Claude Monet The sheltered path 1888
Vance Walz
https://twitter.com/i/status/1822636313754972262
Biden KKK
PRESIDENT BIDEN: “Every time that Ku Klux Klan has been involved, they wore hoods, so they are not unidentified. Under Trump's presidency, they come out of those woods with no hoods, knowing they have an ally.”
BOOM!!! 💥 pic.twitter.com/WafgVohMI3
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) August 12, 2024
Crooks
So Crooks was training to shoot a rifle for a year at the same place that FBI and DHS held their trainings and the FBI didn’t feel the need disclose that? It had to come from Grassley’s office?
Again how is this not the biggest story in America right now? pic.twitter.com/fxPwriBW6e
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) August 12, 2024
Golden Voyager=Lucifer.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1822738399079674326
2026
Britain in 2026 this shit is real. pic.twitter.com/tmQmhExrGj
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) August 11, 2024
PCR has his dark-tinted glasses on.
“With Republican fundraisers agreeing with the presstitutes that the election is a toss up, the election is perfectly set to be stolen. And it will be.”
• America Is Entering End Times (Paul Craig Roberts)
Does anyone remember the 2020 presidential campaign? Trump campaigned widely and had massive audiences. Enthusiasm was everywhere. Biden ventured out of the basement a few times and no one attended his campaign rallies. Trump got more votes in the 2020 election than he got in the 2016 election, but Biden got more votes than any president in history. Somehow the people elected an invisible candidate. In the swing states vote counting was stopped in the middle of the night while truck loads of boxes arrived, some from out of state, in Democrat controlled vote counting centers. The votes were almost entirely for Biden, and when counting resumed, Trump’s lead disappeared. The same thing is going to happen this November. Trump supporters, clearly a majority of legitimate voters, think Trump is going to win. Trump voters are energized and enthusiasm is high. Has anyone seen a Trump-sized turnout for Kamala? Trump will again win as he did in 2020, but Democrats count swing state votes, and Kamala will “win.”
As I have reported, the presstitutes are busy at work building Kamala into a formidable candidate who is in the lead, especially in the swing states. Fake polls are being reported that Kamala is the favorite. No one has explained why American voters want open borders, war with Russia and Iran, LGBT+ celebrated and normalized, white school children taught that they and their parents are racists, and that they could be born into the wrong body. As the Democrats have made completely clear, this is what Americans are voting for if they vote for Kamala. Unless the American people are further gone that I think, a majority are not voting for Kamala. She will win anyway. Biden had to go because the Democrats knew he could not run a close enough race for them to be able to again steal the election. The fact that not even the Democrats wanted Kamala last month has been consigned to the Memory Hole. Kamala is being media-created as one of the strongest presidential candidates in American history.
Republican fundraisers themselves are playing into the Democrats’ election steal. I get numerous fundraising appeals–even from the usually astute Marjorie Taylor Greene–that Trump might lose because Democrats are raising more money. The opportunistic Republican fundraisers by emphasizing Trump’s possible loss thus support the propaganda spun by the presstitutes that the race is so close that Trump can lose. Only Republicans can be this stupid. With Republican fundraisers agreeing with the presstitutes that the election is a toss up, the election is perfectly set to be stolen. And it will be. In the swing states the election theft methods have been legalized. Just as Republicans and the American people accepted the thefts of the 2020 and 2022 elections, they will accept the theft of the 2024 election. There will be no civil war or anything of the kind. The American people will have been taught that there is nothing they can do to regain their control over government. Neither will they resist when Kamala ignores the Supreme Court, which has no army, and takes away their guns.
If Americans won’t resist stolen elections, they will no more resist the cancellation of the Second Amendment than they resisted the destruction of the First Amendment. By the second year of the Kamala regime the United States will no longer exist as even a remnant of what the Founding Fathers created. The United States will be the worst tyranny ever created. My advice to young white heterosexual males is to get out of America while you still can. A holocaust is coming your way. You are demonized and reduced to second class citizenship. You can be discriminated against in university admissions, employment and promotion. You are not allowed to defend your self from racist charges, because white self-defense is considered racist, as proof of racism. The position of a white gentile heterosexual male American today is the same as that of a Jew in Nazi Germany and a Palestinian in Gaza. There is always hope, but hope requires warriors. Does America have warriors, or only submissive wimps?
“I am in no position to predict any actual outcome, but it’s hard to imagine any winning moves by the Harris & Walz team in actual play-by-play.”
• The Party Line Is a Mighty Squishy Line (Jim Kunstler)
Does anybody know what this shape-shifting chimera passed off as “our democracy” actually is? I will tell you. Like everything else in the Democratic Party’s tool-bag these days, it’s the opposite of what it appears to mean, namely: You, the demos, give us, officialdom, the power to take whatever we like from you: your savings, your liberty, your stuff, your identity, and your posterity — because we are the boss-of-you, and don’t you forget it. . . and, by the way, the beatings will continue until morale improves. It’s really that simple, though the deceptions cooked up to hide it are convoluted to the max. Like: engineering the illegal entrance to the US of millions from other lands and then using procedural hocus-pocus such as motor-voter registration and public assistance applications (free money + automatic voter registration) to stuff the election drop-boxes with the ballots of non-citizens — who, get this, don’t even have to be the ones casting those ballots, which can just be harvested, like so many oven-ready pullets, by lowly hired shills.
If you catch onto the ruse, you’ll be instructed that borders are arbitrary roadblocks to social justice thrown up by the old white male patriarchy, and that these are “free and fair elections.” And if you object loudly enough, you lose your job, your livelihood, your Facebook account, and maybe get thrown into solitary confinement for a year. Our democracy. Meanwhile, we’re enjoying the spectacle of this evil party’s candidate selection tour with their joyful warriors/avatars, Harris and Walz — joyful because they laugh and laugh in the absence of articulating any actual views on the particulars of governance, and it’s infectious to witness all that mirth. There is, of course, an artificially strenuous air about all this hoopla. It rolls out in an alternative reality like one of those summer techno-pop raves where everyone is stoned on MDMA. The dream girl gets launched into center-stage by invisible forces and is joined by her prom king, and it’s just so heartwarming to get waved at by the grinning, hand-holding couple nobody voted for. This is your demos-free ticket!
