Monday, December 5, 2022

No Longer in the Shadow

 


Six observations: 

  1. With his call to overturn the U.S. Constitution, Mr. Trump has without a doubt transformed himself into a seditious vampire, indiscriminately sucking the life blood out of the American people. On the treason scale, he rates higher than Benedict Arnold and no longer is in Arnold's shadow.
  2. By invading Ukraine, killing, or wounding hundreds of thousands of innocent people, both Ukrainian and Russian, Mr. Putin, has secured his place in history next to Joseph Stalin.
  3. By supporting Mr. Trump, the majority of serving Republicans in the U.S. House are insurrectionists and therefore they must be removed from office and forbidden from holding future public office.
  4. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, Jr. have now crossed into unethical territory as defined under the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges and now must voluntarily either recuse themselves or resign. (Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has no Code of Conduct.)
  5. After his Twitter takeover, Elon Musk has now earned his rating as No. 1 on the scale of the worst CEOs of history.
  6. The Hunter Biden laptop story really is a "nothing burger".



Thursday, October 27, 2022

It’s Time for Servant Leaders

Mike Franken, candidate for the US Senate in Iowa
photo: screen capture

Weeks have come and gone.

During that time we suffered COVID and then Hurricane Ian left us in ruins.

Still, our most serious affliction remains our leadership vacuum.

We have an epidemic of bought leaders. Dedicated to serving themselves at the direction of the billionaires, foreign nations and corporations funding their campaign coffers, they accumulate millions of payola dollars while in office rather than serve the interests of the people who elected them. 

In fact, our society has become dominated by the premise, “suck in big bucks while you can, even if means your own people will grievously suffer as a result”, that serving the interests of the people has become the exception rather than the first requirement for elected office.

Today, we expect that our representatives are or will soon be scumbags and are shocked if they exhibit concern for others, humanity, honor, and dedication to doing right by all people regardless of political affiliation, nationality, skin color or heritage.

All this said, I stumbled upon the interview below with Mike Franken, candidate for the US Senate in Iowa. I hope he is what he says he is… and if so, that he is elected to office.

Deep red Senate seat suddenly IN PLAY for Democrats, Brian Tyler Cohen


Oct 26, 2022

INTERVIEW: Brian interviews the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Iowa, Mike Franken, about a bombshell new poll showing him within striking distance of unseating Chuck Grassley, and whether Grassley’s age (he’d be 95 years old by the end of the term he’s running for right now) is a concern to him.

More on Servant Leadership

Cincinnatus - A Leader Geo. Washington Respected


Friday, September 16, 2022

DeSantis’ PR Stunt Backfires

Florida Gov. DeSantis’ latest FOX PR stunt seems to be backfiring because it appears to be just plain stupid, illegal, and inhumane.

First the stupid part. Mr. DeSantis used Florida funds to pay for the private jets used to transport 50 refugees to Martha's Vineyard. The problem is that the refugees originated from San Antonio. Last time I checked, San Antonio was located in Texas, not Florida. Floridians might find that a problem, even if they are Trumpers. Using Florida tax money to transport the Texas “unwanted” just doesn’t make sense.

Second, shipping legitimate refugees awaiting their appearance in court away from a Texas-based immigration jurisdiction to another is not a up to a state. It’s up to the federal government. That makes this move illegal. Additionally, according to Susan Akram, professor, Boston University School of Law, "...if migrants were deceived into boarding the flights, coerced or deliberately misled, they or Massachusetts officials could charge Texas state officials responsible for fraud — or perhaps even kidnapping, depending on how they were coerced into boarding the transport."

Third, the inhumanity of this fraud is obvious to most people other than Mr. DeSantis. 

Finally, despite Mr. DeSantis’ best efforts to embarrass the people of Martha's Vineyard and score points with the FOX talking heads, the opposite has happened.  

Here’s the story…

DeSantis Flying Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard May Have Violated Federal Law, Experts Say, Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 15 Sept 2022.

Alex Wagner Tonight MSNBC, 15 Sept 2022



Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Good Paying Jobs With a Future

 

If I lived in rural Virginia, or anywhere else for that matter, and my children and grandchildren were looking for a job, or start a business, I’d try to help them create opportunity in sustainable / green energy.

Here’s why:

This is the future’: rural Virginia pivots from coal to green jobs , 
Nina Lakhani, The Guardian, 8 Sept 2022

Region’s long awaited energy and economic transition will be substantially boosted by US’s first climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act

When Mason Taylor enrolled at the local vocational school with dreams of becoming an electrician like his dad, it was assumed that the ninth-grader would eventually end up moving away from Wise county, Virginia, to find a decent job.

Now 19, Taylor just bought a truck after a summer apprenticing with a crew of electricians installing rooftop solar systems at public schools in the county. He was among a dozen or so rookies paid $17 an hour, plus tools and a travel stipend, as part of the state’s first solar energy youth apprenticeship scheme.

“Around here it’s always been coal, coal, coal, we didn’t hear much about green energy,” said Taylor, who comes from a long line of miners. “This is a great opportunity to learn, great pay, and maybe I’ll be able to stay here in the mountains with my family if solar takes off.”

In the past decade or so, unemployment and poverty have forced many to leave south-west Virginia as the coal industry’s decline ricocheted across central Appalachia. It’s torn many families apart and any talk of renewable energy was considered anti-coal, but attitudes are starting to change.

“We have to get away from fossil fuels that are killing our planet. Technology has come a long way and will keep getting better. This is the future,” said chief electrician Jimmy Rogers, 49, whose family worked on the coal trains in Tennessee.

