#washington 28 june 2021

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #24

June 21-28 2024

The US Surgeon General declared for the first time ever, firearm violence a public health crisis. The nation's top doctor recommended the banning of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, the introduce universal background checks for purchasing guns, regulate the industry, pass laws that would restrict their use in public spaces and penalize people who fail to safely store their weapons. President Trump dismissed Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in 2017 in part for his criticism of guns before his time in government, he was renominated for his post by President Biden in 2021. While the Surgeon General's reconstructions aren't binding a similar report on the risks of smoking in 1964 was the start of a national shift toward regulation of tobacco.

Vice-President Harris announced the first grants to be awarded through a ground breaking program to remove barriers to building more housing. Under President Biden more housing units are under construction than at any time in the last 50 years. Vice President Harris was announcing 85 million dollars in grants giving to communities in 21 states through the  Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO) program. The administration plans another 100 million in PRO grants at the end of the summer and has requested 100 million more for next year. The Treasury also announced it'll moved 100 million of left over Covid funds toward housing. All of this is part of plans to build 2 million affordable housing units and invest $258 billion in housing overall.

President Biden pardoned all former US service members convicted under the US Military's ban on gay sex. The pardon is believed to cover 2,000 veterans convicted of "consensual sodomy". Consensual sodomy was banned and a felony offense under the Uniform Code of Justice from 1951 till 2013. The Pardon will wipe clean those felony records and allow veterans to apply to change their discharge status.

The Department of Transportation announced $1.8 Billion in new infrastructure building across all 50 states, 4 territories and Washington DC. The program focuses on smaller, often community-oriented projects that span jurisdictions. This award saw a number of projects focused on climate and energy, like $25 million to help repair damage caused by permafrost melting amid higher temperatures in Alaska, or $23 million to help electrify the Downeast bus fleet in Maine.

The Department of Energy announced $2.7 billion to support domestic sources of nuclear fuel. The Biden administration hopes to build up America's domestic nuclear fuel to allow for greater stability and lower costs. Currently Russia is the world's top exporter of enriched uranium, supplying 24% of US nuclear fuel.

The Department of Interior awarded $127 million to 6 states to help clean up legacy pollution from orphaned oil and gas wells. The funding will help cap 600 wells in Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, New York and Ohio. So far thanks to administration efforts over 7,000 orphaned wells across the country have been capped, reduced approximately 11,530 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions

HUD announced $469 million to help remove dangerous lead from older homes. This program will focus on helping homeowners particularly low income ones remove lead paint and replace lead pipes in homes built before 1978. This represents one of the largest investments by the federal government to help private homeowners deal with a health and safety hazard.

Bonus: President Biden's efforts to forgive more student debt through his administration's SAVE plan hit a snag this week when federal courts in Kansas and Missouri blocked elements the Administration also suffered a set back at the Supreme Court as its efforts to regular smog causing pollution was rejected by the conservative majority in a 5-4 ruling that saw Amy Coney Barrett join the 3 liberals against the conservatives. This week's legal setbacks underline the importance of courts and the ability to nominate judges and Justices over the next 4 years.

[reality-detective]

Your thoughts on this folks?

Americans have been watching a massive, controlled Military Operation who strategically and critically planned and successfully trapped the Washington Establishment… Made them all confess their crimes and play a role in this operation piece by piece… as Americans have had to visually see and witness a ‘Continuation of Government’ in the form of a “Presidential Administration” where these corrupt and evil people will, have, and will continue to destroy their system from within, spend all of their dirty money doing so, until it’s time for the Military to visually step in.

The timelines all add up and prove the Military Operation and Occupancy:

1.     Snake Poem read by candidate Donald Trump – January 2016

2.     2016 Presidential Election – November 2016

3.     President Elect Trump and Putin on Fox News = “ready for ‘reset’… I will work with Trump” – November 9, 2016

4.     Law of War Manual (Military Occupancy and Negotiations etc.) – December 2016

5.     Military Justice Act (Supreme Court clarifying Military Law is separate than Civil Law; heavy emphasis on Military Tribunal terms) – 2016

6.     Military stands behind CIC Trump (Military Intelligence and JAG head bands; Optics) at Inauguration – January 2017

7.     Saudi Arabia crowns Trump King – May 2017

8.     Declares Jerusalem Capitol of Israel – December 2017

9.     Executive Order 13818 – Declares National Emergency to deal with Human Rights Abuse – December 2017

10. CIC Trump walks in front of Queen – July 14, 2018

11. Putin hands CIC Trump soccer ball (“the ball is in your court”; did not participate in 2022 World Cup) – July 16, 2018

12. Executive Order 13848 – September 2018

13. CIC Trump makes history; walks into North Korea – June 2019  

14. National Quantum Initiative – Executive Order 13885 – August 2019

15. Space Force established as Military Branch – December 2019

16. Corona Sars Virus first mentioned to American Public as a Threat from China – February 2020

17. Two more National Emergencies Declared – March 13 and 27, 2020

18. Executive Order 13912 Federalizing 1,000,000 National Guard to Active-Duty Status – March 27, 2020

19. CIC Trump quote on attack worse than Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined – May 2020

20. National Guard Troops place fence around Capitol Building (47 US Code 606) – January 2021

21. CIC Trump receives full grade Constitutional by Law and Military Grade Inauguration ceremony – January 20, 2021

22. “Joe Biden” breaks 20th Amendment amongst many other violations – January 20, 2021

23. Aircrafts constantly over and through 33 mile no fly zone radius D.C. – January 2021 to present day

24. “Biden” extends Executive Order 13848 (first time) – September 2021

25. Quantum.gov launched – September 2021

26. New York Times reports Military Tribunals coming mid-2023 – December 2021

27. Army and branches transfer all communications to Space Force under ONE command (Biden’s never mentioned the Space Force not once; zero News Articles with his name tied to Space Force) – August 2022

28. Major Optics and Comms in CIC Trump speech – November 15 2022

29. More News Articles establishing Space Force Command Centers with zero mention of Biden – December 2022

Those few timelines and timestamps do nothing but prove a Military Operation and Occupancy along with many more Laws, Codes, Orders, Statutes, Acts, Optics,

The National Guard has been out of their state militia status and operating as Active-Duty Status every day since they were Federalized in March 2020.

There’s MORE than enough documentation and ‘proof’ to show not only the National Guard, but also thousands of World Alliance Aircrafts in and out of the United States and National Guard bases.

There’s United States Coast Guards with United States Navy at their stations. USCG is Department of Homeland Security during Peacetime and transferred to the Department of the Navy during Wartime.

The Brunson vs. Adams case simply states the obvious… Congress violated the Constitution.

- Benjamin Fulford

I will add; everyone thinks they know what's going on but very few have done any research on Trump's executive orders. Everyone has discarded Q because they have seen dates come and go without seeing any results. Fact is they weren't dates but rather chapters and paragraphs from the law of war manual.

We're going by the Book. Why? Because it has to be done by the rule of law, if not, it's just more crimes being committed.

