Reader’s Links, March 23, 2023

Here is a link to the VladTepesBlog social media Mastodon Pod. Please feel free to check it out and sign up for an account if you are sufficiently annoyed with Twitter and Facebook to try something new.

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

78 Replies to “Reader’s Links, March 23, 2023”

  1. Kangaroo In Jackboots — Review Of “Australian Fascism”

    Fascism is the combination of force, fraud, and propaganda which replaces constitutional rule by parliament and the rule of law.

    Spain under Franco, Portugal under Salazar, Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, and Greece under the Colonels, are 20th century examples in Europe.

    There are more recent and current ones – Ukraine since the putsch of February 21, 2014, is the obvious example. Another is French President Emmanuel Macron’s rule by decree, without the National Assembly, which began in 2020 with the emergency powers of the pandemic, and accelerated last week with the imposition of “pension reform” by decree, instead of parliamentary vote.

    Outside Europe, there are the Australians who have been testing, training and practising fascist rule since the beginning of the pandemic…. They are now preparing the population to go to war against China…

    https://johnhelmer.net/kangaroo-in-jackboots-review-of-australian-fascism/#more-87698

  2. Kangaroo In Jackboots — Review Of “Australian Fascism”

    Fascism is the combination of force, fraud, and propaganda which replaces constitutional rule by parliament and the rule of law .

    Spain under Franco, Portugal under Salazar, Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, and Greece under the Colonels, are 20th century examples in Europe.

    There are more recent and current ones – Ukraine since the putsch of February 21, 2014, is the obvious example. Another is French President Emmanuel Macron’s rule by decree, without the National Assembly, which began in 2020 with the emergency powers of the pandemic, and accelerated last week with the imposition of “pension reform” by decree, instead of parliamentary vote.

    Outside Europe, there are the Australians who have been testing, training and practising fascist rule since the beginning of the pandemic…. They are now preparing the population to go to war against China…

    https://johnhelmer.net/kangaroo-in-jackboots-review-of-australian-fascism/#more-87698

  3. “Eureka!” shouted Albert Einstein. “I belief I haff discovered a new application to mine tee-ory uff relatiff-ity!”

    Unbeknownst to the world, the sneaky little genius had managed to build a time machine before faking his own passing. The year is now 2023. Einstein and his drinking buddy, Bob, are sitting in Bob’s kitchen.

    “You see, ass zee rate uff change around zee human mind accelerates, zee brain becomes increasingk-ly v(w)eary. Ziss hass zee effect uff causing eef-en greater acceleration. Zee net effect iss for zee person to feel zatt zey are standing still!”

    “Jeepers,” said Bob as he guzzled his can of Bud Lite, Google translate that!”

    So we are all like little spaceships zooming through space? Or is it more like space is zooming past us? How to slow it down?

    Dr. Jordan Peterson said cavemen invented models resembling religion to fabricate some sort of order out of the chaos that nature presented to human existence. This understanding soothed the anxiety of the human mind struggling to keep up with all of what it perceived to be its existential threats. Or maybe religion slowed down the world zipping past their spaceship’s little window. Either way, it’s safe to say it caught on. In fact I guarantee you Neanderthals ran around like long-haired hippies slapping bumper stickers on the arses of their wooly mammoths saying “GIMME MORE JEEZUS!”

    They had to slow things down before they snapped. Sometimes even a nap helped–or a couple of days off from the cruel world if they’d managed to feast on some big beast. Otherwise, staying informed helped sort the mess. Going at the speed of light sucked.

    So back to dang reality. 12:48 on the monstrous income to household debt disparity held by Canadians.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXxg-db3Nzc

    Does anyone remember the midget Nazi dismissing worries over Canada’s federal debt because interest rates were so low the debt was laughably tame? 58 sec.:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02rEd1h32Ss

    Yes, things are moving so quickly that even Tucker in his 15-minute opening last night laments the same, so maybe Einstein is on to something here:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBEw0NGH9fo

    Models of our world, regardless if we have to revise them every single day, help a lot. Gimme more (proverbial or not) Jeezus!

  4. From 11 years ago Glenn Beck on The Wizard of Oz meaning in the context of precious metals 10 min:

    • Stripping circuit boards for precious metals

      As it turned out, the enterprising Ukrainian military regularly took out various boards from various NATO military equipment, which have parts with a high content of gold, platinum and silver.

      Thus, fashionable American “counter-battery radars”, “Stinger” MANPADS, jamming systems, and air defense radars were “taken apart” with subsequent write-off, they say, “burned by the Russians.”

      The Pentagon did not take into account that in every high-tech American technology there are a lot of circuit boards that contain precious metals that can be easily extracted and sold.

      The office of the Prosecutor General Zelensky reports that wholesale buyers of such boards from NATO military equipment were arrested at the Volyn border while trying to take out under the guise of 45 tons of junk, gold-containing printed circuit boards, in which precious metals worth more than $ 200,000.

      It’s stupid of course they “got caught”, it was necessary to melt gold and platinum from parts on the territory of Ukraine, and already to carry gold and platinum bars abroad))

      How much NATO equipment was destroyed in this way, history is silent, but obviously a lot

      https://askeptic.substack.com/p/daily-report-from-the-ukraine-field-e9a

  5. EXCLUSIVE: ELECTION SYSTEM DISCOVERED – Used in MULTIPLE States – Internet Connected, Uncertified, and Accessible to Numerous Govt Agencies and Outside Entities
    By Joe Hoft Mar. 23, 2023 8:00 am166 Comments

    A team of election experts in New Mexico uncovered an election system that is being used in that state and multiple other states that do not comply with election laws.

    Election experts in New Mexico established that the post-election canvass reports in all 33 New Mexico Counties are being illegally prepared. Complete election records are being uploaded to an uncertified, centralized software under the control of the Secretary of State (SOS) called SERVIS, which is then used to create the official election results.

    Use of any uncertified software for this part of the election process is a violation of federal and state law. And according to state law, the SOS is not to have access to the complete election record from any county until the election has been certified.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/election-system-uncovered-used-in-multiple-states-internet-connected-uncertified-and-accessible-to-numerous-govt-agencies-and-outside-entities/

    • MVP used to mean Most Valuable Player. Today it could mean the most valuable political player with multiple personalities voting.

  6. Walmart to Charge Customers 42 Cents Per Shopping Bag Starting March 28 to Tackle Climate Crisis
    By Jim Hoft Mar. 23, 2023 8:30 am177 Comments

    On March 28, 2023, Walmart will begin charging 42 cents per bag for delivery orders and 10 cents per bag for pickup or in-store purchases in the state of New Jersey.