The region’s long-awaited energy and economic transition will be substantially boosted by America’s first climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

It’s far from a panacea, but Joe Biden’s legislation provides $369bn for the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy – a historic investment that scientists estimate will reduce greenhouse gases by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 and ​​create an estimated 1.5m new jobs.

Decent well-paid jobs are desperately needed. In Virginia, coal production has declined by 70% since its peak in 1990, and much of what’s left is semi-automated. Those old jobs are largely gone and are not coming back.

The IRA provides ring-fenced money for training, innovation and manufacturing, as well as an array of tax breaks and other financial incentives to help consumers and businesses transition away from fossil fuels. And Joe Manchin, the conservative Democrat senator from West Virginia played a pivotal role in watering down – and then reviving – the legislation, directing billions of dollars to the economic revival of depressed coal towns.

-Go here for the whole story-

and here for more... https://legacygrandkids.info/legacygrandkids_opportunity.html

U.S. Dept of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Career Maps

Exploring Solar Panel Efficiency Breakthroughs in 2022
Undecided with Matt Ferrell, 12 July 2022

Scientists have just had a major solar panels efficiency breakthrough, and it could mean a big change for the future of renewable energy. Visit https://brilliant.org/undecided to sign up for free. And also, the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium membership. This isn’t just more hype, but a sign of where solar panel technology stands today and is heading in the near future. However, this isn’t the only big solar panel news from 2022. There’s been a lot of very recent advancements from perovskites to organic solar cells too, so what does this mean for you and me? Let’s see if we can come to a decision on this.

UPDATE: The US congress recently extended and raised the solar tax credit as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. But you can still research for solar in your area using my EnergySage portal: http://bit.ly/undecidedsolar

Go here for more information and links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8crjuL8FFs

Website: https://undecidedmf.com


Sunday, September 11, 2022

Remembering 9/11 – 2,974 WTC Murders

 


(Update 11 Sept 2022, Updated 16 Sept 2017. Please go here for the International Bureau of Forensic Investigations cold case investigation of the 9/11 murders.) Similar to the day President Kennedy was murdered, I remember where I was and what I was doing when the World Trade Center Towers the other five WTC buildings were destroyed, 11 Sept 2001, don’t you?

I turned the TV on that morning to see if there was some reason why my Internet connection had suddenly frozen up. Perhaps, I speculated, someone had demolished the Comcast cable somewhere close by.

Instead of a car accident, I learned that the one of the WTC towers was on fire. I didn’t know it then, but our world had changed again, once more in a very bad way.

An estimated 200 people jumped to their deaths .
In shock, I suspect, after seeing several people jump from the WTC, I later accepted our government’s explanation of the collapse of the impossibly huge buildings. After all, I’d seen it all on TV, hadn’t I?

Never, for a second, did I question where the mammoth tons and tons of rubble went that day - the steel and the building contents. Nor did I question why they fell so quickly and without damaging the building close by.

Brooklyn Youth Chorus sang "I Will Remember You".
Years later, during the 9/11 10th anniversary, I was overcome with sorrow and empathy listening to the Brooklyn Youth Chorus’ beautiful rendition of Sarah McLacklan’s song, I Will Remember You.(1.) In my mind I kept replaying the tragic scene: the jumpers… hundreds of first responders… and thousands of WTC workers… all lost their lives while I sat, horrified, in my office and watched via TV.

Something ignited my mind that day. Perhaps the catalyst was the replay of the buildings collapsing or the emergency personnel recounting their stories – whatever it was, I began to look back at 9/11. I started reading all I could find about how both of the towers could have collapsed so quickly due to a fire located so high up in the structures. I found that the official report really didn’t explain the collapse at all, and especially, nothing was offered to explain the lack of rubble on the day of the collapse.

Steel turns to dust in mid air.
Dr. Judy Wood

Then I discovered Dr. Judy Wood’s (2.) videos, her website and her case against the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the people Congress hired to file the explanatory report.

Here is how UK researcher Andrew Johnson explained the NIST report in his book, Finding the Truth: “NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), was tasked with analysing the cause of the destruction of WTC towers 1,2 and 7. When studied objectively, their report for WTC 1 & 2 fails to answer how the “pancake” collapse theory explains the evidence observed on the day – such as the complete pulverisation of most of the towers – including hundreds of steel girders – in about 10 seconds each. Readily available photos also illustrate the glaring lack of any “pancakes” in the WTC rubble pile.”

Jerry V. Leaphart, J.D., Attorney, NIST Requests for Correction
“Elements of the final NIST WTC reports have been the subject of a Legal Challenge (3.) by Professors Morgan Reynolds (Emeritus, Texas A & M University) and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Judy Wood (formerly of Clemson University, South Carolina). Their challenge was first made as a “Request for Correction” and then in two “Qui Tam” cases. These cases, unsealed in 2007, outlined how, as it is framed, the NIST study of the WTC collapse was fraudulent and deceptive. Indeed, the very title of the main report “The Collapse of the World Trade Centre Towers” is itself misleading, because the towers did not collapse, they turned to dust.”.( 4.)

Once clear of the shock of learning that the NIST report seemed eerily similar to the Warren Commission report, i.e. both avoided discussing clearly important aspects of the crimes they were charged to investigate, I devoted countess hours to studying what Dr. Wood had uncovered.

What happened to the two tallest buildings in North America, the WTC towers, and the other five WTC buildings on 9/11?

I did not want to accept Dr. Wood’s findings. Frankly, it was simply too shocking for me to believe the forensic evidence she had complied and the truth she uncovered. Now, nearly three years later as I write this article, I have come to the place in my life that I can, once again accept the facts of life. This time, ferreted out by Dr. Wood, at considerable personal cost to her, the evidence clearly shows that the towers did not fall… they were not taken down by two aircraft. No, something much more sinister took place on 9/11 and the “cover up” continues to play out to this very day.

