Donald J. Trump belittled the parents of a slain Muslim soldier who had strongly denounced Mr. Trump during the Democratic National Convention, saying that the soldier's father had delivered the entire speech because his mother was not "allowed" to speak. Mr. Trump's comments, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that will air on Sunday, drew quick and widespread condemnation and amplified calls for Republican leaders to distance themselves from their presidential nominee. With his implication that the soldier's mother had not spoken because of female subservience expected in some traditional strains of Islam, his comments also inflamed his hostilities with American Muslims. Khizr Khan, the soldier's father, lashed out at Mr. Trump in an interview on Saturday, saying his wife had not spoken at the convention because it was too painful for her to talk about her son's death. Mr. Trump, he said, "is devoid of feeling the pain of a mother who has sacrificed her son. " Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, a rival of Mr. Trump's in the Republican primaries who has refused to endorse him, castigated him on Twitter. "There's only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honor and respect," he wrote, using the term for surviving family members of those who died in war. And Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump's Democratic opponent, said he "was not a normal presidential candidate. " "Someone who attacks everybody has something missing," she told a crowd at a campaign stop in Youngstown, Ohio. "I don't know what it is. I'm not going to get into that. " Mr. Khan's speech at the convention in Philadelphia was one of the most powerful given there. It was effectively the Democratic response to comments Mr. Trump has made implying many American Muslims have terrorist sympathies or stay silent when they know ones who do. Mr. Trump has called to ban Muslim immigration as a way to combat terrorism. At the convention, Mr. Khan spoke about how his son, Humayun Khan, an Army captain, died in a car bombing in 2004 in Iraq as he tried to save other troops. He criticized Mr. Trump, saying he "consistently smears the character of Muslims," and pointedly challenged what sacrifices Mr. Trump had made. Holding a copy of the Constitution, he asked if Mr. Trump had read it. Mr. Khan's wife stood silently by his side. Mr. Trump told Mr. Stephanopoulos that Mr. Khan seemed like a "nice guy" and that he wished him "the best of luck. " But, he added, "If you look at his wife, she was standing there, she had nothing to say, she probably — maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say, you tell me. " Mr. Trump also told Maureen Dowd of The New York Times on Friday night, "I'd like to hear his wife say something. " In a statement late Saturday, Mr. Trump called Captain Khan a "hero," and reiterated his belief that the United States should bar Muslims from entering the country. "While I feel deeply for the loss of his son," he added, "Mr. Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things. " Even given Mr. Trump's reputation for retaliating when attacked, his remarks about the Khans were startling. They called to mind one of his earliest counterpunches of the campaign, when he responded to criticism from Senator John McCain of Arizona, once a prisoner of war in Vietnam, by saying at a forum in Iowa, "I like people that weren't captured. " But Mr. McCain has a long history in the public eye. The Khans, before their convention appearance, had none. "Trump is totally void of any decency because he is unaware of how to talk to a Gold Star family and how to speak to a Gold Star mother," Mr. Khan said on Saturday. Ms. Khan did speak on Friday to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, saying she "cannot even come in the room where his pictures are. " When she saw her son's photograph on the screen behind her on the stage in Philadelphia, she said, "I couldn't take it. " "I controlled myself at that time," she said, while choking back tears. "It is very hard. " In his interview with The Times, Mr. Khan said his wife had helped him craft his convention speech, and told him to remove certain attacks he had wanted to make against Mr. Trump. But on Saturday, he unmuzzled himself. "Unlike Donald Trump's wife, I didn't plagiarize my speech," Mr. Khan said, referring to how several lines from a Michelle Obama speech found their way into Melania Trump's address at the Republican National Convention. "I also wanted to talk about how he's had three wives, and yet he talks about others' ethics and their religion," Mr. Khan said. "She said, 'Don't go to his level. We are paying tribute to our son. '" Mr. Trump's comments provoked another avalanche of criticism on social media, and again put Republican leaders in a difficult position, facing new demands that they repudiate their presidential nominee. Even before Mr. Trump's remarks to ABC News, Mr. Khan had asked that Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Paul D. Ryan, the House speaker, denounce Mr. Trump. On Saturday, neither directly addressed Mr. Trump's new comments. Don Stewart, a spokesman for Mr. McConnell, referred to Mr. McConnell's response last year that a ban on Muslims entering the United States would be unacceptable. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan, delivered a similar response: "The speaker has made clear many times that he rejects this idea, and himself has talked about how Muslim Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. " In the same ABC News interview, when Mr. Stephanopoulos said that Mr. Khan had pointed out that his family would not have been allowed into the United States under Mr. Trump's proposed ban, the candidate replied, "He doesn't know that. " And when asked what he would say to the grieving father, Mr. Trump replied, "I'd say, 'We've had a lot of problems with radical Islamic terrorism. '" Mr. Stephanopoulos also noted that Mr. Khan said that Mr. Trump had "sacrificed nothing," and had lost no one. "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices," Mr. Trump replied. "I've worked very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs. " Some of the fiercest condemnations on Saturday came from Republicans who have argued — unsuccessfully to date — that Mr. Trump is unfit to be president. Tim Miller, a former communications director for Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, called Mr. Trump's comments "inhuman. " "Memo to Trump supporters," Peter Wehner, a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, wrote on Twitter. "He's a man of sadistic cruelty. With him there's no bottom. Now go ahead defend him. " Reihan Salam, a conservative writer for National Review and a frequent Trump critic, said that Mr. Trump had an opportunity to declare remorse for the Khans while still holding to his own views as a candidate. "He might have asked why Humayun Khan had died in the first place — because of a war that many, if not most, Americans regard as a tragic blunder," he said. "There was really no benefit for Trump in suggesting that Ghazala Khan had been muzzled," he added, "because she could easily come out and say that she had been too to speak, which she did. " Ibrahim Hooper, the spokesman for the Council on Relations, said on Saturday, "It's really despicable that anyone, let alone a presidential candidate, would choose to dishonor the service of an American who gave his life for this nation. " Ms. Khan, he said, "was obviously there to support her husband, who was offering what many people believe was the most impactful speech of the entire convention. " As is often the case, Mr. Trump, who has had no campaign events this weekend, managed with a few words to overshadow Mrs. Clinton, who was making several stops in Ohio and Pennsylvania with her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. In the ABC News interview, Mr. Trump also hedged over whether he would participate in the three scheduled debates with Mrs. Clinton. He insinuated that she had worked to schedule two during football games so viewership would be lower, and said that the National Football League had sent him a letter complaining about the timing. The debates were scheduled in September of last year by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. And while Joe Lockhart, a spokesman for the National Football League, said the league was not thrilled about the scheduling, "we did not send a letter to Trump. "


An attempt to change the law in Northern Ireland to allow abortions in cases of rape, incest or serious malformation of the fetus started in the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday with harrowing accounts of women s experiences. A socially conservative province where the Catholic and Protestant faiths exert strong influence, Northern Ireland allows abortion only when a mother s life is in danger. The penalty for undergoing or performing an unlawful abortion is life imprisonment. As a result, women facing tragic circumstances such as a pregnancy resulting from rape or a diagnosis of fatal fetal abnormality, meaning that a baby will not survive outside the womb, have been forced to carry their pregnancies to term. The impact of the criminal law in Northern Ireland does amount to inhuman and degrading treatment by the state, said Nathalie Lieven, lead counsel for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission which is spearheading the legal action. The commission, an independent body, launched legal action against Northern Ireland s government in 2014, arguing that the law violates the human rights of women and girls. The case has been working its way through the courts ever since. A panel of seven Supreme Court judges in London will hear arguments for and against the proposed changes during a three-day hearing. They will give their judgment at a later date. Lieven began by giving the judges an overview of detailed evidence provided by several women and girls. One of them, Ashleigh Topley, was told when she was four-and-a-half months pregnant in 2013 that her baby s limbs were not growing and she was going to die. Topley was told there was nothing to be done and she had to carry on with the pregnancy until her baby died inside the womb, or until she went into labor which would cause the baby to die. Topley had to endure 15 weeks of anguish as the pregnancy progressed. She has described how people would ask her if it was her first child, if she wanted a boy or a girl, and other well-meaning questions which exacerbated her suffering. In the end, Topley went into labor at 35 weeks and the baby girl s heart stopped. Other cases described to the judges included that of a girl under 13 years old who was pregnant as a result of sexual abuse by a relative. After police and social services got involved, the distraught girl had to be taken outside of Northern Ireland for the first time in her life to have an abortion. Northern Ireland s elected assembly voted against changing abortion laws in February 2016. The law is far less restrictive in the rest of the United Kingdom, and hundreds of Northern Irish women travel to England every year to have unwanted pregnancies terminated. As well as the parties in the case, the court will hear from organizations that support changing the law, such as Humanists UK, Amnesty International and a United Nations working group on discrimination against women. It will also hear from groups who oppose any reform, such as Catholic bishops from the province and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, which describes the legal action as a crusade against disabled babies . (This version of the story includes updates with details from the hearing)


