Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/22/2023

I was out all day, and didn’t get home until late this evening, so that I didn’t have time to do anything except the news feed. The other posts in the queue will have to wait until tomorrow.

There’s a lot of material in the feed tonight. The pieces on Ukraine and Russia, and President Biden’s visit to Central Europe, are particularly interesting.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, Fjordman, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» With 16 Chilling Words, Anthony Albanese Issues a Dark Warning About How the Nation’s Finances Are Groaning Under Pressure Because of the Cost of the NDIS and Interest Rates — as He’s Grilled Over Whether He Will Hike Taxes
 
USA
» 5 Killed in Plane Crash Were Headed to Ohio to Respond to Metals Plant Explosion
» Andy Ngo Reports: Mugshot of Democrat House Minority Whip’s ‘Daughter’ Released After Arrest for Assaulting Boston Cop During Antifa Event
» Andy Ngo Reports: Antifa Ringleader Faces 16 Felony Charges in Brutal San Diego Attack — Mob Used Tear Gas, Beat Teenagers in ‘MAGA’ Clothing
» Asbury Christian Revival Spreads Like Wildfire to Other College Campuses
» Court Asked to Unseal Undercover Police Video Allegedly Showing Officer Inciting Capitol Protesters on J6
» COVID Relief Money Targeted for Use by Cities to Fund Reparations Programs
» Death of Clinton’s Epstein-Linked ‘Fixer’ Ruled ‘Suicide’ Despite Gunshot Wound & No Gun Found
» Democrats Scramble to Block Tucker Carlson Reporting on Jan 6 Tapes
» Elon Musk Puts the Breaks on Joe Biden’s Power Grab: ‘Would Require an Act of Congress, An Executive Order is Not Sufficient”
» Exclusive: Leaked Email Shows Project Veritas Begging Donors to Stay After Removing James O’Keefe
» Ex-Trump Adviser Calls Out ‘Corruption’ at Colleges Still Forcing COVID Vaccines: ‘I’m Very Concerned’
» Fashion Designer Alleges Sam Brinton Stole Her Luggage in 2018 — Has Pics of Him in the Gowns to Back it Up
» FBI Employees Caught Driving Drunk, Losing Weapons, And Mishandling Secrets Often Not Fired
» FBI Has Until March 1 to Turn Over Info of Probe Targeting Parents After Stonewalling Under Dems
» Florida News Crew Shot While Covering Shooting Near Orlando, 2 Dead, Including 9-Year-Old: Police
» Gaetz Introduces Resolution Forcing House Vote on Removing U.S. Troops From Syria
» Harry and Meghan Back Off Suing South Park Over Episode That Mocked Them
» MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Comes Clean About Falsely Smearing Ron DeSantis: “I Was Imprecise in Summarizing Governor Desantis’ Position”
» NY Lawmaker Calling for Long Island to Become the 51st State
» Pentagon Releases U-2 Photo of Chinese Spy Balloon in Flight Before it Was Shot Down
» Poll: Only 26% of Americans Want US Heavily Involved in Ukraine War
» Race Fakers of America Unmasked: From Infamous Rachel Dolezal to White Muslim Activist Claiming to be of South Asian, Arab and Latin Descent — These Are the Most Outrageous Racial Imposters
» Race-Faking Muslim Inclusion Officer Was White Until Boarding School, Where She Became ‘Intrigued’ By Her Turkish Roommate’s Faith and Began Changing Her Appearance and Lying About Her Ethnicity, Family Says
» Raquel Evita Saraswati, Who Claimed Arab, South Asian, Latin Descent, Outed by Her Own Mom: ‘White as Driven Snow’
» Sci-Fi Becomes Real as Renowned Magazine Closes Submissions Due to AI Writers
» Seattle Reverses Course on Defunding Police as Crime Ravages Locals: ‘a Huge Crisis’
» Sen. John Kennedy: US ‘Can’t Blink’ on Support for Ukraine Now
» Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Challenge to NSA Mass Surveillance
» Supreme Court Examines Online Platform Liability for Algorithmic Recommendations
» Tampa Man Accused of Being Loyal to ISIS, Planning Terrorist Attack to Plead Guilty in Federal Court
» Thousands of Flights Delayed, Canceled Across U.S. as Severe Winter Storm Pushes Across US
» Transcript of Gonzalez v. Google Supreme Court Oral Arguments on February 21, 2023
» Trump Endorses Mental Competency Testing for Presidential Candidates
» Trump Hands Out ‘Trump Water,’ Speaks to the ‘Forgotten’ American in East Palestine: ‘We Stand With You’
» Trump Grand Jury Foreperson Emily Kohrs Laughs, Jokes Through Strange Media Tour on CNN, NBC News
» Vanderbilt University ‘Diversity’ Deans Used ChatGPT to Write Letter Grieving MSU Mass Shooting
» Video: Trump Vows to Oust “Demented Warmongers and Globalists”
» Video: Biden Gibbers Nonsense in Poland While Putin Readies Nukes
» Who is Ron DeSantis? Fox Nation Explores the Governor’s Rise
 
Canada
» 1 in 4 Want Vaccine Passports Back in British Columbia
» A New Report Sheds Light on Young Canadians’ Views on Socialism
» A Year on and Trudeau ‘Regrets’ Calling Freedom Convoy ‘Fringe Minority’
» Campus Watch: U of T Workshop Teaches Students to Resist “Colonial Productivity Culture”
» Canada’s First Airline Launches Digital Identification, Facial Recognition Tech
» CBC’s List of Six-Figure Salaried Employees Doubled Since 2015
» Dr. Seuss Re-Classified as Adult Fiction, Gets “Racism” Complaints: Ottawa Public Library
» Ontario Man Charged With Murder After Shooting Alleged Home Invader
 
Europe and the EU
» Biden Takes Tumble, Falls on Air Force One Stairs Departing Poland
» Biden Meets With Nine NATO ‘Eastern Flank’ Leaders, Vows US Defense
» British-Born Woman Who Joined ISIS at 15 Cannot Regain Her U.K. Citizenship, Court Rules
» First 2,000-Year-Old Roman Wooden Phallus ‘Used for Pleasure’ Found
» German Ambassador to Budapest Confuses Hungarian Flag — Twice
» Hungary’s Orban Snubs Biden, Skips Major NATO ‘Eastern Flank’ Meeting
» Is Britain About to Get Colder Than Finland? Forecasters Warn 800 Mile-Wide ‘Greenland Barrage’ Could Blast the Country Within Days, With Temperatures Plunging to -7c After Storm Otto Wreaked Havoc
» Polish and German Energy Industries Join Forces Against Russian Ownership of Schwedt Refinery
» Pope Francis Takes Another Swipe at Traditional Latin Mass
» Slovak Foreign Minister Clams Hungarians Are ‘Putin Allies’ In Renewed Attack
» Summit Bothering You Both? Zelenksy Shares Very Frosty Meeting With Italian PM Meloni — as Rome Refuses to Send Fighter Jets a Week After Her Coalition Partner Berlusconi Blamed Kyiv for the War
» Teacher Stabbed to Death by Student at School in France
» Tony Blair Launches New Push for Biometric Digital ID for All Citizens
» UK: Pagan Woman Obsessed With Serial Killers Gets Life in Prison After Brutally Stabbing Boyfriend to Death
» Winter Bites Back! Arctic Blast Could Hit the UK in Days After Mild Conditions With Temperatures Plunging to Near Freezing as Forecasters Warn of Strong Winds in the North With Chance of Snow Later This Week
» WWII-Style Rationing of Meat, Clothing, And Energy Needed to Fight Climate Change, Say UK Academics
 
Balkans
» UN Dossier Sounds the Alarm: ISIS Cells Eye Balkan Route
 
Russia
» Polish President Duda Says He Stands With Biden, Calls for More Modern Weapons for Ukraine
» Putin Confirms Xi Visit to Moscow Amid Fears of Chinese Intervention in Ukraine War
» US Believes Russia Conducted ‘Satan 2’ ICBM Test While Biden Was in Ukraine
» Wagner Chief Reveals Huge Pile of His Mercenaries Killed in One Day as He Continues to Accuse ‘Treasonous’ Defence Chief of Failing to Give His Men Ammo in Sign of Growing Split Within Russian Forces
» Western Nations Must Give Fighter Jets to Ukraine, Former PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss Say
 