    “New Jersey retail stores, grocery stores and food service businesses may not provide or sell single-use plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam food service products. Single-use paper carryout bags are allowed to be provided or sold, except by grocery stores equal to or larger than 2500 square feet, which may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags. After November 4, 2021, plastic straws may be provided only upon the request of the customer,” according to the law.

    The prohibition was put in place to combat climate change by decreasing plastic pollution and increasing the use of reusable bags.

    However, some plastic bags, such as those used in the following situations, are exempt from the prohibition on single-use bags:

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/walmart-to-charge-customers-42-cents-per-shopping-bag-starting-march-28-to-tackle-climate-crisis/

  7. New Normal: Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania Work on Legislations to Have More Defibrillator Access in Schools
    By Jim Hoft Mar. 23, 2023 8:45 am0 Comments

    New laws are being proposed to increase access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in educational institutions in the states of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

    After ignoring the alarming increase in heart attack deaths among children and adults for three years, the mainstream media and the government finally began to cover the story.

    However, they are too blind to see the cause of these incidents. Their solution is more defibrillators in schools.

    Lawmakers in some states like Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania are now calling for more access to AED.

    Indiana
    In Indiana, legislation is moving forward that would mandate the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and cardiac emergency plans at all high school and collegiate sporting activities, 16 News Now reported.

    Senate Bill 369 also referred to as “Jake’s Law,” was debated at the State House on Wednesday. Senator Linda Rogers of Granger sponsored the legislation.

    The bill states, “Automated external defibrillator requirement. Requires school coaches, assistant coaches, marching band leaders, and extracurricular activity leaders to ensure that an operational automated external defibrillator (AED) is present at each athletic activity for which the individual is providing coaching or leadership. Requires the AED to be: (1) located on the premises where the athletic activity occurs; (2) except for a cross country running practice,

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/new-normal-indiana-ohio-kentucky-and-pennsylvania-work-on-legislations-to-have-more-aed-access-in-schools/

  8. Teenage Boy Suffers Cardiac Arrest and Dies on American Airlines Flight Reportedly Because On-Board Defibrillator Wasn’t Charged
    By Patty McMurray Mar. 23, 2023 7:45 am154 Comments

    A mother from New York is suing American Airlines after her son when into cardiac arrest on a flight to Florida and died because the plane’s automatic external defibrillator (AED) was not charged.
    100 Percent Fed Up reports – Kevin Greenridge, a teenager from New York, was flying to Miami from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on June 4, 2022, when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. According to the lawsuit, the crew onboard the flight tried to resuscitate Greenridge, but the onboard AED was not charged.

    Despite an emergency landing in Cancun, Mexico, Greenridge did not survive the heart attack.

    After suffering the tragic loss of her son, Melissa Arzu filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She is seeking damages and payment of attorney fees.

    The lawsuit states that the teen’s deat

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/teenage-boy-suffers-cardiac-arrest-and-dies-on-american-airlines-flight-reportedly-because-on-board-defibrillator-wasnt-charged/

  9. UPDATE: Eyedrops Sold In Drug Stores Nationwide Are Contaminated With Deadly Bacterial ‘Superbug’: MANUFACTURED IN INDIA – 3 People Die After Using Artificial Tears Products, 8 Lose Vision, 4 Have Eyeballs Surgically Removed
    By Alicia Powe Mar. 23, 2023 10:00 am12 Comments
    TruthGettrGab

    Public health authorities are investigating an outbreak of bacterial infections across the United States caused by over-the-counter eyedrops contaminated with a rare “extensively drug-resistant” bacterial superbug.

    At least 68 patients in 16 states are suffering from severe side effects after using Artificial Tear eyedrops that were infected with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Tuesday.

    Last month, Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops, a product used to lubricate dry eyes, was recalled by its manufacturer Global Pharma Healthcare. The drops were distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma and sold at drug stores nationwide, including CVS, Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/huge-update-eyedrops-sold-in-drug-stores-nationwide-are-contaminated-with-deadly-bacterial-superbug-manufactured-in-india-3-people-die-after-using-artificial-tears-products-8-lose-vision-4-h/

  10. Parental Rights End When You Send Your Kids to Public School” – New Mexico Attorney In Training Session to Teachers (VIDEO)
    By Joe Hoft Mar. 23, 2023 9:30 am102 Comments

    New Mexico official claims parents of public-school children have no parental rights.

    In a shocking undercover video released Tuesday, New Mexicans learned why attempts to get education officials to listen to concerns about critical race theory, transgender indoctrination, masking children, and school lockdowns have been such an uphill battle: New Mexico state officials have trained teachers and school boards that parents have no rights when it comes to their kids.

    “Parental rights end when you decide to send your kids to public school,” claimed attorney, Andrew Sanchez (below), who conducted a recent training session for New Mexico teachers and school board members in Bernalillo County.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/parental-rights-end-when-you-send-your-kids-to-public-school-new-mexico-attorney-in-training-session-to-teachers-video/

  11. MUST SEE: Arizona Kari Lake Ruling a MAJOR WIN! Will Expose Mail-In Ballot Signature Scam – DEMOCRATS FREAK! (War Room Video)
    By Jim Hoft Mar. 23, 2023 10:32 am13 Comments
    TruthGettr

    As reported Wednesday night, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a new order, sending an essential piece of Kari Lake’s election lawsuit back to the trial court for further review.

    Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson dismissed the lawsuit on Christmas Eve, despite the evidence of massive voter disenfranchisement targeting Republicans, obviously false testimony by County Elections officials, and his own refusal to let the evidence be presented.

    The Arizona Court of Appeals later dismissed the lawsuit in February, opining that Kari Lake did not provide “clear and convincing evidence” of voter fraud. So, she immediately moved to appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court, making good on her promise to do so.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/must-see-arizona-kari-lake-ruling-a-major-win-will-expose-mail-in-ballot-signature-scam-democrats-freak-war-room-video/

  12. reuters – Elon Musk, WHO chief spar on Twitter over U.N. agency’s role

    […]Elon Musk said on Thursday in a tweet that countries should not “cede authority” to the World Health Organization, and the U.N. health agency’s chief quickly rejected his comments.

    “Countries should not cede authority to WHO,” Musk, whose Twitter account has more than 132 million followers, wrote in response to a video of right-wing Australian senator Malcolm Roberts criticising the organisation.