Sun Tzu - The Art of War... Know your enemy, löök weak when you're strong, infiltrate and use disinformation to confuse the enemy. 🤔

[guerrerense]

Taking Flight in San Diego por James Belmont Por Flickr: Taking Flight in San Diego On June 28, 2024, I spent some time watching mass transit doing its thing at the Santa Fe Depot in San Diego. While looking northward along the maze of trackage, I saw a jet fly by. It seemed really close to my vantage point, and quite low to the ground. San Diego International Airport is unique, competing with Washington National as the busiest single runway air terminal in the United States. The landing strip is only half a mile from the train station! 😮 I knew a photo of a train with a jet (between the tall buildings) was a must. Capturing it was a challenge, to say the very least. After multiple attempts (that failed miserably), I nailed a photo I was pleased with. Luck was on my side as the jet I captured wore a one of a kind livery. In 2021, Southwest Airlines released a Boeing 737-800 in special paint to commemorate the carrier's 50th anniversary, dubbed "Freedom One". A few stats: • Freedom One took 14 days to paint using a crew of 8-10 people working per shift. • It took more than 60 gallons of paint and primer to paint Freedom One, and the aircraft features 15 different paint colors, with the predominant two being red and white. • Just like the flag of the USA, Freedom One features 50 stars and 13 stripes. Each star measures 39 x 40", the same size as the Heart on the belly of each Southwest aircraft.

[foxes-that-run]

2018 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag, or years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024..

1 January - Harry in Palm Springs, Saturn jumper. Karlie Kloss posts swish swish basketball (Katy Perry Taylor diss track)

4 January - reports camille met Harry's family. KK posts Swish Swish

11 January - End Game video released - Haylor references galore. Joe in Italy.

14 January - Joe at Prada fashion show in Milan no Taylor

17 January - Harry gym in LA

13-22 January - Harry wrote Fine line: "Fine Line" I wrote [during] a gap in the tour. It was January 2018 and I was at my friend Tom's house. Harry was seen in la in the last 2 weeks.

22 January - Harry in LA with Camille from 13th to 29th

21 January - Taylor in Italy, Harry in NYC 25th

24 January - Harry NY

25 January - Harry London

26 January - Harry performs at Fleetwood Mac person of year, Xander there

27 January - Taylor and Cara in Milan possibly with Joe

9 February - End Game BTS with text Scrabble game with 'him'

18 February - Taylor in LA Repu-hersal,

20 February - Taylor in Big Sur

18 - 24 February - Harry in on 18th and 24th London

3 March - Harry london gym

4 March - Harry shot the Gucci Campaign with the chicken in St Albans, England

7 March - Taylor and Joe hike with Joe in dark jeans and Nikes in Malibu. Blind staged.

11 March - Live on tour starts again in Switzerland, Anna and Medicine played live for the first time and added to the rest of the tour setlist.

12 March -Delicate MV released

10 April Harry in London

13 April - Taylor releases Earth, Wind, Fire cover with 28 September. It accompanied Delicate vertical video the original release said is ““Taylor says that she chose ‘September’ for sentimental reasons. She’s always loved the classic tune by Earth, Wind & Fire, and notes that the month of September is especially meaningful to one of her relationships.” - Spotify” the ‘one of relationships’ part is later edited out of the Spotify press release!

16 April - Camille at Harry’s Dublin Show, last time seen together till June.

20 April - Babe released

21 April - Taylor posts video thanking fans for responding to Babe, she wore the Evil Eye ring that appeared in Rep.

23 April - Taylor has Robbie Williams on Rep and plays Angels.

5 May - Harry played a mystery melody before Two Ghosts

7 May- Joe and Taylor post photos with a cactus, kiwi vibes.

May - Harry GQ Australia Article with "There's a good story about Winston's wife bumping into a very naked, very blonde, very famous pop star making toast downstairs one morning if you ever get a chance to ask" It starts and ends with folklore.

8 May - November Reputation tour, Joe at opening night

30 May - Joe and Taylor papped getting lunch

31 May - Blind that Joe and Taylor trouble with attention

9 June Taylor plays Manchester the. Is not seen till the 16th, Joe and family there

15 June - Xander, his parents and Anne at Harry’s Phili show.

16 June - Harry was full of beans in Toronto and wore a pink jacket with snakes and cats with wings embroidered on. Taylor played HYGTG in Dublin, only time on Rep tour.

19 June - Taylor posts Meredith, Joe heard in background

22 June - 2 days after a year since Robin passed Harry emotional performing Sweet Creature in New York.  Taylor has Niall as guest in Wembley the same night, Niall wore a NYC shirt. Joe was this show. Harry performed Shania Twain's Still the One. Taylor referenced this suit in the Me! Video. Harry invested in the Calm App. Harry photographed with Max and Xander, he looks really sad. Rumour he was staying with Xander. Xander, Jeff, Maxwell, Tommy at show. Camille flew to attend, had not been seen with Harry for some time.

24 June - Harry performed in Washington, he seemed flat, dropped a flag at the end of kiwi. He later talked to Stern (at the start in 2022) as his voice being dehydrated and it being his least favourite show, thought to be this one. He was not wearing the rose ring.

28 June - Taylor performs Reputation secret session for AT&T in Chicago. When introducing new year day talks about 2 NYEs ago jumping into an icy pool, the version Taylor Nation had posted has only this speech cut out from the full video.  (24:38) Harry unseen

30 June - Harry has a show in Chicago! Taylor unseen! This suit is one referenced in Me!

1 July - Harry energetic in St Paul, the Medicine recording and sang “running with you” not wolves in MMITH. Last Heart kiss till 2021 in Only Angel

3-4 July - People reports Taylor and Joe 'frolic' in Turks and Caicos

7 July - Harry golfing in Idaho

8 July - Joe and Taylor pap photos in Daily Mail

9 July - Trailer for Joe's new movie, The Favorite drops

12 July - Harry leaves garage in yellow Ferrari Dino in Beverly Hills. Taylor likes a Tumblr quote “For what it’s worth: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you find the strength to start over.” - F Scott Fitzgerald

14 July Taylor’s delicate basket malfunctioned and she played Wildest Dreams a cappella. Harry wore the “whos Jeff azanoff” shirt backstage, Xander there also. Camille at last Harry show she attended, not seen together gain

18 July- live on tour ends

21 July - Taylor played Clean, first time since 2015. Rain show.

22 July - Joe & Family at Rep

31 July - Harry and Camille break up. Harry pictured with Karlie Kloss on Yacht in Italy with Sunflowers.

1 August - Harry driving Maserati in Italy

3 August - Harry gym London sweaty

4 August - only time CBBH played before 2023, never on red or 1989 tours, this 1 on rep and 2 Eras shows.

7 August - Nick posts photo of Harry to IG, then tweets about a couple and is photographed with a fan near Harry’s house. The fan was pictured with Louis wearing the same shirt a week earlier. 8 August Harry Toronto

13 August- blind Taylor controlled Joe's social media accounts

14 August - Reputation show in Tampa filmed for Miss Americana which shows Joe, he is only seen at this and the first show.

17, 18 August - Harry Mexico James Corden's birthday

22 August - Joe Taylor double date. Joe looks angry walking with Taylor in London

26 August - Karlie attends rep, posts photo, Taylor doesn't like it

2 September - Golden maybe recorded, Harry told rolling stone The first song written for Fine Line, on the second day of the sessions at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu. Photographed in yellow pants. At 41 mins in of the Zane interview he describes writing it as his favourite memory of making fine line.

