BeaverFever

DOJ charges former 2016 Trump campaign adviser over his work for sanctioned Russian TV By — Eric Tucker, Associated Press By — David Klepper, Associated Press Sep 5, 2024 7:40 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged a Russian-born U.S. citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds. Indictments announced Thursday allege that Dimitri Simes and his wife received over $1 million dollars and a personal car and driver in exchange for work they did for Russia's Channel One since June 2022. The network was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Simes, 76, and his wife, Anastasia Simes, have a home in Virginia and are believed to be in Russia. … https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/doj-charges-former-2016-trump-campaign-adviser-over-his-work-for-sanctioned-russian-tv

*sigh* Yet again you’re showing that you have no idea what you’re talking about, making up claims with no evidence. Do you not know the difference between budgeting and spelling? The government -including the President- can only SPEND money that Congress has allocated in the BUDGET. The President doesn’t have secret sources of money. Not when congress is full of Republicans who refuse to reconvene because they want to exploit the hurricane for political advantage. Johnson slams door on Congress returning for disaster aid Congressional leaders say new disaster spending legislation can wait until the lame duck. Hurricane Milton’s rampage is not swaying House Republican leaders who oppose returning to Washington to approve billions of dollars for disaster assistance. President Joe Biden on Thursday said lawmakers should return to Capitol Hill “immediately” from their preelection recess, echoing pleas from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the afflicted states. But despite questions about the solvency of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster fund, House Speaker Mike Johnson and top appropriators insist the agency can manage just fine — for now — with the $20.3 billion that Congress freed up for it late last month. That money is for the fiscal year that ends next Sept. 30. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/10/biden-johnson-congress-fema-disaster-aid-00183327 Furthermore Trump and republicans keep repeating very specific lies that are demonstrably false like Biden isn’t returning calls from governors in affected states or that FEMA is only offering $750 in compensation, or that the Disaster Relief budget approved by congress has been reallocated to illegal immigrants.

The smallpox virus has been present in the middle east, North Africa and India for thousands of years and eventually to china HOWEVER and is believed to have entered Europe from the Middle East, not china, no later than medieval times although some believe much earlier. Those who suggest the later arrival in Europe believe it was likely brought from the Middle East by returning crusaders. The smallpox virus did not spread to Canadian indigenous people from Mexico. By the age of exploration it was was widely prevalent across Europe and came to this part of the continent from English and French settlers and took effect. effects from the time the very first settlers arrived in the 16th century Your comment that Europeans “fought like hell to keep them alive and healthy” is another of you spurious evidence-free claims. The fact that the indigenous population plummeted by 90% beginning in the 16th century soon after English and French first arrived Sorry, you are the one with narrative red man evil, white man victim. My narrative is that all human civilizations are naturally inclined to victimize any and all groups who are weaker than them. And they are also inclined to claim that they are good and victims while doing so. In this case, indigenous people were the weaker group. You conservatives are the ones who insist on clinging to unrealistic and simplistic hero narratives where “your group” or the closest group to your, is always the good guy: so for a typical anglo-American conservative, if a story is story about indigenous vs French, the French are the good guys and indigenous are the bad guys. If a story is about the French vs the English, now the English are the good guys and the French are the bad guys. If its about the English against the Americans now the English are the bad guys and the Americans are the good guys. It’s important for folks like you to believe that every one of your ancestors going back to Adam and Eve were the greatest most noble people on the planet but that’s a childish way of thinking that adults should move away from. Oh and you’ve mad abundantly clear on this topic that you don’t have ANY facts, just more of your zero-evidence claims that you simply WISH to be true. LMAO what is thid total BS you’re spouting? Like seriously you’re pulling this bullshit out of your ass. It’s bad enough when you guys are repeating fake news thats circulating out there in MAGAverse but when you’re making it up yourself it’s just like a toothache that won’t go away. What would indigenous farmers and hunter-gatherers demand education for? I am also absolutely dying to know exactly which “king” allegedly “forced” Canada to pass the Indian Act and implement the residential school system right in the middle of Queen Victoria’s reign. Yes they were horribly victimized. Genocide doesn’t just mean killing off a group it can also mean forced assimilation of a group through harm and mistreatment. The moto of the residential school system was literally “Kill the Indian in the Child” False. The death rates in indigenous schools from every cause whether disease, malnutrition, accidents etc were far higher. There was zero accountability. In many cases the parents weren’t even informed or the death wasn’t even properly recorded or recorded at all. Parents were not allowed to leave their reserve to collect their bodies or inquire. Inquiries to schools, religious orders and Indian Agents went ignored.

Another one.

I didn’t take you for a chemtrail conspiracy nut. It’s hilarious that you think people who don’t subscribe to this minority fringe belief with no basis in any actual fact or understanding aren’t sane.

Congress appropriates funding and controls the federal budget, genius. What rock have you been living under?