    […]In separate comments at the WHO’s weekly news conference later on Thursday, Tedros said the claim that the pandemic treaty would see countries relinquish power to the WHO was “quite simply false” and “fake news.”

    “If any politician or businessperson, or anyone at all is confused about what the pandemic accord is and isn’t, we would be more than happy to discuss it and explain it,” Tedros said, in an apparent reference to Musk’s comments.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/elon-musk-who-spar-twitter-over-un-agencys-role-2023-03-23/
    ======================
    WHO warns of ‘fake news’ after Elon Musk pandemic treaty tweet

    GENEVA — The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday (March 23) warned against “fake news” after Twitter boss Elon Musk tweeted that countries should not “cede authority to WHO” amid negotiations over a new pandemic treaty.

    “The claim that the accord will cede power to WHO is quite simply false. It’s fake news. Countries will decide what the accord says,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

    Dr Tedros did not mention Mr Musk by name, but earlier on Thursday he had also tweeted a response at the Twitter chief, insisting “countries aren’t ceding sovereignty to WHO.”

    “The Pandemic Accord won’t change that. The accord will help countries better guard against pandemics. It will help us to better protect people regardless of whether they live in countries that are rich or poor,” he tweeted.

    […]Even before the discussions began though, the WHO was battling a barrage of disinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the negotiations and future agreement, including allegations that the organisation is scheming to take over health policies in sovereign nations.

    https://www.todayonline.com/world/who-warns-fake-news-after-elon-musk-pandemic-treaty-tweet-2136356

  13. Matt Taibbi Can’t Comprehend That There Are Reasons To Study Propaganda Information Flows, So He Insists It Must Be Nefarious

    Over the last few months, Elon Musk’s handpicked journalists have continued revealing less and less with each new edition of the “Twitter Files,” to the point that even those of us who write about this area have mostly been skimming each new release, confirming that yet again these reporters have no idea what they’re talking about, are cherry picking misleading examples, and then misrepresenting basically everything.

    It’s difficult to decide if it’s even worth giving these releases any credibility at all in going through the actual work of debunking them, but sometimes a few out of context snippets from the Twitter Files, mostly from Matt Taibbi, seem to get picked up by others and it becomes necessary to dive back into the muck to clean up the mess that Matt has made yet again.

    Unfortunately, this seems like one of those times.

    Over the last few “Twitter Files” releases, Taibbi has been pushing hard on the false claim that, okay, maybe he can’t find any actual evidence that the government tried to force Twitter to remove content, but he can find… information about how certain university programs and non-governmental organizations received government grants… and they setup “censorship programs.”

    It’s “censorship by proxy!” Or so the claim goes.

    Except, it’s not even remotely accurate. The issue, again, goes back to understanding some pretty fundamental concepts that seem to escape Taibbi’s ability to understand. Let’s go through them.

    Point number one: Studying misinformation and disinformation is a worthwhile field of study. That’s not saying that we should silence such things, or that we need an “arbiter of truth.” But the simple fact remains that some have sought to use misinformation and disinformation to try to influence people, and studying and understanding how and why that happens is valuable.

    Indeed, I personally tend to lean towards the view that most discussions regarding mis- and disinformation are overly exaggerated moral panics. I think the terms are overused, and often misused (frequently just to attack factual news that people dislike). But, in part, that’s why it’s important to study this stuff. And part of studying it is to actually understand how such information is spread, which includes across social media.

    Point number two: It’s not just an academic field of interest. For fairly obvious reasons, companies that are used to spread such information have a vested interest in understanding this stuff as well, though to date, it’s mostly been the social media companies that have shown the most interest in understanding these things, rather than say, cable news, even as some of the evidence suggests cable news is a bigger vector for spreading such things than social media.

    Still, the companies have an interest in understand this stuff, and sometimes that includes these organizations flagging content they find and sharing it with the companies for the sole purpose of letting those companies evaluate if the content violate existing policies. And, once again, the companies regularly did nothing after noting that the flagged accounts didn’t violate any policies.

    Point number three: governments also have an interest in understand how such information flows, in part to help combat foreign influence campaigns designed to cause strife and even violence.

    Note what none of these three points are saying: that censorship is necessary or even desired. But it’s not surprising that the US government has funded some programs to better understand these things, and that includes bringing in a variety of experts from academia and civil society and NGOs to better understand these things. It’s also no surprise that some of the social media companies are interested in what these research efforts find because it might be useful.

    And, really, that’s basically everything that Taibbi has found out in his research. There are academic centers and NGOs that have received some grants from various government agencies to study mis- and disinformation flows. Also, that sometimes Twitter communicated with those organization. Notably, many of his findings actually show that Twitter employees absolutely disagreed with the conclusions of those research efforts. Indeed, some of the revealed emails show Twitter employees somewhat dismissive of the quality of the research.

    What none of this shows is a grand censorship operation.

    However, that’s what Taibbi and various gullible culture warriors in Congress are arguing, because why not?

    So, some of the organizations in questions have decided they finally need to do some debunking on their own. I especially appreciate the University of Washington (UW), which did a step by step debunker that, in any reasonable world, would completely embarrass Matt Taibbi for the very obvious fundamental mistakes he made:

    False impression: The EIP orchestrated a massive “censorship” effort. In a recent tweet thread, Matt Taibbi, one of the authors of the “Twitter Files” claimed: “According to the EIP’s own data, it succeeded in getting nearly 22 million tweets labeled in the runup to the 2020 vote.” That’s a lot of labeled tweets! It’s also not even remotely true. Taibbi seems to be conflating our team’s post-hoc research mapping tweets to misleading claims about election processes and procedures with the EIP’s real-time efforts to alert platforms to misleading posts that violated their policies. The EIP’s research team consisted mainly of non-expert students conducting manual work without the assistance of advanced AI technology. The actual scale of the EIP’s real-time efforts to alert platforms was about 0.01% of the alleged size.

    Now, that’s embarrassing.

    There’s a lot more that Taibbi misunderstands as well. For example, the freak-out over CISA:

    False impression: The EIP operated as a government cut-out, funneling censorship requests from federal agencies to platforms. This impression is built around falsely framing the following facts: the founders of the EIP consulted with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) office prior to our launch, CISA was a “partner” of the EIP, and the EIP alerted social media platforms to content EIP researchers analyzed and found to be in violation of the platforms’ stated policies. These are all true claims — and in fact, we reported them ourselves in the EIP’s March 2021 final report. But the false impression relies on the omission of other key facts. CISA did not found, fund, or otherwise control the EIP. CISA did not send content to the EIP to analyze, and the EIP did not flag content to social media platforms on behalf of CISA.

