#pacific attorney group

[stele3]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-officials-welcome-progress-gaza-polio-campaign-call-permanent-ceasefire-2024-09-04/

[ninjakittenarmy]

I think my main issue with the plot of Spirit of Justice, despite generally liking it, is that you didn’t really NEED to have the entire conflict with the Kura’inese government to revolve entirely around trials alone for the plot to work. Spoilers ahead naturally.

See, the plot isn’t actually THAT far fetched in concept. Manipulation of the legal system to suppress dissent is pretty much ubiquitous among dictatorships. It’s the oldest trick in the tyranny book. And the fact that regular citizens can abuse it for their own gain is a very common side effect of it’s not intended in the first place irl. And targeting attorneys that won’t play ball is part of that pretty much always.

And honestly, the idea that a faith could have a murder trial have spiritual significance for the deceased is actually pretty interesting, and the justice system being of spiritual significance or even being intertwined with the local faith isn’t particularly unusual historically. My only issue with it is just that they don’t mention what happens if someone ISN’T MURDERED. The trial is established as necessary for the spirit to move on, and that seems at least partially true (gotta wonder if the spirits believing this has something to do with it, if they make a sequel they should build on this). So what happens if there’s no trial to be had? I assume it’s only necessary for murders, I’d just like to know.

The final trial isn’t that unbelievable either. Delegitimizing a ruler in front of both their subjects and the people they count on to enforce their will is how many a tyrant has fallen, and a trial where it’s proven that their rule was acquired through illegal means or they otherwise don’t have legitimacy is a perfectly legitimate way that can happen, especially since in this case, the queen’s goons were loyal entirely because they thought she was legitimately divinely ordained (sure, her coup didn’t matter to her royal guards so long as she had the necessary powers that gives you, but she uh, didn’t).

The main issue really is just that they overdid it. The trials seem to outweigh other forms of repression a dictator would use in tandem. There would need to be other elements to the government’s tyranny and the groups resisting it. You had one assassin when these regimes have whole death squads. And attorneys alone aren’t really a big enough group to justify having them be the main enemy your dictator “needs” the power to fight. There’s gotta be more. Other ideologies, other cultures, other faiths. Maybe a bit heavy for AA but dictatorships are heavy stuff and this series is already about murder.

And there would realistically be more groups opposing them besides defense attorneys alone. They’d probably be part of it. Lawyers have been part of tons of revolutions in the past, including America’s, in fact. I can buy one being a leader in fact. But it wouldn’t be like 90% lawyers with like, three other people. You’d have partisan sympathizers, vengeful families of those wronged, members of persecuted groups. Having the Dragons be entirely composed of a crack team of guerrilla lawyers isn’t plausible, and the absurdity of it isn’t noted in the narrative like the other wacky stuff in these games. You’re meant to just accept it.

Also, I don’t buy for a SECOND. That they’re all pacifists. You made their second in command a foreign commando soldier and had them presented throughout the game as a typical partisan rebel group. You want me to believe the most feared group of rebels in this country is pacifist? Pacifism is all about discrediting that notion, it’s REALLY HARD to make them seem like the boogeymen the government says they are. And it just felt in context like a cheap way to make them not TOO rebellious lest idiots accuse them of endorsing political violence, despite the fact that political violence against a democratic government and innocent people is completely different from violence targeted specifically at a dictatorship’s rulers and enforcers. You can still portray anyone who attacks innocents “for the cause” as evil. There’s a middle ground here.

[pnwnativeplants]

Corruption in PNW Conservation: Holly Farmer on Weed Control Board Prevents Board From Protecting Forests from Invasive Holly

Original article by Becky Chaney, WNPS Conservation Committee Chair (Full original article can be read here)

In November, the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board (hereafter referred to as the Board) considered the Whatcom County Noxious Weed Board proposal to list English holly (Ilex aquifolium) as a Class C noxious weed, as requested by Thomas and Tricia Morrel, owners of a designated Stewardship Forest in Whatcom County. The effects of holly on western Washington public and private lands, documented by numerous studies and mapping from multiple agencies and scientists, was presented to the Board during the November 1 public hearing. The information included statements regarding the negative impacts of holly, including its detrimental crowding out of under-story vegetation and the increased forest fire risk resulting from this relatively recent addition of a non-native ladder fuel. The information presented was quantitative and backed by scientific research from numerous studies. Eleven speakers, included botanists and land managers from a wide variety of agencies and environmental groups, spoke in favor of the state listing. Two speakers, owner of Holly Hill Orchards and his son, spoke in opposition. Expressing concern that the listing would destroy their family business, a holly farm purchased in 2011. They are convinced the habitat risks are over-stated and find the dollars spent on control ($90,000 from 2007-2009 at just a SINGLE Seattle site) inconceivable.

The Board considered the potential impacts to the holly farms and the floral industry. To ensure no harm to these small family businesses, a concurrent addition, developed with input from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, was proposed and approved before taking a vote on listing holly. A new definition—feral—was added to Washington’s noxious weed laws. The definition reads: “Feral means where a plant species has escaped a managed landscape or is growing without human management or design. ‘Feral’ does not include any plants grown for agricultural or commercial purposes” (WAC 16-750-003). The proposed Class C listing of feral holly only applies to escaped holly—holly existing outside of gardens and cultivated lands such as holly farms. It would allow wildland managers to fund control of invasive holly where it is negatively impacting forestland and for educational programs addressing why and where feral holly is a problem. Nothing in the listing would restrict farming holly, or selling it, either live or cut, within or outside of the state. A class C listing as feral holly would not require its removal from ornamental gardens or farms, or restrict its commercial uses. This consideration wasn’t enough to ease the concerns of the Washington holly growers. The holly farmers argued that the image of holly would be tarnished, and that holly farming would no longer be economically feasible. No economic data was provided to back up their claim. Board Education Specialist Anne Schuster did provide information noting that Pacific Northwest holly growers supply 90% of English holly sold in the United States, export it to countries such as Japan, and that it has grown here for over 90 years.

Sadly (from my perspective), the listing of English holly as a Washington State class C noxious weed received only a 3-3 vote from the Board members present; passage of the listing needed a majority. There are nine voting positions on the Board, but the Northeast Tier is currently vacant. Two members, Randy Johnson and Brad White, did not attend the meeting, so only six members voted. The listing was supported by board members William (Bill) Agosta, Janet Spingath, and Allen Evanston. In opposition were members Jerry Hendrickson, Carey Caruso, and Ken Bajema. Bajema, in addition to being on the Board, is owner of Columbia Gorge Holly Farms, a multi-generational family farm growing holly since 1959. He is a long- term, vocal opponent of listing holly as a state noxious weed. Again, from my perspective, I can’t help wondering how conflict of interest (a thorny issue) may have affected the vote. At least one respondent to a 2022 survey provided to the Board ahead of the hearing expressed concern that the Board had a conflict-of-interest problem. As far as I know, this was not publicly addressed by the Board or staff ahead of the vote. After the vote, the question over conflict of interest was raised during public comment. The Chair responded “Obviously, there is a conflict of interest if you are talking about...a member of the Board being a holly grower, but there’s no law against that...he is a member of the Board and he is a holly grower and that’s perfectly legitimate. Yes, that creates at least one person with a conflict of interest but I’m afraid... there’s no law against that. We have no rules about recusal and so there’s no basis for requiring a person with a conflict of interest to recuse himself in this circumstance.” Staff indicated that it was important to have Board members who feel the impacts of these decisions and expressed the opinion that it is “rightfully so that Ken has a vote.” I agree that the boards are supposed to include representation from various affected interest groups and are mandated to consider and mitigate impacts on business. However, I believe elevating special interests above the Board’s legal mission is wrong. A Capital Press article written in 2010, then updated in 2018, states that “Dee and Ken Bajema scoff at claims that English holly is invasive.” It states that the Bajemas (say) it’s difficult to remain positive about the fate of the requested “noxious” listing. Ken Bajema says nothing to correct this public record. He does not acknowledge that holly is invasive, is environmentally detrimental, or that it is a multi-county problem. Survey comments verify that holly is a concern in at least ten Washington counties. More than half of the survey respondents who note that holly impacts their county also stated that holly’s unlisted status (negatively) impacts their ability to control it.