Nobody has ever said China has a better standard of living than Canada. Furthermore there’s a reason why “made in china” is synonymous with poor quality

Just remember it’s the federal government who wanted to force them into dependency amd then didn’t want to spend any money on their dependants. Most indigenous leaders want an end to the Indian Act, self-government and a nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government instead of having their affairs dictated to them through the Act. However that’s inconvenient for Ottawa as it means they would have something like another province to deal with. Per ChaGPT: Indigenous leaders and communities in Canada have proposed various alternatives to the Indian Act, each aimed at achieving greater self-determination, governance, and economic independence. The primary criticism of the Indian Act is that it imposes a colonial governance structure on Indigenous peoples, limiting their autonomy and economic potential. In response, Indigenous leaders advocate for frameworks that restore self-governance and support community-driven economic development. Proposed Alternatives to the Indian Act 1. Self-Government Agreements: • Many Indigenous leaders advocate for self-government agreements, which allow communities to govern themselves outside of the Indian Act. These agreements often include jurisdiction over education, health, and land management. • The goal is to enable Indigenous governments to make decisions independently, reflecting their own laws, traditions, and governance structures. 2. Nation-to-Nation Relationships: • Leaders have called for direct, nation-to-nation relationships between Indigenous nations and the Canadian government. This approach respects Indigenous sovereignty and treats each nation as an equal partner in governance. • Such relationships would ideally include land claims settlements and fiscal arrangements that provide long-term financial support, allowing for stable governance and economic development. 3. Indigenous-Led Legislation: • Some proposals suggest repealing the Indian Act and replacing it with new Indigenous-led legislation that recognizes and enshrines Indigenous rights. • An example is the First Nations Governance Act, proposed in the early 2000s, which aimed to give First Nations more control over their affairs, although it was controversial and not universally accepted. Vision for Indigenous Communities In a post-Indian Act framework, Indigenous communities would be self-determined entities with the autonomy to design and implement their governance structures, cultural institutions, and social services. Community members envision: 1. Culturally Relevant Governance: • Governance structures would reflect traditional laws, customs, and values. Leadership might be chosen according to customary laws rather than the election process mandated by the Indian Act. • The communities would implement systems based on their specific cultural heritage, allowing for diverse forms of governance across different nations. 2. Enhanced Social and Cultural Programs: • Indigenous communities would likely prioritize language and cultural revitalization programs, as well as health services that integrate traditional practices. • Education systems could focus on Indigenous knowledge, languages, and history, which would support cultural continuity and identity. Economic Models for Indigenous Communities In terms of economic operation, many Indigenous leaders envision economies that blend traditional practices with modern economic opportunities, emphasizing sustainable development and local control over resources. 1. Resource Management and Land Rights: • Indigenous communities advocate for full control over natural resources within their territories, allowing them to benefit from forestry, fishing, mining, and other resource-based industries in a sustainable manner. • Many communities are interested in creating economic partnerships, joint ventures, and cooperatives that align with Indigenous values and environmental stewardship. 2. Local and Diverse Economies: • Economic initiatives could include agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and small business development, with a focus on creating jobs within the community. • Local economies would aim to be diverse and resilient, reducing reliance on external funding and promoting self-sufficiency. 3. Social Enterprises and Traditional Economies: • Many communities are integrating social enterprises that provide both economic benefits and community services, such as housing, education, and healthcare. • There is also a strong interest in revitalizing traditional economic practices, such as fishing, hunting, and craftsmanship, which can generate income while preserving cultural heritage. Overall, the vision is to create vibrant, self-sufficient Indigenous communities where economic activities support cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and improved quality of life for community members. The alternatives proposed to the Indian Act reflect a desire for autonomy, respect for Indigenous rights, and the freedom to pursue economic development in ways that align with Indigenous values and aspirations.

The nutter movement isn’t even conservative by any definition of the term. Many of them had virtually zero knowledge or interest in politics, news, current events and the like until the Tea Party or Trump era and still haven’t formed any coherent political or economic understanding or theory other than Trump=infallible god and not Trump = evil and “I should be allowed to do whatever I want”. That’s why MAGAism is so popular among hedonistic “low-brow” and “sin” cultures like wrestling, MMA, sex worker & porn industry, the Las Vegas scene and so on The shrinking minority of intelligent conservatives who continue to throw in their lot with this group think they can take advantage of these “useful idi*ts” to seize power, while keeping them contained. We will soon see how mistaken they are.

In the article above note the first meteorologists statement that accurate information is completely obscured by the sheer volume of lies and false information and if they tried debunking and disproving it all they would have no more time left to actually report the accurate information. This is exactly the Republican strategy: you don’t have to suppress the truth or even convince people to believe your lies. You just have to convince people that no information can be trusted and it is all but impossible to tell what is true and what is not. Once the truth becomes impossible to distinguish people will just stop trying and stop paying attention altogether or they’ll pick and choose the reality that’s convenient for them based on what their favourite celebrity says or which candidate claims to drink their favourite beer or root for their favourite sports team. It’s what the GOP heroes Putin and Orban did to solidify their authoritarian regimes. In fact they go out of their way to make sure people know that their governments run fake election candidates and run fake news outlets. Steve Bannon stated it publicly: you neutralize media and critics by “flooding the zone with shit” making you immune to fact checking, critical thinking logic, scandals and reality in general. The goal Is to discredit the very notion of objective reality itself.