    There are multiple other false claims that UW debunks as well, including that it was a partisan effort, that it happened in secret, or that it did anything related to content moderation. None of those are true.

    The Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), which works with UW on some of these programs, ended up putting out a similar debunker statement as well. For whatever reason, the SIO seems to play a central role in Taibbi’s fever dream of “government-driven censorship.” He focuses on projects like the Election Integrity Project or the Virality Project, both of which were focused on looking at the flows of viral misinformation.

    In Taibbi’s world, these were really government censorship programs. Except, as SIO points out, they weren’t funded by the government:

    Does the SIO or EIP receive funding from the federal government?

    As part of Stanford University, the SIO receives gift and grant funding to support its work. In 2021, the SIO received a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, an independent government agency, awarding a total of $748,437 over a five-year period to support research into the spread of misinformation on the internet during real-time events. SIO applied for and received the grant after the 2020 election. None of the NSF funds, or any other government funding, was used to study the 2020 election or to support the Virality Project. The NSF is the SIO’s sole source of government funding.

    They also highlight how the Virality Project’s work on vaccine disinformation was never about “censorship.”

    Did the SIO’s Virality Project censor social media content regarding coronavirus vaccine side-effects?

    No. The VP did not censor or ask social media platforms to remove any social media content regarding coronavirus vaccine side effects. Theories stating otherwise are inaccurate and based on distortions of email exchanges in the Twitter Files. The Project’s engagement with government agencies at the local, state, or federal level consisted of factual briefings about commentary about the vaccine circulating on social media.

    The VP’s work centered on identification and analysis of social media commentary relating to the COVID-19 vaccine, including emerging rumors about the vaccine where the truth of the issue discussed could not yet be determined. The VP provided public information about observed social media trends that could be used by social media platforms and public health communicators to inform their responses and further public dialogue. Rather than attempting to censor speech, the VP’s goal was to share its analysis of social media trends so that social media platforms and public health officials were prepared to respond to widely shared narratives. In its work, the Project identified several categories of allegations on Twitter relating to coronavirus vaccines, and asked platforms, including Twitter, which categories were of interest to them. Decisions to remove or flag tweets were made by Twitter.

    In other words, as was obvious to anyone who actually had followed any of this while these projects were up and running, these are not examples of “censorship” regimes. Nor are they efforts to silence anyone. They’re research programs on information flows. That’s also clear if you don’t read Taibbi’s bizarrely disjointed commentary and just look at the actual things he presents.

    In a normal world, the level of just outright nonsense and mistakes in Taibbi’s work would render his credibility completely shot going forward.

    Instead, he’s become a hero to a certain brand of clueless troll. It’s the kind of transformation that would be interesting to study and understand, but I assume Taibbi would just build a grand conspiracy theory about how doing that was just an attempt by the illuminati to silence him.

    https://www.techdirt.com/2023/03/22/matt-taibbi-cant-comprehend-that-there-are-reasons-to-study-propaganda-information-flows-so-he-insists-it-must-be-nefarious/

    • One of the smarter Professors I had told us “Don’t be afraid to trust your self, if your experience says some expert or study is BS odds are it is BS.”

    • That screed sounds like the author is experiencing an overly exaggerated moral panic.

      Any 100 names pulled at random from the Boston phonebook would be far more reliable than any govt-funded “academic center” or NGO blob.

      Stanford’s “Virality Project”, eh?
      Where professors Bankman and Fried steal other people’s money to buy politicians and define it as “effective altruism”.

  14. Love the photo of the sumac, the wonderful contrast. I knew a man who had a rash from sumac, that is probably why there are so many people walking around with a rash. – yup, I betcha it’s the sumac.

    • MARCH 23 2023 – European Council conclusions on Ukraine

      The European Council held an exchange of views with United Nations Secretary-General Guterres.

      * * *

      I. UKRAINE

      1. The European Council reiterates its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter, and recalls the European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression.

      2. The European Council welcomes the UN General Assembly Resolution on ‘Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine’, which was adopted with broad support from the international community. It reiterates its support for President Zelensky’s Peace Formula. The European Union will continue to work with Ukraine on the 10-point peace plan.

      3. Russia must stop its aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces and proxies from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. International humanitarian law, including on the treatment of prisoners of war, must be respected. The European Council condemns in the strongest terms sexual and gender-based violence. Russia must immediately ensure the safe return of Ukrainians forcibly transferred or deported to Russia, in particular children. In this context, the European Council takes note of the arrest warrants recently issued by the International Criminal Court, against Russia’s President and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

      4. Russia must immediately cease actions endangering the safety and security of civilian nuclear facilities in Ukraine. The European Union fully supports the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

      5. The European Union is firmly committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including through the establishment of an appropriate mechanism for the prosecution of the crime of aggression, which is of concern to the international community as a whole. In this context, the European Council welcomes the agreement to create the new International Centre for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) in The Hague, which will be linked to the existing Joint Investigation Team supported by Eurojust. It reiterates its support for the investigations of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The European Council welcomes the upcoming negotiations on a new Convention on international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other international crimes.

      6. The European Union remains committed to maintaining and increasing collective pressure on Russia, including through possible further restrictive measures, and to continue working on the oil price cap together with partners. The European Council underlines the importance and urgency of stepping up efforts to ensure effective implementation of sanctions at European and national level and is firmly committed to effectively preventing and countering circumvention in and by third countries. The European Council invites the Council and the Commission to strengthen all necessary enforcement instruments and to develop, together with Member States, a fully coordinated approach to that effect. The European Union will intensify its work with partners to counter false Russian narratives and disinformation about the war.

      7. The European Union stands firmly and fully with Ukraine and will continue to provide strong political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. The European Union and Member States are increasing their efforts to help meet Ukraine’s pressing military and defence needs. Taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States, the European Council welcomes the agreement in the Council to urgently deliver ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition to Ukraine and, if requested, missiles, including through joint procurement and the mobilisation of appropriate funding including through the European Peace Facility, aiming at providing 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition in a joint effort within the next twelve months, without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States.

      8. The European Union remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s repair, recovery, and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners. In this context, the European Council reiterates the EU’s full support for establishing an international mechanism to register the damages Russia has inflicted. Together with partners, the European Union will continue to step up work towards the use of Russia’s frozen and immobilised assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction and for the purposes of reparation, in accordance with EU and international law.

