Puppet MastersS


Alarm Clock

Do the Democrats really want unity?

Joe Biden
© ALEX WONG / AFP
Below is my column in the Hill on the increasingly divisive rhetoric and actions taken on Capitol Hill. Rather than plot a course to between greater unity, many are seeking to muscle through extreme measures that will only further aggravate and deepen our divisions. The media from the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times have run editorials encouraging aggressive moves to secure control of the Senate, including the ending of the filibuster. That move would make every vote a muscle play — producing sweeping changes in a country that is clearly divided and seeking political compromise.

Here is the column:

There are times when being a law professor ruins everything. You go to a great movie with your wife and get a sharp elbow after whispering in the theater that the character really cannot question a witness like that. Or you watch a football game with friends and try to explain that the cameraman wiped out by the running back would have a great torts case.

Bad Guys

Boris Johnson confirms 'red list' arrivals face new quarantine measures

Boris Johnson
© PABoris Johnson speaking during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday
Boris Johnson has told MPs that Home Secretary Priti Patel will set out tougher quarantine measures for "red list countries where we have particular concern about new variants".

Plans are expected to be unveiled on Wednesday, January 27, which could see UK arrivals forced to fork out for two weeks in a quarantine hotel to stop the spread of Covid.

And the Prime Minister addressed MPs during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday to confirm tougher quarantine measures are due to be set out by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Mr Johnson told the Commons: "Throughout this pandemic, it has been the habit of the Opposition first to support one approach and then to attack it, to twist, to turn.

Comment:
UK PM Johnson confirms delayed school reopening in England, says Covid situation too 'perilous' to ease restrictions
Boris Johnson has dashed hopes that children might be able to return to school after the February half-term, noting that hospitals remain in a "perilous" situation and the government can't take any risks with Covid-19 rampant.

"It will not be possible to reopen schools immediately after the half-term. I know how frustrating that will be to students and teachers who want nothing more than to get back to the classroom," the prime minister said on Wednesday.
If we do, we run the risk of our NHS coming under still greater pressure, compelling us to reimpose every restriction and sustain those restrictions for longer.
Johnson noted that it was a priority to see kids in England get back to school, but insisted the decision would be taken as soon as the time was right.

The PM said it was still too early to relax restrictions, adding that the National Health Service cannot be put further at risk.

"We remain in a perilous situation, with more than 37,000 patients now in hospital with Covid, almost double the peak of the first wave," Johnson added.


Which suggests that all the ludicrous orders and insane dictates that people have been complying with has done absolutely nothing to stop or slow the spread.


The PM also insisted that schools are indeed "safe," but the risks of bringing communities together posed a high risk, and "a large number of kids are a considerable vector of transmission."

The government claims teachers are at no extra risk of catching Covid-19 and has not announced any plans for prioritizing teachers for vaccination against the virus, despite pressure from opposition parties.

Schools have remained closed since Christmas, with only the children of key workers receiving in-person teaching.
UK unveils STRICTER Covid-19 border restrictions as govt steps up enforcement measures
Home Secretary Priti Patel has unveiled new Covid-19 border restrictions, forcing UK citizens travelling from red-list countries to quarantine in government-provided accommodation while stepping up checks on other arrivals.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Patel declared that there are "still too many people coming in and out of our country every day," forcing the government to introduce stricter border restrictions to protect the country from new variants of the virus.

As was expected, the government will require UK citizens who are coming back from so-called 'red-list' countries to quarantine for 10 days in government-provided accommodation, so they can be monitored in case they develop symptoms. Alongside that, police will also increase checks on other arrivals who are self-isolating to ensure they comply with the rules.

To enforce the new measures, police presence at ports and airports will be increased, so border officials can check that people only travel abroad if they have a valid reason for doing so. Those who are flouting the rules will be asked to return home or be given a fine.

"Going on holiday is not a valid reason to travel," Patel said.


Except, of course, when they do it.


While Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party and his scientific advisers support this new approach, the opposing Labour Party has criticised the move as not going "anywhere near far enough" to combat incoming cases, leaving "huge gaps in our defences against emerging strains."

Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds argued that by only requiring people returning from a specific handful of countries to quarantine in monitored accommodation, the government is showing it is "too far behind the curve" in tackling the ongoing crisis.

On Tuesday, the UK passed the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. The country has recorded almost 3.7 million cases to date.



Magic Hat

Homeland Security issues 'national terrorism alert' - because 'domestic terrorists' are very scary

DHS Logo
The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday issued a national terror alert, reportedly warning that domestic extremists maybe be inspired by the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.

The alert states violent extremists opposed to the government and the presidential transition "could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence." However, the agency said it has no evidence of a specific plot, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The alert was the first issued this year by the agency.

