Society's ChildS


Light Saber

There will be blowback, in mostly good ways

Jeffrey A. Tucker
American Institute for Economic Research
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 05:45 UTC
swinging ball toy
Two months ago, it had been mandatory in my local grocery to use only shopping bags brought from home. Plastic bags were illegal by local ordinance. Then the virus hit. Suddenly the opposite was true. It was illegal to bring bags from home because they could spread disease. Plastic bags were mandatory. As a huge fan of plastic bags, I experienced profound Schadenfreude.

It's amazing how the prospect of death clarifies priorities.

Before the virus, we indulged in all sorts of luxuries such as dabbling in dirtiness and imagining a world purified by bucolic naturalness. But when the virus hit, we suddenly realized that a healthy life really matters and that natural things can be very wicked. And then when government put everyone under house arrest and criminalized freedom itself, we realized many other things too. And we did it fast.

Lots of people are predicting how life will fundamentally change in light of our collective experience this last month. I agree but I don't think it will turn out quite as people think. This whole period has been an unconscionable trauma for billions of people, wrecking lives far beyond what even the worst virus could achieve. I'm detecting enormous, unfathomable levels of public fury barely beneath the surface. It won't stay beneath the surface for long.

Our lives in the coming years will be defined by forms of blowback in the wake of both the disease and the egregious policy response, as a much needed corrective. The thing is that you can't take away everyone's rights, put a whole people under house arrest, and abolish the rule of law without generating a response to that in the future.

Comment: While the writer may be a bit too optimistic in his proposals, it does look that we might be heading towards at least a couple of these down the road... we hope.

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Corona

Greater Manchester Police ask residents to snitch on anyone 'repeating conspiracy theories'

Cindy Harper
reclaimthenet.org
Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:56 UTC
manchester police
Asking people to call the police on family engaging in "conspiracy theories" is an idea that sounds like it comes out of China's social credit system.

But it's not. It's happening in the United Kingdom.

Police in Manchester, England, are engaging in a social media campaign, requesting local residents to call police if any of their friends and family are engaging in "conspiracy theories."

"Online platforms can be a fun world. Unfortunately, they can also be used to exploit vulnerable people. If you are worried that one of your friends or family is showing signs of radicalisation seek advice or call police on 101," Greater Manchester Police said on Facebook. (Archive)

101 is the non-emergency number to contact local police in the UK.

Comment: See also:

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No Entry

The 'pandemic' is deepening America's many divides

Charles Hugh Smith
Of Two Minds
Thu, 30 Apr 2020 09:50 UTC
America divided
And so we've reached the precarious state of disunion in which the only thing the warring elites can agree upon is that the Federal Reserve should rescue their private wealth, regardless of cost or consequences.

America's divides are proliferating and deepening by the day. The key political and economic divides predate the pandemic, but the pandemic is acting as a catalyst, creating new divides and exacerbating existing ones.

Let's start with the politicization and subsequent polarization of re-opening the economy. In a reasonably sane, coherent society, this issue would be subject to common sense debates about risks, trade-offs, policies, responses to new data, etc.

But American society is neither sane nor coherent, so what should be a non-partisan debate was immediately politicized, to the absurd extreme that "progressives" must favor continuing strict lockdowns lest they be accused of being "conservative."

The erosion of middle ground and the disappearance of de-politicized policy debates is a clear sign that a society is doomed to disintegration not just of the social order but the political and economic orders.
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Eye 1

California orders release of 7 high-level sex offenders over concerns they could contract coronavirus

Holly McKay
Fox News
Fri, 01 May 2020 22:38 UTC
California sex offenders
© Orange County Sheriff's Office
Just days before California's Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of parks and beaches in Orange County, making it a criminal offense to step foot in the sand, the state ordered the release of seven high-risk sex offenders from the county's jails over concerns they could contract coronavirus.

The court-ordered move prompted the District Attorney's Office to issue a safety warning to the community this week, highlighting that the men are likely to re-offend.

"These kinds of high-risk sex offenders are the most dangerous kind of criminal and the most likely to re-offend," DA Todd Spitzer said in a statement. "They are doing everything they can to avoid detection by the parole officers assigned to monitor them so they can potentially commit additional sex offenses. These are not the kind of people who should be getting a break."