It's no secret that Obama and his puppets are doing everything they possibly can to rig the election against Trump. Positive Trump polls are coming all the time, so it's all hands on deck from the Democrats to do whatever it takes to hand the election to Hillary. Obama's latest move involves registering immigrant voters who will most likely be voting for Hillary in November and he's spent TONS of your taxpayer money doing it. From Judicial Watch : Months after the Obama administration spent $19 million to register new immigrant voters that will likely support Democrats in November, it's dedicating an additional $10 million in a final push as the presidential election approaches. The money is distributed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Homeland Security agency that oversees lawful immigration, to organizations that help enhance pathways to naturalization by offering immigrants free citizenship instruction, English, U.S. history and civics courses. Officially, they're known as "citizenship integration grants."[…] Judicial Watch went on to say… The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been aggressive in promoting its citizen integration grant program this year, offering large sums to recruit new groups that can offer immigrants the services they need to become citizens. Clearly, the ultimate goal is qualifying as many immigrants as possible to vote since they tend to cast ballots for Democrats. "We intend to award about $1 million to first-time recipients in the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program for fiscal year 2016," the agency's grant announcement states. "If you represent one of these organizations, or know of an interested organization, we strongly encourage that organization to consider applying. Additionally, another $9 million will fund programs that provide both citizenship instruction and instruction and naturalization application services." Some might consider this a cash giveaway.[…] Practically every federal agency is participating in the effort by contributing resources and creating programs to help immigrants. For example the Department of Labor (DOL) is implementing "new workforce programs" for the "new Americans" and the Department of Education is promoting "funding opportunities" to assure that the immigrants "are provided the tools they need to succeed." The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is collaborating with other agencies to release a career and credentialing toolkit on "immigrant-focused career-pathways programs." The Department of Justice (DOJ) and USCIS are making sure the new Americans have worker rights and protections and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is launching a two-year pilot to assure that non English speakers have "meaningful access to housing programs" subsidized by American taxpayers. Obama likes to pretend that he's doing this for the greater good of America, but the truth is it's just part of the overall agenda to do whatever it takes to make sure Democrats run Washington and continue to drive our country into the ground. Source: End the Fed  More from Breitbart… Schweizer: Obama's DOJ 'Transferring Money to Left-wing Groups' 'to Influence This Election' By John Hayward On Wednesday's edition of Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM , Clinton Cash author and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) President Peter Schweizer discussed the latest GAI report about the Obama Justice Department's funneling of money to left-wing groups using fines levied against financial institutions. Breitbart Editor-in-Chief and SiriusXM host Alex Marlow described the report as exposing the Justice Department of "quite literally extorting companies to fund left-wing activists." "When I first joined Breitbart," Schweizer recalled, "There was a scandal called Pigford where the federal government was basically taking taxpayer money and giving it to people who were claiming to be victims who were not victims and giving them billions of dollars. This is in that tradition." He explained: What's really happening here is simple. You've got large financial institutions on Wall Street, you've got banks like Bank of America, who have in some cases committed financial crimes. I think some of them are real, some of them may not be, but set that aside for a minute. The Department of Justice has gone after them and basically said, 'You committed these offenses, you've got to pay restitution in the form of billions of dollars.' Okay, they committed the crime, they ought to pay that. Now, ostensibly that money, those billions of dollars, are supposed to go to the victims of their financial crimes. If your Wall Street broker committed fraud, you're supposed to be made whole with this money, and the rest of it is supposed to go to taxpayers. The problem is the Obama Justice Department has been diverting literally more than $650 million to left-wing groups. They do it under the guise of, "Well, you know, if this bank discriminated against lenders racially, we're going to give this money to these left-wing quote-unquote housing groups to help deal with the problem." But that's not what's going on. These housing groups are advocacy groups. They're left-wing organizations. They are registering voters and getting voters out to the voting booth. And they specifically target what they call quote-unquote progressive voters. So this is taking the Department of Justice, which we've experienced so much in recent years has been politicized by this Administration, even further to where now the Department of Justice is transferring money to left-wing groups — in an effort, frankly I think, to influence this election. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern. LISTEN:  Source: Breitbart


The mainstream media is clearly a leftist clique united against the Trump administration. On Thursday, Spicer called on Simendinger during a heated press briefing.Instead of asking her own question, Alexis snarked: Could you help us all by calling on Peter right now? Could you call on the New York Times, please? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dT68A4lQXU


A leading conservative Republican, who helped block President Donald Trump's healthcare bill, said on Thursday that Congress should begin rigorous debate on tax reform now if it hopes to pass legislation before an August deadline. The quest to revamp the tax code moved to the top of Trump's legislative agenda after a Republican push to repeal and replace President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law failed in the House of Representatives on March 24 in a humiliating defeat for the president and his party. To tackle the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code since the Reagan era quickly, House Republicans need to avoid the political fault lines that sank their healthcare bill, partly by having conservatives on board. House Republicans hope to vote on a tax reform bill before they leave for summer recess at the end of July. "We can get it done before August as long as we are real serious about having real debate... debate has to be about changing policy," said Representative Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of about three-dozen staunchly conservative lawmakers. "I'm optimistic on tax reform, if we do it differently than we did healthcare," he told a forum hosted by Politico. Freedom Caucus members complained that House Republican leaders held no healthcare hearings this year before legislation was introduced and kept their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act under wraps until just before it was introduced. Meadows said the tax reform debate boils down to a decision between a controversial "border adjustment tax" plan backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan and deficit-funded reforms. He did not take a position on Thursday but recently said his group could support reforms that are not revenue neutral. "We need to go ahead and start having those discussions today. Let's look at legislative text," he said. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady plans to hold public hearings on tax reform issues in coming weeks. On Thursday, Brady offered no indication that legislation was imminent but said he understood the need for rank-and-file members to have input. "We continue to work toward spring action from the Ways and Means Committee and continue to work to get this done in 2017," Brady told reporters. "One lesson we learned in the healthcare debate is that members of Congress want plenty of time, not just to review the bill but to have input into tax reform."


A pawn working for Donald Trump claimed that women respect and are voting for the Republican nominee in November, and S.E. Cupp took her to the woodshed for it.During a panel discussion on CNN with Carol Costello, Cupp began by explaining the stark reality that the only voters Trump can count on right now are old white men, which is not nearly enough to catapult him to victory over Hillary Clinton. There s no outreach anymore, Cupp said. It s as if he s given up on them. And I just wonder if there are enough old male guy old white guys in the country to elect him. I don t think so. But Trump supporter Tana Goertz, who appeared on the Donald s reality show The Apprentice, made the absurd claim that not only is Trump s campaign reaching out to women but that the effort is succeeding. How? Cupp asked. No you re not, actually you re not, she continued. There s math. There s polls. Indeed, polls show Trump is getting destroyed by Hillary Clinton right now and women are leading the way. Over 70 percent of women view Trump unfavorably and if the election were held today Hillary would win a higher percentage of women than President Obama did in 2012.But Goertz continued to pretend that their effort is working, citing her role in the campaign as proof. Oh, really? Oh, I m sorry, I m on the campaign and I m actually part of the women s initiative, so that s weird, Goretz said, which drew a truthful jab from Cupp: There s polls that show you re not reaching women. That s just math. I m sorry to break it to you. Costello jumped in and asked Goertz for specifics on how Trump is reaching out to women, and her answer left a lot to be desired. The answer to that is he is having people like myself, his lovely daughter Ivanka, other strong Republican leaders, hold leadership conferences where we are getting out in front of large audiences of women who would like to hear why women like myself, why women like Ivanka, why other wonderful strong independent women who are making their own living, who are successful, who are highly educated, are voting and respect and are working for Donald Trump. In short, Goertz could only name herself and Trump s daughter as examples of women who support Donald Trump. And Cupp was quick to jump all over her for it. That s what we call anecdotal evidence. That s anecdotal and of course, there s some women supporting Donald Trump, that s a fact. But to ignore the fact that 70 percent of women do not like Donald Trump and that he has a huge gap between him and Hillary Clinton among women voters is a fantasy land. Here s the video via YouTube.Trump s campaign is still in denial that they are getting their asses handed to them in the polls. And the fact that Trump and his supporters are so delusional that they really believe women are coming around to supporting him is further proof that Trump s campaign lives in the fantasy land Cupp mentioned.


U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would not bail out Puerto Rico if he were in the White House. Asked in an interview with CNN what he would do to help the U.S. commonwealth, Trump said "No, I would not bail out Puerto Rico," saying it had too much debt. Puerto Rico's Government Development Bank on Monday defaulted on a $422 million debt payment. The government faces $70 billion in debt overall, a 45-percent poverty rate and a shrinking population. It owes another $1.9 billion on July 1 that Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla says it cannot pay.


France is working to normalize the situation in Lebanon and Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri can come to France whenever he wants, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said on Thursday. Hariri, who I will see later, is invited to France with his family by President Macron. He will come to France when he wants and as soon as he wants. He will be welcome as a friend, Le Drian told a news conference in Riyadh. He gave no further details as to when he would travel to France or whether Hariri had accepted the invitation.


Dominican Republic closed most of its ports ahead of Hurricane Maria, but the country s 34,000-barrel-per-day refinery was still running, the government said on Wednesday. Ports that suspended operations under the red alert declared for extreme weather conditions are La Romana, Samana, Arroyo Barril, Puerto Plata and Manzanillo, the Dominican Port Authority said in a statement. Maria was a Category 4 hurricane when it hit Puerto Rico earlier on Wednesday. The ports of San Souci and Haina, which serve the country s sole refinery, also halted operations on Wednesday, according to operators of those facilities. The port of Caucedo has not declared its status. State-run refining company Refidomsa last week lifted a force majeure declaration on its fuel deliveries due to Hurricane Harvey, which limited its imports of oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast to be processed at the facility. The refinery s docks temporarily closed earlier in September due to Hurricane Irma, but they resumed operations days later. Refidomsa, owned by the island s government and Venezuela s state-run oil firm Petr leos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) [PDVSA.UL], this week issued a yellow alert to the industry ahead of Maria, which means it will monitor the storm to decide on further action, the Dominican firm said. Puerto Rico s Yabucoa terminal operated by Buckeye Partners suspended operations on Tuesday. The company is monitoring the storm to decide whether to close its Bahamas terminal, the largest in the Caribbean. NuStar Energy has not reopened its terminal on the island of St. Eustatius after Hurricane Irma damaged some tanks.