Will anybody at the imminent Democratic National Convention notice how this all mysteriously came to be? And might there be any active consternation over it? Perhaps even a welling movement to pull the plug on this rave? You may be apt to wonder what is going on in the Chappaqua redoubt of She-Whose-Turn-Has-Been-(so far)-Thwarted, HRC, boss-of-all-girl-bosses, putatively retired from public life. She’s been awfully quiet since that night over a week ago when she was obliged on-stage somewhere to hug and air-kiss Ms. Harris, and made a face seconds after as if she had thrown up in her mouth. Is she stewing in the broth of grievance but still and nonetheless tirelessly working her phone to canvas the delegates of that looming party meet-up? She might remind them that the DNC (that is, the Democratic National Committee, Inc), went broke in 2016 and got bailed out by the Clinton Foundation checkbook, and, Jeez, we can’t seem to find any repayment check from all’y’all. It seems maybe you owe us. . . something.
And, by the way, HRC could remind said delegates: you have allowed a laughing hyena who drinks her lunch to land at the head of the ticket for the worst reasons (viz., DEI) minus any votes from the party membership, and then managed to duct-tape a China-owned, Cluster-B head-case to her as the veep sidekick. . . and maybe when all the hee-hawing and hooting dies down, you’ll discover what a pair of losers you’ve allowed to be undemocratically implanted to (ha!) represent you. And also, by the way, I happen to be available as her capable-and-experienced replacement. . . whom you can actually vote for on the convention floor, if you manage to get your shit together. . . you know. . . our democracy, and all. Just sayin’. That is, I’m just sayin’ what She might be thinkin’ (and sayin’). I am in no position to predict any actual outcome, but it’s hard to imagine any winning moves by the Harris & Walz team in actual play-by-play.
In case you have forgotten amid all the week-long laughter and euphoria, there are important national issues to discuss about how to manage the malevolent leviathan the federal government has become, and many dilemmas and threats the people face. And there are very different records of each team’s views on these things, party by party. Some of that discussion could happen in the (so far) one scheduled September 10 debate. If Mr. Trump can manage to be polite, he can press Kamala Harris to explain herself on things like the wide-open border, failure to negotiate with the Russians to end the Ukraine War, her party’s antipathy to public safety, her party’s promotion of gender identity insanity, its Gestapo-style lawfare operations, its endless hoaxes, and its disgraceful documented efforts to censor free speech. The record is pretty clear on all of that, and there’s a fair chance that Ms. Harris can’t possibly explain it away. Or laugh it off.
“..the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate.’”
• A Harris-Walz Administration Would Be A Nightmare for Free Speech (Turley)
The selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as the running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris has led to intense debates over crime policy, war claims, gender identity policies and other issues. Some attacks have, in my view, been inaccurate or overwrought. However, the greatest danger from this ticket is neither speculative nor sensational. A Harris-Walz administration would be a nightmare for free speech. For over three years, the Biden-Harris administration has sustained an unrelenting attack on the freedom of speech, from supporting a massive censorship system (described by a federal court as an “Orwellian Ministry of Truth“) to funding blacklisting operations targeting groups and individuals with opposing views. President Biden made censorship a central part of his legacy, even accusing social media companies of “killing people” for failing to increase levels of censorship.
Democrats in Congress pushed that agenda by demanding censorship on subjects ranging from climate change to gender identity — even to banking policy — in the name of combatting “disinformation.” The administration also created offices like the Disinformation Governance Board before it was shut down after public outcry. But it quickly shifted this censorship work to other offices and groups. As vice president, Harris has long supported these anti-free speech policies. The addition of Walz completes a perfect nightmare for free speech advocates. Walz has shown not only a shocking disregard for free speech values but an equally shocking lack of understanding of the First Amendment. Walz went on MSNBC to support censoring disinformation and declared, “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy.”
Ironically, this false claim, repeated by many Democrats, constitutes one of the most dangerous forms of disinformation. It is being used to convince a free people to give up some of their freedom with a “nothing to see here” pitch. In prior testimony before Congress on the censorship system under the Biden administration, I was taken aback when the committee’s ranking Democrat, Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), declared, “I hope that [all members] recognize that there is speech that is not constitutionally protected,” and then referenced hate speech as an example. That false claim has been echoed by others such as Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who is a lawyer. “If you espouse hate,” he said, “…you’re not protected under the First Amendment.” Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean declared the identical position: “Hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment.”
Even some dictionaries now espouse this false premise, defining “hate speech” as “Speech not protected by the First Amendment, because it is intended to foster hatred against individuals or groups based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference, place of national origin, or other improper classification.” The Supreme Court has consistently rejected the claim of Gov. Walz. For example, in the 2016 Matal v. Tam decision, the court stressed that this precise position “strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other similar ground is hateful; but the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate.’” As the new Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Walz is running alongside one of the most enthusiastic supporters of censorship and blacklisting systems.
In her failed 2020 presidential bid, Harris ran on censorship and pledged that her administration “will hold social media platforms accountable for the hate infiltrating their platforms, because they have a responsibility to help fight against this threat to our democracy.” In October 2019, Harris dramatically spoke directly to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, insisting “This is not a matter of free speech….This is a matter of holding corporate America and these Big Tech companies responsible and accountable for what they are facilitating.” She asked voters to join her in the effort. They didn’t, but Harris ultimately succeeded in the Biden-Harris administration to an unprecedented degree with a comprehensive federal effort to target and silence individuals and groups on social media.
The most shocking thing about the Musk-Trump conversation is that it took place, not so much what was said. And after a lot of DDOS and other tech issues.
• Trump’s ‘Interview Of The Century’ With Elon Musk: As It Happened (RT)
13 August 2024
02:40 GMT With the interview seemingly concluding, Musk explained to independent and undecided voters why he decided to endorse Trump. ”I’ve not been really political before…and it’s not like I;m some dyed in the wool long-term Republican,” he said, adding that he feels the upcoming election marks a “critical juncture for the country.” “A lot of people thought the Biden administration would be a moderate administration but it’s not, and I think we’re going to see an even further left administration with Kamala,” he continued. “We want to have a future that is prosperous. You are the path to prosperity, and Kamala is the opposite.” “That endorsement meant a lot to me,” Trump replied.
02:23 GMT “Biden actually did something that was impossible. Both sides hate him,” Trump said, referring to the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. “She’s going to be worse than him,” he continued, referring to Harris. “If you’re a person who is very pro-Israel and you vote for her, you ought to have your head examined.” Harris has attempted to court the Democratic Party’s pro-Israel establishment wing and its pro-Palestine progressive wing, with mixed results. When one of her rallies was interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters last week, Harris shushed the demonstrators, telling them “I am speaking now.”
