#FDA Admitted Not Enforcing Law

[angelcatsstuff]

FDA’s Avian Flu Update NOT Provided to Pet Food’s Largest Stakeholder – Truth about Pet Food

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/fdas-avian-flu-update-not-provided-to-pet-foods-largest-stakeholder/

[scottguy]

Article: Lara Trump on Project 2025: "There are some ideas in there that are very productive and will be great for this country"

Lara Trump on Project 2025: "There are some ideas in there that are very productive and will be great for this country" (and some that are a "little extreme")

When Republicans admit something is "a little extreme" - you know it's a disaster.

Project 2025 is a plan to fire all government employees hired to support agencies like the EPA, the FDA, OSHA, Medicare, Social Security and 10,000 other agencies created to help Americans and to keep them safe at work and from unethical businesses.

Under Project 2025 those knowledgeable experienced workers will be summarily fired without cause, just so Trump can appoint thousands of mindless MAGA lackeys loyal only to Trump.

Suddenly, no laws will be enforced. Live near a refinery? Too bad! Didn't get your Medicare payment? Oh well!

It also applies to election officials. Trump wasn't able to cheat in 2020 because of nonpartisan elected officials with a conscience. They too will be fired and replaced with election deniers that believe the only legitimate election is one Trump wins. That's how Trump will end democracy without firing a shot.

Project 2025 has nearly 1000 pages of wish list ideas for the filthy rich to profit more at average Americans' expense by rolling back hard-won regulations. Pollution will become rampant again like it was in the 1960s.

On religion there are hundreds of pages forcing EVERYONE to follow Roman Catholic religious dogma and rules. We will all do what christofascists SAY we should do. Oligarchs like christofascism because many "religious" people do not think for themselves. If someone tells them "God" said it's okay, then it's okay.

The ENTIRE DOCUMENT is terrifying. It's amazing that the Heritage Foundation had the gall to explain to the world just exactly how detailed, wicked, greedy, and utterly unAmerican right-wingers' plans are. That's the kind of arrogance and privilege rich white oligarchs are feeling these days.

There are plenty of lists summing up the worst plans of Project 2025 such as:

No abortion nationwide, no birth control, end mixed couple marriages, put politicians or preachers in charge of private medical decisions for your family. Cut Social Security. Cut Medicare. Start mass deportations and jailing of immigrants. Invade Mexico (ostensibly to stop fentanyl but really it will be an illegal land grab).

If this all sounds like what Hitler did in Nazi Germany, that's exactly what it is. The United States will be a totalitarian government with a complete fool of a man, Donald Trump, in control of the world's largest military by far and also in charge of the nuclear codes.

In the first Trump administration we were assured, "the adults in the room" wouldn't let Trump launch any nukes. But, they will be GONE in a 2nd Trump administration. Trump is crazy and impulsive. Trump envies the worst of the dictators and enjoys comparing who was most ruthless.

Do you want THAT MAN with his finger on "the button?"

Trump winning won't just destroy America, it could quite easily lead to a nuclear WWIII and the end of life as we know it.

Read what it says about the issues that matter to you most:

[seetting-lin-blog]

America's fentanyl crisis

In the last ten years, the United States has been dealing with a major public health crisis - fentanyl abuse and drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl is a super strong synthetic opioid originally used to help cancer patients manage severe pain. But due to widespread illegal production and sales, this drug has spread like wildfire across the country, causing countless families to fall apart and communities to suffer.

Fentanyl packs way more punch than regular opioids. It's 50 times stronger than heroin and a whopping 100 times stronger than morphine. This means even a tiny bit of misuse can be deadly. On top of that, fentanyl on the black market is often mixed with other drugs like heroin or cocaine, or disguised as prescription pills, making it super risky for users who don't know what they're taking.

As an average American citizen, I'm really let down by how the government has handled this situation. First off, we need to admit that this crisis didn't just pop up out of nowhere. The main reason things have gotten so bad is because the government dropped the ball and didn't take action in many areas.

Back in the '90s, pharmaceutical companies downplayed how addictive opioids are and fed doctors false info while promoting these drugs. Even though there was tons of evidence showing how addictive opioids are, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still gave these drugs their stamp of approval for mass marketing. These companies pushed these drugs using shady tactics like bribing doctors without facing any real consequences – which only made opioid abuse worse.

When this crisis first started brewing, not enough attention was given by the government to investing in resources for addicts seeking help and treatment options were few and far between. Many people looking for help found themselves stuck on waiting lists or couldn’t afford treatment costs – leaving them trapped in addiction.

Even though everyone knows about this fentanyl epidemic now, law enforcement response time is still seriously lagging behind. Not enough effort has gone into cracking down on drug trafficking or illegal production which has allowed huge amounts of fentanyl to flood into America through its southern border unchecked. And when drug traffickers do get caught they aren’t getting punished hard enough by our justice system – letting them keep doing their dirty work scot-free.

The impact of this fentanyl crisis isn't just felt by individuals but ripples out into entire communities and families too - yet government support for those affected falls short big time! Families left reeling from losing loved ones don’t get nearly enough psychological support or social services; many end up struggling financially as well as emotionally after such a loss.The government hasn't put forward nearly enough resources to help these families rebuild their lives either; instead dumping responsibility onto already stretched local governments & non-profits.

With such a serious mess on our hands right now,the government needs to step up pronto if we want things turning around.Firstly,government needs tighten regulations & enforcement around fentanyland other synthetic opioids,to crack down hardon illegal manufacturing& smuggling.Secondly,governments should pour more resources into addiction treatment& prevention efforts,making sure anyone needing help gets it fast.Treatment costs should be coveredbythe govto make sure no one misses out due financial reasons.

On topofthat,the govneeds torampupsupportforaffectedfamiliesandcommunitieswith full rangeofsocia lservices including counseling,jobsupport,and education opportunities.Thisiswhat will trulyhelpthese communitiesto bounce backfromthiscrisisandrebuildtheir lives.