Comments  Famed actor and funnyman Will Ferrell returned to Comedy Central to reprise his caricature of despised President George W. Bush to hilarious effect.  "First of all, I'd like to say something about my cousin Billy Bush. He's been in the news a lot lately. Him and that disgraced pumpkin, Donald Trump, talking on the bus. I just want to say ONE thing, we Bushes don't act like that, okay? We have standards, and we're raised certain way. We would never, under any circumstances, ride a bus. When you're a Bush, you ride in a limousine or a jump jet, or maybe a monster truck called Sasquatch Express. Never a bus."  Ferrell then goes on point out that somehow, the utterly abhorrent character of Republican has whitewashed Bush's less viscerally appalling but equally reprehensible legacy.  "This dunderhead is making me look great. I destabilized an entire region [Iraq], but no one seems to care anymore thanks to the Bozo Trump here. Folks forgotten how I tanked the economy or how I didn't get Bin Laden."  Nobody should forget how the Great Recession was engineered and executed under the watch of George W. Bush or how the wars he began mortgaged our nation's future and led to the deaths of millions around the world. One shudders to think of what a President Trump would do to this country and the safety of the free world.  Watch it here:


There is something decidedly odd about the California State Legislature's decision to hire former Attorney General Eric Holder, now back at the prestigious Covington Burling law firm, to fight the incoming administration of Donald Trump. [The weirdness goes beyond the fact that it may be unconstitutional for the legislature to have hired Holder, given that the state already has its own attorneys who are certainly capable of doing what the state government requires. One of those attorneys is none other than Gov. Jerry Brown's nominee for Attorney General, Rep. Xavier Becerra ( ). He has a long track record of fighting Republicans on issues like immigration and entitlement reform, and has has made clear he intends to fight the Trump administration every step of the way to protect California's state and its "progressive" policies. He is also, as the local media noted appropriately at his nomination, California's first Latino Attorney General. So why does California need Holder? Does the California State Legislature believe somehow that Becerra lacks the ability to do the job? Probably not, since a committee of the State Assembly approved his nomination this week in a vote. Does Holder bring something special to the job of representing the state that Becerra does not? They are both Washington creatures and know how to fight on the national stage. Is there some reason to pay both of these men, working separately? Note that California has some recent, and bad, experience with duplicating government functions. Much of last year's political energy was spent in a pointless feud over gun control between Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Léon ( Angeles) — the first Latino to serve in that role in more than a century — and Lieutenant Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Democratic favorite for governor in 2018 against formidable challenger Antonio Villaraigosa, who served as the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles. Newsom wanted to legalize marijuana via referendum. But then he decided to add a gun control referendum, Proposition 63, which bans ammunition magazines and requires ammunition purchasers to undergo a background check. Sen. de Léon championed his own gun control efforts through the legislature, triggering a nasty spat. The potential for clashes between the executive and legislature, even on common policies, is clear. Why would California risk repeating history? Come to think of it — why did Newsom insist on credit for both the marijuana and the gun control initiatives, without finding any room for de Léon to share the "progressive" accolades? The Léon fight happened at the same time as the race for U. S. Senate between Becerra's predecessor, Kamala Harris, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez ( ) pitting the state's first black and Hispanic candidates for the seat against each other. Before she faded down the stretch, Sanchez had carried the hopes of California's rising Latino constituency. But Harris clinched the biggest endorsements and donors very early in the race. Over and over again, California's emerging Latino leadership has offered new leaders to the state. And in each case, the state's existing Democratic Party establishment has maneuvered to block them. Eric Holder, who has no roots in California, walked into his new job with no confirmation hearings Becerra has to jump through the hoops. What is the message there? One hesitates even to touch the Democratic Party's identity politics game. Perhaps the real rivalry is between Northern and Southern California: the San Francisco Bay Area has a stranglehold on statewide office, and most of the state's Latino stars hail from L. A. and Orange County. Still, it is odd that the California State Legislature decided that as qualified as he is, Rep. Becerra needs a "double" — at a cost of $25, 000 per month — from a law firm on the other side of the country. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the "most influential" people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.


"Top Five Clinton Donors Are Jewish" - How Anti-Semitic Is This Fact? Published: October 29, 2016 Source: Moon of Alabama  Top five Clinton donors Are Jewish, campaign tally shows.  Something is wrong with the above statement. Isn't it anti-semitic? Did Trump say that? Readers of that statement may assume, somewhat reasonably, that there is a club of rich Jewish people controlling the Clinton campaign and, maybe, Clinton herself. That sounds like it was taken from the fake Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It clearly must be anti-semitic.  It is also true .  Facts have no bias. They can't be anti-semitic (or can they?). But while facts as such can not have a racial-religious bias, openly stating them surely can. Thus the above statement is anti-semitic. The fact itself isn't bad, reporting it publicly is bad, bad, bad.  Who but an alt-right rag would report such at all? And for what purpose if not for spreading anti-semitism?  Well - quot licet jovi, ...  Jewish papers are of course allowed to report such a fact. That isn't anti-semitic. It is solely to brag about Jewish powers. Within the club that is not only allowed, but welcome. Thus Haaretz writes (sourced to the the Jewish Telegraph Agency) under the identity defining headline at the top of this post: Haim Saban, George Soros and others stand at the head of a list of wealthy donors who contributed mainly via super PACs.  The Washington Post analysis, posted October 24, named the top donors, who are contributing $1 of every $17 of the over $1 billion amassed for the Democratic nominee's presidential run.  They are Donald Sussman, a hedge fund manager; J.B. Pritzker, a venture capitalist, and his wife, M.K.; Haim Saban, the Israeli-American entertainment mogul, and his wife, Cheryl; George Soros, another hedge funder and a major backer of liberal causes, and Daniel Abraham, a backer of liberal pro-Israel causes and the founder of SlimFast.  Many of the big Clinton campaign donors also give to the Clinton Foundation which at times is a washing machine to put money into the Clinton's private accounts. It is kind of difficult to understand where Clinton Inc begins and where it ends. Campaign funds, Clinton foundation, speech fees, private accounts - does it even matter? Surely those who pay, to whatever Clinton entity, expect a service in return. Given the Clinton's occupations as Senator, Secretary of State and President the ask in return is unlikely to be commercial. It will be political.  And here is why it matters that the five top donors to Clinton's campaign are Jewish, and all big supporters of Israel. (Haim Saban: "I'm a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.") They surely will ask for political favors in the interest of the Zionist entity. This is also the reason why Haaretz, an Israeli paper, finds the strong racial-religious bias at the top Clinton campaign tally newsworthy. Big money paid to a Clinton entity can directly effect U.S. policies towards Israel. It buys its acquiescence to Israeli escapades even when those are not consistent U.S. interests.  Clinton's positions towards Syria, Iran and Russia (which limits Israel's freedom of action) are surely not independent of Israeli interests.  But that is of course, anti-semitic speculation ...