      9. The European Council welcomes Ukraine’s commitment and reform efforts, and underlines the importance of Ukraine’s EU accession process, in line with its earlier conclusions, notably those of 23-24 June 2022.

      10. The European Union will continue to provide all relevant support to the Republic of Moldova, including to strengthen the country’s resilience, security, stability, economy and energy supply in the face of destabilising activities by external actors, as well as support on its accession path to the European Union. The European Council invites the Commission to present a support package ahead of its next meeting.

      11. The European Council condemns the continued military support for Russia’s war of aggression provided by Iran and Belarus. It urges all countries not to provide material or other support for Russia’s war of aggression.

      12. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its weaponisation of food have undermined global food security. In that context, the European Council takes note of the extension of the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative. This initiative, the EU’s Solidarity Lanes and the Ukrainian ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative are instrumental in bolstering global food security. It stresses the need to ensure the continued availability and affordability of agricultural products for the countries most in need.

      https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/03/23/european-council-conclusions-on-ukraine/

      ==============================
      Re-Shuffling of Powers – China, Russia, U.S. around Ukraine – Tony Shaffer

    • CNN – Top commander: Ukraine will hit back at Russia in Bakhmut ‘very soon’

      Ukraine is preparing a powerful counteroffensive that will “shock the whole world” said Dan Rice an American officer, adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

      The ongoing depletion of Russian forces fighting for Bakhmut will allow Ukraine to go on the counteroffensive in the eastern city “very soon,” a top Ukrainian general said in a Telegram post.

    • redacted – Seymour Hersh: How the CIA covered-up the Nord Stream pipeline attack

      Did the U.S. and German government feed Nord Stream cover stories to the Western press?

      That is what journalist Seymour Hersh claims in his latest expose regarding the Nord Stream Pipeline.

      In February, Hersh published a bombshell report accusing President Joe Biden of personally ordering the attack on the Nord Stream Pipeline, a gas source from Russia that was set to deliver affordable energy to Europe.

      The report was widely reported abroad but deliberately ignored by the U.S. media. Instead, Hersh says: “Two weeks ago, after a visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Washington, US and German intelligence agencies attempted to add to the blackout by feeding the New York Times and the German weekly Die Zeit false cover stories to counter the report that Biden and US operatives were responsible for the pipelines’ destruction.”

      And then on cue, the New York Times published it as an exclusive.

  15. WAYNE ROOT: Democrats Want to Indict & Arrest President Trump. You Want a War? Okay. Game on. Two Can Play This Game.
    By Assistant Editor Mar. 23, 2023 11:30 am138 Comments

    By Wayne Allyn Root

    Here is the problem in America right now…

    Democrats are evil, radical, nasty, vile, low-down, dirty skunks. If this was a street fight, they’d kick you in the balls and then shoot you in the back. They play for keeps. They have no rules. As their hero Saul Alinsky said, “The ends justify the means.”

    Dirty Democrats will do anything to destroy this country, economy, military, and the great American middle class. They can’t wait to introduce socialism mixed with communism (the use of banning, silencing, false arrests, FBI raids, brainwashing and propaganda) and turn us into a third world craphole.

    They’ve proven all of this is true with the looming indictment and arrest of President Donald Trump on “trumped up” charges. They’ve proven Democrat DA’s funded by George Soros, combined with Democrat judges and Democrat grand juries, in a deep blue city, filled with liberal loonies and thugs with “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” can indict a ham sandwich (as the saying goes).

    But the real problem is Republicans are weak, feckless, cowards who bring knives to gun fights. Actually, the GOP is more likely to bring golf clubs and a white flag to a gunfight. Our team is afraid of their own shadow and unwilling to hit back hard.

    The time for being nice and gentlemanly is over. Any indictment, arrest and arraignment of Trump is a declaration of war. They want a war. Let’s give them a war.

    And I know how to fight back. Legally.

    The Soros-funded Democrat scumbag DA of Manhattan…who lets violent criminals walk without bail…even murderers and rapists and attempted cop killers…who has presided over a massive crime wave that has turned Manhattan into a killing field…wants to indict and arrest the former President of the United States, for a 17-year old crime that was never a crime…well beyond the statue of limitations…and out of jurisdiction.

    So why not do the exact same thing to Democrats?

    I’m looking for a few brilliant, ambitious, conservative, patriot DAs and Attorneys General around the country with cajones. Willing to do the same exact thing to Democrats, as Democrats are doing to Trump.

    Here is what red city DAs and red state AGs must do immediately…

    *Indict, arrest and perp walk Hillary Clinton. Hillary has committed too many crimes to list. But one stands out- the same supposed crime as Trump: campaign finance violations. She used campaign funds to frame Trump for Russian collusion. Hillary has already admitted guilt. Her campaign paid a $115,000 fine. Now it’s time to indict her in Texas for her crimes. Or Florida. Or Alabama. Or any red city, or red state with cajones.

    *Indict Obama. He illegally spied on Trump’s presidential campaign and then on the Trump White House. That’s treason. Any red state DAs or AGs willing to indict, arrest and perp walk Obama? Why not? He’s a real criminal. He’s a traitor to our country.

    *Indict Bill Clinton. He paid off Paula Jones to cover-up an affair. It’s about sex…it’s beyond the statute of limitations…and it’s not a local issue in Texas or Florida. Perfect! It matches this Trump indictment. Extradite Bill to Texas for arraignment.

    *Indict George Soros. For conspiracy to overthrow the USA by funding the open borders invasion, and funding woke Marxist DAs who have unleashed a wave of crime and anarchy upon our once great nation.

    *Indict Eric Holder. He was never prosecuted or punished in any way for committing “Contempt of Congress.”

    *Indict Mark Zuckerberg. For using $400 million of “Zuckerbucks” to rig and steal the 2020 election.

    *Indict Nancy Pelosi. For committing fraud and entrapment upon thousands of peaceful protestors on January 6.

    Trending: HUGE BREAKING NEWS: Arizona Supreme Court Sends Essential Part of Kari Lake Election Lawsuit Back To Trial Court! – ORDER INCLUDED

    *Indict Dr. Fauci. Do I need to say a thing?

    *Indict Hunter Biden. For at least 100 federal crimes- including bribery and extortion of foreign governments, on behalf of Vice President Biden.