15 September - Harry Eagles Concert LA

21 September - blind that Joe was ‘picked for role of BF’ by professor, Joe does interview saying he wants to keep relationship private

28 September - Taylor went to Favorite NYC premiere with Joe. Harry at dinner in London. Both wore red. Taylor played Wonderland as the Surprise song, one of 6 ever plays.

1 October - Harry lunch in La Xander

9 October - Harry arrived in Japan looking like jagger and japan Dec 18 - Jan 19

8 October - Harry’s lion ring first seen in Tokyo

14-30 October - Harry LA Nobu LA, 17 Studio LA

19 October - Taylor doesn’t go to Kk wedding

17-28 October - Harry in LA on 15 and la 26th

19 November - Taylor signs with republic records and posts about it

21 November - last rep show which is in Tokyo. Plays emotional set of surprise songs are wildest dreams (1 of 3 times she played it on the Rep tour) and So it goes (one of 8 times it has ever been played live), dancing with our hands tied and I know places. Harry writes little freak in Tokyo and leaked ophelia (I feel ya) that refers to staring at her in Tokyo missing her and fantasising. Taylor posts about finishing tour, her last big machine records commitment

11 December - Taylor goes to goes joes movie premiere then next seen back in NY with Joe. Harry in LA 12th

25 December - Taylor spent christmas in a castle in Ireland

Continue in 2019

[overthinkingbelle]

Aaron Tveit appreciation post.

Movie appearances/roles:

2008-Ghost Town (Anesthesiologist)

2010-Howl (Peter Orlovsky)

2011-Girl Walks into a Bar (Henry)

2012-Premium Rush (Kyle)

2012-Les Misérables (Enjolras)

2013-A Dream of Flying (The Young Man) Short film

2015- Big Sky (Pru)

2016-Undrafted (John "Maz" Mazzello)

2016-Better Off Single (Charlie) Previously named Stereotypically You

2017-Created Equal (Tommy Reilly)

2018-Out of Blue (Tony Silvero)

TV roles/appearances:

2009–2012 Gossip Girl (William "Tripp" van der Bilt III) 10 episodes

2010 Ugly Betty (Zachary Boule) Episode: "All the World's a Stage"

2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(Jan Eyck) Episode: "Beef"

2011 Body of Proof (Skip) Episode: "Point of Origin"

2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Stevie Harris) Episode: "Personal Fouls"

2011 The Good Wife (Spencer Zschau) Episode: "Executive Order 13224"

2013–2015 Graceland (Mike Warren) Main cast; 38 episodes

2016 Grease Live (Danny Zuko) Television movie

2016 BrainDead (Gareth Ritter) Main cast; 13 episodes

2017–21 The Good Fight (Spencer Zschau) 3 episodes

2019 The Code (Matt Dobbins) 5 episodes

2020 One Royal Holiday (Prince James Gallant) Television movie

2021 American Horror Stories (Adam) Episode: "Rubber(wo) Man Part Two", (Jay Gantz) Episode: "Feral"

2021–present Schmigadoon! (Danny Bailey) Main cast; 6 episodes

Theatre works:

2003 Footloose (Garvin) Merry-Go-Round Playhouse [2003 Regional production]

2004 Rent (Steve, u/s Roger, Mark) US national tour [January – December 2004 National tour replacement]

2005–08 Hairspray (Link Larkin) US national tour [August 2005 – July 2006 First national tour replacement], Neil Simon Theatre [July 18, 2006 – January 18, 2007; April 1 – May 4, 2008 Broadway replacement]

2007 Calvin Berger (Matt) Barrington Stage Company: [July 3–14, 2007 Original regional production]

2007 The Three Musketeers (D'Artagnan) North Shore Music Theatre [August 21 – September 9, 2007 Regional production]

2008–10 Next to Normal (Gabe Goodman) Second Stage Theatre [January 16 – March 16,2008 Original Off-Broadway production], Arena Stage [November 21, 2008 – January 18, 2009 Original Washington, D.C. production], Booth Theatre [March 27, 2009 – January 3, 2010 Original Broadway production]

2008 Saved! (Dean) Playwrights Horizons

[May 10 – June 22, 2008 Original Off-Broadway production]

2008–09 Wicked (Fiyero Tigelaar) Gershwin Theatre [June 24 – November 9, 2008;

January 20 – March 9, 2009Broadway replacement]

2009–11 Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abagnale, Jr.) 5th Avenue Theatre [July 28 – August 16, 2009 Original Seattle production] Neil Simon Theatre: [March 11 – September 4, 2011 Original Broadway production]

2010 Rent (Roger Davis) Hollywood Bowl: [August 6–8, 2010 Limited engagement]

2014–15 Assassins (John Wilkes Booth) Menier Chocolate Factory: [November 21, 2014 – February 8, 2015 Off-West End revival]

2017Company (Robert) Barrington Stage Company: [August 10 – September 10, 2017 Regional revival]

2018–22; 2023 Moulin Rouge!(Christian) Emerson Colonial Theatre: [July 10 – August 19, 2018 Original Boston production] Al Hirschfeld Theatre: [June 28, 2019 – March 11, 2020, September 24, 2021 – May 8, 2022, January 17 – April 9, 2023 Original Broadway production; paused due to COVID-19 , Won 2020 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Returning for limited engagement in 2023]

Feb. 9-May 12, 2023 Sweeney Todd (title role) Broadway revival, Lunt-Fontanne Theater (replacement)

Source: Wikipedia

[femmesweetheart]

I want to get in the habit of writing more, I just know it’s good for my brain (and my pores ^_^)

I tend to keep to myself lately and it’s not like me I think..and before I get into my current obsessions entry I would love to share a little bit of what I’ve been up to,

With the year coming to an end, I can’t help but reflect on everything that has happened so far. But I feel the need to talk about where everything really started.. I’m not sure how many of my followers know this but early 2021 I met someone on tumblr, it was my first real relationship (as the ones before were online/long distance/lasted only a month) this one felt different, we met in person on may of that year and I ended up moving all the way from a small hick town in florida to seattle washington. Early 2022 we ended up buying a house in the subarbs and in may 2023 just a few days shy of our two year anniversary she broke up with me. The whole thing still feels surreal and I still consider her my first love. Up til the end it was a dream come true, like a movie was playing right before my eyes. I do think she did the right thing, for herself and a little bit for me as well, we needed to grow as individuals and it wasn’t possible for us to be together and have that. I’m not going to lie I still haven’t fully processed that relationship and it’s ending. I am still slightly bitter about it all but I don’t want to be, I want to better not bitter. It feels disrespectful to wrap up the most important relationship of my life so far in so little words, and I still have my hang ups I’m sorry, But I have to move forward.

I’ve been living back in seattle since June 2023 and it’s been a whole year already since I’ve been living by myself! I am currently 28 years old and I feel like this is the first time I’ve actually have been living, my early 20s weren’t the start of my life, this is.