It was the year politics took over our closets, and clothes went beyond products to become positions. From the moment in early February when Beyoncé strode onto the field at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. for the Super Bowl 50 halftime show followed by an army of backup dancers in outfits that paid homage to the Black Panthers to perform "Formation," a song that was called the anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was clear "fashion statement" was going to take on a whole new meaning in 2016. No longer was it enough to simply tell others what you believed you had to show them, too. And the simplest, most powerful, most public way to do that was via what you wore. In a world of white noise and factional cacophony, a world where the first line of communication is visual, clothes are our shared language. Whether you like what you see or not, you can read it. Once upon a time "political dress" meant the dress of the political class. In 2016, it became a term donned by everyone — and damned by some. Practically every month. In April, Laurence Rossignol, the French minister for women's rights, fired the first salvo at what became the fashion lightning rod of the summer: the Burkini. Ms. Rossignol scolded designers from Marks Spencer to Dolce Gabbana for catering to the Muslim market by offering swimsuits and hijabs, accusing them of "promoting women's bodies being locked up" to bolster their own coffers. Soon Pierre Bergé, the outspoken of Yves Saint Laurent, stepped into the fray. A particular item of dress had become a symbol of the debate over the balance between enlightenment values and civil society, and whether freedom includes the freedom to wear whatever you want. By August, the issue had gone global and viral. Islamic women increasingly demanded they be accorded equal respect and treatment when it came to their clothing choices. The fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first Olympic athlete to compete for the United States while wearing a hijab. Then Anniesa Hasibuan, an Indonesian, became the first designer to pair a hijab with every look of her show during New York Fashion Week. Condé Nast International started Vogue Arabia. [See more Year in Style articles] It was but one sartorial story in a summer where wardrobes spoke as loudly as any words (and in turn spurred a lot of them). In May, in a nod to the opening of Cuba, Karl Lagerfeld took the Chanel Cruise show to Havana, becoming the first brand to stage a show in the country. The decision was not without controversy, since the average Cuban wage at the time was $25 a month and the brand had, it admitted, "zero business" there — but the trip did serve in focusing the attention of the 1 percent, at least for a moment, on the island nation. In June, British designers began to publicly declare their "Brexit" stance using the London men's wear shows as their soapbox, with one designer, Daniel W. Fletcher, not only staging a outside the official show site but also dressing his protesters in "stay" hoodies and and the Sibling designers Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery likewise donning slogan tees to take their bows. In July, W. N. B. A. teams led by the Minnesota Lynx and then the New York Liberty started swapping their usual uniform for black emblazoned with the slogans #blacklivesmatter and #Dallas5, among others despite individual and team fines from the league, the players persisted. Around the same time, a photo became a national symbol when a young woman in a flowing sundress faced down police in Baton Rouge, La. at a protest over the killing of Alton Sterling, and the visceral visual contrast between the Louisiana State Police troopers' black riot gear and her graceful, nonrevolutionary summer frock crystallized the fault lines developing around the country. That month also saw the election of Theresa May, who became Britain's second female prime minister, causing a torrent of stories about her fanciful footwear, which she proudly proclaimed was a tactical "icebreaker" in meetings. And it was when Hillary Clinton formally accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president. Standing onstage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Mrs. Clinton made history as the first woman to be a major party nominee for president, but in case you missed the import, her white Ralph Lauren pantsuit underscored the message. It squared the circle first drawn by suffragists in 1913 when they adopted white as one of their signature colors, and later traced by Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan in 1978 when they wore white to the women's rights march on Washington, and then by Geraldine Ferraro with her white suit accepting the Democratic nomination in 1984. And so it went. By September, there was no holding back: The look of autumn was the look of the American election. New York Fashion Week kicked off the day with a benefit for Mrs. Clinton featuring a runway show for which Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue, was a host Ms. Wintour wore a dress designed by Jason Wu featuring a mosaic of the different states in varying shades of blue. Opening Ceremony recast its presentation as a "pageant of the people" featuring not only models in shirtdresses and bomber jackets but also Natasha Lyonne and Whoopi Goldberg talking electoral issues — both accessorized by Rock the Vote volunteers. In Paris, Stella McCartney splashed female empowerment and antifur slogans such as "Thanks Girls" and "No Leather" over her lace and cotton loungewear. In October, the "pantsuit power" flash mob, 170 dancers strong, took to the streets in New York's Union Square wearing, natch, a rainbow of pantsuits to demonstrate their support of Mrs. Clinton the resulting video has been seen over 91, 000 times. And on Nov. 8 those women who intended to vote for the first female president adopted both sartorial stratagems, and went to the polls in pantsuits or white or both to cast their votes. You didn't even need to see the boxes they checked on their ballots to know where they were coming from. Though their candidate lost, the point remained, embedded in the fabric of social media and, now, recent history. The year may be over. But the change in our wardrobes — the change in how we think about the fabric of our lives — is just beginning.


Wed, 26 Oct 2016 13:42 UTC Dead blue whale A dead whale was spotted floating near a beach in Daly City on Wednesday afternoon. Around 12:30 p.m., the whale was found floating about a quarter-mile off shore from Thornton State Beach in Daly City. The whale has now since drifter closer to shore, spokesperson Giancarlo Rulli said. The Marine Mammal Center was notified around 1:00 p.m., however they are unable to do anything until the whale has come ashore. According to the Marine Mammal Center, though the whale is only about a quarter mile offshore, they cannot predict when or where the whale will wash up. Researchers have determined that the whale is a male blue whale. Officials from the center have sent a team member to look at the whale but at this time, the age and size of the whale is unknown. The center, along with its partners including the California Academy of Sciences, have decided to not send a necropsy team out until the next day, on Thursday, as there are only a few hours of daylight left today. With the tide expected to rise Thursday, scientists hope the whale gets pushed up the beach so they will have more access to it, Rulli said.


In clandestine corners of the world, the elite come together in secrecy. Some of them don't mind that we know of these society meetings, while others maintain that they do not organize at all. Yet doormen speak to their friends, initiation rites are leaked, people peek in windows, chanting in far underground lairs can be heard by a passerby. Conspiracy theorists have long held that someone, and not the Fates, is manipulating our world, and perhaps in these secret societies the strings are being pulled. Here is a list of seven groups so secret some members will never admit to their involvement, and their meeting places hiding in plain sight. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT  Ivy league Yale University is considered to be one of the most selective higher educational institutions in the United States, if not the world. Its motto lux et veritas translates to "light and truth." On the historic campus in New Haven, Connecticut, there is a building where "light and truth" are reserved for carefully selected members and alumni. What is known about the Skull and Bones secret society is minimal. The organization started in 1832. An official roster of its members was published up until 1971. Bonesmen, as members are called, have been heads of corporations, senior government officials, Supreme Court justices, and even presidents. Theories about what the Skull and Bones actually do range from its members controlling the Central Intelligence Agency, being a part of a global network aimed at world domination, to being a branch of the Illuminati. It's also unknown exactly what happens in The Tomb, the group's headquarters, but there are strange rumors of what is contained in the windowless sandstone building. The Egypto-Doric style of the structure makes it appear as an immense sepulcher. The tomb is thought to hold secret documents containing the roster of all members, ritual details, as well as multiple stolen relics. Some of the bones rumored to be in The Tomb include the skulls of Geronimo, Pancho Villa, Martin Van Buren, and the gravestone of Elihu Yale, the school's founder. Bonesmen are also known to take other societies' belongings in a show of thievery and cunning known as crooking. OOSTERBEEK, NETHERLANDS  Hotel de Bilderberg. (Photo: Michiel1972/CC BY-SA 4.0 )  In November of 1954, 50 delegates from 11 countries in Western Europe and 11 Americans spent three days in Oosterbeek, Netherlands, at the Hotel de Bilderberg . The purpose of the meeting was said to foster conversations between Europe and North America. Those in attendance included a prince, a prime minster, and the head of the CIA. Since that meeting, each year a group of international leaders in the fields of politics, business, media, and communications have met to discuss… we're not exactly sure. There is no agenda, no resolutions are proposed, no voting of any kind is executed, and no positions or policy statements are issued. The meetings are held in a different location each year and each year the topics of the meeting are up for the general public to theorize over. The roster of attendees is never officially made public, but there have been leaks over the years. Conspiracy theories abound, especially because of the group's intense level of secrecy. Many believe the group is conspiring to impose capital domination, a world government, or a planned economy. What is certain is that the more prominent you are, the more likely you'll be to get an invitation to next year's Bilderberg conference. TREMENTINA, NEW MEXICO  Trementina Base, New Mexico. (Photo: Google Earth )  Scientology is most visible today because of celebrity members like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, yet the organization has been aggressive over the years in tackling critics and maintaining its secrets. One of the most controversial religious groups, some characterize the movement as a cult. Basic Scientology belief holds that humans are immortal beings who have reincarnated and have lived on other planets before finding themselves now on Earth. One of the things that makes the religion controversial is its assertive nature, often turning to character assassination or litigation in dealing with skeptics and critics who question their practices. The church is also extremely secretive, holding many of its teachings from members until they have made it through multiple levels. Scientology operates several churches called Celebrity Centres that are opened to the public, but are primarily meant for "anyone with the power and vision to create a better world." The Church of the Spiritual Technology, or CST, is reserved for the most trusted of members. Many of these members manage elaborate bases including the Trementina Base . The official word from the church is that the base is a location used to preserve Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's writings, which are said to be engraved on steel sheets and encased in titanium cases. It's thought that Trementina is more than just a location to archive Hubbard's works, however. Trementina contains underground dwellings and tunnels, but what's most interesting about the base is what you see from the outside. Aerial photographs above the base show huge images dug into the Earth. The images are that of the church's logo. Former members have claimed that the symbols are to mark the return point for members when they travel into the future. Other members have stated that this is the place where Hubbard is supposed to go when he returns. The Illuminati: Domus Sanctae Marthae  VATICAN CITY, VATICAN Pope Francis entering Domus Sanctae Marthae (Photo: Pufui Pc Pifpef I/CC BY-SA 3.0 )  Established in 1776 in Bavaria, Germany, this group of freethinkers, humanists, and academics opposed superstition, prejudice, religion, and its influence over the public, and they supported the advancement of women. The Illuminati were a shadowy group, believed capable of influencing movements in government and the arts. The group was infiltrated and shut down a decade after its founding, or so the official record goes. Conspiracy theorists have long been obsessed that the world has been controlled by the Illuminati for generations. There are many modern groups that claim to be the descendants of the original Bavarian Illuminati; they go so far as to use the name "Illuminati" in their title, but there is no evidence that these recent organizations are tied to the original. Besides its actions, what is a major mystery of this group is the location of its headquarters. Theorists have claimed many prominent locations are the headquarters of the Illuminati from Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Big Ben in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and, among many others, the Vatican. The theory that the Illuminati headquarters is located at the Vatican is especially interesting due to the group's opposition to the church. It's believed by conspiracy theorists that the church was long ago infiltrated by the society and so that would make its leader, the pope, one of the Illuminati's highest ranking members. Today, the pope resides in a simple room at Domus Sanctae Marthae , a guest house adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica. The five-story building containing 106 suites and 22 single rooms is for clergy who are in town on official Holy See business, or perhaps for an Illuminati meeting or two. Ordo Templi Orientis: Bay Area Thelemic Temple  OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA Mural of Aleister Crowley at the Abode of Chaos . (Photo: Thierry Ehrmann/CC BY 2.0 )  The Order of the Temple of the East was founded between 1895 and 1906 in either Austria or Germany. It is believed wealthy industrialist, Carl Kellner, began the religious movement, but it was famed occultist Aleister Crowley whose name and additions to the group shrouded it in curiosity and mystery. OTO was modeled somewhat after another secret society, Freemasonry. But Crowley added a layer, his own self-created belief system called Thelema. Thelema's practices and beliefs are written out in a book titled The Book of Law and its core belief is: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." Ideas from occultism, and Eastern and Western mysticism, found their way into Thelema and thus OTO. The religion is highly secretive and members move through the order in a series of rites and rituals, moving up levels in the forms of initiations. Levels have curious names such as Minerval, Master Magician, Illustrious Knight, Grandmaster of Light, and so on. There are two components at the core of OTO: magical rituals, which have been rumored to include tantric sex, the summoning of angels and demons, and astral projection. Then there is the gnostic mass, reminiscent of a Catholic mass only because it contains a host and wine toward the end. The gnostic mass includes elaborate costumes, and at the climax of the mass it's believed that the host turns into the Body of God and the wine the Blood of God. There are multiple locations of worship called camps, oases, or lodges. The majority of them keep their locations secretive to the greater public. The relatively small location in Oakland is an oasis . They hold a weekly gnostic mass in a temple decorated in candles and Egyptian imagery. It's unknown exactly what takes place during initiation ceremonies and what knowledge is shared during these events. According to Crowley's autobiography, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley : "the OTO is in possession of one supreme secret. The whole of its system [is] directed towards communicating to its members, by progressively plain hints, this all-important instruction." Priory of Sion: Bibliothèque Nationale de France  PARIS, FRANCE National Library of France Reading Room. (Photo: Vincent Desjardins/CC BY 2.0 )  The secret of this secret society is that many people believe in its existence, but scholarly claims have repetitively stated the group is a complete myth, constructed by the imagination of a madman. The myth begins that the Priory of Sion was a group charged with protecting the descendants of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene who eventually went on to settle in France. It was leaked in the 1970s that the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, the French National Library, was in possession of a file calledDossiers Secrets d'Henri Lobineau that pointed to the Priory of Sion being located in France. The file contained an introduction, maps of France, genealogies, newspaper clippings, letters and a list of grand masters of the Priory of Sion that included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo Da Vinci. The authenticity of these files has been questioned ever since they were left at the library. Eventually, they were traced to Pierre Plantard. It is believed Plantard planted the document at the library in order to perpetuate an elaborate hoax. He himself claimed to be a descendant of Jesus' bloodline. Academics went on to agree that the Priory of Sion was a hoax constructed by Plantard. Yet, books, articles, and movies continue to be made about this group. Whether or not there is a secret society dedicated to protecting a family descendant from biblical times we may never know. Rosicrucianism: Rosicrucian Park  SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum grounds. (Photo: Ginabovara/Public Domain )  Several manifestos were anonymously published in the early 17th century that told of legends, mysticism, alchemy, and the Order of the Temple of the Rosy Cross. One of these documents was the Fama Fraternitatis which was published in Cassel, Germany. The Fama spoke of the 15th century German doctor and mystical philosopher Christian Rosenkreuz who traveled through parts of the Middle East where he learned esoteric wisdom, studying in places such as Turkey and Egypt. There, he claimed to learn extensive knowledge regarding nature and the universe. When he returned, he attempted to share what he learned but he was dismissed. He then formed a like-minded group called the Fraternity of the Rose Cross. The year of his birth and death remain shadowy, but some documents claim he lived over 106 years. The group upheld Christian beliefs, but strongly opposed Roman Catholicism, and was also said to have influenced Freemasonry along with hundreds of other groups, many of which have adopted titles with similar names throughout modern times. At its simplest form, the group aimed to promote a "Universal Reformation of Mankind." Some reports claim that the requirement for membership was that one must have been capable of using more than the average amount of brain power. During Rosenkreuz's life, the group was thought to have only consisted of a handful of members, each of whom was a doctor. All members took an oath to remain bachelors, and also to treat the sick without payment and to find a replacement for themselves before they died. Interest in the group peaked between 1607 and 1616 with the appearances of the anonymous works that included the Fama Fraternitatis which ranged with content that included mysticism and apocalyptic warnings. Whether Rosenkreuz's original idea continued is unknown. One of the hundreds of groups claiming to be tied to the original is the Ancient Mystical Order Rosea Crucis that has some connection to occultist Aleister Crowley. AMORC claims to be devoted to the "study of elusive mysteries of life and the universe." They utilize ideas from major philosophers, including Thales and Pythagoras, healing techniques, alchemy, symbolism, and mysticism. The group claims its history can be traced to pharaoh Thutmose III in 1477. The AMORC headquarters is located at Rosicrucian Park in San Jose, California, which spans a city block and includes several structures. The park is home to elaborate gardens, a research library, a planetarium, a temple, and it houses the ashes of Harvey Spencer Lewis, founder of the secret society. By Cynthia Pelayo, Atlas Subscura SOURCE