Far East
» Canada’s Military Tracked Chinese Surveillance in the Arctic
» Japan, Technically Still at War With Russia, Goes All-in on Ukraine
 
Australia — Pacific
» Wild Moment All-in Brawl Breaks Out in the Middle of a Busy Shopping Precinct and Just Metres From a Police Station — as One Man is Arrested
 
Latin America
» Argentina: Lesbian Couple Given Life Sentences for Murder and Sexual Abuse of Their 5-Year-Old Son, Text Messages Between Them Claimed He Was Challenging ‘The Flow of Their Relationship’
 
Immigration
» Albanian Migrant Accused of Killing His French Host Over an Argument About Religion, Sends Video of Body to Neighbor Over Snapchat
» Arizona Rancher, 73, Appears in Court in Shackles and Bulletproof Vest as Prosecutors Claim He ‘Hunted’ Migrants With AK-47, Lied to Cops and is a ‘Danger’ To Society While He Insists He Was Trying to Protect His Land and His Wife From Drug Runners
» Beware ‘Decent, Hard Working Young People With Children’: Germans Who Flee ‘Multicultural’ Cities to Countryside Labelled Extremists
» Hungary Extends Emergency Migration Crisis Status Another 6 Months
» Irish Police Tell Family of Sexual Assault Victim to Delete Social Media Post Accusing Migrants
» Irish Government Discusses Giving Migrants Special Protection Under Hate Speech Law
» One in Five in Germany Do Not Speak the Country’s Language Exclusively at Home
» Only a Third of Ukrainians in Germany Plan to Return Home When War Ends
» Sofa Smugglers: British Husband and Wife Team Sentenced for Trafficking Migrants Into UK
» Tunisian President Vows to Crack Down on ‘Hordes’ of Sub-Saharan Migrants Committing ‘Violence and Crime’ In the Country
» UK: These Numbers Are Incredible
 
Culture Wars
» Australia: ‘Creepy’ Teddy Bear Gay Bondage Painting is Vandalised and Graffitied With Furious Messages After Attracting Controversy: ‘Leave the Kids Alone’
» BBC Apologizes to J.K. Rowling for Second Time This Month After Harry Potter Game Was Deemed ‘Potentially’ Unsafe to Transgenders
» Breaking: Vimeo Removes Affirmation Generation Documentary Amid Backlash From Trans Activists
» Children’s Book Series About ‘Inspiring Women’ to Publish Biography on Transgender Rachel Levine
» Detransitioner Files First Lawsuit in Canada Against Medical Providers
» Ethnic Studies Professor Claims Rejecting the Term Latinx is ‘Transphobic’: ‘Perpetuates Violence’
» European Publishers Refuse to Change Roald Dahl’s Works: ‘His Humor is Second to None’
» Florida’s Proposed ‘Reverse Woke Act’ Would Require Employers to Pay for Detransition Care
» Irish Teachers’ Union Defends Use of Video That Encourages Young Children to Change Gender
» San Francisco Boycott of Pro-Life States Backfires, City Costs Increase 20% as Government Crippled
» South Park’s Old ‘Transphobic’ Clips Are Going Viral in 2023
» Use Cigarette-Style Graphic Labels to Shame People Into Not Eating Meat, Scientists Say
 

With 16 Chilling Words, Anthony Albanese Issues a Dark Warning About How the Nation’s Finances Are Groaning Under Pressure Because of the Cost of the NDIS and Interest Rates — as He’s Grilled Over Whether He Will Hike Taxes

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that the federal budget is groaning under the pressure of higher interest rates and areas like health threatening to get out of control.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

5 Killed in Plane Crash Were Headed to Ohio to Respond to Metals Plant Explosion

A company spokesman said the employees were responding to an explosion at an Ohio metals plant this week that killed one worker and sent more than a dozen to the hospital.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Andy Ngo Reports: Mugshot of Democrat House Minority Whip’s ‘Daughter’ Released After Arrest for Assaulting Boston Cop During Antifa Event

This story was originally published on Ngo’s Locals account.

The booking photo and police report of the self-described “daughter” of the Democrat House Minority Whip Katherine Clark was released by Live Boston 617. Jared Dowell was arrested at a violent Antifa direct action in Boston on Jan. 21 organized in support of the far-left domestic terror suspects in Atlanta. Dowell allegedly assaulted and bloodied a police officer during an attempt to escape arrest. Clark is a representative from Massachusetts and is a trans activist.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Andy Ngo Reports: Antifa Ringleader Faces 16 Felony Charges in Brutal San Diego Attack — Mob Used Tear Gas, Beat Teenagers in ‘MAGA’ Clothing

This report is part of an ongoing series looking into the criminal investigation into a 2021 Antifa attack in San Diego. Read the rest of it here.

Court documents reviewed by The Post Millennial reveal new details about a Los Angeles Antifa member accused of leading a gang of violent comrades at a riot in San Diego where beachgoers and Trump supporters were beaten.

Brian Cortez Lightfoot, Jr., 26, of Los Angeles, faces the most serious charges related to a Jan. 9, 2021 Antifa riot in Pacific Beach, San Diego. Lightfoot was charged with 16 violent felonies last year when he and 10 other Antifa members were indicted by a San Diego County grand jury. So far, six Antifa defendants took plea deals over their role in the attack and are awaiting sentencing. Lightfoot is among the remaining five who face trial in March if they do not take plea deals before then.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Asbury Christian Revival Spreads Like Wildfire to Other College Campuses

The extraordinary Christian Revival at Asbury University has generated a spectacular domino effect, with congregations around the United States blossoming into similar nonstop prayer and worship.

Over the past two weeks, Asbury received an influx of some 50,000 Christians from all over the nation who wanted to share in the spiritual experience, overwhelming the small college town of Wilmore, Kentucky, whose population is only about 6,000.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Court Asked to Unseal Undercover Police Video Allegedly Showing Officer Inciting Capitol Protesters on J6

Authored by Joseph M. Hanneman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

A Jan. 6 defendant asked U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to unseal a video allegedly showing an undercover Metropolitan Police Department officer shouting “drain the swamp!” and “our house!” and encouraging protesters to climb barricades and enter the U.S. Capitol.

William Pope of Topeka, Kansas, filed a motion on Feb. 21 that would also unseal video shot by two other MPD undercover officers who trailed Ashli Babbitt up the northwest exterior of the Capitol.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

COVID Relief Money Targeted for Use by Cities to Fund Reparations Programs

A growing list of municipalities across the U.S. are looking to set up reparations programs for Black residents, and some of them are considering using COVID-19 relief funds to pay for the initiatives.

Critics argue using funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to bankroll social justice initiatives are a misuse of federal taxpayer dollars, but proponents are defending the use of pandemic money as a way to reduce disparities when it comes to housing and narrowing the wealth gap.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Death of Clinton’s Epstein-Linked ‘Fixer’ Ruled ‘Suicide’ Despite Gunshot Wound & No Gun Found

The death of Bill Clinton’s former aide Mark Middleton has been ruled a “suicide,” despite the suspicious circumstances in which his body was found.

In early May 2022, Middleton, 59, was found dead attached to a tree with an extension cord tied around his neck.

He also had a gunshot wound to his chest but no gun was found anywhere near his body at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas.

In fact, the gun that fired the shot was never recovered.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Democrats Scramble to Block Tucker Carlson Reporting on Jan 6 Tapes

Democrats are desperately scrambling to block Fox News star Tucker Carlson from reporting on his findings from the Jan. 6 tapes.

As Slay News reported, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has given Carlson access to 41,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage from January 6, 2021.

However, Democrats are trying to frame Carlson’s access as a “breach” that allegedly poses potential national security risks.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Elon Musk Puts the Breaks on Joe Biden’s Power Grab: ‘Would Require an Act of Congress, An Executive Order is Not Sufficient”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk set President Joe Biden straight on his new executive order on diversity and inclusion. Musk said of the latest Biden debacle:

“This would be a major restructuring of the Federal government, which requires an act of Congress. An executive order is not sufficient.” Biden’s executive order says:

“By advancing equity, the Federal Government can support and empower all Americans, including the many communities in America that have been underserved, discriminated against, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. We can also deliver resources and benefits equitably to the people of the United States and rebuild trust in Government.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive: Leaked Email Shows Project Veritas Begging Donors to Stay After Removing James O’Keefe

A email obtained by The Post Millennial shows that Project Veritas has reached out to donors to ask them to stay with the company despite founder and CEO James O’Keefe having been pushed out by the board of directors. Project Veritas is a not-for-profit operating entirely on the generosity of donors.