[beardedmrbean]

July 16 (UPI) -- In a continued crackdown on Mexico's drug cartels, the Treasury Department announced Tuesday it placed sanctions on four Mexican companies and three Mexican nationals allegedly tied to fraudulent timeshare activity used against American citizens and linked to the notorious Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.

"Cartel fraudsters run sophisticated teams of professionals who seem perfectly normal on paper or on the phone -- but in reality, they're money launderers expertly trained in scamming U.S. citizens," Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said Tuesday in a news release.

The department's office of Foreign Assets Control alleges the four Mexican companies and three Mexican civilian accountants were directly or indirectly tied to timeshare fraud lead by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or styled in English as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The criminal organization operates call centers in Mexico with scammers impersonating U.S.-based third-party timeshare brokers, attorneys or sales representatives, the U.S. government contends.

And about 6,000 U.S. citizens reported losing nearly $300 million from 2019 to 2023 via Mexican timeshare fraud crimes by targeting American timeshare owners often in various or complex ways in years-long schemes, according to the FBI, adding that totals what they can track legally as unreported crimes keep on.

Treasury points at four companies in Mexico: Constructora Sandgris, Pacific Axis Real Estate, Realty & Maintenance BJ and Bona Fide Consultores, which the department claims were the front companies doing business on behalf of those linked to Mexican drug cartel.

Nelson says unsolicited calls and emails may look legitimate but actually are made by cartel-backed criminals.

The Treasury claims the thee Puerto Vallarta-based accountants -- Griselda Margarita Arredondo, Xeyda Del Refugio Foubert and Emiliano Sanchez -- had family ties to individuals already cartel-linked and had allegedly aided in fraudulent activities to steal from U.S. citizens.

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is," Nelson said.

The scam begins when a timeshare owner receives an offer to purchase their property, according to an attorney.

"They call you up and tell you that they have a buyer for your timeshare," Michael Finn of Florida's Finn Law Group, told ABC News. "They will send you documents that look real and tell you that you need to pay taxes before you can get your payment."

The Treasury Department and its partners are taking steps to deploy all available tools "to disrupt this nefarious activity, which funds things like deadly drug trafficking and human smuggling," said Nelson.

Five years ago in 2018 Treasury sanctioned two men it claimed laundered money and ran an international prostitution ring for the cartel.

The transnational CJNG, a violent Jalisco, Mexico-based organized crime syndicate, is known to traffic the large part of illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs which typically enter via the southern U.S. border, having gone so far as to threaten Mexican journalists it views as giving the CJNG "unfair" news coverage.

And it uses illegal proceeds, like from its timeshare fraud schemes, to diversify its already-illicit revenue streams in order to keep financing other criminal activities, including the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, according to the federal government's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Police seizure of illicit fentanyl pills have skyrocketed in recent years, a new study found. And pills represented 49% of illicit fentanyl seizures in 2023, compared to 10% in 2017.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection in April launched "Operation Plaza Strike" as an offensive targeting Mexican drug cartels to disrupt the flow of fentanyl and ingredients used to make the synthetic opioid that has become a leading death of young Americans.

However, this is not the first time the CJNG has been accused by the U.S. of similar crimes. Last year in March, the Biden Treasury placed similar sanction on eight other Mexican companies it alleged had took part in a similar timeshare fraud scheme on behalf of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generation.

Even at the time a Treasury official pointed to how in select Mexican tourist destinations the CJNG had already become by that point "heavily engaged" in timeshare fraud in places like Puerto Vallarta where it had gained a strategic foothold.

Last year, the U.S. claimed the accused cartel-backed companies had extracted money from victims by making unsolicited offers to buy their timeshares, and when victims accepted offers, Mexican scammers requested fictitious fees and taxes under the pretense they would facilitate the sale and give reimbursed money after closing.

[bcofl0ve]

making of the masters of the air: a wwii museum event

will do my own “and supporters like you” pbs-core spiel since that’s essentially what they did at the beginning, speaking more so to my austin fandom folks here, shows like masters of the air wouldn’t exist without the bravery of the people they’re about and the people and organizations dedicated to keeping that history alive. this was free to watch but i threw $10 to the museum anyways and encourage y’all to match me and donate too if you’re able to which you can do here. $10 is like, 3ish days of coffee money! (which i say knowing that to some people $10 is a lot of money- but y’all know my heart.)

this is reminding me that i need to watch band of brothers and pacific over my winter break

watching the trailer again…anthony boyle you come to me as someone i picked apples with in papa’s orchard

kirk mentioned that they’ve been working on this for ten years and i didn’t know that!

first q was asking miller what pushed him to write mota: he talked abt growing up in a military family, said what pulled him towards writing about war is being interested in the stress of being under combat and mentioned reading a pysch case study book from someone who treated wwii air fighters for “combat fatigue” ie what we know now as ptsd.

“if you got to the sixth mission you had about a 0% chance of surviving”

talks about meeting a jewish pow named louis lovesky (might be spelling that last name wrong, will correct if i can figure it out) and that the first thing this guy said to him was that he could do 100 pushups and just dropped and did them- good for him!

.”when you’re hit in a plane whether you’re killed or not they strip your bed and your locker and send everything home” …was a prelude to a louis story about him being worried about him sending all his stuff home to his mom because he had a ton of condoms in his locker lol

“i was a virgin but i was very hopeful” - lou

over to kirk, talking about how they were originally working with hbo.

hbo came to them and said they wanted to do another wwii series and they were between a navy or airforce show. they initially thought about combining them but realized it wasn’t possible.

after reading mota closely it “became apparent” that was the way to go to story wise. cities the human detail and miller creating a whole visual descriptive world in his book.

“you make it so clear in your book, this is a form of combat that had never happened before and will probably never happen again”

“when we read masters of the air we read the story in the first part of the first chapter about the 100th bomb group…a group of guys who didn’t know each other before the war, and would’ve died for each other by the end of the war”

miller on why he chose egan and cleven to focus on: “i knew that men at the 100th bomb group just worshiped these guys, and they were so different. cleven didn’t like athletics, he didn’t drink, he was a one woman man and egan was the opposite, he was in the bars every night raising royal hell. totally different guys yet they bonded so closely together. they both get shot down at just about the same time.”

talking about rosenthal, says that was the guy he most respected. jewish kid from flatbush who loved the dodgers and loved jazz music. went to law school and aced it out, got a great job, and enlisted right after pearl harbor.: “as long as [hitler] he is running that country i’m flying my plane” ended up going home after getting shot down, got bored at his old law office and ended up going to be an attorney at nuremberg. (mollie note: i might be doing a study abroad program at the nuremberg next summer so this is super interesting to me). wanted to go the hangings because he thought it would be closure, said seeing them in prison clothing and gaunt etc it was closure for him. 

you can tell from how miller was talking that he truly admires rosenthal which i found very sweet.