Myanmar has accused Reuters reporters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, of breaching the country s Official Secrets Act, a little-used hangover from colonial rule. Sam Zarifi, secretary general of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), said the law can ensnare working journalists at any time . The two reporters were arrested on Tuesday evening after they were invited to meet police officers for dinner in the north of Yangon. The Ministry of Information said they had illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media , and published a photo of the pair in handcuffs standing behind a table with documents laid on it. The law dates back to 1923, when Myanmar, then known as Burma, was a province of British India. At the time British administrators worried that rival powers could seek to exploit anti-colonial unrest in its South Asian empire. The act, which amended earlier anti-spying legislation, was controversial in India even at the time, according to a history published in 2009 by the United Service Institution of India, a New Delhi-based think tank. British military officers pushed for the stronger law over concerns about an increase in Bolshevik activity , along with geopolitical threats including the possibility of racial war between Japan and the USA affecting India , the history said. The Official Secrets Act covers trespassing in prohibited areas, handling documents deemed secret and communicating with foreign agents . It carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Zarifi of the Geneva-based ICJ - a human rights group made up of 60 senior international judges, lawyers and legal academics - said the definition of an official secret in the act is incredibly broad . Just about anyone in possession of unpublished government documents could find themselves facing prosecution and the harsh penalties a conviction may carry, Zarifi said. Under this law many good journalists could be prosecuted at any time. In India, where the same law also remains on the statute book, courts have ruled that it even applies to parliamentary papers such as budget proposals if they are leaked before they are presented in the legislature. Legal experts say prosecutions under the act have been rare in Myanmar in recent decades. The military junta that ruled until 2011 frequently used other laws or the Penal Code - also inherited from the colonial era - to lock up its critics alongside common criminals. The sprawling code was drafted in 1860, and gives magistrates more than 500 sections under which to charge alleged offenders. In 1990, a military court sentenced two leaders of the then opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) to 10 years in prison under the Official Secrets Act after they passed an official letter to foreign embassies. The prosecution was part of a broad crackdown following an election won by the NLD that the junta ignored. They were freed in 1992, in an amnesty, according to a New York Times report at the time. Reports of at least two other cases brought under the act are recorded in the online archives of the Asian Human Rights Commission in 2009 and 2010. The first case involved a man jailed for trespassing on military land and recording video footage to allegedly send abroad. He had been helping a farmer file a land grab complaint against the military. The second concerned a former army officer who was jailed in 2010 for allegedly having secret information on his laptop that he passed to foreign news agencies. The most well-documented recent case involving the Official Secrets Act came in January of 2014, when the Yangon-based weekly, Unity Journal, published a front page article it said exposed a secret chemical weapons factory run by the military in central Myanmar. Police arrested the newspaper s CEO and four journalists involved in publishing the story, raided its offices, and attempted to seize all copies of the edition from newsstands. A civilian court in Pakkoku, near the alleged factory, sentenced them in July 2014 to 10 years in prison with hard labor - later reduced to seven years. The case was widely seen by the domestic media as a warning that military affairs remained off-limits even though direct military rule had ended. The Unity Five were released in an amnesty in April 2016, soon after the NLD, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, had come to power following an election in 2015. The Unity Journal subsequently closed. Reuters was unable to reach government legal officials over the weekend and a Monday public holiday to request details of any other past cases in which the Official Secrets Act was used. Little is known of the allegations against the two Reuters journalists, other than that police said they were arrested for possessing important and secret government documents related to Rakhine State and security forces and are charged under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act. Two policemen are also being investigated in the case, according to police. Section 3 covers entering prohibited places, taking images or handling secret official documents that might be or is intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy . Human Rights Watch in 2016 said Section 3 defines the offence of spying extremely broadly . Where a military establishment is involved, section 3(2) of the statute effectively places the burden on the defendant to prove that they are not guilty, the group said. In May 2016, the month after Suu Kyi took power, the 1975 State Protection Act that had been used to keep her under house arrest for years was repealed. The Emergency Provisions Act, introduced in 1950 and frequently used against activists after the military seized power in a 1962 coup, was swept away in October the same year. But the Official Secrets Act and other laws, such as the 1908 Unlawful Associations Act, that have been used to jail journalists and activists, remain in force. Reuters was unable to reach Suu Kyi s spokesman to seek comment from Suu Kyi on the use of the Official Secrets Act to detain the two Reuters journalists.