“We hope that you might continue to give us a chance,” the email says, pleading with donors. “We can’t stress how separate the board’s role is from daily operations here at PV. We are still grinding and pursuing stories of great public importance.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Ex-Trump Adviser Calls Out ‘Corruption’ at Colleges Still Forcing COVID Vaccines: ‘I’m Very Concerned’

Dr. Scott Atlas said many officials at American universities are showing a “complete lack of critical thinking, gross incompetence, and unethical behavior” as they continue to mandate COVID vaccinations for students.

The former Trump adviser joined “The Ingraham Angle” Tuesday to discuss how some universities still have COVID restrictions in place, including vaccine booster mandates.

“I’m very concerned. … We trust [universities] to teach critical thinking and take care of our kids and instead, there is a denial of fact on thousands of university and college campuses in the U.S.,” said Atlas.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Fashion Designer Alleges Sam Brinton Stole Her Luggage in 2018 — Has Pics of Him in the Gowns to Back it Up

A Tanzanian fashion designer based in Houston, Texas has alleged via tweet that Sam Brinton, the nonbinary former Biden administration nuclear official that has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing women’s suitcases in 2022, stole her luggage back in 2018.

Asya Khamsin claimed that her luggage was lost in 2018 at DCA, or the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington DC, and that one of the outfits Brinton was depicted in matched a custom-made piece that was in that lost bag.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

FBI Employees Caught Driving Drunk, Losing Weapons, And Mishandling Secrets Often Not Fired

Scores of FBI employees have been caught over the last five years engaging in unethical and illegal conduct such as driving drunk, stealing property, assaulting a child, mishandling classified documents, and losing their service weapons — but they often escaped being fired, according to internal disciplinary files provided to Just The News.

One agent left a highly lethal M4 carbine unsecured in his government car during a Starbucks run and had the weapon stolen, but even he received only a two-week suspension despite violating the bureau’s protocols for weapons storage, the records show.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

FBI Has Until March 1 to Turn Over Info of Probe Targeting Parents After Stonewalling Under Dems

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona have until March 1 to turn over documents to the House Judiciary Committee about alleged FBI investigations into parents attending school board meetings in response to a memo Garland issued 17 months ago.

Since October 2021, Republican members of the committee have sent over 100 letters to Biden administration officials “requesting answers about how the Administration used federal counterterrorism resources against American parents,” the committee said in a news release earlier this month.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Florida News Crew Shot While Covering Shooting Near Orlando, 2 Dead, Including 9-Year-Old: Police

Sheriff’s deputies in Florida say four people were shot and two were killed on Wednesday afternoon in the same area where a woman was found dead earlier on the same day.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said that one person was detained after the afternoon shooting, according to FOX 35.

Sheriff John Mina said that officers responded to reports of a shooting in the same area at 4:05 p.m, and added that a reporter and photographer with Spectrum News 13 in Orlando, Florida were shot. Mina added that one of the News 13 employees was killed.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Gaetz Introduces Resolution Forcing House Vote on Removing U.S. Troops From Syria

Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced a resolution to force the House to vote on directing President Joe Biden to remove the U.S. military from Syria, where they have been involved since 2014, the Florida Republican congressman’s office announced Wednesday.

Gaetz, a House Armed Services Committee member, filed the one-page War Powers Resolution on Tuesday after four U.S. servicemembers and a working dog were wounded in a raid that resulted in the death of a senior Islamic State leader.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Harry and Meghan Back Off Suing South Park Over Episode That Mocked Them

Perhaps fearing even further ridicule, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have gone cold on the idea of suing the creators of South Park for making fun of them in a recent episode.

As we highlighted yesterday, the whinging couple reportedly had their lawyers pour over the episode to see if it contained anything “sinister” that could be legally actionable.

The show made fun of Harry and Meghan constantly complaining about their privacy being invaded while simultaneously being on a ‘World Wide Privacy Tour’ of relentless self-publicity.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Comes Clean About Falsely Smearing Ron DeSantis: “I Was Imprecise in Summarizing Governor Desantis’ Position”

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell caved and corrected the record on her show Wednesday when she admitted to being “imprecise” when claiming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) didn’t want slavery taught in Florida schools.

In an earlier interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, Mitchell asked why DeSantis did not want “slavery or the aftermath of slavery” to be taught in Florida schools. Harris did not correct her during the interview and after the false smear, DeSantis said no interviews to NBC or MSNBC until the network apologizes.

DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin said: “To all of the bookers and producers reaching out to our office from @NBCNews and @MSNBC for @GovRonDeSantis to join your shows, this will be the standard response from our office until @mitchellreports apologizes and your track record improves.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

NY Lawmaker Calling for Long Island to Become the 51st State

ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — You never know what you’re going to hear at the NYS Capitol.

Case in point a Long island assemblyman putting the state on notice that the island may want to part ways with the rest of the state and become its own state, the 51st state.

Not very likely, but the financial implications would be huge, and yes if it were to happen You Paid For It.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Pentagon Releases U-2 Photo of Chinese Spy Balloon in Flight Before it Was Shot Down

The Department of Defense has released of a photo of the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down earlier this month off the coast of South Carolina after it had traversed the country.

The photo, obtained by Fox News Digital, was taken Feb. 3 by one of the U-2 pilots. It shows a U.S. Air Force pilot looking down at the suspect Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovered over the central continental U.S.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Poll: Only 26% of Americans Want US Heavily Involved in Ukraine War

Nearly one year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, public support for the role the United States is playing in supplying weapons and funds to the eastern European nation has declined among both Democrats and Republicans alike.

Support for US involvement in the war still remains high, with an Associated Press and NORC poll showing that 75 percent of American adults believe that the US should play a major (26 percent) or minor (49 percent) role in the conflict. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) said that the US should not play a role in the conflict.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Race Fakers of America Unmasked: From Infamous Rachel Dolezal to White Muslim Activist Claiming to be of South Asian, Arab and Latin Descent — These Are the Most Outrageous Racial Imposters

The ‘outing’ of a white woman and inclusion officer who claimed to be of Latin, South Asian and Arab descent marks the latest example of a ‘race faker’ being exposed.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Race-Faking Muslim Inclusion Officer Was White Until Boarding School, Where She Became ‘Intrigued’ By Her Turkish Roommate’s Faith and Began Changing Her Appearance and Lying About Her Ethnicity, Family Says

Family members of a race-faking white Muslim social justice activist have claimed she turned her back on her heritage after attending boarding school — ‘intrigued’ by her Turkish roommate’s faith.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Raquel Evita Saraswati, Who Claimed Arab, South Asian, Latin Descent, Outed by Her Own Mom: ‘White as Driven Snow’

The senior inclusion officer of a Philadelphia-based social justice group has been lying about her ethnic identity for years — claiming she is a woman of color despite being “as white as the driven snow,” her mother alleges.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sci-Fi Becomes Real as Renowned Magazine Closes Submissions Due to AI Writers

One side effect of unlimited content-creation machines—generative AI—is unlimited content. On Monday, the editor of the renowned sci-fi publication Clarkesworld Magazine announced that he had temporarily closed story submissions due to a massive increase in machine-generated stories sent to the publication.

In a graph shared on Twitter, Clarkesworld editor Neil Clarke tallied the number of banned writers submitting plagiarized or machine-generated stories. The numbers totaled 500 in February, up from just over 100 in January and a low baseline of around 25 in October 2022. The rise in banned submissions roughly coincides with the release of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022.

Large language models (LLM) such as ChatGPT have been trained on millions of books and websites and can author original stories quickly. They don’t work autonomously, however, and a human must guide their output with a prompt that the AI model then attempts to automatically complete.