kirk says egan and cleven reminded him of damon and pythias from greek legend, and rosenthal reminded him of galahad from arthurian legend.

austin butler name drop, turn up!!

kirk says making this differed from bands of brothers and pacific in that none of the men portrayed in the show are still alive so they didn’t get to meet them (save for miller), which meant the research was a lot more of an undertaking- but they did get to talk to some of their family members.

kirk talks about rosenethal’s grandson and son meeting the person that plays him in the show and how sweet that meeting was.

four primary locations during shooting and each was about the size of a small airport.

kirk talks about covid complicating things…i could not help but giggle a bit lol sorry austin

“one of the reasons i think this series works, hopefully, is the devotion to detail.”

kirk talks about bringing some of a local wwii museum staff on the ground in the uk to set and that they were very touched by how accurate was, a complement to the art and costumes department. 

miller mentions his first meeting with tom hanks and that tom was very insistent that everything that happened in the show had to have happened in real life and passionate about the accuracy

tom flew into small town pa to work at miller’s house and that his wife was very excited

they got tom at the airport and tom had suitcases of germany history books with him and 245 notecards and miller was like…dear god

kirk: this has to be the most difficult production, the logistics of this thing, says they’re still in post production even though it comes out in a month and a half.

kirk mentions john orloff and says when they invited him to join the project he threw himself into it completely

says john's challenge with the book was figuring out how to adapt in a way that was dramatically coherent

miller says john called him and they talked about gale cleven for like 8 hours, miller mentions being the only one that met any of them

kirk asks miller about meeting harry crosby, who is played in the show by anthony boyle and recommends his book “a wing and a prayer”, says he had a good sense of humor.

gale cleven got a phd in astrophysics and went on the be a president of a college (and an alcoholic, as miller tacked on at the end there lol)

two themes in the series:

the irony that war is impossible without love: why do they do it? they do it for each other. war is impossible without the love of the men for each other in impossible circumstances

how do those men keep getting back into those planes?

miller wanted to get away from the idea of “push button warfare” and that taking viewers inside the plane is an important part of that

seeing the missions reproduced, seeing the panic and fury and chaos inside the planes. there are no foxholes in the sky, where do you go? trying to take care of injured men mid air being hit, having to hit back etc etc, “it’s unbelievable what they suffered, the germans came so close they could see the eyes of the pilots”

the camera men had a tough time moving around inside the planes, speilberg had two b17s built from scratch which took 11 months. they built a 3rd one that allowed the camera men to go in the plane and film the close ups more easily.

kirk asks what separates it from just another combat story

providing some sort of context w/o being didactic. why? how do you answer the why without lecturing? 

audience questions, i missed the first one bc my browser crashed but i think someone asked if they filmed in actual flying planes?

which of course was a “well no”

kirk mentions there was dedication from everyone, from austin and calum to the set PAs

miller mentions looking at the labels on things in the bar and the papers in the office folders and how *everything* was accurate

2nd question asking how the fire fights were produced: kirk says some visual effects are still being worked on, gives very high praises to the special effects team.

mentions 100s and 100s of video screens creating what the environment would be outside of the airplanes to help the actors visualize it

miller says they filmed a plane landing by putting one of the b17s they built on a crane

3rd question is about airpower in wwii, miller talks about how in the beginning of bomb warfare it was extremely ineffective, says we evolved from that to doing serious damage on the german economy by hitting german oil.

miller starts to talk about something he was working on with kirk earlier in the day and kirk says we’re keeping that a secret, lol i wanna know what they were talking about! 

kirk mentions the psych impact of it going from 25 missions, to oh now it’s 30, oh now it’s 35. the guys knowing they were being used as bait to bring up the german fighters- that psych is what makes this more than just another adventure story

miller talks about how getting the guys mentally right to go back up into the planes they made them that way in the first place was quite the dilemma, when the only thing that could cure as guy really was saying you don’t have to fly again.

4th question “how much did this cost” lol

“let’s just say we’re over budget”

5th question about the ages of the actors vs the guys they played: kirk says one of the considerations was there being something about the young men of that time having to grow up fast, 24 then appeared a lot older than 24 today because of life experience.

says you tend to cast older for the believably.

miller told a very funny story about tim van patten creating a model of one of the battles with toys in the middle of the night.

hi hbo war and history tumblr friends, this is an austin butler blog run by someone with a hyperfixation for being an update blog and doing event coverage, so/but do feel free to come hang out as we enter the masters of the air era. i'll be covering every event like this that i can and am super excited for the show- i was at one point on americanrev/john laurens tumblr and am almost suprised i never ended up an hbo war "stan", though that might change here soon!

tags: @superbdinosaurharmony @purejasmine

[foundfamilyappreciation]

Hello and welcome to the second Found Family Face-off! This time it's siblings! As mentioned in the intro post, this is for siblings of different genders, as there will future tournaments for brothers and sisters respectively to give as many found siblings as possible to be included! Anyway, please meet your contestants and round 1 match ups below:

*Please don't clown on this post and argue against why certain characters can't be found siblings (aside from if they're in an explicitly canon romantic relationship that I missed while trying to vet them). Please respect that these are people's headcanons and they might not align with yours (heck, some of these even I don't agree with but again, that's just my opinion) and that this is just for fun etc.

Group A

Ahsoka Tano & Rex VS Ahsoka Tano & Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

Garrazeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren & Ezra Bridger VS Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso & Bodhi Rook (Star Wars)

Kilindi Matako & Maul VS Cal Kestis & Merrin (Star Wars)

Michael Burnham & Saru (Star Trek: Discovery) VS Mako Mori & Raleigh Beckett (Pacific Rim)

Tegan Jovanka & Vislor Turlough VS 10th Doctor & Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

Luke Smith & Sky Smith VS Luke Smith & Maria Jackson (The Sarah Jane Adventures)

Aidan Waite, Josh Levison & Sally Malik (Being Human U.S.) VS Steve Jinks & Claudia Donovan (Warehouse 13)

Amanda Brotzman & Vogel (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) VS Wednesday Addams & Eugene Ottinger (Wednesday)

Group B

Parker & Eliot Spencer (Leverage) VS Inej Ghafa & Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows/Shadow and Bone)

Duke Thomas & Cassandra Cain (DC Comics) VS Will Byers & Jane "El" Hopper (Stranger Things)

Angus MacGyver, Wilt Bozer, Riley Davis & Sam Cage (MacGyver 2016) VS Josh Lyman, Toby Ziegler, CJ Cregg, Sam Seaborn & Charlie Young (The West Wing)

Malcolm Bright, J.T. Tarmell & Dani Powell (Prodigal Son) VS Kate Beckett, Javier Esposito & Kevin Ryan (Castle)

Jake Peralta + Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) VS Meredith Grey + Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)

Fig Faeth, Adaine Abernant, Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Gorgug Thistlespring, Riz Gukgak & Kristen Applebees (Dimension 20: Fantasy High) VS Travis Killian & The Doctor (The Game of Rassilon)

Meriadoc Brandybuck & Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings) VS Lester Papadopoulos & Meg McCaffrey (Trials of Apollo)

Alanna of Trebond, Gareth of Naxen & Raoul of Goldenlake (Song of the Lioness) VS Keladry of Mindelan, Neal of Queenscove (Protector of the Small) VS Sandry fa Toren, Tris Chandler, Daja Kisubo & Briar Moss (Circle of Magic)

Group C

Katara & Zuko VS Toph & Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Sokka & Toph VS Aang & Toph (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Korra & the Air kids (The Legend of Korra) VS April O'Neil + the Ninja Turtles (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Sprig Plantar & Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia) VS Hiccup Haddock & Heather (How to Train Your Dragon: Race to the Edge)

