Steve Bull's Blog, page 40
May 8, 2024
Flashback: When Newt Gingrich Demanded Internet Censorship For Terror War
The neocon faction of the permanent ruling class, which permeates both parties, is eternally dangerous and must be perpetually kept in check, if not purged entirely.
The year was 2006, in the middle of a decade that cemented my hate for the state, probably forever.
The terror induced by government’s War of Terror propaganda was at its apex.
Jingoistic “Freedom Fries” were on offer at various patriotic establishment because “French fries” were faggy and soft.
The neocons had their guy, literally minus a beating heart, Dick Cheney, strategically placed as the real president, playing his moronic nominal boss like a fiddle.
The PATRIOT Act was in full effect and American civil liberties had never been more broken — although they would be in subsequent years.
And one Newt Gingrich, the viscerally repulsive, bloated embodiment of the rot in the overfed GOP establishment, wanted to censor the internet… because ‘Merica.
It went without saying at the time that, if you oppose state control of the web, you support terrorism.
In order to defend America, once must undermine all of the fundamental founding principles that made it great in the first place.
Via Politico (emphasis added):
“Back in 2006, Gingrich argued censoring the Internet would be the right thing to do when it comes to Islamic radicals who use the web to organize jihad against the U.S.
‘We need to get ahead of the curve rather than wait until we actually literally lose a city, which I think could literally happen in the next decade if we’re unfortunate,’ Mr. Gingrich said during a speech in New Hampshire, according to a story I wrote at the time for The New York Sun. ‘We now should be impaneling people to look seriously at a level of supervision that we would never dream of if it weren’t for the scale of the threat.’…
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Sudan’s Conflict and Resulting Starvation
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While the world is watching in horror at the genocide being carried out in Gaza, there is another war in Sudan which has been overshadowed by the Israeli war on the Palestinians.
Since the conflict began on April 15, 2023, almost 15,000 people have been killed, and more than 8.2 million have been displaced. In Gaza, about 35,000 have been killed in six months of fighting since October 7, 2023.
The city of El Fasher is now under threat of an imminent attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are battling against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). In the middle of April, the RSF began besieging El Fasher.
El Fasher is the main city in Sudan’s western Darfur region, and the last major city still under the control of the SAF.
Displaced people forced to flee surrounding areas surged into the city of El Fasher and are living in schools and areas known as gathering sites.
With all routes into and out of the city closed and unsafe, the fear and dreading is felt by all.
Experts on the conflict see the evidence that the two sides are preparing to fight a close-quarter battle in El Fasher to the death.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has described the crisis as being of epic proportions.
Sudan has been torn apart by years of political instability, and is currently facing a deepening crisis of both the armed conflict and the resulting starvation. Despite numerous attempts by international bodies to broker peace agreements, the situation remains dire for millions of Sudanese citizens.
The Conflict
Sudan’s brutal civil war began just over a year ago, after the country’s two leading military men who had staged a coup together began an armed battle with each other and their forces. The SAF and the RSF battle for control and resources, while the civilians pay the heaviest price.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Lessons from COVID-19: Fascism, Globalism, and the “Medical-Industrial Complex”
Fight for life, freedom, and sovereignty.
Today, I’m delving into three important topics, covered from a Christian conservative/free market and nationalist perspective. I will place each within a global geopolitical framework.
My goal over the past four years of the COVID crisis has been to decipher our collective experiences. This has guided me to focus on the broader, more comprehensive picture.
Throughout this past year, I have actively participated in three “ ‘Global Crisis Summits’ (Brussels at the EU Parliament, Romania, and Washington DC in conjunction with CPAC), among numerous others. Just three days ago, I returned from Romania, where I had the privilege of speaking at the ‘Make Europe Great Again’ conference. These experiences have underscored the fact that our understanding of the COVID crisis is most effective when viewed within a broader global context.
Today, I will dig into three fundamental topics that have been at the forefront of what has happened over the past few years.
1) Medical Industrial Complex
2) Censorship, propaganda, and psychological warfare technology
3) Globalization versus nationalism, and a battle worth fighting
…
1. The Medical Industrial Complex
We need to start with the meaning of words.
“Medical Industrial Complex” refers to the increasingly powerful, transnational, public-private partnerships linking academia, pharma/biotech and both national government and supra-governmental organizations such as the United Nations and its Agenda 2030 treaty, the World Health Organization and its International Health Regulations, and the World Economic Foundation among others.