Meanwhile the Republican Party might as well change its name to the death threat party since their cult-following supporters do this in droves every time one of their bile leaser steps to the podium and utters another despicable fabricated lie and hare-brained conspiracy. GOP is where sheer stupidity and utter vileness of character meets. Meteorologists Get Death Threats as Hurricane Milton Conspiracy Theories Thrive Lorena O'NeilOctober 9, 2024 It's their job to warn residents about destructive storms — but political polarization has made them targets online As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, meteorologists are staying awake for days at a time trying to get vital, life-saving information out to the folks who will be affected. That’s their job. But this year, several of them tell Rolling Stone, they’re increasingly having to take time out to quell the nonstop flow of misinformationduring a particularly traumatic hurricane season. And some of them are doing it while being personally threatened. “People are just so far gone, it’s honestly making me lose all faith in humanity,” says Washington D.C.-based meteorologist Matthew Cappucci, in a phone interview conducted while he was traveling down to Florida for the storm. “There’s so much bad information floating around out there that the good information has become obscured.” Cappucci says that he’s noticed an enormous change on social media in the last three months: “Seemingly overnight, ideas that once would have been ridiculed as very fringe, outlandish viewpoints are suddenly becoming mainstream and it’s making my job much more difficult.” He says meteorologists and disaster relief experts have to strike a balance between putting out helpful, high-quality information while also squashing misinformation. “Nowadays, there’s so much bad information out there that if we spent our time getting rid of it, we’d have no more time.” This hurricane season, Cappucci and the other meteorologists I spoke with say, conspiracy theories have been flooding their inboxes. The main one that people have seemed to latch onto is the accusation that the government can control the weather. This theory seems to be amplified with climate change creating worsening storms combined with a tense election year, and the vitriol is being directed at meteorologists. “I’ve been doing this for 46 years and it’s never been like this,” says Alabama meteorologist James Spann. He says he’s been “inundated” with misinformation and threatening messages like “Stop lying about the government controlling the weather or else.” “For me to post a hurricane forecast and for people to accuse me of creating the hurricane by working for some secret Illuminati entity is disappointing and distressing, and it’s resulting in a decrease in public trust,” says Cappucci. He says he hasn’t slept in multiple days and is exhausted. This last week he received hundreds of messages from people accusing him of modifying the weather and creating hurricanes from space lasers. “Ignorance is becoming socially acceptable. Forty or 50 years ago, if I told you I thought the moon was pretend, people would have laughed at me. Now, people are bonding over these incredibly fringe viewpoints.” “An average hurricane’s life cycle burns through the energy of roughly 10,000 nuclear bombs,” says Cappucci, “The idea that we can even influence something like that, never mind direct it, is just so outlandish that it’s almost, sadly, funny.” ‘Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes’ Meteorologist Katie Nickolaou went viral after correcting a male commenter who tried to claim a category five hurricane can turn into a category six, at which point it becomes a tornado. “Those are different storms with different processes,” clarified Nickolaou. “Though hurricanes can produce tornadoes, it doesn’t affect the overall categorical rating.” Undeterred, he pushed back, insisting that “anything above a category five would be a tornado,” which is untrue. “I’m going to go scream into an abyss now,” Nickolaou tweeted in response. She tells me her tweet “struck a chord” with meteorologists and people tired of the misinformation. There is no category six designation for hurricanes, she explains. Designations are based on wind speed, so there has been conversation amongst scientists that now that hurricanes are getting stronger, we need an additional category. But there are meteorologists that say adding a designation is unnecessary because a Category 5 already means nearly total destruction. They worry that adding a category six would decrease the significance of a four of five and impact people’s decision to evacuate. “I put on armor every day to try to go online and make sure people aren’t saying things that could harm responses,” says Nickolau. She’s had to fend off rumors that meteorologists should just use giant fans to blow the hurricane away or try nuking it. “You get a person arguing that a hurricane turns into a tornado at a category six and your brain short circuits.” “Stopping misinformation is becoming an exhausting part of the job which is taking away from spending time forecasting or sending out other information that could be helpful,” says Nickolau. She says her heart sinks when she sees a false post get millions of views because it’s virtually impossible to go back and fact-check it for everyone that’s seen it. After our phone call, Nickolau received an even more troubling message on her page: “Stop the breathing of those that made them and their affiliates.” She responded that she would not allow people to advocate for murder. “Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes,” she tweeted. “I can’t believe I just had to type that.” ‘It beats you down’ Spann, the meteorologist in Alabama, has been doing this work for decades and says he can’t believe what he’s seeing unfold. “Something has clearly changed within the last year,” says Spann. “We know some of it is bots but I do believe that some of it is coming from people that honestly believe the moon disappeared because the government nuked it to control the hurricanes, or that the government used chemtrails to spray our skies with chemicals to steer Helene into the mountains of North Carolina.” He says the misinformation has gotten so out of control it’s distracting meteorologists from doing their jobs, which involves keeping people safe ahead of, during, and after a devastating hurricane. Spann posted a public service announcement on Facebook that went viral, asking people to stop flooding his page with conspiracy theories. “We’re trying