Lastly,Governmentsneedtostrengthen cooperationwiththe international communityto fight transnationaldrugtraffickingnetworks.Rawmaterialsand finished productsofFentanyloften come from overseas,and domesticenforcement alone won’ t cutit.Internationalcooperationcan effectivelycutoffthedrugsourceandreducetheir supplyintheUSmarket."

[mystlnewsonline]

Kevin Sheng Hsiang Fang Pleads Guilty - Smuggling Tainted Eel

Food Wholesaler Kevin Sheng Hsiang Fang Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Tainted Chinese Eel LOS ANGELES, CA (STL.News) A Pomona man and his food wholesale company have pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to smuggle Chinese frozen roasted eel for human consumption, which had been previously refused entry into the United States, federal authorities announced today. Kevin Sheng Hsiang Fang, 41, and Fang’s City of Industry-based food wholesale business, Yong Chang Trading Co., Ltd. (dba Heng Xing Foods, Inc.), each pleaded guilty May 31 to one count of smuggling and one count of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce. Fang was a high-volume importer of Chinese frozen roasted eel, commonly known as unagi.  The criminal case stems from a shipment of Fang’s imported Chinese frozen roasted eel that was sample tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and found to be unsafe for human consumption, which prompted the FDA to refuse its entry into the United States.  Fang admitted that he knowingly re-imported the previously refused Chinese frozen roasted eel, using new entry information and comingled with other eels to evade detection. When he pleaded guilty, Fang admitted that the Chinese frozen roasted eel which he tried to import and distribute was adulterated with Gentian Violet, Leucogentian Violet, and Malachite Green, unsafe new animal drugs.  The use of these antibiotics or chemicals during various stages of aqua-cultured food can result in the presence of residues of the parent compound or its metabolites in the edible portion of the aqua-cultured seafood.  The presence of antibiotic residues may contribute to an increase in antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens, according to an FDA alert.  Moreover, prolonged exposure to Malachite Green and Gentian Violet has been shown to have a carcinogenic effect. The FDA, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), serves as the first line of defense for America’s imported seafood supply chain and utilizes import alerts for aqua-cultured seafood from countries around the world.  Seafood and fish products are temporarily detained with FDA detention hold to prevent the introduction of contaminated food products into commerce.  The FDA contacts importers to advise of the hold with a detention hold notification and waits for the sample testing results to establish that a seafood or fish product is non-violative.  The regulatory framework prevents the entry and distribution of potentially violative or unsafe seafood to customers in the United States, and it serves to protect the integrity and safety of the imported fish and seafood supply chain for human consumption. “Federal laws that prohibit the smuggling of certain food products are intended to protect consumers from hazards to their health,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.  “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the American people from such public health dangers and to ensure the safety of our food supply.” “Today’s announcement serves as a reminder that food importers have a critical responsibility to sell food that is safe for American consumers to eat,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Iwanicki of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Los Angeles Field Office.   “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who put the public health at risk by distributing adulterated foods in the U.S. marketplace.” “This individual showed complete disregard for the health and safety of the U.S. consumer by knowingly bringing tainted products into the market,” said Eddy Wang, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge.  “Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of multiple partner agencies, this criminal activity has been disrupted.” “The result of this investigation to detect and prevent the illegal trade of wildlife species was made possible through the diligent work, dedication, and collaboration among all law enforcement agencies involved,” said Special Agent in Charge Manisa Kung of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, Pacific Southwest Region. Fang is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14 by United States District Judge Percy Anderson   As a result of his guilty pleas, Fang will face a statutory maximum sentence of 21 years in federal prison. This case was investigated by the FDA, Office of Criminal Investigations; Homeland Security Investigations; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Assistant United States Attorney Amanda M. Bettinelli of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section is prosecuting the case. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice Read the full article

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart  

May 30, 2023

NO HOAX — WITCHES EXONERATED

A dozen convicted New England witches have been vindicated 370 years after their executions. Dozens were dispatched for witchcraft in colonial America — and that was way before the scourge of social media. In different times folks now affiliated with QAnon could face the dunking wheel. Don't go getting any ideas, Wilson. Last year, Massachusetts formally exonerated Elizabeth Johnson, the last person convicted in the Salem Witch Trials. She was spared the noose and lived to be 77. Some historians say she suffered from mental instability that was mistaken for special powers. Colo. Rep. Lauren Boebert and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem might have been strapped to the dunking wheel for their special powers. If they didn't confess to witchcraft they'd be drown. If they did admit it, they were hung. You're right, Wilson, it is kinda like when a Republican is asked whether or not they support Trump. The comedy about witches, “Bell, Book and Candle,” it is not. Someone has cast a spell over congressional Republicans and undoing it will be tricky, said Democrat Elizabeth Warren. It would require Trump's little toe, a pot of heated chicken's blood, a shock of Mike Pence's hair, the guts of a toad, epsom salts, a Waring blender and a squirt gun. Nobody said it would be easy.

EVADE THE WOKE MIND VIRUS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

If you want to be safe from forced Marxist indoctrination — escape to Florida. Gov. Ron “Churchill” DeSantis, is riding in on a self-righteous stallion to save us: “We fight the woke in the legislature. We fight the woke in the schools. We fight the woke in the corporations. We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob.” He champions the “Stop Woke Act,” that would keep schools and businesses from making white people “feel guilty or get distressed” by banning the teaching of the hideous poisons of slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement and Critical Race Theory. Now, DeSantis is running for president to save the whole country from, the scourge of Black history, diversity, trans rights, homosexuality and women's reproductive health. But wait, there's trouble on the horizon. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled large parts of the Florida law are unconstitutional. What the hell? Paraphrasing George Orwell's novel “1984,” he said, “The clocks were striking 13 and the powers in charge of Florida’s public university system declared ultimate authority to muzzle professors in the name of ‘freedom.” He issued a temporary injunction stopping enforcement, saying the law is “positively dystopian.” Freedom from Marxist indoctrination will have to wait. Sure.

