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Yoda

I am fully vaccinated - but Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine mandates are un-American, unethical and fundamentally illiberal

biden vaccine astrazeneca
© AFP / Saul Leob; (R) AFP / Luis Acosta
Joe Biden
The president has enacted mandates requiring federal employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or else be terminated from their jobs. This policy is driven more by partisan politics than concern over public welfare.

During a recent CNN presidential town hall, Anderson Cooper brought up the issue of some city workers refusing to comply with Covid-19 vaccine mandates. "I'm wondering where you stand on that," Cooper asked President Joe Biden. "Should police officers, first responders be mandated to get vaccines? And if not, should they be mandated to stay at home, let go?"

"Yes and yes," Biden answered, a response as un-American as anything any president has uttered in recent history.

Comment: Unfortunately, Mr Ritter, while not swallowing all the vaccine propaganda, has certainly imbibed a good portion of it. He unquestioningly believes mainstream statistics which are easily manipulated, with "vaccinated" and "unvaccinated" being continuously redefined. Worse, he also appears ignorant of the horrific VAERS numbers, which even with the problem of under-reporting, that the current crop of vaccines are producing unprecidented rates of injury.


Eye 1

Destruction of medicine? A bill to allow prescriptions by AI

artificial intelligence
© iStock
On September 30, 2021, David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) introduced a bill (HR5457) that, if enacted, would qualify AI as a medical practitioner, eligible to prescribe drugs.

Whoa there. That puts the conversation about the professional sovereignty of physicians in a whole different context — and sadly, that reformist context has been there all along. Let's first look at the text of the bill. It says the following:
"To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify that artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies can qualify as a practitioner eligible to prescribe drugs if authorized by the State involved and approved, cleared, or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, and for other purposes."
The part where it says "for other purposes" is interesting. What if AI determines that something is safe and effective — and it should be mandated? It's hard to debate with AI. The safe and effective thing could be a therapy, a nutritional system to fight climate change, a mental hygiene regime — anything, really. Drug prescription is just a foot in the door but the sky is the limit. And who do we sue?

Briefcase

CrowdStrike one of Russiagate's 'biggest culprits': ex-House investigator

Kash Patel
© screenshot
Kash Patel
As a top investigator on the House Intelligence Committee, Kash Patel helped uncover the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and the FBI's extensive and deceptive reliance on it.

Patel joins Aaron Maté to discuss Steele's new attempt to defend his discredited work via a softball interview with ABC News. Patel also addresses the key role of newly indicted Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann in hiring and overseeing another heavily influential Clinton campaign contractor, CrowdStrike, the cyber-firm behind the foundational allegation that Russia hacked the DNC. Patel says:
"CrowdStrike is one of the biggest culprits of the Russia fraud. For some reason, for the only time in FBI history that I can think of, they allowed an outside non-government entity to referee. That is, to go in and seize the servers of a target of an investigation and let a third party, CrowdStrike, referee what the FBI could and could not have access to."

Magnify

Loudoun County sheriff investigating multiple incidents of 'inappropriate touching' in middle school

Press release
© Twitter/Loudoun Sheriff
An investigation is underway in Loudoun County by the sheriff's office after multiple reported incidents of a male student touching other students inappropriately at a district middle school.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) reported Thursday its school resource office learned from school personnel that on Wednesday a male student had been inappropriately touched over his clothing by another male student in a hallway of Harmony Middle School.

LCSO reported:
At this time detectives have determined there are additional male students who were inappropriately touched by the same juvenile. Those incidents had not been previously reported to school officials or law enforcement.
The LCSO is currently conducting follow-ups with school officials, witnesses, and parents.
The report comes only two days after high school students in the scandal-ridden school district held a walkout in support of other sexual assault victims.

Stock Up

"Rapid growth": Russia-China trade to smash all-time high this year despite lockdowns - Russian Export Center

shipping containers
© Tom Fisk / Pexels
The Russian Export Center (REC) expects trade turnover between Russia and China to reach a record $130 billion in 2021, the head of the state institution Veronika Nikishina said during an online conference on Monday.

"This year, [Russia-China] trade shows rapid growth: in the first eight months of 2021, trade turnover increased by 30% to $86 billion... In the summer, trade between our two countries reached a record level of $12 billion per month. And there is no doubt that it will also be a record high by the end of the year," Nikishina said.

