Puppet MastersS


Black Cat

Kavanaugh turns down $600K GoFundMe while accuser Blasey Ford walks with over $1m and book offers - UPDATE

brett kavanaugh
© Jonathan Ernst / ReutersBrett Kavanaugh
Brett Kavanaugh - considered to be the poorest Supreme Court Justice on the bench, has declined nearly $600,000 that was donated to him through a GoFundMe campaign amid a firestorm of sexual misconduct charges during his confirmation process, according to Yahoo! News.

"because of judicial ethics restraints, Justice Kavanaugh and his family cannot accept or direct the funds," reads an update to the GoFundMe campaign.
John Hawkins, a veteran conservative blogger who runs a Kavanaugh-inspired "men's website" called Brass Pills, organized the fundraising campaign. On Tuesday, Hawkins posted what he referred to as an "official statement" from Kavanaugh's representatives distancing the justice from the effort:
"Justice Kavanaugh did not authorize the use of his name to raise funds in connection with the GoFundMe campaign. He was not able to do so for judicial ethics reasons. Judicial ethics rules caution judges against permitting the use of the prestige of judicial office for fund-raising purposes. Justice Kavanaugh will not accept any proceeds from the campaign, nor will he direct that any proceeds from the campaign be provided to any third party. Although he appreciates the sentiment, Justice Kavanaugh requests that you discontinue the use of his name for any fund-raising purpose." --Yahoo! News

Comment:

Update: Breitbart reports Brett Kavanaugh will donate his GoFundMe proceeds to charity.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is declining to accept the more than half a million dollars raised in a Go Fund Me campaign during his bruising confirmation hearings, citing ethical concerns. But the North Carolina man who started the effort said the money would go to three Catholic youth programs that Kavanaugh has supported in the past.

John Hawkins updated the GoFundMe page to reflect Kavanaugh's decision and to inform those who donated that they could have their money returned if they did not want to support the charities:
Since they are not allowed to suggest a charity, I did some research on charities supported by the Judge and settled on the Archdiocese of Washington which runs the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). Brett Kavanaugh rather famously coached girls' basketball there, and if the Kavanaugh family were allowed to support a charity, I feel confident the Archdiocese of Washington would be near the top of the list. After talking to the Archdiocese of Washington about the best way to use the funds to help the sort of kids Brett Kavanaugh has been working with, we're going to split the money between three of their programs: The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) , the Tuition Assistance Fund, and the Victory Youth Center.

With that in mind, I talked with GoFundMe and explained that I'd like to see the money go to this charity. If for some reason, you don't want your money to go to that charity, you will have a week from today to ask for a refund from GoFundMe. Additionally, GoFundMe, which has been incredibly helpful behind the scenes, provided a list of all the comments people made. After screening out the trolls, I want you to know that all of those have been sent to the Judge's family. So, if they didn't get to read those comments while you were leaving them, they will certainly get to see them now. I'm sure all those kind words will mean a lot to them.



Bad Guys

Flashback Best of the Web: Soros leak shows his foundation viewed refugee crisis as opportunity to be exploited

george soros
© Luke MacGregor / ReutersBillionaire George Soros

Comment: This is probably as close as we'll get to proof of what everyone (should) already knows: Soros and fellow Western billionaires are working the crises they created (whether accidentally or deliberately) to manipulate Western governments and keep them in line with the US, and as far away from cooperating with Russia and China as possible.


A leaked memo from left-wing financier George Soros's Open Society Foundations argues that Europe's refugee crisis should be accepted as a "new normal," and that the refugee crisis means "new opportunities" for Soros' organization to influence immigration policies on a global scale.

OSF program officer Anna Crowley and program specialist Katin Rosin co-authored the May 12 memo, titled "Migration Governance and Enforcement Portfolio Review." The memo focuses on an OSF program called the International Migration Initiative, which aims to influence immigration policy.

The nine-page review makes three key points: OSF — which doles out millions to left-wing causes — has been successful at influencing global immigration policy; Europe's refugee crisis presents "new opportunities" for the organization to influence global immigration policy; and the refugee crisis is the "new normal."

Comment: Further reading:


Bad Guys

Tanzania governor launches 17-member anti-gay squad to 'hunt down LGBT community'

Gay pride flag
© Wikimedia Commons
Tanzania's gay community is living in fear after the governor of Dar es Salaam called on citizens to report gay people, and announced an anti-gay squad that will hunt them down by tracking social media.

Paul Makonda announced the 17-member squad at a press conference this week, promising it would "get their hands on them."

"These homosexuals boast on social networks," Makonda said, AFP reports. "Give me their names."

By Tuesday, Makonda claimed to have received over 5,763 reports from the public, and more than 100 names.

Broom

Senior Saudi prince, uncle to MBS, flies home to tackle his ouster: 'MBS has become toxic'

Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz
© Agence France-PressePrince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz at a press conference in Mecca in 2012.
Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz returns to Riyadh with UK and US security guarantees and a brief to cut the crown prince down to size

Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, has returned to Saudi Arabia after a prolonged absence in London, to mount a challenge to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or find someone who can.

The septuagenarian prince, an open critic of bin Salman (MBS), has travelled with security guarantees given by US and UK officials.

"He and others in the family have realised that MBS has become toxic," a Saudi source close to Prince Ahmad told Middle East Eye.

Comment:


Info

Taliban appoints Afghan peace negotiators: Ex-Guantanamo prisoners

bergdahl taliban exchange
© ReutersThe 2014 prisoner exchange of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners at a U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
The Taliban says it has appointed five militants who spent more than a decade in the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay to be members of its political office in Qatar, where they will take part in any future Afghanistan peace talks.

