How's Putin Doing?
Posted By: earlybird, 2/18/2022 1:50:06 PM
It seems he’s doing pretty well. The substance of events is largely behind the scenes, with small but telltale glimpses in public statements. The bottom line is that Putin appears to be making significant progress in reshaping the global security environment in so far as they affect Russian interests. That means, above all, on Russia’s western borders.(snip)It’s not really so much about whether or not we approve of Russia’s governance and societal order—after all, if we’re honest, there are some highly objectionable aspects to American governance and societal order. The real issue is about being smart. It’s a fair question whether US post Cold War policy toward Russia has been
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One of the U.S. trucker convoys planning to leave this week plans to shut down traffic on the Capital Beltway outside Washington.
“We’re going to have a shutdown,” Bob Bolus, the organizer, told The Epoch Times. “We’ll shut it down.”
The Beltway encircles Washington, running through portions of Maryland and Virginia, and passes through a small part of the nation’s capital.
Bolus plans to lead a convoy from Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he owns a tow truck company, starting Feb. 23. After a stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the convoy is estimated to arrive in Washington in the afternoon that day.
A constitutional doctrine resuscitated during legal challenges before the U.S. Supreme Court in the wake of Florida’s disputed 2000 election is finding traction in post-2020 election integrity lawsuits.
Proponents are espousing “Independent State Legislatures Doctrine” in legal arguments seeking to cuff state courts from “acting like ‘super legislators’” and assert state legislatures’ right as “necessary parties” in election-related lawsuits.
“It comes back to a very basic textural reading of the Constitution that vests the ability to regulate elections to state legislatures,” said Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project (HEP),(snip)
The doctrine is rooted in parts of two articles of the U.S. Constitution.
Former President Donald Trump’s new social media venture, Truth Social, launched shortly before the Presidents’ Day holiday on Apple’s App Store.
The app was available to download shortly before midnight ET after Trump’s company said back in January that it planned a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022.
Truth Social’s app store page detailing its version history showed the first public version of the app, or version 1.0 was available on Feb. 20. It reads “Welcome to the first public release of Truth Social.”
Woops—I suppose I should have warned you to assume a seated position before I popped that on you. It’s true—the NYT is reporting it:
The C.D.C. Isn’t Publishing Large Portions of the Covid Data It Collects
The agency has withheld critical data on boosters, hospitalizations and, until recently, wastewater analyses.(snip)For more than a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data on hospitalizations for Covid-19 in the United States and broken it down by age, race and vaccination status. But it has not made most of the information public.
As police in Ottawa escalated operations for the second day in a row against the trucker protest opposed to the government’s COVID-19 mandates, a spokesperson for the movement, dubbed the “Freedom Convoy,” called for a peaceful withdrawal, saying they are not going to be a “punching bag for law enforcement.”
Speaking at a press conference (snip) retired Canadian military officer Tom Marazzo said many truckers feel that the best course of action for them and their families is to withdraw in order to avoid further harm.
“As a movement, we have chosen to peacefully withdraw from the streets of Ottawa. There is nothing to be gained by being brutalized by
A China-based bio-fermentation products maker coming to the United States is being touted as a win for the local economy, but there’s growing concern over its national security implications and potential ties to forced labor.
The Epoch Times spoke to Ross Kennedy, founder of Fortis Analysis, about his recent research concerning China-based company Fufeng Group Limited that’s poised to set up shop in midwestern America. Fufeng is a manufacturer of bio-fermented products derived from corn, which are used in end products ranging from animal feed to pharmaceuticals. A Hong Kong-listed company, the group has multiple subsidiaries around the world, but most of its production facilities can be found in northeast China.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a defiant joint statement last week. They affirmed their “strong mutual support for the protection of their core interests” and openly opposed the U.S.-led world order and value system. Many international observers saw the statement as a “manifesto” for a new multipolar world order in which Russia and China are united against the United States. (snip)The joint statement claims that the “friendship between [Russia and China] knows no limits.” But the questions remain how strong their alliance really is and how long it will last.