According to Spitzer's office, Court Commissioner Joseph Dane ordered the controversial releases throughout April, despite the men having been charged with tampering with their GPS monitoring devices.

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Yellow Vest

Armed protesters demonstrate against Whitmer's coronavirus lockdown inside Michigan state capitol

Tal Axelrod
The Hill
Fri, 01 May 2020 18:02 UTC
Protesters Michigan capitol building lockdown
© REUTERS/Seth HeraldProtesters in Michigan's state capitol building on Thursday.
Hundreds were seen protesting at the Michigan state capitol in Lansing, with some armed demonstrators pushing inside as the legislature discussed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's (D) state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters brandished firearms, signs and American flags inside the statehouse, chanting "Let us in!" The protest marked just the latest action against Whitmer's policies intended to blunt the coronavirus's spread.

Comment: Trump enlarges his base in Michigan - 'These are very good people':
US President Donald Trump has instructed Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to "make a deal" with the protesters who have been demonstrating against her decision to prolong the state's coronavirus lockdown measures.

While the atmosphere has been fraught in Michigan's state capitol, President Trump suggested that the matter could be resolved quite easily in a tweet on Friday.


It comes after crowds of protesters, some carrying weapons, attended the state capitol in Lansing on Thursday to voice their opposition to the state of emergency being prolonged. The measures have now provoked weeks of protests in Michigan.

The demonstration in the capitol prompted a frantic reaction amongst Democrats and in the mainstream media, with many attempting to portray it as a white nationalist insurrection.

Michigan's state house and senate voted against extending the emergency order which was due to expire at midnight on Thursday. However, following those votes Governor Whitmer, a Democrat and a staunch Trump critic, signed three new executive orders, which she said were necessary in order to "continue fighting Covid-19 and save lives."

The move sparked an outcry from lawmakers and residents with Rep. Lee Chatfield, speaker of the Michigan House, arguing that the governor had failed to uphold the democratic process.


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Dollar

Largest bank in Israel admits it helped clients evade billions in US taxes


Sputnik
Thu, 30 Apr 2020 19:01 UTC
Bank Hapoalim
© Msc.wcdn.co.il (CC-BY-SA 3.0)Bank Hapoalim's head office in Tel Aviv
Israel's largest bank, Hapoalim, admitted to conspiring with its clients to hide more than $7.6 billion from tax authorities in the United States and agreed to pay nearly $875 million in damages and fines under the agreement with the prosecution, the US Justice Department said on Thursday. Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in the statement:
"Israel's largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, and its Swiss subsidiary have admitted not only failing to prevent but actively assisting US customers to set up secret accounts, to shelter assets and income, and to evade taxes."
According to the Justice Department, the bank in 2002-2014 conspired with American taxpayers and others to hide more than $7.6 billion in more than 5,500 secret Swiss and Israeli bank accounts and the income generated in these accounts from the Internal Revenue Service. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Zuckerman said:
"Today, Bank Hapoalim is being held accountable for its conduct - it has admitted to its crimes and will surrender all fees it earned, repay the United States for lost tax revenue, and pay a substantial fine."
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Chess

Gov. Whitmer extends Michigan State of Emergency through May 28 despite opposition from state leaders and protesters who rallied inside the State Capitol

Amber Ainsworth
Click On Detroit
Fri, 01 May 2020 18:15 UTC
Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an Executive Order on Thursday extending the State of Emergency through May 28.

The Republican-led Legislature refused to extend the declaration. Whitmer was asking for a 28 day extension before she extended it herself.

"Today I signed new emergency and disaster declarations using independent sources of statutory authority to make sure our health care workers and first responders have the tools they need to save lives and protect Michiganders," Whitmer said.

Comment: Previously:

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Bad Guys

Forget #BelieveWomen, 'I Believe Biden' is trending! Democrats rush to defend sex assault denial - but they won't like the results


RT
Fri, 01 May 2020 18:06 UTC
believe all women
© REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan
Joe Biden on Friday finally addressed a sexual assault allegation leveled against him by former staffer Tara Reade, prompting '#IbelieveBiden' to trend on Twitter. But the messages were far from an endorsement of the Democrat.

"I'm saying unequivocally: it never, never happened," the presidential hopeful said of the allegations, during a TV interview. It was his first time addressing the matter since Reade filed a criminal complaint with police last month.