Luz Noceda & Hunter VS Luz Noceda & Gus Porter & Willow Park (The Owl House)

Luz Noceda & King Clawthorne (The Owl House) VS Rayla & Ezran (The Dragon Prince)

Lilo Pelekai & Stitch (Lilo and Stitch) VS Luca Paguro, Giulia Marcovaldo & Alberto Scorfano (Luca)

Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan & Claire Nuñez VS Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan & Nari (Tales of Arcadia)

Group D

Roronoa Zoro & Nami VS Roronoa Zoro & Perona (One Piece)

Kyōka Izumi & Atsushi Nakajima (Bungo Stray Dogs) VS Phoenix Wright & Maya Fey (Ace Attorney)

Miles Edgeworth & Franziska Von Karma VS Miles Edgeworth & Kay Faraday (Ace Attorney)

Sento Kiryu & Misora Isurugi (Kamen Rider Build) VS Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlett (Attack on Titan)

Shadow the Hedgehog & Maria Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog) VS Lucas, Kumatora & Duster (MOTHER 3)

Junpei Iori & Female protagonist/Kotone Shiomi (Persona 3) VS Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu & Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Sombra & Cassidy VS Baptist & Sombra (Overwatch)

Beauregard Lionett & Fjord VS Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast (Critical Role)

Also! To help me out and get the brackets done and published sooner, here's a list of contestants that I haven't found picture for and would super appreciate help in tracking them down. Massive shout out to those who sent in pics with their submissions, yall are MVPs.

(Need the ones that aren't highlighted)

Feel free to submit them via ask, submission or by reblogging and adding them to this post. Thanks in advance!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Carl Campanile

Date: Jan 17, 2024

Asian parents filed a federal discrimination suit against the New York State Education Department Wednesday — claiming their kids are being unfairly kept out of a STEM summer program in favor of black and Hispanic students.

The state-funded Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) admits around 11,000 7th-to-12th-grade students a year for classes at 56 participating colleges and medical schools statewide.

The pre-college enrichment program aims to “increase the number of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students prepared to enter college and improve their participation rate” in math, science, tech and health fields, according to its website.

But while black, Hispanic and Native American students can apply regardless of family wealth — Asian and white schoolkids need to meet certain low-income criteria, the lawsuit filed in upstate New York federal court claims.

“In other words, the Hispanic child of a multi-millionaire is eligible to apply to STEP, while an Asian American child whose family earns just above the state’s low- income threshold is not, solely because of her race or ethnicity,” the filing states.

The allegedly biased admissions criteria have been in place for nearly four decades, the suit claims, adding: “Thirty-nine years of discrimination is enough.”

Plaintiffs include New York City-based Yiatin Chu of the Asian Wave Alliance, who said she was stunned when she first heard of STEP’s policy a few weeks ago and decided to join the suit, which also names Education Commissioner Betty Rosa as a defendant.

[ Asian parents filed a federal discrimination suit against the New York State Education Department, claiming their kids are being unfairly kept out of a STEM summer program. ]

“This is outright discrimination against Asian-American students pursuing the STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education] field,” said Chu, an advocate for merit-based admissions at the city’s specialized high schools.

“The program should be for all students or for low income students. The state is choosing which race is eligible,” she told The Post.

Other plaintiffs include the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York, Inclusive Education Advocacy Group and Higher with Our Parent Engagement.

Attorneys from both the Pacific Legal Foundation and the anti-affirmative action group Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation are representing them in the case.

The EPP has filed other lawsuits and civil rights complaints with the US Education Department against New York colleges for allegedly promoting discriminatory racial-preference admission policies for academic programs.

[ While black, Hispanic and Native American students can apply regardless of family wealth — Asian and white schoolkids need to meet certain low-income criteria, the lawsuit filed in upstate New York federal court claims. ]

“The time has come to correct and end discrimination against students throughout the state,” said EPP’s president and director William Jacobson, a Cornell Law professor.

The Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) is proud to team up with Pacific Legal to challenge discriminatory standards in the STEP program so that students do not miss out on educational opportunities because of their skin color or ethnicity,” he said.

In 1985, New York lawmakers passed legislation aimed at boosting interest in science, technology, and healthcare among low-income and underrepresented minority students — resulting in the creation of STEP, which earmarked public funds to 56 colleges, universities and medical schools statewide to instruct the younger students.

[ Plaintiffs include Yiatin Chu of the Asian Wave Alliance, who said she was stunned when she first heard of STEP’s policy a few weeks ago which also names Education Commissioner Betty Rosa as a defendant. ]

Colleges host and operate STEP initiatives for 7th-to-12th-grade students that include instruction, exam preparation, hands-on and research training, college admissions guidance and career-focused activities such as field trips and college visits.

But racial-preference programs — aimed at correcting historic injustices or underrepresentation of African Americans and other minorities — have come under the microscope after the US Supreme Court last year struck down college affirmative action programs aimed at boosting minority representation as discriminatory.

“If the government wants to fund educational opportunities for children in need, it can do so. What it can’t do is use economic need as a way to treat applicants differently based on their race,” the Pacific Legal Foundation said in a statement.

“STEP’s expressly race-conscious application process blatantly violates the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee.”

The Education Department had no immediate comment.

==

Just think about that. If Oprah had children, they could apply, no questions asked. But a moderately middle class Asian or white family would earn too much to qualify.

By all means create programs to benefit underprivileged kids, such as those with low-income, or those in poorer boroughs... regardless of race. Or, take off the income test entirely and let any kid apply... regardless of race.

The fact we have to say in 2024 that racial discrimination is wrong shows how broken people's morality has become.

[kp777]

By Julia Conley

Common Dreams

June 21, 2023

"Young Americans have the right to be heard by our nation's courts, the branch of our government that has a duty to protect our constitutional right to a livable planet."

Representing a coalition of more than 255 climate justice and other progressive groups as well as more than 50,000 supporters, campaigners on Wednesday digitally delivered a petition demanding the U.S. Department of Justice end its efforts to block a lawsuit filed eight years ago by 21 youth plaintiffs over the harm done to children across the country by the government's continued support for fossil fuels.

The People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition—including Food & Water Watch, Sunrise Movement, and 350.org—delivered the petition to the DOJ and Attorney General Merrick Garland, with coalition steering committee member John Beard saying the young plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States "have the right to be heard by their nation's courts."

"Justice deferred, regardless of age, is justice DENIED," said Beard. "End the DOJ's campaign to deny these youth access to justice."

The case was originally filed in 2015, with the plaintiffs arguing that the U.S. government has not done enough to protect communities from the climate crisis and that its continued support for planet-heating fossil fuel extraction is putting the lives of millions of children in danger.

Since the lawsuit was originally filed, the petition delivered on Wednesday points out, "young people like these 21 young Americans have suffered from increasingly severe climate harms" as their day in court has been "delayed again and again by tactics employed by the Department of Justice to impede or dismiss their case."

"Justice deferred, regardless of age, is justice DENIED. End the DOJ's campaign to deny these youth access to justice."

Since the plaintiffs—now ranging in age from 15 to 26—filed their lawsuit, the U.S. has faced climate-related disasters including a deadly heatwave in the Pacific Northwest, a number of severe hurricanes, and a drought across the western part of the country.

"Young people fear when the next devastating flood, wildfire, drought, heatwave, or other climate disaster will be," said Zanagee Artis, founder and executive director of Zero Hour, who co-delivered the petition with Beard. "It's long past time for the Department of Justice to end its opposition to the Juliana plaintiffs and youth climate justice. Young Americans have the right to be heard by our nation's courts, the branch of our government that has a duty to protect our constitutional right to a livable planet."