The horrific story of the unarmed Walter Scott's death at the hands of Officer Michael Slager continues to reverberate. Aside from the incontrovertible evidence on the tape that the accused officer shot him in the back as if he were doing target practice, there has since emerged more tape of the traffic stop itself and audio of the officer speaking with his superiors on the phone raising even more questions about his state of mind at the time of the shooting. But as journalists have gone back and studied the officer's record and found that he was previously investigated for taser abuse. And on even further investigation it was found that this jurisdiction is known as "Taser town": Until the eight shots heard 'round the world, cops in North Charleston, South Carolina, were primarily distinguished by their zesty use of Tasers. As computed by a local newspaper in 2006, cops there used Tasers 201 times in an 18-month period, averaging once every 40 hours in one six-month stretch and disproportionately upon African Americans. The Charleston Post & Courier did the tally after the death of a mentally ill man named Kip Black, who was tasered six times on one occasion and nine times on another. Black died immediately after the second jolting, though the coroner set the cause of death as cocaine-fueled "excited delirium syndrome." It's important to note that Taser International has spent large sums convincing local coroners that this syndrome (which primarily seems to kill people in police custody) makes it the victim's responsibility if they have the bad luck to die from being shot full of electricity with a taser. It's not just illegal drugs in the system which can allegedly cause it. Adrenaline can as well. So if a person fails to remain calm in face of an arrest and finds the feeling of 50,000 volts going through their system to be stressful they have no one to blame but themselves if they die. Those who have been following the story of Walter Scott understand the significance of the taser. It's not just that the officer evidently lied about Scott taking his taser, thus somehow justifying his using lethal force, or the fact that he appears to have tried to plant the taser next to the slain man's body to cover his tracks. The man who filmed the shooting said this: It's not unusual for people to try to escape from a taser if they can. It is, quite literally, a torture device designed to force compliance with terrible pain. The people of Taser Town, particularly African American men, undoubtedly understand exactly what is going to happen if they find themselves in the custody of a police officer. Here's one example of how it would likely go down, as reported by The Guardian: Slager is among three patrolmen named in a lawsuit filed by Julius Wilson, who said he was arrested after being stopped in his car in August last year. Wilson is also suing the city of North Charleston, the city police department and police chief Eddie Driggers. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Wilson described Slager and his colleagues as "bad, corrupt cops". He said: "The use of excessive force or punishment to torture suspects is not something that should be tolerated by the North Charleston police department."[…] Wilson, who has a criminal record, said he was stopped on 25 August because his vehicle had a broken tail light. Scott, 50, was stopped for the same reason on 5 April before fleeing and being shot dead by Slager. Wilson was stopped by an Officer Edwards, he said, who was joined 10 minutes later by Slager and an officer Clemens despite Wilson calmly "making small talk and laughing". After refusing to step out until he was told why he was being arrested, Wilson claimed, he was forcibly pulled out of his vehicle by Slager and the two other officers. The three then "forcibly restrained Wilson on his stomach on the pavement face down," the lawsuit stated. Despite Wilson "not moving, nor resisting" and lying with his hands above his head, the lawsuit claimed, Slager broke a silence among the officers by shouting: "Watch out! I'm going to tase!" He then allegedly "shot his NCPD-issued taser into Wilson's back". The lawsuit alleged Wilson "writhed in pain from the electric shock". It said when Slager warned his colleagues he was about to fire his taser, "Wilson was cooperating fully" and allowing the two other officers to place his hands behind his back. Tasers guidelines vary by department and jurisdiction, but generally their use is only considered reasonable when the subject poses a safety threat. Clearly, shooting an unarmed 50-year-old man when he runs from the taser is not one of those cases. The video of the Scott incident shows that Officer Slager is confused on that issue, to say the least. And it's just as clear, based on that same standard, that nobody could ever claim such force is justified when presented with an unarmed suspect facing down on the ground, with his hands behind his back. Using a taser in that situation is simply a form of unofficial street justice, a little torture at the hands of the authorities to make a point. Tasers are not simply used in place of lethal force, and they're not always used to force compliance. They are very often used as on-the-spot punishment by police who want to teach citizens a lesson. Take the now notorious California incident that happened to be filmed by a local news station, in which a man on horseback led police on a chase through the desert. When he fell from the horse, police swarmed and he very clearly laid down on his stomach and put his hands behind his back. Then the police beat the hell out of him and tasered him repeatedly. This footage has garnered widespread criticism because of the beating, and for good reason. It's brutal, primitive behavior. But you won't find many people expressing outrage about the electric shocks being administered to this man over and over again. Here's a typical news report of the incident: In video captured by cameras aboard a helicopter for KNBC, deputies gather around the man after he falls from a horse he was riding to flee from them. The video shows deputies using a stun gun on him and then repeatedly kicking and hitting him. KNBC reported that the man — identified by authorities as Francis Pusok — appeared to be kicked 17 times, punched 37 times and hit with a baton four times. Again, if you look at the footage, Pusok was on the ground, face down with his hands behind his back before anyone tasered him or physically assaulted him. And yet the tasering is apparently considered a-ok. At the very least, it isn't mentioned as something that shocks the conscience the way the beating does.Perhaps this is because the searing pain of electro-shock doesn't leave much in the way of a mark. But hideously painful it is. Yet for some reason, delivering this particular agony to a suspect is not something people reject when there is no danger to police or bystanders, and the suspect is compliant. But police do it routinely, and are rarely sanctioned for it. Some of this undoubtedly stems from the fact that popular culture has turned tasering into slapstick comedy. Movies and TV shows and countless Youtube videos portray it as a hilarious joke. "Don't tase me bro" became as national catch phrase. But it's not funny. Tasers can kill people. And regardless of what level of respect and compliance one thinks police are entitled to get from the public, they are not entitled to torture and punish citizens to teach them a lesson. Walter Scott ran from the pain of the taser and he was shot in the back numerous times for doing it. Francis Pusok was compliant and was tasered and beaten repeatedly anyway. It appears that such shootings and beatings, when captured on film anyway, are still considered beyond the pale in America these days. In both cases, officers will have to face some sanction for their behavior. Slager is facing a murder charge. It's unknown what the California cops will face, but the FBI is investigating, so there may be some federal civil rights charges. It will be very interesting if any of the officers are charged with assault for using the taser. Let's just say it will be among the vast minority of cases ever brought if they are.


The message that we re all hoping to send is that not standing for the national anthem does nothing but disrespect every service member and their family members who ever fought for this country. Iraq war veteran Matt KeilTHIS hits the nail on the head! Thank you to the veterans! Thank you for your service!Yesterday, the cameras were focused on the NFL players kneeling during our national anthem. What we d like to highlight is what paralyzed veterans have been doing since this disrespectful kneeling started:Paralyzed Army Vet, Dan Rose, stands for National Anthem at Lincoln Financial Field for an Eagles Game. SoldierStrong provided the suit that allowed him to stand. Dan is why you stand for the American flag.Matt Keil stood for the anthem outside Bronco s stadium:The Iraq War veteran, paralyzed from the chest down by a sniper s bullet, gathered with family and friends outside Mile High before Sunday s Broncos-Chargers game. The message that we re all hoping to send is that not standing for the national anthem does nothing but disrespect every service member and their family members who ever fought for this country, Keil said.As the strains of the national anthem could be heard from the stadium loudspeakers, Keil raised his specialty wheelchair into the standing position.Thank you for showing all Americans why we stand for our flag and national anthem.


Open Line 223 Deciding America's Future  The present presidential election boils down to a decision concerning America's future. Will we continue down the path to global governance or will we reverse our direction and see the restoration of American sovereignty? Will we return to the Judeo-Christian values upon which this nation was built or will we merge America into a New Secular Order? Some people have expressed that only a miracle can reverse the damage that has been done to the American dream and to return us to the right path. Millions are praying that God will grant to us just such a miracle. Could God send a miracle at this critical time? Eleven days from now, we will all find out. It's open line today on End of the Age.


The US Supreme Court is set to decide the first major abortion case in nearly 10 years as well as critical decisions on immigration, affirmative action and voting rights. Will the Republican party have the spine to stand up to these reprobates and demand that we wait until after the election to appoint a new US Supreme Court Justice? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday that the Senate should wait until a new president is elected to confirm a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, whose sudden death Saturday shook Washington and threatened to reshape the 2016 presidential race.Democrats said that with 11 months left in Mr. Obama s tenure, the Senate has enough time and indeed an obligation to confirm a replacement. The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president, the Kentucky Republican said in a statement.News of Scalia s death was just hours old before the debate heated up.With the court now divided between four Republican-appointed justices and four Democratic picks, Mr. Obama would have a chance to tilt the bench decidedly to the left, and liberal lawmakers said he should have that chance.