Since 2006, Clarkesworld has published renowned sci-fi authors and won several Hugo awards. Among sci-fi publications, it is well known for having an open submission process and typically pays 12 cents per word. On its submissions page, the publication states, “We are not considering stories written, co-written, or assisted by AI at this time.” However, that has not stopped the number of submissions from increasing dramatically, and Clarke attributes it mostly to get-rich-quick schemes.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Seattle Reverses Course on Defunding Police as Crime Ravages Locals: ‘a Huge Crisis’

Seattle residents Victoria Beach, Eli Hoshor and Jonathan Choe said police shortages have left their city in dire straits in the aftermath of officials’ anti-law enforcement rhetoric.

Homicides skyrocketed by 24% while motor vehicle thefts climbed by 30% in the city last year. Overall crime ticked up by 4%.

Mayor Bruce Harrell pushed for increased police presence to curb the issue Tuesday, saying, “We need immediate action and innovation to respond to our public safety issues… Seattle saw a 4% rise in reported crime last year… We need more officers to address our staffing crisis.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Sen. John Kennedy: US ‘Can’t Blink’ on Support for Ukraine Now

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., broke down how a U.S.-backed victory in Ukraine could slow down both China and Russia on “Your World.”

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: It’s clear that America’s relationship with Ukraine, with Russia, with China, those relationships are now inextricably linked. We have decided to defend Ukraine. If you decide to be a bear, be a grizzly. We can’t blink, especially when you’re dealing with hard men like these.

There is risk, but there’s even greater risk, in my judgment, if we do nothing. I have sponsored a bill — I haven’t been able to pass it in the Senate — that would have the president appoint a special inspector general to follow every penny and to embed people in Ukraine so we can follow the money, but I have never viewed the money we’re providing to Ukraine as an act of charity. I see it as an act of self-preservation.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Challenge to NSA Mass Surveillance

The entity behind Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundations partnered with the ACLU and the Knight Institute to try to get the US Supreme Court to force Congress to curtail the current NSA internet surveillance.

The decision leaves the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit with a divided opinion, which threw out Wikimedia’s challenge accepting the government’s “state secrets privilege” argument.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Supreme Court Examines Online Platform Liability for Algorithmic Recommendations

During oral arguments for Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, a case that could have implications for the scope of online platform liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), Supreme Court justices briefly mentioned Section 230 and the First Amendment but mostly focused on whether Twitter should be held liable under Section 2333 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Section 230 currently gives large tech platforms immunity from civil liability if they act in “good faith” to moderate content while the First Amendment prevents the government from infringing on the free speech rights of platforms.

The Supreme Court took up this case after Twitter asked the court to review the case if it heard arguments for Gonzalez v. Google LLC. The Supreme Court agreed to review both cases and heard oral arguments for Gonzalez v. Google LLC yesterday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Tampa Man Accused of Being Loyal to ISIS, Planning Terrorist Attack to Plead Guilty in Federal Court

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s been nearly three years since Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari was arrested at his Tampa home, after federal officials said he was kicked out of Saudi Arabia on terrorism charges, planned to carry out an attack in Tampa on behalf of ISIS, according to the FBI.

Thursday, he plans to plead guilty, according to court documents.

Al-Azhari was arrested in May 2020. At the moment, prosecutors said he admired the Pulse nightclub shooter and wanted to see a similar attack in the Tampa Bay area. Al-Azhari was arrested after

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Thousands of Flights Delayed, Canceled Across U.S. as Severe Winter Storm Pushes Across US

Over 2,391 flights across the United States are being cancelled Wednesday — as a powerful winter storm with blizzard conditions sweeps across a large swath of the country.

The total number including flights in and out of the U.S. was 3,841 by midday, according to online flight tracker FlightAware, with the number expected to exceed 1,500.

The Federal Aviation Administration expect a lot of the delays with be in Minnesota and other states in the Great Lakes and southern Plains.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Transcript of Gonzalez v. Google Supreme Court Oral Arguments on February 21, 2023

Appearances:

Eric Schnapper, Esq., Seattle, Washington; on behalf of the Petitioners.

Malcolm L. Stewart, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.; for the United States, as amicus curiae, supporting vacatur.

Lisa S. Blatt, Esq., Washington, D.C.; on behalf of the Respondent.

Chief Justice Roberts:

We’ll hear argument this morning in Case 21-1333, Gonzalez versus Google. Mr. Schnapper.

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Trump Endorses Mental Competency Testing for Presidential Candidates

Authored by Gary Bai via The Epoch Times

Former President Donald Trump on Feb. 21 welcomed the idea of requiring those intending to run for U.S. president to go through mental competency examination.

“ANYBODY running for the Office of President of the United States should agree to take a full & complete Mental Competency Test simultaneously (or before!) with the announcement that he or she is running, & likewise, but to a somewhat lesser extent, agree to a test which would prove that you are physically capable of doing the job,” Trump, 76, said on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday.

“Being an outstanding President requires great mental acuity & physical stamina. If you don’t have these qualities or traits, it is likely you won’t succeed. MAGA!” he wrote.

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Trump Hands Out ‘Trump Water,’ Speaks to the ‘Forgotten’ American in East Palestine: ‘We Stand With You’

Former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday, a community still grappling with the aftermath of a train derailment earlier this month that led to a large release of toxic chemicals.

During the visit, Trump highlighted Americans he said had been “forgotten” by the Biden administration following the disaster, and pledged to help the community hold those responsible for the damage accountable.

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Trump Grand Jury Foreperson Emily Kohrs Laughs, Jokes Through Strange Media Tour on CNN, NBC News

Emily Kohrs, the foreperson on Georgia’s special grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump, has baffled onlookers with her gleeful behavior and coyness during a recent media blitz.

The 30-year-old Kohrs, part of a special grand jury in Fulton County empaneled to investigate allegations of illicit meddling in the 2020 election, has spoken on-camera to NBC News and CNN, and granted interviews to the Associated Press, New York Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week.

Kohrs smiled, smirked and joked as she spoke to CNN’s Kate Bolduan, who asked her how many people were in trouble based on the grand jury’s recommendations. She appeared thrilled to be on television as she told Bolduan she didn’t want to disobey the judge by offering too much information.

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Vanderbilt University ‘Diversity’ Deans Used ChatGPT to Write Letter Grieving MSU Mass Shooting

Two Deans with Vanderbilt’s Peabody Office of Equity, Diversion and Inclusion used ChatGPT to write a letter to students grieving over the mass shooting at Michigan State University last week.

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Video: Trump Vows to Oust “Demented Warmongers and Globalists”

After Joe Biden gibbered his way through a vow to continue funding war with Russia forever during a speech in Poland, President Trump responded by vowing to defeat and oust all the “demented warmongers and globalists” currently occupying the U.S. National Security establishment.

Trump spoke of his “Agenda 47” to “get rid of the corrupt globalist establishment that has botched every major foreign policy decision for decades.”

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Video: Biden Gibbers Nonsense in Poland While Putin Readies Nukes

While Russia announced it is abandoning the Nuclear START treaty, Joe Biden made a bumbling speech in Poland pledging that the U.S. is prepared for a forever war if that is what it takes.

Once again Biden could barely speak, struggling to read off his teleprompter.

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Who is Ron DeSantis? Fox Nation Explores the Governor’s Rise

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has emerged as a hopeful voice to conservatives across the country to lead the Republican Party and defeat the woke mob.

The leader of the Sunshine State is often recognized for his resiliency in standing up for conservative principles, whether it is defending parents against liberal school boards or fighting Dr.Anthony Fauci’s controversial COVID policies. Fox Nation’s “Who is Ron DeSantis?” delves deeper into the governor’s charisma and career and reveals how he became a voice for many conservatives.

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1 in 4 Want Vaccine Passports Back in British Columbia

A recent poll has found that a sizable chunk of British Columbians want to see Covid-19 vaccine passports return despite the fact that more and more people are moving on from the pandemic.

An online survey conducted by Research Co. from Feb. 10 — 12 found that nearly one in four residents (23%) wanted proof of vaccination certificates to become mandatory again to access certain services.

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A New Report Sheds Light on Young Canadians’ Views on Socialism

Nearly half of young Canadians say socialism is the ideal economic system for Canada, according to a new report.

A Fraser Institute report released on Wednesday shows Canadians aged 18-to-34 had a more positive impression of socialism (46%) than capitalism (39%), communism (13%), and fascism (8%).

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A Year on and Trudeau ‘Regrets’ Calling Freedom Convoy ‘Fringe Minority’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed “regret” for calling the Freedom Convoy protestors a “fringe minority” with”unacceptable views” a year after cracking down on protestors with the Emergencies Act.

