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Yoda

Best of the Web: JK Rowling: Free speech is 'at an end in Scotland' under new hate crime bill, dares police to arrest her

Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi
Fox News
Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:44 UTC
Jk rowling transgender
© Getty ImagesJ. K. Rowling speaks up on transwomen invading women's spaces.
The author says Scottish lawmakers place 'higher value on the feelings of men performing their idea of femaleness' than 'the rights and freedoms of actual women'

After Scotland's Hate Crime Act took effect Monday, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, dared Scottish police to arrest her for calling "a man a man."

According to the Scottish Parliament's website, the "Hate Crime and Public Order Bill" adds "a new crime of stirring up hatred against any of the protected groups covered by the Bill," one of which is "transgender identity."

Rowling began a long social media post by listing several biological male criminals who claimed to be transgender just prior to being sentenced for various crimes. Some of the crimes included sexually assaulting a 10-year-old, possession of 16,000 illicit images of children and rape.
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Tornado1

Best of the Web: Severe storms and 16 tornadoes leave a path of destruction from Georgia to Illinois

Dalia Faheid and Gene Norman
CNN
Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:42 UTC
Widespread storm damage is seen in Jeffersonville,
© WLKYWidespread storm damage is seen in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Homes and businesses were damaged, several people were injured and tens of thousands remained in the dark Wednesday after a powerful storm system spawned tornadoes and damaging storms from the South to the Ohio Valley, and blizzard conditions and snow in the Great Lakes.

Severe storms injured at least 10 people in Jeffersonville, Indiana, just north of Louisville, the town's mayor told CNN affiliate WLKY. Photos posted by the mayor showed chunks taken out of several homes' roofs and debris strewn about an area neighborhood.

Severe thunderstorms brought "flooding, downed trees, power outages, and road blockages" across West Virginia, according to Gov. Jim Justice, who declared a state of emergency Tuesday for Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Nicholas counties.

At least 13 homes were damaged and some residents were injured, Fayette County, West Virginia, Office of Emergency Management director Kevin Walker told CNN. The injuries were non-life threatening, Walker said.

"Some are destroyed, and some have major damage," Walker said.

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Bad Guys

Best of the Web: France preparing deployment of 1,500 Foreign Legion to Ukraine in April — Russia


TASS
Wed, 03 Apr 2024 16:56 UTC
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Sergey Guneev; RIA NovostiFILE: Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Maria Zakharova also said the Kiev regime "continues to cleanse the media space and introduce total censorship in the country".
France could bring about 1,500 servicemen to combat readiness in April for deployment to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"New information is emerging about the preparation by Paris of a military contingent to be sent to Ukraine. To this end, the command of the French Foreign Legion in early March approved the makeup of a battalion tactical group of about 1,500 people," she said at a news conference. "It is expected that in April the group will be brought to full combat readiness for an operational deployment to the Ukrainian theater of military operations."

"Meanwhile, the French continue thy [sic] part of their history, which in general should be consigned to oblivion: the business of their ancestors, who were engaged in the secret export from Ukraine of cultural treasures, including ancient Byzantine icons, for their alleged, as they phrase it, preservation in France," the diplomat said.


Comment: Interesting that Zakharova should mention icons: Explosives hidden in religious icons traveled by truck through Europe, Ukraine, found by Russia's customs officers

Zakharova's announcement:



Comment: Notably, the Kiev-junta just warned that, in the next few months, they intend to attempt another terrorist attack on the Kerch bridge in Crimea. Furthermore, it's likely that the German military, who, just a few weeks ago, was exposed conspiring to do just that, will be able to provide them with some kind of assistance.

It also wouldn't be the first time that France had sent meat for the grinder: Russia releases names of French mercenaries in Ukraine, includes son of a General of France's Armed Forces

South Front provides footage of the training exercise (see full text below):

🇫🇷🇺🇦 FRANCE - UKRAINE

The French Foreign Legion getting ready to deploy in Ukraine - Documentary Eng subtitles.

According to http://Southfront.press, one of the best media on contemporary conflicts, French military leaders have already begun training combat units to send to the Ukrainian front.

