, notes a connection between the outages and pronouncements from the Democratic Alliance (DA), a main opposition party to the ANC in South Africa.
At the heart of the [outages] issue lies Eskom, the country’s primary electricity supplier, plagued by aging infrastructure, financial woes, and reports of sabotage at its facilities. In 2022, Eskom reported instances of interference at key power stations, including Koeberg, Hendrina, Tutuka, and Camden.
However, the crisis escalated in 2023, with daily outages lasting up to 12 hours becoming the norm. This fueled speculation and suspicion, leading to reports suggesting links between the power sector issues and political figures or parties.
One key focus is the Democratic Alliance (DA), a main opposition party. A leaked letter, allegedly addressed to a DA employee, mentions recommendations for actions in the energy sector, coinciding with the timing of increased power disruptions.
* * *
The DA has publicly advocated for Eskom’s privatization, arguing it could improve management and address sabotage. However, this stance, coupled with the pre-election timing of the outages, has raised questions about potential manipulation of voter sentiment.
Adding another layer of concern are observations that power outages are less frequent in areas where DA leaders reside. This, coupled with the party’s stance on privatization, has sparked discussions about the potential use of energy management as a political strategy.
However, even this may be disinformation by the ANC seeking to discredit the DA, which is viewed as a more moderate, "classical liberal" party versus the corrupt, socialist ANC.
Passing Star 56 Million Years Ago Increased Earth's Temperature By 14.4 Degrees F
Indy100 reports that "[a]ccording to a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the relatively close passing of a star 56 million years ago caused the Earth’s temperature to rise by eight degrees centigrade." The increase in temperature had been linked to a massive increase in atmospheric CO2 levels (see this Wikipedia entry), so this new theory seems to be quite the divergence from current thinking. But back to the article:
Their study points to the passing of a star, which they claim came close enough to change planetary orbits in the solar system. The change in temperature came during the period known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
Kaib said: "It has already been proposed that Earth's orbital eccentricity was notably high during this event but our results show that passing stars make detailed predictions of Earth's past orbital evolution at this time highly uncertain, and a broader spectrum of orbital behavior is possible than previously thought."
Kaib added: "One reason this is important is because the geologic record shows that changes in the Earth's orbital eccentricity accompany fluctuations in the Earth's climate,"
Stars passing close enough to potentially alter orbits are relatively rare occurrences, but their impacts can be huge. It’s estimated that a star passes within 50,000 astronomical units (one astronomical unit being roughly the distance between the Earth and the Sun) around once every million years, while one is thought to come as close as 10,000 astronomical units to Earth around every 20 million years.
By way of comparison, climate scientists claim that Earth's temperatures will increase 2-4 degrees Celsius (3.6-7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100.
But it is hard to take climate scientists seriously when they adjust the data to fit their models. As the video below points out, climate scientists have "adjusted" historical temperatures downward while modern temperature readings are "adjusted" upward which, of course, results in "global warming". This after the fact "adjustment" of data is very common and, suspiciously, always is adjusted in a way that favors the desired outcome--i.e., that temperatures are increasing.
Ragnorok Part XIV -- Escalation
Things are hearing up quickly in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. I saw a meme from the Babylon Bee a week or two ago stating that the Democr...