The Canadian Prime Minister spoke out about comments he made in January of 2022, prior to the arrival of the Freedom Convoy protestors in Ottawa, in which he called protestors, “the small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa, who are holding unacceptable views that they are expressing, do not represent the views of Canadians.”

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Campus Watch: U of T Workshop Teaches Students to Resist “Colonial Productivity Culture”

A University of Toronto (U of T) Indigenous knowledge workshop on time management taught students how to resist a “colonial productivity culture”, according to a university blog post.

The workshop was part of the university’s “Sweetgrass Series”, a set of three events that “use Indigenous Knowledge as a framework for Academic Success.”

In a Life at U of T blog post, a student named Annie described her experience at the workshop, saying the latter was “so wonderful and informative.”

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Canada’s First Airline Launches Digital Identification, Facial Recognition Tech

Particular brands of “safety” — and “convenience” — have become almost the familiar refrain under which various forms of digital, biometrics-based IDs are now being introduced by various sectors of various industries across the globe.

Canada, otherwise proven as eager to undermine actual data and privacy under any given circumstances, now seems late to the airports’ facial recognition identity verification game.

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CBC’s List of Six-Figure Salaried Employees Doubled Since 2015

The CBC doubled the number of employees that earn six-figure salaries in recent years, according to a new report.

The report by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) shows that between 2015 and 2022, the CBC added 511 employees to the list of staff that earn an annual salary of $100,000 or more.

“Taxpayers don’t need all these CBC employees making six-figures,” said CTF’s federal director Franco Terrazzano. “What value are taxpayers getting from all these extra CBC staffers with big salaries?”

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Dr. Seuss Re-Classified as Adult Fiction, Gets “Racism” Complaints: Ottawa Public Library

The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) has moved classic children’s books that regularly receive “racism” complaints into an “adult collection,” according to an annual report.

On Thursday, the Ottawa Public Library Board will receive the Intellectual Freedom Annual Report: 2022 Challenges which summarizes the library’s handling of issues related to democratic rights.

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Ontario Man Charged With Murder After Shooting Alleged Home Invader

22-year-old Ontario man Ali Mian has been charged with murder after fatally shooting a man who allegedly tried to “attack” his mother and rob his home, his lawyer says.

As CTV News reported, the shooting occurred Sunday morning around 5 am at Mian’s residence in Milton, where he lives with his mother. As Halton Regional Police Service told the outlet, a group of suspects “intent on committing a robbery” approached the home, but they were confronted upon entry.

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Biden Takes Tumble, Falls on Air Force One Stairs Departing Poland

Democrat President Joe Biden took a tumble walking up the stairs of Air Force One leaving Poland this morning.

Video of the president’s struggle with the jet’s steps quickly went viral on social media.

The embarrassing clip has been overshadowing the speech that Biden was in the European country to give.

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Biden Meets With Nine NATO ‘Eastern Flank’ Leaders, Vows US Defense

President Biden on the segment of his 4-day Ukraine and Poland trip has met with the heads of state of the so-called NATO Eastern flank countries in Warsaw.

The New York Times quite dramatically frames the meeting as follows at the opening of its reporting: “If Russian President Vladimir V. Putin were to order tanks into other European countries, the nine nations along NATO’s eastern flank would be the likeliest targets.”

Biden conveyed reassurances that the United States is prepared to speed to their defense if they come under offensive action by Moscow. These nations include Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

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British-Born Woman Who Joined ISIS at 15 Cannot Regain Her U.K. Citizenship, Court Rules

A British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join the Islamic State terrorist group lost her latest appeal against the U.K. government’s decision to take away her citizenship Wednesday.

Shamima Begum left London in 2015 aged 15 and traveled with two school friends to Syria, where she married an ISIS fighter and gave birth to three children, all of whom died as infants.

She was stripped of her British citizenship on national security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a detention camp in Syria.

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First 2,000-Year-Old Roman Wooden Phallus ‘Used for Pleasure’ Found

Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the first full-size Roman dildo. The 2,000-year-old six-inch piece of wood was recovered initially as a “darning tool” in 1992 in a ditch at the Roman Fort of Vindolanda, near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, according to the study published in the journal Antiquity.

“I have to confess, part of me thinks it’s kind of self-evident that it is a penis,” Dr. Rob Collins, an archaeologist at Newcastle University who co-authored the paper, told the Guardian. He said, “We know ancient Romans and Greeks used sexual implements. This object from Vindolanda could be an example of one.”

Researchers initially unearthed the object as being a darning tool. This misidentification resulted from the tool being found alongside other tools, craft waste products, and dozens of shoes and dress accessories.

However, researchers have reinterpreted the six-inch piece of wood, smoothed at both ends, as a wooden phallus from the Roman era.

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German Ambassador to Budapest Confuses Hungarian Flag — Twice

Germany’s ambassador to Budapest, Julia Gross, may be Germany’s top ambassador to Hungary, but apparently she is a little confused as to what the Hungarian flag looks like.

The German diplomat was panned on Twitter after sharing a post with Hungarian Development Minister Tibor Navracsics where she praised German-Hungarian cooperation in the area of culture and education. In the post, she replaced the country names with flags of both countries, a common practice on Twitter. The only problem was that in addition to the German flag, she posted the Dutch flag instead of the Hungarian one.

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Hungary’s Orban Snubs Biden, Skips Major NATO ‘Eastern Flank’ Meeting

Update(1539ET): It’s been confirmed that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban snubbed Biden on Wednesday. Orban was invited to represent Hungary as the US president met with nine NATO ‘eastern flank’ countries, but Orban was a no-show. Instead he sent Hungary’s ceremonial president, Katalin Novak, in his place. As the AP reports:

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the right-wing populist leader who argued last week that the European Union is partly to blame for prolonging Russia’s war in Ukraine, has balked at sanctions on Moscow and arming Kyiv. Orban was skipping the meeting with Biden, and President Katalin Novak was attending in his stead.

Still, Klaus Iohannis, the president of Romania, insisted that “The B9 is stronger than ever.”

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Is Britain About to Get Colder Than Finland? Forecasters Warn 800 Mile-Wide ‘Greenland Barrage’ Could Blast the Country Within Days, With Temperatures Plunging to -7c After Storm Otto Wreaked Havoc

A six-day chill is set to strike the nation next week, bringing with it snow, sleet and temperatures as low as -7C from Wednesday onwards.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Polish and German Energy Industries Join Forces Against Russian Ownership of Schwedt Refinery

Russian energy giant Rosneft has accused Germany of being blackmailed by Poland, as Polish oil giant PKN Orlen has expressed its interest in acquiring shares in the Schwedt refinery owned by the Russian company.

A law firm hired by Rosneft accuses the German government of allowing itself to be blackmailed by Poland. Reuters reports that a potential investor that could take over the Russian shares is Orlen.

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Pope Francis Takes Another Swipe at Traditional Latin Mass

ROME — Pope Francis’ war on the Traditional Latin Mass continued Tuesday as the pontiff confirmed that no bishop may grant permission for the Mass to be said without an okay from the Vatican.

The pope’s love for diversity and inclusion in all things comes to an abrupt stop when faced with the traditional liturgy, which he seems to detest with particular vehemence. On several occasions he has referred to those who prefer the traditional Mass as “retrograde.”

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Slovak Foreign Minister Clams Hungarians Are ‘Putin Allies’ In Renewed Attack

Reacting to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s State of the Nation address delivered on Saturday, Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacer used vulgar language to claim Orban was Vladimir Putin’s ally

Kacer, on his way to London on an official visit, posted that “Putin’s allies in the Carpathian Basin” can only say “Idi na huy,” which is Russian for “f*k off” or “bite me.” The two phrases were reportedly used by Ukrainian soldiers guarding the Black Sea’s Snake Island at the beginning of the war when a Russian warship asked them to surrender. Initial news reports claimed that all the soldiers died defending the island before it was revealed they had all surrendered to Russia, raising questions about whether the original phrases were ever even used by the Ukrainians.

In his response, Zsolt Németh, head of the Hungarian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, expressed doubts about Kacer’s mental health.

