Reader’s Links for December 4, 2020

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

112 Replies to “Reader’s Links for December 4, 2020”

  1. Just Stunning: Georgia Secretary of State Hired Dominion-Linked Firm to Conduct Audit of Dominion Voting SystemsPublished 35 mins ago on December 4, 2020By John Carter
    The firm that conducted the audit of the Dominion Voting Systems in Georgia has links with Dominion Voting Systems.

    And guess what?
    They didn’t find anything!
    There was “no sign of foul play.”

    Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger hired the firm.

    https://theamericanconservatives.net/just-stunning-georgia-secretary-of-state-hired-dominion-linked-firm-to-conduct-audit-of-dominion-voting-systems/

  2. The Dems Had No Choice BUT to Rig the Election – Frontpagemag
    Ayad Rahim
    9-12 minutes

    This time they were ready — because there was too much at stake.

    Looking back at the unusual election we just had, and viewing it in the context of political events going back 150 years, it’s clear that the Democrats had no choice but to rig the presidential election — and, now, they’re going for all the marbles.

    In the last weeks of the presidential campaign, Donald Trump was drawing tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters several times a day, and people across the land, and at sea, formed massive rallies and caravans of their own. Meanwhile, the Biden camp was barely limping along, with one or two funereal gatherings a week, before, at best, a few dozen people (sometimes, overwhelmingly outnumbered by Trump supporters); the campaign’s apparent strategy was to minimize the candidate’s exposure (and let the media do the work for them) — not only because the candidate was feeble and the campaign advocated lockdowns, but also because evidence began emerging of the Biden family’s dealings with foreign oligarchs and corrupt countries — most importantly, Communist China.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/12/democrats-had-no-choice-rig-election-ayad-rahim/

  3. During an interview with CNN Joe Biden said: “I’ll Develop Some Disease And Say I Have To Resign”. The statement came while they were discussing what actions he would take if he had a disagreement with Kamala Harris.

    Trump’s White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted the video and captioned it with Biden’s questionable remarks.

    https://afloe.com/biden-declares-ill-develop-some-disease-and-say-i-have-to-resign-in-cnn-interview/

  4. Fact Check: Turkish Government Falsely Denies Existence of Nationalist Group
    https://www.polygraph.info/a/turkish-government-falsely-denies-existence-of-nationalist-group/30945078.html
    On November 4, the French government announced that it was banning the Turkish nationalist group known as the “Grey Wolves” (Bozkurtlar in Turkish). The decision was prompted by two nationalist marches in the suburbs of Lyon, as well as an act of ethnically motivated vandalism against a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The memorial was defaced with graffiti that included the group’s name and the letters “RTE,” thought to be the initials of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current president of Turkey.
    French officials also claimed that members of this organization had made “violent threats” against Armenians in France.
    The same day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry responded with a statement denying existence of the group. “As a matter of fact, it is known that there is no such a movement called ‘Grey Wolves,’ whose dissolution was announced today by the French Government,” the statement began.
    “Attempts to resort to imaginary decisions, presuming the existence of such a movement or formation based on some individuals and their actions, reflects the latest contradictory psychology that this country lives in.”
    The statement goes on to accuse France of hypocrisy when it comes to matters of free speech, and further alleges the country shows tolerance toward sympathizers of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey, the United States and some other nations call a terror group.
    [..]

    VIDEO here:

  5. Older (2016), but bizarre stuff!
    Turkish ultra-nationalist films rap video in rubble of Kurdish city
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkish-ultra-nationalist-films-rap-video-rubble-kurdish-city
    Police in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir have launched an investigation after an ultra-nationalist rapper filmed a rap video in the ruined district of Sur, which has been under 24-hour curfew due to fighting between the Turkish military and Kurdish militants.

    The video is titled “I Am Alone Father” and subtitled “in memory of soldiers martyred in Sur”.

    The rapper, who is masked in the video and referred to on YouTube as SAT5, prowls around the ruined buildings of the historic Kurdish-majority district spouting nationalist slogans and slamming the “Kurdish lie” and the “Zionist plan”.

