bonginoreport--2020-08-01--ISIS Looks to Recruit From a Disgruntled Taliban

A bloodied ISIS still a threat in Afghanistan as it looks to recruit disgruntled Taliban Khalid Haider , 54 , a former member of the Islamic State in Afghanistan and al-Qaida , speaks in an Afghan government prison July 18 , 2020 .
Haider said he crossed the border from his home country of Pakistan to join the Islamic State in 2016 and was arrested this spring .
KABUL , Afghanistan — The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has suffered heavy losses in the past year but could spoil the country ’ s peace process by attacking cities and recruiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After recent battlefield losses , much of the group is hiding in the remote Kunar province , where dense forests shield them from airstrikes , said one commander with the group , known as ISIS-Khorasan province .
But some cells are hidden away in cities like Kabul and Jalalabad , where they plan to recruit “ former jihadis ” and stage attacks , said the commander , who goes by the pseudonym Ibadullah .
“ We ’ ve just changed our operations , because it ’ s difficult for us to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , ” said Ibadullah , who added during a phone call that he commands about a dozen fighters .
“ Now we want to do guerrilla attacks in the cities.
” The United Nations warned last week that the group remains capable of carrying out high-profile attacks , and plans to swell its ranks with breakaway Taliban hard-liners and others unhappy with a February peace deal with the U.S. ISIS-K , an offshoot of the terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria , “ remains a threat to Afghanistan , the U.S. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having been driven from havens in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces , U.S .
Forces in Afghanistan said in a statement Monday .
The U.S. military has conducted 18 strikes against ISIS-K since Feb. 29 , the day the U.S. signed the peace deal with the Taliban , the statement said .
Under the deal , the Taliban agreed to break ties with al-Qaida and prevent it and other groups from operating on Afghan soil , and to begin peace talks with Kabul , in return for a prisoner exchange and a phased withdrawal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be completed by mid-2021 .
While the U.S. has already withdrawn thousands of troops , the peace talks have been delayed for months .
But the insurgents will be ready to begin negotiations soon , the Taliban ’ s political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said last week on Twitter .
Those talks , which are expected to address terms of a lasting cease-fire , as well as power-sharing and reconciliation between the insurgents and the government , are likely to involve concessions that could offer ISIS-K an opportunity for recruitment .
“ The Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and as they compromise , that ’ s a situation for transnational jihadists to exploit that , to paint them as having betrayed the cause , ” said Kamran Bokhari , a national security and policy expert focusing on the region at the Washington-based Center for Global Policy .
Even the Taliban expects that there will be “ breakaway cells ” that may join ISIS-K , al-Qaida or other militants , said Omar Samad , a former Afghan ambassador and adviser to the Kabul government , who is now with the Washington-based Atlantic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taliban ’ s current strength could switch allegiance over the peace deal , which would at a minimum double ISIS-K in size , the Kabul-based Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies found in a March analysis .
U.S. military officials and U.N. analysts estimate ISIS-K has up to 2,500 fighters in Afghanistan .
But those numbers could easily swell if fighters from Pakistan join them .
There are some 6,000 to 6,500 Pakistani militants in Afghanistan , mostly with the group Tehrik-i-Taliban , who are likely to align with the ISIS-K , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said last week .
Tajik , Uzbek and Russians also populate ISIS-K ’ s ranks , experts say , and though it is much smaller than the Afghan Taliban and lacks the former ’ s local support , it has drawn some of the insurgent group ’ s members with what they perceived was ISIS-K ’ s better equipment and financing , AISS found .
The group has also been heavily recruiting “ true believer types ” from universities in Kabul , AISS found .
But the loss of smuggling routes it once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financially hobbled and politically fractured , analysts say .
In a recent message to its fighters , a senior ISIS-K official called for patience and unity , seeming to acknowledge internal tensions .
In order to stay relevant , since it can ’ t hold territory , the group has targeted civilians in high-profile attacks , said Sulaiman Paktyawal , a researcher on extremist groups in Afghanistan , Iraq and Libya .
“ The attacks are to get attention , ” Paktyawal said .
So far this year , ISIS-K has claimed four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total for all of last year , the U.N. said in a May report .
In its weakened state , the group may be more desperate and likely to carry out “ even more shocking attacks to attract publicity and generate the instability it needs to persist , ” wrote Amira Jadoon , an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point , in a June assessment .
The goal of “ spoiler attacks ” is to show potential recruits that the group is still dangerous , and to play on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ISIS-K works with Taliban factions , Jadoon said in a phone call Wednesday .
“ Such attacks , where it ’ s unclear who conducted them , intentionally so in some cases , can generate even more mistrust , which could disrupt intra-Afghan talks , ” Jadoon said .
Zubair Babakarkhail and Nawab Momand contributed to this report .

