- 'We, The Exploited': The US Government Buys & Sells Its Citizens For Profit And Power
‘We, The Exploited’: The US Government Buys & Sells Its Citizens For Profit And Power
Authored by John and Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,
Americans have become easy prey for hackers, scammers, snitches, spies, and con artists…
But don’t be fooled into thinking the government is protecting you.
To the contrary, the U.S. government is selling us (or rather, our data) to the highest bidders.
By the way, those highest bidders also include America’s political class and the politicians aspiring to get elected or re-elected. As the Los Angeles Times reports, “If you have been to a political rally, a town hall, or just fit a demographic a campaign is after, chances are good your movements are being tracked with unnerving accuracy by data vendors on the payroll of campaigns.”
Your phones, televisions and digital devices are selling you out to politicians who want your vote.
“Welcome to the new frontier of campaign tech — a loosely regulated world in which simply downloading a weather app or game, connecting to Wi-Fi at a coffee shop or powering up a home router can allow a data broker to monitor your movements with ease, then compile the location information and sell it to a political candidate who can use it to surround you with messages,” writes journalist Evan Halper.
In this way, “we the people” have been reduced to economic units to be bought, bartered and sold by all and sundry.
On a daily basis, Americans have been made to relinquish the most intimate details of who we are—our biological makeup, our genetic blueprints, and our biometrics (facial characteristics and structure, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.)—in order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world.
Those intimate details, in turn, have become the building blocks of massive databases accessed by the government and its corporate partners in crime, vulnerable to data breaches by hackers, cyberattacks and espionage.
For years now, and with little real oversight or restrictions, the government has been compiling massive databases comprised of all manner of sensitive information on the citizenry.
Biographical information. Biometric information. Criminal backgrounds. Travel records.
There is not a single person in the U.S. who is not in some government database or another, and these databases are increasingly being shared between agencies, fusion centers, and the police.
The government has also, with little oversight and few guidelines, been adding to its massive trove of data on Americans by buying commercially available information (CAI) from third-party sources. As a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence revealed:
“[Commercially purchased data] can reveal sensitive and intimate information about the personal attributes, private behavior, social connections, and speech of U.S. persons and non-U.S. persons. It can be misused to pry into private lives, ruin reputations, and cause emotional distress and threaten the safety of individuals. Even subject to appropriate controls, CAI can increase the power of the government’s ability to peer into private lives to levels that may exceed our constitutional traditions or other social expectations.”
In other words, this is the diabolically sneaky way in which the government is attempting to sidestep the Fourth Amendment, which requires that government agents have probable cause and a warrant before spying on Americans or searching and seizing their private property.
It’s bad enough that the government is building massive databases comprised of our personal information without our knowledge or consent, but then they get hacked and we suffer for it.
Earlier this year, for instance, several federal agencies, state governments and universities were targeted in a global cyberattack that compromised the sensitive data of millions of Americans.
Did that stop the government’s quest to keep building these databases which compromise our privacy and security? Of course not.
In fact, the government has also been selling our private information. According to Vice, Departments of Motor Vehicles in states around the country have been selling drivers’ personal information “to thousands of businesses, including private investigators who spy on people for a profit.”
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and the government has become a master at finding loopholes that allow it to exploit the citizenry.
Thus, although Congress passed the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) in 1994 to prevent the disclosure of personal information, it hasn’t stopped state DMVs from raking in millions by selling driver data (names, dates of birth, addresses, and the cars they own) to third parties.
This is just a small part of how the government buys and sells its citizens to the highest bidders.
The why is always the same: for profit and power, of course.
Welcome to the age of surveillance capitalism.
Have you shopped at Whole Foods? Tested out target practice at a gun range? Sipped coffee at Starbucks while surfing the web? Visited an abortion clinic? Watched FOX News or MSNBC? Played Candy Crush on your phone? Walked through a mall? Walked past a government building?
That’s all it takes for your data to be hoovered up, sold and used to target you.
Incredibly, once you’ve been identified and tracked, data brokers can travel back in time, digitally speaking, to discover where you’ve been, who you’ve been with, what you’ve been doing, and what you’ve been reading, viewing, buying, etc.
Once you’ve been identified in this way, you can be tracked endlessly.
No one is spared.
In this regard, we are all equals: equally suffering the indignity of having every shred of privacy stripped away and the most intimate details of one’s life turned into fodder for marketers and data profiteers.
This creepy new era of for-profit surveillance capitalism—in which we’re being listened to, watched, tracked, followed, mapped, bought, sold and targeted—is made possible with our cooperation.
All those disclaimers you scroll though without reading them, the ones written in minute font, only to quickly click on the “Agree” button at the end so you can get to the next step—downloading software, opening up a social media account, adding a new app to your phone or computer—those signify your written consent to having your activities monitored, recorded and shared.
Think about it.
Every move you make is being monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to influence and/or control you.
With every smartphone we buy, every GPS device we install, every Twitter, Facebook, and Google account we open, every frequent buyer card we use for purchases—whether at the grocer’s, the yogurt shop, the airlines or the department store—and every credit and debit card we use to pay for our transactions, we’re helping Corporate America build a dossier for its government counterparts on who we know, what we think, how we spend our money, and how we spend our time.
The technology has advanced so far that marketers (political campaigns are among the worst offenders) can actually build “digital fences” around your homes, workplaces, friends and family’s homes and other places you visit in order to bombard you with specially crafted messages aimed at achieving a particular outcome.
If anyone else stalked us in this way—tailing us wherever we go, tapping into our calls, reading our correspondence, ferreting out our secrets, profiling and targeting us based on our interests and activities—we’d call the cops.
Unfortunately, the cops (equipped with Stingray devices and other Peeping Tom technologies) are also in on this particular scam.
It’s not just the surveillance and the buying and selling of your data that is worrisome.
The ramifications of a government—any government—having this much unregulated, unaccountable power to target, track, round up and detain its citizens is beyond chilling.
Imagine what a totalitarian regime such as Nazi Germany could have done with this kind of unadulterated power.
Imagine what the next police state to follow in Germany’s footsteps will do with this kind of power. Society is definitely rapidly moving in that direction.
We’ve made it so easy for the government to stalk us.
Government eyes see your every move: what you read, how much you spend, where you go, with whom you interact, when you wake up in the morning, what you’re watching on television and reading on the internet.
Every move you make is being monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line.
Chances are, as the Washington Post has reported, you have already been assigned a color-coded threat assessment score—green, yellow or red—so police are forewarned about your potential inclination to be a troublemaker depending on whether you’ve had a career in the military, posted a comment perceived as threatening on Facebook, suffer from a particular medical condition, or know someone who knows someone who might have committed a crime.
In other words, you might already be flagged as potentially anti-government in a government database somewhere—Main Core, for example—that identifies and tracks individuals (so they can be rounded up and detained in times of distress) who aren’t inclined to march in lockstep to the police state’s dictates.
The government has the know-how.
As The Intercept reported, the FBI, CIA, NSA and other government agencies are increasingly investing in and relying on corporate surveillance technologies that can mine constitutionally protected speech on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to identify potential extremists and predict who might engage in future acts of anti-government behavior.
Surveillance, digital stalking and the data mining of the American people—weapons of compliance and control in the government’s hands, especially when the government can listen in on your phone calls, monitor your driving habits, track your movements, scrutinize your purchases and peer through the walls of your home—add up to a society in which there’s little room for indiscretions, imperfections, or acts of independence.
This is the creepy, calculating yet diabolical genius of the American police state: the very technology we hailed as revolutionary and liberating has become our prison, jailer, probation officer, stalker, Big Brother and Father Knows Best all rolled into one.
It turns out that we are Soylent Green.
The 1973 film of the same name, starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson, is set in 2022 in an overpopulated, polluted, starving New York City whose inhabitants depend on synthetic foods manufactured by the Soylent Corporation for survival.
Heston plays a policeman investigating a murder, who discovers the grisly truth about the primary ingredient in the wafer, soylent green, which is the principal source of nourishment for a starved population. “It’s people. Soylent Green is made out of people,” declares Heston’s character. “They’re making our food out of people. Next thing they’ll be breeding us like cattle for food.”
Oh, how right he was.
Soylent Green is indeed people or, in our case, Soylent Green is our own personal data, repossessed, repackaged and used by corporations and the government to entrap us.
We, too, are being bred like cattle but not for food.
Rather, as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, we’re being bred, branded, bought and sold for our data.
As the insidious partnership between the U.S. government and Corporate America grows more invasive and more subtle with every passing day, there’s virtually no way to opt out of these assaults on your digital privacy short of being a modern-day Luddite, completely disconnected from all technology.
What we desperately lack and urgently need is an Electronic Bill of Rights that protects “we the people” from predatory surveillance and data-mining business practices.
Without constitutional protections in place to guard against encroachments on our rights in the electronic realm, it won’t be long before we find ourselves, much like Edward G. Robinson’s character in Soylent Green, looking back on the past with longing, back to an age where we could speak to whom we wanted, buy what we wanted, think what we wanted without those thoughts, words and activities being tracked, processed and stored by corporate giants such as Google, sold to government agencies such as the NSA and CIA, and used against us by militarized police with their army of futuristic technologies.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 23:40 - Visualizing Food Unaffordability Across The World
Visualizing Food Unaffordability Across The World
Food is the palate’s poetry, the body’s fuel, and a shared language transcending cultures… when people can afford it.
As Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao details below, the World Health Organization found that the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine pushed 122 million more people into food insecurity between 2019 and 2022. Higher food prices, combined with increasing poverty, have resulted in rising food unaffordability, especially in certain regions of the world.
ℹ️ A person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.
Our World in Data uses statistics gathered by the World Bank to map the share of the population that cannot afford a healthy diet in every country it has data for.
Ranked: Food Unaffordability as a Share of Population
A healthy diet—in this case, one that meets government dietary guidelines—is considered unaffordable in a country when its cost exceeds 52% of per capita income per day.
Immediate trends in food unaffordability are discoverable from a glance at the map. The wash of red in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia indicates the regions where the majority of the population cannot afford a healthy diet.
Ranking the countries by pure percentages in the table below allows us to get a closer look at country-level issues.