Early 2024 was very fun and lighthearted for me, I got to hangout more with my friends and just enjoy what the city has to offer

Things started to slow down around late spring though, that’s when I had my wisdom tooth removal, spent most days alone with my cats

I met someone thru a dating site in the summer, she was fun, she spoiled me rotten, anything I wanted I could have ; all I had to do was ask nicely.. I don’t feel comfortable sharing her name so I’ll call her “s”. We dated properly for a month in august and had some issues here and there, mainly .. she didn’t have time for me and wasn’t able to comprehend or respect my feelings; I could easily put all the blame on her but I think there’s blame for me too, I’m very short tempered and impatient I don’t think that’s easy or fun to deal with..I broke up with her on august 31st. Two weeks later she reached out and told me she missed me and how she was in the wrong and was willing to change, I don’t know if I believe in second chances but I was willing for her, we were togehter for two weeks and broke up again, over something so stupid. The same as the first breakup though, she didn’t have time, didn’t want to ever talk about the problems and how to fix them, I think in her mind, stating the problem was fixing them and that was enough, at least for her. And once again she made me feel stupid for feeling the way I did and didn’t want to bother with me. It’s been a month and two weeks since the second breakup and it’s just making me think about… well everything! Who I am as a person, who I want to be, what I want to accomplish in my life. At the same time I have a very simple goal in life and that is to be happy and enjoy every single thing that brings me joy in the moment!

Not going to lie this second half of the year has been draining and lonely, some friends have moved or gotten new jobs, but that’s the charm of city living, unexpected things are always happening, and you never know what tomorrow brings. Despite it all, I am looking forward to the holidays and making my apartment feel more like home

Thank you if you have read til the end, I know it feels like a ton of yapping, but this is me pouring my heart out, I want to write about my current obsessions and what has brought my joy in a later post♥

Current jam:

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 27, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 28, 2024

The news that NBC News reconsidered its invitation to former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel to become a paid contributor has buried the recent news about some of the other participants in Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

Yesterday a judge in Minnesota ruled in favor of a warehouse owner who sought to evict MyPillow after it failed to pay more than $200,000 in rent. MyPillow chief executive officer Mike Lindell has complained that his company has been “decimated” by his support for Trump. His insistence—without evidence—that the 2020 presidential election was stolen has entangled him in expensive defamation lawsuits filed by voting machine companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. 

Lindell cannot pay his lawyers and claims to have “lost hundreds of millions of dollars,” but insists he is being persecuted “because you want me to shut up about [the] security of our elections.”

Also yesterday, Trump loyalist Kari Lake, who has pushed the idea that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, ran for Arizona governor in 2022, and is now running for the U.S. Senate, admitted she defamed Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer and that she acted with actual malice when she claimed he “sabotaged” the 2022 election. The request to admit to defamation came on the day that discovery, the process of sharing information about a case with each side, was to begin, suggesting that she preferred to admit wrongdoing rather than let anyone see what might be in her emails, texts, and recordings.

Arizona journalist Howard Fischer reported in the Arizona Daily Star that in a video statement, Lake said her admission did not mean she agreed she did anything wrong, although that is expressly stipulated in the court papers. She said she conceded because Richer’s lawsuit was keeping her off the campaign trail. “It’s called lawfare: weaponizing the legal system to punish, impoverish and destroy political opponents,’’ Lake said. “We’ve all seen how they’re doing it to President Trump. And here in Arizona, they’re doing the exact same thing to me.’’

One of Lake’s senior advisors said: “Kari Lake maintains she has always been truthful.” 

Also yesterday, a three-member panel of the D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility began a disciplinary hearing for former Department of Justice environmental lawyer Jeffrey Clark, who was so key to Trump’s plan to get state legislatures to overturn the results of the 2020 election that Trump tried to make him attorney general.  

Clark joins Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who led the media blitz to argue—falsely—that the election had been stolen. Giuliani’s New York and Washington, D.C., law licenses were suspended in June 2021 after a court found that he made “demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large.” He is now facing disbarment. 

Earlier this month, he said on his podcast that he expected to be disbarred because “[t]he Bar Association is going to crucify me no matter what. I will be disbarred in New York. I will be disbarred in Washington. It will have nothing to do with anything I did wrong.”

Today, after a long trial, attorney discipline judge Yvette Roland recommended that John Eastman, the lawyer who came up with the justification for using fake electors to overturn the 2020 presidential election, be disbarred. Eastman will immediately lose his license to practice law. The California Supreme Court will decide whether to disbar Eastman. 

Eastman’s lawyer said it was unfair to take Eastman’s law license because he needs to make money to fight the criminal charges against him in Georgia, where he has been indicted for his part in the effort to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election there. For his part, Eastman maintains he did nothing wrong.

In her recommendation, Judge Roland compared Eastman’s case to that of Donald Segretti, the lawyer whose efforts to guarantee President Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection included, as Roland’s recommendation noted, distributing letters that made false accusations against Nixon’s rivals (including a forged letter attributing a slur against French-Canadians to Maine senator and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Edmund Muskie). At the time, the court noted that Segretti was only 30, thought he was acting for Nixon, and did not act in his capacity as a lawyer. The court also emphasized that Segretti “recognized the wrongfulness of his acts, expressed regret, and cooperated with the investigating agencies.” 

In contrast, Roland wrote, “[t]he scale and egregiousness of Eastman’s unethical actions far surpasses” Segretti’s misconduct. Segretti acted outside his role as an attorney, while “Eastman’s wrongdoing was committed directly in the course and scope of his representation of President Trump and the Trump campaign.” Roland also noted that while Segretti expressed remorse and recognized his wrongdoing, Eastman has shown “an apparent inability to accept responsibility. This lack of remorse and accountability presents a significant risk that Eastman may engage in further unethical conduct, compounding the threat to the public.”  

One by one, those who worked with Trump to overturn the election are being held to account by our legal system. But still, they refuse to admit any wrongdoing. 

In that, they are following Trump.  

Despite Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order, Trump continued today to attack both Merchan and his daughter. On his social media site, Trump posted that Merchan was trying to deprive him of his “First Amendment right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement, including the fact that Crooked Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and their Hacks and Thugs are tracking and following me all across the Country, obsessively trying to persecute me, while everyone knows I have done nothing wrong!” Trump posted in great detail about the judge’s daughter, accusing her of making money by “working to ‘Get Trump,’” based on images shared by an old social media account of hers that had been hacked. 

It was President Nixon who perfected the refusal to admit wrongdoing in the face of overwhelming evidence. Even after tapes recorded in the Oval Office revealed that he had plotted with an aide to block investigations of the break-in at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel by invoking national security and Republican Party leaders told him he needed to resign, he refused to admit wrongdoing. Instead, he told the American people he was stepping down because he no longer had enough support in Congress to advance the national interest. He blamed his fall on the press, saying its “leaks and accusations and innuendo” were designed to destroy him.

Gerald R. Ford, the president who replaced Nixon, inadvertently put a rubber stamp on Nixon’s refusal to accept responsibility. Believing it was better for the country to move past the divisions of the Watergate era, Ford issued a preemptive pardon for any crimes the former president might have committed against the United States while in office. Ford maintained that the acceptance of a pardon was an admission of guilt. 

But Ford’s pardon meant Nixon never faced legal accountability for his actions. That escape allowed him to argue that a president is above the law. In a 1977 interview with British journalist David Frost, Nixon told Frost that “when the president does it…that means that it is not illegal,” by definition. 