These types of public-private cooperative relationships have a name. That name was created by Benito Mussolini. We know this name. The name is Fascism (corporatism). That is the union of the state and corporate power. We should call it what it is.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
EV euphoria is dead. Automakers are scaling back or delaying their electric vehicle plans
Although consumer demand for EVs hasn’t shown up in the way executives had expected, sales of the vehicles are still predicted to increase in the years to come.Andrew Merry | Moment | Getty ImagesDETROIT — The buzz around electric vehicles is wearing off.
For years, the automotive industry has been in a state of EV euphoria. Automakers trotted out optimistic sales forecasts for electric models and announced ambitious targets for EV growth. Wall Street boosted valuations for legacy automakers and startup entrants alike, based in part on their visions for an EV future.
Now the hype is dwindling, and companies are again cheering consumer choice. Automakers from Ford Motor and General Motors to Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin are scaling back or delaying their electric vehicle plans.
Even U.S. EV leader Tesla, which is estimated to have accounted for 55% of EV sales in the country in 2023, is bracing for what “may be a notably lower” rate of growth, CEO Elon Musk said in late January.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…Pritzker doubles down with $827 million of taxpayer money for expansion by troubled electric vehicle maker, Rivian – Wirepoints
At $1.5 million per job, this new incentive package from the state is at least 15 times the norm. For this much money, the state could have just handed out a million bucks to 827 people, instead of creating 550 jobs.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday that the State of Illinois will provide an $827 million incentive package for Rivian to invest $1.5 billion to expand its electric vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois. The expansion is expected to create at least 550 full-time jobs within the next five years, and will build Rivian’s next model EV, the R2. Rivian initially got $49.5 million under Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2017 to create 1,000 jobs at the same location.
The new deal gives $1.5 million per job created, which is astronomical in the world of location incentives. Estimated average location incentives paid by state and local governments around the nation range from $13,000 to $84,000 per job, though sometimes go as high as $100,000 per job for capital intensive projects. Even using that high end, Rivian’s package will be 15 times what’s typical.
Moreover, Rivian is on shaky wheels, along with the rest of the U.S. EV industry. Rivian loses over $43,000 for every vehicle it sells and has had two rounds of layoffs this year. The decision to move its R2 production to Illinois is a further reflection of the company’s need to preserve cash. R2 production was initially planned for a new $5 billion plant in Georgia, heavily subsidized by the state. But Rivian concluded that moving production to the existing Illinois facility would save cash.
Its stock price has consequently been hammered. It reached a high of $172 per share in 2021 but now trades at less than $10 per share.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
May 5, 2024
Are plastics killing us?
Jumping into the future head first, blindfolded, handcuffed, and in darkness
Plastics have been a feature of our world since the time they started being produced on a large scale in the second half of the 20th century. They are another giant experiment that we are performing on ourselves. As usual, we are jumping into the future head first, without thinking of what we are doing. Image by Dall-E
If you are a scientist, you may like doing experiments on mice. Not so much if you are a mouse. And yet, we are going through a series of planet-wide experiments in which we are playing the role of mice. Right now, humankind is engaged in determining the value of the climate sensitivity factor, that is, how the temperature of the atmosphere reacts to the CO2 concentration. This attempt may kill us all, but on the other hand, that’s the normal destiny of laboratory mice.
But the climate is not the only experiment we are engaged in. Several others aim to test how humans react to chemicals not normally present in nature. One is plastics.
Plastic waste is normally seen as ugly and obnoxious but not really dangerous. It is supposed to be inert, and, indeed, it normally is. You may occasionally bite off a piece of plastic from a wrapper while eating a sandwich, but nothing bad will happen to you — not immediately, at least. But plastics are not as inert as they seem to be.
Plastics are carbon-based polymers made by assembling smaller molecules, “monomers,” to form chains; the result is a solid that’s normally stable. Chains can degrade, releasing the monomers, molecules that are not inert at all. In addition, plastics contain all sorts of additives. A few are inert fillers, but most are not.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Ford’s $120,000 Loss Per Vehicle Shows California EV Goals Are Impossible
The losses include “hundreds of millions being spent on research and development of the next generation of EVs for Ford. Those investments are years away from paying off.” Ford is the only major carmaker breaking out EV numbers by themselves. But other marques likely suffer similar losses.