 Please click though to Dr. Judy Wood's interview with Theo Chalmers. Although it is lengthy, Chalmers conducts one of the most insightful interviews of Dr. Wood. 25 Oct 2011, One Step Beyond, with Theo Chalmers, SKY 200 (U.K.). Source of video, Andrew Johnson.
What “weapon” could possible “dustify” those two massive towers, WTC 1 & 2 - 110 stories each, and make them disappear into clouds of dust in less than 10 seconds, leaving relatively little rubble on the ground? How did that happen?

Please go here for enlargement with full description.
For certain, no matter how big and how fast they were flying upon impact, not even two massive Boeings with resulting fires could have “disappeared” those two massive buildings, PLUS destroy the other five WTC buildings which were also obliterated that day, WTC 3 – 22 stories; WTC 4 – 9 stories; WTC5 – 9 stories; WTC 6 – 8 stories; and WTC 7 – 47 stories; AND create a plethora of never-before-seen phenomena as far away as one mile from the WTC.

Please go here for enlargement with full description.
Dr Judy Wood has assembled the forensic evidence.(5.) If we allow ourselves to see, hear and read it we may be on the path toward discovering the horrific truths about 9/11.

We begin by considering the question she asks: Do you know of anything that can turn a building to dust in mid air? And, then some of the principal data that must be explained, please go to Dr. Wood's website, wtc page. section: B. Some of the principal data that must be explained.

Second, at the 2012 Breakthrough Energy Movement (BEM) conference in Holland (6.) (and a number of other presentations and interviews), Dr. Wood explained, “The towers did not slam to the ground. If they had slammed to the ground (following a controlled demolition or as a result of catastrophic structural failure resulting from airplanes hitting the buildings):
1. There would be over 1,250,000 tons of debris piled on the ground. (Didn't happen)
2. Manhattan would have been flooded. (Didn't happen)
3. The seismic recordings would have reflected two 500,000-ton buildings and one 230,000-ton building slamming to the ground. (Didn't happen)”

Go here for a larger, readable image.
So, what brought the towers down? The evidence, Dr. Wood has concluded, points to a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW). Dr Wood offers a clear, easily understood comparison of summary of the evidence in her book and in her presentations. Her findings are well documented and directly on target, especially given that she has been the trailblazer in describing an exceedingly complex, entirely new and, until 9/11, publicly unknown destructive force used with impunity upon innocent people whose only mistake was going to work that day.

Really? Directed Energy Weapons - Star Wars? I'll bet your first thought was that Star Wars weapons really don't exist, except in Hollywood. If that's your thought, well, you'd be wrong. Not only do they exist, they are in operation today. There's even a professional association devoted to the craft, the Directed Energy Professional Society. What kinds of weapons do we have? There are many. Check out this video from the U. S. Air Force Research Lab's Directed Energy Directorate Directed Energy Directorate:




Video not visible? Go to this YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/mSGprwJx_zs.
Or, visit the website: US Air Force Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base

Of course what you see above is one of the weapons we are using today in public view. We have no idea what the classified weapons are or what they can do.

In one of Dr. Wood’s most recent interviews (and also one of the best to date) George Noory, Coast to Coast AM (7. ), doggedly worked to understand the technology used to destroy the WTC. Finally, after being asked several times to name the type of directed energy weapon used to destroy the WTC on 11 Sept 2001, Dr. Judy Wood answered, maintaining her forensic scientist position:

Dr. Wood: “What the evidence shows is that you can eliminate kinetic energy as a destructive mechanism. Kinetic energy means that the buildings were beaten to death, like a gravity collapse, wreaking ball, missile or bomb. Thermal energy means the buildings were cooked to death, lots of heat. Those two things the evidence rules out. But, directed energy, as I define it, is energy that is instructed to do something differently than it normally does. Instead of the bonding forces of matter being attracted to each other, they are directed to repel each other. It is not like something physically hitting it or cooking it. And, within that, it's a big umbrella of things.”

Dr. Wood: “A lot of people are uncomfortable about that. They want to have a device - Acme model whatever it is. But, we can look at parallel evidence that produces the same thing. The source of the energy, she explained, "...could have been anywhere... it could be the energy comes from the material. I want to get away from a point and shoot laser beam. It was more of a field effect."

George Noory: How much energy was needed to destroy these buildings?
Wood: It could even have been negative energy. If you can understand the mechanism – that’s the beauty of this – if there is a silver lining in this – it is that this technology was used for destructive purposes, but it doesn’t have to be (used that way). It can be used for good purposes… for providing free energy to the world.”

Dr. Wood: “If you have the ability to affect the nature of matter – instead of atoms attracting each other, they are repelling each other – if you give it that instruction… it isn’t like you have to put in a lot of energy, create bonds and use energy that way, it could be that the energy come from the material.”

Dr. Wood: “Actually, (regarding) the dust cloud that rolled down the street, first responders that I talked to said, that it was cooler than ambient temperature, in other words, not hot. It was cooler. Then it began feeling warm…you know when you put acid on your hand it feels like it’s burning up but it could be room temperature. There was something in the dust that was eating on their skin. They were scrubbing in the shower afterward; they just couldn’t get it off.”

Dr. Wood: "I want to get away from the idea of a point and shoot laser beam, it’s more of a field effect, like the coverage range of your cell phone… it’s a zone of effect.”