The campaigners delivered the petition three weeks after Judge Ann Aiken of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruled that the plaintiffs can amend their complaint and the case can proceed to trial. In 2018 U.S. the Supreme Court halted the case from going to trial days before it was to commence.

"It is a foundational doctrine that when government conduct catastrophically harms American citizens, the judiciary is constitutionally required to perform its independent role and determine whether the challenged conduct, not exclusively committed to any branch by the Constitution, is unconstitutional," said Aiken in her ruling earlier this month.

Now, "evidence that indisputably proves the federal government's knowing perpetuation of the climate crisis will come to light, in open court, and Judge Aiken will rule whether the U.S. energy system violates the youth's constitutional rights," People vs. Fossil Fuels said Wednesday.

The coalition called on the DOJ to refrain from using an "extreme legal tool" known as a petition for writ of mandamus to delay the case. The Trump administration used the maneuver six times to block legal actions, but the tool is "only intended to be used as an 'extraordinary remedy,'" according to Our Children's Trust, the public interest law firm that represents the plaintiffs in Juliana.

"Tell Attorney General Garland today to end the extreme legacy of the Trump DOJ by not filing an unprecedented SEVENTH petition for writ of mandamus in this case in an attempt to once again delay this trial," said Children's Trust this month, calling the legal tool an "abuse of process."

The petition was delivered on the same day that another case regarding children and fossil fuel energy wrapped up in Montana. Sixteen plaintiffs ranging in age from 5 to 22—also represented by Our Children's Trust—are arguing in that case that the state's continued support for fossil fuel extraction has violated the children's constitutional rights.

People vs. Fossil Fuels urged supporters to write to the DOJ to call on Garland to end the Biden administration's opposition to the case.

"The U.S. District Court has just put the young plaintiffs' case back on a path to trial and the Department of Justice will soon respond," said the coalition. "They can choose to defend the case on its merits at trial—just as they would any other constitutional case—or continue the Trump administration strategy of seeking to block the youth's access to their own courts."

[thenewsandthenewsworthy]

West Coast LGBTQ House races expand

—Monday, May 22, 2023—

Happy Harvey Milk Day!! On what would have been the late gay San Francisco supervisor’s 93rd birthday, the state of California recognizes this Monday as a day of special significance in honor of its first out elected official.

Forty-six years after Milk’s historic victory, the list of LGBTQ officeholders has greatly grown and continues to do so with each election cycle. As the 2024 contests near, the number of out U.S. House candidates along the West Coast is increasing.

After suspending his 2022 campaign in January that year, former San Francisco resident Kevin Easton is again seeking one of Oregon’s House seats. The first openly gay man to run for Congress in the Beaver State, he would be the first LGBTQ congressmember from the Pacific Northwest if elected next November.

As the Bay Area Reporter’s online Political Notes column reports, Easton is now running to oust from office Republican Congressmember Lori Chavez-DeRemer in their state’s 5th Congressional District seat. Democratic Party officials have targeted it as one to flip next year.

Yet, as of now, Easton and his husband live just outside of the district in Oregon’s 6th Congressional District. It is the seat he had eyed last year, but with Democratic Congressmember Andrea Rose Salinas expected to seek reelection to it in 2024, Easton doesn’t want to run against a fellow party member.

With his hometown of Bend, Oregon, in the 5th Congressional District, Easton has a close connection to it. He and his husband are looking to move into it at some point, he told the B.A.R., even though U.S. House members don’t need to reside in their districts.

“It is definitely a winnable seat for me. It is the district I am from,” said Easton, who officially launched his campaign Sunday.

Also reviving his bid for a U.S. House seat in 2024 is gay attorney Will Rollins who now lives in Palm Springs. He lost last November to conservative Congressmember Ken Calvert (R-Corona) by 11,100 votes in California’s 41st Congressional District which includes a large part of the LGBTQ retirement and tourist mecca.

The former federal prosecutor expects to do much better next year running on the same ballot as a presidential election, which typically draws out younger, more progressive voters. Widely expected to mount another challenge against Calvert, Rollins made it official last Tuesday.

Within 24 hours he had raised more than $350,000 for his campaign coffers. And unlike his first bid, Rollins is starting off with an outpouring of support from Democratic leaders and groups, with 30 members of the state’s congressional delegation already backing his candidacy. The seat is also on Democrats’ target list to flip.

“The support is overwhelming,” said Rollins. “I’m incredibly humbled that at a time when it would be so easy to retreat from the toxic divisions that divide our country, so many grassroots supporters are stepping up to meet the moment and help us build a campaign that will bring real change for families across Riverside County.”

There are now four West Coast out congressional candidates who have relaunched bids for 2024. Progressive Democrat Derek Marshall is once again challenging Congressmember Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) for his 23rd Congressional District seat in the High Desert east of Los Angeles.

Mounting a third bid for the Golden State’s 30th Congressional District seat is Maebe A. Girl, a nonbinary drag queen elected in 2019 as the at-large representative for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles. She lost last year to Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Los Angeles) in the general election, having failed to advance out of the primary in 2020.

With Schiff now vying to succeed U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who opted not to seek reelection next year, his seat will be open in 2024. Also running for it is queer West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne, who would be the first queer Iranian in Congress if elected. California’s two gay Democratic congressmembers, Mark Takano of Riverside and Robert Garcia of Long Beach, are both expected to easily win reelection next year. Meanwhile, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) awaits word on if Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) will retire next year, opening up what will be a fierce battle to succeed the former House speaker on Capitol Hill.

The filing deadline for candidates who wish to seek offices on California’s March 5, 2024 primary ballot is December 8. If the incumbent officeholder opts not to run for reelection, then the deadline will be extended to December 13.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

In Books: Catherine Lacey’s fourth novel, “Biography of X” tries to be all things, and succeeds. Reviewer Tim Pfaff notes that it’s being praised for its genre-bending when it would be closer to the truth to see it as a keenly intelligent woman’s riding the range with the skill and flair of a circus performer with a foot on each of two horses. Somehow entertainment seems too small a word.Matthew S. Bajko, Assistant Editor

Read All At: May 18, 2023 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter - Issuu

[hairbrush9]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday began hearing oral arguments in a case that corporate polluters are hoping will take an axe to the Clean Water Act, a bedrock environmental law that protects the nation's streams and wetlands from industry exploitation.

The long-brewing case in question, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, was brought by Idaho couple Chantell and Michael Sackett in partnership with the right-wing Pacific Legal Foundation—and with the backing of industry groups eager to curtail the federal government's authority to regulate and preserve the nation's waterways.

In an analysis of the case's implications, Earthjustice argued last week that Sackett v. EPA "is not about a parcel of land, let alone a lake house, but is a coordinated push by industry polluters that want to blow a hole in the Clean Water Act, bulldoze cherished wetlands, and contaminate the country's streams with waste from mining, oil and gas, and agro-industrial operations as they see fit, just to maximize their profits."

"If the Supreme Court excludes Clean Water Act protections from major wetlands and other waters," the group warned, "the damage to water quality, flood control, and wildlife habit would be severe, and could pose a grave danger to communities across the country, especially low-wealth communities, Indigenous communities, and other communities of color that all too often bear the brunt of toxic pollution, flooding, and excessive industrial development."

"This decision will be nothing short of a life-or-death sentence for coho salmon, razorback suckers, California tiger salamanders, and hundreds of other endangered animals that rely on ephemeral and intermittently flowing streams and wetlands," Hannah Connor, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement to The Washington Post.