02:18 GMT “Biden is close to vegetable stage, in my opinion,” Trump jeered, referring to photographs of the president taken in Delaware at the weekend. “He couldn’t even lift the chair. The chair is meant for children and old people. He couldn’t lift it.” Trump has repeatedly mocked Biden’s mental acuity, saying earlier in the interview that he had a “very low IQ 30 years ago,” but now he “might not have IQ at all.”
02:04 GMT Musk’s first major difference with Trump is on the subject of climate change, with the Tesla CEO arguing that the US needs to “lean toward” sustainable energy without impeding on Americans’ living standards, and Trump arguing that fossil fuels are essential in manufacturing and charging electric cars. ”Even to create your electric car and create the electricity needed for the electric car, you know, fossil fuel is what really creates that at the generating plants … so you sort of can’t get away from it at this moment,” Trump declared. However, Trump and Musk both agreed that nuclear power is an “underrated” form of green energy.
01:48 GMT Trump has vowed to close the Department of Education if elected, and pass responsibility for education back to the states. The former president complained that despite spending more money per pupil than any other developed country, the US regularly appears at the bottom of most league tables for academic performance.
01:42 GMT Musk has called on Trump to set up a “government efficiency commission” to ensure that taxpayer money is better spent, offering to help out with such a commission. Trump replied that Musk would be ideal for such a role.
01:33 GMT Trump issued a grim pronouncement on Ukraine’s prospects of success against Russia, reminding listeners that Russia managed to defeat the might of Nazi Germany, while Ukraine has been reduced to “using young men and very old men to fight.” “You don’t read about how bloody Ukraine is. Just between the two armies you’ve lost half a million people… Ukraine now doesn’t have enough men,” he said. “I could have stopped that… but we had a president saying stupid stuff, and this could end up in WWIII.”
01:31 GMT Trump said that he watched Russia’s troop buildup on the Ukrainian border in 2022 and thought Putin was attempting to gain leverage with the US. “Then Biden started saying such stupid things,” like publicly declaring that Ukraine “can be a NATO country,” Trump continued. “He said things that were so stupid…that war had zero chance of happening if I were there.”
01:27 GMT Musk and Trump have turned to foreign relations, with Musk insisting that the US must have an “intimidating” president in order to deter “evil dictators” around the world. Trump took the opportunity to talk up his relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump recalled his “little rocket man” dispute with Kim in 2017, laughing as he recalled how after lobbing insults at the North Korean leader, “all of a sudden I got a call from him… and we got along great.”
01:15 GMT “She’s incompetent, and he’s incompetent, and frankly I think that she’s more incompetent than he is,” Trump told Musk, referring to Harris and Biden. Trump slammed Harris for promising to secure the US’ border if elected president, despite having been in power for three years already. Musk concurred that the US should have a “smooth and efficient” legal immigration system, and that border security is “a fundamental existential issue for the United States.”
“Before Musk’s takeover, Daisley claimed, Twitter was “joyously good fun to use,” thanks to restrictive policies that stifled “antisocial behavior.”
We only like people who agree with us. The rest we ban, boycott and arrest.
• Ex-Twitter Executive Calls For Musk To Be Arrested (RT)
Tech mogul Elon Musk should be threatened with arrest and detention if he refuses to censor right-wing content on X, the platform’s former vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa has suggested. In an op-ed published by The Guardian on Monday, Bruce Daisley lamented the free-speech idealism that Musk brought to Twitter when he bought the platform (and renamed it X) in 2022. Before Musk’s takeover, Daisley claimed, Twitter was “joyously good fun to use,” thanks to restrictive policies that stifled “antisocial behavior.” Musk must now be punished for lifting these policies and allowing right-wing thought to spread, Daisley declared. By allowing users to share content related to the recent riots in the UK, and by posting about the riots himself, Musk has “sowed discord.” “In my experience, that threat of personal sanction is much more effective on executives than the risk of corporate fines. Were Musk to continue stirring up unrest, an arrest warrant for him might produce fireworks from his fingertips, but as an international jet-setter it would have the effect of focusing his mind,” Daisley wrote.
Furthermore, British regulators should demand that right-wing influencers like Tommy Robinson be “deplatformed,” while “Britain’s Online Safety Act 2023 should be beefed up with immediate effect.” According to The Telegraph, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering amending the act – to punish social media companies that allow the spread of “legal but harmful” content. The act, which comes into force next year, holds social media companies liable for illegal content posted on their platforms. Drafted by the UK’s previous Conservative government, it was originally set to include a “legal but harmful” clause, but the passage was ultimately pulled after Business and Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch complained that it amounted to “legislating for hurt feelings.” London’s Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir. Mark Rowley, announced last week that his officers may charge foreigners for social media posts about the unrest.
“Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law,” he said, naming “the likes of Elon Musk” as potential targets for investigation. As of Friday, more than 700 people had been arrested and more than 300 charged over their alleged participation in the riots, which kicked off after a teenager of Rwandan descent killed three children and injured ten others in a stabbing spree in the town of Southport late last month. Of those arrested, more than 30 have been charged with online offenses, such as sharing footage of the riots or posting content that – according to the Crown Prosecutorial Service – “incites violence or hatred.” Musk has heavily criticized the response to the riots, accusing the British government of operating a “two-tier” justice system where dissent is punished more harshly than violent crime. In a post to X on Monday, he shared an excerpt from a 1946 UN resolution, stating that “freedom of information is a fundamental human right, and the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.”
The original headline said “EU Threatens Elon Musk Over Trump Interview”, but Breton really threatened him BEFORE a single word was spoken.
• EU Threatens Elon Musk Before Trump Interview (RT)
European Commissioner Thierry Breton has ordered X owner Elon Musk to step up censorship of “harmful content” related to his upcoming interview with former US President Donald Trump, or face a “full toolbox” of legal repercussions. Musk is set to interview Trump on Monday night, with the conversation airing live on the tech mogul’s X platform. Trump made his long-anticipated return to X earlier on Monday, posting a slew of campaign videos after an almost uninterrupted three-and-a-half year hiatus from the platform. In a letter to Musk, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton warned that Brussels will be monitoring the interview closely. Musk must ensure that “effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content” in connection with the live interview, Breton wrote, before claiming that Musk had failed to stop the spread of such content during a recent spate of right-wing riots in the UK.
“We are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political – or societal – events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections,” he continued. Breton did not explain whether EU regulators would blame X for allegedly inciteful comments uttered by Trump, or by X users watching the interview. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), X is considered a ‘Very Large Online Platform’ and is legally required to restrict the “dissemination of illegal content” and “address the spread of disinformation. The entire text of the DSA mentions the word “disinformation” 13 times without defining it.