Papua New Guinea s Supreme Court rejected an application on Tuesday to restore water, electricity and food supplies to an Australian-run detention center for asylum seekers where nearly 600 men have been barricaded for a week. The men in the remote Manus Island facility have defied attempts by Australia and Papua New Guinea to close the camp, refusing to move to three transit centers despite having little food or drinking water. Dozens of them also need medical help, three asylum seekers said, in a stand-off that the United Nations has described as a looming humanitarian crisis . The men have repeatedly said they would not move to the transit camps because they feared PNG residents on the island may attack, or that the will be resettled elsewhere in PNG or another developing nation. The court rejected the challenge on behalf of one of the detainees because it said power, water and food were available at the three transit centers, Ben Lomai, a lawyer for the detainee who lodged the application, told Reuters. Kate Schuetze, Pacific researcher for rights group Amnesty International, warned conditions could deteriorate catastrophically . The lives of these men, who are only asking for their rights to dignity and safety, are at serious risk, Schuetze said in a statement. The men, who include asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria, were last given food on Oct. 29 and have been relying on sporadic aid from Manus island locals and rainwater. Several of the detainees told Reuters Papua New Guinea s navy had blocked access for islanders trying to deliver supplies in the past few days. Representatives for Papua New Guinea Immigration Minister Petrus Thomas did not respond immediately to a request for comment about the claim. Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist from Iran who has been detained on Manus island for more than four years, said 90 of the men were sick and required urgent medical treatment. They have infection, stomach ache and diarrhea because of dirty water, Boochani told Reuters. Despite the conditions, several of the men said they would continue to defy efforts to get them to leave, frustrating Australia s attempts to close one of two controversial detention centers it uses to detain asylum seekers who arrive by boat. The Manus island camp, and another on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, have been the cornerstones of Australia s controversial immigration policies, which has been strongly criticized by the United Nations and rights groups. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said before the court ruling on Tuesday the men were only refusing to move to the new transit centers on the encouragement of advocates. There are alternative facilities available of a very high quality with food and all of the facilities, Turnbull told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio. The relocation of the men is designed to give the United States time to complete vetting of candidates as part of a refugee swap deal that Australia hopes will see it no longer responsible for the detention of nearly 1,400 asylum seekers who have been classified as refugees. Turnbull negotiated the deal with former U.S. President Barack Obama last year. Under the deal, Australia will accept refugees from Central America.


Russia, India will expand military cooperation with focus on Navy projects 26 October 2016 TASS The Russian defence minister pointed out that the progress of joint production of Ka-226 helicopters, BrahMos and S-400 indicates technical cooperation with India should be expanded. Facebook india , russia , shoigu Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, and Defense Minister of India Manohar Parrikar at a ceremony of signing a final protocol of the meeting of the Russian-Indian Inter-Governmental Commission on Cooperation in Military Industry, in Delhi. Source:Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation  The Russian and Indian defence ministries have been instructed to expand military and military-technical cooperation, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.  "The extra tasks set in the course of the meeting Russian and Indian leaders held on October 15-16 indicate that we should expand the sphere of our military-technical cooperation," Shoigu said as the Russian-Indian inter-government commission for military-technical cooperation met in session for the 16th time.  India could get delivery of the S-400 in 2020  The parties have already begun a discussion of all issues that are related to the post-warranty maintenance and life cycle contracts for the military technologies to be provided or provided earlier, Shoigu said.  "It goes without saying that we have noted with great satisfaction the progress achieved in our major projects, such as the joint production of Ka-226 helicopters, missile systems BrahMos and air defence systems S-400 ," he said.  Source: mil.ru  There is a special major program for naval ships, including submarines, Shoigu added.  "I believe that today there is a good opportunity for reviewing the results of the previous year and identifying targets for next year. We are ready to discuss all crucial problems, issues and prospects for our military and military-technical cooperation," Shoigu concluded. Fight against terrorism  Kadakin: Russia with India. Terrorism is greatest human rights violation  The struggle against international terrorism requires consolidation of all forces and rules out double or triple standards, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.  "What is absolutely unacceptable in the struggle against terrorism is the use of double and sometimes triple standards. Those who are terrorists on Monday cannot turn into moderate opposition on Tuesday. There will have to be fundamental consolidation of all sound forces in the struggle against this ill of the 21st century," Shoigu said at a meeting of the Russian-Indian inter-governmental commission for military-technical cooperation.  He pointed out that the struggle against terrorism was a major issue.  First published by TASS .


$23 Russell Brand's Back on 'The Trews' and He's Got Quite a Bit to Say About the U.S. Elections (Video) Posted on Nov 2, 2016  The comedian and political activist reveals his views on both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, neither of which he thinks should be president, and posits that both of their campaigns, with their ultimately meaningless slogans, are nothing but reality TV.


Ah, Trump and voter fraud. The subject that he can t let go because, on his warped planet, he s so beloved by everyone that there s no way he lost the popular vote. Donald Trump is just not a loser in any way, shape or form. So why is it that so many people around him are guilty or caught up in one of the things he himself decries: Being registered to vote in more than one state? His chief strategist, Steve Bannon, is guilty of that, which is bad enough.What s worse is that the person Trump is getting his 3 million people voted illegally and if it weren t for them I d have won everything information from is likewise registered to vote in multiple states.The Associated Press has learned that Gregg Phillips, who praised True the Vote for allegedly uncovering thousands of duplicate records and registrations of dead people, is registered to vote in Alabama, Texas, and Mississippi. Three states.This is proof that voter fraud is rampant? Har de har har don t make us laugh too hard. It hurts.Now, Gregg Phillips isn t exactly a unique name. What the AP found, though, was that all three of these registrations had identical Social Security numbers. That makes it a little harder to claim that these registrations are to three different people who all happen to have the same name.This is the guy who tweeted, back in November, that he had evidence of three million people voting illegally and then never provided or published said evidence, but Trump jumped on it anyway, which is dangerous as hell.Phillips is on Twitter now, pretending that it s voter fraud in every case except for his:AP just wrote and said I am still registered to vote in MS, a place I haven t lived for 20 years. Makes my point, elections are broken. Gregg Phillips (@JumpVote) January 30, 2017While that s a fair point, what Phillips totally fails to mention (because of course he does) is that it also illustrates the fact that being registered to vote in multiple states isn t indicative of voter fraud at all. Instead, it shows that the states aren t psychic. Most people registered to vote in multiple states didn t do that intentionally they moved away (or died) and the states didn t realize that.All these people vote multiple times except for the two anal pustules known as Trump and Phillips.Sure. Right. There is no proof there, and if Trump wants to pretend there is, then he s got to find better evidence than one man who s registered to vote in three states.Trump and his little bestie here (at least, insofar as voter fraud is concerned) need to shut their goddamn mouths on this once and for all.Featured image by Andrew Harrer via Getty Images


White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said on Monday a special counsel should be appointed to investigate Democrats over a uranium deal during the Obama administration and a dossier compiled on Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. "I think probably as a layman looking at this kind of thing we need to find someone who is very, very objective who can get to the bottom of these accusations," Kelly said in an interview on Fox News. A special counsel would be appointed by the Justice Department. Republicans in Congress last week launched an investigation into an Obama-era deal in which a Russian company bought a Canadian firm that owned some 20 percent of U.S. uranium supplies. Some Republicans have said Hillary Clinton's State Department approved the deal after her husband's charitable foundation received a $145 million donation. The New York Times has reported that Clinton, a Democrat who lost to Republican Trump in the 2016 election, did not participate in the decision. Republicans have also raised questions about whether Democrats funded a dossier put together during last year's presidential campaign that detailed accusations about Trump's ties to Russia. The Washington Post reported last week that Marc Elias, a lawyer for Clinton, used campaign funds to hire Fusion GPS, the firm behind the dossier. Kelly's call for a special counsel to investigate Democrats comes as a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians produced its first charges and a guilty plea. A grand jury impaneled by Mueller indicted former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates on Monday. A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.


Trump warned us we d be sick of winning Who knew CNN would be sick of winning before Trump even officially assumes his role of President? The big surge on November 7 snapped a nine-day losing streak for stocks that many attributed to Donald Trump s newfound momentum. Wall Street had decided Clinton was going to be the next president and they wholeheartedly approved.So the fact that the market continued to rally last week after Trump won is, in some respects, even more surprising than the fact that he won in the first place.A Republican in the White House and Republicans keeping control of Congress increases the chances of a bill being passed that would lead to more infrastructure spending. There may also be less regulations on health care stocks and financials.Trump s anti-immigration stance could also be a big problem for U.S. tech companies, which have attracted a lot of talented foreign workers due to the H1-B visa program. Will Trump seek to end that?That may be one of the reasons why big tech giants Apple (AAPL, Tech30), Amazon (AMZN, Tech30), Facebook and Google owner Alphabet all fell last week. Silicon Valley is very wary of Trump and probably with good reason.After all, Trump waged a Twitter war with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos because he wasn t happy with the coverage he was getting from the Bezos-owned Washington Post.A Trump war on tech could be bad news for the market and economy. The tech sector is now one of the most important industries in the United States. Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon are among the most valuable companies on the planet.So even though tech stocks zigged while the rest of the market zagged last week, that probably can t go on indefinitely. Prolonged weakness for big tech companies would have a negative impact on the whole market over the long haul. There s also the issue of how much Trump will actually be able to accomplish.Yes, Republicans control Congress. But House Speaker Paul Ryan wasn t exactly the biggest Trump supporter during the campaign. There could be more roadblocks to Trump s plans than expected on Capitol Hill. It is also hard to believe that Trump won t experience opposition in implementing policy. Trump and opposition are words that go hand in hand, said Mike O Rourke, chief market strategist of JonesTrading, in a report Monday.The title of O Rourke s report also summed up the rapid shift in sentiment. Trumpageddon to Trumptopia. Now this isn t to say that the market definitely is due for a crash during the Trump administration. But experts think investors may now need to take a step back and remember that there still isn t a lot that the market knows about possible Trump policies. There remains a great deal of uncertainty over what type of president Trump will actually be. In an election that was dominated by coverage of tweets, videos and emails, policy questions received surprisingly little airtime, said Andrew Sheets, a strategist with Morgan Stanley, in a report Sunday. Those questions are now crucial for markets. To a remarkable extent, investors we ve spoken to both before and after November 8 disagree on what President-elect Trump will actually do, Sheets added.That is scary. CNN Money


