Houston's Democrat Mayor Sylvester Turner heaped praise on the recent George Floyd protests, which drew tens of thousands of people tightly packed into the city. He even addressed the crowd. Coronavirus was no problem, the protests were too important. Yesterday Mayor Turner cancelled the Texas state Republican Party convention, which was to be held in Houston and would bring in a tiny fraction of the numbers of those who attended the Floyd protest. Watch today's Liberty Report... read on...
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has reportedly found that a majority of Americans believe the completely discredited narrative that the Russian government paid Taliban-linked fighters to kill the occupying forces of the US and its allies in Afghanistan.
“A majority of Americans believe that Russia paid the Taliban to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan last year amid negotiations to end the war, and more than half want to respond with new economic sanctions against Moscow, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday,” Reuters reports.
“Overall, 60% of Americans said they found reports of Russian bounties on American soldiers to be ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ believable, while 21% said they were not credible and the rest were unsure,” says Reuters.
Those 21 percent are objectively correct: the story is not credible, and it’s not even close. Gareth Porter shows in The Grayzone how the “Bountygate” narrative is so utterly baseless that even US intelligence agencies have dismissed it, Joe Lauria of Consortium News explains how it doesn’t make any sense on its face, and FAIR’s Alan MacLeod breaks down the appalling journalistic malpractice that went into circulating this incredibly thinly sourced story to the mainstream public. read on...
Is this revolution? Is this anarchy? Is this a spectacle engineered to distract us from the machinations of the police state? Is this a sociological means of re-setting our national equilibrium? Is this a Machiavellian scheme designed to further polarize the populace and undermine our efforts to stand unified against government tyranny? Is this so-called populist uprising actually a manufactured race war and election-year referendum on who should occupy the White House? read on...
Media and politicians are using the reported massive increase in positive Covid test results to call for another US lockdown. Meanwhile there are increasing doubts as to the accuracy of the tests. New Jersey is mandating masks and two Texas counties are threatening felony charges against those with positive tests who do not stay home. Are these fears justified? Has the continuing decline of Covid deaths become meaningless? Don't miss today's Liberty Report... read on...
It doesn’t require too dark an imagination to realize the gravity of the concerns over the digital yuan. China is a true pioneer when it comes to surveillance, censorship, and political oppression, and the digital age has given the state an incredibly efficient and effective arsenal. Adding money to that toolkit was a move that was planned for many years and it is abundantly clear how useful a tool it can be for any totalitarian regime. The ability to track citizens’ transactions, access their financial data, control and freeze the account of anyone that presents a potential threat, it all opens the door to the ultimate oppression: total control over private resources, over people’s livelihoods and their capacity to cover their basic needs.
But we don’t even have to wait for the first signs of abuse of the system. As part of the government’s COVID relief spending packages, digital vouchers were loaded to Chinese citizens’ smartphones to encourage them to spend in their local stores. According to Dr. Shirley Yu, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics: “Digital coupons allow the Chinese government to trace the usage of these coupons,” and they “allow the government to know which sector is most helped, who uses it and where money is actually spent.” Of course, if the government has access to data that allows them to check if their policies were well transmitted and if the money was spent as they intended, they can also use that data to check and trace any transactions for any other purpose. read on...
The United Nations released the results of an investigation into the January 3rd US drone strike on Iran's top IRGC general Qasem Soleimani calling the killing "unlawful" on Tuesday. read on...
The rule "first do no harm" appears to have been thrown out the window in the response to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak. Some studies suggest that for every "Covid" death there could be 29 deaths due to the lockdowns worldwide. Famine, depression, suicide, untreated illnesses - all of these may overshadow Covid as the killer of the year. Plus in today's program: Fauci says we're "knee-deep in the first wave," the New England Journal of Medicine suggests just suspending any worker who refuses the coronavirus vaccine, and Texas mask "mandates" explained. Don't miss today's Liberty Report... read on...
I’m ambivalent about statues and J.K. Rowling being torn down, but terrified of the thought process behind the destruction. Decisions should never be made by mobs.
Is America on the edge of a cultural revolution?
The historical namesake and obvious parallel is the Cultural Revolution in China, which lasted from 1966 to 1976. Its stated goal was to purge capitalist and traditional elements from society, and to substitute a new way of thinking based on Mao’s own beliefs. The epic struggle for control and power waged war against anybody on the wrong side of an idea.
To set the mobs on somebody, one needed only to tie him to an official blacklist like the Four Olds (old customs, culture, habits, and ideas). China’s young people and urban workers formed Red Guard units to go after whomever was outed. Violence? Yes, please. When Mao launched the movement in May 1966, he told his mobs to “bombard the headquarters” and made clear that “to rebel is justified.” He said “revisionists should be removed through violent class struggle.” The old thinkers were everywhere and were systematically trying to preserve their power and subjugate the people. read on...
Prior to arrest of a suspect of a crime, “The officer is free to ask questions before an arrest, but must inform the suspect that the questioning is voluntary and that he or she is free to leave at any time.”
“After placing the suspect under arrest, the officer will say something similar to, ‘You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.'”
If a crime suspect need not say a word, having a right to remain silent, doesn’t a person allegedly in contact with a coronavirus-infected person, have the same right to remain silent? The person thought to be in contact is not a suspect in a crime, after all. Doesn’t freedom of speech include this right to remain silent? read on...
The daily death count has morphed into the daily "new case" count, as 100,000 tests a day have exploded into 700,000 tests. Is it a wonder cases are increasing? But what they don't dare mention is that deaths and even the death rate continue to decline. In fact the CDC warns that Covid is at the stage where it cannot even be classified an epidemic due to declining deaths. Still, more masks are required and petty dictators all around are calling for a return to lockdown. Can the truth ever be heard above all the lies? Watch today's Liberty Report... read on...