At the end of February, President Macron instructed the Ministry of the Armed Forces to study the question of sending French Foreign Legion forces to Ukraine.

On February 27, 2024, by order of the Legion command, the formation of three companies of Legion fighters began.

On March 5, 2024, the French military command and Legion command approved the personnel numbers of the battalion tactical group, which is expected to include 1,500 military personnel. This battalion tactical group contains three Legion companies, which were assigned for this purpose in advance.

These are :

- a material support company;
- two engineering companies.
- The battalion tactical group should also include: up to 6 companies of motorized and armored infantry as well as the operational team.

The French command failed to assure the number of declared personnel of the battalion tactical group to the members of the Legion.

The assumed ratio of members of the Foreign Legion to regular military personnel of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the battalion tactical group is approximately 1:2.

During the first half of March, the battalion tactical group began combat coordination at the Courtine training camp in the "Creuse" region of France.

March 8 to 14, 2024, the 2nd regiment of the Foreign Legion based in Nîmes was reported preparing for a large-scale exercise throughout the "Creuse" region of France. 800 legionnaires and their 120 vehicles were trained in the countryside and the streets of the quiet town of "Guéret" including 40 armoured vehicles.

The staff was tasked with completing combat coordination by mid-April. Personnel should wait for the order and be ready to be sent to the front in Ukraine.

The deployment of the group to Ukraine could take place in the second half of April as suggested by the Russian MFA press secretary Mari Zakharova

Documentary of the exercise from Objective Gard: 2nd Foreign Infantry (foreign legion) Regiment of Nîmes for full-scale training at the Courtine camp (Creuse).


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Caduceus

Best of the Web: Doctors report mysterious worldwide cancer 'epidemic'

Paul Anthony Taylor
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:40 UTC
princess catherine cancer cell
© Adobe Stock Images / Dr. Rath Health Foundation
Leading doctors are highlighting a mysterious worldwide rise in cancer cases among patients aged under 50. Widely covered in the mainstream media, the development follows the recent announcement by Britain's Princess Catherine that she herself has now been diagnosed with the disease. The cause of the global increase, which is said to have sparked alarm among scientists, is hotly debated. But while improved diagnostic methods, genetic predispositions, lifestyles, and as yet unknown environmental factors have all been proposed as possible reasons, the roles of some other possible influences are essentially being ignored.

Illustrating the scale of the problem, the annual cancer incidence rate among British individuals aged between 25 and 49 has reportedly reached 162.4 cases per 100,000 people. This represents a 22 per cent increase over the figure in the 1990s. At the global level, a study published in the BMJ Oncology journal last year revealed that, between 1990 and 2019, there was a 79 percent surge in the incidence of early-onset cancer and a 27 percent higher number of early-onset cancer deaths.

Cancers previously seen as being more common in older age groups are increasingly being diagnosed in younger adults. Examples include breast, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers, among others. With healthcare systems still struggling to recover from the impact of policies imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing concern that in the years ahead, the burden on national economies will escalate still further.
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Pirates

Best of the Web: Ukraine (ahem, the CIA and MI6) threatens another terrorist attack on Crimea's Kerch bridge

Luke Harding
The Guardian
Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:03 UTC

Comment: Luke Harding is a British intelligence agent masquerading as a journalist, so keep that in mind as he explains to you why it's 'inevitable' that Europe's longest bridge 'must be destroyed' to 'avenge Ukraine'...


Kerch Bridge
© Getty Images/Anadolu AgencyKerch Bridge terror attack, October 08, 2022
They have become a familiar sight in the skies above parts of Russia: long-range enemy drones, buzzing their way to another target. In the biggest Ukrainian onslaught inside Russian territory since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukraine has in recent weeks carried out a series of attacks on Russian oil refineries and ports. On Tuesday, it hit a refinery and drone factory in the industrial region of Tatarstan - more than 800 miles from the border.

The Ukrainian spy agency behind these drone strikes has its eyes on another target: the 12-mile long Kerch bridge connecting occupied Crimea with Russia. Senior officials from Ukraine's HUR military intelligence service indicate it is plotting a third attempt on the bridge, after two previous attempts to blow it up, claiming its destruction is "inevitable".