to push critical information to people that need it and people who are looking for a credible source,” says Spann. He sounds weary as he tells me that if people are going to push conspiracy theories, he wishes they would wait until after the danger has passed. As we’re talking he receives an email from a colleague telling him about an angry caller who demanded to be connected to the folks responsible for stopping the hurricane. “It affects our mental health,” he adds, saying he’s spoken to the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore and other meteorologists about it a lot this week. After Spann posted a FEMA website about rumor control, he got multiple private messages telling him to retire or personally threatening him. “You’re working with two to three hours of sleep for multiple weeks under a high stress situation and then you deal with these threats that come in, it’ll beat you down.” ‘It costs lives’ South Florida meteorologist John Morales made headlines this week when he cried on air while warning Floridians about how strong Hurricane Milton will be. For his part, he’s been getting overwhelmingly supportive messages on social media from people who share his angst and anxiety about the climate crisis. He’s been using the increased attention to spread awareness about global warming, climate action, as well as the dangers of misinformation. “I’ve seen the reactions of climate dismissives for many, many years, and it’s become particularly vitriolic in the last year or two, especially on X,” says Morales, referring to the former Twitter. He’s Puerto Rican, and said that in Latin countries he’s heard the conspiracy theory that Americans control the weather, but now the belief has exploded. “This is the post-truth era and these types of crazy beliefs aren’t just confined to your crazy Uncle Joe,” says Morales. “It seems to spread with greater ease and I am particularly alarmed that after Hurricane Helene it’s really spread and truly impacted the work of the emergency management agencies that are trying to help people recover and have to dedicate resources to dispel rumors and trample down on the type of stuff that sadly, even some politicians are spreading. It costs lives and dishonors first responders and civil servants.” Marjorie Taylor Greene has doubled down on claims Democrats control the weather, prompting fellow GOP congressperson Carlos Gimenez to tweet she should “have her head examined.” Meanwhile, the White House is launching a Reddit account to keep the public informed on Helene/Milton response and recovery. “Science is one of the few things that doesn’t care about politics,” says Cappucci. “If a tornado is coming down the road at you, it doesn’t check your voter registration.” He says every October the bird migration causes fuzzy images on weather radars, but this year conspiracy theorists are convinced that these fuzzy images are actually caused by lasers heating up the atmosphere to create hurricanes. Some experts I spoke with think that misinformation is exceptionally bad this year because we are leading up to a presidential election. Some of the conspiracy theories accuse Democrats of intentionally steering hurricanes to red-leaning swing states, in order to hurt Donald Trump’s chances of winning. “The 2024 misinformation is being fueled to a certain extent by political polarization,” says Sarah DeYoung, a professor at the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. “I think that’s corresponding with there being a presidential election this year.” DeYoung says there are certain myths that pop up for every disaster. Some of them are well-intentioned, like telling people that hotels have to accept pets in an emergency event, which is not true. Others are misconceptions, like saying looting goes up after natural disasters when in fact, the crime rate often goes down and people are just trying to locate basic essentials like food and water to survive. But in 2024, they are often politically motivated. “It becomes particularly dangerous because it starts to rile up additional feelings of division and then the false information about FEMA funneling money towards immigrants, that makes people who are immigrants more vulnerable to potential acts of violence and backlash from those kinds of rumors.” DeYoung says this harms both the people that need help and the people trying to help, by adding confusion, slowing down the recovery process and fomenting mistrust. ‘Platforms are not prepared’ Misinformation and climate change researcher Abbie Richards says she likes to look at the core emotions that drive conspiracy theories. “When people feel really anxious, really powerless, really uncertain, those are the times where we expect misinformation to thrive,” says Richards. She says this is exacerbated with a big moment in the news cycle, and then even further inflamed by something as emotionally overwhelming as climate change. “It’s a problem that by its very nature, makes people feel a wide range of pretty negative emotions — scared, anxious, uncertain — maybe guilty or conflicted if it’s something they’ve been denying,” says Richards. “We are mixing these giant events that are catastrophic and devastating with these big emotions and it’s really easy for people to fall into scapegoating and blaming conspiracy theories that provide really simple explanations for these super complicated problems.” Richards explains that in order to regain a sense of control, people drink in whatever information they can get their hands on, even when it’s false. “Sometimes it’s the moon was nuked, but sometimes it’s also just people wanting to help and that can get us into bad situations, too — I’ve seen a lot of hoaxes spread in the name of awareness.” She says she doesn’t criticize consuming news on TikTok because it is an excellent source for firsthand accounts of events that can fill a different emotional need for people. For example, Richards says TikTok has helped people understand the nuanced challenges of evacuating. But, she says, social media change is needed. “The platforms are just not prepared,” says Richards. “They are seemingly very unequipped to handle widespread misinformation that arises in the wake of these events. And if we’re going to learn anything from this experience, it’s that the platforms need to seriously invest in climate-related content moderation, because this is causing harm and it’s impeding relief efforts, and it could hurt people.” https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hurricane-milton-misinformation-meteorlogist-death-threats-1235130352/