FDA APPROVES BRAIN IMPLANTS — BAD NEWS FOR CONGRESS

Imagine a future where old folks don't forget names, idiots aren't idiots and conservatives like Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan can tell the truth from lies. No Wilson, we are not making this up. The FDA approved Neuralink's request to begin clinical trials where devices are implanted into human brains that link to computers. The company, owned by Elon Musk, is developing electronic implants that could restore debilitating functions, like paralysis, and could even teach monkeys how to play computer games. For Marjorie Taylor Greene it could be a real game changer. She would know that the “Gazpacho Police” are judges of soup not Nazi cops and that Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease. A computer chip would be sewn into the surface of the brain to the RAM equivalent of Einstein. This would allow 88-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to know what day it is. But Sen. Mike Lee would't sign up for one because he's smarter than any computer. He even knows when it's time to duck out of a coup before heads roll. On the other hand, it would be great for Utah Rep. Burgess Owens. He could discover that he can vote however he wants despite instructions from Kevin McCarthy. Maybe not — that's a lot to ask of a computer.

Post script — That's a wrap for another wonderful week here in the promised land where we keep track of drag shows in St. George so you don't have to. The city council there is being sued for putting a drag on drag shows. Freedom of speech has to stop somewhere and in Utah's Dixie it's when men with beards and hairy arms don bustiers and dance around in spike heels. It's just not right and the mere thought of it drives city leaders up a wall. The Southern Utah Drag Stars filed the legal action in federal court alleging St. George discriminated against them by denying a permit to shake their booty in a public park. In related news, St. George Mayor Michelle Randall will again allow public comment at city council meetings. They were suspended earlier when a group brandishing signs proclaiming “Save Our Children” raised a ruckus, called the mayor and council communists and accused them of trying to make “St. George the drag queen hub of the West.” Caught between drag queens and angry vigilantes the mayor said public comments could resume if they were “respectful” and not “obscene or profane.” The “Save Our Children” folks won their demand for First Amendment rights while denying Southern Utah Drag Stars theirs. Let freedom ring.

Well Wilson, when you think about it, witches don't get a lot of respect. Donald Trump takes their name in vein and hey're always getting blamed for... just about everything. So wind up the guys in the band and ring out a little something for those New England maids who had it even worse than drag queens:

Susanna Martin was a witch who dwelt in Amesbury With brilliant eye and saucy tongue she worked her sorcery And when into the judges court the sheriffs brought her hither The lilacs drooped as she passed by And then were seen to wither A witch she was, though trim and neat with comely head held high It did not seem that one as she with Satan so would vie And when in court when the afflicted ones proclaimed her evil ways She laughed aloud and boldly then Met Cotton Mathers gaze "Who hath bewitched these maids," he asked, and strong was her reply "If they be dealing in black arts, ye know as well as I" And then the stricken ones made moan as she approached near They saw her shaped upon the beam So none could doubt 'twas there The spectral evidence was weighed, then stern the parson spoke "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live, tis written in the Book" Susanna Martin so accused, spoke with flaming eyes "I scorn these things for they are naught But filthy gossips lies" Now those bewitched, they cried her out, and loud their voice did ring they saw a bird above her head, an evil yellow thing And so, beneath a summer sky, Susanna Martin died And still in scorn she faced the rope Her comely head held high

(Susannah Martin — lyrics unknown)

[vomitdodger]

Reminder the cdc previous admitted only 6% did. They are still playing word games though…eg recent childhood admissions being clarified as “with Covid” vs “because of Covid”. It’s gonna be less than 6% but let’s use that. 6% of 836k=50k. Also as a reminder Flu was absent. Why? Hmmm. Its not like they admitted the pcr testing was corrupted or that it couldn’t differentiate from the flu. Oh wait they admitted both. My bad. It’s like we just traded flu deaths for Covid deaths. Regardless overall mortality was unchanged. At least under Trump in 2020 it was unchanged. How many died because they could get hydroxy or ivermectin? Or were knowingly forced back into. Rising homes etc. This we will never know. But yet…cdc lies. Fauci lies. Big Pharm lies. The fda lies. And Biden and the rest of the commies are incapable of telling the truth. Corrupted politicians and law enforcements agencies continue to allow this crime against humanity. World wide.

[tinyshe]

The global COVID response is simply the exercise of absolute power instead of science For bureaucrats and politicians, gaining power and compelling submission are victory enough, even when their policies fail to vanquish a virus.

Tue Aug 31, 2021 - 2:03 pm EDT  

(American Institute for Economic Research) – Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown champions have perennially invoked “science and data” to sanctify any mandate politicians impose. Hard facts have recently shown that neither vaccines nor face masks provide surefire protection against the virus. But no amount of evidence has yet shaken faith in the magic of absolute power.

COVID policies are increasingly degenerating to the equivalent of sacrificing virgins to appease angry viral gods. New Zealand on August 24 imposed a nationwide lockdown in response to a single COVID case in the capital city. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered her captive citizenry: “Do not congregate, don’t talk to your neighbors. Please keep to your bubble.” Arden asserted that “complying with these rules, making sure we do all we can to stamp it out, still remains the best strategy in the world right now.” Ardern did not deign to explain why almost no place else in the world, including places with vastly more COVID cases, sought to outlaw everyday conversations.

In Australia, the military is patrolling city streets to enforce the latest lockdown. Daniel Andrews, the Premier of the state of Victoria, recently decreed: “There will be no removal of masks to consume alcohol outdoors.” One Aussie lamented, “My business has been forcibly closed. Everyone has been sent home without pay. We are banned from leaving our homes except for the 5 reasons given by the Government.”

There is no “science” to justify prohibiting Australians from going more than 2 miles from their home. But New Zealand and Australia presume that no one will be safe unless government officials have jurisdiction over every breath that citizens take.

In the United States, many of the same pundits and activists who howled about the evils of “microaggressions” are now cheering for the government to forcibly inject everyone with a COVID vaccine. Biden publicly declared that he is checking to see if he has the power to force everyone to get injected.

Biden endorsed the vaccination passports that some cities have already imposed. Radio host Grant Stinchfield commented, in Los Angeles “you can [defecate] on the street, shoot drugs in crack tent on the sidewalk and even steal anything less then (sic) 900 bucks but now you have to show papers to get in a restaurant or gym!?!?” New York City’s passport regime effectively bans the majority of blacks from many activities of daily life, since they have a much lower vaccination rate than other groups.