Comment:



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Heart - Black

Best of the Web: Israeli strike kills foreign aid workers in Gaza - NGO


RT
Tue, 02 Apr 2024 02:11 UTC
Gaza, bombed vehicle, World Central Kitchen NGO
© AFPA vehicle of the World Central Kitchen NGO destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in the city of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip.
Seven aid workers, including four foreigners, providing meals for the World Central Kitchen (WCK) have been killed in a "targeted attack" by Israeli forces in Gaza, the NGO, founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, has said.

All of the group's operations in the Palestinian enclave have been suspended following the Monday incident, it added.

Five fatalities were reported initially as a result of the airstrike, but WCK announced an updated death toll in a statement on Tuesday. The victims include a dual US-Canadian citizen, three Palestinians, an Australian, a Pole and a British national, the group said.

According to the NGO, its staff members were attacked in the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza as they were leaving a warehouse after unloading tons of food aid earlier delivered to the Palestinian enclave by sea.

The aid workers were traveling through a de-conflicted zone in two armored cars with the WCK logo on them as well as a soft skin vehicle, the NGO said. The convoy was struck despite WCK coordinating its movements with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the statement read.

"This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations, where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable," WCK CEO Erin Gore said.

Comment: This was obviously no accident. But what better way to stop an organization from delivering much needed food than by killing a few people, calling it an accident, and having the organization stop of its own accord.

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Skull

Best of the Web: Asymmetric response and the perp walk to World War III

Tom Luongo
Gold, Goats, 'n Guns
Fri, 29 Mar 2024 19:21 UTC
nuclear explosion man watering lawn
Have you ever tried to break out of the orbit of a narcissist? It's damn difficult. Their pattern of emotional abuse is designed to make you feel like the abuser, demoralizing you, sapping you of your vitality and agency.

They weaponize your humanity and feed off your guilt. When you finally summon the courage to divorce yourself from them that's when the fangs really come out. That's when their true face is revealed. And it's nothing but scorn, derision and unfettered hatred.

Narcissists don't love you. They love themselves.

I'm opening this article with that quick reminder of human psychology to set the stage for this week's discussion of all things geopolitical. There ain't no art in this piece folks, I'm too damn exhausted to craft the language.
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Light Sabers

Best of the Web: Iran vows 'harsh' response to Israel's assassination of IRGC Commander in airstrike on its Syrian consulate


Atlas
Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:43 UTC
El canciller iraní, Hosein Amir Abdolahian (izda.), habla con la prensa a su llegada a Beirut, la capital del Líbano, 9 de febrero de 2024.
FILE: Iran's Foreign Minister
The Iranian Ambassador to Syria has stated that Iran's response to the assassination of IRGC Commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi will be "harsh."

What retaliation looks like remains unknown at this time, as Iran could seek to target Israel directly or send more powerful weapons to Hezbollah and the Houthis to carry out attacks.

What is likely to happen, however, is that Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria will start to ramp up attacks against American forces in the region.

Comment: As noted in the X post below, these strikes are a violation of international law, and US 'sources' recently acknowledged they would be advantageous. Furthermore, as analysts Almassian, and Beely, write in their posts further below, these strikes in Syria appear to be an attempt by Israel to significantly escalate, and widen, the conflict. One of the strikes against Hezbollah in particular exposes Israel's coordination with the 'Islamicist' terror groups in Syria:
An Opinion Piece on March 27, 2024 in the WSJ, Openly Called for US-Israeli Strikes on Iranian Interests in Lebanon and Syria... "Israel and the U.S. have the tools to strike Iranian military capacity in Syria and Lebanon. This is the operational decisive point of Iran's campaign — not Gaza and Yemen, despite the public focus on Hamas and the Houthis. The U.S. and Israel can rapidly degrade state capacity in Lebanon and Syria, forcing Iran to assume direct control of both territories, or to shrink its defense perimeter to Iraq, thereby essentially abandoning its ability to pressure Israel and the U.S. in the short term."

Kevork Almassian:


IIsrael targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus❗️

The Israeli attacks killed Abu Mahdi Zahidi, a high-ranking commander of the IRGC, his second-in-command, and three military advisors.