Rank Country Can’t Afford Healthy Diet 1 🇲🇬 Madagascar 97.8% 2 🇧🇮 Burundi 95.9% 3 🇲🇼 Malawi 95.9% 4 🇨🇫 Central African Republic 94.6% 5 🇳🇬 Nigeria 93.5% 6 🇱🇷 Liberia 92.8% 7 🇭🇹 Haiti 92.6% 8 🇲🇿 Mozambique 92.5% 9 🇳🇪 Niger 92.0% 10 🇨🇬 Congo 91.5% 11 🇿🇲 Zambia 90.0% 12 🇬🇳 Guinea 89.1% 13 🇦🇴 Angola 88.0% 14 🇱🇸 Lesotho 87.9% 15 🇨🇩 DRC 85.5% 16 🇸🇩 Sudan 85.4% 17 🇹🇿 Tanzania 85.0% 18 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau 84.6% 19 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 83.8% 20 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 83.5% 21 🇹🇩 Chad 83.1% 22 🇵🇰 Pakistan 82.8% 23 🇧🇯 Benin 82.6% 24 🇷🇼 Rwanda 82.0% 25 🇺🇬 Uganda 81.7% 26 🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe 78.2% 27 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 77.6% 28 🇬🇭 Ghana 77.4% 29 🇳🇵 Nepal 76.4% 30 🇮🇳 India 74.1% 31 🇰🇪 Kenya 74.0% 32 🇱🇦 Laos 74.0% 33 🇵🇭 Philippines 74.0% 34 🇸🇿 Eswatini 73.8% 35 🇲🇲 Myanmar 73.8% 36 🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire 72.9% 37 🇬🇲 Gambia 72.2% 38 🇲🇱 Mali 72.0% 39 🇮🇩 Indonesia 70.8% 40 🇿🇦 South Africa 66.7% 41 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 66.1% 42 🇩🇯 Djibouti 65.3% 43 🇲🇳 Mongolia 64.1% 44 🇫🇯 Fiji 63.7% 45 🇯🇲 Jamaica 62.6% 46 🇲🇷 Mauritania 62.4% 47 🇪🇬 Egypt 61.6% 48 🇨🇲 Cameroon 60.5% 49 🇧🇼 Botswana 60.3% 50 🇳🇦 Namibia 59.5% 51 🇸🇷 Suriname 58.6% 52 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan 58.2% 53 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 55.5% 54 🇧🇿 Belize 53.0% 55 🇧🇹 Bhutan 45.2% 56 🇸🇳 Senegal 45.0% 57 🇭🇳 Honduras 44.8% 58 🇹🇯 Tajikistan 44.3% 59 🇦🇲 Armenia 41.4% 60 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 41.2% 61 🇳🇮 Nicaragua 34.2% 62 🇩🇿 Algeria 32.4% 63 🇨🇴 Colombia 31.3% 64 🇮🇷 Iran 30.0% 65 🇬🇦 Gabon 29.9% 66 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 27.2% 67 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 25.8% 68 🇵🇪 Peru 25.7% 69 🇧🇷 Brazil 22.4% 70 🇻🇳 Vietnam 21.0% 71 🇵🇾 Paraguay 20.4% 72 🇲🇽 Mexico 20.2% 73 🇪🇨 Ecuador 19.7% 74 🇬🇾 Guyana 18.5% 75 🇮🇶 Iraq 18.4% 76 🇹🇭 Thailand 18.0% 77 🇹🇳 Tunisia 17.1% 78 🇵🇦 Panama 17.0% 79 🇦🇱 Albania 15.9% 80 🇲🇦 Morocco 15.5% 81 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 15.5% 82 🇵🇸 Palestine 15.4% 83 🇧🇴 Bolivia 15.1% 84 🇲🇪 Montenegro 14.9% 85 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 14.2% 86 🇲🇺 Mauritius 14.0% 87 🇨🇳 China 10.9% 88 🇷🇸 Serbia 10.9% 89 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago 9.9% 90 🇸🇨 Seychelles 7.3% 91 🇷🇴 Romania 7.2% 92 🇯🇴 Jordan 7.1% 93 🇹🇷 Turkey 6.0% 94 🇺🇾 Uruguay 5.2% 95 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 4.2% 96 🇲🇩 Moldova 3.8% 97 🇨🇱 Chile 3.5% 98 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina 3.0% 99 🇷🇺 Russia 2.6% 100 🇲🇾 Malaysia 2.5% 101 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 2.3% 102 🇸🇰 Slovakia 2.3% 103 🇬🇷 Greece 2.2% 104 🇯🇵 Japan 2.0% 105 🇭🇷 Croatia 1.8% 106 🇪🇸 Spain 1.8% 107 🇭🇺 Hungary 1.5% 108 🇮🇹 Italy 1.5% 109 🇱🇻 Latvia 1.5% 110 🇰🇷 South Korea 1.5% 111 🇮🇱 Israel 1.2% 112 🇲🇻 Maldives 1.2% 113 🇵🇹 Portugal 1.2% 114 🇺🇸 U.S. 1.2% 115 🇦🇹 Austria 0.9% 116 🇪🇪 Estonia 0.8% 117 🇲🇹 Malta 0.8% 118 🇦🇺 Australia 0.7% 119 🇱🇹 Lithuania 0.7% 120 🇸🇪 Sweden 0.6% 121 🇧🇾 Belarus 0.5% 122 🇵🇱 Poland 0.5% 123 🇨🇦 Canada 0.4% 124 🇬🇧 UK 0.4% 125 🇳🇴 Norway 0.3% 126 🇩🇰 Denmark 0.2% 127 🇫🇷 France 0.2% 128 🇩🇪 Germany 0.2% 129 🇧🇪 Belgium 0.1% 130 🇨🇿 Czechia 0.1% 131 🇮🇸 Iceland 0.1% 132 🇮🇪 Ireland 0.1% 133 🇳🇱 Netherlands 0.1% 134 🇦🇪 UAE 0.1% 135 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan 0.0% 136 🇨🇾 Cyprus 0.0% 137 🇫🇮 Finland 0.0% 138 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 0.0% 139 🇸🇮 Slovenia 0.0% 140 🇨🇭 Switzerland 0.0% At the top of the list, nearly 98% of Madagascar’s population cannot afford a healthy diet. The country is facing a prolonged drought in the southern region since 2019, affecting agriculture. A series of cyclones in 2021–2022 destroyed rice fields and damaged critical infrastructure, like road networks, putting further pressure on food prices. Finally, the rising price of oil due to the Russian invasion has pushed up transport costs. All these factors have resulted in food prices jumping nearly 20% in three years.
As a result, food insecurity in Madagascar has risen dramatically—by nearly one million people every year since 2019, of which 250,000 are classified under a “famine situation.”
A mix of similar factors affect the next five countries with the highest share of population unable to afford food—Burundi, Malawi, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Liberia.
In Haiti, ranked 7th, a reliance on food imports makes the country vulnerable to inflation and price volatility, which has been markedly worse in the last two years.
On the other hand, predictably, the top five countries with the least food unaffordability—Cyprus, Finland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Switzerland—are all from Europe with 0% of the population unable to afford a healthy diet.
Geographically, eight out of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa and seven out of 10 people in South Asia cannot afford a healthy diet versus three out of 10 in Europe and one out of 10 in North America.
Healthy Diet vs. Nutrient and Calorie Sufficiency
When reducing the quality of diet, food becomes a little more affordable.
For example, in Indonesia, nearly 71% of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. However this drops to 64% for a nutrient-sufficient diet, and only 3% for a calorie-sufficient diet.
Country Can’t Afford a
Healthy DietCan’t Afford a
Nutrient-Sufficient
DietCan’t afford a
Calorie-Sufficient Diet🇦🇱 Albania 15.9% 8.9% 0.0% 🇩🇿 Algeria 32.4% 6.2% 0.1% 🇦🇴 Angola 88.0% 71.1% 36.0% 🇦🇷 Argentina N/A 4.0% 0.2% 🇦🇲 Armenia 41.4% 14.3% 0.5% 🇦🇺 Australia 0.7% 0.5% 0.2% 🇦🇹 Austria 0.9% 0.5% 0.2% 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 66.1% 48.6% 0.6% 🇧🇾 Belarus 0.5% 0.2% 0.0% 🇧🇪 Belgium 0.1% 0.3% 0.1% 🇧🇿 Belize 53.0% 57.0% 19.6% 🇧🇯 Benin 82.6% 81.9% 13.7% 🇧🇹 Bhutan 45.2% 26.2% 0.7% 🇧🇴 Bolivia 15.1% 19.1% 6.8% 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina 3.0% 2.4% 0.0% 🇧🇼 Botswana 60.3% 44.3% 1.3% 🇧🇷 Brazil 22.4% 18.1% 3.5% 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 4.2% 6.3% 0.3% 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 77.6% 76.2% 5.4% 🇧🇮 Burundi 95.9% 84.1% 41.5% 🇨🇲 Cameroon 60.5% 48.6% 15.7% 🇨🇦 Canada 0.4% 0.5% 0.0% 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 41.2% 29.7% 0.3% 🇨🇫 Central African Republic 94.6% 83.3% 67.0% 🇹🇩 Chad 83.1% 60.6% 11.3% 🇨🇱 Chile 3.5% 1.6% 0.2% 🇨🇳 China 10.9% 9.7% 0.2% 🇨🇴 Colombia 31.3% 20.3% 3.5% 🇨🇬 Congo 91.5% 80.8% 39.9% 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 14.2% 7.8% 0.7% 🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire 72.9% 39.6% 8.4% 🇭🇷 Croatia 1.8% 3.3% 0.3% 🇨🇾 Cyprus 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 🇨🇿 Czechia 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 🇨🇩 DRC 85.5% 86.9% 27.9% 🇩🇰 Denmark 0.2% 0.2% 0.1% 🇩🇯 Djibouti 65.3% 59.0% 5.6% 🇩🇴 Dominican
Republic25.8% 15.8% 1.3% 🇪🇨 Ecuador 19.7% 14.8% 4.4% 🇪🇬 Egypt 61.6% 33.5% 1.0% 🇪🇪 Estonia 0.8% 0.8% 0.2% 🇸🇿 Eswatini 73.8% 64.4% 26.6% 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 83.8% 62.7% 7.7% 🇫🇯 Fiji 63.7% 21.3% 0.2% 🇫🇮 Finland 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% 🇫🇷 France 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 🇬🇦 Gabon 29.9% 16.3% 1.3% 🇬🇲 Gambia 72.2% 63.9% 10.6% 🇩🇪 Germany 0.2% 0.7% 0.2% 🇬🇭 Ghana 77.4% 62.9% 14.9% 🇬🇷 Greece 2.2% 2.5% 0.5% 🇬🇳 Guinea 89.1% 61.6% 8.6% 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau 84.6% 59.7% 18.3% 🇬🇾 Guyana 18.5% 31.7% 4.4% 🇭🇹 Haiti 92.6% 73.8% 23.5% 🇭🇳 Honduras 44.8% 49.9% 14.3% 🇭🇺 Hungary 1.5% 1.9% 0.3% 🇮🇸 Iceland 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 🇮🇳 India 74.1% 64.0% 3.2% 🇮🇩 Indonesia 70.8% 7.0% 4.3% 🇮🇷 Iran 30.0% 5.0% 0.2% 🇮🇶 Iraq 18.4% 5.8% 0.1% 🇮🇪 Ireland 0.1% 0.3% 0.2% 🇮🇱 Israel 1.2% 1.2% 0.2% 🇮🇹 Italy 1.5% 2.1% 1.0% 🇯🇲 Jamaica 62.6% 36.6% 0.9% 🇯🇵 Japan 2.0% 1.4% 1.2% 🇯🇴 Jordan 7.1% 0.1% 0.0% 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 2.3% 0.5% 0.0% 🇰🇪 Kenya 74.0% 57.0% 11.6% 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan 58.2% 38.9% 0.7% 🇱🇦 Laos 74.0% 61.1% 0.8% 🇱🇻 Latvia 1.5% 1.7% 0.2% 🇱🇸 Lesotho 87.9% 63.3% 10.7% 🇱🇷 Liberia 92.8% 82.7% 20.2% 🇱🇹 Lithuania 0.7% 1.6% 0.8% 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 0.0% 0.4% 0.1% 🇲🇬 Madagascar 97.8% 96.0% 78.3% 🇲🇼 Malawi 95.9% 83.2% 2.4% 🇲🇾 Malaysia 2.5% 0.9% 0.0% 🇲🇻 Maldives 1.2% 0.6% 0.0% 🇲🇱 Mali 72.0% 57.5% 1.9% 🇲🇹 Malta 0.8% 0.3% 0.1% 🇲🇷 Mauritania 62.4% 48.3% 2.7% 🇲🇺 Mauritius 14.0% 4.4% 0.0% 🇲🇽 Mexico 20.2% 17.2% 0.7% 🇲🇩 Moldova 3.8% 0.3% 0.0% 🇲🇳 Mongolia 64.1% 14.4% 0.1% 🇲🇪 Montenegro 14.9% 9.1% 1.6% 🇲🇦 Morocco 15.5% 6.5% 0.0% 🇲🇿 Mozambique 92.5% 83.3% 13.2% 🇲🇲 Myanmar 73.8% 42.7% 0.7% 🇳🇦 Namibia 59.5% 33.6% 13.9% 🇳🇵 Nepal 76.4% 51.0% 2.6% 🇳🇱 Netherlands 0.1% 0.3% 0.0% 🇳🇮 Nicaragua 34.2% 21.2% 5.7% 🇳🇪 Niger 92.0% 77.1% 13.6% 🇳🇬 Nigeria 93.5% 69.4% 44.4% 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 15.5% 16.8% 2.6% 🇳🇴 Norway 0.3% 0.5% 0.3% 🇵🇰 Pakistan 82.8% 40.9% 0.3% 🇵🇸 Palestine 15.4% 2.4% 0.6% 🇵🇦 Panama 17.0% 12.1% 2.2% 🇵🇾 Paraguay 20.4% 24.4% 0.5% 🇵🇪 Peru 25.7% 16.5% 2.7% 🇵🇭 Philippines 74.0% 53.1% 6.9% 🇵🇱 Poland 0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 🇵🇹 Portugal 1.2% 0.7% 0.1% 🇷🇴 Romania 7.2% 8.0% 0.9% 🇷🇺 Russia 2.6% 0.8% 0.0% 🇷🇼 Rwanda 82.0% 61.3% 28.1% 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 27.2% 16.7% 4.6% 🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe 78.2% 63.4% 8.0% 🇸🇳 Senegal 45.0% 43.2% 3.3% 🇷🇸 Serbia 10.9% 14.3% 3.2% 🇸🇨 Seychelles 7.3% 2.5% 0.1% 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 83.5% 73.3% 34.9% 🇸🇰 Slovakia 2.3% 1.4% 0.1% 🇸🇮 Slovenia 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 🇿🇦 South Africa 66.7% 60.3% 24.2% 🇰🇷 South Korea 1.5% 1.5% 0.0% 🇪🇸 Spain 1.8% 1.0% 0.5% 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 55.5% 22.8% 0.6% 🇸🇩 Sudan 85.4% 58.7% 15.3% 🇸🇷 Suriname 58.6% 34.2% 15.8% 🇸🇪 Sweden 0.6% 0.4% 0.2% 🇨🇭 Switzerland 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 🇹🇼 Taiwan N/A 0.2% 0.0% 🇹🇯 Tajikistan 44.3% 33.3% 2.3% 🇹🇿 Tanzania 85.0% 75.6% 36.8% 🇹🇭 Thailand 18.0% 7.0% 0.0% 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago 9.9% 3.4% 0.2% 🇹🇳 Tunisia 17.1% 1.9% 0.0% 🇹🇷 Turkey 6.0% 3.1% 0.0% 🇺🇬 Uganda 81.7% 68.9% 13.9% 🇦🇪 UAE 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 🇬🇧 UK 0.4% 0.5% 0.2% 🇺🇸 U.S. 1.2% 1.5% 1.2% 🇺🇾 Uruguay 5.2% 0.8% 0.0% 🇻🇳 Vietnam 21.0% 11.7% 0.7% 🇿🇲 Zambia 90.0% 82.5% 65.1% 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe N/A 10.6% 0.0% 🌐 World 42.20% 31.90% 4.90% While the aim is to have every single person able to afford a healthy diet, it is useful to track progress across diets to see which countries are making strides in food affordability, whether it comes from growing incomes or improved supply.