    “Father we have veered away from the six pointer,” he raps, referring to Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the six principles of Kemalism.

    “Everybody awaken, stand up; they are all Armenians, all crooks. Who am I? The son of a Turk; the one who has been ostracised. The missionaries have taken over the entire place.”

    Far-right Turks often accuse people they deem traitors of being “Armenians” and the term has been thrown around frequently with regards to the unrest in the southeast.

    The rapper begins the video picking up a gun and walks by posters of Ataturk and a pile of burning flags belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Syria-based Peoples Protection Units (YPG).

    He gives a “warning to the youth being wasted away” that there is a need to “either solve the problem or hang those who create the problem”.

    “Love it or leave!” he adds, quoting the commonly used phrase adopted by Turkish nationalists from the American far-right calling on foreign elements in Turkey to either show partriotism or leave, while adding that he is “not a fascist.”

    “The solution is simple if you ask me,” he concludes. “Shoot them in the head if they don’t change!”

    The video ends with a black screen listing the names of police officers and security personnel killed in fighting in the southeast.

    According to the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the Diyarbakir governor’s office has launched an investigation saying that no permission was granted for filming such a video.

    Sur has been under curfew since early December, after fighting broke out between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants belonging to the PKK “youth wing” the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H).

    According to a report released by the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) around 80 percent of buildings in Sur have been destroyed in the fighting, while the Turkish Health Ministry said that around 355,000 had been displaced by the fighting.
    Thousands of militants, security officials and civilians have been killed since a two-year ceasefire broke down last July, according to the Turkish government, a figure Kurdish groups have disputed.

  6. Hurrah, more singing soldiers! This is peak jingoism, extolling the virtues of fighting for turkish Lebensraum. With the obligatory whirling dervish thrown in:

    https://twitter.com/Istanbultelaviv/status/1298062549171212289
    ‘A class could be taught on Turkey’s Communication Directorate’s film on Turkic conquests from Manzikert to victory over July 15 coup. Nationalism, religion, uniformity, weaponry, Hagia Sophia+of course, ending with Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque-It’s all here.

    Seeing such a video one can really start to enter mindset of some of Erdogan’s staunchest supporters, who believe the Ottoman’s glorious days are just around the corner. The convergence of nationalism+religion is the way+it really leaves no room for any diversity in the country.

    However, I can vouch, as of last week when I was there, I saw no warriors on horseback+while Turkey’s relative success in Syria and Libya has allowed it to raise its head, as we saw w/transformation of Hagia Sophia to a mosque, the country is deeply divided+w/hard economic times.

    What I think is most worrying however is that due to Erdogan’s weakening among more moderate factions, he is becoming completely dependent on fringe disillusioned groups. And, unfortunately, his dependence created an echo chamber where they are the sole voice. Hard days ahead.
    [see rest of thread]

    Political background to the video, Turkey plans a naval buildup. Reminiscent of Mussolini’s “Mare nostra”doctrine, Erdogan resembles the Duce more and more:

    Turkey Embarks on Naval Buildup, Stoking Tensions
    https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/turkey-embarks-naval-buildup-stoking-tensions
    Turkey is in the midst of a major naval construction program, seeking to restore regional maritime influence lost since the collapse of the Ottoman empire, and the project is already generating regional tensions.
    “Turkey will get back its fair share in the Mediterranean, Aegean and the Black Sea,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared last month. “If we say we will do something, we will do it, and we will pay the price.”
    Turkey’s imperial legacy looms large in the fabric of Turkish society. An imposing statue of the 16th century Ottoman Admiral, Hayreddin – or Barbarossa – dominates a square adjacent to Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway.
    Many European historians portray Barbarossa as a pirate and slave trader. However, in modern Turkey, he is still revered for his naval victories that asserted Ottoman control of the Mediterranean Sea.
    Since 1923, when the Turkish Republic was founded on the Ottoman Empire’s ashes, Turkey’s military power was primarily land-based, with its naval forces limited to coastal patrols.
    Under the mantra of “Blue Homeland,” Erdogan is vowing to restore Turkey’s naval prowess and he seeks to extend its power beyond the horizon.
    “Turkey is becoming a maritime state, like England, like France, like the United States,” said Retired Admiral Cem Gurdeniz, author of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine.
    “In order to protect Turkey’s rights and interests, in overseas areas like in [the], Persian Gulf, like in [the] Red Sea, the Arabian sea and whatever need arise, the Turkish navy, Turkey’s maritime signature should be there,” Gurdeniz told VOA.
    Turkey’s efforts to restore its navy to blue water power include plans for an assault aircraft carrier.
    [..]