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has suffered heavy losses in the past year but could spoil the country’s peace process by attacking cities and recruiting Taliban splinter groups angered by the negotiations.
After recent battlefield losses, much of the group is hiding in the remote Kunar province, where dense forests shield them from airstrikes, said one commander with the group, known as ISIS-Khorasan province.
But some cells are hidden away in cities like Kabul and Jalalabad, where they plan to recruit “former jihadis” and stage attacks, said the commander, who goes by the pseudonym Ibadullah.
“We’ve just changed our operations, because it’s difficult for us to be where the U.S. and Taliban can attack us,” said Ibadullah, who added during a phone call that he commands about a dozen fighters. “Now we want to do guerrilla attacks in the cities.”
The United Nations warned last week that the group remains capable of carrying out high-profile attacks, and plans to swell its ranks with breakaway Taliban hard-liners and others unhappy with a February peace deal with the U.S.
ISIS-K, an offshoot of the terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria, “remains a threat to Afghanistan, the U.S., NATO allies and our partners” despite having been driven from havens in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, U.S. Forces in Afghanistan said in a statement Monday.
The U.S. military has conducted 18 strikes against ISIS-K since Feb. 29, the day the U.S. signed the peace deal with the Taliban, the statement said.
Under the deal, the Taliban agreed to break ties with al-Qaida and prevent it and other groups from operating on Afghan soil, and to begin peace talks with Kabul, in return for a prisoner exchange and a phased withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops to be completed by mid-2021.
While the U.S. has already withdrawn thousands of troops, the peace talks have been delayed for months. But the insurgents will be ready to begin negotiations soon, the Taliban’s political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said last week on Twitter.
Those talks, which are expected to address terms of a lasting cease-fire, as well as power-sharing and reconciliation between the insurgents and the government, are likely to involve concessions that could offer ISIS-K an opportunity for recruitment.
“The Taliban is going to have to compromise, and as they compromise, that’s a situation for transnational jihadists to exploit that, to paint them as having betrayed the cause,” said Kamran Bokhari, a national security and policy expert focusing on the region at the Washington-based Center for Global Policy.
Even the Taliban expects that there will be “breakaway cells” that may join ISIS-K, al-Qaida or other militants, said Omar Samad, a former Afghan ambassador and adviser to the Kabul government, who is now with the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
Anywhere from 5-20% of the Taliban’s current strength could switch allegiance over the peace deal, which would at a minimum double ISIS-K in size, the Kabul-based Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies found in a March analysis. U.S. military officials and U.N. analysts estimate ISIS-K has up to 2,500 fighters in Afghanistan. But those numbers could easily swell if fighters from Pakistan join them.
There are some 6,000 to 6,500 Pakistani militants in Afghanistan, mostly with the group Tehrik-i-Taliban, who are likely to align with the ISIS-K, as many have already joined, the U.N. said last week.
Tajik, Uzbek and Russians also populate ISIS-K’s ranks, experts say, and though it is much smaller than the Afghan Taliban and lacks the former’s local support, it has drawn some of the insurgent group’s members with what they perceived was ISIS-K’s better equipment and financing, AISS found.
The group has also been heavily recruiting “true believer types” from universities in Kabul, AISS found.
But the loss of smuggling routes it once controlled in Nangarhar province has left ISIS-K financially hobbled and politically fractured, analysts say. In a recent message to its fighters, a senior ISIS-K official called for patience and unity, seeming to acknowledge internal tensions.
In order to stay relevant, since it can’t hold territory, the group has targeted civilians in high-profile attacks, said Sulaiman Paktyawal, a researcher on extremist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
“The attacks are to get attention,” Paktyawal said.
So far this year, ISIS-K has claimed four major attacks in Kabul, matching its total for all of last year, the U.N. said in a May report.
In its weakened state, the group may be more desperate and likely to carry out “even more shocking attacks to attract publicity and generate the instability it needs to persist,” wrote Amira Jadoon, an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in a June assessment.
The goal of “spoiler attacks” is to show potential recruits that the group is still dangerous, and to play on the Afghan government’s suspicions that ISIS-K works with Taliban factions, Jadoon said in a phone call Wednesday.
“Such attacks, where it’s unclear who conducted them, intentionally so in some cases, can generate even more mistrust, which could disrupt intra-Afghan talks,” Jadoon said.
Zubair Babakarkhail and Nawab Momand contributed to this report.
lawrence.jp@stripes.com Twitter: @jplawrence3


bonginoreport--2020-08-01--Rioters Leave a Severed Pig Head Wearing a Police Hat Outside Portland Justice Center, Set It Ablaze

Rioters leave grisly threat for police outside Portland Justice Center : a burned , decapitated pig 's head with a @ @