X is already under investigation by Breton’s office for alleged breaches of the DSA, with EU regulators accusing the platform of misleading users by allowing anyone to pay for a verification checkmark, and refusing to allow its data to be scraped by “researchers.” If found liable, X could be ordered to pay a fine equal to 6% of its annual turnover. In his letter on Monday, Breton said that any “negative effect” stemming from the Trump interview could influence the investigation and the EU’s “overall assessment of X’s compliance with EU law.” Musk claimed last month that the investigation was opened because he refused to accept a “secret” censorship deal with the EU. “If we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us,” Musk said. “The other platforms accepted that deal. X did not.” Responding to Breton’s letter on Monday, Musk shared a meme containing the text: “Take a big step back and literally, f**k your own face!”
Interesting for sure. Do read it all at ZH (click the headline).
Note: there is no way to bring this case before the election, so they can all keep -falsely- labeling Trump a “convicted felon” (he’s not).
Note 2: Trump is persecuted by Garland, Wray and Smith using taxpayers’ money, but has to defend himself with his own.
Note 3: Trump attorney Daniel Epstein sounds sharp.
• Trump To Sue DOJ For $100 Million Over Mar-a-Lago Raid (ZH)
Former President Donald Trump is set to sue the DOJ for $100 million in damages over the 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida – arguing that it was done “clear intent to engage in political persecution.” According to a memo obtained by Fox News, the lawsuit will claim “tortious conduct by the United States against President Trump.” Trump and his legal team intend to sue the Justice Department for its conduct during the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022, amid the federal investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records. After the raid, Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed to investigate. Smith ultimately brought 37 felony counts against Trump, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. Last month, US District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the DOJ’s case against Trump – ruling that Smith was unlawfully appointed and funded, citing the Appointments Clause in the constitution.
The notice to sue was filed by Trump attorney Daniel Epstein, and gives the DOJ 180 days from the date of receipt to respond and come to a resolution. If no agreement is made, Trump’s case will move to federal court in the Southern District of Florida. “What President Trump is doing here is not just standing up for himself – he is standing up for all Americans who believe in the rule of law and believe that you should hold the government accountable when it wrongs you,” Epstein told Fox Business’ Lydia Hu. According to the filing, the “tortious acts against the president are rooted in intrusion upon seclusion, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process resulting from the August 8, 2022 raid of his and his family’s home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach Florida,” adding that decisions made by the DOJ and FBI in conducting the raid were “inconsistent with protocols requiring the consent of an investigative target, disclosure to that individual’s attorneys, and the use of the local U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Epstein further argues that decisions made by Attorney General Merrick Garland as well as FBI Director Christopher Wray were not based on “social, economic, and political policy,” but instead were in “clear dereliction of constitutional principles, inconsistent standards as applied to” Trump and a “clear intent to engage in political persecution – not to advance good law enforcement practices.” “Garland and Wray should have never approved a raid and subsequent indictment of President Trump because the well-established protocol with former U.S. presidents is to use non-enforcement means to obtain records of the United States,” wrote Epstein. “But notwithstanding the fact that the raid should have never occurred, Garland and Wray should have ensured their agents sought consent from President Trump, notified his lawyers, and sought cooperation.” “Garland and Wray decided to stray from established protocol to injure President Trump,” the filing continues.
Epstein argued that the DOJ violated Florida law, intrusion upon seclusion, which is recognized as a form of invasion of privacy. Intrusion upon seclusion includes “an intentional intrusion, physically or otherwise, into the private quarters of another person” and the intrusion “must occur in a manner that a reasonable person would find highly offensive.” -Fox News “The FBI’s demonstrated activity was inconsistent with protocols used in routine searches of an investigative target’s premises,” the filing continues, adding that Trump “had a clear expectation of privacy at Mar-a-Lago. Worse, the FBI’s conduct in the raid – where established protocol was violated – constitutes a severe and unacceptable intrusion that is highly offensive to a reasonable person.”
The filing also argues that the DOJ and special counsel’s office “brought a lawless criminal indictment,” which constitutes “malicious prosecution.” “As such, given the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the prosecution on grounds that the Special Counsel’s appointment violated the appointments clause and his office was funded through an improper appropriation, there was no constitutional basis for the search or the subsequent indictment.” Trump is also planning to sue for punitive damages. “For these harms to President Trump, the respondents must pay punitive damages of $100 million,” Epstein wrote, adding that there was an “abuse of process,” and that the methods used against Trump were “unconstitutional and aimed at politically persecuting the former President, which led to extensive legal costs and negative consequences for him.”
Joseph Robinette Biden and Sigismund Schlomo Freud.
• Biden: If Trump Wins, There’ll Be No Peaceful Transfer of Power (MN)
President Joe Biden uttered an interesting Freudian slip when he said that “if Trump wins” the election he’s not confident there’ll be a peaceful transfer of power. Biden made the remarks during an interview with CBS News. “Are you confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025,” Biden was asked. “If Trump wins, no, I’m not confident at all,” he responded. There then appeared to be a cut in the interview before Biden corrected himself, “I mean, if Trump loses, I’m not confident at all.”
When you put together what Joe Biden accidentally said, and what Jamie Raskin deliberately said, you have a pretty clear plan. pic.twitter.com/8boVOPvrDF
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) August 12, 2024
While Biden is infamous for his verbal gaffes, many respondents on X actually believed this to be a revealing Freudian slip. As we highlighted earlier, during the same interview, Biden confirmed that high ranking Democrats pushed him out of the race, essentially corroborating the accusations of a coup. “A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races,” Biden said. The president was reportedly told by Nancy Pelosi that he would be removed either by means of “the easy way” or “the hard way,” after he desperately tried to cling onto the nomination despite being humiliated during a presidential debate with Donald Trump.
Lawfare. Against an Iraq war veteran and current Army reservist. “..it’s bringing to the forefront… how brazen the political retaliation and abuse of power continues to be under the Biden-Harris administration.”
• American Stasi: Tulsi Gabbard Confirms “Quiet Skies” Nightmare (Matt Taibbi)
Tuesday night, while self-styled Democratic nominee Kamala Harris pledged to defend “freedom, compassion, and the rule of law” to cheers in Philadelphia, Hawaii’s Tulsi Gabbard described being tracked by teams of government agents in a surveillance regime more reminiscent of East Germany than a free country. Whistleblowing Air Marshals told Uncover DC Gabbard was singled out as a terror threat under the so-called “Quiet Skies” program, and the former presidential candidate says she noticed. “The whistleblowers’ account matches my experience,” says Gabbard. “Everything lines up to the day.” This story began two weeks ago, when the former Hawaii congresswoman returned home after a short trip abroad. In airport after airport, she and her husband Abraham Williams encountered obstacles.