As Nixon did, Trump has watched those who participated in his schemes pay dearly for their support, but he appears angry and confused at the idea that he himself could be held legally accountable for his behavior.

But without accountability, as Judge Roland noted, there is no incentive to stop dangerous behavior. Josh Dawsey reported last night in the Washington Post that since Trump has taken over the Republican National Committee and purged it of former employees, those interviewing for jobs are being asked if they believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Other questions, Dawsey reported, include “what applicants believe should be done on ‘election integrity’ in 2024.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Hillel Neuer

Published: Jan 28, 2024

1/ UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he was “horrified” to learn of UNRWA staff ties to Hamas terrorism.

That's odd.

September 3, 2015: UN Watch Report: UNRWA Officials Operating 12 Separate Facebook Accounts Inciting Terrorism.

2/ October 19, 2015: Report: UNRWA Employees Incite to Murder of Jews on Facebook

3/ November 30, 2015: Report: Despite UNRWA Promises, Teachers Again Inciting to Violence Against "Jewish Apes and Pigs"

4/ February 2, 2017: Report: UNRWA teachers incite Jihadist terrorism & antisemitism

5/ April 10, 2017: Canada & UNRWA: Enhanced Due Diligence? A new report by UN Watch

6/ September 25, 2019: Exposed: UNRWA teachers still inciting Jihadi terrorism & antisemitism

7/ August 2, 2021: Report: UN Teachers Celebrate Deaths of Israelis

8/ June 23, 2022: Report: UNRWA’s Teachers of Hate

9/ March 14, 2023: UN Teachers Call To Murder Jews, Reveals New Report

“Teachers at UNRWA regularly call to murder Jews, and  glorify terrorism, encourage martyrdom, demonize Israelis and incite antisemitism.”

10/ November 6, 2023: UN Teachers Celebrated Hamas Massacre

“Report uncovers 20 UNRWA teachers who celebrated the October 7th Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians. These are in addition to 133 UNRWA staff exposed in March 2023 for supporting terrorism.”

https://unwatch.org/report-u-n-teachers-celebrated-hamas-massacre/

11/ January 2024: UNRWA's Terrorgram

“UNRWA teachers in a 3,000-member UNRWA Telegram group cheered and celebrated Hamas’s October 7th massacre while at the same time asking when their UNRWA salaries will be paid.”

https://unwatch.org/unrwa-terrorgram/

--

https://groupchat.unwatch.org/2023-10_4.html

"One of God's days"

"Scenes that delight the beholder (and it really was on us to support the believers)"

"I swear that it is a blessed day and from the days of God"

"God is great, God is great. Oh Allah, make them steadfast and bring them back safely!"

"I swear that it is a blessed day and from the days of God"

-- UNRWA_EDU channel, Oct 7, 2023, 6:16-7:27AM

This are supposedly people who work for the UN.

==

If you haven't gotten the hint by now, UNRWA is literally a Hamas training organization.

This is what UNRWA schools teach children:

[texasobserver]

From “USPS is Falsifying Safety Docs As Its Workers Die Of Heat” by McHam Investigative Reporting Fellow Josephine Lee, in the Texas Observer:

USPS MAIL CARRIER HEAT-RELATED FATALITIES 2012-2023 (SOURCE: OSHA)

July 24, 2012, Independence, MO: John Watzlawick died delivering mail when the temperature hit 102 degrees. 

July 6, 2013, Medford, MA: James Baldassarre died from a heat stroke. The temperature was 94 degrees; the heat index was 117. 

July 11, 2017, Charleston, WV: Ronnie Bowles died after experiencing heart problems induced by heat stress. The heat index was 88. 

July 6, 2018, Woodland Hills, CA: Peggy Frank died in a non-air-conditioned mail truck. The temperature hit a record-setting high of 115. 

July 22, 2020, Washington, D.C.: A mail carrier died in a non-air-conditioned vehicle. The high temperature was 94 degrees, and the heat index was 104. 

June 17, 2021, San Jose, CA: Dalvir Bassi died from a heat stroke. The temperature was 94 degrees. 

June 20, 2023, Dallas, TX: Eugene Gates died when the temperature hit 98 degrees with a heat index of 116. 

After Watzlawick’s death, USPS agreed to a limited heat-illness prevention program that would only include Independence, Missouri. The program wasn’t instituted nationally until May 2018. By then, 62 more USPS carriers around the country had been hospitalized for severe heat-related illnesses, according to the Observer’s analysis of OSHA records. At least two others had died. 

In the summer of 2020, mail carriers were dealt a blow after USPS won an administrative law judge decision that overturned an OSHA penalty of $511,000 for five heat-related injuries. Without a specific OSHA standard for heat safety, judges decided that the mail carriers’ unprotected exposure to extreme heat did not qualify as a “hazard likely to cause death or serious physical harm” under OSHA’s general duty clause, which requires employers to provide general protections for a safe workplace. 

But, according to OSHA records, from 2015 to 2022, heat-related injuries accounted for 173 of 1,200 severe injuries—16 percent—among USPS carriers that required hospitalization. This does not include the heat illnesses experienced by mail carriers during the extreme heat this summer. According to the data, Texas mail carriers experienced the most hospitalizations from work-related heat illnesses. The state had 28 recorded incidents, compared to 10 in Nevada, which came second. 

Notably, even though USPS is not the largest employer in the United States.—it employs roughly half the workers at Walmart, Amazon, or McDonald's—its workers reported the highest number of severe workplace injuries overall, 1,200 over that same time period. 

Read more at the Texas Observer.

[fundieshaderoom]

Fundie Families and Adjacents I Follow: Staddon

Donald Raymond Staddon Sr.- July 9, 1948, d. October 8, 2024

Donna

The couple has been married for many years and shares 8 children, 5 children-in-law, and 15 grandchildren.

Donald Raymond Jr.- April 1979

Michael H- 1981ish

Robert Andrew- July 6, 1983

Esther A- February 12, 1986

James Alan- March 1988

Daniel Arthur- 1990ish

Jonathan Edward- December 22, 1992

David Marshall- May 16, 1996

Michael married Elizabeth Frazer on August 24, 2019, when he was around 38. They share 2 daughters.

Azalia- May 17, 2022

Girl- December 2023

Robert married Kendalyn Kowalchuk (October 10, 1983) on June 11, 2011, both at ages 27. They share 6 children.

Sauntina LaVerle- May 9, 2012

Marilee Grace- October 3, 2013

Joshua Lawrence- April 7, 2015

Cadence Elisabeth- January 28, 2017

Andrew Washington- February 9, 2020

Liberty Arabella- September 19, 2023

Esther married Jonathan Frazer on May 15, 2021, at ages 35. They share 2 sons.

Theodore Norman- August 2022

Timothy Charles- August 2022

James married Julianna Bennett (March) on August 19, 2022, when he was 34.

Mordecai- January 2024

Daniel married Kathryn Mae Neely (June 1994) on July 16, 2016. They share 3 children.

Jason Daniel Chambers- April 2017

Jubilee Rae- January 6, 2019

Boy- April 2021

Boy- October 2023

[theculturedmarxist]

White nationalist groups like the Patriot Front and far-right groups like the Proud Boys are on the rise and represent the greatest threat to our country’s security, according to President Joe Biden, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Last August, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that investigations into domestic terrorism have “more than doubled” and that the threat comes from “those who advocate for the superiority of the white race” as well as “Anti-Government or Anti-Authority Violent Extremists.” In February, the ADL reported that white supremacist ideology catalyzed 80% of extremism-related homicides in 2022. And in May, Biden called white supremacy “the most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland.”