At a regional level, these nuances reveal geographic differences in food unaffordability.
While sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have comparable shares of population unable to afford healthy and nutrient sufficient diets, the gap widens immensely when looking at just calorie-sufficient diets, nearly 25% versus 2.6%.
For countries in South Asia, this could help target efforts to improve affordability for more than the most basic of diets.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 23:20 - Plasmid DNA Contamination In COVID-19 Vaccines Is 'Clear Breach Of Informed Consent' By FDA: Dr. Malone
Plasmid DNA Contamination In COVID-19 Vaccines Is ‘Clear Breach Of Informed Consent’ By FDA: Dr. Malone
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of mRNA and DNA vaccines, slammed health regulatory agencies for not informing people about potential plasmid DNA contamination in mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
A health care worker prepares a dose of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a file image. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) An Oct. 19 preprint study found billions of residual DNA fragments in mRNA COVID-19 vaccine vials. While billions of copies of spike, ori, and SV40 enhancer DNA were discovered in the Pfizer vaccine vials, Moderna vials were found to contain copies of ori and spike DNA. The SV40 virus is a DNA virus known to cause cancer in lab animals.
Talking about the study in a Nov. 11 Substack post, Dr. Malone said that plasmid DNA contamination in the vaccines is a “proven fact” that has been “acknowledged by the US FDA, Health Canada, and the European Medicines Agency.”
“In yet another clear breach of informed consent and labeling requirements, this was not previously disclosed to physicians, public health officials, or patients,” he wrote.
For instance, the FDA’s labeling guidelines require that vaccine labels must contain a description of “serious adverse reactions, potential safety hazards, steps that should be taken in the occurrence of a serious adverse reaction and potential safety hazard, and limitations in use imposed by them.”
Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines “are contaminated with plasmid DNA fragments which have not been removed during the current manufacturing processes,” the doctor wrote. A plasmid is a strand of circular DNA that is common to bacteria and specific parasites.
Dr. Malone said that prior FDA guidance on DNA vaccine technology pointed to the presence of “highly active regulatory sequences as being of particular concern due to potential insertional mutagenesis (integration).”
The FDA’s 2009 “Guidance on Prophylactic DNA Vaccines: Analysis and Recommendations” states that concerns about plasmid DNA potentially integrating into the genome of the vaccine recipient and increasing the likelihood of issues like “malignant transformation, genomic instability, or cell growth dysregulation” were raised when DNA vaccines were initially introduced for clinical use.
It stated that a “tiny fraction” of the plasmids are expected to “integrate into the host genome, regardless of the method of delivery.”
Dr. Malone noted that the FDA has issued a “categorical denial of adulteration and risk” of DNA vaccines.
A spokeswoman from the FDA told The Epoch Times that “no safety concerns related to the sequence of, or amount of, residual DNA have been identified” in the COVID-19 shots.
“With regard to the FDA-approved mRNA vaccines, available scientific evidence supports the conclusion that they are safe and effective.”
This denial is contrary to both federal law on adulterated drugs and devices and FDA guidance on adulteration of drugs, Dr. Malone stated.
The U.S. Code on adulterated drugs and devices makes it clear that a drug shall be deemed to be adulterated if its manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding do not meet the requirements of “quality and purity characteristics.”
Meanwhile, the FDA’s law on adulteration of drugs under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act says that a drug would be deemed to be adulterated “if it fails to conform to compendial standards of quality, strength or purity.”
“Compendial standards” refer to the pharmaceutical standards as outlined in the U.S. Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF), which is the official quality standards applicable to all drugs sold in the United States.
Regulators, Moderna Admit Risks
As claimed by Dr. Malone, multiple health agencies have admitted to DNA contamination in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.In an email to The Epoch Times last month, Health Canada confirmed the presence of the SV40 DNA sequence in the Pfizer vaccine, which the company failed to disclose previously.
In another email to The Epoch Times, the European Medicines Agency also confirmed that the Pfizer vaccine contains the SV40 sequence, which the company’s partner BioNTech did not highlight in its application.
It isn’t clear whether the presence of the SV40 sequence in the plasmid DNA of mRNA vaccines was identified by Pfizer when the company applied for approval from the FDA.
Dr. Malone pointed out that Moderna “clearly acknowledges” the risks of genotoxicity associated with the DNA delivered via its vaccines.
Dr. Robert Malone, author of “Lies My Gov’t Told Me”, in Washington on Dec. 19, 2022. (Jack Wang/The Epoch Times) In an Aug. 8, 2019, patent filed by Moderna regarding RNA vaccines, the company states that the direct injection of naked plasmid DNA into a living host comes with “potential problems, including the possibility of insertional mutagenesis, which could lead to the activation of oncogenes or the inhibition of tumor suppressor genes.”
The doctor noted that Moderna considers “even ‘naked’ plasmid DNA” as a potential risk. Naked plasmid DNA does not contain any highly active lipid nanoparticle formulation agents.
Moderna did not disclose in the patent that it has not been able to manufacture such modified mRNA vaccines “without contaminating DNA,” he said.
“In conclusion, it is also clear at this point, unless proven otherwise, that none of these regulatory authorities have obtained data from one or more rigorous, well-controlled studies designed to address the genotoxicity and insertional mutagenesis risks” presented by the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
Until such data is provided, the FDA’s claim that there are “no safety concerns” related to the residual DNA do not “accurately reflect current knowledge,” Dr. Malone said.
“The only objective conclusion to be made concerning such statements is that they functionally represent propaganda rather than proven scientific and regulatory fact.”
FDA’s ‘Willful Blindness’
In his Substack post, Dr. Malone called the FDA’s assertion of “no safety concerns” about the inclusion of residual DNA in mRNA vaccines “willful blindness.” He then highlighted the risks posed by residual DNA in vaccines.
“The most well-documented risks associated with such potential insertional mutagenesis are cancer (in the case of stem and somatic cells, particularly hematopoietic lineage cells) and birth defects,” he wrote.
“As these highly active modified mRNA (plus DNA fragment) lipid nanoparticles are known to cross the placenta and to localize to ovarian tissue, the potential for birth defects would seem to be of particular regulatory interest and concern.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in White Oak, Md., on June 5, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) Despite reports of “aggressive cancers” in people who were administered the mRNA vaccines, the FDA remains “willfully ignorant and in denial of these risks.” Moreover, the agency does not define the term “safe” even though it insists that the vaccines are “safe and effective,” Dr. Malone wrote.
He pointed out that FDA and CDC assertions of earlier versions of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines reducing risks of severe disease are now “irrelevant” as these products are not available anymore, and the strains have now become extinct.
“Furthermore, many researchers have demonstrated that, even in those historic cases, after some period of time those so dosed with these products become MORE likely to develop severe disease or death relative to unvaccinated patients (most of whom have acquired natural infection with resulting potent and diversified immunity,” Dr. Malone said.
A September 2022 study found that incidences of COVID-19 infection were “significantly higher in vaccine recipients (6.7 percent) than the previously infected (2.9 percent)” individuals six months after the index date.
For the vaccinated, the index date was defined 30 days after their first COVID-19 shot. For the infected, the index date was taken 30 days after the initial infection.
On the positive side, “all-cause mortality in the vaccinated, however, was 37 percent lower than that of the previously infected. The rates of all-cause ED visits and hospitalizations were 24 percent and 37 percent lower in the vaccinated than in the previously infected.”
Presence of SV40 Sequences
Dr. Malone said that “the presence of highly active promoter/enhancer DNA sequences (and fragments) derived from the SV40 virus, present in the Pfizer/BioNTech product, was not disclosed and discussed with either the public or to the regulatory agencies.”
In order to produce mRNA vaccines, the SV40 enhancer gene from the SV40 virus is used. Using bacteria in the production of genes and proteins for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals is a standard practice.
In the case of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, the SV40 enhancer gene and other genetic sequences were introduced in the plasmid DNA. Once the mRNA and DNA are harvested from the bacteria, the DNA is supposed to be removed.
Dr. Malone wrote in his Substack post that “such short DNA fragments are associated with a high risk of integration, otherwise known as insertional mutagenesis, which is a well-characterized form of genotoxicity.” The term genotoxicity refers to the ability of harmful substances to damage the genetic information present in cells.
If these mRNA COVID-18 vaccines were reviewed by the FDA as gene therapy products, they would have required “rigorous genotoxicity studies” before allowed for use among human beings, he said. The same would be true in case the mRNA vaccines were reviewed as “DNA vaccines.”
“But apparently there is something magical about inclusion of modified-mRNA together with DNA fragments in these highly active lipid nanoparticle nucleic acid delivery formulations which leads the FDA to conclude that there is no genotoxicity risk.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 23:00 - What's Behind The Sudden Plunge In Oil Prices? Goldman's Trading Desk Explains
What’s Behind The Sudden Plunge In Oil Prices? Goldman’s Trading Desk Explains
From Goldman floor trader Michael Nocerino
Tons of questions on the weakness in Crude – Thoughts from our trading desk: believe the move is more of a “catch-up” to weaker physical markets as we moved past WTI options expiration yesterday & as Middle East risk premium has now come out of the market in our view.
Bigger picture:- Margins have remained weak for a while
- OPEC continues to export
- Spreads & DFLs have been signaling weaker fundamentals for several days now
Brent breaking through the 200dma…approaching oversold levels (RSI 32.7)…
- On the vol front, it’s interesting to note that front-end gamma is well bid on this selloff which is a re-engagement of the negative spot/vol correlation we saw from late September until the early October Israeli attacks flipped that abruptly. We’re also seeing put skew rally sharply here with front-end 25d RR’s rapidly approaching the September wides of ~5v for puts.) Options desk think there is some gamma around $75 from sov hedging/other prod strikes and worth noting PMI moved their OSP lower yesterday which brings strikes closer to the money.
- We haven’t seen too much fresh on the fundamental side. There are some thoughts that an Iraq flows resolution is imminent, but nothing confirmed and that doesn’t warrant a sell off of this magnitude.
- Our models have CTA selling continuing and timing of the move was around the time that their flow normally ramps up.
- Fitting that GIR Published their 2024 Outlook today: “We believe that OPEC will ensure Brent in a $80-$100 range by leveraging its pricing power, with a $80 floor from the OPEC put, and a $100 ceiling from spare capacity.” (link)
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 22:40 - The WEF And The Dangers Of A Circular Economy
The WEF And The Dangers Of A Circular Economy
Authored by John Mac Ghlionn via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
As the British politician David Cameron famously asserted, “The economy is the start and end of everything.”
To control the economy is, in many ways, to control the world.
Although no one government or organization controls the world’s economy, a few major players help shape it.
A sign of the World Economic Forum in the alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland, on the opening day of the annual meeting on Jan. 16, 2023. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) One of the major players, as many readers know, is the World Economic Forum (WEF). In recent times, the Davos elites have been pushing the idea of a new economy, one that’s circular in nature. Should we be concerned?
Some could say that the circular economy is an “agenda.” According to a recent report published by the WEF and Accenture, it is. The authors of the report said this is an “agenda” and that the directions must “come from the top.” A circular economy is the antithesis of today’s economy—or, as the authors of the report call it, the “linear economy.”