Far greater restrictions may be on the horizon. The Associated Press reported that the Biden administration is considering “mandating vaccines for interstate travel” but is delaying any such decree until “Americans were ready for the strong-arming from the federal government.” A top former Homeland Security official has called for placing anyone who is not fully vaccinated on the No Fly list, thereby expanding the list to scores of millions of people and creating new havoc for air travel. Biden administration officials have offered no evidence that such restrictions would end the pandemic but it would permit the president to demonstrate the same machismo that President Nixon showed with his illegal invasion of Cambodia in 1970.

Politicians’ anti-COVID recommendations increasingly resemble frightened soldiers shooting at any noise they hear in the dark. NIH Director Francis Collins recently condemned the “epidemic of misinformation, disinformation, distrust that is tearing us apart.” But much of the misinformation has stemmed directly from the Biden administration’s flip-flops and fearmongering. On August 3, Collins announced during a CNN interview that “parents of unvaccinated kids should… wear masks” in their own homes. He conceded: “I know that’s uncomfortable, I know it seems weird, but it is the best way to protect your kids.” A few hours later, Collins recanted on Twitter, perhaps after other political appointees persuaded him to stop sounding like a blithering idiot.

COVID misinformation started at the top. In a CNN Town Hall last month, Biden declared, “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.” Biden administration officials kept reciting the “pandemic of the unvaccinated” refrain long after it became clear that vaccines were rapidly failing to prevent the spread of COVID. On August 8, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky finally admitted: “What [COVID vaccines] can’t do any more is prevent transmission.” Helluva asterisk. Prior to that, the Biden administration even refused to disclose the number of “breakthrough” infections that had occurred among White House staff. Prof. Eric Topol complained that the CDC’s false statements on COVID risks was a “blatant failure putting millions of vaccinated Americans at unnecessary risk for breakthrough infections.”

On Thursday, a front page Washington Post article castigated the CDC for withholding COVID information from the public, noting that its “overly rosy assessments of the vaccines’ effectiveness against delta may have lulled Americans into a false sense of security.” Tom Frieden, former CDC director under Obama, suggested that the long delays in disclosure led some people to “wonder if the CDC is hiding results.” CDC Director Walensky responded to the debacle by promising “to develop a new forecasting and outbreak analytics center to analyze data in real time,” the Post reported. The CDC apparently did not previously consider it worthwhile to spend any of its $8 billion annual budget on such a project.

The Biden administration has sought to blame the resurgence of COVID on scofflaws who did not submit to every revised command. The Official Enemies List has expanded from those not wearing a mask to those resisting getting vaccinated, and it will soon include those who balk at getting a third (and fourth? fifth?) injection.

 The biggest expansion of the Enemies List occurred on August 13, when the Department of Homeland Security issued a terrorist alert, warning law enforcement agencies that “anti-government/anti-authority violent extremists could exploit… potential re-establishment of public health restrictions across the United States as a rationale to conduct attacks.” Anyone who loudly objects to being locked back under house arrest will be the moral equivalent of the Taliban, or maybe Hezbollah. Previous federal driftnets for potential troublemakers expanded far beyond individuals who threatened violence. The feds may already be compiling vast lists of COVID critics that could come in handy at some future point.

But at least government officials now recognize the real enemy. COVID Czar Tony Fauci recently declared, “I know people must like to have their individual freedom… but I think that we’re in such a serious situation now, that… mandates should be done.” Fauci predicts that once the FDA rushes its formal approval of the COVID vaccines, there will be far more mandates imposed on Americans. The fact that the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine has fallen to 42% is irrelevant. A vaccine isn’t a failure as long as the government can force everyone to get additional injections.

The primary “evidence” for most COVID policies is the job title of the government official issuing the decree. As University of California San Francisco professor of medicine Vinay Prasad wrote last month, “When it comes to non-pharmacologic interventions such as mandatory business closures, mask mandates, and countless other interventions, the shocking conclusion of the last 18 months is this: We have learned next to nothing.”

Prasad slammed his colleagues for failing to do reliable research on key issues of the pandemic: “Anyone who considers themselves a scientist should be embarrassed by our collective failure to generate knowledge, and this failure is once again looming large.”

For bureaucrats and politicians, gaining power and compelling submission are victory enough, even when their policies fail to vanquish a virus. Citizens are obliged to assume “government knows best, even when it knows little or nothing.” People won’t get infected as long as they are groveling to federal commands, right? Unfortunately, the government has no liability for the injections it approves or the freedoms it destroys.

Faith in absolute power is not “science” – regardless of how many scientists pledge allegiance to Washington in return for federal funding. As historian John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza, observed, “When you mix politics and science, you get politics.” There is no safety in submission to damn fools, regardless of their pompous titles.

Reprinted with permission from the American Institute for Economic Research

LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.

source x

[lifewithchronicpain-original]

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds of nearly $3.9 million to consumers who bought Quell, a wearable nerve stimulation device touted as a drug-free treatment for chronic pain. The refunds are part of a settlement the FTC reached in March with NeuroMetrix – the maker of Quell – over deceptive advertising.

An FTC complaint alleges that NeuroMetrix and CEO Shai Gozani advertised Quell as an effective treatment for fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, sciatica, shingles and other chronic pain conditions without reliable scientific evidence to back it up.

Two clinical studies cited in Quell advertisements had “substantial flaws,” according to the FTC, while a third study was based on a marketing survey conducted by the company to “generate potential advertising claims” about the device. The FTC also objected to claims that Quell was “clinically proven” and “FDA cleared” for chronic pain relief.

“Defendants engaged in their unlawful acts and practices repeatedly over a period of more than four years, continued their unlawful acts or practices despite knowledge of complaints that advertising claims for Quell were not substantiated and went beyond claims the FDA allowed for similar devices, and continued such deceptive advertising unabated until FTC staff notified them it would recommend law enforcement action,” the FTC complaint alleged.