But there’s no good evidence that domestic terrorism is increasing. Neither the FBI nor the Department of Homeland Security have submitted “comprehensive data to Congress in required reports” regarding violent extremism, found the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Last year there were only 21 homicides linked to white supremacists in the entire country. By comparison, Chicago alone saw an average of 58 homicides every month. From 2013 to 2021, the FBI’s domestic terrorism-related investigations increased by 357 percent, but there was no similar increase in terrorist attacks during that period.

Terrorism and racism are declining virtually everywhere, including in the U.S. The Global Terrorism Index reported that in 2022, deaths from terrorism fell by 9%, which is 38% lower than its peak in 2015. The number of terror attacks also decreased by 28% from 2021 to 2022. And a 2019 study found that in the United States, conscious and unconscious prejudice for “sexuality, race, and skin-tone attitudes” have decreased over the last decade.

If the number of open FBI cases reflected the actual level of extremist violence, there would be a domestic terrorist attack every day.

And now, a new investigation by Public finds that the FBI is not only exaggerating the threat of white supremacy, but is also embedding confidential human sources within white nationalist groups and encouraging members of these groups to engage in illegal activity.

Earlier this year, a white nationalist organization called Patriot Front held demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas, sparking rumors online that the FBI was involved. In June, more rumors swirled when a fight broke out between American-flag-toting Proud Boys and a group of masked Rose City Nationalists at an Oregon City Pride Night Festival.

In an email to Public, FBI spokeswoman Joy Jiras denied any FBI involvement in the Oregon City rally but defended using undercover informants. “Federal courts and juries have overwhelmingly upheld the use of undercover operations in terrorism cases,” she said, “and their use has produced a lengthy public record of guilty pleas and convictions.”

But a source in a position to know has confirmed to Public that the FBI has pushed confidential informants to buy weapons so that agents can expand the scope and scale of domestic violent extremism investigations. The patterns in most FBI entrapment cases are eerily similar. The FBI pays an informant to lure people into planning and almost carrying out terrorist attacks using weapons, money, and other materials usually provided by the FBI before arresting them at the last minute.

This practice isn’t new. In the past, the FBI has entrapped Muslims and mentally impaired teenagers in terrorism plots. Previously, Public reported that the FBI was deliberately padding its Domestic Violent Extremism (DVE) numbers by incentivizing field offices to inflate statistics and pursue investigations without sufficient proof.

And now, new evidence suggests that the agency is going even further and using entrapment tactics. Lucas Gage, a retired Marine veteran previously involved with a far-right white nationalist group, recently posted a video on Twitter describing how the FBI’s Domestic Terror Unit tried to recruit him to embed into extremist groups like Atomwaffen. He described his recruitment process in an email to Public. “CIs [confidential informants] are paid in cash,” Gage explained. “There is no trace of them working with the FBI.”

Added Gage, “under no circumstances could a CI expose they work for the FBI, otherwise the deal would be off.” An FBI agent who approached Gage about becoming an informant asked if he “would be comfortable buying weapons and drugs when undercover.” A former FBI source corroborated that the FBI uses the tactics Gage described. This source explained that prompting informants to buy drugs and weapons is a prevalent strategy. For instance, as Lee Fang reported for The Intercept, in 2020, the FBI asked an Iowa truck driver who had collaborated with an animal rights group if he’d be willing to buy and sell drugs as an informant for the FBI.

FBI whistleblower Garret O’Boyle said it’s typical for confidential informants to deny involvement with the FBI and that they are required to do so. “Admonishments are given numerous times per year to every single [confidential human source] the FBI runs,” O’Boyle said, “including an admonishment that specifically and deliberately states that the [source] does not work for the FBI or the U.S. government and that they cannot claim they do.”  

These “admonishments” are verbal statements read to informants to ensure they understand they are not federal government employees. Creating this distinction allows the FBI to use informants without being held accountable for their actions.

Rather than dealing with credible problems and dangers like child exploitation, mission creep has turned the FBI into a domestic spying agency. In May, FBI whistleblower Stephen Friend testified before the House Judiciary Committee, stating that he was removed from child exploitation cases and was assigned to investigate domestic extremism. His testimony suggests the FBI diverts valuable resources in order to pursue a political agenda.

Entrapping suspects by encouraging them to plan and commit crimes could potentially escalate the threats that the FBI is supposed to combat. Instead of protecting the public from violence, the FBI appears to be stoking domestic extremism in ways that violate civil liberties and jeopardize safety. Why is that?

[beardedmrbean]

Ilta-Sanomat writes (siirryt toiseen palveluun) that Turkey's change of heart concerning Finland's application to join the western alliance is the result of a tough behind-the-scenes game in which the United States has offered both a carrot and a stick.

Finland's President Sauli Niinistö begins a two-day visit to Turkey on Thursday. It is widely expected that on Friday Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will announce the country's approval of Finland's Nato membership bid.

Risto E. J. Penttilä, the director of the think tank Nordic West Office, told Ilta-Sanomat that he believes that the US has been the driving force in recent developments concerning Finnish Nato membership, having made it clear to Turkey that the delay must end.

Penttilä says that US President Joe Biden and his administration have worked behind the scenes to promote the membership of both Finland and Sweden.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we hear news about F-16 fighter jet purchases [by Turkey] soon," he told Ilta-Sanomat.

President Niinistö visited the US last week where he met President Biden in Washington, even though the original programme did not include talks between the two. Penttilä took this as a sign that matters had moved forward significantly.

According to Penttilä, Turkey is ultimately dependent on the United States. It needs both military and economic cooperation with the US.

He noted, though, that Finland itself has done well in handling negotiations with Ankara. At no point, he said, has Turkey been able to say that Finland is a problem.

Just three years ago

Although it may already seem like the distant past, it was only three years ago as of Thursday that a state of emergency was declared in Finland in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Iltalehti reminds readers (siirryt toiseen palveluun).

Because of the Covid pandemic, Finland was in state of emergency from 16 March to 16 June 2020, and again from 1 March to 27 April 2021.

The paper recalls how initially people rushed to stockpile dairy products and toilet paper.

As the state of emergency was announced, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru (SDP) held a press conference to reassure people that they could still safely go outdoors.

The capital and surrounding province of Uusimaa were cordoned off from the rest of the country on 28 March of 2020. The police and defense forces cut off all major roads, restricting travel in and out of the province.

Face masks caused public debate from the very beginning. At first, stocks were distributed only to healthcare staff. It was not until August 2020, that the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL issued a recommendation on the use of masks by the general public.

The paper notes that in the early stages the Covid pandemic also sparked measures that now seem excessive, such as an order for all people over the age of 70 to quarantine.

Cleaners' strike

Most papers, including Hufvudstadsbladet (siirryt toiseen palveluun), report the Thursday start of a strike by cleaning and real estate maintenance personal after the service union PAM rejected a mediation offer in a contract dispute Wednesday.

The strike includes 2,500 employees who work in cleaning services at around a hundred companies. These include VR's trains, Helsinki's Olympic and Katajanokka terminals, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, several hotels and a long list of industrial properties around the country, all of which will be without cleaning services for three days.

This strike ends on 18 March, but the union has issued warnings of two more strike actions if no settlement is reached. Up to 25,000 union members could walk off the job later this month.

Cold keeping birds at bay

Very few spring migratory birds have returned to Finland over the past few weeks, according to the group BirdLife Finland.

The farmers' union paper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (siirryt toiseen palveluun) points out that freezing temperatures and cold northerly winds have largely delayed migrations.

However, the forest soundscape already does include the songs of titmice, Eurasian treecreepers and greenfinches, as well as the drumming of woodpeckers.

According to BirdLife Finland, there are a few early returnees. More than 20 skylarks were seen in Turku last week, and in the past couple of weeks more than 70 skylark sightings were reported in the coastal municipalities between Pori and Porvoo.

The most unusual sighting of March so far was made on Monday of last week, when two little auk (Alle alle) were seen in Imatra.

[carlav-blogs]

I posted 1,890 times in 2022

That's 1,688 more posts than 2021!

257 posts created (14%)

1,633 posts reblogged (86%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@fuckboyregulus

@elder-millennial-trash

@squintclover

@theresthesnitch

@second-sister

I tagged 733 of my posts in 2022

#carlav answers - 137 posts

#asks game - 36 posts

#anon asks - 34 posts

#carlav.art-blogs - 30 posts

#anon love - 28 posts

#rory tag - 28 posts

#remus lupin - 27 posts

#sirius black - 24 posts

#wolfstar - 21 posts

#siriusly beautiful art - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#everyone always talks about respecting the source material but the writers said nah were going to improve it and respect our actors

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

A Nice Walk in the Park

(by carlav.discusses)

Drawn as part of Wolfstar Bingo 2022.

Prompt: DILF Wolfstar

AO3

@wolfstarbingo2022

366 notes - Posted May 17, 2022

#4

So I was encouraged (by the Wolfstar discord) to post more of my fan art. So here is a piece I did last year for Remus’ birthday and since it’s coming up I thought I’d post it. I will post it on my Insta later. Maybe? Haven’t decided yet. But if you want to follow me there it’s @carlav.art

545 notes - Posted March 3, 2022

#3

As My Memory Rests

(by carlav.discusses)

Drawn as part of Wolfstar Bingo 2022.

Prompt: Chocolate Frog

AO3

@wolfstarbingo2022

769 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

#2

Some sweet Jegulus kisses after a quidditch match.

779 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Supporting and donating to Planned Parenthood amazing and everyone should be doing that. But consider also donating to the smaller clinics. 

If you are in a banned state. Donate to the smaller clinics in the states around you that will now have an influx of people coming to their clinics from out of state.

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida,- donate to New Mexico/ Colorado/Illinois

Arizona, Utah - donate to Nevada/ California/ New Mexico/ Colorado  

Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri - donate to  Illinois/ Minnesota, Colorado

Idaho, Wyoming, Montana - donate to Oregon, Washington (State), Nevada

West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina - donate to the smaller northern east coast states, like Maryland, R.I.,  Connecticut, etc.

If I am missing any state please send me an ask and I will look it up so people can have it available for them.

1,174 notes - Posted June 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[airasilver]

“One of the guns was directly behind me and at every discharge, the concussion would throw gravel over me and I could not only see and smell the thick cloud of burning powder, but could taste it also.” - Charles D. Page, of the 14th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, in

"Voices from Gettysburg"

Firsthand accounts add color to Gettysburg battle by Jack Brubaker| The Scribbler

OId news can be illuminating!

The Philadelphia Inquirer on June 30, 1863, printed a colorful report of the June 28 burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge to prevent Confederate forces from entering

Lancaster County.

"The light in the heavens must have been seen for many miles," the Inquirer noted. "Some of the timbers as they fell into the stream seemed to form themselves into rafts, which floated

down like infernal ferry-boats to the region pictured by DANTE."

You will not encounter that type of language when reading most 21st-century accounts of the

prelude to the battle at Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863. It is difficult to match original reporting or reflections on extraordinary historical events.

"Voices from Gettysburg:

Letters, Papers, and Memoirs From the Greatest Battle of the Civil War, the latest contribution from Civil War and Abraham Lincoln scholar Allen C. Guelzo, is filled with such accounts of participants in America's bloodiest conflict.

While some of these materials

have not been published previously, you can find most of them elsewhere. The difference here is that Guelzo serves as an expert guide to these early writings.

Guelzo not only discusses the battle but the varied abilities of army commanders and, somewhat surprisingly, the politics of the time that helped nudge both armies toward a showdown at Gettysburg.

For example, he breaks down the number of Union army generals who were Democrats or Republicans and how they may have felt about who commanded the Army of the Potomac.

He says Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia invaded Pennsylvania in 1863 with an eye toward persuading voters to defeat Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 election.

The bulk of the book is devoted to contemporary accounts. One sterling example is a reminiscence of the mutual cannonade preceding the Confederate assault on Union lines on July 3. Charles D. Page, of the 14th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, published his recollections in 1906.

Commenting on the smoke from the big guns, Page said, "so very thick was it that the sun seemed blotted out. One of the guns was directly behind me and at every discharge, the concussion would throw gravel over me and I could not only see and smell the thick cloud of burning powder, but could taste it also."

Guelzo includes Lincoln's "Response to a Serenade" in Washington, D.C., on July 7, 1863, four days after the battle ended at Gettysburg. The president's speech was a sort of “dress rehearsal" for the "Gettysburg Address" he would deliver that November.

"How long ago is it?"

Lincoln asked. "Eighty odd years - since on the Fourth of July for the first time in the history of the world a nation by its representatives, assembled and declared as a selfevident [sic] truth that 'all men are created equal.'"

Guelzo assembled the writings for this book during 15 years of researching and teaching Civil War history at Gettysburg College. He says he learned that

"there was no substitute for listening to the voices of those that had been at Gettysburg in 1863."

Guelzo is now a senior research scholar at Princeton University. He published "Gettysburg: The Last Invasion" in 2013. His 2021 biography, "Robert

E. Lee: A Life," provides a clarifying analysis not only of Lee's military genius but also of his complex act of treason in leaving, rather than leading, the Union army.

Jack Brubaker, retired from LNP. / LancasterOnline staff, writes "The Scribbler" column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.

[igottatho]

Rashid Khalidi: October 7th Revisited | Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Hamas, ...

Abstract:

 “Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. He was editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, President of the Middle East Studies Association, and an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations from October 1992 until June 1993. In this episode, Rashid and Robinson discuss the history that culminated in October 7th, 2023, what has happened since then, and what might happen in the future. More particularly, they talk about Zionism, the Nakba, how Gaza was created, the war between Israel and Hamas, Egypt’s role in the crisis, the question of genocide, and the future of Palestine. Rashid’s most recent book is The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine (Metropolitan Books, 2021).”