As stated in your own link: However, SSP is a small share of FEMA's overall yearly budget. For the new financial year which began Oct. 1, the agency laid out a need for $33.1 billion.. “As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. "The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA's disaster-related authorities or funding streams." The article clearly states that FEMA has enough funds to deal with Helene and Milton but since Republicans recently stripped FEMA disaster relief funding for the upcoming cycle that will cover future hurricanes through to the end of the season. . And if you go on to the next article, on newsweek this is confirmed.

Meanwhile in Floriduh, Governor DeFascist is going after tv stations for airing ads calling for the abortion ban to be overturned. Florida threatens to criminally charge TV stations airing pro-abortion ad The Florida health department is demanding stations pull the ad, which urges voters to defeat the state’s six-week abortion ban at the polls. At least two stations received cease-and-desist letters Thursday written by John Wilson, general counsel from the Florida Department of Health, demanding they pull the advertisement. Management for WCJB in Gainesville and WFLA in Tampa were not immediately available for comment Wednesday. The health department and office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) did not respond to requests for comment. Wilson wrote that running the 30-second spot was a violation of Florida’s “sanitary nuisance” law, which is commonly used to charge people with overflowing septic tanks or unclean slaughterhouses. He ordered the stations to remove the ads within 24 hours or open themselves up to a second-degree misdemeanor charge, which in Florida carries a sentence of imprisonment up to 60 days and a fine up to $500. … Wilson’s letter did not explain who at the station would be subject to punishment or provide details about the charging process. Story continues below advertisement The letter prompted harsh reaction from FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday. “The right of broadcasters to speak freely is rooted in the First Amendment. Threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts with the government’s views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech,” Rosenworcel wrote in a statement. Wilson’s letter said the stations have the right to broadcast political advertisements under the First Amendment and the Florida Constitution, but not the right to spread an ad that is not only “false” but “dangerous.” Women who have “pregnancy complications posing a serious risk of death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment” should seek medical treatment in Florida, he wrote, adding: “If they are led to believe that such treatment is unavailable under Florida law, such women could foreseeably travel out of state to seek emergency medical care, seek emergency medical care from unlicensed providers in Florida, or not seek emergency medical care at all.” Story continues below advertisement Williams said she would have had to travel to another state if faced with her decision now. But she said she was too ill to fly and couldn’t stray far from the hospital. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/09/florida-abortion-tv-ad-caroline/ So it seems you’re no longer allowed political free speech in Florida if the Republican government disagrees with your opinion and in this case women who need life-saving care can always try theirs best to flee the state if theyre able, get an illegal back alley abortion or choose to die. See? All reasonable options according to republicans so free speech attempt is unnecessary and denied, upon threat of arrest and imprisonment under a totally unrelated random law.

It accurately represents Republican policies already in place or being proposed at both the state and federal level, which would likely be approved by Trump if congressional Republicans were able to get a bill passed and presented to him. . Trump has advocated for restrictive abortion policies in the past and is now trying to pivot away and flip flop because it’s so unpopular but he and the abortion banners are on the same side and are allies. He is perfectly comfortable with them enacting these policies. I doubt he would be the champion to stop them if Republicans in congress try to get passed on his watch. Also Trump is the most prolific liar in western political history so just because he’s not campaigning on it doesn’t mean he doesn’t support it. He literally told republicans to keep quiet on the issue during the election

Fake news, sucker. As usual Trump and Republicans are spewing one fabricated lie after another to literally blame the weather on Kamala and politicize a national disaster l. Hilariously your post attempts to criticize Kamala for NOT politicizing a natural disaster (as if you would approve of her doing that) Reality: Florida Republicans Who Voted Against Funding FEMA Are Now Facing Disaster Nearly 100 Republicans voted against a government funding bill in the heart of hurricane season When Congress was debating a short-term government funding resolution last month, Democrats pushed for the bill to include billions in additional disaster-relief funding. A cohort of far-right conservatives favored a stripped-down resolution that didn’t include the extra disaster-relief money — and ultimately got their way. The approved measure did, however, extend the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s funding through the end of the year; it just did not infuse FEMA — which is already operating at a deficit — with any additional funding in the heart of hurricane season. “The right-wingers here, the MAGA crowd, even after disasters happen, they have opposed disaster aid for communities in need,” Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) told Politico after the stop-gap bill passed. The concessions still weren’t enough for the nearly 100 Republicans in the House and Senate who voted against the resolution that passed — and the $20 billion funding base it allocated to FEMA as Hurricane Helene bore down on the East Coast. Many of those Republicans represent Florida, which is now bracing for Hurricane Milton. Reps. Aaron Bean, Gus Bilirakis, Kat Cammack, Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, Bill Posey, Mike Waltz, and Daniel Webster all voted against the bill in the House. Some of the Republicans who voted against funding FEMA are now calling for more money. “Cut the crap. We need FEMA DOLLARS FREE’D UP,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted on X Monday. On Tuesday, Luna introduced legislation to allocate $10 billion from FEMA for disaster relief in Florida. Luna represents Clearwater and St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Her district could be significantly impacted by Hurricane Milton. Following Hurricane Helene, Luna said in a statement that her “constituents in Pinellas County depend on Congress to take swift and decisive action in the wake of this unprecedented disaster caused by Hurricane Helene,” adding: “I am ready and willing to return to Washington and ensure our communities receive the critical resources necessary for a rapid recovery.” Editor’s picks Gaetz, who also voted against funding FEMA, said in a post on X that “FEMA is absolutely botching hurricane relief efforts.” He is also pushing the lie that FEMA misused disaster relief funds on undocumented migrants. Former President Donald Trump has made similar claims, as did another Florida Republican who voted against the stop-gap bill, Cammack. “I started ringing the alarm on FEMA using money for illegals instead of Americans years ago,” she wrote on X, quoting a post from 2022 about FEMA using funds on undocumented migrants. … https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/florida-republicans-funding-fema-hurricane-helene-milton-1235130244/

Huh? I am not pro-China amd never have been And when you brand yourself as the anti-china candidate and you’re secretly making millions off of deals with china it proves you’re a phoney and a fraud and a hypocrite “But everyone else does it” isn’t an excuse when your persona is largely based on the false claim that everyone EXCEPT YOU does it and is therefore evil while you’re the lone saviour of America. It’s kinda like whenever an anti-gay republican who makes his career out of whipping up anti-gay hysteria gets caught in bed with another man or sexually harassing boys. There’s nothing wrong with gay politicians but when someone is exposed as a fraud and a hypocrite and who secretly does the exact opposite of what they publicly claim to believe it’s relevant.