On Feb. 17, attorneys for Michael Sussmann, the former attorney for the Hillary Clinton campaign, filed a motion to dismiss the criminal case pending against him in the D.C. district court. Special Counsel John Durham charged Sussmann in September 2021, in a one-count indictment, with lying to former FBI General Counsel James Baker(snip)
the indictment charged that when Sussmann met with Baker on September 19, 2016, and provided him “white papers” and data files purporting to show the Trump organization had established a secret communications channel with the Russia-connected Alfa Bank, Sussmann falsely claimed he was not acting on behalf of a client.
Pinpointing the whereabouts of Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence have become a key part of efforts by multiple Jan. 6 defendants in fighting against prosecution.
(snip) Many charges say both Harris and Pence were inside the building when a defendant went into the Capitol or was on Capitol grounds. But the government is now admitting Harris left before the clock struck noon, well before the Capitol was breached. And fresh questions are being raised about where Pence went when Congress split up to consider objections to electoral votes before the breach.
Joe Biden informed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that he intends to extend the federal National Emergency declaration beyond its termination date in March. [STATUTE HERE]
By statute the State of a National Emergency expires one year after initial declaration. That meant the COVID National Emergency declaration was scheduled to end March 1st. However, the statute allows the extension if the executive office informs the legislative branch within the 90-day window prior to expiration.(snip) “When the President declares a national emergency, no powers or authorities made available by statute for use in the event of an emergency shall be exercised unless and until the President specifies the provisions
BEIJING — No matter how the IOC tries to spin it, the enduring symbol of the Beijing Games -- and really, the entire Olympic movement -- is a sad little girl put in an untenable position by adults who have no shame.
A lot of serious issues will need to be addressed after the flame is extinguished, from doping rules to age limits to tyrannical coaches, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger questions:
What will it take for the Olympics to truly live up to its ideals?
Is meaningful change even possible at this point?
“Who will save Olympic and Paralympic sport in our time?” asked Max Cobb, the president
“We are His hands, His eyes, His feet. It is through us that He works His will. We are His foot soldiers. And it is through us on this earth that He will empower to win this grotesque battle between good and abhorrent evil. Lord, hear our prayers.” ~Menagerie
The message from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò is even more important today.(snip)
“If we do not limit ourselves to consider what happened in individual nations, but broaden our gaze to what has happened everywhere, your protest, dear Canadian truck-driver friends, joins a worldwide chorus that wants to oppose the establishment of the new world order on the rubble of nation states, through the
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Biden Declares ‘National Emergency’
Ahead of Freedom Convoy Heading Towards
Washington D.C. 55 replies
Ahead of Freedom Convoy Heading Towards
Washington D.C. 55 replies
Joe Biden is extending the declaration of a Covid “national emergency” ahead of an expected People’s Convoy heading towards Washington D.C. The move echoes beleaguered Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act to carry out a police crackdown on Freedom Convoy protesters under the color of martial law.Biden has just issued the declaration in an executive letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Madam President:) Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes
A Baltimore State Attorney facing a $1million perjury lawsuit for fudging financial numbers while taking out a loan for a pair of holiday home purchases in Florida has tried to get the case thrown out, claiming she's being targeted due to the fact that she's black and progressive.(Snip)The city official's legal team characterized their client's indictment as the culmination of a 'crusade to ruin the political career of a young, progressive, Black, female elected official.' The lawyers specifically accused the prosecution's head lawyer, Erek Barron, of 'prosecutorial vindictiveness,' saying the fellow Baltimore State Attorney—who is also black—has 'expressed disapproval of her both personally and professionally.'
Lia Thomas is a bad man
28 replies
I don’t hate Lia Thomas because she’s a transexual; I hate her because she’s a cheat.
At the Ivy League Championship Swim Meet last weekend, Thomas easily won four events, setting pool and league records. She may be the most-improved swimmer in history. She was ranked 462nd in the country a few years ago, and is now ranked Number 1.
The difference is not that her swim times have gotten better. It’s that her competition has gotten worse. Her Number 462 ranking was against men, while her Number 1 ranking is against women.
Russia plans to carry out a host of human rights abuses - including targeted killings, kidnappings, torture and forced disappearances - against ethnic minorities, gays and journalists after it invades Ukraine, according to a frantic letter penned to the UN Human Rights Commission. US Ambassador to the UN Bathsheba Nell Crocker dashed off a one-page missive to UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet as an 'early warning' that the war in Eastern Europe would 'create a human rights catastrophe.'