George Noory: Do you ever, Dr. Wood, get into the Who?
Dr. Wood: No, but I got closer than anyone has, in the public domain, that is. I pretty much know who knows. And that is who I tried to take to court. These were contractors on the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) report. They were mandated by Congress to find why and how the towers collapsed. They didn’t do that. I wrote a request for correction to NIST saying that their contractors were leading them astray. You can’t sue a government agency but we can sue contractors for fraud of a government agency. There are a couple of the contractors, one in particular, which had the most number of people on the contract, on the NIST report. They are developers and manufacturers of energy weapons. Not only that, they also had and still have, I believe, a contract with the U.S. government to know everything about any weapon of mass destruction that exists or is being developed anywhere. So, not only do they know what technology there is, they know whose technology it is. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have them under oath?

Dr. Wood: "Why not ask ARA (Applied Research Associates, Inc. )? They are the directed energy weapons experts."

Third, from that day in September 2001, Dr. Wood has taken tremendous personal risk to voice her findings both to her peers, the general public and via the judicial system. After shifting through huge amounts of forensic evidence and literally overcoming a barrage of character assassination attempts to discredit her, Dr. Wood continues to stand alone, well above her critics, as the qualified expert with the correct academic and professional credentials, training and experience. In other words, she really does know what she is talking about because she has the interdisciplinary education, training and experience to pull the forensic evidence together.

I don’t know why Dr. Wood left her position at Clemson. But, what I can say is that the alumni, faculty, administration and student body of Clemson should honor her and restore her status as a full professor, with full back pay and benefits, for her years of trail blazing forensic scientific work, applied engineering expertise and dedication to ferreting out the truth about the crime of the century. Clemson should be honored to be associated with Dr. Wood. Dr. Judy Wood is an American Hero - a World Hero. She is also something rarer today. She is a member of a breed which I feel is nearly extinct - Dr. Judy Wood is a Patriot.

Who benefited from 9/11?
Certainly the usual suspects – the armaments industry and the financiers of war, the bankers – have gained immeasurably from 9/11.

Who could have orchestrated 9/11? 
Only those in the highest levels of our own government at the time could have pulled off the “terrorist” action on a day when our air defenses were “off line” and our military and federal law enforcement people were effectively out of action, running several training exercises.

Who predicted a “new Pearl Harbor”? 
The “NEO-CON” directors and signatories to Statement of Principles of the Project for a New American Century, the future members of the G.W. Bush administration, wrote about it prior to taking office. They even advertised it in published reports (September 2000) and full page display ads. See: Section V of Rebuilding America's Defenses, entitled "Creating Tomorrow's Dominant Force", includes the sentence: "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––like a new Pearl Harbor"  

“Though not arguing that Bush administration PNAC members were complicit in those attacks, other social critics such as journalist Mark Danner, journalist John Pilger, in New Statesman, and former editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, Bernard Weiner, in CounterPunch, all argue that PNAC members used the events of 9/11 as the "Pearl Harbor" that they needed––that is, as an "opportunity" to "capitalize on" (in Pilger's words), in order to enact long-desired plans.

Who obstructed justice?
According to the Washington Post, 7 May 2004,  “Six air traffic controllers provided accounts of their communications with hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, on a tape recording that was later destroyed by a Federal Aviation Administration manager…But months after the recording was made… another FAA manager decided on his own to destroy the tape, crushing it with his hands, cutting it into small pieces and depositing the pieces into several trash cans.”(8.) For more about 9/11 and obstruction, please go here.

Who has lost because of 9 /11?
We the People lost. Just consider the civil liberties we have given up under the USA PATRIOT Act. (USA PATRIOT Act) is actually an acronym for: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001), the Military Commission Act and the National Defense Authorization Act, which permits any person, citizens included, to be arrested without charge and held indefinitely without access to a lawyer or a trial. It even permits torture. This is not to mention the loss of more than $4.5 trillion spent on the “War on Terrorism”, the loss of close to 2 million innocent Iraqis and Afghans and 6,000 of our sons and daughters.

Again, we have lived through acts of unspeakably evil. To this very day, this very minute, the monstrosity which occurred on 11 Sept 2001, frightens me; fills me with compassion for those who lost their lives and for their loved ones who must carry on without them; and empowers me with a sense of duty to ferret out the soulless beings responsible for this heinous crime against humanity.

Now, knowing with absolute certainty that not one of us is safe in our own homes or businesses, we all should fear that once again we will discover that the trail of the soulless evil beings who perpetrated this crime will bring us back to our own government.

Resources
1. Please listen to the Brooklyn Youth Chorus performance on the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 Murders. I have been unable to relocate the YouTube video version of the BYC performance. However, I offer a poor, but acceptable audio version, which I posted to my eMCC, LLC website after the 9/11 10th ceremony.
2. Dr. Wood’s professional credentials:
B.S. Civil Engineering, 1981 Structural Engineering,
M.S. Engineering Mechanics Applied Physics, 1983, and
Ph.D. Materials Engineering Science, 1992, from the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Her dissertation involved the development of an experimental method to measure thermal stresses in bimaterial joints. She has taught courses including: Experimental Stress Analysis, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials (Strength of Materials), Experimental Stress Analysis, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials (Strength of Materials), Strength of Materials Testing
See Dr. Wood’s bio here.
3. Go here for details about the only legal case regarding the NIST findings about WTC 9/11 - Request For Corrections and Other Legal Challenges. Go here for an interview with Attorney Jerry Leaphart.
4. 9/11 Finding the Truth PDF, Andrew K. Johnson, pg 59/11 Finding the Truth  is available in several formats, including PDF, audio, Kindle and paperback. Please go here for the paperback version or here.
5. Where Did theTowers Go? – The Evidence of Directed Free-Energy Technology on 9/11, by Dr. Judy Wood or Amazon: “This book is a forensic analysis of what effectively is a crime scene. Ground Zero and the surrounding areas were photographed countless thousands of times, yet no one really assessed all of the phenomena found in these photographs. What is presented in this book is not a theory and it is not speculation. It is evidence. It is the body of empirical evidence that must be explained in order to determine what happened at Ground Zero.” See book review by Eric Larsen, Ph.D., 17 Apr 2011
6. Dr. Wood’s presentation at the Breakthrough Energy Movement (BEM) Conference, Holland, 2012, courtesy of Andrew Johnson, The Journal of 9/11 Research and 9/11 Issues .
7. Coast to Coast AM, 11 Sept 2014, Interview with George Noory 
8. "FAA Managers Destroyed 9/11 Tape Recording Contained Accounts of Communications With Hijacked Planes", By Sara Kehaulani Goo, Staff Writer, The Washington Post, Thursday, May 6, 2004; 6:16 PM.