1) He could refuse to license to a company that makes them in china, it’s not like anyone is forcing him to do this or that he doesn’t have creative control, just like his tacky clothing. He and Greenwood are out there shilling this crap, making themselves the public face of this product, it’s not like he signed a license agreement and walked away 2) The company doing the licensing isn’t some stranger who cold-called Trump and Greenwood, it’s the firm Greenwood uses for marketing, run by another MAGA zealot who hung up on reporters when questioned about China Yeah but Trump’s whole scam is to claim he’s the one leader who will stand up to china, put tarridfs on everything from China and falsely accuses democrats of being pro-China

Made in China, along with his tacky clothing line. As if the world needed any more evidence that Trump is an anti-American fraud, cheap grifter and a con-man. Can’t wait to se howHis kool-aid drinking supporters justify this one.

Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bibles were printed in China, AP review finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of copies of Donald Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in a country that the former president has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices — China. Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a printing company in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States between early February and late March. The estimated value of the three separate shipments was $342,000, or less than $3 per Bible, according to databases that use customs data to track exports and imports. The minimum price for the Trump-backed Bible is $59.99, putting the potential sales revenue at about $7 million. The Trump Bible’s connection to China, which has not been previously reported, reveals a deep divide between the former president’s harsh anti-China rhetoric and his rush to cash in while campaigning. The Trump campaign did not respond to emails and calls seeking comment. …. https://apnews.com/article/trump-god-bless-usa-bible-china-32a80611605d4052d8238064bbcace4c

Loss of citizenship for people who express opinions you don’t like, or who appear to express opinions you don’t like. Fascist is as fascist does.

Canadian Army Awards Contract to Thales for Canada’s Night Vision Systems Modernization project The Thales Sophie Ultima long-range handheld thermal imagers have been selected by the Canadian Armed Forces, the first contract awarded under Canada’s Night Vision Systems Modernization (NVSM) project. Manufactured and maintained in Canada, the Sophie Ultima will enhance operational capabilities for the Canadian Army with advanced technology and resilient navigation. This contract award further affirms Thales’ commitment to Canada with significant local industrialization, skills development and training in Quebec. Thales Canada is pleased to announce that the Government of Canada has awarded a contract to Thales Canada for the acquisition of its Sophie Ultima Handheld Thermal Imager (HHTI) as part of the Night Vision Systems Modernization (NVSM) project. This award marks an important advancement in Canada’s defence capabilities, ensuring that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are equipped with cutting-edge technology designed to excel in complex and challenging operational environments. The Sophie Ultima, a lightweight, handheld thermal imager, is engineered to deliver extraordinary performance in the field. With a high performance infrared channel, it offers NATO tank recognition range performance of up to 6 kilometres. The continuous optical zoom and wide 20° field of view enable operators to maintain visual contact with targets during detection, recognition, and identification phases, ensuring rapid and precise engagement. Thales will manufacture and maintain the Sophie Ultima at its existing Canadian Electro-Optics Center of Excellence, further strengthening Canada’s defence industrial base. This initiative will create new jobs and spur economic growth, expanding Thales’s current supply chain within Canada. In addition, the Thales Optronics facility in Montreal will provide comprehensive in-service support, ensuring that the Canadian Armed Forces benefit from a dedicated repair facility with rapid turnaround, reducing equipment downtime. https://canadiandefencereview.com/canadian-army-awards-contract-to-thales-for-canadas-night-vision-systems-modernization-project/ Taking back the night for tactical advantage Aug 15, 2023 | News, Procurement ..,The Army calls the overall effort “a multi-phase hybrid project.” Phase 1 is a hand-held long-range laser range finder. Phase 2 includes the night vision goggles, laser aiming devices and hand-held medium range thermal imagers. Phase 3, involving augmented reality and thermal fusion, is further down the road. https://canadianarmytoday.com/taking-back-the-night-for-tactical-advantage/

So assuming for a minute you actually did see what you claim to have seen (big assumption), that would be planes flying on different routes whose contrails intersect.