MY TAKE

This marks a significant escalation by Israel towards Iran, specifically targeting the 'axis of resistance'. The strikes targeted a high-ranking IRGC officer who plays a crucial role in Iran's operations in Syria.

Moreover, the attack specifically aimed at the Iranian Consulate, which holds the status of a sovereign Iranian territory. Consequently, Israel's strike can be interpreted as a direct attack on Iran, rather than targeting targets that are "Iranian-linked" or "Iranian-affiliated," as the US and Israel have previously concealed using such terms.

WHAT DOES ISRAEL WANT?

Israel seeks to intensify and expand the scale of the conflict in order to compel direct involvement from the United States. American people need to understand the seriousness of the situation. Israel is actively attempting to involve their nation in another costly and dangerous conflict in the Middle East.

HOW WILL IRAN RETALIATE?

It is not easy to provide an answer to this question as Iran operates based on strategic decisions rather than emotions. Tehran aims to manage the tense situation in the region as the 'axis of resistance' continues to make slow but effective progress against the US/Israeli influence in West Asia.

Iran's response is not to be underestimated but the extent of their reaction is contingent upon various factors, including the location and nature of the response.

On the other hand, the ongoing Israeli assaults on Syria demonstrate that, despite the war and devastation caused by neocons and Zionists, Damascus remains a focal point in the conflict with Israel. The primary goal of weakening the pan-Arabist country was to ultimately eliminate the Palestinian cause by cutting off the main military support route for non-state actors opposing Israel in the region.
Vanessa Beely:
'Both aggressions targeted Hezbollah sites. The attack on Aleppo was unexpected - it is far away from the southern Lebanon front..can only be interpreted as an Israeli attempt to expand the war ..while triggering an escalation from the north-western Al Qaeda groups'


Russia foresaw the escalation a few days ago: Russia condemns Israel's latest airstrikes on Syria as 'provocative actions which can lead to extremely dangerous consequences'

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Star of David

Best of the Web: Liberal Finger-Wagging At Netanyahu Is A Phony, Cynical Charade

Caitlin Johnstone
Caitlin's NewsLetter
Sun, 31 Mar 2024 20:23 UTC
bernie sanders netanyahu
© Wikimedia Commons;Gage Skidmore."Liberal" Bernie Sanders and Benjamin Netanahu
We're seeing more and more of the cynical, obnoxious plan of the western liberal political-media class to try and pin the blame for the entire multinational genocidal campaign in Gaza solely on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"There is growing opposition to Netanyahu's war machine," reads a new tweet by Senator Bernie Sanders. "More Americans than ever are standing up against this horrific war in Gaza, which is causing tremendous suffering amongst the Palestinian people."

This is on the same day we learned that the Biden administration has quietly signed off on the delivery of billions of dollars worth of 2,000-pound bombs and warplanes for Israel to use in its ongoing massacres of civilians in Gaza. There is absolutely no excuse for continuing to babble about "Netanyahu's war" this far into a US-backed genocide. This is Biden's war as much as it is Netanyahu's — and Sanders supports Biden.
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Vader

Best of the Web: The Assange Hearing Permission Appeal Judgment: Mad and Bad.

Craig Murray
craigmurray.org.uk
Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:14 UTC
assange justice legal scales court hearing
The latest judgment by the High Court in the Assange case achieved completely the objectives of the UK and US states. Above all, Julian remains in the hell which is Belmarsh maximum security prison. He is now safely there alone and incommunicado, from the authorities' point of view, for at least several more months.

Importantly, the United States has managed to keep him detained without securing his actual appearance in Washington. It is crucial to grasp that the CIA, who are very much controlling the process, do not actually want him to appear there until after their attempt to secure the re-election of Genocide Joe. No matter what your opinion of Donald Trump, there is no doubt the CIA conspired against him during his entire Presidency, beginning with the fake Russiagate scandal and ending with their cover-up of the Hunter Biden laptop story. They do not want Trump back.

Biden is politically in deep trouble. Biden's lifelong political support for Israel has been unwavering to the point of fanaticism. In the process he has collected millions of dollars from the Zionist lobby. That always seemed a source of political strength in the United States, not of weakness.
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