Neurometrix settled the case – without admitting or denying the allegations – for $4 million. The company also agreed to stop claiming that Quell provides “widespread relief” for chronic or severe pain beyond the knee area where the device is worn. (Read more at link)

I won a quell for free but I only bought a few electrodes before I ceased using it. Even with the free device the electrodes were too expensive for something that only took my pain down a half a point, a point at best. I intended to write a review but I never got around to it, I guess this article speaks more than any review I can provide. And they’re right, tens devices are more effective On the area they work on. I prefer my cheap Walgreens one that sat on my back to this.

[angelcatsstuff]

Vintage Pet Food Advertising – Truth about Pet Food

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/vintage-pet-food-advertising/ Wow! I remember most of these ads! But it makes me feel very old.

[reading-writing-revolution]

September 2, 2020 (Wednesday)

As I wade through the flood of news today, all of it trying to tilt the playing field toward Trump in the upcoming election, it strikes me there is an elephant in the room that we really need to identify: why is Trump so hell-bent on reelection? He has made it clear he doesn’t particularly like the job. He has no real goals for a second term. He feels victimized by the media and his opponents. He prefers Florida to Washington, D.C., and he really likes to golf. He claims to be wealthy enough to do whatever he wants. So why on earth is he apparently determined to bend our democracy to the point of breaking in order to win reelection to a job he doesn’t seem to want to do?

According to today’s news, Trump's acting Director of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, recently buried the release of a bulletin from the Intelligence Community warning that Russians were trying to undermine Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by saying he is deteriorating mentally. The bulletin was produced for federal, state, and local law enforcement, but DHS Chief of Staff John Gountanis stopped the distribution of the bulletin and referred it to Wolf. It disappeared. Congress will not be able to ask about what happened because on Saturday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced it would no longer brief Congress in person on election security.

A DHS spokesperson said the bulletin had been pulled because it had not met the agency’s standards, but analysts who produced it said they had determined with “high confidence” that the disinformation effort was taking place. Trump, of course, has tried repeatedly to establish the idea that Biden, who stutters, is slipping mentally.

Although the administration tried to bury this intelligence committee report about actual Russian interference in the election, today Attorney General William Barr told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer a fake story. He said that hostile foreign powers could send thousands of mail-in ballots to this year’s election, creating massive voter fraud. When pressed, Barr admitted there was no evidence for such a claim. The U.S. Intelligence Community has no evidence that foreign countries are trying to manipulate mail-in ballots.

Trump is also continuing his attacks on mail-in votes, insisting they will usher in voter fraud despite their widespread previous use that showed no evidence of fraud, and despite the fact that the president himself votes by mail. Today, in North Carolina, he urged people to vote twice in the November election, once by mail and once in person, to test the validity of the election. Voting twice is illegal under federal law. Under North Carolina state law, it is also illegal to induce someone to vote twice.

On Monday, we learned that Barr has recently replaced the head of the Office of Law and Policy, a Justice Department office that oversees the FBI’s intelligence-gathering activities. Barr has removed Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brad Wiegmann, a 23-year career public servant, and replaced him with 36-year-old Kellen Dwyer, a prosecutor who made headlines two years ago when he accidentally revealed that the U.S. government had indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The timing of this replacement, just before the election, might reflect Barr's planned release of a report of his own on the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Barr has dispatched his own investigator to counter the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Senate established that the investigation was legitimate, and that Russia did, in fact, intervene in the 2016 election to bolster Trump.

Remember, that while world leaders are condemning Russia for the recent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Trump has still not commented on it. Neither has he addressed the story that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked fighters to kill U.S. and allied soldiers in Afghanistan, nor the growing Russian aggression toward U.S. troops in Syria.

There is yet another possible attempt to skew the election on the horizon. Led by Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), federal health officials have told states to get ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November. Vaccine-makers say this timing is impossible, and that they will not know by then if their vaccines, which are currently in development, are safe and effective. The chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Stephen Hahn, insists that the agency won’t approve a vaccine simply to help Trump get reelected, but the FDA’s recent authorization of emergency use of convalescent plasma despite concerns about its effectiveness has worried public health experts. In any case, Redfield’s letter suggests the CDC might authorize a vaccine itself through its emergency powers.

Trump is also pushing hard on the idea that Democrats have created a crisis of violence in the country and he is the one advocating “Law & Order,” as he keeps tweeting.

On CNN today, White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley blamed Democrats for the shooting a week ago in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that took two lives and wounded a third person. Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly crossed state lines with an AR-15-style gun that was illegally in his possession and, after scuffling with some people, opened fire. Gidley insisted that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. He blamed Democrats for restraining the police, leading citizens to have to step in. “If you don’t allow police to do their job then the American people have to defend themselves in some way.” While Gidley said he was not defending vigilantes, it sure sounded like he was inciting violence. He noted that “we have a Second Amendment in this country” and warned that Democrats were stripping “cops” of their ability to protect us, leaving American families “in grave danger.”

Of course, protests against police have been driven not by a general disregard for law enforcement, but rather by such horrors as the murder of George Floyd by Milwaukee police officer Derek Chauvin, who casually knelt on Floyd’s neck until he died; the murder of Breonna Taylor of Louisville, Kentucky, shot in her bed by police looking for her ex-boyfriend; and, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by the shooting of Jacob Blake seven times in the back as he reached for his car door. Leading Democrats, including Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, have called not for getting rid of police departments, but rather for addressing what appears to be deadly racism within some of them. Biden has actually called for increasing funding to help law enforcement officers handle functions outside the normal expectations of a police force.

The suggestion that Democrats are responsible for a young man’s deadly decision to carry a friend’s weapon to a city in another state is a campaign ploy, and today the president made another such ploy when he signed a memo that sets out to restrict federal money from going to what the White House calls “anarchist jurisdictions.” It orders the Office of Management and Budget to examine what federal funding goes to cities where Trump insists—despite their adamant denials—that Democrats want to “defund” police. The memo leaves Trump loyalist Attorney General William Barr in charge of determining which cities fall into this category according to “any… factors the Attorney General deems appropriate.” The memo does spell out certain parameters. A so-called “anarchist jurisdiction” is defined as one that “disempowers or defunds police departments” or one that “unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government.” The memo specifically lists Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; and New York City as “anarchist jurisdictions.”

The memo says: “My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones…. It is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities.” “This is a campaign document coming out of the White House,” said Sam Berger, a former OMB official. “Any actual restriction on funding in court will immediately be sued and almost certainly struck down.”

Trump's effort to convince Americans that he is defending law and order does not appear to be working. In Politico, JR Ross, an expert on Wisconsin Politics, noted that Trump’s fearmongering isn’t working because “after such a tense, violent summer, the protesters might look bad, but Trump, and his law-and-order supporters, don’t look much better.”

According to pollster Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight, when asked which candidate would “make you feel more safe or less safe,” 35% of those polled said Trump made them feel more safe, while 50% said less safe. Forty-two percent said Biden made them feel more safe while 40% said he made them feel less safe.

[latinbossboy9]

 RELEASE

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Naturopathic Doctor Pleads Guilty to Fake COVID-19 Immunization and Vaccination Card Scheme

A California-licensed naturopathic doctor pleaded guilty today in the Northern District of California for scheming to sell homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and for falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards by making it appear that customers had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized Moderna vaccine.

“This doctor violated the public’s trust and reliance on health care professionals – during a time when integrity was needed most,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Instead of providing sage information and guidance, Mazi profited from peddling unapproved remedies, stirring up false fears, and generating fake proof of vaccinations. The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the American people during this national emergency, including protecting trust in the medical developments allowing us to emerge from the pandemic.”

According to court documents, in April 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) received a complaint from a member of the public that Juli A. Mazi, 41, of Napa, was offering homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets which she claimed would provide lifelong protection from COVID-19. Mazi also provided fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination record cards with instructions on how to complete the cards to make them falsely appear to be records of the FDA-authorized Moderna vaccine. The investigation revealed that Mazi provided fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination cards for more than 200 individuals.

According to court documents, Mazi also offered homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets in place of childhood vaccinations required for attendance at school. Mazi provided her patients with deceptive “immunization” cards which she knew would be submitted to schools, and which fraudulently indicated that authorized vaccines had been administered. The investigation revealed that Mazi provided these fake immunization cards to more than 100 individuals.

“Juli Mazi has admitted that she engaged in a scheme to sell fake health care records to her customers,” said U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds for the Northern District of California. “Mazi made profits by selling false immunization cards she knew would be used to mislead schools into believing students had been immunized from childhood illnesses as required by law. Mazi also sold fake COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards suggesting she administered the Moderna vaccine to her customers when, in fact, she had not. Mazi’s fake health care records scheme endangered the health and well-being of students and the general public at a time when confidence in our public health system is of critical importance.”

“During a time when the public has been heavily reliant on our medical professionals for advice and guidance, Mazi has brazenly violated the trust of the public by instilling fear and spreading misinformation surrounding COVID-19 immunizations and treatments,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “There is no place for fraudulent activity, and the FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who abuse their positions of authority to try and profit in this criminal manner.”

“By falsifying vaccine cards, providers not only undermine important measures to address the ongoing public health emergency; they can also endanger the health of their patients and the public,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Ryan of HHS-OIG. “HHS-OIG is proud to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that all health care providers who misuse their medical professional status for financial gain are held accountable.”

Mazi pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of making false statements related to health care matters. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HHS-OIG’s San Francisco Regional Office and the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office are investigating the case. 

Trial Attorney Sridhar Babu Kaza of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Lloyd-Lovett for the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case.

The case was brought in coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s COVID-19 Interagency Working Group, which is chaired by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and organizes efforts to address illegal activity involving health care programs during the pandemic.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The Fraud Section uses the Victim Notification System (VNS) to provide victims with case information and updates related to this case. Victims with questions may contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Assistance Unit by calling the Victim Assistance phone line at 1-888-549-3945 or by emailing Victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.  

Topic(s): 

Coronavirus

Health Care Fraud

Component(s): 

Criminal Division

Criminal - Criminal Fraud Section

Press Release Number: 

22-339

[medicswiththeo]

Endo Pharmaceuticals – Not Your Typical Off-Label Settlement

This post relates to yet another off-label settlement between a pharmaceutical company and the federal government.  But some aspects of this recent settlement, coupled with other recent cases, might indicate noteworthy trends in how these cases are being resolved.  The defendants are Endo Health Solutions, and its subsidiary, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., based in Malvern, Pennsylvania.  The drug is Lidoderm, a prescription drug patch that FDA approved to treat pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN.  The government alleged that Endo marketed Lidoderm for general, non-PHN related pain indications, including lower back pain, diabetic neuropathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome.  The company’s global settlement included a civil payment of $171.9 million, a criminal fine of $20.8 million, and a Corporate Integrity Agreement governing the company’s ongoing practices.

Two U.S. Attorney’s Offices bifurcated the matter, with the civil investigation managed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, and the criminal investigation handled by the Northern District of New York.  Dealing with multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices can be complicated, but we have seen improved cooperation between multiple offices in recent cases.

Endo managed to escape a corporate criminal charge by entering into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government.  In the DPA, the company admitted to certain criminal conduct, and agreed to pay a criminal fine and to impose enhanced compliance measures. The DPA will not be final until it is accepted by the court.

The government used asset forfeiture techniques to buttress the criminal penalty.  As part of the resolution, the parties agreed to settle an in rem action the government had brought against a $10 million wire transfer intended for Endo Pharmaceuticals.  It is unclear from the publicly available pleadings how the government traced the wire transfer, but suffice it to say that money transfers of this magnitude do not go unnoticed when a company is in the crosshairs of a criminal investigation.  The government argued that the money constituted proceeds from a violation of the FDC Act, and therefore was subject to asset forfeiture under 18 As part of the criminal plea, the parties agreed to forfeit the $10 million wire transfer, plus pay an additional $10 million monetary fine.  Asset forfeiture is a powerful tool for the government, and one law enforcement agencies particularly prefer because the money is earmarked to further fund their investigative efforts.

[earthstellar]

I mean, yeah, and I feel like we should talk about it more often tbh

So, let’s talk about it now: What laws has Ratchet actually broken?  

We are working with Earth legislation here, who knows what Cybertronian law looks like (ask Ultra Magnus), but we can assume some principles would hold in some variation and be applicable to Cybertronians on Earth.

Putting this all below a cut because obviously the subject of war crimes is not something everyone wants to think about. 

Ratchet has, in objective order of least bad to most bad, broken these laws: 

-Casually and repeatedly discriminated against humans 

This also violates workplace discrimination law, but discrimination either way is covered by the Council of Europe, which handles human rights via ECHR - European Convention on Human Rights and the ECRI, but things work differently in the USA so IDK I think in the USA this varies state by state?

Discrimination laws exist in military legislation separately as well. As they are working out of a US Army base with US Army involvement to at least some degree, we can assume those laws would apply.

This also, somewhat, violates many common child safeguarding protocols, as Ratchet by admitting prejudice or bias against humans is therefore unsuitable as a guardian to human children. Basically, someone who hates human kids shouldn’t be put in charge of the safety and wellbeing of human kids. (We know Ratchet eventually starts to like the kids, especially Raf, but early in the series I can see Fowler considering this as a potentially serious issue.) 

It’s worth noting that ALL of the Autobots have directly violated child safeguarding law in one way or another, intentionally or otherwise, mostly relating to child endangerment. 

Also related: Ratchet could be called in to question for attempting to treat Raf after he was exposed to dark energon. There’s a reason medical professionals are specialised, and Ratchet is not qualified to perform medicine on human beings. This is one of several medical ethics violations. 

-Conducted clinical trial with untested/unapproved substance on living subject 

Even if the subject of experimentation here was himself, it’s still a violation of several medical field related laws (including medical ethics of practice guidelines) as well as most pharmaceutical development laws in regards to drug development and trialling, not necessarily a war crime as with the above, but many laws around humans involved in drug testing come from both peacetime and wartime legislation, and are often enforced in both, for good reasons. FDA has USA based info on clinical trials and human subject protection here. 

The military law docs I’ve found on this include rather serious photos/case studies and you can look that up if you want to, but I think most people would prefer that I not provide the links here; Human experimentation is not a light subject, nor is the history of drug trial legislation development. We can assume the same principles of law would apply to the bots as they are sentient. 

-Misused medical equipment to cause harm while acting as military/combat medic 

This is a big one, and more of a military rule thing. My dad was an Army Medic and always told me that if a single medic ever started firing or fighting back (unless it was last ditch self defence), it was generally seen by the enemy forces as meaning that ALL medics were secretly combatant and were to be assumed combatant and therefore fired upon despite the protections theoretically on paper offered to medics in war. Lots of people died because of this. (This may have changed since my dad was a medic, so check more recent materials if you’re interested in this subject.)

Using medical equipment for this makes it even worse, because now your own unit won’t trust you as much to treat them, and the enemy now believes that all of your medics can be assumed combatant even if they are only holding medical equipment. Lots of people can also die because of this. There are many, many rules around appropriate use of medical equipment, and what medics can and can’t do, especially in a combat scenario. These laws also vary by nation, although some are international.

-Tortured a bot that was already possibly a victim of war (he is called “miner, servant class” by Optimus). 

Now, there are layers to this one. It’s super bad, absolutely a war crime, and it could actually be worse due to the distinction of the victim being “servant class”. 

This could be a Decepticon rank, or a frame type. But if the victim has been coerced or otherwise forced into working in the mines for Megatron, that changes things a little, as someone working for the enemy is not necessarily the same thing as working with the enemy. If the victim was a Decepticon by choice, there’s that, and laws would still protect them from torture. 

But we also need to consider the following:

Are servant class bots used as free, manual labour for the Decepticon war effort? As it is described as being a miner, it seems so. This falls under slavery and illegal restriction of liberty, and wrongful treatment of people in military service, depending on country and legislation. 

If the victim here was cold constructed or made to serve this purpose, it is still a violation of rights around dignity and freedom, possibly also indentured servitude/slavery, depending on country and legislation. There is also the question of restriction of freedom of choice, see the above. 

Now, if Optimus was saying “minor” and not “miner”, we have a whole other additional host of issues here. So many that it would take me a very long time to dig up all the possibly applicable legislation. Also, that would mean Megatron is using child soldiers/child labour. So many laws broken, so many trials.

So that’s all stuff to think about. 

Primary legislation in regards to Ratchet’s actions include: The CPT, and a whole host of relevant legislation based around addressing crimes against humanity, which I believe fairly could apply to Cybertronians on Earth should it be taken to trial. You can find a list of a bunch of related laws etc. here. 

It’s worth noting that Optimus straight up says Ratchet violated “protocol”, although does not specify if this is Autobot internal rule/legislation or if it is legislation or commonly accepted standards retained from previously established Cybertronian law. 

Also, obviously he was under the influence at the time of committing said war crime. This does not eliminate the previous charges, but in fact, compounds them further with even more charges; See the medical ethics/drug testing section above.

I do find it interesting that despite Ratchet having broken their own Cybertronian protocols, it seems there is no real punishment for this, as it is waived due to the fact that he was under the influence. I understand that they only have one medic, but testing the synth-en on himself was a serious lapse of professional judgement. Also, as the only medic is Ratchet, how do they know that Ratchet is fit for duty after all of this? Did they let him sign off on himself? What’s the process, or how have they adapted their process for their current situation? I’m sure they just blew it off due to the fact that they don’t have enough bots around to have anyone out of commission even for reasonable evaluation, but I mean, come on... 

However, we must also allow that Cybertronians do not necessarily share the same concepts of ethics etc, especially the ethics etc. which humans have generally accepted and codified into law. 

At the same time, these Cybertronians are on Earth, and are subject to human legislation in so far as it can be reasonably applied. 

The difficulty is determining where human law can be applied, what changes or allocations can reasonably be made or have to be made, and what the implications of such may indicate for both Cybertronians and humans. International law is tricky, now try intergalactic law. 

---

I feel like I’m forgetting plenty of other little moments, but these are the most obvious scenes that come to mind. 

Also, the Geneva Convention technically protects Ratchet at least to some degree, although it wouldn’t absolve him of his crimes.

Reminder that TFP ratchet is ready and willing to commit actual war crimes for real at any moment and literally only the enormous puppy dog eyes of his boss and also low level starvation are holding back the reckoning at any given time

[angelcatsstuff]

Happy 3 years Grazee May 3rd 2022 since you transitioned! So far this link reached 76 people or more!

https://fb.watch/cTFKpcvu7h/

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 29 nov 20

Why judicial elections are good

Migoya, D.  (Nov. 25, 2020).   Another district court judge says inappropriate conduct by other judges is the norm in Adams County.   The Denver Post. https://www.denverpost.com/2020/11/25/adams-county-district-court-judge-inappropriate-conduct/  discussed more routine backbiting and infighting between judges.

+++

Migoya, D.  (Oct. 27, 2020).  Porn was found on a shared 17th Judicial District laptop — law enforcement was never told.   The Denver Post.  https://www.denverpost.com/2020/10/27/computer-pornography-17th-judicial-district/   The computer was used by duty judges for work outside of normal working hours.  Suffice it to say that the excuse of the judge in question was lame:  “it was likely teenaged relatives who visited the pornographic websites when he loaned them the laptop during a family gathering over the holidays.”

+++

Migoya, D.  (Oct. 7, 2020).   Adams County district judge says she’s a victim of racial and professional bias to push her off the bench. The Denver Post.  https://www.denverpost.com/2020/10/06/adams-county-district-judge-crespin-alleges-bias/ details extensive infighting among judges and lawyers with allegations of racial/ethnic bias.

+++

If you have judicial elections you may suffer through laughably bad commercials like Richard Bernstein blind justice, but at least the voters get a say.  It’s not an entirely opaque process from which ordinary citizens are excluded.

***

A South Dakota priest has been sentenced to almost eight years in federal prison, after he was convicted of 65 felonies related to stealing donations from Catholic parishes. Ordered to pay more than $300,000 in restitution, the priest said he stole in part because he disagrees with Catholic doctrine on homosexuality.***

Fr. Marcin Garbacz, 42, was convicted in March of wire fraud, money laundering, and tax fraud — crimes he committed while serving as a chaplain and Catholic school teacher in the Diocese of Rapid City, between 2012 and 2018. Garbacz was ordained a priest in 2004.

Prosecutors said the priest stole more than $250,000 from parishes, spending some money on artwork, a piano, a Cadillac, liturgical items, and a $10,000 diamond ring.

In 2019, the priest was arrested at Seattle’s airport, shortly before boarding a flight to his native Poland, for which he had purchased a one-way ticket.***

Garbacz is also facing charges related to child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography.

He has been indicted on sex federal charges, and is alleged to have engaged in sexual conduct with someone a boy under the age of 18 while in 2011 traveling in a foreign country. An FBI agent also discovered, while searching a thumb drive during the financial crimes investigation, that the priest was in possession of child pornography. At least one pornographic video involving a minor appears to have been produced by Garbacz, according to the Rapid City Journal. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/south-dakota-priest-jailed-for-theft-blames-catholic-doctrine-also-facing-sex-abuse-charges-83127

***

***Brian Michael Parks, 47, of Apex, North Carolina, and MedFitRX, Inc, now known as MedFit Sarmacuticals Inc., a sport supplement company based in Cary, North Carolina, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to one count of distributing unapproved new drugs with the intent to mislead and defraud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumers. Parks admitted that, from approximately June 2017 to September 2019, he and his company unlawfully distributed Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) and other substances that the FDA has not approved, including Ostarine (MK-2866), Ligandrol (LGD-4033), and Testolone (RAD-140). SARMs are synthetic chemicals designed to mimic the effects of testosterone and other anabolic steroids. The FDA has long warned against the use of SARMs like those found in MedFit products, including stating in a 2017 warning letter to another firm that SARMs have been linked to life-threatening reactions including liver toxicity, and have the potential to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.***

In connection with his plea, Parks agreed to forfeit $1.2 million, reflecting the amount of MedFitRX products he sold across the United States through retail outlets and over the internet.

In pleading guilty, Parks also admitted that he intended to mislead and defraud the FDA and consumers by omitting ingredients on MedFitRX product labels, falsely claiming MedFitRX was licensed and registered to sell these new drugs, importing raw drug ingredients with the intent to avoid regulatory scrutiny, and misrepresenting MedFitRX products as “dietary supplements” or “sports supplements” to create the impression that they were safe and legal to use.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-sport-supplement-company-and-its-owner-plead-guilty-unlawful-distribution

***

https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov/programdetails?id=700 Oakland Ceasefire Partnership "was associated with a 20 percent decline in yearly total shootings." Not sure how valid - the Raiders' move to Vegas was not included in the analysis.

***

A teenage boy was fatally shot Monday [30 Nov 20] inside a parking garage in the South Loop.

About 2:35 a.m., two males in black ski masks got out of a black vehicle and fired shots at a parked vehicle on the first floor of a garage in the 800 block of South Wabash Avenue, Chicago police said.

The boy, 16, was struck twice in the face as he sat in the passenger seat of the parked vehicle, police said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died.*** https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2020/11/30/21726167/teen-boy-shot-south-loop-parking-garage

That was the 718th homicide in Chiraq this year.  The 700th was 0040 on 22 Nov 20:

***Kaysean Maurice Thomas, 28, suffered a gunshot wound to the right arm and body and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he later died, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A woman, 30, was struck in the right leg and was listed in fair condition, police said. Another woman, 30, suffered a graze wound to the body and was listed in good condition, police said. Both women were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

A 25-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the left foot and received treatment at Stroger Hospital where he was listed in good condition, police said.

No one is in custody as Area Two detectives investigate.***  https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2020/11/22/21589535/kayshean-maurice-thomas-fatally-shot-3-wounded-in-pullman-shooting

These figures do not include Aaron Rogers slaying 40 men from Chicago on Sunday night. https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401220290