The five former Taliban commanders -- Mohammad Fazl, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Noorullah Noori -- were settled in Qatar following their release from the U.S. detention center in Cuba in 2014, but until now had not been directly involved in political activities, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on October 31.

The men were released as part of a prisoner exchange in return for former Taliban captive, U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.

The Taliban announcement came amid gathering momentum for talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

Bad Guys

Theresa May madder than 'Mad Dog' Mattis - refuses to support US calls for Saudi Arabia-Yemen ceasefire

May and MbS
© REUTERS/Simon Dawson
PM Theresa May has refused to back calls from key US figures for a ceasefire in Yemen - where UK ally Saudi Arabia carrying out an air campaign partly with UK bombs - instead backing a 'de-escalation' of the conflict.

During PMQs on Wednesday, May was encouraged to back a United Nations resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in the war-ravaged country, after the US increased pressure on the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis said all parties must come to the negotiating table within 30 days, while Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State went further, telling them to immediately end the airstrikes.


Comment: Why should Theresa May be motivated to save the lives of innocent Yemenis when her husband stands to lose money with peace?

Theresa May's husband's company owns shares in firm that made the Yemen school-bus bomb


Better Earth

Syria to open checkpoints with Iraq on common border

syria iraq border
© AP Photo / Bassem Tellawi
Syria is ready to open checkpoints on the border with Iraq, as it sees no security threats, and waits for the neighboring state to solve logistics issues, Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hammoud told Sputnik in an interview.

The checkpoints on the Syrian-Iraqi border have been closed since 2014 due to the territory being seized by the Daesh terrorists. Damascus and Baghdad have discussed the issue of opening the border earlier in October.

"During the last visit of Iraqi Foreign Minister [Ibrahim Jaafari] to Syria, one of the main topics discussed was opening the border. The Iraqi side promised that it would be done soon. We are ready as soon as logistics issues are solved on the Iraqi side," the minister said.


Comment: The US has been using the threat of ISIS as a pretext for keeping the borders with Iraq closed, thus depriving Syria of a large source of revenue. While the border crossing in the east is now clear, the U.S. is still occupying the other crossing in al-Tanf. And that's pretty much the only reason they're holding it: to spite the Syrian government and prevent Syria from reinvigorating its economy by trade with its neighbor.

See also: US pretends to support independence of Syria and Iraq - just can't admit defeat


Dollars

Trump 'wouldn't be surprised' if Soros & Democratic groups were funding migrant caravans

central american migrant caravan
© Global Look Press / Miguel Juarez Lugo

Comment: Well, yeah, who can honestly say that they would be surprised?


President Trump has seemed to double down on a theory, popular among his supporters, that George Soros or other Democratic groups are financing the migrant caravans surging toward the US's southern border.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I don't know who, but I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people say yes," he told a Daily Mail journalist who asked him what he thought of the idea that Soros was funding the caravans.

With the 2018 elections less than a week away, Trump is desperate to rally his supporters and retain Republican control of Congress. After announcing earlier this week that he would send 5,000 troops to the Mexican border to stop the migrant caravans, he upped the number to 15,000 in a press conference on Wednesday, emphasizing that "nobody's coming in."

Comment: As Soros and Dems derive substantial benefits from the influx of migrants, it's a valid supposition:


Evil Rays

New Russian electronic warfare system can paralyze NATO comms

Samarkand russian ew
The brand-new Samarkand electronic warfare complex can completely paralyze NATO's communication systems, said Yuri Knutov, director of the Russian Anti-aircraft Defense Museum.

In a commentary for TV Zvezda, the military said that thanks to these complexes, the Russian military will be able to "contain the aggression of the [Atlantic] Alliance," with lower costs.

"These electronic warfare weapons were tested in Syria, they showed their high efficiency against both drones and cruise missiles and consequently against AWACS Aircraft of Alert and Control, of American production," he added.

In Knutov's view, the US has been "preparing for a real war with Russia since the 2000s."

"At the time, it was a theory, but now they start practicing," he said, referring to the numerous exercises carried out by NATO, including in the vicinity of Russian borders.

Eye 1

DARPA seeks FAA approval for military drones over US cities by 2030

DARPA drone surveillance
Just a little over 10 years after drone surveillance inside U.S. borders was declared a conspiracy theory, it is now an indisputable fact of life. So, too, are military grade drones along the "border," which in reality constitutes a 100-mile-wide swath that encircles the continental United States and 2/3 of its population.

According to a new report from Defense One, this level of access is still seen as a restriction by the DARPA-directed military apparatus. As new forms of autonomous aircraft take to the skies such as the latest Blackhawk helicopter drones that could be ready by 2019, DARPA and aircraft developers want permission to fly over large cities as needed. Utilizing a new artificial intelligence system that is literally called MATRIX, developers see an opportunity for more flexibility in potential use. Of course, surveillance isn't mentioned among those uses:
After that, similar to Predator drone maker General Atomics, they have their eyes on FAA certification to fly large, unmanned aircraft within the continental United States, to help ferry people and supplies from the mainland to offshore oil rigs, among other potential jobs. Today, large drones likes Predators are forbidden to fly over the U.S. except in a handful of largely unpopulated areas along the U.S.Mexico border.

The FAA is now figuring out how to change guidelines to allow unmanned planes and helicopters to fly over big cities. "We are working with the FAA on that. Our stated goal is 2030. It very much depends on rule making. We are certainly hoping for sooner, for the mid-2020s, to field it," he said.