“The transition to circular business models is,” we’re told, “a critical lever for organizations to achieve climate commitments and reach net-zero emissions.”
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the WEF and Accenture suggested “changing how goods are produced and consumed.” Circularity, they said, “plays a critical role in this.”
The report goes on to state that the existing “take-make-waste” model, which is “extractive and resource-intensive,” must be replaced. The key to replacing the existing model involves embedding “circularity in decision-making throughout the value chain.” In other words, a top-down approach, overseen, in part, by unelected globalists. If real democracy is predicated on a bottom-up approach, then, one wonders, what are we to make of this recent report?
“This systemic transition,” the authors noted, “requires companies to embed circularity at all levels and functions throughout the organization. Starting from the top, there should be clear governance, leadership and accountability.”
What’s the goal here? The circular economy appears to be associated with the idea that all products become services, with those at the very top of the mountain maintaining ownership of the products that normal, everyday people can only rent. Remember, not that long ago, the WEF stated: “You’ll Own Nothing. And You’ll Be Happy.”
In August, the WEF’s Sean Mowbray discussed how the circular economy could address “rampant overconsumption,” “climate change, biodiversity loss, and the pollution of land, air and oceans.”
This crisis, he suggested, requires “sustainable production cycles” that will “reduce resource use, waste, and ecological harm.”
At its core, according to Mr. Mowbray, the circular economy revolves around the three R’s: reducing, reusing, and recycling materials. The circular economy model, he said, “aims to eliminate waste and pollution, recirculate products and materials, and regenerate nature.”
Although nature should be protected, and the idea of wasting resources isn’t something to be championed, one can’t help but feel a sense of dread when reading Mr. Mowbray’s words. The constant references to “climate change” and “decarbonization” and the calls to drastically alter agricultural practices carry an impersonal, somewhat chiding tone.
Keeping waste to an absolute minimum, we’re informed, is a must. But, one wonders, who dictates how much waste is too much waste? And who gets to decide what constitutes waste and what constitutes harm?
Take meat, for example. For many readers, I’m sure, the consumption of chicken, pork, and beef has an important place in their lives. However, in a circular economy, meat may no longer have any place whatsoever. After all, it’s wasteful and bad for the environment, experts say. Lab-grown meat, which is estimated to have a considerably larger carbon footprint than typically butchered beef, is a viable alternative, they suggest. If the WEF has its way, we’ll all be eating lab-grown grub not long from now.
It has become increasingly common to correctly identify problems but offer wholly unreasonable solutions. Capitalism, in its current form, is destructive. So socialism is the answer. Traditional farming methods are harmful, so lab-grown meat is the solution. The United States was once extremely racist, so financial reparations must be made. And so forth.
Nevertheless, the WEF insists that the circular economy, closely aligned with the nefarious idea of social justice, is a viable alternative to the current model. According to the decision-makers in Davos, Switzerland, the circular economy represents “a seismic shift in the way we conceptualize the entire life cycle of a product, designed to benefit businesses, society and the environment.”
This “seismic shift” could involve closer monitoring of our actions and behaviors, and the introduction of carbon passports, for example. A new report by Intrepid Travel discusses the concept of “personal carbon allowances” being introduced by 2040.
The White House appears to be fully committed to the circular economy transition. Earlier this year, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a roundtable designed to discuss the ways in which various circular economy innovations can contribute to, e.g., “decarbonization and net-zero goals.”
Again, although the environment should be protected, and waste should never be encouraged, one wonders how much say normal, everyday people will have in the circular economy. Considering the “agenda” is a top-down one, very little, I imagine.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 22:20 - "Extremely Painful" NYC Budget Cuts Will Lead To Fewer New Police Hires, Reduced Trash Pickups
“Extremely Painful” NYC Budget Cuts Will Lead To Fewer New Police Hires, Reduced Trash Pickups
The Biden administration’s disastrous open southern border policy has flooded the nation with millions of illegals. More than 100,000 have been bussed into New York City this year. Facing a cold and snowy winter in the Northern Hemisphere, progressive leaders in City Hall are now tasked with feeding and sheltering migrants at the expense of the taxpayers. Mayor Eric Adams has decided to implement a 5% across-the-board budget reduction to manage city expenses.
On Tuesday, Mayor Adams said he is set to release a long list of “extremely painful” spending cuts that will impact all New Yorkers and even pressure city agencies, including the NYPD. He said the budget cuts will offset the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on migrants.
“In all my time in government, this is probably one of the most painful exercises I’ve gone through,” Adams said, adding his team continues to work on additional spending cuts.
Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget Director Jacques Jiha will brief Council Speaker Adrienne Adams about the new budget cuts on Thursday afternoon.
Bloomberg said Adams plans to reduce the city’s $107 billion budget by 5%. Sources told the media outlet that all new police hires would be halted, trash services would be reduced citywide, and there would even be reductions in migrant spending to reign in government spending.
In September, Mayor Adams warned that a 15% reduction in the city’s budget would be needed between this month and April 2024. He stated these cuts will allow the city to shelter over 140,000 migrants who have arrived in the last 18 months.
Adams has also warned that the migrant crisis will ‘destroy New York City’ and slammed the Biden administration for doing nothing about the problem they created.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams expIodes:
The migrants will “destroy New York City” and “everyone will be impacted” pic.twitter.com/R74LydILrR
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 7, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The problem with slamming the Biden administration is that they will weaponize their federal agencies against you. Adams found that out last week when the FBI seized his phones and an iPad in a campaign financing investigation.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 22:00 - Support For Israel Drops As 68% Of Americans Want Ceasefire, Negotiations
Support For Israel Drops As 68% Of Americans Want Ceasefire, Negotiations
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals that 68% of Americans believe Israel “should call a ceasefire and try to negotiate” with Hamas, indicating widespread opposition to continued military operations in Gaza. This viewpoint was shared by approximately three-quarters of Democrats and half of Republicans, demonstrating broad public support for de-escalation.
This image taken from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on October 29, 2023, shows black smoke ascending within the Palestinian territory amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. © Fadel Senna, AFP When asked what role the United States should play in the conflict, just 32% of respondents believed that “the U.S. should support Israel.” This figure represents a substantial drop from the 41% who expressed support for Israel in a previous Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted just a month earlier in mid-October.
Another noteworthy shift in sentiment is the growing number of Americans who favor neutrality in the conflict. The poll shows that 39% of respondents now believe that “the U.S. should be a neutral mediator.” This marks a significant increase from the 27% who held this view in the earlier poll, signaling a clear trend toward a more balanced approach.
What’s more, the poll – which asked 1,006 US adults, also sheds light on how involved the United States should be – with just 4% of respondents advocating for U.S. support for Palestinians, and 15% who say the U.S. should not be involved in the conflict at all. These figures have remained relatively consistent with the earlier poll’s findings.
Roots of the Conflict
The backdrop to this changing dynamic follows weeks of intense Israeli military operations against Hamas in Gaza in response to an October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel. The resulting violence has led to significant casualties on both sides and drawn international attention to the crisis.
The poll’s findings run counter to President Joe Biden’s stance on the issue (granted, ‘stance’ is generous, given that Biden doesn’t know where he is half the time). The president has refrained from endorsing calls by Arab leaders, including Palestinians, to pressure Israel into a ceasefire. Instead, his administration has emphasized the importance of minimizing civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, just 31% of respondents support the idea of sending weapons to Israel, while 43% oppose it. Support for sending weapons was particularly strong among Republicans, while roughly half of Democrats were against it.
Comparing with Ukraine
Comparing these sentiments to the situation in Ukraine, the poll revealed that 41% of respondents supported sending weapons to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia, while 32% opposed the idea. Notably, Democrats exhibited stronger support for sending weapons to Ukraine compared to Israel.
Congressional Debate
As Reuters further notes, the changing public opinion also reflects an ongoing debate within Congress. While most moderate Democrats have historically supported military assistance to Israel, some progressive members of the party are now raising questions about the need for increased scrutiny and conditional aid.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 21:20 - Should Joe Biden Be Banned?
Should Joe Biden Be Banned?
Below is my column in The Messenger on the view of diplomats in the Biden Administration that the President is spreading “misinformation.”
My interest in the story is less the merits than the allegation.
The President is facing the same allegation of ignoring fact and spreading disinformation that has resulted in thousands being banned or blacklisted on social media. The Biden Administration has pushed for such censorship in areas where doctors and pundits held opposing views on subjects ranging from Covid-19 to climate control.
The question is whether Joe Biden himself should be banned under the standards promulgated by his own Administration.
Here is the column:
An internal State Department dissent memo was leaked this past week, opposing the Biden administration’s position on the war between Israel and Hamas. What was most notable about the memo is that some administration staffers accused President Joe Biden of “spreading misinformation.”
It was a moment of crushing irony for some of us who have written and testified against the Biden administration’s censorship efforts. The question is whether, under the administration’s own standards, President Biden should now be banned or blacklisted to protect what his administration has called our “cognitive infrastructure.”
For years, the administration and many Democrats in Congress have resisted every effort to expose the sprawling government censorship program that one federal judge described as an “Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’” As I have written previously, it included grants to academic and third-party organizations to create a global system of blacklists and to pressure advertisers to withdraw support from conservative sites.
Most recently, a House Judiciary Committee report revealed another layer of this system, described as a “switchboarding” role for the censorship system by channeling demands for removal or bans from state and local officials. This switchboarding process was confirmed by Brian Scully of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), during prior court testimony. CISA’s director, Jen Easterly, previously declared the administration’s intent to extend its role over maintaining critical infrastructure to include “our cognitive infrastructure” and combating not just mis- and disinformation but also “malinformation,” which CISA describes as “based on fact, but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate.”
As a result, over the last four years, researchers, politicians, and even satirical sites have been banned or blacklisted for offering dissenting views of COVID measures, climate change, gender identity or social justice, according to the House Judiciary report. No level of censorship seemed to be sufficient for President Biden, who once claimed that social media companies were “killing people” by not silencing more dissenting voices.
Now, though, President Biden himself is accused — by some in his own administration — of spreading misinformation and supporting war criminals.
The five-page State Department memo was signed by 100 State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees and was accompanied by a social media post by a junior foreign affairs staffer, accusing Biden of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza. The memo accuses Biden of “spreading misinformation,” citing his Oct. 10 speech supporting Israel, and accuses Israel of committing “war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law.” It also accuses Biden of ignoring facts — a classic justification for past administration demands to censor figures — on the number of Palestinian casualties.
Democrats face a nightmare of allegations of disinformation on both sides of the war and other issues. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and numerous media outlets have been accused of spreading disinformation about Israel killing hundreds with an airstrike on a Gaza hospital. Former CIA director Leon Panetta, in an interview on Fox News, stood by disproven claims about Russia faking Hunter Biden’s laptop.
There is, of course, not even a whisper (let alone a loud demand) for censorship or suspension of any of these figures or outlets, because that is not how the administration’s policies over “misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation” — what it terms “MDM” — work. The administration at one point insisted that it would police this “MDM space” to target views on a sweeping range of subjects, including racial justice and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
So what will the Biden MDM space-rangers do with President Biden?
The obvious answer is, “Nothing.”
The administration can note that the memo’s view of war crimes is a minority position and a matter of opinion — although that hasn’t stopped others from being censored, particularly scientists involved in the COVID controversies, according to the House Judiciary report.
Indeed, under its own standards, CISA and other agencies may be confused who to censor. It has created standards so ill-defined that it is surrounded by actionable disinformation. For example, if the administration does not believe Israel is committing war crimes, should it push to censor its own dissenting diplomats?
The censors in the administration and at social media companies have always adopted vague standards that allowed them to pick and choose who should be heard or silenced. Former Twitter executive Anika Collier Navaroli called it a “nuanced” approach in determining how much free speech to allow; former CEO Parag Agrawal said that the “focus [is] less on thinking about free speech” because it is not on who should speak but “who can be heard.”
That leaves any potential censorship based on the ridiculous standard which Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart advanced for pornography in the case of Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184 (1964): “I shall not today attempt further to define [it] … But I know it when I see it.”
Thus, President Biden has no fear about his views being censored: His administration has always exhibited distinct myopia when it claims to know disinformation when it sees it.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 21:00 - 'Put Ourselves In Their Shoes': Highlights From Inaugural ZeroHedge Debate
‘Put Ourselves In Their Shoes’: Highlights From Inaugural ZeroHedge Debate
We hope you enjoyed the first ZeroHedge live debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict, featuring libertarian comedian Dave Smith and conservative journalist Laura Loomer. By spending two hours on a singular topic, allowing each side to scrutinize the other’s arguments, we hoped you found last night’s debate informative and productive.