  7. Benson Demands Data Deleted
    While MIGOP calls for audit, Benson demands election data deleted

    LANSING, Mich., December 4, 2020 – While the Michigan Republican Party joined bipartisan calls for a full audit of the November 2020 election results, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is pushing for the mass deletion of election data.

    In a memo to County Clerks earlier this week, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told clerks to delete Electronic Poll Book Software and associated files, despite multiple calls for an audit of the election – including a bipartisan request from the Wayne County Board of Canvassers. According to the Michigan Bureau of Elections, this data should not be deleted if, “a post-election audit is planned but has not yet been completed,”.

    “Secretary Benson’s move to request the deletion of election data amidst bipartisan calls for an audit is just another example of her putting partisan politics over what’s best for Michigan.” said Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox. Cox continued, “With election irregularities rampant across the state, it is vital that we have this audit before any election data is deleted. Secretary Benson’s move to delete this data before an audit raises a serious question, what are the Democrats hiding?”

    https://www.migop.org/benson_demands_data_deleted

  8. Arizona Legislature Calls for Immediate ‘Forensic Audit’ of Dominion Voting Machines
    By Jack Phillips
    December 4, 2020 Updated: December 4, 2020
    Print

    The Arizona House and Senate have called for an audit of the Maricopa County election software and equipment following allegations of fraud and other irregularities presented by President Donald Trump’s team earlier this week.

    In a news release Friday, GOP leaders of the Republican-controlled legislature sought an independent audit of Dominion Voting Systems software—used in Maricopa County—called for the audit.

    State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Republican said that Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors “is supportive of conducting an independent audit of their voting software and equipment,” adding: “It is important we maintain all of the voting public’s confidence in our elections, and this is a positive step.”

    House Majority Leader Warren Petersen, a Republican, said that “a significant number of voters believe that fraud occurred,” citing “the number of irregularities” that allegedly occurred in Maricopa County and elsewhere in the state.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/arizona-legislature-calls-for-immediate-forensic-audit-of-dominion-voting-machines_3605367.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-12-04-4

  9. How Pro-Beijing Communists Almost Stole the Election for Joe Biden—the Old-Fashioned Way
    Trevor Loudon
    Trevor Loudon
    contributor
    December 4, 2020 Updated: December 4, 2020
    Print

    Commentary

    The American public is becoming increasingly aware of evidence of massive computer fraud, out-of state and dead voters, and truckloads of fake ballots tilting the recent election toward Joe Biden. There are even whispers of Venezuelan, Iranian, and Chinese involvement.

    No one, however, is yet talking about the fact that a network run by pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) activists solicited hundreds of thousands of votes for Joe Biden in several key battleground states. Under our very noses, these CCP-backed American communists claim to have defeated their nemesis Donald Trump and won the election for the Biden/Harris ticket.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/how-pro-beijing-communists-almost-stole-the-election-for-joe-biden-the-old-fashioned-way_3600414.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-12-04-4

  10. Dominion’s Parent Company Arranges $400 Million Placement 1 Month Before Election: SEC Filing
    By Li Hai
    December 4, 2020 Updated: December 4, 2020
    Print

    A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shows that UBS Securities LLC arranged a private placement of $400 million with Staple Street Capital III, L.P. on October 8, 2020.