First on a flight from Rome to Dallas, then a connecting flight to Austin, and later on different flights for both to cities like Nashville, Orlando, and Atlanta, their boarding passes were marked with the “SSSS” designation, which stands for “Secondary Security Screening Selection.” The “Quad-S” marker is often a sign the traveler has been put on a threat list, and Gabbard and Williams were forced into extensive “random” searches lasting as long as 45 minutes. “It happened every time I boarded,” says Gabbard. The Iraq war veteran and current Army reservist tends to pack light, but no matter. “I’ve got a couple of blazers in there, and they’re squeezing every inch of the entire collar, every inch of the sleeves, every inch of the edging of the blazers,” she says. “They’re squeezing or padding down underwear, bras, workout clothes, every inch of every piece of clothing.”
Agents unzipped the lining inside the roller board of her suitcase, patting down every inch inside the liner. Gabbard was asked to take every piece of electronics out and turn each on, including her military phone and computer. That was the other strange thing. “I use my military ID to get through security sometimes,” says Gabbard, who among other things traveled to her reservist base in Oklahoma during this period. Once, she was unable to get through security with military ID. A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent saw the “SSSS” marker. “The TSA agent said, ‘Why are you Quad-S? You’re in the military,’” explains Gabbard. “And I said, ‘That’s exactly what I’m wondering.’ Gabbard goes on: “Then I said, ‘The only thing I can think of is, I work in politics.’ And he said, oh.”
The agent told her he’d encountered supporters of a certain former president who’d had no issues traveling before, but were now “marked quad-S every time they traveled.” Gabbard shrugged and slogged through, still encountering extra security. At one flight, she says, there were “at least six TSA agents doing additional screening,” along with canine support. “There were dogs in Dallas when we got there, dogs at a couple of the gates.” She called a colleague, who told her: these things happen, don’t worry. “So I thought, ‘Maybe I’m just being paranoid,’” Gabbard says. Then she saw this past Sunday’s report in Uncover DC, a site edited by the well-known Twitter writer Tracy Beanz. Uncover interviewed Sonya LaBosco, the Executive Director of the Air Marshal National Council (AMNC), an advocacy association for Federal Air Marshals. Disclosing Gabbard had been placed on a domestic terror watch list, the former Marshal LaBosco told a disturbing story:
According to LaBosco… Gabbard is unaware she has two Explosive Detection Canine Teams, one Transportation Security Specialist (explosives), one plainclothes TSA Supervisor, and three Federal Air Marshals on every flight she boards. Uncover DC said Gabbard was initially placed on the list on July 23rd, and that trios of Air Marshals first began following her on flights on July 25th. As Racket would learn, surveillance was conducted on at least eight flights, with different three-Marshal teams for each flight, part of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “Quiet Skies” regimen that can literally surround people with human watchers. There are “potentially 15 or more TSA uniformed and plain clothes” at a gate for such assignments, LaBosco told Racket. The story about Gabbard was surfaced by two TSA whistleblowers, including one detailed to follow her. When Gabbard read this, she felt a shock of recognition.
“When I saw that, I thought, ‘Wow, okay. So everything I was experiencing was exactly what I feared was going on,’” she says. Though clearly outraged, Gabbard stresses the important part of her story isn’t any inconvenience or insult she’s gone through. “This is not a woe-is-me situation,” she explains. Instead, “it’s bringing to the forefront… how brazen the political retaliation and abuse of power continues to be under the Biden-Harris administration.”
“Who controlled whom that day? The immediate answer, perhaps obvious, is the terrorist at the podium..”
• Israel Runs the US. No, the US Runs Israel. No, Wait .. (Patrick Lawrence)
That deranged speech Bibi Netanyahu delivered to a joint session of Congress last month: I cannot get it entirely out of my mind. It did not change anything — neither the Israeli prime minister nor his hosts seem to desire or intend to change anything in U.S.–Israeli relations. And in this way, there is not much to say about that weird hour the world’s No. 1 terrorist — yes, think about it and tell me I’m wrong — spent at the podium under the Capitol’s rotunda. But the speech did clarify certain things, and then it raised an important question. Let us see about these matters. There is, to begin with, the question of Netanyahu’s mental stability. If we consider his many outlandish assertions — Israel has minimized civilian casualties in Gaza, Israeli soldiers are to be commended for their moral conduct, those protesting in behalf of Palestinians are probably in Iran’s pay, and so on — we must conclude that the man given to such preposterous misrepresentations is, let’s say, perpendicular to reality.
I am sure Netanyahu spoke in large measure for effect. This must be so. But I am equally sure — note the demeanor in the videos, for instance — he was certain of the truth of what he had to say. Dr. Lawrence’s diagnosis: A man consumed with resentment and hatred, who has led Israel to the brink of a cataclysmic war at the irretrievable cost of its international standing, while dragging the U.S. into it (at similar cost), suffers from severe psychosis with symptoms of paranoia and obsessive-compulsive megalomania. I do not say this to indulge some cheap denigration of one of the many contemptible political figures now walking around the Western world and its appendages. After Netanyahu’s notably strange performance in Congress July 24 — at times he seemed pure id — I say this diagnosis would hold in a clinical setting. We should all take note of this and brace ourselves accordingly. Never mind who’s driving the bus: It would be better in this case if no one were driving it.
There is also the reception Netanyahu enjoyed on Capitol Hill. Seventy-two ovations by my count, 60–odd of them standing, for a war criminal, a flouter of international law, a man who commits to waging “a seven-front war” across the Middle East? Bibi’s big theme, running all through his remarks, was congruence, the perfect alignment of Israeli and American interests. Remember? “Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and”—here the left fist pounded—“our victory is your victory.” The response among those in attendance tells you all you need to know about what America’s lawmakers think of this idea. Netanyahu was looking merely for reaffirmation of standing arrangements at a moment when when terrorist Israel’s conduct had begun to turn more stomachs than he had bargained for. And he got what he wanted, needless to say.