For those who could not watch it live, here were some notable exchanges with the FULL discussion posted at the end:
Smith began his opening remarks by attacking the war-time “binary” thinking that “you’re either with us or against us,” adding that he does not support Hamas – and that “what’s happening in Gaza is horrific.“
Loomer brought attention to the religious feuds that have driven this conflict by reading from Article 8 of the Hamas charter that calls for Islam to “obliterate” Israel:
Smith pressed Loomer by arguing that: if radical Islam is such a dangerous threat, how much blame should we place upon the western governments and intel agencies that have propped it up, including Israel for its support of Hamas?
On the issue of whether supporters of Hamas are “innocent,” Loomer posed the question: “Don’t people in all societies have a responsibility to challenge or overthrow governments if their governments are not serving the people?”
Smith gave the audience a couple thought experiments to illustrate how extremism takes hold and to question the morality of Israel’s current military strategy:
“[We should] make a real effort to put ourselves in their shoes and go, ‘What would we do in that situation”
— @ComicDaveSmith in the Israel-Palestine @zerohedge debate with @LauraLoomer pic.twitter.com/WSuXJC8ziG
— Liam McCollum (@MLiamMcCollum) November 16, 2023
Watch the FULL debate here:
Let us know who you thought was the winner.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 20:44 - Citadel CEO Ken Griffin Bashes Bidenomics
Citadel CEO Ken Griffin Bashes Bidenomics
Citadel founder Ken Griffin sharply criticized the Biden administration’s efforts to persuade Americans of a strong economy through the promotional campaign called ‘Bidenomics.’ The billionaire said the strategists who told the administration to run on Bidenomics before the 2024 presidential election have “no idea how to read an economics textbook.”
“The American public knows things aren’t working in this economy for them,” Griffin told Bloomberg at the Global Macro Conference in Miami Tuesday.
He said, “Whoever told him [the president] to run on Bidenomics has no idea how to read an economics textbook.”
Griffin’s Bidenomics critique comes days after Politico reported members of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee met with the Biden administration in September and October to brief them about the Bidenomics’ branding failure. They presented numerous polling data that showed Americans aren’t convinced about economic policy accomplishments under the president.
“Democrats can’t just hammer people over the head with an insistence that the economy is great,” Adam Green, co-founder of the PCCC, told Politico.
As we noted, the Bidenomics campaign in corporate media started around late June, as shown in the surge in headlines for the term “Bidenomics.”
Even with the corporate press cheerleading Biden’s alleged economic successes, the president’s approval polling data via Real Clear Politics went down.
The reason is straightforward why the Bidenomics campaign failed: US real average wages were negative for two years in the worst inflation storm in a generation. Consumers understand shelter, food, and gas prices are still high, forcing many working poor to drain personal savings and rack up insurmountable credit card debt just to survive. No matter how much Biden officials tout Bidenomics, people are angered because of their empty wallets.
Griffin also said during the conference that Miami will become the new ‘Wall Street,’ displacing New York City: “We’re on Brickell Bay, and maybe in 50 years it will be Brickell Bay North how we refer to New York in finance.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 20:40 - New Report Raises Concerns That CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System Is Broken
New Report Raises Concerns That CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System Is Broken
Authored by Megan Redshaw via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
(II.studio/Shutterstock) The nation’s primary early warning system used to detect possible safety problems with vaccines is “overwhelmed,” raising concerns the system may be broken and isn’t being adequately managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a new investigation.
The report published on Nov. 10 by The BMJ found the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received an unprecedented number of reports attributed to COVID-19 vaccines, and there aren’t enough staff to meet the requirements for reviewing and following up with serious reports, including deaths. Additionally, the investigation revealed that VAERS is neither transparent, user-friendly, nor responsive, and suggests the government essentially maintains two VAERS systems—only one of which the public can access.
Co-managed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC, VAERS collects reports of symptoms, diagnoses, hospital admissions, and deaths after vaccination to capture post-marketing safety signals and determine if there are any unusual or unexpected reporting patterns for adverse events.
According to the CDC, healthcare providers are “strongly encouraged” to report any adverse event following vaccination to VAERS, even if they’re unclear whether the vaccine caused the adverse event. In contrast, vaccine manufacturers are required by law to report all adverse events that “come to their attention.”
Although VAERS accepts reports from anyone, knowingly filing a false VAERS report violates federal law and is punishable by fine and imprisonment. This allows VAERS to serve as an “early warning system to detect rare adverse events” and deters false reporting. Even so, VAERS has been shown to reflect only 1 percent of actual vaccine adverse events, according to a Harvard Pilgrim Health Care study.
CDC Isn’t Investigating Serious Adverse Events for COVID-19 Vaccines
According to the CDC, in 2019—prior to the pandemic—VAERS received more than 48,000 reports of vaccine adverse events, 85 to 90 percent of which were mild. After the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, The BMJ found an “unprecedented” 1.7 million adverse events were reported to VAERS, with 1 million reported in 2021 and an additional 660,000 received thereafter. Nearly 1 in 5 cases met the criteria for a “serious” adverse event, and most reports were attributed to COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the VAERS Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19, serious adverse events include reports of death, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, permanent disability and/or prolonged hospitalization, and congenital anomalies. Medical records are routinely requested for all serious reports, including deaths, and adverse events of special interest may undergo a more in-depth clinical review by the CDC.
If there is a significant increase in VAERS reports warranting clinical review, the standard operating procedures require additional CDC Immunization Safety Office staff to process cases. For events classified as “serious,” people who report to VAERS are supposed to receive email correspondence prompting them to provide updates, but The BMJ’s investigation shows these standards aren’t being followed.
The BMJ interviewed more than a dozen people, including physicians and a state medical examiner who filed VAERS reports for serious adverse events on behalf of themselves or patients and were either never contacted by the CDC or were contacted months later. Many never received confirmation emails when their reports were filed. Likewise, if a condition was successfully treated or was found to be unrelated to a vaccine, this was not reflected in the database.
Dr. Patrick Whelan, a rheumatologist and researcher at the University of California–Los Angeles, filed a report in 2022 on behalf of his 7-year-old patient after he experienced cardiac arrest and was intubated following COVID-19 vaccination. To Whelan’s knowledge, “nobody called or requested medical records.” The FDA said it followed up “soon after” receiving the report and made several requests for medical records. It also added that staff “might not reach out to medical providers unless they have specific questions about a case or VAERS report.”
Dr. James Gill, chief medical examiner for the state of Connecticut and forensic pathologist, filed a VAERS report after a 15-year-old boy died suddenly in 2021 from stress cardiomyopathy following his second dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Although he completed a report online and received a temporary e-report number, the CDC never followed up. It wasn’t until Dr. Gill published the boy’s case report in February 2022 in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine in February 2022 that the CDC responded—with a letter to the editor challenging Gill’s findings.
React19, a science-based non-profit comprised of 30,000 people injured by COVID-19 vaccines, reviewed 126 VAERS reports and found 22 percent were never given a permanent VAERS ID, and 1 of 3 reports filed disappeared from the system entirely, according to The BMJ.
An intensive care and emergency physician filed several reports on behalf of patients, including six deaths. According to The BMJ, she only received a request for medical records regarding one death and for only two patients admitted to the hospital.
When it comes to reports of death following COVID-19 vaccination, other countries have acknowledged that deaths were “likely” or “probably” related to mRNA vaccination, but the CDC has reviewed more than 20,000 preliminary death reports, which is significantly more than other countries, yet has not attributed a single death to mRNA vaccines, The BMJ stated.
“A BMJ investigation has raised concerns that the VAERS system isn’t operating as intended and that signals are being missed. As someone who has been studying and scrutinizing VAERS data for three years, I can confirm this observation,” researcher Jessica Rose told The Epoch Times in an email. Ms. Rose, a VAERS expert with a doctorate in computational biology, says these stories and experiences reflect the VAERS system’s deficiencies.
There Are 2 VAERS Databases–Only One Is Public
In contrast to how the U.S. government handles adverse reaction reports related to drugs and devices, the author of The BMJ report, Jennifer Block, discovered the FDA and CDC are essentially maintaining two separate VAERS databases—one the public has access to containing initial reports and a private system on the backend with updates, outcomes, and corrections.
Dr. Narayan Nair is the FDA division director who oversees VAERS. According to the BMJ, during a December 2022 meeting, Dr. Nair stated there are two parts to VAERS: “the front-end system and the back end.” In a meeting with advocates, Dr. Nair admitted initial reports are never updated, so the public never sees an updated report on the front end.
Yet the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System for drugs does maintain a publicly accessible database that gets updated, as does the Medical Device Reporting System. It’s only the VAERS system that doesn’t publicly display updates. If someone wants a full copy of their record or report, they must submit a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act, an FDA spokesperson told The BMJ.
Although regulatory officials told The BMJ this was to protect patient confidentiality, this means that patients, doctors, and other public users of the database do not have access to updated or complete records.
In an email to The Epoch Times, VAERS expert and data analyst Albert Benavides said he knew there were two VAERS databases, but of even greater concern is that the CDC isn’t publishing all legitimate reports it receives.
“What supersedes even two VAERS databases (internal and external) is the fact that VAERS does not publish all legitimate reports received,” Mr. Benavides said. “The BMJ and the public are just now becoming aware that only initial reports are published, even though VAERS continues to collect follow-up data, hence the two databases. [The fact that] only initial reports are made public begs the question, how many people are now since dead in VAERS?” he added.
Mr. Benevides noted the CDC stopped including follow-up data in 2011 after the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care study was published.
Regulators Are Missing Safety Signals in VAERS
Because clinical trials involve studying products in a small number of selected individuals for a short period, some side effects may only occur when a larger and diverse population has used the products over a longer duration. Pharmacovigilance is the practice of monitoring the effects of medical drugs and vaccines after they have been licensed to identify, prevent, and evaluate previously unreported adverse reactions.
“Good pharmacovigilance requires prompt data collection, review by people with clinical expertise, and adequate follow-up,” Marie Lindquist, former director of the Uppsala Monitoring Centre in Sweden, told The BMJ. “We know that even the best clinical trials won’t detect [rare adverse events].”
For example, the risk of a rare blood clotting disorder associated with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Janssen, did not manifest until it was authorized. With only six cases reported, regulators in 2021 paused its use to investigate the reports and ultimately linked the rare blood clotting disorder to the shot.
Ralph Edwards, former editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine and author or co-author of more than 400 scientific papers, told The BMJ that VAERS is great for detecting adverse events that occur “very soon after vaccination” and those associated with other vaccines. However, it is not good at detecting new or latent effects because regulators may rely too heavily on epidemiological evidence to acknowledge a VAERS signal.
In other words, if an adverse event hasn’t been recognized before, it’s ignored by regulators. If regulators do not acknowledge a signal, it’s not acknowledged by doctors. Doctors also have to be educated to look for a condition so they know how to test for it and treat it. If physicians don’t acknowledge a medical condition could be potentially connected to a vaccine, they won’t report it—so a passive surveillance system like VAERS won’t display the signal.
“It is easy to understand why VAERS is underreported and also why it needs to be used as the pharmacovigilance tool that it is,” Ms. Rose told The Epoch Times in an email. “How can doctors file a VAERS report if they do not even know what to look for as per an adverse event occurrence? Furthermore, if a safe and effective doctrine continues to be pushed, the doctors and nurse practitioners will not feel compelled to report suspected adverse events in the first place,” she added.
In Rose’s opinion, VAERS is a functioning pharmacovigilance tool. “The problem is, the owners of the data are not using it as such, and this is why the safety signals are being not so much ‘missed,’ as they are hidden,” she said.
The BMJ’s investigation suggests the VAERS is understaffed, so there aren’t enough people to ensure the CDC’s standards are met. Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and reviewed by the BMJ show that Pfizer had about 1,000 more full-time employees devoted to vaccine surveillance than the CDC. The company brought in an additional 600 people to process adverse event reports attributed to its COVID-19 vaccine with the intent to employ a total of 1,800 people. The CDC only has 70 to 80 full-time equivalent workers, despite the agency’s “responsibility for handling adverse event reports on all products.”
The Epoch Times contacted the CDC for comment but has not received a response.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 20:20 - Outrage Ensues After No Charges Likely In Biden Classified Document Scandal
Outrage Ensues After No Charges Likely In Biden Classified Document Scandal
Of course…
Following a ‘thorough investigation,’ special counsel Robert Hur is unlikely to charge anyone in connection to President Joe Biden’s classified document scandal, according to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the matter.
Hur’s report is expected to sharply criticize Biden and his aides for their handling of classified documents – the standard treatment for the protected establishment class whose name doesn’t end in Trump.
This outcome raises obvious questions DOJ sham investigations – for if a Special Counsel’s probe into potential mishandling of sensitive national documents results only in criticism and no legal repercussions, what message does it send about accountability at the highest levels of government?
Hur’s investigation, which began in January following his appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has spanned nearly a year. It has involved interviews with around 100 Biden aides, including the President’s embattled son, Hunter Biden, who himself faces unrelated legal troubles following an indictment on federal gun charges. Biden himself was interviewed last month.
“The president has been interviewed as part of the investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Hur,” reads the statement from the White House Counsel’s Office spokesperson Ian Sams (the guy who lied and had a meltdown over Hunter Biden’s $260K in Chinese wires).
Of note, Hunter Biden listed Joe’s Wilmington, Delaware home – where a bunch of classified documents were found, as his address when he received above mentioned Chinese wires, due to the Biden family’s dealings with CCP-linked businessmen.
As Jonathan Turley noted last month;
The most glaring problem is that, after they were removed at the end of his term as vice president, the documents were repeatedly moved and divided up. Some were found in the Penn Center office used by Biden in Washington, D.C. Others were found in his garage and reportedly in his library.
Biden made clear from the beginning that he expected the investigation to be perfunctory and brief. He publicly declared that he has “no regrets” over his own conduct and told the public that the documents investigation would soon peter out when it determined that “there is no ‘there’ there.”
Now, however, it appears that a critical claim by the White House in the scandal may not only be false, but was knowingly false at the time it was made. The White House and Biden’s counsel have long maintained that, as soon as documents were discovered in the D.C. office, they notified the national archives. Many asked why they did not call the FBI, but the White House has at least maintained that, unlike Trump, they took immediate action to notify authorities.
However, it now appears that this was not true.
One of the closest aides to Biden and a close friend to Hunter Biden is Annie Tomasini. She referred to Hunter as her “brother” and signed off messages with “LY” or “love you.”
Hur was appointed in January by AG Merrick Garland to lead the classified documents probe. Prior that, he was a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor who has litigation experience involving classified materials.
They’re trying to throw Trump in prison over classified documents that he DID have the authority to declassify but Biden won’t even get a slap on wrist for mishandling + keeping classified docs he kept as a VP/Senator when he wasn’t able to declassify them. Political prosecution! https://t.co/8UElp4aGx0
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) November 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Notably, the investigation has also involved discussions with Secretary of State Tony Blinken, former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, as reported by WSJ. These high-level interviews underscore the gravity of the investigation and the potential ramifications it could have had.
The House Oversight Committee wrote a letter to Hur in October requesting information on whether President Biden possessed classified documents related to his son’s foreign business dealings. The classified documents discovered at the Penn Biden Center and Joe Biden’s Delaware residence date back to his vice presidency and decades-long senate tenure.
Kathy Chung, a Defense Department aide and former Vice President Biden aide recommended by Hunter Biden, was one of the individuals who handled classified documents, according to the Oversight Committee. –Daily Caller
As the DOJ investigation winds down, the House Oversight Committee has vowed to continue its quest for clarity and accountability. Former White House Counsel Dana Remus was subpoenaed to appear for a deposition to answer questions about the handling of the classified documents. This move indicates that, while Hur’s investigation may not lead to criminal charges, the political and public scrutiny over the matter is far from over.
So yes, corrupt administration investigates itself – finds no wrongdoing worth pursuing. End of story.
Joe Biden’s DOJ investigated Joe Biden and found that Joe Biden had done nothing wrong by taking classified material and storing it in his office and garage floor. https://t.co/6VsDxDw3gO
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 16, 2023
And also of course…
On same day of news leaking that Biden will not be held accountable for significant mishandling of classified docs for decades, DOJ brags about convicting pro-life activist Paula “Paulette” Harlow, 75. https://t.co/zX2yLWYEJ6
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) November 16, 2023
Please explain…
How can the DOJ can charge Trump for having classified documents, when as former POTUS, he had the authority to have them & could declassify at any time in his term
But no charges for Biden & he did not have the authority to have the docs
Make it make sense?!? https://t.co/wWz6QUjbAh
— Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) November 16, 2023
He could have papered his beach house walls with classified docs, and this would have been the result https://t.co/xjOfehXM8s
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) November 16, 2023
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 20:01 - Why We Are Sleepwalking Into Tyranny
Why We Are Sleepwalking Into Tyranny
Authored by Bryce Buchanan via American Thinker,
The world is heading quite rapidly toward tyranny. We are in a revolutionary period that will dramatically change civilization. Few people understand the gravity of our situation. Here are some of the reasons why the majority of people seem oblivious to the danger. These psychological shortcomings explain why we are sleepwalking into tyranny.
Image: DeltaWorks via Pixabay, Pixabay License. The Normalcy Bias “is a cognitive bias that occurs in times of crisis, leading us to disregard any signs or warnings that we are in danger. … Normalcy bias is a defense mechanism that lulls us into thinking life will just continue as it always has.” It is a reassuring presumption that things will get better, or, at least things will not take a dramatic change for the worse.
But steady progress is not the way the world works. History is a story of the rise and fall of civilizations. Tyranny, poverty, and servitude are the normal state of mankind, and it would not be difficult at all to return to that state. The pattern of history is that humans make some progress, and then evil men do evil things and stupid men do stupid things, and the civilization crumbles. The normalcy bias can stop people from seeing this.
You may have confidence in constant improvement because the people you know are good, productive people who are kind to others. You assume that most people are like that. But you need to notice that there are also evil people who have decided that their role is to manage your life. They are self-appointed shepherds, and they see you as their sheep. This is the essence of tyranny. If these evil people are also foolish, they may think that they can manage the world economy and force all the “little” people to act in a way that creates utopia…. a great leap forward.
Centrally managed economies have been tried many times. They always fail, often spectacularly.
Masses of people can also be detached from reality by the Conformity Bias, which also goes by several other names. Ayn Rand called it Social Metaphysics. People with this cognitive defect look to their social group to tell them what is true. There is no independent critical thinking. This is the lazy person’s way of acquiring his view of reality.
It is the dream of any tyrant to have a population that acquires its beliefs this way. If a political faction can be lied to with impunity, and if blind acceptance of the lies is required to maintain membership in the group, that is a powerful means of control. A group like that could be expected to believe, for example, that a man could choose to be a woman and even have a baby. They could be told that “the border is secure” at a time when millions and millions of people are streaming in. They could be told that Trump said white supremacists are fine people. Etc.
There are no limits to the lies when the target audience is essentially detached from reality. In the book 1984, George Orwell symbolized this by showing that the model citizens readily accepted the government decree that 2+2=5. Many of the lies of the left are equally absurd. They are direct contradictions of what we know to be true.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Václav Havel, two brilliant antagonists of tyranny, said that simply and steadfastly telling the truth was a fundamental weapon that citizens should use against tyrants. Solzhenitsyn said, “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.”
The third unfortunate human trait that favors tyrants was explained by Aldous Huxley. Huxley and Orwell each wrote novels predicting a dystopian future. Orwell’s prediction involved a substantial amount of fear and coercion, but Huxley predicted a relatively smooth and easy transition to tyranny. Huxley said the population would be distracted with trivial pleasures and would hardly notice the prison being built around them. He brilliantly foresaw how a society could sleepwalk into tyranny. These Huxley quotes demonstrate his prescience.
Huxley said, “There will be [a] dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution.”
He said, “By means of ever more effective methods of mind-manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms … will remain. The underlying substance will be a new kind of non-violent totalitarianism. … [T]he ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit.”
Huxley imagined “a prison without walls in which the prisoners would not even dream of escaping. It would essentially be a system of slavery where, through consumption and entertainment, the slaves would love their servitude.” He believed that “[t]he greater part of the population is not very intelligent, dreads responsibility, and … is perfectly happy to let itself be ruled.”
Huxley correctly predicted, “a vast mass communications industry, concerned in the main neither with the true nor the false, but with the unreal, the more or less totally irrelevant. [The media will cater to] man’s almost infinite appetite for distraction.”
He knew that both poor education and perpetual crisis would enable tyranny, writing, “Children are nowhere taught, in any systematic way, to distinguish true from false, or meaningful from meaningless, statements.” And “[l]iberty, as we all know, cannot flourish in a country that is permanently on a war footing, or even a near war footing. Permanent crisis justifies permanent control of everybody and everything by the agencies of central government.”
While most people are not paying attention, most of the key elements protecting freedom and prosperity are now under attack by people who wish to control our country and the world. Globalist leaders wish to put an end to national sovereignty, enforce a “New World Order,” control information, put an end to free speech, give the WHO worldwide dictatorial power on major health choices, ban our only reliable sources of energy, and impose a digital currency that will allow complete monitoring and control of every single citizen with a Chinese-style social credit system. At home, the U.S. is in the “looting the treasury phase” of empire collapse. Our military is weak, woke, and overextended. The dominant media function as a branch of the Democrat party. The upper levels of the Justice Department also function as a branch of the Democrat party. Anti-white racism is widely taught and supported by the government.
These are not conspiracy theories. The evidence is mostly out in the open. The people who are planning to be your future masters are not worried about stating their plans because the vast majority of people are distracted with their trivial amusements. They are busy watching ball games and movies and smartphone screens. The mental weaknesses discussed above have created a culture ripe for the taking, oblivious and unconcerned about the things that really matter.
People can ignore important things…but they cannot escape the consequences of ignoring important things.
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. That price has not been paid. Not at all. So here we are, at the brink.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 19:40 - China Home Prices Plunge The Most In Eight Years
China Home Prices Plunge The Most In Eight Years
While China keeps regurgitating the same tired and trite line about an “imminent” fiscal and housing stimulus, which reportedly is in the “trillions” of yuan, yet which to date is entirely imaginary and never actually materalizes, its housing market continues to crater and will soon reach a point where a depression is unavoidable… at which point the all too real stimulus to reboot the economy will be in the tens of trillions.
Overnight, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported that last month, China’s home prices fell the most in eight years signaling the property slump is worsening even after the government ramped up efforts to revive demand. In fact, one can argue that central planning is merely doing what it always does: makes the situation even worse.
New-home prices in 70 cities, excluding state-subsidized housing, declined 0.38% last month from September, when they dropped 0.3%, official figures showed Thursday. The decrease was the steepest since February 2015.
The drop adds to further evidence of a relentless and persistent housing downturn after official figures this week showed a contraction in sales and property investment deepened. Fresh stimulus measures rolled out at major cities since August, and which have been derided as much too small to make an impact, have done little to turn around the sector, which is dragging on China’s economic recovery and which has traditionally served as the primary source of wealth for China’s middle class.
While prices in the largest, tier-1 cities, slid 0.35%, sharply deteriorating from a 0.05% decrease a month earlier, tier-2 cities, mostly provincial capitals, fared better with a narrower price decline amid an easing in homebuying restrictions.
The second-hand market didn’t fare any better, with prices tumbling 0.58%, the most since October 2014. A Bloomberg Intelligence gauge of Chinese property developers fell as much as 1.4% on Thursday morning, extending this year’s decline to 43%.
Here are some more details:
- After seasonal adjustments, weighted average house prices in the primary market declined by 0.9% mom annualized in October, despite ongoing easing policies.
- The proportion of cities that experienced sequential house price gains declined in both the primary market and secondary market in October from September. New home prices dropped in 56 of 70 cities in October. Second-hand home prices fell in 67 cities, with just Xi’an in Shaanxi province and Hangzhou in Zhejiang showing growth.
Most property-related activity remained sluggish in year-on-year terms in October. 30-city new home transaction volume declined by 27.1% yoy month-to-date in November. Major cities’ inventory months (sellable gross floor area divided by 12-month rolling gross floor area sold) rose to 23.8 in October from 22.7 in September, with the increase mostly led by Tier-3 cities.
A brief housing market rebound earlier this year after China’s post-Covid reopening “turned out to be short-lived,” said Chen Wenjing, associate research director at China Index Holdings. “Homebuyers are deterred by squeezed incomes and the uncertain property market outlook.” The record high youth unemployment, which forced Beijing to suspend the data series once it crossed above 21%, is not helping.
Meanwhile, the latest October money and credit data suggested growth of household medium-to-long term loans, which are mostly mortgages, decelerated in sequential terms in October from September.
In the latest (insufficient) move to prop up the real estate sector, Bloomberg reported that Beijing is planning to provide at least 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) of low-cost financing to urban village renovation and affordable housing programs. While details of the new plan remain unclear, some economists say it will be even less effective than earlier efforts. The new programs would mostly take place in some of the largest metropolitan areas, outside the low-tier cities where the slump is most severe.
Following the slew of easing announcements on property policy, Goldman economists expect more housing easing measures in coming months, including more relaxation of home purchase restrictions in large cities, among others. However, considering persistent property weakness related to lower-tier cities and private developers, such easing measures may only lead to an “L-shaped” recovery in the sector in coming years. In other words, no recovery.
As is widely known by now, China’s property crisis has engulfed almost all of the largest developers, which have been struggling to repay debts and complete projects since a credit crunch emerged three years ago. China Vanke, one of the country’s few remaining investment-grade builders, saw its dollar bonds plunge in recent weeks on the heels of industry giant Country Garden’s default. Vanke later received an unusually strong show of support from the local government.
“Property remains the biggest drag amid the rising credit risk among developers,” Larry Hu, head of China economics at Macquarie Group Ltd., wrote in a note this week.
As a reminder, two years ago, Goldman calculated that China’s housing market is the world’s single biggest asset class…
… however, after the spectacular implosion of the past two years, it is unclear where it ranks today.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 19:20 - Bitcoin: A Beacon Of Financial Liberation In A Dollar-Driven World
Bitcoin: A Beacon Of Financial Liberation In A Dollar-Driven World
Authored by Shane Neagle via Bitcoin Magazine,
It has become commonplace to normalize the extremity of fiat. The last such instance was in September when the federal government broke another record by crossing the $33 trillion national debt threshold. A decade ago, the USG’s outstanding borrowings have already outpaced the US’ annual GDP.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now projects a 2% federal debt increase per year. The established dynamic is one of increased borrowing because there is simply no way to patch up budget deficits with tax revenue alone. This year alone, the USG had to pay $711 billion on net interest payments.
Ultimately, the Federal Reserve, as the purveyor of money, has to keep increasing its balance sheet so the USG can keep up with its debt obligations. Inevitably, the ex nihilo creation of new money leads to devaluation of the dollar, the world’s dominant measurement of value.
And as previous monetary cycles taught us, when value measurement is warped, extremities can balloon to cartoonish levels.
A trillion mark note next to a loaf of bread, Weimar Republic, 1920s. As hyperinflation spun out of control, the government responded by just printing larger denominations of cash. pic.twitter.com/VSNpXCrYd8
— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) October 15, 2023
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Destabilized Legacy of Modern Money
As the Weimar Republic led to World War II, and as the war concluded, the new binding framework was put in place in 1944. Known as the Bretton Woods Agreement, it established the dollar as the world reserve currency. Although it technically collapsed in the early 1970s, it left behind the IMF, the World Bank and the legacy of debt-fueled growth.
More precisely, Bretton Woods positioned the dollar as having the largest Net International Investment Position (NIIP). The USG maximally extracted this advantage, as evidenced by the NIIP turning negative decades ago, making the US owe more to foreigners than they owe to the US.
The US’ NIIP as of Q2 2023. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Where does this leave the world?
Simply put, in a state of unsound money. Last year, borrowings for OECD nations increased 43% above the 2011-2019 average. Simultaneously, borrowing costs more than doubled since 2021, creating a situation wherein much of economic output goes to debt service.
And as governments borrow more money to pay off debt, this leads to elevated debt expenditures. In turn, money printing becomes the go-to remedy to pay off debt, instigating inflation. But as high interest rates are introduced to clamp down on inflation, higher debt levels need to be served.
This is the spiral of currency devaluation. The destabilized macro landscape places a pressure to seek other venues to preserve wealth and outpace the money erosion. Some seek bond yields, some stock dividends, but others turn to a reimagined monetary system outside of central banking.
Bitcoin’s Decentralized Promise
For money to become sound, a core prerequisite has to be followed. Because the creation of new money depends on the government’s hunger to spend outside its means, the money itself has to be detached from the government.
This way, the moral hazard can be cut at the root. At a glance, this task seems impossible:
- On a given territory, a hierarchy always emerges to rule it.
- In one way or another, the top echelon has to maintain legitimacy in order to rule.
- Legitimacy comes down to money issuance and management.
In turn, it is that money they issue that is perceived as legitimate, becoming legal tender to price goods and services. Yet, even if that tender itself is physically sound, by virtue of counterfeiting such as gold, it can be seized and manipulated.
Bitcoin broke through that impossibility barrier, forever changing the perception of money. Bound by math, cryptography and computing power, Bitcoin removes the need for central authority.
Bitcoin’s record of account – the blockchain – is maintained in a decentralized manner, and everyone with internet access can participate in its verification. In addition to having permissionless access to public ledger, Bitcoin is both government and nation-agnostic.
For the first time in monetary history, it became possible to send and receive borderless payments, without entangling any bank or foreign exchange bureau. Although this can be performed anonymously, Bitcoin’s public ledger is at all times auditable.
Removing Moral Hazards: Path to Sound Money
When it comes down to it, incentives govern behavior. With fiat money in place, the government always has an incentive to extravagantly spend. It then prints money to make up for balance sheet holes, while leaving the taxpayer with another form of tax – inflation.
Inflation is the immediate manifestation of central banking, but there are many others. During the Great Recession of 2007 -2009, central banks bailed out financial institutions that took too much risk to the tune of $498 billion. These banks had to be bailed out in order to keep the entire financial system stable, but if this is baked into the cake, then risk-taking becomes the norm.
It is from this great moral hazard that pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto took the plunge with Bitcoin. Moreover, as central banks shift monetary policies, they tend to generate financial bubbles. Low interest rates caused major bubbles to pop, the tech bubble in the late 1990s and the housing bubble in the early 2000s.
The Great Recession itself was partly caused by low interest rates, as they made it easier for borrowers to get mortgages, leading to the subprime mortgage crisis.
In turn, as bubbles pop, central banking leaves recession in its wake. At the bottom, it becomes difficult for people to orient themselves towards the future. Then, as bubbles, taxes, government spending and inflation continue to pile up, what was previously the norm becomes a far-flung dream for many.
Home Price Affordability in the United States, source: DQYDJ On the international stage, vying for monetary supremacy can further lead to destabilization to the point of financial exclusion. The Russia-Ukraine conflict clarified this point acutely, as the USG weaponized the dollar to inflict pain on its geopolitical rival.
In the middle, Europe suffered the most as sanctions against Russia, abundant in natural resources, boomeranged against Germany, the EU’s economic engine. For individuals and nations both, Bitcoin becomes a potential self-sustained wealth machine outside the moral hazards of central banking and politicking.
In the distant alternative future, one has to wonder if large-scale conflicts, alongside infrastructural/economic devastation, would even be possible with fiat money out of the picture.
The Path Forward: Institutional Adoption, Speed, Efficiency and AI
After many market busts and custodial learning opportunities, cryptocurrency at large is on the verge of a legitimacy breakout. This is best exemplified by BlackRock’s application to launch a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). Larry Fink, the head of the world’s largest asset manager, at $9 trillion AuM, made a complete pivot from his previous Bitcoin hostility.
In contrast to 2017 statements framing Bitcoin as “ shows you how much demand for money laundering there is in the world,”, Fink is hyping up Bitcoin to an unprecedented level:
“We do believe that if we can create more tokenization of assets and securities – that’s what bitcoin is – it could revolutionize finance”
Yet, Fink also said that “it costs a lot of money right now to transact Bitcoin”. Although he inferred it in the context of general cryptocurrency investing, it is a fact that Bitcoin mainnet is not suitable for daily currency usage.
For global mass adoption, the Bitcoin blockchain’s 7 transactions-per-second capacity would have to increase drastically to offer near-instant payments for either online shopping or in-store merchants. This is where Bitcoin scaling comes into play, the most popular example being the Lightning Network.
At an average base fee of 865 mSats ($0.000243), the Lightning payment highway has also proven near-instant as more nodes are added.
Source: mempool.space Taking advantage of smart contract programmability, Lightning Labs have also integrated artificial intelligence (AI). Thanks to LangChainBitcoin and Aperture, AI agents can directly interface with Bitcoin via LN, allowing for exchange of funds both on-chain and on the Lightning Network.
This opens up a whole new arena of applications, without even having to resort to credit cards or fiat for payment rails. In the near future, we can expect to see real-time cost settlements, pay-per-use AI models, content micropayments, lending, and equitable resource sharing as LN’s smart contracts automate subscriptions, rent or even salaries.
We could even see AI-powered underwriting, risk assessment and financial advisors, all using Lightning Network’s smart contracts to execute investment strategies.
Although Bitcoin’s core code is conservative, Ordinals have showcased that functions could be attached without any forking, soft or hard. During just the first two months of Ordinal hype, as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) creation grew, over 350k were inscribed to Bitcoin’s mainnet.
Most recently, Bitcoin developer Robin Linus released the “BitVM: Computing Anything on Bitcoin” whitepaper. Again without any forking, it showcases that Bitcoin’s smart contract logic can be executed off-chain but verified on-chain.
Linus forecasts greatly expanded use for Bitcoin if BitVM is implemented in writing/debugging Bitcoin contracts.
“Potential applications include games like Chess, Go, or Poker, and particularly, verification of validity proofs in Bitcoin contracts.”
Yet, all that potential remains in the “putting the cart before the horse” stage. Bitcoin’s primary job should be to push for financial emancipation from the vagaries of the central banking system. With the Lightning Network in the game, even the Federal Reserve admitted that the necessary ingredients are there.
This is a guest post by Shane Neagle. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 19:00 - Watch: Blinken Dies Inside While Biden Blunders Through Major Geopolitical Moment
Watch: Blinken Dies Inside While Biden Blunders Through Major Geopolitical Moment
With President Biden’s 81st birthday right around the corner, his ancient brain – barely clinging to reality, is no longer responding to whatever cocktail of drugs and blood transfusions (we can only assume) have been keeping him marginally functional since his inauguration.
Joe Biden bizarrely bites wife Jill’s finger, Dec. 30, 2019 (Photo: Joshua Lott) Four weeks ago Biden staggered out to speak with the press on Air Force One, when he grabbed his face, looked at the floor, and then spat a word-salad of gibberish about mass shootings in between long, geriatric pauses.
Painful to watch: Biden mumbles incoherently to reporters aboard Air Force One pic.twitter.com/P4IQWjFirZ
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 18, 2023
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Despite finally getting the president to stop sniffing children on camera, his handlers, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House spox John Kirby, shot each other ‘we’re seriously screwed, he’s meeting with Xi in 4 weeks’ looks.
A picture is worth 1,000 words pic.twitter.com/E4NFmDJZTg
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 19, 2023
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Fast forward to Wednesday’s geopolitically delicate meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he accidentally called a dictator during a post-meeting press conference.
“After today, would you still refer to President Xi as a dictator?” a reporter asked Biden.
“Look, he is. He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours,” Biden replied.
“After today, would you still refer to President Xi as a dictator?” asks a reporter.
“Look, he is. He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours,” says Pres. Biden. pic.twitter.com/JjZeGBNcU2
— Last Call (@LastCallCNBC) November 16, 2023
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To which Blinken could be seen internally screaming in his chair…
Blinken’s face after Joe Biden calls Chinese President Xi a “dictator” 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/XqjQU9FmZd
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) November 16, 2023
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After which Biden’s handlers start aggressively herding the press out of the room.
Biden advisors scream at press to leave the room after Xi’s statement😳 pic.twitter.com/U8b9yuGvsg
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 15, 2023
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Blinken was visibly agitated during the Biden-Xi meeting.
*** BLINKEN CAM FROM BIDEN-XI APEC MEETING *** pic.twitter.com/zbtR8n1KTL
— iBankCoin, A Reliable Source (@iBankCoin4tw) November 16, 2023
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The “dictator” incident resulted in a furious response from China, who called Biden’s comment “extremely wrong.”
As comic and ZH inaugural debate participant Dave Smith sums up best:
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 19:00 - White House In "Intense Negotiations" To Free Hostages As Dead Israeli Woman Found Near Gaza Hospital
White House In “Intense Negotiations” To Free Hostages As Dead Israeli Woman Found Near Gaza Hospital
The White House has said it is still involved in “intense negotiations” toward securing the release of hostages held by Hamas, however no deal has yet to materialize.
US national security spokesman John Kirby issued an update on Thursday, confirming the US has a “team of the ground” which is working “by the hour” on a potential deal. These back-channel talks have reportedly centered on Qatar, which has served as a mediator with Hamas.
“We are in some intense negotiations; hopefully they’ll come out the right way and we’ll have good news to talk about with multiple hostages getting free,” Kirby told CNN. “But we don’t have a deal right now, and until we do, the less said the better.”
IDF via AP The day prior, on Wednesday, there were widespread – albeit premature – reports that a deal was on the table which would see the release of 50 hostages in exchange for a three-day stoppage in fighting, or temporary truce.
“The deal, under discussion and coordinated with the U.S., would also see Israel release some Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails and increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza,” an official privy to the negotiations said.
But Israel’s defense ministry has said Thursday it is continuing to “mop up” northern Gaza, and there are signs it intends to expand anti-Hamas operations to the south too, where the bulk of the Strip’s civilians have fled.
Qatar has thus far secured the release of a few prisoners, but still Israel has denied there are any plans for a major, multi-day halt in fighting. The IDF has only in the last half-day fully secured Al-Shifa hospital, which it claims was used as a Hamas command center.
But more bad news has emerged concerning the over 230 Israeli and foreign hostages still in captivity. The IDF on Wednesday said that during operations near Al-Shifa, the body of a deceased 65-year old Israeli woman was found in a nearby building.
“The body of the abductee, the late Yehudit Weiss, was recovered by IDF forces from the 603rd Battalion of the 7th Brigade Combat Team from a building near the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip to the territory of the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement posted to X.
Held hostage: Yehudit Weiss
Yehudit hasn’t been heard from since the morning of Oct 7, when she and her husband, Shmulik, were in their Kibbutz Be’eri safe room. Hamas terrorists shot Shmulik.
Yehudit’s phone was later traced to Gaza. She had been undergoing treatment for… pic.twitter.com/DF5xWe0YHw
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 10, 2023
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“In the building where the late Judith was found, military equipment and weapons of the Kalashnikov type and an RPG missile were also found.” The statement detailed further:
“After an identification procedure carried out by medical officials and military rabbis, together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, today (Thursday), representatives of the IDF and the police informed the family of the late Judith Weiss, who was kidnapped on Saturday 10/7/23 from her home in Bari. We share in the family’s grief.”
The IDF added that it won’t cease in urgent hostage recovery efforts: “The national mission before our eyes is to locate the missing and return the abducted home.”
Currently, the messaging out of Israeli officials and national media is that Hamas is against the ropes and on the verge of total defeat. But the IDF has suffered over 50 confirmed troop deaths since launching the ground assault – and the real figure could be significantly higher. The vast network of Hamas tunnels under the Strip also presents a monumental military challenge.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 18:40 - IOC Faces Pressure To Cancel Swimming Event In Doha
IOC Faces Pressure To Cancel Swimming Event In Doha
Authored by Susan Crabtree via RealClear Wire,
More than a half-century ago, the world awakened to the threat of terrorism at major sporting events when eight men in jumpsuits hopped the fence at Munich’s Olympic Village and carried out an attack that would ultimately leave 11 of Israel’s athletes dead, along with a West German policeman and five of the eight assailants.
The attackers were members of the group Black September – an affiliate of the Palestine Liberation Organization. They had wanted to hold Israeli athletes hostage and force the release of 236 prisoners held in Israel and two leaders of the West German Baader-Meinhof terrorist group. But their mission failed, and 20 hours after it began, a botched rescue attempt by German law enforcement led to the shocking carnage, with some of the night’s events playing out on live television.
The Munich massacre that took place in the wee hours of Sept. 5-6, 1972, was a wake-up call for Western governments to the threat of terrorism and the dire need for tight security at international athletic events and greater scrutiny when selecting venues.
After the death of his Olympic teammates, legendary Israeli swimmer Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals and set seven world records at the 1972 Munich games, was forced to flee Germany in haste, hidden under a blanket and fearing for his life.
For Israeli and Jewish athletes, the ever-present threat is once again blinking red in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas that left 1,200 people dead, including women and children, and 239 people held hostage. In February, the World Aquatic Federation is set to host an international swimming competition in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The event would normally determine qualifiers for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But the International Olympic Committee is now facing pressure to either move the event or change the qualifying regulations so Israeli and Jewish athletes will not be forced to attend or be penalized for skipping.
For the last decade, Qatar has served as an asylum for Hamas’ political leadership, and it has long provided the terrorist organization with financial assistance estimated at roughly $1.8 billion in 2021. Though Qatar is a tiny nation – about twice the size of Delaware – its influence is outsized. It’s home to the state-owned Al Jazeera news network, which often airs anti-Israeli and American angles, as well as a large U.S. airbase that played a crucial role in evacuating U.S. citizens and Afghanistan refugees after the fall of Kabul in 2022.
While Qatar has tried to burnish its image in recent years, hosting the World Cup in 2022 despite an avalanche of criticism from human rights groups, the country has drawn intense criticism in the wake of the attacks on Israel. The outrage stemmed from the Qatari minister of foreign affairs’ statement blaming Israel for the Oct. 7 Hamas assault. That position put Qatar on the same side of the war as Iran and contrasted with the reaction from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar’s rival and Israel’s closest partner in the Arab world. The UAE declared the Hamas attack “a serious and grave escalation” and said it was appalled by reports that “Israeli civilians have been abducted as hostages in their homes.”
Several international officials are now appealing to the World Aquatic Federation to move its world swimming championships from Qatar to a safer venue or change Olympic qualifying regulations to allow Israeli and Jewish athletes to skip the event. Officials from the United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, and several Scandinavian countries have pressed the World Aquatic Federation to relocate the swimming event.
Eric Spitz, a Jewish tech and sports businessman whose daughter is a dual citizen of Israel and the United States and a member of the Israeli women’s swim team, is spearheading a coalition demanding a change of venue. The coalition launched a website, www.notodoha.com, and Spitz, who is not related to Mark Spitz, sent a letter, dated Wednesday, to the International Olympics Committee, pressing for a solution that would not force Israeli and Jewish swimmers to jeopardize their safety in Doha.
The letter notes that IOC President Thomas Back, during an event in Tel Aviv last year, apologized for waiting 50 years to commemorate the Israel victims of the Munich Massacre “in a dignified way” and called the event one of “the darkest days in Olympic history.”
“Since no Jews could justifiably feel safe while competing in Doha, we implore you to uphold your core tenant and heed your own words of regret,” the unsigned letter states. “This is your chance to bend the arc of history toward justice. The Olympic movement must be a force for peace, unity, and goodwill, as it was intended to be.”
The “No to Doha” letter notes that the IOC this week, from Nov. 15-17, is scheduled to hold commissions meetings. The commissions, a set of working groups on different topics impacting the games, include an IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights. The commissions advise the IOC president and executive board on pressing matters on their topic of expertise.
Earlier this week, Bach underscored the need for unity in the sporting world amid increasing global tensions. “The current geopolitical tensions are extremely complex. In such times, the unifying power of sport is more important than ever before,” he told an audience in an opening address at the 2023 International Federation Forum in Switzerland.
“Today, millions of people around the globe are longing for such a unifying force that brings us all together in our so confrontational world,” he continued. “Our role is clear: to unite – and not to deepen divisions. Therefore, we carry an important responsibility – to stand together for the power of sport and to live up to our shared mission to make the world a better place through sport.”
Eric Spitz is now imploring Bach to live up to that promise and ensure that Israeli and Jewish swimmers can continue pursuing their sport without risking their safety or antisemitic harassment by requiring their travel to Doha to qualify for the Olympics.
“For many, athletics serve as a sanctuary from the chaos and turmoil of life,” Spitz wrote in his letter to the IOC. “The Olympic movement, which represents the pinnacle of non-violent competition, fosters a global fellowship bound by an unwavering passion for the sport. At this moment, Jewish and Israeli athletes are navigating some of the most arduous trials of their lives … inaction on the part of the IOC would unfairly remove a source of joy these athletes cling to.”
The IOC did not immediately return RCP’s request for comment.
Qatar and Iran have a long history of discrimination and antisemitic demonstrations against Israeli athletes. In 2013, organizers of a Swimming World Cup in Doha failed to show the Israeli flag in their computer graphics, substituting a white flag and failing to display the name Israel, instead using “IRS” in several of the cup’s races. The international snubbing earned Qatar a formal warning from Federation Internationale de Natation, the world’s governing body for swimming.
David May, research manager for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, has written extensively about Qatar’s ties to terrorism, as well as its, Iran’s, and other Arab countries’ mistreatment of Israeli and Jewish athletes.
“The Qataris pride themselves on being the middlemen for a lot of these engagements [with the U.S.], but one common threat is that they are very often in close contact with terrorist groups – not just Hamas or the Taliban,” he told RCP. “They host a variety of terrorist groups, many of whom the Qatari government doesn’t recognize as terrorists, so they’re more than happy to work with them.”
In the 1950s, Israel was a competitive force in the Asian soccer league, but several Asian and Middle Eastern teams refused to play against Israel. Rather than punishing those countries for violating the international sports code of ethics, the league kicked Israel out, May recalled.
During the World Cup, international pressure forced Qatar to allow Israeli visitors and athletes, and in recent years, international bodies have tried to crack down on Doha’s and Tehran’s discrimination against Israeli athletes, May said.
The International Judo Federation in 2021 suspended Iran for forcing athletes to forfeit or lose intentionally to avoid facing Israeli opponents. In February 2018, the United World Wrestling Disciplinary Chamber banned an Iranian wrestler for six months and two years, respectively, for intentionally throwing a match to avoid facing an Israeli opponent. Tunisia’s tennis team was banned from the 2014 David Cup for ordering its players not to compete against an Israeli athlete.
Tunisia has no official diplomatic relations with Israel, and its government is currently debating a bill that would criminalize any normalization of ties with Israel. In 2018, the International Olympic Committee banned Tunisia from hosting the 2022 Youth Olympics after the country banned Israelis from a taekwondo event.
“There’s been several instances of Arab or Muslim athletes who have refused to play against Israeli athletes or refuse to uphold sportsmanship, such as shaking the hands of their opponents or bowing before their opponents depending on the sport,” May said. “To varying degrees, international sporting bodies have punished those athletes violating those codes, but it definitely hasn’t been uniform.”
“There’s been times where Qatar has been a little more forward-leaning regarding Israel,” he added. “But all that is kind of null and void now when you consider the fact that Qatar is funding one of Israel’s biggest enemies and supplying the funds that allow for Israelis to be massacred.”
Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics’ White House/national political correspondent.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 18:20 - Appeals Court Lifts Trump Gag Order In NY Fraud Case While Case Under Review
Appeals Court Lifts Trump Gag Order In NY Fraud Case While Case Under Review
A New York appeals court judge on Thursday temporarily lifted a gag order preventing former President Donald Trump from commenting on court staffers in his civil fraud trial.
Trump was gagged last month by judge Arthur Engoron, and later fined $15,000 for violations after he talked trash on social media about the Judge’s top law clerk.
On Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against the trial judge – arguing that the Engoron had abused his power. In response to the request, Judge David Friedman of the state’s intermediate appeals court scheduled an emergency hearing Thursday afternoon around a conference table in a state appellate courthouse just a few miles from Engoron’s courtroom, where he granted their request.
Ruling at an emergency hearing Thursday, Friedman questioned Engoron’s authority to police Trump’s speech outside the courtroom — such as his frequent gripes about the case on social media and in comments to TV cameras in the courthouse hallway.
Friedman said that while it’s true that judges often issue gag orders, they’re mostly used in criminal cases where there’s a fear that comments about the case could influence the jury. Trump’s civil trial doesn’t have a jury.
Trump lawyer Christopher Kise said after Friedman ruled that the appellate judge “made the right decision and allowed President Trump to take full advantage of his constitutional First Amendment rights to talk about bias in his own trial, what he’s seeing and witnessing in his own trial — which, frankly, everyone needs to see.” –AP
“I don’t see a reason for restrictions because Ms. James is continuing to disparage my client,” said Trump attorney Alina Habba, referring to NY Attorney General Letitia James, who is prosecuting the case.
In staying the order, Trump can now freely comment about the court and its staff while the appeals process plays out.
Separately on Wednesday, Trump’s legal team urged Engoron to stop the case immediately, arguing that his appearance of bias “threatens both Defendants’ rights and the integrity of the judiciary as an institution.”
“This constitutional protection is at its apogee where the speech in question is core political speech, made by the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, regarding perceived partisanship and bias at a trial where he is subject to hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and the threatened prohibition of his lawful business activities in the state,” the filing continues.
In short, the entertainment factor with Trump’s NY trial just went up immeasurably.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/16/2023 – 18:00
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