About two of the images in our 9/11 montage:
John Seward Johnson II's Double Check Statue
Kneeling Fireman Statue

More Information?
Please read, “Was 9/11 an Inside Job?”, Whiteout Press, 4 Sept 2011
and “Arguments from 9/11 Conspiracy Debunkers”, Whiteout Press, 6 Sept 2011

Friday, September 9, 2022

Cloaking Truth and Creating Confusion

We live in a world of scams and fraud. For instance, every day I receive phone calls and internet messages from a variety of scammers. They range from unrelenting phone calls to, “drop your Medicare Plan for a privately-operated Medicare Advantage Plan to “here’s your invoice for your (unordered) Amazon shipment.”

No one pays for something he/she didn’t order. And, Medicare has no cap for health care chargers and will not abandon subscribers when ill, while the Advantage Plans are known for declaring services, ‘medically unnecessary’ and dropping subscribers when seriously ill.

Of course, these are just examples of common, everyday type scams. 

The hard to ferret-out scams are those operated by corporations, organizations, political parties and churches, to name a few categories where fraudsters live. These organizations not only cloak their scams similarly to the proverbial “wolf in sheep’s clothing” but execute their scams by “deliberately planting and spreading disinformation and creating doubt.” They take advantage of the fact that, “When people do not understand a concept or fact, they are prey for special interest groups who work hard to create confusion and doubt.”

Agnotology is the name of the study of deliberate propagation of ignorance and willful acts to spread confusion and deceit, usually to sell a product or win favor. The term, agnotology, was coined by Dr. Robert Neel Proctor, American historian of science and Professor of the History of Science at Stanford University. It is derived from, “agnosis”, the neoclassical Greek word for ignorance or ‘not knowing’, and “ontology”, the branch of metaphysics which deals with the nature of being.”

Two recent examples of corporations using doubt-sowing / confusion campaigns come to mind. First, for years the international tobacco corporations deliberately planted and spread disinformation and created doubt to obfuscate the fact that researchers had repeatedly confirmed that smoking dramatically increased smoker’s chances of getting lung cancer and a host of other diseases.

“In 1998, 52 state and territory attorneys general signed the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with the four largest tobacco companies in the U.S. to settle dozens of state lawsuits brought to recover billions of dollars in health care costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses. Eventually, more than 45 tobacco companies settled with the Settling States under the MSA.”

Second, using the same disinformation and doubt tactics as the tobacco industry, the sugar, processed foods and beverage industries have tried and are still actively trying to create doubt in the general public mind about sugar consumption’s role in plethora of metabolic diseases, among them: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

Since class action lawsuits are underway, it remains to be seen when sugar corporations and co-conspirators within the processed food and beverage industries, will be forced to conclude similar settlements as the tobacco people did so that Medicare, insurance companies, and the states can recover billions of dollars in health care costs. 

Please see Dr. Lustig’s website for a clear understanding of the battle for your health. https://robertlustig.com/

Finally, perhaps the doubt-sowing and confusion dealing master of our time is Mr. Donald Trump. He is clearly in a category of his own. https://theconversation.com/scientists-have-a-word-for-studying-the-post-truth-world-agnotology-71542

Only time will tell if he skates into eternity or is finally brought to justice. During his four years as president, Mr, Trump is credited with telling at least 30573 lies. That’s according to the Washington Post. For more current list of a few more, as called by his own people, see: 10 Trump election lies his own officials called false.

In sum, given how pervasive “doubt is our product” scams are today and how attractive and easy to propagate “blame the victim” misdirection tactics are to create by the fraudsters, it’s a good to know that the science of Agnotology is now there to document the whole phenomenon for generations to come.

Robert Proctor: Nazi Science and Ideology | Lex Fridman Podcast #268


750 Pages of Tobacco Conspiracy


Stanford

Smoking is not going away. Worldwide, says Stanford historian Robert Proctor, the tobacco industry continues to create toxic products that cause not just lung cancer but also cataracts, ankle fractures, early onset menopause, spontaneous abortion and erectile dysfunction, among other maladies.

https://history.stanford.edu/people/robert-n-proctor

Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance 1st Edition, by Robert N. Proctor  (Editor), Londa Schiebinger (Editor)

The man who studies the spread of ignorance, By Georgina Kenyon, 6th Jan 2016.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160105-the-man-who-studies-the-spread-of-ignorance

Friday, August 12, 2022

About US

Sarah Churchwell, Professor, University of London

As we wait the outcome of Mr. Trump’s encounters with Lady Justice, one thing is certain, his time on this earth will scar and cripple us and our ancestors for generations to come. 