This brings us to the question Netanyahu’s speech forces upon us. Does the U.S. control Israel or does Israel control the U.S.? Is the apartheid state another of Washington’s client regimes, albeit — let’s borrow a little from the Chinese — a client with Zionist characteristics? Or is Israel a case — rare, if not unique — of a distant outpost that dictates to the imperial center? The periphery exercises power over the metropole, this to say: This would have to be something new under the sun, surely. This is not a new question. A lot of people have pondered it for months, if not longer — over dining tables or on barstools or in published material on the internet. Who’s in charge, anyway? It has sometimes struck me as an absolutely classic Gordian Knot: Untie this and you will understand all. And at other times it reminds me of a Zen koan, insoluble short of a sudden satori. I haven’t, accordingly, spent much time thinking this through. To date I have concluded it is an angels-on-a-pin question and the answer does not much matter. When others bring it up, my mind drifts.
But after that shocking spectacle in Congress a few weeks ago, I don’t think I can get away with this dodge any longer. The occasion of Netanyahu’s address, his fourth before a joint session, puts all the complexities before us. Who was, in that hour, in charge — the insane man from the periphery, driven by rage, or his audience of adoring lawmakers at the imperial center, driven by… driven by what? I would say driven by greed, ideology and the work of running an imperium that is failing but has not failed yet. Who controlled whom that day? The immediate answer, perhaps obvious, is the terrorist at the podium. It cannot be lost on anyone paying attention that more or less every member of Congress in attendance — and good on the 100 or so members who boycotted — has in the past taken and continues to take money from the Israel lobby, notably but not only the profoundly antidemocratic American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the infamous AIPAC.
They set their own trap. And walked right into it.
• Incursion Into Russia Could Spell Doom For Kiev – ex-Austrian Official (RT)
Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Region across the border in Russia is a risky gamble that could backfire and lead to a major defeat and a loss of Western support, Gustav Gressel, a former Austrian Defense Ministry official, has told Der Spiegel. Kiev’s forces launched a major cross-border operation in Kursk Region earlier this week. Clashes in the border areas have been ongoing since last Tuesday. The Kremlin called Kiev’s move a large-scale provocation and accused Ukrainian troops of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry has stated on multiple occasions that Ukrainian attempts to penetrate deeper into the region have been thwarted. Nevertheless, Kiev’s troops are still present in some border settlements in Kursk Region where heavy fighting continues, according to the ministry. Gressel, who is currently a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described Kiev’s actions as a “risky strategy.”
“If Ukraine wants to hold the area for several months, this will result in military costs that are hardly sustainable,” the expert, who previously served in the Austrian military, explained. Extending the front line “benefits Russia first and foremost,” he said an interview published on Saturday. The incursion failed to force Russia to divert forces away from its ongoing major offensive in Donbass, where Moscow’s troops continue to gain ground. Ukraine’s units in the area are “pretty worn out” and are in dire need of reinforcements, according to the expert. Moscow “has more weapons, ammunition and personnel that it can deploy to a longer frontline. Ukraine’s advantage of surprise could quickly turn into a disadvantage,” said Gressel, who also held a post in the Bureau for Security Policy of the Austrian Defense Ministry.
The worst-case scenario for Kiev would be a defeat both in Kursk Region and Donbass, the expert warned. According to Gressel, Ukraine is hoping its operation on Russian soil will lift the morale both of its soldiers and the Ukrainian population, and, he believes, it will not give up on it even in the face of Russia’s military superiority. Russia would then “first hold Ukraine back and then wear it down” as Kiev would pour its limited resources into the operation. “Ukraine could be seen as an unreliable daredevil,” Gressel said, adding that Kiev’s forces in Donbass “would run out of strength” as well. “There would be major territorial losses there.” Kiev’s Western backers such as Germany and the US would also likely reduce their support under these circumstances or even withdraw it completely, the expert warned. “The Kursk maneuver could herald the end of Ukraine militarily,” Gressel stated.
“The enemy will receive a worthy response. All of our goals will undoubtedly be achieved.”
• No Talks With Kiev After Attack On Civilians – Putin (RT)
Any peace talks with Ukraine are impossible as long as it conducts strikes on civilian populations and threatens nuclear power plants, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking at a meeting with senior officials on Monday, Putin addressed Ukraine’s recent incursion into the border region of Kursk, as well as a drone strike that damaged Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. He suggested that Ukraine’s most recent actions show why it has refused to revisit plans to settle the conflict based on either on a Russian proposal, or roadmaps presented by neutral parties. Apparently, the enemy, relying on the help of its Western masters… is striving to improve its negotiating positions in the future. But how can we talk about negotiations with those who conduct indiscriminate strikes on civilians, civilian infrastructure, or try to threaten nuclear energy facilities?
Putin went on to say that one of Kiev’s main goals in Kursk is to divert attention from Donbass, where Russian forces have been steadily gaining ground in recent months. “But what are the results? The pace of offensive operations… not only have not slowed down, but on the contrary increased by one and a half times.” By striking into Kursk Region, Ukraine also sought to undermine the morale of the Russian population, but also achieved contrary results, Putin said, noting an increased stream of volunteers to join the military and defend the border.
Moscow’s main goal at this stage is to drive back the Ukrainian forces from Russian territory. “The enemy will receive a worthy response. All of our goals will undoubtedly be achieved.” Ukraine launched an attack on Kursk Region last week, the largest cross-border assault since the outbreak of the conflict, with media reports suggesting that the offensive involved some of Kiev’s best-equipped brigades. While Ukrainian forces made some gains, the Russian Defense Ministry said the advance had been halted. The Russian military has estimated Kiev’s losses at around 1,600 troops and 200 armored vehicles. On Sunday, Moscow accused Kiev of launching a drone attack on Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which damaged one of its cooling towers.
“..something happens to everyone calling for a peaceful resolution on Ukraine, they get shot at.”
• Anyone Not Supporting Ukraine Gets Shot – Serbian Deputy PM (RT)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is risking his life by refusing to back Western nations on the Ukraine conflict, a senior member of his government has claimed. Serbia, a traditional Russian ally, has declined to impose sanctions on Russia or support the policies of the US and Kiev’s other backers. Brussels in-turn has insisted that Belgrade’s aspiration to join the EU will not be realized unless it changes course. In an interview with Russia’s RIA Novosti published on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said that Serbian authorities are concerned about the president’s safety, following attempts on the lives of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and former US President Donald Trump. “After the attempt on Mr. Fico, and later Trump, I told Vucic to be on guard,” Vulin said, “that’s because something happens to everyone calling for a peaceful resolution on Ukraine, they get shot at.”