Nope. As defined, “The legal term “genocide” refers to certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.” The Europeans had a deliberate agenda to destroy the indigenous people, in their own homeland, which the Europeans claimed for themselves. The indigenous peoples did not have a deliberate agenda to destroy Europeans, only to end their encroachment. Even then the attacks by indigenous were sporadic and localized and small-scale and not part of a grand agenda to convert the Europeans to indigenous religion or force them to live under indigenous rulers. Local disputes with encroaching settlers that occasionally result in a small group attacking the odd farm here and there are different from a centuries-long agenda at highest levels of government to conquer, forcibly assimilate, and if necessary exterminate another group based on their ethnic identity. As above No. They weren’t drinking water contaminated with mercury and arsenic and lead and a thousand other things, they didn’t have alcohol or heroine or mold-infested houses. They lived in a pre-industrial society but that’s not what “horrid” means. It was fact that they were less technologically advanced, non-white and non-Christian. The Doctrine of Discovery explicitly states that Christian monarchs have a duty and a right to conquer foreign lands and people if they are non-Christians. Let’s be clear the Europeans came as conquerors not as saviours. Like all humans they fought wars but not any more warring than Europeans. In fact argubly much less so. One could easily argue few were more warring than the Europeans. European history is basically a story of endless major wars, with large masses armies leaving thousands dead, many such wars lasted decades or even the famous “hundred years war” and were fought over silly disputes like titles and inheritance or some lord insulting another lord’s honour. By contrast as I mentioned indigenous conflicts more often then not tended to be brief localized skirmishes and ambushes usually due to competition over scarce resources. Fake news. I’m sure they had arranged marriages just like the Europeans and every human culture did did but beyond that you’re just peddling misinformation. Also prior to European arrival chattel slavery was not practiced in North America As above. Pre-contact Indigenous economies had no prisons or chains or industrialized production, no horse-mounted overseers and therefore no use for “slaves” as we know them or ability to keep them. They did take captives during conflicts and forcibly adopt them. The captives often at first had a lower status in the new tribe and during this time they may have had fewer privileges and performed more labour like carrying firewood etc compared to others, but everyone is doing that kind of work to some degree in these societies anyway. Then after a probationary period the captives usually gained full citizenship and freedom of movement including marrying onto the group and sometimes returning to their original home. An exception appears to be with the west coast groups like Haida and other related peoples where full citizenship seems to be fairly uncommon and the captives seem to retain a permanent second class status, were owned and could be traded like property, so something closer to what we understand as slaves. Again pre-contact economies had no use or need for systemic “slavery” so where and when it was even practiced, the slaves were basically family members of the owner, primarily kept as a sign of social status, who helped with chores and had fewer freedoms and privileges. Their life could be harsh or it could be comfortable simply depending on their own personal circumstances or luck. That said it’s interesting you use an allegation of slavery to prove indigenous people were savages needing European conquest when NOBODY on this planet was a more prolific practitioner of most brutal forms of slavery than the Europeans. Europeans lived in dirty unhygienic conditions back then also. Perhaps even more so. . Ever heard of the plague? Many Europeans especially commoners had taboos about bathing prior to the 20th century believing it to be unnecessary or even the cause of certain illnesses. In addition Europeans often lived in crowded overpopulated settlements in close proximity to livestock, with trash and chamberpots emptied in the gutters . And you know it was the Europeans who spread small pox and other highly communicable diseases to indigenous people, not the other way around, right? When you build your own lodge or wigwam from the abundant natural elements all around you why would you be cramped together? Perhaps by choice during winter months for warmth. Again European settlers were cramped in their crowded settlements and tiny cabins. It made them dependent upon trade with Europeans as they lost their ability for self-sufficiency but to your point they probably wouldn’t have adopted it if it wasn’t seen as an improvement at the time . That said, the small pox, the forced relocations to remote inhospitable regions with insufficient local resources or access to market goods , the substandard drinking water, the residential schools, the regulation of their affairs and activities by the federal government, the contamination of their water by heavy industrial activities. The social problems experienced today with high rates of suicide, mental illness, substance abuse etc are the result of poor living conditions on many reserves. Again the FN were made dependent upon the government for basic services and necessities and then those necessities were never adequately provided resulting in poor living conditions. Yes look it up several provinces had eugenics programs. They were not specifically for indigenous people they were for all kinds of people who were mentally challenged, homeless, etc. Alberta’s Sexual Sterilization Act for example was in effect until 1972 and was particularly long-running, having sterilized thousands of women deemed “unfit to reproduce”. Marginalized women, especially Indigenous women, would get railroaded or coerced into these programs. 1) How do you happen to know this? Sounds like you’re making it up. 2) Its not the job of doctors or “medical people” to decide who should or shouldn’t have children and at any rate they could still have those beliefs for racist reasons 3) Nobody has the authority to just go sterilize a woman without her knowledge or consent Regardless they still imposed measures to prevent birth even though the measures were unsuccessful. I think the best defence here is to perhaps argue that there was no deliberate government agenda to prevent births, and the sterilizations were just the result of bigotry amongst doctors and others involved in these activities. Not sure that gets anyone off the hook though. Lol listen to yourself. how would you or anyone else know what the pre-contact death rate is? Let alone attest that it was “insane”? You’re making stuff up again. But here is an actual fact for you: based on archaeological evidence the indigenous population is believed to have declined by 90% between the 16th century and the end of the 19th century And while access to modern medicine and other goods and services in the 20th century has allowed them to have higher birth rates they still have significantly worse medical access and higher child death rates and death rates in general compared to non-indigenous people What are you basing this on? What you HOPE to be true? You don’t know anything about this subject and are just inventing claims again. The 60s scoop has been thoroughly documented by government and public alike, the subject of numerous court cases, settlements, government public apologies and so on. Please look something up for a change instead of just trying to BS your way through. It’s a documented fact that the objective of the 60s scoop was to place children from indigenous families in white families, which occurred even when indigenous relatives were able and willing to care for the child. It’s also a documented fact that under these programs, indigenous children were taken away from their families without sufficient justification or due process, based on racial stereotypes and prejudices about indigenous people Siblings were intentionally separated in order to prevent them from forming any shared indigenous identity Adoptive and foster parents were prohibited from telling the children their indigenous identity Nope the only fabrications are you invented claims on topics you don’t know anything about, as mentioned above Well the widely accepted term for Canadas treatment of indigenous people is “cultural genocide” because that only entails a deliberate organized effort to exterminate the culture and not necessarily the people who practice it. For those who claim it is straight up genocide, the UN language does leave some room for example using language like destroying a group “in whole or in part” Certainly a part if them were destroyed Also the word “intent”. If the outcome is apparent but the choice is made to do nothing many argue that is intent. For example the mercury poisoning of the Grassy Narrows reserve from a mill in Dryden Ontario started in the 1960s and despite indigenous peoples reporting health issues at the time, it was not even acknowledged by government until 1970. It one of the worst cases of environmental poisoning in Canadian history But the government at the time intentionally chose to do nothing for decades other than issue some fishing advisories and falsely claimed that the mercury would go away on its own in 12 weeks, a completely made up number. The first concerted effort at cleanup was not until 2019. Many people have died or were born with birth defects. So many have been poisoned there is a just now a special mercury poisoning care hospital on the reserve now under construction, only 50 or 60 years late. Successive governments for decades chose to do nothing because it’s only natives who are dying and it won’t cost them any crucial votes. A similar story goes for rhe decades-long boil water advisories. The government didn’t intend to poison the water but after learning about it, intended to do nothing and allow people to continue to be poisoned.