She noted that Russian exports to China jumped by 34% to $42.3 billion in the reporting period, while imports from China grew by 27%, to $43.5 billion.

Comment: Whilst it appears that the global economic situation is looking rather grim, the above likely reflects that Russia and China are in a much stronger position than much of the West: And check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Why You Should Question Media Reports About China 'Causing Covid' And 'Invading Taiwan'




Light Saber

Common sense: Survey finds majority of Swiss refuse to pay more for fuel & heating to meet 'climate change' goals

Switzerland highway gas station
© Reuters / Arnd Wiegmann
Traffic on the A52 motorway passes a Shell gas station near the village of Hinteregg, Switzerland.
The majority of Swiss are reluctant to fund climate change goals from their own pocket, a new survey has shown. Younger people, and those living in rural areas, are especially unwilling to pay more for gas, heating and air travel.

The 2050 carbon neutrality goals, outlined by the Switzerland authorities, are out of step with the population's readiness to pay increasingly higher bills to fund them, according to a new survey. The poll, conducted among some 23,000 people, was commissioned by the Tamedia and 20 Minuten media groups early in October with its findings published Sunday.

Comment:


Bad Guys

San Francisco Safeway store now closing earlier due to rampant shoplifting

san francisco safewy close early
© Mike Kepka/The Chronicle
The Safeway store at Market and Church streets in San Francisco now closes earlier, at 9 p.m., because of what the company describes as an “increasing amount of theft.” San Francisco supervisors complain that the early closure will negatively affect customers and employees of the store.
Yet another major retailer in San Francisco has made the decision to close earlier due to excessive theft particularly at night, according to San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

The Castro Safeway on Market and Church Streets was open 24 hours, but that's not the case any longer. Signs posted on its entrance state its new hours are 6 am to 9 pm, effective October 24.

Many shoppers were surprised to find that the Safeway they frequent at off-hours is cutting back.

Comment: The Hill adds:
This decision by the Castro Safeway comes less than a month after pharmacy retail giant Walgreens announced it would be closing some locations in San Francisco due to organized retail theft. One San Francisco Walgreens that was closed last year was reportedly losing $1,000 to theft a day.

"I think the last 6 months from what they say has been sort of - off the charts in terms of how bad it's been. It's sad, upsetting and frustrating." a Walgreens spokesperson said.

According to KPIX, Mandelman characterized the changing hours of the Safeway as an equity problem. "There's a lot of low-income folks, seniors, folks with disability, who rely on that Safeway and other Safeways around the city," he said.

In September, San Francisco announced a new initiative to crack down on retail theft. These new measures included increasing the staffing of the police department's Organized Retail Crime Unit and updating the department's reporting system to allow businesses to more easily report thefts online.

"Retail theft and commercial burglaries are not victimless crimes," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said at the time. "They hurt working families due to reduced work hours, shuttered stores and lost jobs. They hurt customers and seniors who are losing convenient access to prescription medications and vaccinations because of pharmacy closures. They hurt neighborhoods suffering from fewer local retailers and more empty storefronts."
So much for 'defund the police'.


Airplane

Sydney International Airport a hive of activity as Australia reopens border

sydney airport open covid
© Rick Rycroft/AP
Incoming travellers can now quarantine at home for two weeks instead of in a hotel
Until Monday the travel hub had been almost deserted due to the pandemic.

Sydney's international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia's border opened for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travellers tearing away mandatory masks to see the faces of long-missed loved ones.

Australia is betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international visitors again after maintaining some of the lengthiest and strictest border controls anywhere during the coronavirus pandemic.

Before the pandemic, Sydney was Australia's busiest international airport but until Monday it had been almost deserted.

Comment: How long will it last, even for the "fully-vaccinated"? Is this another gaslight exercise by the tyrannical Australian government? All those 'rules' are still on the books and can be re-implemented at any time.


Heart

More covid rebellion: Unvaccinated nurses open wellness centre in Kamloops, B.C.

envaccinated nurses wellness clinic kamloops canada
© Tim Petruk
A user-pay wellness clinic was opened by a group of unvaccinated nurses October 29, 2021 in North Kamloops, British Columbia
Unvaccinated nurses all over the province are no longer permitted to work for British Columbia health authorities.

A group of Kamloops nurses who did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine is using their job loss as an opportunity to start up Ezra Wellness on Tranquille Road.

"We're not being allowed to help. We were told we weren't wanted, we weren't needed — and yet, we know we are," said team lead Glenn Aalderink.

Ezra Wellness is still developing its platform, but the clinic says it hopes to ease some of the strain on emergency rooms by assessing patients and offering guidance. It will operate as a private clinic and, as of right now, services are free and nurses are volunteering.

Comment: Castanet follows up:
An unvaccinated nurse who opened a user-pay wellness clinic this week in North Kamloops says plans are in place for similar storefronts to debut soon in Kelowna and Salmon Arm.

Glenn Aalderink, a former Royal Inland Hospital nurse who organized a well-attended Sept. 1 anti-vax rally on Columbia Street, told Castanet he opened the doors to Ezra Wellness on Tuesday.

He said it's not a medical clinic and it does not offer medical care.

"At best, I'd say consultation. A lot of it is just we evaluate, we have a discussion and we see where we can go and what might potentially work," he said.

"So if you came in and you had questions, we would help place you or point you in the direction of what we think — collectively, you and I — would be best, through all modalities like massage, nutrition, naturopath, Western medicine. It's whatever we think would help you, even personal trainers."

Interior Health confirmed it is aware of Ezra Wellness, but a spokesperson said IH "does not oversee private clinics providing medical services." The health authority said anyone working in healthcare has to follow provincial rules — and anyone caught breaking them could be penalized.

"All individuals providing medical care in B.C. are required to comply with the BC Health Professionals Act," IH said in a statement to Castanet.

"If we receive information about a clinic that may be operating outside of this, we will report individuals involved to their respective professional regulating bodies — the BC College of Nurses and Midwives for nurses and BC College of Physicians and Surgeons for physicians."

IH said any concerned individual is free to file such a report.

According to Aalderink, Ezra Wellness has another location in Grand Forks and is about to open clinics in Kelowna and Salmon Arm. Others are in the works, he said, in Langley, Northern B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Australia.
The College of Nurses is watchful, but not making any trouble yet:
The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, which regulates licenses for nurses in the province, has concerns about misinformation that could come from these clinics.

"(The College) and other health profession regulators in B.C. share serious concerns about how the spread of misinformation by regulated health professionals about COVID-19 and vaccination may jeopardize the safety of patients and the public," spokesperson Johanna Ward said in an emailed statement. "We also have concerns about regulated health professionals promoting or sharing information about COVID-19 treatments that are not supported by widely accepted scientific evidence."

Ward said nurses can own and operate their own clinics as long as they follow bylaws, standards of practice and work within their scope of practice.

The College also recommends those nurses seek legal advice.

Although Aalderink's employment with Interior Health was terminated, he still holds his license with the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives. He is also trying to communicate with the College to cooperate in order to allow the clinic to operate.

He said there are at least 40 other healthcare workers that are willing to collaborate with him, including former Interior Health nurses, chiropractors and naturopaths.

There is no examination room and only space for consultations behind a desk, but Aalderink said he can check basic vital statistics and will be willing to make house calls.

"This is the first time I've been building something. Everything else is trying to hold my line in society. Society has proven they don't want us," he said. "(The College) can take away my license to practice but not my skills."



Eye 1

More than 4,000 unvaccinated health workers in Queensland will be suspended with pay, Health Minister expects surge when VACCINATED travel again

Yvette

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said Queensland Health will manage the staff reduction.(ABC News)
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath announced 4,000 unvaccinated health care staff would be suspended this week with full pay leading to some "disruptions" for Queensland Health.

The 4,000 workers who have refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 amount to around three per cent of the total health work force in Queensland.


Comment: It doesn't seem like a lot, but is Queensland is already suffering from a deficit of workers? This is the case in the UK where the system becomes 'overwhelmed' even during a mild flu season: "Frightening" shortfall of 50,000 doctors for UK's NHS this winter, healthcare staff 'quit over the summer' - BMA


Speaking on Monday Ms D'Ath said there were 7,000 people who were yet to be fully vaccinated but 3,000 were on long service or maternity leave.

Comment: See also: RNA Vaccines, Obedience and Eugenics

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