In May, Fico, a vocal critic of the Western Ukraine policy, survived a shooting by a 71-year-old man. His government blamed incendiary rhetoric by opposition politicians for motivating the shooter. Trump, who claims he could end the Ukraine conflict in 24 hours if reelected, was grazed by a bullet during a presidential campaign rally in July. The shooter was killed by a counter-sniper. US investigators have not disclosed any suspected motive for the attempted assassination. Vulin also criticized organizers of a mass protest which took place in Belgrade last Saturday, claiming that its ultimate goal may be to topple the Serbian government. “As we know, [sometimes] ouster [of the national leader] means not only the change of power, but also physical elimination of the person imbued with the power,” the minister said.
The demonstration, which attracted some 27,000 protesters, according to government estimates, was staged in opposition to a project to develop lithium mining, which critics claim will cause massive environmental damage. Belgrade granted a license to extract the valuable metal to the British-Australian company Rio Tinto in 2022, but later revoked it following public pressure. The project resumed last month, however, after a Serbian court overruled the government’s decision. President Vucic intends to put the issue to a referendum. Vucic also said last week that the Russian government had warned Serbian authorities that the rally may be a cover for a ‘color revolution’ – a hostile foreign operation that uses anti-government demonstrations and spiraling public disorder to force regime change.
“To fill the gaping hole of military expenses, the official claimed, Ukraine will have to fall back on unpopular measures such as cutting spending, selling state assets, and hiking up taxes..”
• Debt-Riddled Ukraine Blames ‘Slow’ US Aid, Scrambles to Pay Its Army (Sp.)
An increasingly debt-riddled and ingrate Ukraine is starting to turn on its Western sponsors, blaming them for lagging weapons deliveries to bolster the ongoing proxy war. Kiev is particularly faulting the US for its huge budget deficit, which has brought Ukraine to the brink of default. A US loan payout worth $50 billion needs to be accelerated, the Zelensky regime’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told the Financial Times. According to him, it’s the slow delivery of NATO weapons, especially from Washington, that is to blame for the $12 billion rise in military spending. While the US Congress approved $27 billion in direct US military aid in April this year, Marchenko bemoaned the fact that its disbursement was too “slow.” With the Western cash infusion delayed, the regime was forced to dip into its own coffers to buy weapons and ammunition, he was quoted as saying, using up money set aside “to cover salaries for our troops.”
To fill the gaping hole of military expenses, the official claimed, Ukraine will have to fall back on unpopular measures such as cutting spending, selling state assets, and hiking up taxes. The Ukrainian government has proposed a rise in its tax charged on people’s salaries from 1.5% to 5%. Ukraine’s national debt has almost doubled under Zelensky. According to the country’s Finance Ministry, its state debt amounted to $152.2 billion by July, a record 88.4% of GDP. The main growth is due to Ukraine’s external debt, which increased by $59.5 billion to reach $103.7. The domestic debt increased by $14.4 billion to $40.5 billion. The $50 billion that Ukraine is clamoring for is to be finalized by the Group of Seven this year.
In June, the G7 countries agreed during their summit in Italy to provide the funds by utilizing revenues generated from the interest on Russia’s $325 billion in assets illegally frozen in countries of the collective West. Most of these assets are held at Belgium’s Euroclear. However, talks between the US and EU on finalizing the $50 billion loan have stalled. Furthermore, there has been a lack of unanimity within the European bloc, as Hungary has repeatedly objected to the use of Russian frozen assets for funding NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine. Time is of the essence for the neo-Nazis lodged in Kiev as they suffer combat failures on the front line and manpower shortages. They are also hounded by fears that a potential triumph by Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November could throw a wrench in the works. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off US aid to Ukraine.
“The days preceding the election showed a monumental advantage that Nicolas Maduro and the PSUV had over the opposition in terms of manpower and the sheer strength of its electoral mobilization.”
• Washington’s Web Of Lies Is Backfiring Over Venezuela (Blankenship)
The 2024 presidential election in Venezuela, held on July 28, has stirred international concern – much like the preceding elections in the Caribbean state. A clear divide has emerged, with the United States and its allies supporting the opposition, while countries in the emerging multipolar world order are backing President Nicolas Maduro. In much the same way that the US and its allies have disputed the legitimacy of Maduro’s presidency since the 2018 election, spurring an artificial “presidential crisis” with former opposition leader Juan Guaido recognized by Washington as the “legitimate” president, the West is doing this again with former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez.The opposition has released copies of official tally sheets collected by poll watchers from most of the nation’s polling centers. The sheets show an apparent landslide victory of 80% for Gonzalez, a claim that is now being widely circulated and amplified by the Western press.
Meanwhile, the results released by the National Electoral Council showed a narrow victory for Maduro with 52%, resulting in opposition protests. The Venezuelan government has criminalized such demonstrations and moved to stamp down opposition leaders. Given the state of the Venezuelan economy and widespread poverty, it is not outside the realm of basic reason that Maduro could have actually lost. Researchers, including Steve Levitsky, an expert on democracy at Harvard University, have also noted how improbable the official results are. He told the New York Times that this recent vote is “one of the most egregious electoral frauds in modern Latin American history.” But others disagree. Denis Rogatyuk, a reporter with El Ciudadano who covered the election for the independent media platform, told RT: “The days preceding the election showed a monumental advantage that Nicolas Maduro and the PSUV had over the opposition in terms of manpower and the sheer strength of its electoral mobilization.”
“The closing rallies for President Maduro drew in crowds six to seven times larger than those of Gonzalez and Machado. And the second bulletin released by the CNE on August 2nd, showing 6,408,844 votes for Maduro, aligns perfectly with this notion, and the fact that the combined membership of the PSUV and its allied parties is just over 6 million as well,” he concluded. However, the more interesting dynamic with regard to the situation in Venezuela is the fact that the US is failing to garner the requisite support needed to apply the pressure it wants on Caracas. It shows a dwindling of American soft power in what was once considered the empire’s backyard. For example, the situation in Bolivia in 2019, in which former President Evo Morales was forced to resign in the wake of widespread pressure from the police and military after international interference, has clearly left a sour taste in Latin Americans’ collective mouths.
The three most prominent countries in the region – Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia – have not condemned Maduro. In fact, the Organization of American States (OAS), which had previously passed a resolution against Morales in 2019, failed to pass a resolution over the situation in Venezuela. While 17 members voted to condemn Maduro, 11 abstained – including Brazil and Colombia – and five delegations, including Mexico, skipped the session altogether. The OAS needed 18 votes to pass it. Even the European Union has failed to muster support after Hungary blocked a joint statement by the bloc that would have cited “flaws and irregularities” in the election, forcing EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to publish it in a personal capacity.