Comment: It took 20 years, but 9/11 is finally paying dividends for the totalitarians in the USA. Expect more of this from Grandpa Joe, and the people telling him what to say and do through his earpiece. Don't say we didn't warn you.


Red Flag

Back to normal? More like new normal! Beijing tightens Covid restrictions before New Year, deploys ANAL swabs

chinese ppe thumbs up nurse doctor
© Galileo Cheng/HKFP
Beijing city will require people arriving from low-risk areas in China between Jan. 28 and March 15 to show negative COVID-19 test results, tightening curbs ahead of the Lunar New Year and the annual parliament meeting.

People entering the capital from those areas will need to undergo a 14-day health observation period after arrival, Xu Hejian, spokesman of the Beijing city government, said on Wednesday.

COVID-19 tests will also be performed on the seventh and 14th day of their arrival, he told reporters.

The tighter measures come ahead of the Lunar New Year peak travel season kicking off on Thursday, and before China's annual parliamentary meeting starting on March 5.

Comment: Despite the propaganda, China is not "back to normal." Life has radically changed, now even more authoritarian than it used to be. See this for example: On top of that, you can now add anal swabs. Yep. Anal swabs:
China has begun using anal swabs to test those it considers at high risk of contracting Covid-19, state TV reported, with social media users and travellers squirming over the invasive procedure which doctors say can be more effective in detecting the virus.

Officials took anal swabs from residents of neighbourhoods with confirmed Covid-19 cases in Beijing last week, broadcaster CCTV said, while those in designated quarantine facilities have also undergone the test.

Small, localized outbreaks in recent weeks have seen multiple cities in northern China sealed off from the rest of the country and prompted mass testing campaigns — which up until now have mostly been conducted using throat and nose swabs.

But the anal swabs method "can increase the detection rate of infected people" as traces of the virus linger longer in the anus than in the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a senior doctor from Beijing's You'an Hospital, told CCTV.

Users of China's popular Twitter-like Weibo social media platform reacted to the method with a mix of mirth and horror.

"So lucky I returned to China earlier," one user wrote.

"Low harm, but extreme humiliation," another said, using a laughing emoticon.
Enjoy the new normal, folks!


X

Trump impeachment DOA in Senate

Trump Pelosi
© Reuters/UnknownFormer US President Donald Trump • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
President Biden and congressional Democrats have an opportunity to move beyond what they have routinely characterized as the "chaos" of the Trump era. Yet having finally succeeded in evicting him from the White House and getting him censored by the various social media platforms, they plan to drag the Bad Orange Man back into the spotlight for a show trial that even left-of-center legal scholars have declared unconstitutional by definition. On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send her slapdash article of impeachment to the Senate, where the Democrats are already preparing a performance they plan to debut during the second week of February.

But the show will be a flop. As professor emeritus at Harvard Law School Alan Dershowitz writes at the Wall Street Journal:
"Now that Donald Trump is a private citizen, the Senate should dismiss the article of impeachment against him for lack of jurisdiction.... Beyond the constitution, there are strong policy and historical reasons an incoming administration shouldn't seek recriminations against its predecessor."
In other words, the Senate lacks the authority to try a former official, and it would be dumb politics.

Hiliter

Biden signs more executive orders in effort to advance US racial equality

Biden Rice
© screenshotUS President Joe Biden • Domestic Policy Council leader Susan Rice
Domestic policy chief Susan Rice says 'every agency will place equity at the core' as Biden push to undo Trump's legacy continues. Joe Biden signed four more executive orders on Tuesday, as he aimed to fulfill a campaign promise to increase racial equity in the US.

The orders were the latest in a volley since Biden's inauguration as president last week, meant to undo the legacy of Donald Trump's time in the White House. The new orders related to housing and criminal justice reform. Broadly, Biden and his aides framed it as a step in their broader hopes to heal racial tensions across the country. In a speech before he signed the orders Biden recalled the death of George Floyd, who was Black, at the hands of police.


Comment: Must be some fantastic pen he's got there - all it takes is ink and some strung together words he didn't write to completely change/devolve America. "Equity" is not solved by appointing an assortment of skin types. It is solved by the hard work of coming together as a nation for the good of the society without the dictates of incompetent, self-serving overlords. It's called self-determination.

Others had a different take on Biden's racial issue EOs:
In light of Biden's Racial Equality agenda, the NAACP has demands:
The NAACP had called on Biden to create a policy "czar" position to put one person in charge of addressing racial justice and equity issues. Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said Tuesday it was important to see the issues embedded in the administration's domestic policy portfolio.

The Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative, a coalition of racial justice and civil rights organizations, pushed Tuesday for Biden to establish a White House Office on Racial Equity and Inclusion to coordinate all actions. But administration officials emphasized what they said is an unprecedented move to embed racial equity throughout all agencies.

"Advancing equity is everybody's job," said Rice.