    Staple Street Capital, a private equity firm located in New York, purchased Dominion Voting systems on July 17, 2018, for an undisclosed amount.

    The securities firm that arranged the transaction, UBS Securities LLC, is a division of UBS Americas Inc, which ultimately falls under UBS Group AG, a company listed on the SIX Swiss stock exchange.

    Three of four board members of UBS Securities LLC are Chinese according

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/dominions-parent-company-arranges-400-million-placement-1-month-before-election-sec-filing_3604287.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-12-04-4

  11. Just Weeks Before Joe Biden Accepted Nomination – A Biden-Linked Consulting Firm Reportedly Wiped Their China Info

    In 2020, China has been in the spotlight for a number of reasons. The worldwide pandemic is one reason; the other involves Democrat Joe Biden – and his family’s – alleged links to the Communist nation.

    Now, it seems a a consulting firm connected to members of Biden’s cabinet picks is under scrutiny. For whatever reason, they might be trying to hide part of their work history.

    https://thepatriotjournal.com/weeks-biden-nomination-firm-china/?utm_source=gjwhg&utm_medium=email

  12. Federal Judge Just Ruled On President Trump – She Strikes Down Requested Sanctions To Reprimand His Campaign

    President Trump and his legal team continue to fight hard in the courts. The other side, in turn, says Trump is making baseless accusations.

    They really, really don’t want Trump exposing anything that comes close to voting abuse . Which is probably why the liberal media is fighting so hard to push their narrative.

    read more at

    https://thepatriotjournal.com/federal-judge-trump-sanctions/?utm_source=gjwhg&utm_medium=email

  13. Trump Supporters Flip The Script On Biden – They Just Demanded Joe To Give Up His Bank Records
    Ben Dutka
    4-5 minutes

    Trump Supporters Flip The Script On Biden – They Just Demanded Joe To Give Up His Bank Records

    Throughout most of Donald Trump’s presidency, many Democrats kept trying to obtain his controversial tax records. It quickly became a major talking point among politicos and the media.

    To date, the issue still remains largely unsettled in the courts. However, it looks like some Conservatives are flipping the script — they want a probe into Joe Biden’s financial history.

    So, after years of House Democrats pursuing Trump’s records, it’s apparently the other side’s turn.

    https://thepatriotjournal.com/years-trumps-returns-bidens-records/?utm_source=gjwhg&utm_medium=email

  14. UK rights groups decry France’s anti-Muslim drive
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201204-uk-rights-groups-decry-frances-anti-muslim-drive/

    “British advocacy groups have condemned France’s decision to shut down anti-racism group Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), Anadolu Agency reports.

    While announcing the move on Wednesday, Gerald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, accused the CCIF of carrying out “Islamist propaganda” for several years, allegations the group has vehemently refuted.

    In a statement in response, London-based group CAGE said the decision “exposes the French state’s brazen hypocrisy in advocating ‘free speech’ while legally denying Muslims the freedom to speak and organize.”

    CAGE is an advocacy organization that campaigns for “due process, the rule of law and an end to the injustices of the War on Terror.”

    The statement said the CCIF was not only banned, but its staff “indefinitely blacklisted,” meaning they cannot set up new groups or speak publicly.

    “Their freedom of association and expression has been suspended indefinitely,” CAGE said, adding that the decision followed “a series of raids on mosques, Islamic schools and homes.”

    Muhammad Rabbani, managing director of CAGE, said: “Individuals linked to the CCIF have been muzzled in a manner only heard of in the most autocratic countries.”

    “This disruption and attempt to weaken the Muslim community follows Macron’s announcement of a new ‘Separatism Law’ to curtail Muslim charity work and political campaigning.”

    “It also follows an EU Joint Statement of a “united front against Islamism” – to distract the EU from French violations of ‘liberty, egality and fraternity’ and even EU laws,” he added.

    He said that anyone who stands for the right to organize and collaborate for positive social change “cannot be silent any longer.”

    “This is not the way to nurture trust between people and government. We must speak up with courage for those in France who are standing firm despite state repression,” Rabbani said.

    The Arab Organization for Human Rights in UK (AOHR UK) also condemned the French government’s move to start inspections at mosques as part of its “campaign against separatism.”

    “AOHR UK pointed out that the French government’s policies towards Arabs and Muslims are in line with the policies of the extreme right, which calls for the closure of mosques and the imposition of strict control on Muslims, which fuels hostility to Muslims and increases attacks on them,” read a statement issued on Thursday.”

  15. Fraud Evidence Mounts as “No Evidence!” Chants Grow Louder – Trump Train News
    Deroy Murdock
    6-7 minutes

    The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of TrumpTrainNews.com

    NEW YORK — Imagine that you awaken at 4:00 a.m. to the sound of glass breaking across the street, followed by your neighbor’s blood-curdling scream. You call 911, fearing the worst.

    “There is no evidence of crime,” the police operator says. “Go back to sleep.”

    Fifteen minutes later, glass shatters right next door, and another horrifying shriek fills the late-night air.

    “There is no evidence of widespread crime,” the 911 operator now says. “Go back to sleep.”

    https://trumptrainnews.com/2020/12/04/fraud-evidence-mounts-as-no-evidence-chants-grow-louder-rs-nl/

  16. Turkey completes 81-km wall along border with Iran
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/12/04/turkey-completes-81-km-wall-along-border-with-iran_48f862c4-1136-4d63-8428-2c78268f7361.html

    “Turkey on Friday completed an 81-km security barrier along its border with Iran, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on Twitter.

    The wall runs along the eastern border of the Agri province at the northwestern edge corner of Iran.

    It covers about 15% of the 534-km border between the two countries and consists of reinforced concrete blocks topped by barbed wire and accompanied by an electronic surveillance system with videocameras.

    The work took two years.

    Soylu said that the barrier will help against the threats from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is designated a terrorist organisation by the US, EU and Turkey, and groups affiliated with it.

    A similar wall has in recent years been built along much of the Turkish-Syrian border.”

  17. France: Afghan migrant appears in court for attempted murder of 79-year-old female neighbor
    https://rmx.news/article/article/france-afghan-migrant-appears-in-court-for-attempted-murder-of-79-year-old-female-neighbor

    “An Afghan migrant on trial for the attempted murder of his 79-year-old female neighbor appeared before the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Assize Court earlier this week. Among other charges, the migrant stands accused of having repeatedly stabbed the victim on Oct. 13, 2017.

    Prior to the life-threatening attack, the female victim had been living in an apartment in the commune of Oloron-Saint-Marie, in the region of Béarn in southwestern France for 25 years without incident. The attacker, Ansar Akhondi, a 26-year-old Afghan male who is said to have crossed several countries before arriving in France, had lived in the same building as the victim for eight months prior to the attack, Ouest France reports.

    “We will have to check the route this man took to Oloron, since his route seems very different from that of other Afghan migrants,” said Hervé Lucbéreilh, the mayor of Oloron.

    According to a report by La Rép des Pyrénées, Akhondi, after spending a year and a half in Germany, made his way to France after having his asylum application rejected. His application was reportedly rejected due to his participation in a violent altercation between migrants.

    Before the incident, the victim is said to have had good relations with a group migrants — which included the migrant who tried to take her life — who lived in the same building as her. It was the other migrants who lived in the same building who alerted police to the gruesome stabbing attack.

    At the hearing on Monday, the victim’s lawyer, when speaking about a possible motive for the attack, told the court: “We don’t have a sensible, understandable explanation.”

    Some of the only words uttered by the Akhondi, who is charged with “attempted murder of a vulnerable person” and “violence against persons holding public authority” during the hearing were: “I did not intend to kill her.”

    Akhondi, during an earlier interview with authorities following his arrest, said that he had taken cannabis before the attack and that he wasn’t in his normal state of mind. He claimed that around the time of the attack, he consumed “massive amounts” of intoxicants — up to one liter of vodka per day along with 20 joints. However, the toxicology screen which took place after his arrest showed that there was hardly any trance of either substance in his body

    Another migrant living in the same building who was interviewed by police said that Akhondi had suddenly gone crazy.