The performance was enough to get Democrats to rush to Twitter to talk up their guy and offer their own thoughts on why he is innocent. One nonsensical endorsement read: "Here's why #IBelieveBiden, I stood in a rope line for 45 minutes to meet him before the Nevada Caucus, he treats everybody the same and genuinely cares about others. An old school politician of the best kind."
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Pistol

Suspect with assault rifle arrested after shooting at Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC


NBC News
Thu, 30 Apr 2020 17:44 UTC
cuba embassy washington
© .Douliery Olivier / Sipa USA/AP fileThe Cuban flag flies in front of the country's embassy after 54 years July 30, 2015 in Washington, DC
The suspect's identity and the charges against the suspect were not immediately known. No injuries were reported.

Someone opened fire using an assault rifle outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington early Thursday and was arrested, authorities said.

The gunfire broke out around 2 a.m. outside the embassy in northwest Washington. Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the scene after neighbors reported hearing gunshots, authorities said.

Officers found the suspect with an assault rifle and took the person into custody without incident, police said. Investigators say they believe the person had been shooting toward the embassy, though details about any potential motivation remained unclear.

Comment: RT adds further details:
The Cuban government has released photos of damage from an early-morning shooting at its Washington DC embassy, calling for answers from US investigators after a man was arrested for allegedly firing at the building.
shots fired cuba embassy washington
© Twitter / Cancillería de Cuba / CubaMINREXDamage to Cuba's Washington embassy after a gunman opened fire on the building
Officers responded to the shooting in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood around 2am local time on Thursday after neighbors reported hearing gunfire. While no injuries have been reported, authorities told reporters they believe the man was targeting the embassy. His motives remain unclear.

The suspect was charged with assault with intent to kill, possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, and possession of a high-capacity magazine, a US Secret Service spokeswoman told reporters on Thursday.

The Cuban government issued a press release on Thursday demanding to know the "identity and motives of the individual who carried out this aggression and the circumstances surrounding the event," reminding Washington that it is obligated to protect the mission against not only "intrusion or damage" but also "impairment of its dignity."
shooting Cuban embassy washington
© Agence France-Presse/GettyInvestigators found a black jacket and blanket at the scene, but it's not immediately clear if they're related to the crime
Photos taken at the scene showed police searching through an SUV parked at the location. The Metropolitan Police Department and the US Secret Service are investigating the incident.
And from the New York Times:
A Texas man accused of opening fire outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington early Thursday morning was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill, the authorities said, reporting damage to the building but no injuries.

The police and Secret Service officers were called to the scene at about 2:10 a.m., after receiving reports of gunfire by the embassy, the police said. There, officers found a man with an "assault-style rifle," said Brianna Jordan, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department. He was "taken into custody without incident," she said.

She identified the man as Alexander Alazo, 42, of Aubrey, Texas, and said he had been charged with assault with intent to kill. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.

"Our initial investigation indicates that the subject was shooting toward a foreign embassy building," Ms. Jordan said, adding that both the police and the Secret Service were investigating the incident.


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Megaphone

Protesters light flares, gather for Walpurgis Night in Berlin despite ban on mass rallies during Covid-19 lockdown


RT
Fri, 01 May 2020 17:38 UTC
Walpurgis Night demonstration Berlin
Police have broken up a Walpurgis Night demonstration in Berlin, where protesters had gathered in violation of the quarantine measures imposed amid the Covid-19 pandemic. More unauthorized rallies are expected on May Day.

A few dozen black-clad masked left-wing activists had gathered in the German capital's Friedrichshain District on Thursday evening, despite the ban on large public assemblies. They waved burning flares while standing on two balconies of a house, set up loudspeakers and hung banners from windows.

Police arrived at the scene and ordered the protesters to clear the area. No major clashes were reported, but the officers were filmed detaining at least one person. However, according to Die Welt, "dozens" of people were detained or had their personal data checked. No arrest figures have been reported by police as of Friday morning.

Around 100 people had staged a rally earlier on Thursday, with activists wearing masks and keeping a distance from each other. Also that day, a group of young people had occupied an abandoned residential building in the city's Westend area, with plans to set up a "youth project" there. The squatters were cleared by police several hours later.
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