I’ve read Rashid Khalid’s latest book The Hundred Years’ War twice since its release; I’ve found it really informative and very specific in examples and times when Palestinian people have never truly been brokered with in earnest. The intent has always been for Israel to do what it is currently doing in Jabalia. I found the reread especially informative, a lot more gelled into what I’d learned since the first run-through. I honestly thought this first part of the video slapped, where Khalidi talks about his roots in Palestine:

“Well I mean there's a tested history for our family in Jerusalem going back to the time of the Crusades. Possibly earlier but certainly the time of the Crusades or just after. And some of the people who figure in the book, are these 19th century figures, who one of whom was a member of the first ever Ottoman Parliament, Mayor of Jerusalem, ends up writing a letter to Theodore Herzl. Another one, his nephew, was also a deputy of Jerusalem in the 1908 Parliament, and also played a role in the Arab reaction to Zionism. So I mean, they're members of my family who play all kinds of roles in- in- in- Jerusalem and in law, in education and in- and in- politics. I had an uncle who was the last elected Arab mayor of Jerusalem I mentioned him also in the book... yeah he writes to [Theodore Herzl] in 1899 two years after the first Zionist Congress in Basil. And he has lived in Austria you know, Herzel was a  Viennese journalist and published in German. His famous book there, Judenstat, the- the state of the Jews, is published in German. And it's clear that Yusfi - who's the person we're talking about, this great great great uncle - had read about the Congress, had read about Zionism. May well have read the book uh, we don't know, but he knew a great deal about Zionism. And so he writes to Herzel and he tells him that, um, he tells him a variety of things. First of all he says that ‘we understand the connection between the Jewish people in the Holy Land, we understand the persecution you're subject to in Europe, we understand where Zionism is coming from.’ So he understands that it's a national project, he understands that it's a reaction to persecution. But he says: ‘you're not taking into account the fact that Palestine is already inhabited by a people that's going to resist being displaced’. At the end he says, ‘for the sake of God, leave Palestine alone.’ And so, this is probably the first recorded anyway ... response by a Palestinian to the very beginnings of Zionism, in 1899. So a couple of years after the first Zionist Congress’.”

Under the cut is an outline of the YouTube above, so you can determine if it’s worth your time w/out clicking all the way to YT. It runs about an hour, but imo it's fine just listening. 

 OUTLINE 00:00 

Introduction 04:04 

Is the Israel-Hamas War an American War? 07:33 

The Nakba Versus the Bible 18:52 

Is All Zionist History Propaganda? 28:45 

Has Gaza Become a Concentration Camp? 40:21 

Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza? 46:52 

Can Israel’s War Crimes Against Gaza Be Justified? 51:30 

Is Egypt Responsible for the Gaza Crisis? 54:30 

Is the Israel-Hamas War Just Beginning? 01:00:07 

How Soon Will Israel Conquer Gaza? 01:05:19 

Rashid’s Hope for the Future of Israel and Palestine 

 The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: https://a.co/d/7Mrwuz9  

 The Neck and the Sword: https://shorturl.at/N7HRo 

 A New Abyss (The Guardian Long Read): https://shorturl.at/oVn5j 

Some info re: the host & interviewer. Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com  Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, historians, economists, and everyone in-between.

[readingsrantsrambles]

Biden Isn’t to Blame for Inflation

Rather look to the Federal Reserve’s timidity and, yes, the war in Ukraine.

By Alan S. Blinder 

June 28, 2022

Federal Reserve in Washington, March 19, 2019. Photo: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS

Republicans are engaged in a cynical game of pin the inflation on the donkey. Ask them about law-breaking at the highest levels of government or threats to elections and constitutional democracy, and they are likely to reply that inflation is too high and it’s Joe Biden’s fault. 

They’re half right. Inflation is too high. But since blaming Mr. Biden will likely persist through the November election, let’s examine the charge.

One element of truth is that both the administration and the Federal Reserve stuck with antirecession policies like big spending and low interest rates too long, thereby helping overheat the economy. But let’s remember the reasons and think about the magnitudes.

The U.S. economy blasted out of the Covid-induced recession of 2020 like a rocket, soaring at a 34% annual rate in the third quarter of 2020 and then at nearly a 6% average annual rate over the next three quarters. Much of that rapid recovery was powered by those highly stimulative fiscal and monetary policies. And it’s a good thing we had them. The U.S. recovery was far faster than Europe’s.

But when should that massive fiscal and monetary stimulus have been withdrawn? Probably not in the first months of Biden’s presidency, which is when he pushed his American Rescue Plan through a narrowly Democratic Congress. In January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.4% and the 12-month CPI inflation rate was 1.4%. 

It is true that the ARP’s $1.9 trillion price tag (over 10 years) was probably too large, as some critics warned at the time. But Mr. Biden was focused on maintaining job growth; and besides, the inflationary consequences of the ARP were probably negligible. Moodys’ Mark Zandi has estimated that the act added a mere 0.1% to today’s inflation rate. Why so little? At about $190 billion a year, ARP spending amounted to only 0.8% of 2021’s gross domestic product.

The Federal Reserve made a similar mistake, for the same reason, on a grander scale. According to its favorite measure, the PCE (personal consumption expenditure) deflator, the 12-month inflation rate in January 2021 was 1.4%—well below its 2% target. With inflation too low and the durability of the recovery still in doubt, it seemed too soon to raise interest rates and stunt job growth. 

So the Fed waited. A quarter later, inflation was on the rise. But with the unemployment rate averaging 5.9%, it would have taken a lot of both chutzpah and foresight to raise interest rates that early. 

So the Fed waited some more. Just three quarters later, it was too late. The unemployment rate was down to 4% and falling. The 12-month PCE inflation rate was up to 6% and rising. By the time the Fed started to raise interest rates in March 2022, it was clearly behind the proverbial curve. 

The Fed’s error in timing seems to have had two main sources. One is that inflation burst out of the gates, catching the central bank flatfooted. Using the PCE measure again, the inflation rate leapt from 1.4% in January 2021 to 4% in May 2021—and not because of anything Mr. Biden did. The main factors are well known: Covid, oil prices and food prices. 

Start with Covid, where we encounter the second source of the Fed’s timing error: Team Transitory—which included the Fed, the White House and me—was overly optimistic about how soon Covid-related inflation would dissipate. Why? Mainly because we overestimated how quickly the economy would work around supply-chain issues ranging from reduced chip production and a shortage of container ships to inadequate supplies of cardboard boxes and truck drivers. I estimated last month that at least 1.3 points of today’s core PCE inflation is attributable to the uneven recovery from the Covid recession. Mr. Zandi estimated that it’s 2 points of additional CPI inflation.

I conceptualize the failure to anticipate how long supply-chain problems would last as placing excessive faith in capitalism. We economists tend to believe that profit-seeking capitalists will sniff out, act on and profit from high prices whenever and wherever they pop up. You know: Buy low, sell high. That’s happening, but far more slowly than I imagined. In addition, new waves of Covid keep coming. 

Much of the rest of the error in forecasting inflation can be traced directly to the war in Ukraine, which has severely constricted the world’s supplies of oil, wheat, fertilizer and other products. CPI data show that food inflation and energy inflation together have added about 2.6 percentage points to the overall inflation rate over the last 12 months.

So pinning the inflation tail on Joe Biden amounts to blaming him for war-induced shortages and the Fed’s mistiming. It is a bum rap.

Mr. Blinder, a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton, served as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, 1994-96.