    After stabbing the victim repeatedly, the knife-wielding migrant also attempted to attack the young gendarme who was first to arrive at the scene of the crime. The female gendarme, aged 20 at the time, recalled being “afraid for her life”.

    Psychiatrists who evaluated Akhondi noted that he exhibited “anti-social’ personality traits, describing him as a “fragile”, “sad”, and “morose” man.

    Akhondi’s trial is expected to conclude on Wednesday, Dec. 2.”

  18. Belgian prosecution requests one-year prison sentence for migrant who beat his toddler on the street
    https://rmx.news/article/article/belgian-prosecution-requests-one-year-prison-sentence-for-migrant-who-beat-his-toddler-on-the-street

    “The public prosecutor’s office is demanding a one-year prison sentence for a refugee in Belgium who repeatedly punched his 2-year-old son. The child suffered fractures and may have permanent growth problems. The refugee’s lawyer asks that extenuating circumstances be taken into account and that only a suspended sentence be imposed, Belgian news portal Sceptr reports.

    On August 19, Abdul S. went for a walk in Leuven with his sister-in-law and 2-year-old son. Abdul S. was drunk and suddenly started hitting the toddler with clenched fists. Shocked bystanders immediately called the police and began filming the incident. The man was arrested; the boy suffered injuries on his mouth and forehead.

    A police investigation showed that this was not the first time the 2-year-old child had been beaten. According to authorities involved, there were clear indications that the father had beaten the child several times in the past. He is also suspected of beating his wife, but not enough evidence could be gathered for charges to be brought against him. Thus in court, he only had to answer for child abuse and weapons possession, as a knife had also been found on him.

    The prosecutor’s office demanded an effective prison sentence of one year and a fine of €480.

    “In a drunken state, the gentleman violated the physical and moral integrity of his son, and afterward, he says he does not remember anything about it,” said the attorney.

    Abdul S.’s lawyer asked for extenuating circumstances to be taken into account.

    “They arrived here as refugees, don’t speak the national language and ended up in a filthy room of the Appeltans family in Burgemeesterstraat. They live there with three adults and four children together. There is not even an entrance door,” he said. “We ask you to consider the circumstances and to impose a suspended sentence.”

    According to its editorial mission statement, Sceptr is a news website dedicated to “hard issues” that are neglected in the mainstream media.”

  19. Based Lady OWNS Michigan Election Hearings! | Louder With Crowder
    CrowderBits – December 2, 2020

  20. Rudy Giuliani STOMPS Smug Michigan Representative | Louder With Crowder
    CrowderBits – December 3, 2020

  21. Michigan GOP: Secretary of State Trying to Delete Election Data Amid Audit Calls
    By Jack Phillips
    December 4, 2020 Updated: December 4, 2020
    Print

    The Michigan GOP on Friday raised concerns about a memo sent by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that “is pushing for the mass deletion of election data,” although a spokesperson for the secretary’s office later said the process is routine.

    The GOP said Benson’s office told clerks in Michigan counties to “delete Electronic Poll Book software and associated files” amid calls to audit the election while flagging it was concerning.

    They were likely referring to a Dec. 1 memo (pdf) from the Michigan Bureau of Elections, which is overseen by Benson’s office, that states “[Electronic Poll Book] software and associated files must be deleted from all devices by the seventh calendar day following the final canvass and certification of the election (November 30, 2020) unless a petition for recount has been filed and the recount has not been completed, a post-election audit is planned but has not yet been completed, or the deletion of the data has been stayed by an order of the court or the Secretary of State.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/michigan-gop-secretary-of-state-trying-to-delete-election-data-amid-audit-calls_3605155.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-12-04-2

  22. Georgia Polling Manager Tells Lawmakers About Box With ‘Pristine’ Ballots
    By Zachary Stieber
    December 4, 2020 Updated: December 4, 2020
    Print

    A polling manager in Fulton County, Georgia, told state lawmakers on Thursday that she opened up a box of ballots to find a batch of 110 that were “pristine” and not folded.