Like gorging vampires, Trumpism and Trump crawl out of their coffins each night to feast on the blood of their victims, i.e., us

In fact, Trumpism and Trump are at once both the Naegleria fowleri, the "brain-eating" shapeshifting amoeboflagellate excavate, the Republican Party,  and the current manifestation of the same-old-same-old conman/fraudster melded with a psychopathic/white supremacist/fascist.

What are we to make of this? How did we get here? What does it say about us?

In an attempt to answer these questions, I’ve posted (below) a presentation and two interviews with Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London.

I found them interesting and enlightening. I hope you will, as well.

The Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series – Professor Sarah Churchwell

University of Birmingham, Jan 14 Jan 2020

Sarah Churchwell is Professorial Fellow in American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and one of the UK’s most prominent public intellectuals and cultural critics.

A renowned specialist in American literature and culture, she appears regularly on current affairs and cultural programmes such as Question Time, Newsnight and the Review Show, and writes for national and international newspapers such as The Guardian and Financial Times. She is the author of ‘The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe’ and ‘Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby’. Her most recent work ‘Behold, America: A History of the American Dream and America First’ argues that the meanings and history of these terms need to be understood afresh so that the true spirit of America can be reclaimed.

This lecture forms part of ‘The Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series,’ which aims to reflect on the major social, scientific, cultural and policy issues of our time.

What is the history of the American Dream? | Sarah Churchwell | 5x15

Nov 6, 2020

Sarah Churchwell is Professor of American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. She is the author of Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby and The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe. Her literary journalism has appeared widely in newspapers and she comments regularly on arts, culture, and politics for television and radio. She lives in London.

5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each.

Q&A, C-SPAN, Brian Lamb, Host

Sarah Churchwell, 5 Nov 2018

University of London literature Professor Sarah Churchwell talked about her book, Behold America, which looks at the history of the phrases “America First” and “The American Dream.”



Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Yes, We Owe Them Big


They Served and They Matter... the "They" are 3.5 million Vets.

"The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. This law helps us provide generations of Veterans—and their survivors—with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve."

Still, there is much more:
Iraq
4,431 KIA and 31,994 Wounded
Afghanistan
2,448 KIA and 20,752 Wounded
Plus
3.5,000,000 PACT Wounded

'We owe you big': See how Biden honored Jon Stewart before signing bill.

CNN, 10 Aug 2022

President Joe Biden took a moment to honor comedian Jon Stewart's advocacy of veterans ahead of signing the PACT Act, which will expand health care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. #cnn #News

Saturday, August 6, 2022

Good News Florida! DeSantis is Up for “Suspension” this Nov.

This article from the Tampa Bay Times, by Lawrence Mower and Emily L. Mahoney, 4 Aug 2022:

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday removed Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren from office for what he said was Warren’s disregard for his duty to enforce state laws, including a pledge not to prosecute people receiving an abortion or their doctors performing them.

At a news conference flanked by police from around Tampa Bay, DeSantis said Warren had “put himself publicly above the law” by signing letters saying he would not enforce laws prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors or laws limiting abortion.

Under a clause in the state Constitution, DeSantis suspended Warren, effectively firing him.

“Our government is a government of laws, not a government of men,” DeSantis said. -more-

Further, from the Tampa Bay Times: 

On Wednesday, DeSantis’ spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, warned on Twitter that there would be a “MAJOR announcement” by the governor Thursday morning.

“Prepare for the liberal media meltdown of the year,” she wrote.

DeSantis got his splash in media coverage. Didn’t he?

Oh, but there’s just an itty-bitty problem here… 

“The 15-week abortion ban that DeSantis signed into law this year violated the Florida Supreme Court’s longstanding precedent establishing that Florida’s constitutional right to privacy included the right to an abortion. A judge affirmed that the law violated the constitution, and the Florida Supreme Court has yet to hear the case.”

And: “It’s unclear if Warren’s removal from office is permanent. Under Florida law, the Florida Senate must decide whether to reinstate Warren or remove him completely. The Senate must send out a notice of an initial hearing within 90 days, per Senate rules — putting that deadline for Warren’s case just days before Election Day in November. Warren can also choose to fight his removal in court, which could push back that timeline.”

“Let’s be clear — this is not about what I’ve done. This is about what I’ve said,” Warren said. “This is Orwellian thought police. I’m being punished for not enforcing a law that doesn’t even exist.”

Further, no abortion cases are pending or have been brought to Warren.

Finally, Warren, twice elected Prosecutor by the people of Hillsborough County, Florida, plans to fight the suspension in court.

Whew! This time Mr. DeSantis’ spotlight grab really smells.

Below are just a few additional examples of Mr. DeSantis' abuse of his authority as governor. 

All seem calculated to garner national media attention. All use the same-old-same-old political deception game of pointing to someone else for doing the exact "sin" while doing it himself. In this case it's "overreach". 

With ads running all over the nation, it is more than obvious Mr. DeSantis plans on becoming President of the United States in 2024. 

It's also obvious he will step on anyone to help him get there, too.

It’s time to “suspend” Gov. DeSantis come this November.