[angelicrebirthed]

The Fall of Arrogance

2065

Joshua is 22, 

After the Public enemies act passed the Idaho Legislature by unanimously. it stated.

"Any and all persons that by referendum, are deemed enemies of the public may be imprisoned for their existence.  The attorney general may lead these prosecutions. They are to be enforced via a registered militia."

The first person on the list is Richard Sabbetean, from a family of famous pharmaceutical titans hated by all but hated by Nazis in particular for being Jewish. Nobody cared about him, he was symbolic of corporate greed, despite the antisemitism, the threat to democracy, he had no friends. Sabbeteans and Company was recently went through bankruptcy court. That wasn’t enough for most.

He is voted out of existence 67 percent margin. His extradition is pending. The Idaho Gestapo was chosen via the states registered militia.

He would be extradited with his wife also guilty

It attracts the attention of the  group43er liberation front, a Jewish Trotskyist militia, it is infamous for their sheer brutality against any perceived threat, they are known for use of raids and high powered weapons, they leaked classified documents of the Patriot Front and other right-wing organizations who are at war with United anti-fascist coalition or known as UAC. The groups43ers were  10x as powerful as group 43. The UAC is an umbrella organization of the armed left. For them pacifism is dead, along with civility, mercy is dead, now truth will triumph at gunpoint over the haters. The 43er liberation front invades Idaho.the decision to land a hit on the author of the bill, the Imperial Wizard of Idaho, he lived on a Ranch on the panhandle.

Group43ers is lead by a Jewish war veteran who believes the Jewish faith requires violent rebellion and revolution in order to create a world that values their faith.

“All must rise for the national anthem”

(The US anthem plays)

"Hello.. My fellow Americans and especially my fellow Jews"

(A bald middle aged man with grey hair and devious tattoos around his neck is tied up with a hemp rope)

"This… is garbage. America is drowning in his flith. This 1488 Klan stan boy decided to vandalize a synagogue…. To him he wants another night of broken glass"

“A calling card before a massacre”

"Ester get me a bottle of manchevitz"

"Yes Brother.."

"You know the bottle is a pretty crude weapon… then again. Fascism is a pretty crude ideology.."

"They worship force right… might over right.."

(Mordecai beats the man to his knees with the bottle)

"You know what the foggy glass of illusions will be shattered.. They will all be. Death.. Azrael… the great equalizer."

"Jewish reverence for liberalism and niceties ends today."

"By any means necessary we will prevent the next Shoah!"

"We will use fear. Garbage and unkosher pigs will wallow in fear"

(he pulls out a Glock)

(he loads it)

(He shoots the first guy)

“1 down 13 to go”

"You know what they said… 1488…. Words have power. Trust me I'm a Kaballahist"

(13 other men hands behind back gagged and blindfolded)

"I am a war criminal… so were the French Partisans.. "

“Law only exists to protect the guilty”

“I am truly an outlaw!”

“For Azrael! My angel I summon you!”

"True equality means you cannot impact this world"

"all tyrants and slaves are two inches of steel away from death… memento Mori"

(Mordecai fires… and all his men do aswell. 14 bodies hit the grass in Northern Utah….)

"MET!"

(The letters met form into Yod and gimel, the numbers 13)

“The 13th arcana, death… It is what the cost of freedom bestows upon the world..”

(Mordecai calls forth the Hebrew words for death…. Anyone who holds the Angel's power is almost immune from worldly punishment. They are death and judgemen, to defy an angel, is to defy nature itself…)

(The corpses dissolve into Clay.. Leaving no trace)

“America teaches us… FREEDOM isnt free. STOP DYING START KILLING!”

“Oppression ends when the masses start shooting back!”

"God we should just kill more of Idaho, this is A disgusting state, they steal cannabis from the dying, run by Nazis and Klansman, publicly vigilantes execute drag queens with no reprocussion, honestly we should do more raids around here. Bloody oil lovin baby killer h*cks, damn they probably f**k their cousins, inbred dogs.."

“Joseph can we please see them as victims being colonized by armed infidels”

“Sarah you are naive as F##k”

"Macabee Alpha squad are we a go!"

"Yes this is beta squad you are clear for deployment"

"Alright let deal with the problem..."

"Simple extraction do not eliminate the target"

"Remember who bought us these new toys"

"Yeah aren't we Trotskyist, why are taking money from a capitalist pig like Sabbetean, yeah he's a superpig!"

“A traitor to Jews and we have to save him, a herem!”

"That is a lie, we still can't afford the best equipment, we are kinda broke, but we got good enough stuff this time from a donor”

"We are not taking money from him, he is a victim of the Nazis"

"Yeah but he's A pig, unkosher, A small sacrifice Jews should be willing to pay, nobody will mourn him"

"True"

"its other people who donated remember our gofundme?"

"Sabbetean didn't donate jack shit, the Nazis made up that to smear him"

"They are going to abduct him next week, we need a decive blow, to free Idaho and liberate them from fashy occupation"

"Lets focus on the mission, we gotta capture or eliminate the Imperial Wizard"

It was a trap.

The house was a setup

The Maccabean Alpha militia is trapped.

The Imperial Wizard gasses them all of the except one to death.

A blaring siren says.  Did you think you could win... (Deep voice)

GET ZYKED 

K#K#. K#klon B

HAHAHAHA

ROT IN HELL!!!!!!!.

The militia has a collective i gues ill die then. 

All the walls and exits sealed.

(A hammer blasts down the walls, A man leaps out of the abandoned house trap, he staggers)

One of them, the only one with a hammer survives. Its the leader Mordecai Bar Kohba, the first level starts now. You must escape the ambush.

(Everyone wants to be so cruel plays in the background)

"Beta squad alpha squad where are you!"

“Navigator get me a path out NOW!”

“On it sir!”

(The navigator is named Esther, same girl as before)

"Commander there are too many of them, they got some enhancements, they are superhuman, clearly equipped with unknown technology, and some chemical weapons, retreat now, I repeat this is an ambush, someone tipped them off!"

"This is where the fun begins" (the comm was clearly taken by a Klansman)

"You think you can live, Nasi… we know who you are commander!"

“We know of your power…. Your angel…”

"It doesn't matter KNIGHT, my ideals are immortal, I will win"

(Mordecai eyes and body glows ready to charge in)

(The game shifts and the cut scene ends, you take control of the commander with 55 levels and all skills support, assist, and a few blast spells  unlocked)

(You have 5 stimjeks, A Uzi with 5 clips, A Glock with 3 clips, A Macabee styled Warhammer, Kevlar Jacket, Targeting Helmet, 1 stamjeks)

(The escape route is covered in fire, poisonous gasses, explosive landmines/IEDs)

(Enemies are simple, but they deal high damage, are somewhat hard and punishing the first mechanic they introduce is charged attack, these deal huge damage unless blocked, none have elemental damage or weapons)

You must make it to the extraction point to escape

He reports it to UAC groups. They immediately retreat from the battle, knowing the enemies capabilities and immorality outstrips them exponentially.

The survivor Mordercai Maimondies only said this:

"Despite me using a firearm, which helped to saved me a little bit, I wouldn't I survived because I used a hammer, it breaks all barriers, it shatters the force of hatred. The Jewish and by extension American people cannot be binded by the false allure of morals, we cannot show mercy to a enemy who has gone to the extremes, far beyond points of no return. We must eliminate all of them. Their ideals and desires cannot coexist with our faith and with our nation, we are American we will not flee to Israel, we don’t need some foreign government to save our “weak” helpless asses. we will not cower behind the 'safety' of our temples, we will not rely on liberal democracy that left us to die until  December 7th 1942. There is no being a moderate, if you are a pacifist you are complicit and cowardly. By being non violent you enable violence.  We will use our minds our resources to eliminate hatred. We will not mourn the death of those would gas us without hesitation, we will not value their lives, or hesitate to take thiers. We must reclaim our weapons of our past. (He dies shortly after)

This is why you must use a weapon of old, for the battles of past and future are merely mirrors are the same truths and morals, the weapons of old can call upon the strength of our ancestors it can guide us, modern weapons are merely a addition. the hammer is the true weapon... For it charges forward, for it shatters all barriers. The powers of stories lie in the collective unconscious We lost this battle, my men dead, but we and our ideals survived, to teach the next warriors. We will defeat those who live with only hatred. They have no morals, they have no God, they have no justice, they have no chance. It will be hard, it will take sacrifice but I believe in us all of us. Those who love versus those who hate.

(he sings)

There is a darkness lying in their hearts. We know its filled with hatred, but love will not fall apart.  There's a hatred lying in your heart, you must not give in or your freedom falls apart. But hope lies in the supremacy of truth…

“I may die now, but my soul and spirit live on in those who rebel. Those who seek radical justice” 

(He dies)

(The recording is sent publicly Jewish ownership of firearms increases by threefold in the next 3 weeks, all Rabbis are presumed armed, Jewish self defense organizations increase fourfold)

[novumtimes]

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange strikes plea deal with the U.S. : NPR

A supporter of Julian Assange protests in front of Westminster Magistrates Court in London, while calling for his release from Belmarsh Prison, on April 14. Peter Nicholls/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Peter Nicholls/Getty Images WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has entered into a plea deal with the U.S. government, bringing an end to a years-long international saga over his handling of national security secrets. Assange is preparing to plead guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose information related to the national defense in a U.S. federal court in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific, this week, according to newly filed court papers. Under the terms of the agreement, Assange faces a sentence of 62 months, equivalent to the time he has already served at Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition to the United States. He is expected to be released and to return to his home country of Australia following the court proceeding later this week. Australian leaders have been lobbying the Biden administration to drop the criminal case for years. President Biden confirmed at a news conference in April that American authorities had been “considering” such a move. A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Assange on espionage and computer misuse charges in 2019, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest compromises of classified information in American history. The indictment accused Assange of conspiring with then-military Private Chelsea Manning to obtain and then publish secret reports about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables. Prosecutors said Assange published those materials on his site WikiLeaks without properly scrubbing them of sensitive information, putting informants and others at grave risk of harm. “No responsible actor, journalist or otherwise, would purposefully publish the names of individuals he or she knew to be confidential human sources in a war zone, exposing them to the gravest of dangers,” said former Assistant Attorney General John Demers at the time of that indictment. Manning was arrested in 2010 and served seven years in prison before President Barack Obama commuted her sentence. Assange’s case attracted support from human rights and journalism groups including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, fearing the Espionage Act case against Assange could create precedent for charging journalists with national security crimes. His interactions with the justice system have followed a byzantine path. Assange spent seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after Swedish officials accused him of sexual assault, an arrangement that appeared to frustrate both Assange and his hosts. Ultimately, Swedish police withdrew the accusations, but, next, authorities in the U.K. took him into custody for allegedly violating bail. Then, the American government sought to extradite him, a process that limped through the courts for years. The plea deal averts more legal proceedings over the extradition that had been set for early July. Source link via The Novum Times

[swldx]

RNZ Pacific 1112 10 Jun 2024

9700Khz 1059 10 JUN 2024 - RNZ PACIFIC (NEW ZEALAND) in ENGLISH from RANGITAIKI. SINPO = 5333. English, pips and news @1100z anchored by Lydia Lewis. The founding members of the FijiFirst party, including former prime minister Frank Bainimarama and ex-attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, have resigned. Last week, FijiFirst confirmed that it had sacked 17 MPs after they voted for a pay rise - going against a party directive. French Polynesia is abuzz this Friday as it hosts the Paris 2024 Olympic Games flame relay on its main island of Tahiti, where the Games' surfing event will also be held late July on the iconic beach of Teahupoo. Mounting challenges remain for the authorities and humanitarian groups supporting survivors, including women and children disproportionately, affected by the Papua New Guinea deadly landslide. Two weeks on from the Yambali village landslide in Enga Province, humanitarian assistance is still being hampered by lack of road access, tension between tribes and new evacuation orders. French President Emmanuel Macron's surprise dissolution of the National Assembly and call for snap general elections on 30 June and 7 July has implications for New Caledonia. Grave civil unrest and rioting broke out on 13 May in reaction to a controversial Constitutional amendment, directly affecting the voting system at local elections. Vanuatu referendum voting results are expected this week. US secretary of State claims the United States has accomplished more on climate change under the Biden administration than during any other presidential administration. The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture has officially begun in Honolulu, Hawaii. The event began with a grand parade of nations over the weekend. A University of Canterbury master's student is transforming her academic research into practical solutions to enhance drinking water quality in Tonga. Tamara Stratton did not plan to pursue a master's degree, initially, however, her commitment to the Tongan community was ignited in 2022, when she joined a team to install water filtration systems in local schools. In the Northern Marianas, a former bar association director has pleaded guilty to charges related to diverting thousands of dollars in funds to her personal account. The Marianas Variety reported that last week, Peonie Cabrera pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and two of wire fraud. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit New Zealand this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. It is the first visit by a premier of China since former Premier Li Keqiang in 2017. Li's visit includes bilateral talks, an official dinner and engagements in both Auckland and Wellington focused on innovative business, agri-tech, education, and people-to-people connections, Luxon said. Sports. @1109z "Pacific Waves" anchored by female announcer. 250ft unterminated BoG antenna pointed E/W w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), Etón e1XM. 100kW, beamAz 325°, bearing 240°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 12912KM from transmitter at Rangitaiki. Local time: 0559.

[pscottm]

A longtime Los Angeles County lifeguard stationed in Pacific Palisades near a stretch beloved by gay beachgoers is suing the county for requiring him to work feet away from a Pride flag last summer and punishing him for taking three of the flags down.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court May 24 a week before this year's Pride month kicks off, brings the county’s sparkling coastline squarely into the nation's culture wars.

Jeffrey Little, an evangelical Christian who has worked for the county for more than 22 years, is represented by attorneys from the Thomas More Society, a conservative Catholic legal group known for challenging abortion rights, the 2020 election results and same-sex marriage.

[24-news-press-things]

AMERICAN FRAUDSTERS ATTEMPT TO BULLY BLITZ

While in 2023 an investigation led by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in collaboration with multiple international media partners, did unveil the widespread abuse of citizenship by investment programs in the Caribbean, particularly in Dominica, and where the probe shed light on the intricate web of fraudulent schemes that allowed criminals to secure citizenship in exchange for substantial investments, tarnishing the reputation of these programs, one of the prime accused in the investigation was Danhong “Jean” Chen, an immigration lawyer from Atherton, California, who was indicted in 2018 for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme with her husband. The couple amassed over US$12 million by embezzling funds from foreign investors seeking US residency over nearly a decade. Chen’s escape from the US using a Dominican passport under an assumed name – Maria Sofia Taylor – raised serious questions about the program’s oversight and due diligence protocols.

On October 30, 2023, Blitz published a report giving details of the matter, on February 1, 2024 – more than two months of publication of it, a suspicious email was received by this newspaper from an individual named Shifeng Yue, who pretended to be a lawyer.

Dear Editor,

Upon examination, the following URLs is untrue and contain defaming content regarding my client Law Offices of Jean D. Chen. Please remove defaming images.

Thank you.

Shifeng Yue

Attorney at Law

Mission Pacific Global Law Group

226 Airport Parkway Suite 600

San Jose, CA 95110.

In addition to sending such ridiculous emails directly to newspaper, the individuals involved in visa scams and connections with controversial citizenship and passport selling ventures of Dominica and other Caribbean island nations, have also been attempting to get news links removed from Google search by employing ‘Reputation Management Firms’ through pressing fictitious copyright claims under the under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act. While searching information on Danhong “Jean” Chen (Jean Danhong Chen, age 54), alias Maria Sofia Taylor and her business partner Jianyun “Tony” Ye (Tony Jianyun Ye, age 51), the Google search result says: “In response to multiple complaints that we received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 8 results from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaints that caused the removals at LumenDatabase.org: Complaint, Complaint”.

Danhong Jean Chen alias Maria Sofia Taylor with Michelle Obama It may be mentioned here that most of the criminals looking to getting contents removed from Google search engine are using Tumblr for creating back-dated posts on this site for their attempted copyright claims.

According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ) Danhong “Jean” Chen (54), alias Maria Sofia Taylor and her business partner Jianyun “Tony” Ye (51) “submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fraudulent documents that contained false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the EB-5 program”. They were charged under the US penal codes on allegations of visa fraud, obstruction of Justice, and aggravated identity theft.

Immediately after completion of investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and before being indicted by the US court, Danhong “Jean Chan (54) fled the United States and became a naturalized citizen of Dominica in October 2018. She might have used a different name – Maria Sofia Taylor while buying Dominica citizenship.

It may be mentioned here that on March 26, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office in a press release titled ‘Owner Of South Bay Law Firm And Office Manager Charged With Committing Large-Scale Immigration Visa Fraud’ said:

A federal grand jury indicted Danhong “Jean” Chen, a/k/a Maria Sofia Taylor, and her business partner Jianyun “Tony” Ye in connection with an immigration visa fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Inspector General, Inspector General Carl Hoecker. The 14-count indictment, filed March 7, 2019, and unsealed late yesterday, alleges the defendants committed visa fraud and related crimes to obtain immigration benefits for more than 100 foreign investors through the government’s Employment-Based Immigration Fifth Preference, or “EB-5,” visa program.

According to the indictment, Chen, 54, of Atherton, was the sole partner at the Law Offices of Jean D. Chen, which held itself out as specializing in immigration law. Ye, 51, also of Atherton, was formerly married to Chen and held himself out as the manager of Chen’s law office. The indictment alleges Chen and Ye prepared and submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fraudulent documents that contained false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the EB-5 program.

Under the EB-5 program, foreign nationals may obtain permanent United States residency, commonly known as “green card” status, by investing in qualifying American businesses. Alien investors who comply with program requirements initially receive a grant of conditional permanent residency status for a two-year period. After two years, the alien investor can petition for permanent residency. To obtain permanent residency status, the applicant’s investment must amount to $500,000 if made in certain geographical areas with low employment rates; if the investment is not in a designated low-employment area, the investment must amount to a minimum of $1,000,000. In addition, under the EB-5 program, applicants may make use of “regional centers.” Entrepreneurs seeking investments for American businesses may establish regional centers to promote investment opportunities and make such opportunities available to EB-5 applicants. The regional centers generally promote investment opportunities within designated geographic areas. The Law Offices of Jean D. Chen represented clients who invested a total of approximately $52,000,000 into projects under the EB-5 program.

In this case, the indictment describes steps taken by Chen and Ye to fraudulently obtain immigration benefits through the EB-5 program on behalf of their clients. First, the indictment alleges that Chen and Ye falsified documents to hide the true ownership and nature of a regional center. Specifically, the indictment alleges that in 2014, Chen and Ye purchased the Golden State Regional Center and other entities, and almost immediately after the purchase, transferred ownership to a straw owner. The person to whom the entity was transferred did not know she was being named as the owner. Also, Chen and Ye filed papers with USCIS, requesting that the government continue to recognize Golden State Regional Center as a regional center qualified to promote EB-5 investment within the South Bay. The papers contained false signatures of the purported straw owner. Second, defendants prepared and submitted falsified EB-5 applications. For example, visa applications contained false signatures of the purported straw owner, false statements about the extent to which the Law Offices of Jean D. Chen represented both the investor and Golden State Regional Center, and false statements about the manner in which investor funds would be used.

The indictment also charges defendants with obstruction of justice related to investigations being conducted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the FBI. On October 18, 2018, the SEC filed a civil complaint against Chen, Ye, and other individuals and entities, alleging, among other things, that Chen and Ye improperly solicited investments and committed other violations of law. The indictment alleges that during the course of the SEC’s investigation, defendants made demands of the straw owner of Golden State Regional Center that she provide false answers to SEC investigators. Further, the defendants allegedly logged onto someone else’s email account and deleted emails relevant to the FBI’s investigation into the visa fraud.

In sum, Chen and Ye both are charged with ten counts of visa fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a); one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1505; one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3); and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. In addition, Ye is charged with one count of identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1018(a)(7).

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US Military To Permanently End Live Fire Training In Makua Valley

Hawai`i News Now - December 1, 2023

The U.S. Department Defense has announced the military no longer needs to conduct live-fire training in Makua Valley — now or in the future. It’s a major win for Native Hawaiian groups and environmentalists after years of activism. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth filed a statement with federal court in Hawaii detailing the military’s new stance. “The U.S. Army discontinued live fire activities at the Makua Military Reservation in 2004. In October, U.S. Army Pacific leadership signed a memorandum stating there are no plans to resume live-fire at MMR, now or in the future,” said Col. Rob Phillips, US Army Pacific Spokesperson. The announcement comes a quarter century after Malama Makua, represented by Earthjustice, took the Army to court to compel compliance with with the National Environmental Policy Act. That law required the Army to consider alternatives for training at Makua that could accomplish the same mission with fewer impacts on the environment, sacred sites and the Waianae community. Under the terms of a 2001 settlement, the military hasn’t conducted live-fire training at Makua Valley since 2004. Then in 2008, the Army said moving training from the area was feasible. “We welcome the good news that the Army has decided to end live-fire training at Makua permanently,” said Malama Makua board member Lynette Cruz. “The valley has suffered enough.” The Makua Military Reservation includes three valleys, home to over 40 endangered and threatened species and dozens of sacred and cultural sites. The military’s lease with the state — which covers about 768 acres — expires in 2029. Earthjustice says decades of live-fire training sparked wildfires that destroyed native forest habitat. Bullets have also pockmarked sacred sites and countless other sites have been destroyed. Malama Makua board member Sparky Rodrigues says Makua Valley was seized for training following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, “evicting Hawaiians with the promise that their lands would be cleaned up and returned six months after the end of World War II.” “Almost 80 years later, we’re still waiting. Ending live-fire training is an important first step in undoing the wrongs of the past and restoring Makua, which means ‘parents’ in Hawaiian.” Earthjustice attorney David Henkin, who has been lead counsel for Mālama Makua in the NEPA litigation since 1998, said it’s clear Makua Valley is not needed for live-fire training. “The guns have been silent at Makua for nearly two decades,” he said. “During all that time, which included major wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hawaii-based military units have carried out their national security mission without destructive live-fire training at Makua.”