    *Of course, Indict Hunter’s dad Joe. For being “the Big Guy.” Biden extorted money from China and Ukraine as Vice President. He betrayed the citizens of America and disgraced his office. And to top it off, I’m betting he committed tax evasion- the same crime as Al Capone. All that money went into offshore accounts. I guarantee you he didn’t pay taxes.

    *Lastly, indict Biden, Kamala and Mayorkas. For dereliction of duty, reckless endangerment, and treason for intentionally leaving the border open, and encouraging the illegal foreign invasion of the United States of America.

    Trump did nothing wrong. But these are all REAL crimes, serious crimes, treason. It’s time for red city DAs and red state AGs to step up and indict all these dirty Democrat traitors.

    It’s time to go nuclear. You want a war, we’re gonna give you a war. It’s time for balls, cajones, and big boy pants. Two can play this game.

    All of those crimes above are federal crimes, not city, or state.

    Sound familiar? They’re all the same as the Trump case. It’s time for Democrats to swallow their own medicine.

    Indict, arrest and perp walk a few of these dirty Democrats and watch Soros-funded-DA Alvin Bragg drop the Trump case in a New York minute. This is how you play the game.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/wayne-root-democrats-want-to-indict-arrest-president-trump-you-want-a-war-okay-game-on-two-can-play-this-game/

  16. EXCLUSIVE: Australia Banks are Now “Debanking” Independent Journalists Exercising Their Free Speech Rights
    By Joe Hoft Mar. 23, 2023 12:43 pm34 Comments

    Australia’s banks are not “debanking” conservatives because of their beliefs and related statements made in the press and on social media.

    Australian Maria Zeee from Zeee Media shared the following with TGP.

    Maria shared that for approximately one month she noticed that her bank card was not working at most ATM’s. She recently rang ING Bank to see whether there was anything wrong with her card, or her account, or any flags on their end that would be restricting her card access, they advised there was nothing showing on their end.

    Then on March 3, 2023, ING emailed Zeee saying her accounts would be closed and access stopped within one week.

    Zeee next called ING on the same day and they confirmed the email was from them. She shared that she spoke to their “Specialist Team” member who she was told could give her more information. The team asked Zeee to read the email to them, advising that although it was from them they did not have a copy of the email. In response, they repeated the same information that Zeee had to read to them as to why her account was shut, but still, no reason was specified.

    Zeee shared that she has a legitimate, registered business and she pays her taxes. The bank then confirmed that there was nothing showing on their end to indicate she had done anything “wrong” in financial terms or my financial conduct.

    So Zeee asked:

    Read more at:. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/exclusive-australia-banks-are-now-debanking-independent-journalists-exercising-their-free-speech-rights/

  17. Biden Energy Secretary Granholm Now Admits Biden Regime Wants to Ban “Some” Gas Stoves (VIDEO)
    By Cristina Laila Mar. 23, 2023 12:20 pm179 Comments

    Remember when the Biden Regime said reports claiming they were seeking to ban gas stoves was a conspiracy theory?

    Earlier this year the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said gas-powered stoves are a ‘hidden health hazard.’

    “Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of homes in the US, emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter at levels the EPA and World Health Organization have said are unsafe and linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and other health conditions, according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society.” – the federal agency said last month.

    Now the Department of Energy is coming for your gas stoves.

    A second federal agency proposed limits on energy consumption for gas stoves.

    “This approach by DOE could effectively ban gas appliances,” said Jill Notini, a vice president with the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. “We are concerned this approach could eliminate fully featured gas products.”

    The trade group said 95% of the market for gas products would likely not meet the new proposed rules.

    Earlier this month Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm mocked the millions of Americans concerned about the federal government’s plans to put restrictions on gas stoves.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/biden-energy-secretary-granholm-now-admits-biden-regime-wants-to-ban-some-gas-stoves-video/

  18. DENMARK – Quran burning in front of Turkish Embassy, Copenhagen (20 March 2022 at 07:00)

    • Justine Trudeau also says “Evangelical Christians are the worst part of Canadian Society”

      Syed Abul Ala Maududi, founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party:

      “Non-Muslims have absolutely no right to seize the reins of power in any part of God’s earth nor to direct the collective affairs of human beings according to their own misconceived doctrines. If they do, the believers would be under an obligation to do their utmost to dislodge them from political power and then make them live in subservience to the Islamic way of life”.

      Justine Trudeau says: Western secular democracy is compatible with Islam”.

      The Muslim Brotherhood hoods and Imams within Canada say: “Islam is NOT compatible with Western, secular democracy “.

      Qur’an
      8:12. Allah will terrorize unbelievers; Muslims should behead them.

      8:39 Fight unbelievers until Islam reigns supreme

      47.4. Behead and slaughter the unbelievers, take other captive.

      2:65 Allah transforms disobedient Jews into Apes.

      5:17. Christians – believers in divinity of Christ are unbelievers

      The clown prince gave 23 million dollars to the National Council of Canadian Muslims and Islamic Relief for, this deserves a drum roll, HATE SPEECH.

    • I ain’t following Justine Trudeau down this path :

      The foremost duty of Islam in this world is to depose Jahiliyyah from the leadership of man, and to take the leadership into its own hands and enforce a particular way of life which is its permanent feature.

      Jahiliyyah is evil and corrupt, whether it be the ancient or modern variety.

      We will be extremely outspoken with them.

      Our first task is to replace this Jahiliyyah with Islamic ideas and traditions.

  19. Germany’s AfD Party on Nord Stream Attack: “If Seymour Hersh is Correct, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Committed Treason and Must Resign”
    By Richard Abelson Mar. 23, 2023 12:00 pm94 Comments

    The head of Germany‘s right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany Tino Chrupalla has called for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign if charges Scholz and Joe Biden conspired to cover up the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage are true, as investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has charged in his latest bombshell.

    In yesterday’s Substack report, Hersh quotes anonymous intel sources, claiming that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and White House Resident Joe Biden discussed how to cover up US responsibility for the Nord Stream attack on March 3 in the White House.

    “I was told by someone with access to diplomatic intelligence that there was a discussion of the pipeline exposé and, as a result, certain elements in the Central Intelligence Agency were asked to prepare a cover story in collaboration with German intelligence that would provide the American and German press with an alternative version for the destruction of Nord Stream 2”, Hersh wrote.