    “Most of them were pretty worn, until we came up to a batch that is, it was, my words were ‘pristine.’ It was white, it was so white,” Susan Voyles told a state Senate committee in Atlanta.

    Most absentee ballots are folded because they were sent through and received back through the mail, she added.

    “But the thing that really jumped out at us besides the feel of these ballots, there were no folds, was the fact that the first one that was bubbled in had almost a little eclipse of white in the bubble where you would bubble in,” Voyles said.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/georgia-polling-manager-tells-lawmakers-about-box-with-pristine-ballots_3604800.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-12-04-2

  23. Calls for martial law and US military oversight of new presidential election draws criticism

    The idea that the U.S. military would oversee a new nationwide presidential election — ordered under martial law by President Donald Trump — is “insane in a year that we didn’t think could get anymore insane,” a defense official tells Military Times.

    Yet retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn promoted that exact idea Tuesday evening when he tweeted a press release from an Ohio-based conservative political organization.

    https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/12/02/calls-for-martial-law-and-us-military-oversight-of-new-presidential-elections-draws-criticism/

  24. How the president could invoke martial law

    Throughout 2020, America has faced a global pandemic, civil unrest after the death of George Floyd and a contentious election. As a result, an influx of fear about the possibility of the invocation of martial law or unchecked military intervention is circulating around the internet among scholars and civilians alike.

    “The fear is certainly understandable, because as I’m sure you know, martial law isn’t described or confined or limited, proscribed in any way by the Constitution or laws,” Bill Banks, a Syracuse professor with an expertise in constitutional and national security law, told Military Times. “If someone has declared martial law, they’re essentially saying that they are the law.”

    https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/10/23/how-the-president-could-invoke-martial-law/

  25. Germany: Berlin open for talks on Iran nuclear deal’s future

    A German government spokesperson said that Berlin was open for talks on the future of the so-called Iran nuclear deal, at a press conference in the German capital on Friday.

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr commented that “perhaps with the new government in the USA,” there would be opportunities to “start dialogue and talks again” with Tehran.

    “But for us it is very clear, Iran must make its own contribution as well as to build trust there instead of further destroying [it],” she stressed.

    While the US government withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOCA) in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, incoming President-elect Joe Biden has signalled his willingness to return to the deal, if Tehran were also to resume compliance with its terms.

    *SOUNDBITES*

    SOT, Maria Adebahr, Foreign Ministry spokesperson (German): “There are in Iran intensive consultations ongoing among various different political groups there and that is being internally intensive discussed.”

    SOT, Maria Adebahr, Foreign Ministry spokesperson (German): “And it isn’t now helpful, considering that perhaps with the new government in the USA we could come into a moment when one could start dialogue and talks again regarding the topic of Iran and further developments there. Therefore we hope that and we would like to be sure that in the future we will be able to talk about the future of the JCPOA and of the nuclear agreement. But for us it is very clear, Iran must make its own contribution as well as to build trust there instead of further destroying [it].”

    SOT, Steffen Seibert, Government spokesperson (German): “To be honest, it sounds to me theoretical, especially many weeks before the new US president even takes office, to speculate here about individual aspects of his politics, and I won’t take part in it. The position of the federal government about this project (Nord Stream 2) is long known.”

    SOT, Steffen Seibert, Government spokesperson (German): “For the federal chancellor – and that hasn’t changed in the last weeks – willingness to compromise on both sides is necessary. She said ‘when one wants to have an agreement, both sides need to move towards each other.’ Each one has their principles, there are red lines, that is clear and nevertheless there is always room for compromises. That’s the fundamental position, also now with the time already really advanced.”

    SOT, Steffen Seibert, Government spokesperson (German): “?There are more open issues, fisheries are one, governance, level playing field. Those are some issues and also by other topics there are other final agreements still open.”