What we see here is a classic case of the boy who cried wolf. The US has continually cried wolf over alleged breakdowns of democracy in Latin America, using its soft power to thwart independent governments through international forums and mafia diplomacy. It has spawned coup after coup, leaving nothing but destruction and destitution in its wake. People in the hemisphere – and indeed the world – are sick of injustice and maltreatment. This time, Washington may have actually been right. It could be the case that Maduro lost in this election. It could also not be the case, and that is well-established by the fact that the US and its henchmen are pathological liars. In any case, wherever objective truth may lie, no one believes Uncle Sam’s claims anymore, evidently because he has abused his power for too long in his cynical pursuit of domination.
“..it is clear from widely circulating videos (though unverified) that many of them got through Israel’s sophisticated anti-air systems.”
Hezbollah has fired dozens of rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel, calling it retaliation for Israeli attacks last week. Israel’s military says its Iron Dome defence system intercepted some, but not all, of the projectiles. In the overnight and early morning hours Hezbollah pounded northern Israel and the Western Galilee with at least 30 rockets. While Israel’s military says intercepted some of the rockets, it is clear from widely circulating videos (though unverified) that many of them got through Israel’s sophisticated anti-air systems.
IRON DOME FAILURE!!! pic.twitter.com/6tgd8CFTW5
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) August 12, 2024
A number of regional analysts are remarking on the utter failure of Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system during the salvo; however, Ynet says many rockets struck open fields and uninhabited areas, causing fires. Lebanese Hezbollah said the target was an IDF military installation near Kibbutz Ga’aton. The Israeli side reported no casualties in the wake of the overnight assault. A regional source indicates that “One of Israel’s interceptors hit the Hydro Therapy Centre located in the Mount Hermon region, damaging a building.” The Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group has been vowing revenge for the assassination strike by Israel of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30.
The next day, an Israeli operation in Tehran killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Israel says it is busy strengthening defenses ahead of the still anticipated Iranian response, which is expected to include stepped-up Hezbollah action. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told a meeting of defense leader, “We are in the days of vigilance and readiness, the threats from Tehran and Beirut may materialize and it is important to explain to everyone that readiness, preparedness, and vigilance are not synonyms for fear and panic.” As for the claims of the Iron Dome utterly failing in the latest attack, others pointed to the following video, which like the above remains unverified…
The Irone Dome at work last night, shooting down Hezbollah rockets over northern Israel pic.twitter.com/2JdYjXsncP
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 12, 2024
Israeli officials are meanwhile monitoring Lebanese media reports which say Hezbollah has entirely evacuated its Beirut headquarters in anticipation of a significant flareup. Some Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese politicians have also issued new threats: Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon and a staunch Hezbollah ally, says of a tensely anticipated joint Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel that “revenge is a dish best served cold.” He warns that the “response is inevitable” after the recent killings of top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
It’s not just the civil aviation sector, the rot is everywhere at Boeing.
• NASA Inspector General Report Criticizes Boeing’s Quality Control (ET)
NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has raised concerns over quality control and standards at plane maker Boeing and its efforts to help the space agency return astronauts to the Moon. A report from NASA’s OIG released on Aug. 8 focuses on the Space Launch System (SLS) version 1B—the powerful heavy-lift rocket system that NASA plans to use to send the crewed Orion spacecraft and large cargo to the Moon in 2028 as part of the Artemis IV mission. According to NASA’s report, a “critical component” of this upgrade is Boeing’s development of the SLS’s new upper stage, the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which will aid in sending the Orion on its mission. Once it is complete, EUS will give the SLS a 40 percent upgrade in carrying capability, going from 27 metric tons under Block 1—the SLS rocket’s first iteration—to 38 metric tons with Block 1B, according to the report.
However, progress on the SLS, which has been under development since 2014, has been plagued with issues, including Boeing’s “ineffective quality management and inexperienced workforce,” along with continued cost increases and schedule delays, the report said. As part of its report, NASA’s OIG interviewed officials at NASA Headquarters, Marshall Space Flight Center, Boeing, and DCMA between August 2023 through May 2024. It also visited the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, to observe the SLS core stage and EUS production. The OIG found that Boeing’s quality management system at Michoud “does not adhere” to international standards established under the global association SAE International. The report pointed to 71 “Corrective Action Requests”(CARs) issued by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) at Michoud between 2021 and 2023 to address “deficiencies in quality.”
NASA’s OIG said this is a “high number of CARs for a space flight system at this stage in development and reflects a recurring and degraded state of product quality control.” “Boeing’s process to address deficiencies to date has been ineffective, and the company has generally been nonresponsive in taking corrective actions when the same quality control issues reoccur,” the report said. The report highlights other issues, including “foreign object debris ” identified inside the SLS Core Stage 2 liquid hydrogen fuel tank.The debris included “metal shavings, Teflon, and other debris on and underneath the entry platform and ladder assembly on the forward dome panels inside of the tank.” “Foreign object debris can damage hardware and potentially injure flight crew when entrapped within crewed flight articles,” the report stated. The liquid hydrogen fuel tank was subsequently cleaned, reinspected, and found to meet standards, according to the report.
In another incident during its visit to Michoud in April 2023, the OIG said it observed substandard welding on a liquid oxygen fuel tank dome, a critical component of the SLS Core Stage 3. The report said that on another occasion, Boeing officials “incorrectly approved hardware processing under unacceptable environmental conditions.” Boeing’s EUS contract has soared from the initially agreed-upon cost of $962 million in 2017 to over $2 billion through 2025, and the company’s delivery of the EUS to NASA has been postponed six years from an initial February 2021 date established in 2016 to April 2027, the report stated. “Given Boeing’s quality management and its related workforce challenges, we are concerned these factors could potentially impact the safety of the SLS and Orion spacecraft including its crew and cargo,” it concluded.
Right after 9/11, there was a clip in which Larry Silverstein said: “We decided to pull the building” (WTC7). To do that, you need to first have it fitted out with explosives. Takes days. But why were there explosives there? And if WTC7, what about the others? I stopped following 9/11 “news” right there and then.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1822601565577883747
Dog kisses
How their dogs react to kisses
pic.twitter.com/bWQEzzuAKA— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 12, 2024
Elephant
A professional Elephant guide demonstrates what to do if an Elephant charges at you. pic.twitter.com/tbQWEzSmuC
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) August 12, 2024
Lots a frens
https://twitter.com/i/status/1822668304856785284
Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.