    Whether or not Chancellor Scholz was alerted to the attack, he has “clearly been complicit since last fall in support of the Biden Administration’s cover-up of its operation in the Baltic Sea”, Hersh wrote.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/germanys-afd-party-on-nord-stream-attack-if-seymour-hersh-is-correct-german-chancellor-olaf-scholz-committed-treason-and-must-resign/

    (Richard: Hersh was one of the reporters who lied about what the US did in Nam, now he is quoting an anonymous source about the Nord Stream bombing. The bombing was a covert mission, you don’t carry out covert missions using a war game as the cover. Large wargames have too many knowledgeable witnesses running around for you to keep the covert missions a secret.)

  20. Trump raises $1.5 million for presidential campaign since warning of arrest in looming NYC indictment
    Former President Donald Trump works to use looming indictment for 2024 campaign advantage
    Paul Steinhauser By Paul Steinhauser | Fox News

    Former President Donald Trump is quickly capitalizing – and cashing in – on his escalating legal predicaments.

    Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign confirmed to Fox News that they hauled in $1.5 million in grassroots fundraising in the three days following the former president’s warning on Saturday that he may face imminent indictment and potential arrest in connection with looming criminal charges from a district attorney in New York City.

    The former president’s campaign aggressively sprang into action following Trump’s social media post, which sparked a firestorm of media attention. The team sent out a slew of fundraising emails and videos spotlighting the likely indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for the former president’s alleged involvement in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, to keep her quiet ahead of that

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-raises-1-5-million-presidential-campaign-since-warning-arrest-looming-nyc-indictment

  21. EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Rand Paul, Rep. Chip Roy To Introduce Legislation To Eliminate Fauci’s NIAID

    Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Texas Rep. Chip Roy will introduce legislation Thursday that would eliminate the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

    The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the bill, which is titled the NIH Reform Act. The bill would specifically replace the NIAID with three separate national research institutes that would be led by directors subject to Senate confirmation and limited to no more than two 5-year terms.

    The three new institutes would be the National Institute of Allergic Diseases, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Immunologic Diseases. The directors of each new institute would be appointed by the president, subject to Senate confirmation, and limited to no more than two 5-year terms

    https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/23/rand-paul-chip-roy-introduce-legislation-eliminate-fauci-niaid/

  22. Virginia Democrats Attack Hindu Immigrant For Supporting The ‘Remarkable’ U.S. Constitution
    BY: STEPHANIE LUNDQUIST-ARORA
    MARCH 23, 2023
    5 MIN READ

    They falsely claimed the Virginia Board of Education’s revised standards that Suparna Dutta helped draft would ‘whitewash’ education.

    During the drafting process, Dutta courageously went toe-to-toe with Anne Holton, the wife of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who sat like royalty at the dais at the Mt. Vernon meeting. Dutta, a Hindu immigrant from India, refuted Holton’s arguments that our nation’s founding documents are not remarkable and that socialism is compatible with our democracy.

    During the Virginia Board of Education meeting on Feb. 1, Dutta had replied to Holton, “The Declaration and the Constitution … are remarkable documents.” Dutta, who lived under socialism in India, continued, “Socialism is the nanny state … which co-opts the important decisions belonging to families and individuals. It produces dependency and depression.”

    In response, Holton’s supporters immediately organized a movement to reject Dutta’s appointment. Objecting to her perspective and audacity to stand up to the former first lady of Virginia, they claimed that the engineer and parent was not qualified to serve on the board.

    Then they went even farther, defaming her all the way to the Virginia Senate floor. On Feb. 7, Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi introduced an amendment to remove Dutta from the board, citing an alleged affiliation with “very extreme and right-wing white supremacist groups.” The amendment passed on party lines, with every Democrat voting in favor

    One might think members of a political party that highlights the importance of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” or “DEI,” would embrace a Hindu immigrant woman of color on the Virginia Board of Education. After all, the purpose of diversity is not only for inclusion itself but for the sake of ideas. But these “diversity, equity and inclusion” supporters rule with an iron fist to maintain ideological conformity over diversity.

    This isn’t the first time this group has attacked diverse public officials for failing to conform to their rhetoric. In 2021, Virginians elected their first black female lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears. Rather than welcoming her, “diversity, equity, and inclusion” ideological conformists also maligned the Republican as a “white supremacist.”

    This intolerance for diversity extends to a diversity of views. In one of the most shameful cases, these conformists flexed their muscles to punish a decorated war hero. In June 2022, Gary Volesky, a retired three-star general who received the Silver Star for valor in Iraq, was suspended from his job as a military contractor for responding to First Lady Jill Biden’s post expressing disappointment in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He had sent a tweet saying he was happy the first lady “finally knew what a woman is.”

    Just like that, he was out of a job. It’s ironic that Volesky fought for our nation’s ideals abroad, only to have them desecrated after he returned home.

    Public school teachers who are conservative also fear losing their jobs when they speak out in any political capacity. Virginia high school teacher Julie Perry recently told the Fairfax County school board that she had religious objections to mandated pronouns and that co-ed bathroom policies made girls in her class feel unsafe.

    She was counseled in the principal’s office for her testimony. Perry subsequently was written up for objecting to the district’s lesson on implicit biases. She opted not to teach the lesson because she believed it violated Gov. Youngkin’s Executive Order One. Conversely, the school district’s leftist teachers freely pontificate opinions to their classes and deliver speeches to the school board without fear of reprisal.

    Public school students also are politically persecuted if they do not toe the party line. In January and February 2022, my sons were suspended for multiple days for not wearing masks following the implementation of Youngkin’s Executive Order Two, which allowed parents to opt their children out of wearing masks. Even before the court adjudicated the executive order, the school district simply ignored the law and issued the maximum punishments and suspensions under “dress code” violations.

    While the schools crack down on politically inconvenient students, they preside over growing student disruption in classrooms, lack of discipline, and even violence in schools. Contributing to these disturbing trends is the current school board’s attempt to avoid the “school-to-prison pipeline” by refusing to discipline violent students. Serious consequences, it seems, are reserved for those students guilty of political infractions (my sons’ political suspensions remain on their records, despite appeal).

    At a recent town hall meeting, I approached the region’s “equity” specialist and told her the district’s penalties are harsher for conservative students. She replied that other parents had shared the same observation.

    With remarkable documents, our nation was founded on the ideals of political and individual freedom. At one time, we upheld the importance of free speech and the diversity of thought. Now, we are held hostage by an intolerant contingent that is beating a dangerous war drum for ideological conformity, even in K-12 education.

    Parents could surrender, but, like Dutta, they showed up to refuse intellectual hegemony. It’s time to reevaluate what it means to be an American and stand up for freedom from Mt. Vernon to beyond.

    https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/23/virginia-democrats-attack-hindu-immigrant-for-supporting-the-remarkable-u-s-constitution/

    • The Patriots are winning, more members of minority groups are standing tall in support of freedom and the Constitution that protects it. The more individuals from minority groups the left call white supremacist the less believable the left becomes.