DeSantis signs bill creating one of the nation’s only election police units, Gary Fineout, Politico, 25 Apr 2022

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/25/desantis-florida-election-police-units-00027577

Fact Check Team: A look at Gov. Ron DeSantis' 'Stop W.O.K.E. Act', JILLIAN SMITH, KATV, 23 Dec 2021

https://katv.com/news/nation-world/fact-check-team-a-look-at-gov-ron-desantis-stop-woke-act

Disney Is a Kingdom Within a State, Alissa Walker, Curbed, 20 Apr 2022

https://www.curbed.com/2022/04/disney-ron-desantis-reedy-creek-improvement-district.html

Florida Gov. DeSantis berates kids for wearing masks, AP, ctvnews, 3 Mar 2022

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/florida-gov-desantis-berates-kids-for-wearing-masks-1.5804054

Hear what prosecutor suspended by DeSantis had to say about him


Laura Coates, CNN, 5 Aug 202

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Tampa's elected prosecutor, Andrew Warren, over a perceived '"woke" agenda for pledging to not use his office to go after people who seek and provide abortions. He speaks with CNN's Laura Coates. #CNN #News

Gov. DeSantis Suspends Elected Prosecutor who Refuses to Support his Extreme Agenda



ReidOut Highlights: 5 Aug 2022
Joy Reid , MSNBC


Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Marianne Williamson - a Viable Leader

Have you heard Marianne Williamson present her thoughts about our nation?

Honestly, I respect her for many reasons, but until now I had not considered her as a viable political leader. Today, I do.

Economic Update: Marianne Williamson on US Politics

Democracy At Work, 2 Aug 2022, Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a @Democracy At Work production. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO1a7W_j4kk

Marianne Williamson is a bestselling author, political activist, and spiritual thought leader. Marianne is the author of 14 books, four of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. Williamson founded Project Angel Food, a non-profit that has delivered more than 14 million meals to ill and dying homebound patients—including victims of HIV/AIDS—since 1989. In 2004, she co-founded The Peace Alliance. In 2020, she ran for the Democratic nomination for president and eventually withdrew in favor of Bernie Sanders. 

Links: https://peacealliance.org/; https://www.angelfood.org/

Capitalism Run Amok: What went wrong and how to fix it 


Marianne Williamson and Richard Wolff
Aug 14, 2021

Economist and Professor Richard Wolff analyzes the deficiencies of modern capitalism, articulating the benefits of a socialist system and the road to a more equitable society. He promotes not a radical shift in economic system, but a gradual transformation involving a shift in consciousness from profits before people to people above all else.

Subscribe to Marianne's Substack, TRANSFORM: MarianneWilliamson.Substack.com
Subscribe to Marianne's TRANSFORM Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3mMKauu
Follow Richard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/profwolff
Learn more about Richard Wolff: https://www.rdwolff.com
Follow Marianne on Social Media



Monday, August 1, 2022

Disqualified from Holding Public Office

For those members of Congress or former members of Congress, or those who held or now hold a state or local elected public office, and took part in the Trump insurrection against the government of the United States you are now and forever disqualified from holding public office, under the 14th Amendment, Section Three, U.S. Constitution.

Mr. Trump you are disqualified.

Section Three, 14th Amendment, U.S. Constitution.

 No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

How to Disqualify Insurrectionists from Congress:
Interview w/John Bonifaz of Free Speech


Glenn Kirschner, Jul 30, 2022

We have insurrectionists running for reelection to Congress. We have the insurrectionist-in-chief, Donald Trump, flirting with another presidential run.

The good news is, the 14th Amendment prohibits insurrections from getting re-elected to public office. But how is section 3 of the 14th Amendment enforced?

One way its being enforced is by the truly heroic efforts of John Bonifaz and his organization Free Speech For People. They're filing lawsuits against insurrections in Congress - from Marjorie Taylor Greene to Paul Gosar, and others - and seeking to have judges disqualify them from the ballot for there conduct in connection with the January 6 insurrection.

I sat down with John for an extended conversation about his democracy-saving efforts.

For Free Speech For People's website:  freespeechforpeople.org

My podcast, "Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner" can be downloaded where you get your podcasts. To subscribe to the podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/JusticeMatters

 

Friday, July 29, 2022

Joe and Mitch...The Scorpion and the Frog


Recently we learned that "Moscow Mitch" McConnell (R-Ky.) was out played by "Double-Cross" Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and finally, some legislation that is good for most Americans might finally emerge from the U.S. Senate.

Republicans are pissed.

I'm a bit surprised, too. 

Not that Mitch was out played, but that something good may come of it. 

After all, everyone knows, when you play with a scorpion you're certain to be stung.

The Scorpion and the Frog with English Subtitle - Bedtime Story





Wednesday, July 27, 2022

A Glimmer of Hope for Justice and the USA

 

Attorney General Garland Photo: screen capture

Yesterday, Attorney General Garland made a clear statement that the Justice Department will, “...pursue justice without fear or favor...” and “We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for events surrounding Jan. 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. That’s what we do. We don’t pay any attention to other issues with respect to that.”

Later, we learned that the Justice Department is, indeed, looking into Mr. Trump's role in the 6 Jan 2022 attempted coup.

That is a glimmer of hope for justice as practiced in the United States of America. Depending upon what happens now, we may have a chance to see our democratic republic remain alive a few more days.

Garland Vows Everyone Responsible For Jan. 6 Will Be Held Accountable - Jul 26, 2022


Friday, May 20, 2022

Big John Fetterman

 

 Gisele and John Fetterman Photo credit: Fetterman website.

The past few months have been one long and debilitating depression for me. And for you, as well, I’ll guess.

Trumpist and Trump voters (nearly 50% of Americans) are racing down the slippery, historic path toward fascism, albeit spiked with an American blend of Christo/authoritarianism, directed by their anointed demigod.

Today, totally under the psychopathic whims of Trump, the Republican Party fully endorses and ceaselessly smears all nonbelievers (Democrats) with contrived and debunked Tucker Carlson/FOX News, white supremacist, American Nazi, “replacement theory” lies, while simultaneously slurring them as “groomers” and pedophiles.

This from the Party that not only advocates but works round the clock to overthrow the United States Constitution to empower themselves to crown their candidates regardless of election results.