What specifically do you base that statement on other that you wish that to be true? And AGAIN the Mkmaw didn’t invade England, the British invaded mikmaw land. Plus we know from how history played out and public statements what the Europeans true intention really was They never intended to peacefully coexist with “savage heathens” they believed the “doctrine of discovery” entitled them to conquer, enslave and/or convert non-Christian indigenous peoples and their land, which is what they eventually did Just like that! So easy! Why didn’t anyone ever think of it before? You’re hilarious LMAO now you’re not even making sense! What “rule by technocrats” are you referring to lol? Sounds like you just heard that term somewhere and wanted to use it but don’t know how Again let me remind you: YOU are the one who thinks a cabal of the prime minister’s party insiders should have unchecked power to rule by decree, untouchable by all laws amd courts OMG the layers of absurdity in you posts are too much! So your hilarious suggestion is that: 1) Law abiding private citizens of Canada who believe in democracy and human rights will rise up and commence a genocidal killing spree if Treaty land (which non-indigenous Canadians aren’t currently even entitled to use or live on) is no longer under federal government jurisdiction after the feds unilaterally cancel all treaties because tax dollars 2) Despite being a nation of laws and human rights, rather that stopping the genocidal slaughter which is of course a crime, and restoring law and order, the feds and provinces will quickly amend the constitution despite the fact that all previous attempts at constitutional amendments have failed after months and months of negotiations 3) Despite being a nation based on laws and human rights, the purpose of the amendment will be for Canada to remove human rights and the power of the judiciary so that the government can annex land that it has no legal basis or right to claim, for no reason other than …well .just because white people might want to use it someday 4) Once the Treaty land is reconquered FirdNations will be welcomed as equal citizens and that whole genocidal massacre thing will be forgotten about and be water under the bridge Is that about right? LMAO That’s rich! The entire conservative philosophy is based in the belief that “there is no society, only the individual” and that caring about society is socialism! That’s why they hate taxes and social programs that look after society and believe it should be every man for himself What the hell are you referring to? What dislocation? The only enormous dislocation was when the government forcibly dislocated indigenous people and you seem to think that’s no big deal. Also we’ve already covered that the costs are in fact not “enormous” If you think there wouldn’t be any “trouble to society@ caused by your completely-divorced-from-reality fantasy scenario of unilateral treaty nullification and constitutional amendments to nullify the SC and Charter of Rights, and annexation of non-Canadian territory you are seriously delusional. WTF are you talking about? You’re going full whackjob now. First of all you’ve made it abundantly clear that you have ZERO knowledge of how our country works AT ALL. I’ve already explained how utterly stupid your line of argument is here so I won’t repeat myself but you’re sounding like a teenager who hasn’t even taken a basic history or civics course Secondly it’s quite clear from your repeated racist diatribes that the only one who hates people is you. Meanwhile your basis for saying I hate people is because I won’t agree with your absurd statement that a genocidal massacre would be the obvious result of an unfavourable Supreme Court ruling that is ultimately about saving 5% of the federal budget. Just reflect on that for a moment You probably don’t even consider indigenous people to be people that’s why the irony of your comment was lost on you. Third it’s also clear for the same reasons as noted above that YOU don’t understand human nature if you honestly believe law abiding citizens will start murdering judges and indigenous people over this. I used to think you were a grumpy old man who never left the house but given your shocking lack of knowledge and understanding Im starting to think you’re actually just a teenager who hasn’t learned anything about the world yet.

LMAO More blatant fake news fabrications from the Trump lie machine. Don’t forget to add in your own embellishment like a good little MAGA, maybe a part where Biden and haitian immigrants ate a baby on live tv.