Californians bought 1.78 million new vehicles in 2023, reported the California New Car Dealers Association. Multiply that number by $132,000 and you get $235 billion. That would bankrupt every car manufacturer, meaning they just would pull out of selling anything in the state.The California government would have to set up socialist, government-owned companies to make the cars, like the infamous Yugo. Dubbed “the worst car in history,” it was sold in America in the 1980s and was made by the communist Yugoslav government just before the country itself broke up in 1991.Battery Problems
The Epoch Times also reported that same day, April 24, “Ford Recalling More Than 55,000 SUVs and Trucks in Canada Over Battery Issues.” The Transport Canada notice read, “A sudden loss of power to the wheels or a vehicle that doesn’t restart after a start-stop event could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, hazard lamps that don’t work could make the vehicle less visible and increase the risk of a crash.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…El Nino to last two more months; 2024 could be Malaysia’s hottest year — Nik Nazmi
KOTA BHARU (May 2): The El Nino phenomenon hitting the country is expected to continue for the next two months, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
He said his ministry and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) will monitor the weather transition.
According to him, forecasts indicate this year could be the country’s hottest year.
“The last time such hot weather struck the country was in 1998 in Perlis,” he told reporters after launching the Madani NRES adopted village in Kampung Aril, Melor, here on Thursday.
Nik Nazmi said Kelantan, Perlis and Kedah are experiencing higher temperatures than Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
He said based on the report he received, the transition should have started with rain expected to come, but Malaysians are to experience hotter days for another one to two months, with the Meteorological Department monitoring the situation.
“Besides that, we will also monitor and be vigilant about haze in the country and across borders as we observe signs of peat fires,” he said.
Nik Nazmi said his ministry will join forces with the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry to monitor water levels, adding that they may need to conduct a cloud seeding exercise.
The matter is under the attention of Nadma, he said.
“The cost of cloud seeding is high and depends on weather factors. Therefore, I will discuss this matter with the state government,” he added.
Nik Nazmi also advised students to drink enough water and wear appropriate attire due to the hot weather.
How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution
The massive supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago has been blamed for nearly killing off our species. The emerging truth is much more interesting.
A dramatic 2020 eruption of Kīlauea was nothing compared with Indonesia’s Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago, the largest eruption of the past 2.5 million years. HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK/PUBLIC DOMAINTHEY NEVER SAW IT COMING. For the small bands of hunter-gatherers across Africa and Eurasia, the day was like any other. Some tracked great herds of migrating animals across expansive grasslands; others moved through dense rainforests, or along the banks of turgid rivers and ephemeral streambeds. Survival—finding food and water, avoiding predators, strengthening the small group’s social bonds—was the order of the day.
Thousands of miles away, an extraordinary event was about to take place: a cataclysm that would make the entire planet shudder. It would also change the story of our species. The question is, how?
About 74,000 years ago on Sumatra, the Toba supervolcano erupted on a scale that is difficult to comprehend. It was the most powerful eruption of the last 2.5 million years; by volume, it was more than 215 times larger than the 20th century’s biggest boom, the Novarupta event in Alaska, and more than 11,000 times the size of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. It dwarfed even the three largest known eruptions of the Yellowstone supervolcano.
In the late 20th century, researchers began trying to reconstruct what happened after Toba blew. According to those early models, inches-thick blankets of ash smothered much of the Indian subcontinent and choked the seas from the Arabian to Chinese coasts. Global air currents swept a haze of sulfur and ash particles across oceans and continents, wreaking climate havoc…
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Golden Age of Disinformation Has Only Just Begun
Disinformation is all about power, and because of the harmful and far-reaching influence that disinformation exerts, it cannot achieve much without power.
As a tool for shaping public perceptions, disinformation can be used by authoritarian regimes and democracies alike. The dissemination of false information is not a new practice in human history. However, over the last few decades, it has become professionalized and has taken on exorbitant proportions at both national and international levels.The Origins of DisinformationDisinformation can be understood as misleading information, intentionally produced and deliberately disseminated, to mislead public opinion, harm a target group, or advance political or ideological objectives.
The term disinformation is a translation of the Russian дезинформация (dezinformatsiya). On Jan. 11, 1923, the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union decided to create a Department of Disinformation. Its mission was “to mislead real or potential adversaries about the true intentions” of the USSR. From then on, disinformation became a tactic of Soviet political warfare known as “active measures,” a crucial element of Soviet intelligence strategy involving falsification, subversion, and media manipulation.
During the Cold War, from 1945 to 1989, this tactic was used by numerous intelligence agencies. The expression “disinformation of the masses” came into increasing use in the 1960s and became widespread in the 1980s. Former Soviet bloc intelligence officer Ladislav Bittman, the first disinformation professional to defect to the West, observed in this regard that ”The interpretation [of the term] is slightly distorted because public opinion is only one of the potential targets. Many disinformation games are designed only to manipulate the decision-making elite, and receive no publicity.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