This from the party that plans to trash Social Security and Medicare, raise taxes on nearly all Americans, save corporations and the .01% mega wealthy, and adopt a five-year sunset on all federal laws.

This from the party that has trashed every reform helping the 99.9% of Americans since FDR’s first term during the 1930s to this very day.

And, finally, this from the party, along with FOX and Tucker Carlson, that advocates for Putin over Ukraine, America and our NATO allies.

So, after all this, what has given me hope?

Big John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Listening to Fetterman slice through the Republican B*S*, disinformation and misinformation, is like being pulled free of quicksand at the last second before going under.

Even more important is the fact that Fetterman actually hasa record of working for all 99.9% of us – white, black, brown, yellow and red. All of us.

Big John is the man I want in office. I want to see him lead the Democratic Party. I want to see him confront and defeat the Trump/Putin traitorous Republican Party.

I want to see Big John Fetterman as President.

Gun Violence


 John Fetterman: Rolling Stone Interview Special Edition

Andy Kroll spoke with the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania about how his state flipped for Biden, the continuing appeal of Trump, legalizing cannabis, and the future issues of the Democratic party.

.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Swords into Ploughshares

 

Let Us Beat Our Swords into Ploughshares*

Only one man unleashed war on Ukraine. He can halt it in a second. Will he?

Please, those of you in Russia who can, please stop him... stop this senseless murder in Ukraine.

Years ago, when I was younger, I would pray for Peace.

Every New Year I silently resolved that killing and war would be no more.

I was a child then.

I believed that my resolving would bring Peace into being.

An old man now, I have observed that my resolving didn’t exactly pan out.

Peace has not arrived despite my annual effort to make it so.

Today I plan to add a few more words to my resolution:

I resolve that killing and war will be no more and that all of us on planet Earth resolve it, too. Together we can make it so.

"And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Isaiah 2:4

* The bronze sculpture "Let Us Beat Our Swords into Ploughshares," was created by Soviet artist Evgeny Vuchetich, and presented to the United Nations on 4 December 1959 by the Government of the USSR. The sculpture, depicting the figure of a man holding a hammer aloft in one hand and a sword in the other, which he is making into a ploughshare, is meant to symbolize man's desire to put an end to war, and to convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of mankind. It is located in the North Garden of the United Nations Headquarters.

First published as, Make it So, 14 Dec 2015.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

The Problem is Still Civil Obedience

In 2012, Matt Damon helped pay tribute to the late historian and author Howard Zinn. This rendition of a speech Zinn gave in 1970 on civil disobedience is one of his most powerful performances to date. It is still true... The Problem is Still Civil Obedience.

“Back in the 60s and 70s Dr. Zinn was one of the few who understood... and he did his best to tell us... that what was happening to our black brothers and sisters would soon be happening to us, all of us, save the mega-super rich. Today we understand his message was a premonition about our times, too.”

Genora (Johnson) Dollinger, ​Women's Emergency Brigade 


Fighting for the rights of common people is unfortunately not just a recent activity. For instance, Genora (Johnson) Dollinger, ​of Flint Michigan, co-founder of the Women's Emergency Brigade, became nationally known following the famous 44 day long Sit-Down Strike at the Flint General Motors plant, 1936-1937.

The video below includes a re-enactment of her:

“Finally, I got up in the sound truck and I called the police, "Cowards, cowards, shooting into the bellies of unarmed men and firing into the mothers of children".  And everything became quiet on both sides of the line. And I appealed to the women, the spectators on both sides, "Breakthrough those police lines and come down here and stand beside your husbands and your brothers and your uncles and your sweethearts".

"In the dusk, I could barely see one woman walking down the battle zone. A cop grabbed her by the coat and she went right out of that coat and this was in freezing weather and she just kept right on coming. And as soon as that happened there were other women who followed down, then more men. And there was a big roar of victory." --Genora Johnson

More Here

Howard Zinn Speaks: Collected Speeches, 1963-2009, Howard Zinn

Civil Disobedience at the Boston Federal Building with Howard Zinn, 1971, Daniel Ellsberg's Website

Howard Zinn on the Power of People, billmoyers.com, 11 Dec 2009

Monday, February 28, 2022

Traitors, Broadcasters and Commentary

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a statement in Kyiv on Friday.
Photo credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters

I thought FOX’s Mr. Carlson was better than this. 

Apparently, he’s allowing his FOX show commentary to be used on RT, Russian Today, the Russian state TV network, to justify Putin's invasion of Ukraine.  

If so, in some ways it is remarkably similar to past autocratic-loving, non-democratic, traitorous, broadcasters like Tokyo Rose or Axis Sally who were used to justify war against America and our allies during WWII. Except, they were forced to do their radio work against their country. It’s clear that Mr. Carlson favors autocrats such as Mr. Putin over democratically elected leaders such as Mr. Biden and Mr. Zelenskiy.

Tokyo Rose, a.k.a. Iva Toguri D'Aquino

"During (WWII), Tokyo Rose was not any one individual, but rather a group of largely unassociated women working for the same propagandist effort throughout the Japanese Empire. ... Toguri was accused of being the "real" Tokyo Rose, arrested, tried, and became the seventh person in U.S. history to be convicted of treason."

https://www.history.com/news/how-tokyo-rose-became-wwiis-most-notorious-propagandist

Axis Sally, a.k.a. Mildred Gillars

“American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally” is the fact-based story of Mildred Gillars, an aspiring American actress who was tried in 1949 on eight counts of treason for her role as a radio propagandist for Nazi Germany during World War II.”

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/maines-mildred-gillars-wanted-fame-got-it-wwii/