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Summit Bothering You Both? Zelenksy Shares Very Frosty Meeting With Italian PM Meloni — as Rome Refuses to Send Fighter Jets a Week After Her Coalition Partner Berlusconi Blamed Kyiv for the War

Italian leader Giorgia Meloni reiterated her country’s support for Ukraine, but said it would not be backed up by the offer of Italy’s AMX bomber jets.

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Teacher Stabbed to Death by Student at School in France

A teenage suspect was arrested for stabbing a female teacher to death at a school in France this week, according to reports.

The horrifying incident unfolded at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a port town in the Basque region.

A 16-year-old male pupil pulled a 4-inch knife from his bag during a Spanish class at Saint Thomas d’Aquin Catholic high school, blocked the door, and allegedly stabbed the 53-year-old instructor in the sternum, authorities say.

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Tony Blair Launches New Push for Biometric Digital ID for All Citizens

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is again promoting a controversial plan to give every British citizen a digital ID. This would entail the utilization of new biometric technology to store a person’s passport, driving license, tax records, qualifications, and their right to work status.

Sir Tony had previously attempted to introduce ID cards during his time as Prime Minister.

Tony Blair and former Conservative lawmaker William Hague have stated that a major transformation of the government with regards to technology is necessary in order to keep up with the ever-changing world.

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UK: Pagan Woman Obsessed With Serial Killers Gets Life in Prison After Brutally Stabbing Boyfriend to Death

On Wednesday, a British woman who was revealed to have an obsession with serial killers was sentenced to life in prison for brutally killing her on-again-off-again boyfriend in July 2022.

Shaye Groves, 27, attacked Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, as he slept, slitting his throat and stabbing him 17 times in the chest, according to the Daily Mail.

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Winter Bites Back! Arctic Blast Could Hit the UK in Days After Mild Conditions With Temperatures Plunging to Near Freezing as Forecasters Warn of Strong Winds in the North With Chance of Snow Later This Week

Forecasters have revealed that the cold weather will come from Wednesday night onwards with temperatures expected to drop to as low as 2C in London and 1C in Glasgow.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

WWII-Style Rationing of Meat, Clothing, And Energy Needed to Fight Climate Change, Say UK Academics

Governments should re-introduce rationing schemes on goods such as meat, clothing, and fossil feuls in order to mitigate the supposed dangers of climate change, researchers at a top British univiersity have demanded.

Acadamics at the University of Leeds have called for World War II-style government rationing in order to fight climate change, arguing that green agenda taxes are levied in a “slow and inequitable” manner and therefore the policy of rationing has been wrongly “neglected as a climate change mitigation policy option.”

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UN Dossier Sounds the Alarm: ISIS Cells Eye Balkan Route

The risk that terrorists could reach the Mediterranean coasts is growing. A UN dossier has warned that jihadists have been crossing the Balkans in attempts to reach the EU.

While the war in Ukraine has absorbed resources and attention, there are other hot fronts that need to be kept an eye on. The warning was issued in a United Nations dossier. Many have focused on the new leadership of Al Qaeda passed to Saif Al Adel, but the document in particular outlined the threats that continue to surround Europe.

Such threats are intertwined with the migratory routes to Italy which have never stopped. And in fact Lampedusa is once again feeling the pressure. The island’s hotspot on Monday registered over 2100 migrants.

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Polish President Duda Says He Stands With Biden, Calls for More Modern Weapons for Ukraine

Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke to the crowd gathered at Warsaw Castle on Tuesday, immediately before the address given by U. S. President Joe Biden. In his speech that primarily addressed the war in Ukraine, Duda called Warsaw Royal Castle “a special place, a symbol of Polish rebirth.”

Duda contrasted the situation in Poland with Ukraine in flames as it fights against Russia.

“Today we watch Ukraine on fire. Its cities are burning. We hear terrible stories of Russian terror and see people being murdered,” he said.

The Polish president stated that Russia wanted to be an empire again, but “there would be no accepting that, no acceptance from the free world.”

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Putin Confirms Xi Visit to Moscow Amid Fears of Chinese Intervention in Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed this week that Chinese President Xi Jinping would visit Moscow amid fears that Beijing may soon expand its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Putin did not specify the exact timetable of the visit but indicated that Moscow was expecting a visit from the head of state.

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US Believes Russia Conducted ‘Satan 2’ ICBM Test While Biden Was in Ukraine

CNN has published a surprising report Tuesday night, claiming based on two unnamed US officials that Russia conducted an ultra-provocative intercontinental ballistic missile test while President Biden was in Ukraine on Monday.

The sources say the US believes the ICBM test “failed” — however, no explanation or details were given for the claim other than Putin simply didn’t mention the test in his big Tuesday speech in Moscow.

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Wagner Chief Reveals Huge Pile of His Mercenaries Killed in One Day as He Continues to Accuse ‘Treasonous’ Defence Chief of Failing to Give His Men Ammo in Sign of Growing Split Within Russian Forces

The open warfare inside ‘very unwell’ Putin’s armed forces deepened today as Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner private army, accused defence minister Sergei Shouigu of lying to the Russian people.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Western Nations Must Give Fighter Jets to Ukraine, Former PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss Say

Western powers must hand over their fighter jets to Ukraine in order to help them beat Russia, former UK Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson have said.

Former British Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson are continuing to push for the West to give more military support to Ukraine, with both officials demanding that the UK and its allies hand fighter jets to Ukraine in order to help it beat Russia.

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Canada’s Military Tracked Chinese Surveillance in the Arctic

Canada’s military has said it recently discovered evidence of Chinese surveillance efforts in the Arctic.

The discovery, first reported by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, has raised questions about China’s activities in the far north.

It comes after a suspected Chinese spy balloon floated through US and Canadian airspace before it was shot down by the US military.

China has also been recently accused of interfering with Canadian elections.

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Japan, Technically Still at War With Russia, Goes All-in on Ukraine

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Monday that he will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to participate in the Group of Seven (G-7) online summit, which begins on Friday.

Kishida’s government said on Wednesday that it will guarantee a loan for $5.5 billion to Ukraine from the World Bank, fulfilling Kishida’s pledge of financial assistance for “people who were robbed of their daily lives by the war.” Kishida topped off this bout of all-in support for Ukraine by proposing that he might visit Kyiv soon.

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Wild Moment All-in Brawl Breaks Out in the Middle of a Busy Shopping Precinct and Just Metres From a Police Station — as One Man is Arrested

Queensland Police were called to the Gold Coast shopping strip on Tuesday to reports people were fighting just metres from Southport Police Station and the courthouse.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Argentina: Lesbian Couple Given Life Sentences for Murder and Sexual Abuse of Their 5-Year-Old Son, Text Messages Between Them Claimed He Was Challenging ‘The Flow of Their Relationship’

On Friday, a lesbian couple in Argentina was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after they were found guilty of abusing and killing five-year-old Lucio Dupuy.

The boy’s mother, Magdalena Espósito Valenti, and her partner, Abigail Paez, allegedly murdered him because he was messing with “the flow of their relationship.”

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Albanian Migrant Accused of Killing His French Host Over an Argument About Religion, Sends Video of Body to Neighbor Over Snapchat

An Albanian migrant stabbed his French host to death after the two engaged in an argument over religion earlier in the day, according to French public prosecutors.

The stabbing homicide took place during the night of February 14 to 15, 2023, in the west-central French town of Poitiers, according to the public prosecutor.

The 30-year-old Albanian suspect stabbed the 44-year-old caregiver inside the home they were sharing at the time. The suspect is illegally in France and is subject to a deportation order that was never executed, an issue that has plagued France, including in relation to the Algerian migrant who raped and murdered 12-year-old Paris schoolgirl Lola last year.

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Arizona Rancher, 73, Appears in Court in Shackles and Bulletproof Vest as Prosecutors Claim He ‘Hunted’ Migrants With AK-47, Lied to Cops and is a ‘Danger’ To Society While He Insists He Was Trying to Protect His Land and His Wife From Drug Runners

The case against elderly Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly — who is charged with murdering a Mexican migrant by shooting him dead on his land last month — heated up as he and prosecutors presented wildly different versions of their story to a judge today.

Kelly is in custody on a single murder charge for shooting Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, on January 30.

He told police and border patrol agents that he fired warning shots when he saw Cuen-Butimea and at least eight other Mexican men running through his land.

The 73-year-old says he believed they were drug runners, and wanted to scare them away, but took care not to shoot at them directly.