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said Biden's initial steps and Rice's role indicates racial justice will not be marginalized in the new administration.
"It's not time to pop a cork or spike the ball. No way. Don't get me wrong," he told USA TODAY. "But these are things that we have encouraged, asked for and demanded. So it looks like we're being heard at this stage."
Eric Rodriguez, senior vice president of policy and advocacy at UnidosUS a national Latino civil rights organization, praised Biden's focus on housing, which he called a 'sleeper issue.' "We know that systemic racism is throughout the government."
See also:


Snakes in Suits

Meet Antony 'Blinkered' - Biden's choice for America's top diplomat

ABlinken
© Jose Luis Magana/Associated PressBiden pick for Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
Blinken does not seem to have repented from his fundamentalist belief in American imperial goodness, notwithstanding his appeal for "humility".

Barring an earthquake in Washington, Antony Blinken is set to become the new U.S. Secretary of State and America's top diplomat. The youthful and telegenic Blinken (58) takes over from Mike Pompeo who was America's representative to the world under the last Trump administration.

The contrast could not be more stark. In place of Pompeo's thuggish, rough-edged style, Blinken has the appearance of consummate diplomat. He's fluent in French owing to a European education, he's urbane and sophisticated and comes from a family which has diplomacy in its genes. His father was an ambassador to Hungary and an advisor to President John F Kennedy. An uncle was ambassador to Belgium.

Star of David

Israel's top general says its military is refreshing operational plans against Iran

Aviv Kohavi
© Heidi Levine/Pool/AFP/Getty ImagesIsraeli army chief of staff Aviv Kohavi
Israel's top general said on Tuesday that its military was refreshing its operational plans against Iran and that any US return to a 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran would be "wrong, reports Reuters.

The remarks are an apparent signal to US President Joe Biden to tread cautiously in any diplomatic engagement with Iran. Such comments by Israel's military chief of staff on US policymaking are rare and likely would have been pre-approved by the Israeli government.

"A return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, or even if it is a similar accord with several improvements, is bad and wrong from an operational and strategic point of view," Lieutenant-General Aviv Kohavi said in an address to Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies.

Comment: Return to The Deal or not, Biden is a product of the Obama era when war was the option most consistently taken. Given the new administration may prove a fallback to those times, the bidding war has begun:
Israel and Iran both seek to put pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of his expected announcement on his approach for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program. In Iran, leaders said they would not wait indefinitely for Biden to act. Biden has said he will seek to revive the deal, with some changes.

Kohavi said allowing Iran to proceed with a nuclear program would be "an unacceptable threat and will lead to nuclear proliferation across the region." Kohavi said that given the threat posed by Iran, Israel's military would be prepared to attack on its own if needed.
"I instructed the army to prepare a number of operational plans in addition to the existing ones. We are taking care of these plans and will develop them during the coming year. Those who decide on carrying them out, of course, are the political leaders. But these plans have to be on the table."
Just hours before Kohavi spoke against a deal, Iran prodded Biden to rejoin the atomic accord. "The window of opportunity will not be open for long," said Iran's Cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei.

Israeli officials, including Kohavi, say that Iran is in a much weaker position than in 2015 after years of sanctions by the Trump administration. They say that any new deal should eliminate "sunset" provisions that phase out certain limits on Iran's nuclear activities, address Iran's long-range missile program and its military involvement and support for Israel's enemies across the region.
See also:


Arrow Up

US looking to build new Saudi Arabian bases as Biden is pressured to end support for Riyadh's Yemen war

USAF jet
© USAF
US troops have not been based on Saudi soil since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks, which al-Qaeda claimed were motivated in part by the presence of US forces in the Muslim holy land.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon is in talks with Riyadh to expand the former's global military footprint by turning three Saudi facilities into "dual use" bases.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, told the WSJ that the Pentagon was looking for "options" in case of a conflict with Iran, "and options are always a good thing for a commander to have."

The three sites noted by McKenzie are the ports at Yanbu, on the Red Sea near Medina; King Fahd Air Base in Taif, east of Mecca; and King Faisal Air Base in Tabuk, about 65 miles south of the Saudi border with Israel.

Black Magic

Biden climate czar Kerry admits zero emissions in US wouldn't make difference in climate change

john kerry climate change
© EPA/Stefani Reynolds / POOLJohn Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, speaking during a news conference on January 27, 2021.
President Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, admitted Wednesday that the US reducing its emissions to zero wouldn't make much of a difference in the global climate change fight — before pushing domestic manufacturing of electric cars and solar panels in favor of energy production.

Kerry's remarks were made ahead of Biden's signing of a host of executive actions on Wednesday pushing his $2 trillion Green New Deal-inspired climate agenda.

"He knows Paris alone is not enough," Kerry told reporters at a White House press briefing, referring to Biden re-entering the US in the Paris Climate Agreement in one of his first acts as president.

Comment: