Trumpf Continues Purging Pentagon of Competent Leadership to Putin’s Delight

President Donald Trumpf continued purging the Defense Department of experienced, capable leaders through his inept and alcoholic SECDEF “Whiskey Pete” Hegseth. The latest victim is a 40-year veteran of the US Navy and someone easily qualified to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff CJCS). Admiral Lisa Franchetti spent roughly half of her 40-year career at sea, commanding a destroyer, two carrier strike groups and the US Sixth Fleet. She was the first female officer to rise to the Navy’s top job of Chief of Naval Operations.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the US Chief of Naval Operations, during a media conference in Perth, Australia, in July 2024. (Photo: Richard Wainwright/EPA, via Shutterstock)

The announcement came in a statement emailed to reporters Friday night, shortly after President Trumpf said he was firing Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“Whiskey Pete” Hegseth said in his statement that he would also replace Gen. James C. Slife, the Air Force’s vice chief of staff, as well as the top uniformed lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was the 21st Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman. (Photo: United States Air Force)

Trumpf and Hegseth are firing competent commanders because they are minorities and competent and will weaken US national security. The purge of civilian and military inspectors-general, as well the military’s top lawyers, signals a dark future era of unaccountability within the DOD which already has trouble with contractor corruption, bribery, cost overruns, etc. Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors fighting discrimination will not find sympathetic voices with the Trumpf-Hegseth appointed Inspector-Generals or Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs).

‘The US Is Doing Russia’s Work’ Say Ecstatic Propagandists

Putin’s media mouthpieces are in a lather of excitement over Trumpf’s recent moves, including abandoning Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky.

Coriolanus completed several tours with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and will be perfectly blunt. “Whiskey Pete” Hegseth is an alcoholic, misogynist US Army National Guard officer who never made it past the rank of Major. He is neither competent nor experienced enough to qualify as an aide-de-camp to Admiral Franchetti or General Brown, let alone lead the world’s most powerful military. This dipsomaniac and Trumpf sycophant didn’t have the courage to fire General Brown or Admiral Franchetti in person.

A national disgrace leads the US Department of Defense.

Below are screen captures of “Whiskey Pete” Hegseth hurling an axe at a target during his Fox TV show. The axe would strike and injure a US Army NCO playing in the military band behind the barrier.

“Whiskey Pete” Hegseth was later sued over this idiotic incident.

The US proposed its own UN resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine after refusing to back one drafted by Kiev and backed by Europe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as “a simple, historic resolution … that we urge all member states to support in order to chart a path to peace.”

The draft US resolution does not condemn Russia as the aggressor in the conflict, nor does it make any acknowledgement of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. “This resolution is consistent with President Trumpf’s view that the UN must return to its founding purpose, as enshrined in the UN Charter, to maintain international peace and security, including through the peaceful settlement of disputes,” Rubio’s statement said.

No wonder Russian President Vladimir Putin is thrilled with his intelligence asset, America’s Godzilla, who is destroying US institutions through DOGE, appointing incompetent cabinet secretaries, while firing thousands of capable civil servants in health, aviation safety, forestry management, agricultural surveillance, environmental protection, and nuclear weapons security.

How much destruction will America’s Godzilla wreak in four years on behalf of Vladimir Putin?

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/22/politics/ukraine-war-us-proposes-un-resolution/index.html

Update: Ukraine-Russia

Front Page of the Rightwing New York Post ( 21 Feb 2025)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he was willing to step down if it meant peace in Ukraine. His remark came days after President Trumpf questioned his legitimacy and called him a “dictator without elections,” echoing a Kremlin talking point.

“If it brings peace to Ukraine, and if you need me to step down — I am ready,” Mr. Zelensky said during a news conference on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of the war. “Second, I can exchange this for NATO.”

This is a highly unlikely scenario given Trumpf’s opposition to allowing Ukraine into the military alliance. EU leaders are meeting for an extraordinary summit on 6 Mar to discuss additional support for Ukraine, European security guarantees and how to pay for European defense needs.

Cuban Mercenaries Fighting for Kremlin

(Image: RFE/RL.org)

Cuban mercenaries have been fighting for Russia, like Frank Dario Jarrosay Manfuga (36) above who joined Russia’s army in Jan 2024 and was captured in Mar 2024.

A former geography teacher he later became a professional musician to increase his income.
“I never intended to kill anyone. I never wanted to participate in a war. I have a family,” said Manfuga, who claimed he was tricked into boarding a Russia-bound plane with the promise of a job in construction. He has no desire to return to Russia or Cuba and Manfuga’s claim that he was duped could not be verified.

An estimated 5,000 Cuban soldiers are fighting for Russia,” Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, co-founder of the Cuban Democratic Directorate, a US-based NGO advocating for democratic change in communist Cuba reported. “This network could not function without the Cuban regime’s approval.” Unlike North Koreans, Cuban fighters in Russia have left a significant social media footprint, with many openly embracing the Kremlin’s militarism and ideology.

Putin Promotes War Criminal

Unindicted war criminal Major-General Sergei Atroshchenko.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has promoted Sergei Atroshchenko, who ordered the bombing of a drama theater in Mariupol on 16 Mar 2022, to the rank of Major-General.

The AP reports as many 600 Ukrainians were killed in a deliberate strike against defenseless civilians. (Photo: CNN)

After occupying Mariupol, Russian forces began demolishing the drama theater building to destroy evidence of the war crime.

Ukrainian Security Services Prevent Assassination

The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police detained a saboteur who prepared a terrorist attack in the center of Odessa on 20 Feb.

The saboteur set up an IED near the car of the special prosecutor. Law enforcement officers pursued and detained the perpetrator, an 18-year-old resident of Odessa. He was recruited by Russian intelligence through a Telegram channel in search for “easy” money. On the instructions of the Russian special services, the saboteur personally constructed an improvised explosive device (IED) with a capacity of 300g in TNT equivalent.

To increase the lethality, the suspect stuffed the explosives with metal nuts and planted it under the military prosecutor’s car. Opposite the “target”, the attacker installed a hidden mobile phone with a remote access function for the FSB. Later, the Russian special service remotely activated the explosives, injuring a passer-by.

During exploitation of the crime scene, a mobile phone with evidence of his communication with his Russian handlers was seized from the detainee.

President Zelensky is capable, competent, and clever, a genuine national leader who cares about the future of his people. Ukrainian secret services continue to thwart Russian assassination attempts within their homeland. This suspect, like other young miscreants, prepared the IED for money, not out of love for Mother Russia or hatred of Ukraine. No doubt that Major-General Sergei Atroshchenko is on the Special Prosecutor’s list or in the cross-hairs of the Ukrainian espionage network for either justice or vengeance. Ukrainian military intelligence has previously liquidated HVT war criminals within Russia. The case of the Cuban mercenaries underscores their need for money and loyalty to Russia, as well as demonstrating that Moscow still needs manpower. Lastly, the question of American mercenaries fighting for Russia emerges as some are fugitives from US justice. How will they be treated by the US government at the end of hostilities?

Two criminals in love. Benjamin Netanyahu would complete the menage-a-trois.

Sources:

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-cuban-recruits-fighters-ukraine-mercenaries/33315782.html

https://english.nv.ua/nation/putin-promotes-atroshchenko-to-military-general-after-mariupol-theater-bombing-50492041.html

https://ssu.gov.ua/novyny/sbu-ta-natspolitsiia-po-hariachykh-slidakh-zatrymaly-ahenta-fsb-yakyi-na-zamovlennia-rf-pidirvav-avto-viiskovoho-prokurora-v-odesi


https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-leaders-meet-extraordinary-summit-ukraine-eu-defence-march-6-2025-02-23/

US Bloodbath: No End in Sight to America’s Undeclared War on Itself

General Garibaldi’s red shirts prevailed over the Army of the Two Sicilies in the Battle of Volturno (Oct 1860. (Courtesy of Peter Dennis)

In the past 48 hours several shootings terrorized and killed American citizens, including police officers, throughout different parts of the US.

Louisville, Kentucky

Police work the scene of a shooting outside a driver’s licensing office in Louisville, Kentucky, 21 Feb 2025. (Source: WHAS TV)

Three people were shot and killed in a parking lot outside a driver’s licensing office in Louisville, Kentucky. A male victim died at the scene while two female victims died at a hospital. No suspect is in custody and the shooter fled the scene. Authorities didn’t discuss any potential connection between the victims.

“There does not seem to be a public threat,” police said at a news conference, even though the murderer was on the loose.

In an average year, 827 people die and 1,857 are wounded by guns in Kentucky. The Bluegrass State has the 11th-highest rate of gun violence in the US. Gun deaths and injuries cost Kentucky $9.6 billion each year, of which $183.4 million is paid by taxpayers. In Kentucky, 54.6% of adults have firearms at home. Licenses in 2021: 108,833

York, Pennsylvania

Patrolman Andrew Duarte had served with the West York Borough Police Department for over two years and previously served with the Denver Police Department for five years. This was a good-looking young man who seemed quite happy. (Photo: public domain)

Officer Andrew Duarte died while responding to a 10:43AM call about an active threat at UPMC Hospital in York, Pennsylvania.

No patients were injured during the shooting, and the five-story, 104-bed hospital has been secured, according to a statement by Pennsylvania State Police. It’s unclear if there were any other injuries.

“At this time, the shooter is deceased and there is no danger to the public. The hospital is secured,” police said.

In an average year, 1,759 people die and 4,020 are wounded by guns in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State has the 20th highest rate of gun violence in the US. Pennsylvania firearm licenses in 2021: 348,167. An estimated 40.7% of adults in Pennsylvania have guns in their homes.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

VBPO Cameron Girvin. He seemed like a happy person. No photo available of VBPO Christopher Reese.

Police Officers Christopher “Chris” Reese and Cameron Girvin were shot while conducting a traffic stop at Sylvan Court at approximately 2330 Friday evening.

“While on patrol Officer Reese and Officer Girvin observed a car with an expired plate and executed a traffic stop. During the traffic stop the officers asked the subject to exit the vehicle and the subject refused; when finally exiting the vehicle the subject “tussled” with the officers and immediately produced a pistol, shooting both Officer Reese and Officer Girvin. While the officers were incapacitated and on the ground, the subject shot each officer a second time and then fled the scene. The subject was found in a shed near the initial scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

First responders attempted life-saving procedures and both officers were transported to local hospitals but would succumb to their wounds.”

Nota Bene: Coriolanus does not like the use of the word “tussled” as any local or federal judge would immediately question the definition of the word and what exactly transpired between the police officers and the suspect (who was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound).

In an average year, 1,065 people die and 1,911 are wounded by guns in Virginia. Around 44.6% of adults in Virginia have guns at home. Federal firearm licenses: 423,707.

Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

Security Forces members assigned to the 377th Security Forces Squadron responded to an incident at approximately 2AM Saturday, 22 Feb resulting in a shooting incident. One Airman received a nonfatal gunshot wound to the hand and was transported to UNM Medical Center for treatment. He has since been released with no life-threatening injuries.

The other Airman was found dead at the scene. The cause of death and the incident remains under investigation by local authorities. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations was leading the probe along with the FBI and Albuquerque PD. Authorities said there is currently no threat to the public, even though the suspect remains at large.

In an average year, 433 people die and 618 are wounded by guns in New Mexico. The “Land of Enchantment State” has the 12th-highest rate of gun violence in the US. In New Mexico, 46.2% of adults have at least one gun at home. Firearms licenses in 2021: 122,968

Indiana

Trinity Shockley (18) Credit: Morgan County Sheriff’s Office

Last week, an 18-year-old from Mooresville, Indiana, was arrested for allegedly planning a mass school shooting at Mooresville High School. The Mooresville Metropolitan Police Department received information around 7PM 11 Feb from the FBI about someone who was potentially planning a school shooting on 14 Feb 2025.

During the department’s investigation, officers identified the person of interest as Trinity Shockley, of Mooresville. Court documents say Trinity is transgender, going by the name Jamie. Someone called the FBI and reported that Trinity was planning a shooting and that she had access to an AR-15 and ordered a bulletproof vest.

This is a catastrophe averted. The student reportedly had expressed admiration for other mass shooters, including Nikolas Cruz, who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland High School, Florida on 14 Feb 2018.

In an average year, 1,111 people die and 1,556 are wounded by guns in Indiana. Indiana has the 30th-highest rate of gun violence in the US. Indiana firearm licenses in 2021: 157,546. In Indiana, 44.8% of adults have at least one firearm at home.

NRA-rated A+ Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the 2015 CPAC convention. (Photo: Adweek)

In 2022, the CDC reported the US suffered 48,000 gun-related homicides. These are wartime casualty numbers. Every day 327 people are shot in the US. Of those, on average, 117 will die. By contrast in 2023 the entire country of Canada with approximately 41.6m people suffered 289 homicides by firearms. That averages to less than one firearm-related murder per day.

The US government may wish to consider deploying US Army medics or US Navy Corpsmen like the soldiers below throughout the country to triage and treat her daily casualties, like a warzone.

(Photo: US Army)

Unless America does something drastic and soon, her undeclared war with herself will reach 50,000 annual gun deaths possibly in 2025 or 2026. But remarkably, America’s Godzilla is doing the exact opposite. Trumpf recently signed an Executive Order reversing federal firearm regulations, making purchasing guns easier.

Sources:

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/indiana/18-year-old-charged-allegedly-planning-mass-shooting-mooresville-high-school-trinity-shockley/531-3ab9d4e1-1d0c-4948-a6e3-289847054be5

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/gun-ownership-rates-by-state/41/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/protecting-second-amendment-rights/


https://www.kirtland.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4074588/one-airman-dead-and-another-hospitalized-outside-kirtland-release-2/

https://www.odmp.org/

South Carolina Convict to be Killed in First Firing Squad Execution in 15 Years

Brad Sigmon. (Photo: Courtesy of Brad Sigmon legal team)

“A South Carolina man on death row has chosen to be killed by firing squad, and if his execution goes forward next month, it would be the first time in 15 years that capital punishment in the US is carried out by gunfire. Brad Sigmon (67) is scheduled to be shot to death on 7 Mar, part of a spate of rapid killings the state has pursued in the last six months as it revives executions after a 13-year pause.

South Carolina now directs those on death row to choose how they will be killed — electric chair, lethal injection or shooting. If they decline to make a selection, the state electrocutes them. Attorneys for men on South Carolina’s death row have previously objected to firing squads, raising concerns about the pain caused by shootings and arguing the method constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. But Sigmon selected a firing squad in part because of concerns about the state’s lethal injection methods, his attorneys said.”

Utah and Idaho are also considering the use of firing squads (I wrote an OP about this several weeks ago). One rifleman is anonymously given a powerful blank cartridge so he can think that he wasn’t the one who killed the prisoner. (Photo: NY Post / Shutterstock)

Source:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/21/brad-sigmon-death-penalty-firing-squad

Australia Warns Airlines to Beware of Chinese Navy Live-Fire Exercise

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and auxiliary ships. (Photo: navalnews.com)

Australia warned international airlines flying between Australian airports and New Zealand to beware of Chinese warships conducting a live-fire exercise in the Tasman Sea.

Regulator Airservices Australia had warned commercial pilots of a potential hazard in airspace between the countries as three Chinese warships conduct exercises off the Australian east coast.

Several international flights had diverted as a result.

“It would be normal practice where a task group is engaging in exercises for there to be advice given to vessels and aircraft in the area and Airservices Australia is doing what it should do, which is to give that advice,” Australian FM Penny Wong said.

Australia was discussing with China about the notification and transparency around its naval exercises, “particularly live-fire exercises,” Wong said.

Australian military ships and planes have been monitoring the Chinese warships for days as they pass in international waters off the Australian east coast.

The Royal Australian Navy Fleet consists of 27 commissioned ships and 11 non-commissioned ships manned by 16,000 officers and seamen; 4,600 in the reserves. The Chinese navy has 384,000 active personnel manning 788 ships and 600 aircraft.

Civil aviation has paid the price of flying near active military warzones Russia shot down a Malaysian Airlines several years ago, as well as an Azerbaijani Airways flight recently. This warning and quarantine zone is an obvious safety measure from Canberra. Conducting live fire drills in this vicinity is clearly a provocation from Beijing. Since Australia and New Zealand are allies of the US, perhaps China is testing the reaction from Trumpf.

Sources:

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/australia-warns-airlines-beware-chinese-navy-live-fire-119033470

https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/

Inside Britain’s Fascist Fight Clubs: Secret Footage Shows Far-Right Group Preparing for ‘Race War’

“A white supremacist group masquerading as a fitness club has been secretly working to build a far-right militia, holding training sessions in plain sight.

An undercover investigation by ITV News has revealed how ‘Active Club England’ is following a blueprint established by neo-Nazi networks in the US and Europe, using extreme fitness and fraternity as a front to recruit and radicalize members for a so-called “race war”.

ITV News has uncovered how a recruitment drive in the wake of the 2024 summer riots attracted dozens of new members. By capitalizing on social unrest, the group expanded to more than 100 members, with one branch drawing enough new followers to begin fortnightly training sessions at a park in Vauxhall, south London, just steps from MI6 headquarters.”

Last year Scotland Yard’s counter-terror chief reported a “startling” rise in the number of children in London becoming lured into terrorist activity with arrests now running at double the 20-year average.

Fight club members regularly took part in boxing training sessions in London and had to meet strict fitness standards. (Credit: ITV News)

Jay Barlow was sentenced in Sep 2024 for the possession of a knife and a racist offence against a police officer. (Credit: Metropolitan Police)

Rundo was arrested in a Romanian gym in 2023. (Credit: X/@Shtuni)

From 30 Jul to 5 Aug 2024, [a] far-right, anti-immigration protests and riots occurred in England and Northern Ireland.

There are hundreds of these right wing maniacs ready to commit violence against immigrants, people of color, Muslims, and Jews in the UK, and many have already sone so. Worse, these neo-Nazis are preparing for an ominous “race war.” One thug laments on the difficulties of obtaining firearms in the UK, unlike the ease found in other countries. Britain’s MI5 and Scotland Yard have their hands full dealing with these dangerous lunatics. The Kremlin has been linked to supporting rightwing, white supremacist groups throughout Europe and no doubt Elon Musk’s social platforms are facilitating their hate messages.

Watch the video here: https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-11/undercover-footage-shows-far-right-group-preparing-for-race-war

Source:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/terrorism-arrests-children-london-far-right-islam-metropolitan-police-b1129874.html

Is This A Woman or a Man?

Ms. Hunter Schafer (Getty Images)

“Hunter Schafer, a transgender woman and star of hit HBO teen drama Euphoria, has said a new US passport lists her as male, despite selecting female when she filled out the paperwork. Ms. Schafer said she changed her gender markers for her driver’s license and passports when she was a teenager, but that her birth certificate was never amended. The US State Department, which issues passports, says on its website that it will “only issue passports with an M or F sex marker that match the customer’s biological sex at birth.”

America’s Godzilla reversed the US State Dept policy which previously allowed a citizen to mark “X” under gender for their passport.

Thailand has long recognized a third gender called Kathoeys or “Ladyboys.”

So are DHS airport inspectors or border patrol agents at the Ports of Entry (POE) going to conduct strip searches or genetic tests on Ms. Schafer or kathoeys from Thailand?

Whatever happened to the time-honored American tradition of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?”

Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4klq45ngvo

Cat in Shelter Was Sad So He Was Sent to Nursing Home

USAF Veteran Who Fled Child Pornography Charges Now Flies Drones for Russia

USAF veteran Wilmer Puello-Mota at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA, in 2018. (Photo: Todd Maki / USAF / AP file)

A former New England USAF airman who fled the US to avoid prison for child pornography charges has resurfaced in Moscow’s propaganda videos, describing his service in the Russian military as a drone operator in eastern Ukraine. He insisted he is not a traitor. Wilmer Puello-Mota (28) served in the USAF security forces and he deployed to Afghanistan in 2015 to protect pilots and aircraft.

“I’m Will. I’m from Massachusetts,” Wilmer Puello-Mota, who is also a former City Council member in Holyoke, MA, said in the five-minute video released by Russia’s Defense Ministry. “My call sign is ‘Boston.'”

Puello-Mota was supposed to appear in a Rhode Island courtroom on 9 Jan 2024 and plead guilty to possessing sexually explicit images of a child and other charges that could have sent him to prison for at least five years. He instead fled to Russia via Istanbul. Puello-Mota wanted a career in politics and thought being charged with possessing child pornography had ruined his life, his attorney stated.

Puello-Mota served on the Holyoke City Council from 2021 to 2023 and was aligned with conservative council members who supported former President Donald Trump. Halfway through his term, the city tried to kick Puello-Mota off the council after it learned that he had been arrested in May 2020 when police found nude photos and videos on his phone of a 17-year-old girl. He was also charged with obstruction of the judicial system, forgery and counterfeiting.

Sources:

U.S. veteran wanted for child porn charges serving in Russian forces – The Washington Post

CIA Chief in Bosnia to Emphasize US Support Amid Pro-Kremlin Rhetoric of Republika Srpska President

CIA Chief William Burns (second from left) in Sarajevo on 20 August.

CIA Director William Burns was in Sarajevo on 20 August to discuss the “worrying secessionist rhetoric and actions” of the pro-Russian president and government of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb entity, Milorad Dodik.

Burns, who arrived from Israel, held meetings at the Bosnian presidency with senior intelligence and government leaders. Dodik has raised concerns among Bosnia’s Western allies because of his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dodik reaffirmed in February after personally meeting with Putin that the Republika Srpska would not join Western sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Turmoil in the Balkans would play into the Kremlin’s hands as it could distract the US and Europe from Russia’s war in Ukraine. A visit from D/CIA shows the commitment of the US that Bosnia is a priority of its US foreign policy. The last D/CIA to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina was John Brennan in 2016.

Sources:

CIA Chief In Bosnia To Emphasize U.S. Support And ‘Worrying’ Rhetoric Of Republika Srpska President (rferl.org)

Uyghurs Sentenced to Cumulative 4.4 million Years in Prison

Police guard detainees as they appear to recite words or sing at the Tekes County Detention Center in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region in this image released on 24 May 2022.

All told, Uyghurs imprisoned by China in the far-western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to a cumulative 4.4 million years, a Yale University’s Genocide Studies Program reports. China’s repression could lead to a ‘total ethnic incapacitation for the Uyghur people’ and the true tally of incarcerations are probably far higher.

In 2017, the Chinese government cracked down on thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities and herded them into re-education camps and prisons.

The 25-page report, “Uyghur Race as the Enemy: China’s Legalized Authoritarian Oppression & Mass Imprisonment,” frames the massive incarceration not only as a crime against humanity and genocide, but also as a form of “dangerous lawfare” designed to erode the Uyghurs’ future prospects for dignity, prosperity and freedom. The study drew on information from the Xinjiang Victims Database, which has data on nearly 62,700 Uyghurs detained in Xinjiang, based on leaked Chinese police documents and other records.

Researchers found 13,114 cases that included a prison sentence, with an average term of 8.8 years, and multiplied the figure by 500,000, which they called a “conservative” figure based on the 540,000 individuals prosecuted by court from 2017 to 2021, to get 4.4 million years.

This massive sinicization program is meant to homogenize the non-Chinese ethnic population. Beijing has also forced cultural assimilation in Tibetan areas of China. Compare the staggering incarceration rates of Uyghurs below.

Sources:

uyghur_report_final_copy.pdf (yale.edu)

Uyghurs sentenced to cumulative 4.4 million years in prison: study — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

UN human rights chief issues damning report on Chinese abuses in Xinjiang

American Gun Carnage: Virginia Man in Critical Condition After Being Shot by Two-Year-Old

According to the Chesterfield County Police Department, the unidentified man was about to leave the house and had “placed his handgun on a nearby chair.”

The toddler retrieved it and “accidentally discharged the firearm, shooting the victim,” police said.

The victim was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition and no one else in the house was wounded. Reportedly, the victim is the boyfriend of the child’s mother and police are investigating the incident. The cost of an air ambulance flight within the US can range from $12,000 to $55,000.

In an average year in Virginia, 1,160 people die and 1,624 are wounded by guns. Virginia has the 33rd-highest rate of gun violence in the US.

Virginia Federal firearms licenses in 2021: 423,707

Approximately 44.6% of adults in Virginia have guns at home.

Averaging almost 50,000 deaths from firearms annually, the US the only high-income country to report such a high death toll from gun violence. Until America can shed its dangerous love of firearms, this type of carnage will continue.

Sources:

Man in critical condition after being shot by 2-year-old – ABC News (go.com)

Gun-Violence-in-Virginia-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

3. Virginia – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

https://airambulance.com/blogs/post/how-much-does-air-ambulance-cost/

https://www.statista.com/topics/10904/gun-violence-in-the-united-states/#topicOverview

https://www.thetrace.org/2023/12/data-gun-violence-deaths-america/

‘Islamic State Supporter’ in Las Vegas Indicted on Terrorism Charges

A Las Vegas resident who wrote in chatroom that he would be “starting lone wolf operations in Las Vegas against enemies of Allah” was indicted by a Clark County grand jury on eight counts of four different terrorism- and explosives-related charges.

Joshua Robles, a juvenile at the time of his November 2023 arrest, had in-depth knowledge of the Islamic State (IS) group, sought to communicate with members of the group, and had components of explosives in his bedroom.

The Metropolitan Police Department arrest report read that Robles “intended to carry out acts of violence against the perceived enemies of ISIS and their religious doctrine, and the violent acts would take place in the Las Vegas area.” A search of his home uncovered components to construct an explosive device.

This young man doesn’t have to join IS to cause casualties; as noted above, Americans suffer from appalling firearms violence daily.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source:

‘Islamic State supporter’ in Las Vegas indicted on terrorism charges | Stars and Stripes

Historic Milestone for Polish Space Science with Launch of Eagle Eye Satellite

Polish space science and technology reached a historical moment with the successful launch of the EagleEye satellite into Earth’s orbit. Facilitated by SpaceX, the mission took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The satellite will deliver high-resolution images of the Earth, providing data for research and monitoring purposes. The mission is expected to last at least one year and will orbit the Earth at a low altitude, gradually descending from an initial height of approximately 500 km to around 350 km. EagleEye was designed entirely in Poland from the ground up and manufactured locally except for microprocessors.

Sources:

Polish EagleEye Satellite: A Landmark Project for the Space Sector – Creotech

Historic milestone for Polish space science as they successfully launch Eagleeye satellite | Euronews

‘Behind Closed Doors’: Ex-Trump Aide Spills Secrets to DNC

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage in front of an apparent text message with Republican presidential candidate, former US President Donald Trump during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on 20 August 2024 in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

former White House press secretary for Donald Trump delivered a stinging rebuke of her former boss at the Democratic National Convention. Stephanie Grisham told Democrats she wasn’t just a Trump supporter, she was a “true believer” and one of his closest advisers, spending Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving with the Trump family at Mar-a-Lago.

“Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters,” she said. “He calls them basement-dwellers.”

During a pandemic-era hospital visit, as people died in the intensive care unit, Grisham said Trump was “mad that the cameras weren’t watching him.”

“He has no empathy,” said Grisham. “No morals. And no fidelity to the truth. He used to tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you.'”

Grisham said she resigned the same day she asked former first lady Melania Trump whether it was OK to tweet that “peaceful protest are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence.”

Mrs. Trump replied: “No,” according to a screenshot of the conversation displayed at the convention.

“I couldn’t be part of the insanity any longer,” she said, noting she was “skewered” for not holding White House briefings. “Unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie.” She earned applause as she noted she’s once again behind a podium — “advocating for a Democrat.”

You can only imagine how former President Trump must have reacted to this.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Source:

‘Behind closed doors’: Ex-Trump aide spills former boss’ secrets to packed DNC – Raw Story

Kenya ‘Psychopath’ Serial Killer Suspect Escapes from Custody

Kenyan police launched a major manhunt for a serial killer who escaped from a Nairobi police cell, along with a dozen other detainees. He had confessed to murdering and dismembering 42 women. Collins Jumaisi (33) was described by police as a “vampire, a psychopath.” He was arrested last month after the horrific discovery of mutilated bodies in a slum garbage dump in Nairobi.

The dumped bodies threw a fresh spotlight on Kenya’s police force as they were found just 100 yards from a police station. And this is the second time in barely six months that a suspect in a high-profile case has escaped from custody.

Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, was looking into whether there was any police involvement or a “failure to act to prevent” the killings. Kenyan police are often accused by rights groups of carrying out unlawful killings or running hit squads, but few have faced justice.

There are approximately 101,000 personnel in the Kenyan Police Service. This summer Kenya deployed 600 experienced police officers to restore law and order amid worsening civil strife and gang violence in Haiti under a UNSC-approved mission.

Source:

Kenya ‘Psychopath’ Serial Killer Suspect Escapes From Custody | IBTimes

https://www.kenyapolice.go.ke/

IDF Kills Ten in Southern Lebanon Preceding US Secretary of State Blinken Visit to Israel and Start of America’s DNC Convention

Israel Defense Forces killed at least ten people during an overnight strike in southern Lebanon, including a mother and her two children. This was the deadliest Israeli strike in southern Lebanon since October 2023. Hezbollah retaliated by firing 55 rockets into northern Israel, causing some fires but no casualties.

This was a calculated move by war crimes-indicted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to cause a counterattack from the Shia Crescent during critical negotiations with Hamas to reach a cease-fire and release the remaining Israeli hostages (which includes eight AMCITs).

Moreover, the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) gets underway shortly in Chicago. Any reprisal attack from the Shia Crescent during the convention would demonstrate to Democrats the dangers that Israelis must endure (ignoring the fact that the perils are caused by none other then the bellicose Likud Party).

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, D/CIA William Burns, and D/DIA Director Lt Gen Jeffrey A. Kruse, as well as the hardworking American taxpayer, must be wondering how and why Benjamin Netanyahu keeps insulting their intelligence with his lethal provocations and brutal policies.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza and over 500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank since October 2023. The Likud Party should simply change its name to the Tsaba (War) Party.

Sources:

Israel kills 10 in southern Lebanon strike ahead of Antony Blinken’s visit – UPI.com

240520-panel-report-eng.pdf (icc-cpi.int)

GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Unravelling and Getting Ridiculed

Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania which was reported to have empty seats and video shows supporters trickling out during one of his rambling speeches. The oldest man to ever run for President also shouted out “North Carolina!” forgetting that he was conducting his rally in Pennsylvania. And with less than 90 days before Election Day, the frustrated 45th President has been unable to stick Kamala Harris with a famous nickname, a shtick to attack enemies he may have learned years ago at the fabled Friar’s Club in NYC .

While Trump historically came up with effective epithets such as “crooked Hillary,” “sleepy Joe,” “Sloppy Steve” (Bannon), or “Lyin’ Ted” (Cruz), the ex-president has yet to come up with nicknames for Harris or Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that have stuck. Trump’s attempts at branding Kamala Harris with “Laffin’ Kamala,” “Lyin’ Kamala,” or “Crazy Kamala” have been ineffective on his Truth Social platform.

Responding to a Republican commentator who remarked Kamala Harris is “beautiful,” Donald Trump replied:

“I say that I am much better looking than her. I’m a better-looking person than Kamala.”

A Democratic strategist responded: “This guy has lost his f—— marbles” and Team Kamala weighed in: “Trump melts down over Kamala Harris being on the cover of TIME Magazine.”

Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party have effectively commandeered the media narrative since President Biden exited the race on 21 July. And after the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the two candidates should see a two to four-point boost in polls. Meanwhile, as Trump prepares for his televised debate with Kamala Harris on 10 Sep, he must also be distracted by his imminent sentencing date on 18 Sep for his 34-count felony conviction in NYS.

Watch below or click here.

Watch below or click here.

‘More empty seats’: Reporter shows people ‘trickling out of’ Trump’s rally as he’s talking – Raw Story

Trump likely in state of ‘panic’ due to ‘ineffective’ nicknames for Kamala Harris: report – Raw Story

‘Lost his marbles’: Trump ridiculed for claiming to be ‘better looking’ than Kamala Harris – Raw Story

USAF Security Personnel Exchange Gunfire With Unknown Assailants

USAF security personnel exchanged gunfire with an unknown shooter in a passing vehicle who twice within two hours opened fire on an entrance to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, early Saturday morning. There were no casualties and the San Antonio Police are investigating.

The motive, number of assailants, or how many rounds were fired are still being determined. The entrance was closed for several hours and the base was not locked down. US and NATO bases in Europe have been on high alert after several attempts by Kremlin-linked saboteurs and infiltrators were thwarted.   

In an average year, 4,122 people die and 7,726 are wounded by firearms in Texas. The Lone Star State has the 29th highest rate of gun violence in the US. Texas firearms licenses in 2021: 1,006,555. 45.7% of Texans say they live in homes with guns.

Sources:

Guards at San Antonio Air Force base exchange fire with unknown shooters – UPI.com

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/09/politics/intelligence-russian-sabotage-threat-us-bases-europe/index.html

Gun-Violence-in-Texas-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

Lockouts at Canada’s Two Largest Railroads May Disrupt US Supply Chain

Canada’s two largest railroads are starting to shut down their shipping networks as a labor dispute with the Teamsters Union threatens to cause lockouts or strikes that would disrupt cross-border trade with the US. The union represents 10,000 workers at both railroads and they seek cite crew scheduling, rail safety, and worker fatigue has their main sticking points.

Both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Canadian National (CN) railroads, which haul millions of tons of freight across the border, have stopped taking certain shipments of hazardous materials and refrigerated products. They are threatening to lock out Teamsters Canada workers starting Thursday if deals are not reached. On Tuesday, CPKC will stop all shipments that start in Canada and all shipments originating in the US that are headed for Canada. CN barred container imports from US partner railroads.

The two railroads handle about 40,000 carloads of freight each day, worth about $1 billion. Shipments of fully built automobiles and auto parts, chemicals, forestry products and agricultural goods would be hit hard, especially with harvest season looming.

Analysts expect work stoppages to last only a few days, but if they continue, there could be significant supply chain disruptions. Both railroads have extensive networks in the US, and CPKC also serves Mexico. Those operations will keep running even if there is a work stoppage.

Sources:

Lockouts at Canada’s 2 largest railroads may disrupt US supply chain (voanews.com)

Nearly 68M People Suffering from Drought in Southern Africa

About 68 million people, 17% of the population in Southern Africa, are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought that has wiped out crops across the region. The drought, which started in early 2024, has hit crop and livestock production, causing food shortages and damaging the wider economies.

This is southern Africa’s worst drought in years, owing to a combination of naturally occurring El Nino — when an abnormal warming of the waters in the eastern Pacific changes world weather patterns — and higher average temperatures produced by greenhouse gas emissions.

Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi have already declared the hunger crisis a state of disaster, while Lesotho and Namibia have called for humanitarian support. Heads of state from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) were meeting in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare to discuss regional issues including food security.

Sources:

Nearly 68M suffer from drought in Southern Africa, SADC says (voanews.com)

Kiev Opens Investigation into Alleged Beheading of Dead Soldier

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska speaks at a Russian war crimes exhibition in London (Undated image: James Manning/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General’s Office is investigating an allegation that a Ukrainian soldier participating in the recent Russia incursion was beheaded. A video circulating on social media on 16 August showed a Russian soldier beside a pole with a severed head.

The Telegram channel DeepState identified the Russian soldier in the video as a member of the 155th Marine Brigade, which is deployed near the Kolotilovka checkpoint in the Belgorod region. Ukrainian forces were fighting in that area on 12 August.

Authorities in Kiev are also investigating a 18 June report that Russian troops beheaded a Ukrainian soldier in the eastern Donetsk region.

The desecration of soldiers’ bodies, including mutilation and beheadings, is a war crime.

Sources:

Kyiv Opens Investigation Into Alleged Beheading Of Dead Soldier (rferl.org)

Ukrainian Prosecutor Says Russian Troops Beheaded Ukrainian Soldier (rferl.org)

Melting Arctic Permafrost Could Release Mercury into Waters as Temperature Rise

Flowing across Alaska to the Bering Sea, the Yukon River erodes the permafrost along its banks and carries with it sediment downstream.

As our planet warms, permafrost which contains large amounts of accumulated mercury, is eroding faster and releasing this highly toxic metal into the environment.  Though the mercury released from melting permafrost doesn’t pose a toxic threat today, its impact will grow over time. Mercury gradually accumulates in the food chain, beginning with plants, fish, and animals that humans eventually consume.

Natural atmospheric circulation causes pollutants to move towards higher latitudes. This results in mercury accumulating in the Arctic where it is absorbed by plants which then die and become part of the soil. This freezes in the permafrost – where the ground stays frozen all year round – and over thousands of years, mercury concentrations build up in the soil. In this form, mercury isn’t particularly dangerous. But this toxic metal is released when the soil thaws, and the Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average. This poses a major environmental and health threat to the five million people living in the Arctic and more than three million people who live in areas where the permafrost is expected to disappear completely by 2050.

Unless mankind does something soon, the earth as we know it today won’t be the same for future generations.

Sources:

Melting Arctic permafrost could release a ‘mercury bomb’ as temperatures rise | Euronews