He called border patrol afterwards and the entire ranch was searched immediately but no bodies were found. It was only hours later, when he was trying to find his horse, that he found the man’s body and called the authorities again to report the death.

Prosecutors however say Kelly — who has no criminal history and lives alone with his wife Wanda — deliberately ‘hunted’ the men down with an AK-47, and that he later changed his story multiple times while speaking with police and border patrol.

They say he shot ‘innocent man’ Cuen-Butimea in the back as he ran ‘for his life’, and are resting their case largely on the witness statements of two other men who have come forward recently and claim they were there that day.

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Beware ‘Decent, Hard Working Young People With Children’: Germans Who Flee ‘Multicultural’ Cities to Countryside Labelled Extremists

A German government counter-extremism official has labelled people who flee from “multicultural life” in German cities to the countryside as being extremists.

Dirk-Martin Christian, who heads up the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony, has described people who flee “multicultural life” as found in modern German cities as being “right-wing extremists”.

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Hungary Extends Emergency Migration Crisis Status Another 6 Months

The Hungarian government is extending the mass immigration crisis for another six months as illegal migration continues to threaten Hungary, the Government Information Center said on Tuesday evening.

Under the Hungarian constitution, “crisis rules” allow the cabinet to issue government decrees in lieu of laws passed by parliament for the duration and pertaining to the crisis that warranted the special ruling. The government has used this special status in order to quickly react to the migration crisis and quickly implement new procedures as the situation develops.

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Irish Police Tell Family of Sexual Assault Victim to Delete Social Media Post Accusing Migrants

Police in Ireland have reportedly asked the family of a woman who was the victim of a sexual assault by four men she believes to be foreign nationals to take down a social media post regarding the attack.

Gardai (the Irish police force) in the southeast coastal town of Dungarvan have confirmed they are investigating an alleged assault reported to have taken place in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 19.

The police noted there has been “commentary on social media in relation to the incident,” but insisted that as an ongoing investigation is underway, no further information will be released at this time

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Irish Government Discusses Giving Migrants Special Protection Under Hate Speech Law

A senior official within the Irish government has discussed giving migrants special protections under the state’s coming hate speech laws.

Simon Harris, who is currently serving as Ireland’s minister for justice, has discussed with fellow parliamentarians the possibility of giving foreign legal and illegal migrants special protections under the country’s coming hate speech laws.

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One in Five in Germany Do Not Speak the Country’s Language Exclusively at Home

As many as 20 per cent of those living in Germany do not speak German exclusively while at home, with five per cent speaking no German at all, according to the country’s statistics agency.

Around 80 per cent of the residents in Germany are said to only speak German in the privacy of their own homes, while 15 per cent speak multiple languages at home in addition to German.

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Only a Third of Ukrainians in Germany Plan to Return Home When War Ends

The vast majority of Ukrainian refugees currently residing in Germany do not intend to return to their home country immediately after the war, the latest polling has revealed.

In a survey conducted by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), just 34 percent of respondents revealed they would go home immediately after the war.

Around 2 percent said they planned to remain in Germany for at least a year after the end of the conflict, while 11 percent revealed their intention to stay in German for “a few more years.”

Significantly, more than a quarter (26 percent) of respondents said they had no plans to return to Ukraine and wanted to remain in Germany indefinitely.

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Sofa Smugglers: British Husband and Wife Team Sentenced for Trafficking Migrants Into UK

A British middle-aged married couple has been handed down prison sentences for joining a migrant smuggling ring and bringing illegals to the UK, hidden inside sofas.

Nicholas Fullwood and his wife Pamela admitted to participating in the illegal smuggling of migrants into the UK after being arrested in January of 2019 in the north of France, being found with two Iraqi migrants hidden in sofas in their vehicle while their 13-year-old daughter was also present.

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Tunisian President Vows to Crack Down on ‘Hordes’ of Sub-Saharan Migrants Committing ‘Violence and Crime’ In the Country

Tunisia will introduce a raft of “urgent measures” to crack down on illegal immigrants entering the country from Sub-Saharan Africa, President Kais Saied announced on Tuesday.

After chairing a meeting of the country’s national security council, a press release from the president’s office revealed new measures would be introduced to restrict the number of new arrivals from the south of the continent, claiming newcomers were a source of “violence and crime.”

The statement expressed Saied’s devotion “to the urgent measures that must be taken to deal with the arrival in Tunisia of a large number of illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.”

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UK: These Numbers Are Incredible

These numbers are incredible.

Even Lib Dem & Green Party supporters in the UK think immigration is too high.

This completely demolishes the media-driven narrative that concerns about immigration are a fringe belief.

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Australia: ‘Creepy’ Teddy Bear Gay Bondage Painting is Vandalised and Graffitied With Furious Messages After Attracting Controversy: ‘Leave the Kids Alone’

A ‘kink and BDSM-inspired’ mural in the middle of Sydney’s CBD has been vandalised with black and white paint in the middle of the night after many called for it to be removed.

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BBC Apologizes to J.K. Rowling for Second Time This Month After Harry Potter Game Was Deemed ‘Potentially’ Unsafe to Transgenders

The BBC has apologized to author J.K. Rowling for the second time this month after audience members complained over a host of BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland suggesting that a Harry Potter video game could be “potentially” unsafe for transgender people.

During the segment, which aired on February 10, a transgender individual said she is boycotting the Harry Potter video game “Hogwarts Legacy,” claiming it was being used to “fund the anti-trans movement,” according to a report by Deadline.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Vimeo Removes Affirmation Generation Documentary Amid Backlash From Trans Activists

The new documentary, Affirmation Generation, that seeks to expose the dangers of the one-size-fits-all transgender medical experiment and features the stories of detransitioners harmed by so-called gender-affirming care, has been banned from the platform Vimeo.

As soon as the film was released, there was pressure from trans activists for it to be taken down, and last night filmmaker Vera Lindner announced that the activists had been successful. Lindner provided a back-up Dropbox link to be used until an alternate platform can be found.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Children’s Book Series About ‘Inspiring Women’ to Publish Biography on Transgender Rachel Levine

A children’s “chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds” and is targeted at kids ages 6 to 9 years old is set to release a book about Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021 who is now the new assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The book, “She Persisted: Rachel Levine” by Lisa Bunker will be released on June 6, 2023, and was inspired by Clinton’s picture book series by the same title that tells the stories of women like Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor and Greta Thunberg. Author Lisa Bunker worked for 30 years in public and community radio, before she started writing full time and lists her “geekeries” as “chess, piano, gender, storycraft, and language,” according to her biography.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Detransitioner Files First Lawsuit in Canada Against Medical Providers

A woman in Ontario who identified as transgender and underwent hormone therapy, a bilateral mastectomy, and a hysterectomy filed the first lawsuit in Canada against her healthcare providers for facilitating her transition.

Michelle Zacchigna, a 34-year-old woman from Orillia, Ontario, recently announced a lawsuit she filed against the eight doctors and mental health professionals who treated her over the years, alleging that they failed to address her complex mental health needs and instead allowed her to self-diagnose as transgender and undergo irreversible procedures that she now regrets.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Ethnic Studies Professor Claims Rejecting the Term Latinx is ‘Transphobic’: ‘Perpetuates Violence’

A San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece published Wednesday argued that rejecting the use of the word “LatinX” is discriminatory and harmful to people who identify as transgender.

The piece, written by Sebastian Ferrada, a faculty member in ethnic studies at Cuesta College, appeared to blast Hispanics for their widespread rejection of the use of the term.

“The debate over the use of Latinx (and more recently, Latine, which I prefer) to refer to people with origins in Latin America has become a source of fierce disagreements among Latine people of all races, ages, genders and sexual identities,” Ferrada wrote.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

European Publishers Refuse to Change Roald Dahl’s Works: ‘His Humor is Second to None’

European publishers said they will not make changes to Roald Dahl’s books, arguing that his stories will “lose all their power” after a U.K. publishing company revealed it had rewritten some of the late author’s work to remove potentially offensive language.

Puffin Books, which published Dahl’s classic works, hired sensitivity readers to update portions of the author’s wording in the U.K. editions to ensure the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today.” The edits include new gender-neutral language and altered descriptions of certain physical appearances and were reportedly approved by Dahl’s estate.