A photograph came across my screen today that perfectly encapsulates what’s wrong with modern, traditional education. (I use the word “traditional” as a contrast to Montessori or Waldorf schools.) In it, we see that a child gave a correct answer to an ambiguous question, only to be told his answer was wrong because the teacher was unable to see beyond the confines of her answer book. Things like this turn students into the kind of mindless drones who think as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez does.
As the midterms loom, panicky House Democrats are painfully aware that the political portents do not favor them. They have been consistently behind on the generic congressional ballot, and their fate will be profoundly influenced by President Biden’s abysmal job approval numbers. Consequently, they badly need competent guidance from their leadership. They aren’t getting it. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is instead telling its members that their policies are not the problem. According to a recent Politico report, the DCCC insists that the source of their woes is GOP “culture war attacks” and the solution is better messaging.
The Canadian House of Commons voted Monday night to approve a 30-day extension of the Emergencies Act, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently invoked for the first time since its passage in 1988 to quash the trucker blockade in Ottawa protesting the cross-border vaccine mandate.
After hours of debate, the vote on the “motion for confirmation of the declaration of emergency” passed along partisan lines, with 185 members voting “yay” and 151 members voting “nay.” The vast majority of Liberal and New Democratic Leader party members voted to extend the law, and the vast majority of Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voted to suspend it.
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged Americans would face higher energy costs in the event of Russian President Vladimir Putin sending troops into the Ukraine, citing the punishing sanctions prepared for when it happened.“When America stands for her principles and all of the things that we hold dear, it requires sometimes for us to put ourselves out there in a way that maybe we will incur some cost,” Harris explained to American reporters on Sunday, after meeting with European leaders about the Russian threat to Ukraine.The expectation of higher costs for energy was first previewed by President Joe Biden last week as he prepared Americans
The protesters in Ottawa are hoping to make it through the weekend until the Senate convenes. They want to make it to Monday because the Emergencies Act has to be approved by the Parliament within seven days of it being called for, which was on February 14. So it has to be approved by tomorrow. They are hoping that the legislators will not approve it, the police will back off, and the Parliament will address their concerns.
There were still hundreds of protesters out Saturday in Ottawa, more even than there were earlier when there was a lot of police action against them.
Donald Trump’s new social media platform ‘Truth Social’ is scheduled to launch on President’s Day next Monday, according to reports. The app, which has been available to beta testers for the last week, will be going live in the Apple Store for everyone.“We’re currently set for release in the Apple App store for Monday Feb. 21,” the network’s chief product officer, listed as Billy B., told beta testers on Friday, according to a report from Reuters. The report added that “in addition to the post disclosing Monday’s launch date, the screenshots seen by Reuters show the app
SUNY Binghamton officials have rebuked a professor who said white students should clam up in class and let others lead academic discussions, according to a report. A syllabus for Ana Maria Candela’s sociology class alerted students that she would be calling on non-white coeds first. Candela wrote that “if you are white, male, or someone privileged by the racial and gender structures of our society to have your voice easily voiced and heard, we will often ask you to hold off on your questions or comments to give others priority and will come back to you a bit later or at another time.”(Snip)Dubbed “progressive stacking,” Candela’s policy
A senior Facebook executive caught in a vigilante pedophile sting last week was allegedly grooming a supposed 13-year-old boy with sick sexual texts, messages obtained by DailyMail.com reveal.
Jeren Miles, a 35-year-old data center community development manager for Facebook company Meta, allegedly arranged to meet 13-year-old ‘Corey’ in a Columbus, Ohio hotel room after texting him that he wanted to(Snip)Corey was in fact a fake account set up by vigilante pedophile-hunting group Predator Catchers Indianapolis (PCI)–who say police have yet to respond to the evidence they submitted against the alleged predator. A man and woman from the group turned up
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This article, which incorporates an interesting article by Patrick Buchanan, does a pretty good job of explaining Putin’s side of the kerfuffle and how we have been unsmart. Also questions Cruz’s echoing Zhou Biden. Also unsmart.
Posted with permission.