      We are witnessing more victories as the majority of the population becomes aware of the lies the left has been spreading. Our struggle to carry out a counterrevolution against the Marxist of the left will go down in history as one of the greatest fights for freedom that ever occurred.

  23. For Five Straight Years, The Pulitzer Prizes Have Rewarded Misinformation

    This many high-profile failures in such a short time makes winning a Pulitzer look definitively like a mark of ignominy.

    The way the Pulitzer Prizes work seems simple enough – an Ivy league university hands out annual awards that ostensibly recognize important journalism. In practice, however, my former colleague Phil Terzian, a Pulitzer finalist who has served on the nominating committee, described the inner workings of the Pulitzers this way:

    The Pulitzer Prizes are a singularly corrupt institution, administered by Columbia University and the management of the New York Times largely for the benefit of the New York Times and a limited number of favored publications and personalities. Any citizen who thinks that the annual distribution of awards has something to do with quality probably believes that the Oscar for Best Picture goes to the most distinguished film of the year. If you’re a connoisseur of unrestrained self-praise, may I recommend the citations when the Times awards itself the Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service

    While the Pulitzer Prizes have always been little more than self-dealing masquerading as journalistic beauty pageant, it was a lot easier to believe in this manufactured prestige back when journalism was at least slightly more competent and concerned with the appearance of objectivity. In fact, a spin through the last five years of Pulitzer recipients reveals some interesting choices that add up to a clear pattern.

    In 2018, a Pulitzer for national reporting was given to The New York Times and Washington Post for reporting on the Donald Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia. A 2019 Pulitzer for “Explanatory Reporting” was given to The New York Times for reporting on Trump’s taxes.

    The 2020 Pulitzer for commentary was given to Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times for the 1619 Project. In 2021, a public service Pulitzer was given to The New York Times for its coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic “that exposed racial and economic inequities, government failures in the U.S. and beyond.” In 2022, the Washington Post won a public service Pulitzer for its coverage of January 6.Every one of these major stories was badly handled by the media writ large, served activist political narratives, frequently involved credulously regurgitating actual misinformation, or some combination thereof. While there is always reason to be suspicious of Pulitzers, historically most of the objections to the awards handed out never rose beyond the level of newsroom gossip.

    The Pulitzers always reflected journalism’s skewed priorities. However, this many high-profile failures in such a short time underscores the rapid and catastrophic descent of American journalism into radical political activism and makes winning a Pulitzer look definitively like a mark of ignominy.

    https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/22/for-five-straight-years-the-pulitzer-prizes-have-rewarded-misinformation/

  24. Father of Parkland School Shooting Victim Arrested After Disrupting Congressional Hearing (Video)
    By Kristinn Taylor Mar. 23, 2023 1:40 pm54 Comments

    Manuel Oliver, father of 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver, a student killed in the February 14, 2018 Parkland High School massacre, was thrown out of a Congressional committee hearing on ATF overreach Thursday and then arrested by Capitol Police after an apparent struggle in the hallway. Oliver had stood up in the hearing room and yelled, “You’re full of s***!”, after his wife Patricia had been ordered out for disrupting the hearing. Oliver kept yelling variations of “full of s***!” as he was escorted out of the hearing room by police.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/father-of-parkland-school-shooting-victim-arrested-after-disrupting-congressional-hearing-video/

    (Richard: Note how the Parents of the murder victim blames an inanimate object for the murder instead of the murderer. This shows the power of the big lie propaganda technique! People were murdered for thousands of years before the invention of the firearm. It was this invention that allowed the lower classes win their freedom from their self proclaimed Feudal Overlords.

    In the 20th Century the wanna be feudal overlords started attacking the idea of armed citizens acting in self defense. To be successful in this attack they had to attack the ideas of self defense and natural rights. To attack the latter they started attacking religion, if there is no God there can be no natural rights. If you don’t have a right of self defense you don’t need any tool that can be used in self defense.

    When I was a child and teen you could purchase firearms in any state you visited or purchase them via mail order. Despite the propaganda of the left there was less crime and the gangs were mainly armed with homemade zip guns made from hollow radio antennas torn off cars.

    Then the left started slowly pushing gun control as a method to combat violent crime. These victim disarmament gun control laws worked to increase crime and lower freedom. They have not stopped one single murder, but have prevented an unknown number of murder victims from being armed and capable of fighting back.

    They also led to the passage of the “duty to retreat” laws that we in the States have been fighting to remove from the legal code. These evil laws said that instead of defending your family, your property and yourself you were required to retreat out of the house and let the criminals loot it at leisure. Some of the States started fighting the evil laws stripping us of our rights with Castle laws and Stand Your Ground laws.

    The left has retaliated by accusing the people who support self reliance and self defense of wanting more dead children. What they work hard to keep people from learning is that almost all of the mass shootings take place in gun free zones. In the supposed quest to make people safe the continue to disarm the victims and vilify the people who want armed guards in the schools.)

  25. The Kiev regime has massed 80,000 soldiers to storm Bakhmut.
    .
    80,000
    .
    THAT’S a human wave.

    Watch the first few minutes:

    • Not knowing the terrain or the artillery numbers and the amount artillery ammo I am going to say the odds are with Wagner Group. If they have the discipline to hold their fortifications will give them a massive advantage.

      They will have mine fields in all of the approaches and their artillery will be zeroed on the approaches. This is a massive killing zone that the Ukrainians will have to get across before they can close with the Wagner Group. The mines, artillery fire, and machine guns will degrade the Ukrainian units.

      If the Ukrainians are disciplined enough they can win but it will be the most expensive land they have ever bought.

  26. Elon Musk Sends Warning to Joe Biden After Biden Brags About Fighting “Climate Change” (VIDEO)
    By Cullen Linebarger Mar. 23, 2023 7:50 pm178 Comments

    Joe Biden reminded us again yesterday he is impervious to the nation’s most pressing concerns and Twitter CEO Elon Musk took note.

    This month’s banking crisis, which saw two major banks, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, completely collapse, has sparked widespread fears about another 2008 financial calamity.

    As the Gateway Pundit reported, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin was forced to admit Biden’s inflation crisis ultimately led to the banking crisis.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/elon-musk-sends-warning-to-joe-biden-after-biden-brags-about-fighting-climate-change-video/