In one example, the word “fat” has been replaced with “enormous” in reference to Augustus Gloop, the chubby character featured in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Florida’s Proposed ‘Reverse Woke Act’ Would Require Employers to Pay for Detransition Care

Under a newly proposed bill in Florida, companies that offer coverage for gender-transition treatments would be held liable for the cost of any eventual detransition care.

The “Reverse Woke Act,” which was introduced by Republican state Senator Blaise Ingoglia on Monday, would make an employer responsible for the cost of detransition care, even if an individual is no longer employed by the company.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Irish Teachers’ Union Defends Use of Video That Encourages Young Children to Change Gender

A large Irish teachers’ union is facing backlash after one of its teacher-training videos containing unscientific gender identity ideology that encourages teachers to socially transition gender-confused children emerged on social media.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), the main union representing teachers in Catholic schools across the nation, has defended the video after it was shared on social media by high profile figures such as Dr. Jordan Peterson and evolutionary biologist Colin Wright, according to NewsLetter.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

San Francisco Boycott of Pro-Life States Backfires, City Costs Increase 20% as Government Crippled

When San Francisco decided to boycott the country’s red states, they were hoping it would have an economic impact. Trouble is, it did. Just not on conservatives. For seven years, the city has stubbornly clung to its travel bans and contracting blackouts for states with sane policies on life and gender — only to find out that the side paying the biggest price is their own.

In the latest sign that Republicans are winning the woke wars, city officials are quietly trying to walk back their petty payback of conservative states who’ve passed laws protecting the unborn, election integrity, girls’ sports, and privacy. At a city meeting February 13, leaders poured over a new report about the effects of the boycott policy, known as 12X, from the last several years. In a damning assessment, San Francisco’s City Administrator’s Office (CAO) said it was “not able to find concrete evidence suggesting 12X has influenced other states’ economies, or LGBTQ, reproductive, or voting rights.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

South Park’s Old ‘Transphobic’ Clips Are Going Viral in 2023

In the wake of the Harry and Meghan debacle, South Park clips are being shared across social media, with particular interest surrounding several episodes that were previously labelled ‘transphobic’.

Several commentators noted how surprising it is that one of the episodes is now 18 years old.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Use Cigarette-Style Graphic Labels to Shame People Into Not Eating Meat, Scientists Say

Scientists have suggested that the use of graphic labels on packaging could be employed by governments to shame people into not eating meat.

Graphic labelling telling the general public that “Animals suffer when you eat meat” and “The Amazon rainforest is destroyed when you eat meat” can be used to shame people into not buying and consuming meat products, scientists have claimed.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

16 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/22/2023

  1. .
    .
    Scott Ritter Interviews former Prime Minister of Ukraine;
    Scott Ritter Interview : Everybody Expects Massive Russian Offensive In Ukraine !!
    Evicting Russians

    FINANCE MAIL

    https://youtu.be/V9BD2-bbosI

    ———————————————–
    WHO IS sCOTT rITTER?

    SCOTT RITTER on Ukraine War – interview by Gerald Celente
    April 1st, 2022
    EdwardHuitt

    https://youtu.be/nL9iccdZjvE

    —————————————————

    Former Chinese senior colonel:
    War in Ukraine ‘has nothing to do with China’

    DW Interview

    https://youtu.be/cHOvEE1Y230

    Former Chinese Senior Military Colonel Zhou Bo told DW’s Richard Walker at this year’s MSC that although the war in Ukraine was “not in China’s interest,” it also was not an issue Beijing could solve.

    “War in the heart of Europe has nothing to do with China,” he said. “This war is not in China’s interest. If it would stop immediately, we would be very happy.”

    Zhou added that it was wrong for Western politicians to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine, saying that Russia “took this action because of NATO expansion and Russian leaders have been talking about this since the Soviet time.”

    He also said that since China and Russia share a long border, it was in both countries’ interests to ensure they had a “good and stable” relationship.

    DW News

  2. Waking up the next day after making this comment —
    https://gatesofvienna.net/2023/02/gates-of-vienna-news-feed-2-20-2023/#comment-588221

    — appears this:
    https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2023/02/21/breaking-news-a-nano-second-to-midnight/

    No, they are very careful not going to be seen by history as having fired the first shot. But any direct attack by Western forces on Russian territory (that includes the newly acquired regions) will get the ball rolling very quickly. About the new generation of hypersonic missiles, we’ve already been informed. They will deploy any means at their disposal in response to an existential threat, if this is how they see it.

    Baron, Virginia, iirc? How far are you away from possible strategic targets, DC, Pentagon, CIA headquarters or anything else you’re aware of? Have a sanctuary location, loved ones further away from such obvious coordinates? It might be time to prepare for leaving on very short notice, ideally before the crowd clogs everything. Instinct is out the window once panic sets in.

    • I’m a fair distance out from DC, more than 150 miles (225 km) to the southwest, so the prevailing winds are in the opposite direction. The radiation plume from a hit on DC will spread mostly up the coast — Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York. A hit on the naval base in Norfolk or the naval weapons facility on the lower James (where nukes are stored, according to rumor) would also be unlikely to send radiation in this direction.

      To the southwest, which is the direction I have to worry about, there isn’t a significant target I’m aware of for a long way. Unless, of course, there’s a secret military installation under a mountain somewhere down there in the Alleghenies.

      But when the grid goes down things will get dicey out here. I don’t know what it will be like, and I’m not at all looking forward to it.

      • All the best and I’m crossing fingers it won’t come to that. I don’t like such doomsaying at all, it just feels as if everything is accelerating before our eyes and on the way of becoming a big maelstrom. I hope I’m wrong and all is just a bad dream.

  3. And the latest…

    China Declares War On The United States
    http://thesaker.is/china-declares-war-on-the-united-states-gonzalo-lira/

    Well, I’m calling clickbait on this piece, still it contains some strong points. The part which is going to get overlooked again (by commenters from all sides, I’m afraid) is that any such criticism from China is not without a big portion of hypocrisy, just like the same applies the other way around. China is not one bit less the domineering, expansionist bully than is the USA. If a clash with Russia in the current situation can still be avoided by being just a bit more honest and a bit less stupid, those two alpha dogs can’t help but eventually arrive at battling it out. When this might happen is hard to say, but it will. Only force majeure can prevent it, some large-scale disaster or collapse. If we get that first, at least the survivors won’t have to deal with the guilt.

  4. I don’t know where to post this, WRSA now mostly posts stuff without discussions underneath, so I’ll post it here. They have been an amazing resource all these many months of madness. But lately, I am having a hard time following. They seem to have brought into the mainstream narrative of scaring the crap out of everybody, all the time. If there has been a day of late when some mushroom cloud did not feature, I haven’t noticed. And NC Renegade is the same. Endless stories of bloggers and others who have made a career out of screaming doom at all and sundry.

    THIS is alternative media?!? If it bleeds, it leads? If it scares you, we’ll hit you over the head with it until kingdom come? I am revolted. MSM works hard to keep the panic going. Why are “our people” jumping on that bandwagon, have you asked yourselves?

    “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

    • Yes, scaring people 24/7 seems to have become a major tactic used by the Empire. For that reason, I think it’s not a good idea to join in with all the hype about whatever the current doom might be.

      Doom may indeed descend upon us. Who knows? But major alternative media sites have been predicting imminent doom since at least 2008, when hyperinflation and financial collapse were said to be imminent. They were all wrong back then by at least fifteen years. Why should we believe them now?

      My advice: “Be patient and watch calmly.” Plus: “Keep Occam’s Razor close at hand.”

      • Yes, Baron. But the alternative media have been wrong a long time too, when it comes to doom. I used to be part of the peak oil doomosphere, and criticized them too for going overboard. That community was in the end destroyed by its own relentless prophecies of doom, even though many of the messages were sound.

        It’s one of the temptations of those trying to catch the attention of readers and listeners. And those who fall and succumb are not our friends.

        Things are dire enough without people who should be our allies turning into propagandists vying with each other who can freak out the mostest.

        • Yes, that’s my point. The “alternative” media went overboard on the doom scenarios. So did the MSM, of course, but in a different direction. The MSM peddled climate change, while the alt-media peddled hyperinflation.

  5. I have to point out one thing I have not heard anyone mention, the 2024 Olympics in Paris may be interesting.

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