Chris Black November 9, 2016 3 Remedies From Medieval Europe To Heal The Common Cold  I think it was Hippocrates who said something along these lines: "let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food".  Today's article is about trying to find a cure for the common cold or, more precisely, reviving ancient remedies from medieval Europe.  And speaking of cures for cold, there's another saying in my neck of the woods: if you take cold medicine, you'll get better in seven days, otherwise you'll be sick for a week.  Do you see where this is going?  Let me tell you another interesting little story: despite the fact that there are only a small number of basic ingredients to be found in OTC (over the counter) cold-medicine—around ten, give or take (ephedrine, ibuprofen, paracetamol, aspirin, pseudo-ephedrine etc.)—the number of cold-related drugs in your pharmacy is in the hundreds.  Each major pharmaceutical company that has a hand in the cold industry typically has at least 10 different types. Many have 20 or 30 or even more.  That's pretty confusing, especially when you're knocked out by a bad case of flu or cold , you can't think straight, and you just want something to get you out of your misery. You'll gladly spend a bunch of money to feel better.  Little do you know you're wasting it on pure crap. Do you think I am exaggerating?  Basically, in the cold medicine racket, the name of the game is making money via marketing and brainwashing. Have you noticed the huge number of drug-ads on TV? 70% of the money a television is making outside an election is from Big Pharma, so let that sink in really well.  I am writing this article because last week I suffered from a bad case of cold, which rendered me pretty much useless until I started making and drinking an old cold/cough remedy that I learned from my grandmother.  Onion tea  It worked from day one, put me back on my feet, allowed me to think straight, to breathe and to write; you know what I mean.  And then I realized that for us preppers, knowing ancient remedies for a disease that is wreaking havoc this time of the year would make for an interesting article. So, if you're into staying healthy without taking drugs, keep reading.  Let me tell you how it all began: awake at 4 AM. Can't think, can't write, can't breathe, stuffy nose , sore throat. Does it sound familiar?  Well, I managed to crawl to my car and hit a local pharmacy. I bought some stuff pompously titled "cold medicine", got home, medicated myself, hit the bed, and woke up 3 hours later still feeling horrible.  Then, it hit me: my grandmother used to make onion tea when I was little and I had a bad case of cold. I remember it smelled awful and tasted like rotten pig guts, but if I was a good boy and drank a lot of it, it worked.  With these things in mind, I went to the kitchen, gathered 3 onions, washed'em up pretty good, and put them in the kettle to boil.  The idea is to take 2-3 small onions and boil them slowly in a full kettle until the water is reduced by half via evaporation, then drink the tea as hot as you can stand it .  Trust me folks, it really works: sore throat-gone, stuffy nose-gone, I was alive again. It does taste hideous, unless you're a die-hard onion lover, but it's a small cost to pay.  Basically, with this magic potion you'll be able to function, to be active: to be alive, so to speak, from day 1.  You must drink two 3/4 cups of tea per day, essentially one in the morning and one before bed, that's important.  If you manage to squeeze 3 more in during the day, it will work like a Swiss watch.  If all you have in the house are big-fat onions, you'll just have to cut them in half before boiling it, but remember: don't remove the peel. That's essential; just wash the onion thoroughly.  How does onion tea work? I really don't know. There aren't any "official" studies that I know of, probably because you can't patent onions and sell them for 5 bucks a pop. It just does, provided you drink it hot as hell and you follow the recipe above.  Vitamin C  Besides onion tea, supplementing with vitamin C and D3 is also very important when it comes to mitigating colds and flu (these vitamins play an essential role in immunity overall), but it's important to take big doses. The RDA is a joke.  For example, I am talking about 2-3 grams of vitamin C per day, together with eating lots of fruit: oranges, grapefruits, lemons, kiwis, apples and, again very important, raw onions and garlic (natural antibiotics).  The RDA is the minimal amount of Vitamin C (or whatever) to be taken daily in order to avoid getting scurvy (speaking of vitamin C). To be healthy, it takes for much more than that; remember that.  Tomato Tea  Another way of naturally treating a stuffy nose/nasal congestion is tomato tea.  The recipe is: 1 cup of tomato juice , (but I'd use 2-3 tomatoes cut in half instead of tomato juice) a teaspoon of fresh garlic (basically a clove) half a teaspoon of chili sauce (I'd use a small red hot chilli pepper instead) one teaspoon of lemon juice (again, I'd use a whole fruit instead).  Add a pinch of salt into the mix and heat them together in the kettle until they start boiling, then drink the tea as hot as you can take it.  During the day, you can drink a mix of green tea and ginger tea with honey, as these ingredients boost the immune system and they break up phlegm naturally (the drugs are called expectorants).  Streptococcal pharyngitis or strep throat is a common occurrence when it comes to seasonal colds and flu, and besides my aforementioned magic onion tea recipe, you should try 2 additional tricks if you want to get better ASAP: first, gargle with apple cider vinegar after you dilute it in a glass of warm water (1-3 teaspoons of vinegar in 8 oz of water).  Second, gargle with salt-water and if you're hardcore, you can try rubbing your infected tonsils with salt (using your finger that is). It's not a pleasant experience, but it works amazingly well. You can boost the recipe's effectiveness by adding powdered cayenne pepper into the mix.  Add one teaspoon of cayenne pepper plus one teaspoon of salt in an 8 oz. glass, and mix well together, obviously. Gargle vigorously with this formula until you get better. It will definitely break up the bacteria coating in your throat so expect to spit profusely for a couple of minutes afterwards.  It's very important to use high-quality, organic salt; not refined/processed stuff. I would recommend Himalayan salt (the pink variety), or salt-mine salt (the one that looks dirty). Processed, refined, snow white salt doesn't work too great as it's stripped of its essential trace elements.  I hope the article helped and I can't wait to see your comments in the dedicated sections below, AFTER trying my onion tea, obviously.  Stay healthy folks and click the banner below to discover more ancient secrets that helped our ancestors survive harsh times.   Chris Black for Survivopedia. 25 total views, 25 views today


State-run Chinese tabloid Global Times warned U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that China would "take revenge" if he reneged on the one-China policy, only hours after Taiwan's president made a controversial stopover in Houston. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met senior U.S. Republican lawmakers during her stopover in Houston on Sunday en route to Central America, where she will visit Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. Tsai will stop in San Francisco on Jan. 13, her way back to Taiwan. China had asked the United States not to allow Tsai to enter or have formal government meetings under the one China policy. Beijing considers self-governing Taiwan a renegade province ineligible for state-to-state relations. The subject is a sensitive one for China. A photograph tweeted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott shows him meeting Tsai, with a small table between them adorned with the U.S., Texas and Taiwanese flags. Tsai's office said on Monday she also spoke by telephone with U.S. senator John McCain, head of the powerful Senate Committee on Armed Services. Tsai also met Texas Senator Ted Cruz. "Sticking to (the one China) principle is not a capricious request by China upon U.S. presidents, but an obligation of U.S. presidents to maintain China-U.S. relations and respect the existing order of the Asia-Pacific," said the Global Times editorial on Sunday. The influential tabloid is published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily. Trump triggered protests from Beijing last month by accepting a congratulatory telephone call from Tsai and questioning the U.S. commitment to China's position that Taiwan is part of one China. "If Trump reneges on the one-China policy after taking office, the Chinese people will demand the government to take revenge. There is no room for bargaining," said the Global Times. Cruz said some members of Congress had received a letter from the Chinese consulate asking them not to meet Tsai during her stopovers. "The People's Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves," Cruz said in a statement. "This is not about the PRC. This is about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legally bound to defend." Cruz said he and Tsai discussed upgrading bilateral relations and furthering economic cooperation between their countries, including increased access to Taiwan markets that would benefit Texas ranchers, farmers and small businesses. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Monday urged "relevant U.S. officials" to handle the Taiwan issue appropriately to avoid harming China-U.S. ties. "We firmly oppose leaders of the Taiwan region, on the so-called basis of a transit visit, having any form of contact with U.S. officials and engaging in activities that interfere with and damage China-U.S. relations," Lu said. In a dinner speech Saturday to hundreds of overseas Taiwanese, Tsai said the United States holds a "special place in the hearts of the people of Taiwan" and that the island via bilateral exchanges has provided more than 320,000 jobs directly and indirectly to the American people, her office said on Monday. Tsai said Taiwan looked to create more U.S. jobs through deeper investment, trade and procurement. Tsai's office said James Moriarty, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, which handles U.S.-Taiwan affairs in the absence of formal ties, told the Taiwan president in Houston that the United States was continuing efforts to persuade China to resume dialogue with Taiwan. China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of the island. The Global Times, whose stance does not equate with government policy, also targeted Tsai in the editorial, saying that the mainland would likely impose further diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan, warning that "Tsai needs to face the consequences for every provocative step she takes". "It should also impose military pressure on Taiwan and push it to the edge of being reunified by force, so as to effectively affect the approval rating of the Tsai administration."


U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch warned on Tuesday of dire consequences if Congress fails to repeal Obamacare, including the collapse of health insurance markets. "Among other things, it means a congressional bailout of failing insurance markets, probably before the end of 2017," Hatch said in a statement. "Frankly, that ship may have sailed on that one after last night's developments. We're probably looking at an insurance bailout one way or another."