Rioters left a bizarre message to police in Portland, Oregon, in the shape of a decapitated pig's head wearing a police hat, set on fire and placed on an American flag.
The fiery anti-cop threat was left Thursday evening at the Justice Center. Videos of the severed pig head were circulated on social media.
Journalist Andy Ngo noted that it was not the first time that a severed pig's head was used by rioters in Portland to try to intimidate the police.
"In the early weeks of the riots, a burnt pig's head was left at the base of the now-gone elk statue. This was long before federal agents showed up outside the courthouse," said Ngo, who tweeted a photograph of the previous pig's head.
Portland has been one of the centers of continued protests that regularly turn to rioting and looting. Early protests were in response to the death of George Floyd by police as he was taken into custody in Minneapolis.
Critics of the looting point out that many of the riots appear to have left-wing political aims far separated from the intent of the original protests.
Federal response
President Donald Trump warned local governments that if they did not do enough to quell the rioting and looting that he would order federal officers to stamp out the violence. He later sent troops to Portland, Chicago and other cities.
"The FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security will together be sending hundreds of skilled law enforcement officers to Chicago to help drive down violent crime," Trump said on July 22. "And murderers and violent criminals are breaking a wide range of federal laws, we have that, it's as wide as it can be. We will find them, arrest them and prosecute them, they will be in jail for many years to come."
Democrats responded by questioning the constitutionality of sending federal officers into cities where the leadership rejected the help. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) went so far as to refer to the federal officers as "stormtroopers," a term originating from the name for the military political police of Nazi Germany.
Others claimed that the president was floating a trial balloon so that he could gauge whether he could use a similar action to stay in power should he lose the presidential election in November.
Here's more about the protests in Portland:


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--White House Not Optimistic  COVID-19 Relief Deal With Dems Will be Reached Soon

`` Those four different offers have been actually rejected -- but ...

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Sunday expressed little confidence that a deal will be reached soon on a fourth coronavirus stimulus package.
“We still have a long ways to go,” Meadows, one of the chief negotiators, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” after a week of stalled talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Yesterday was a step in the right direction. I’m not optimistic there will be a solution in the very near term.”
With Congress unable to agree on a fourth aid package, the White House last week dispatched Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to negotiate with Democrats as the $600 per week boost to unemployment benefits was set to expire.
But the negotiations have proved fruitless and jobless benefits ended at midnight on Friday with no deal in sight, affecting tens of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs amid the pandemic.
Meadows has repeatedly blamed Pelosi and Schumer who he accused of rejecting a handful of offers this week to extend the benefits.
“If you have unemployed people that have lost their enhanced unemployment, they need to call their Democrat senators and House members, because they’re the ones standing in the way,” Meadows said Sunday.
President Trump also blamed Schumer and Pelosi in a series of tweets Friday.
Unemployment benefits have been the central issue in the negotiations. Republicans want to reduce the payments to $200 per week while Democrats are pushing to extend the current $600 rate to the first few months of 2021.
Both sides do however agree on a second round of stimulus checks worth up to $1,200.
Pelosi (D. Calif) was equally despondent on negotiations in an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” saying, “We will be close to an agreement when we have an agreement.”
When asked what she would say to Americans who have lost their benefits, Pelosi said: “Talk to President Trump. He’s the one who’s standing in the way of that.”
The speaker also pushed back on Meadows’ claim that he had made several offers, accusing Republicans of being in disarray while Democrats are in total agreement over the need for a $600-per-week boost to state unemployment.
“The idea that they made a proposal is really not actually factual,” she said.
Appearing on “This Week” immediately after Pelosi, Mnuchin said he believed the jobless payments led to many Americans being “overpaid” and argued it discouraged them from returning to the workforce.
“Unemployment is supposed to be a wage replacement, so it should be tied to some percentage of wages,” he said, saying that the only reason why Americans received a flat $600 rate is because of “30-year-old computer systems.”
“I think on the concept, we absolutely agree on enhanced unemployment. We want to fix the issue where in some cases people are overpaid.”
“There’s no question that in some cases where we’re paying people more to stay home than to work, that’s created issues in the entire economy,” he said.
At a press conference in Manhattan on Sunday, Schumer accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of “dithering” on negotiations and failing to engage with a rival $3 trillion bill the House passed in May.
“While it is a positive step that the White House is finally willing to make progress on these negotiations, significant divisions remain,” he said, calling for eviction protections and additional money for struggling state authorities.
“Months of delay and dithering by Leader McConnell has made all of this a lot harder, but when it comes to ensuring New York and the country have the funding needed to overcome the crisis, Democrats cannot waiver,” he continued.
“The pandemic has put about 1.8 million New Yorkers on unemployment, risks nearly a million people evicted, and marks a financial doomsday for local budgets that support sanitation workers, firefighters, teachers and more. We have to make sure these are the folks that get the help,” he said.


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--Dr. Birx: Possible For U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll to Reach 300,000 By the End of 2020

Sunday on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union , ” White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said it was “ possible ” the coronavirus death toll in America could reach 300,000 if people do not follow social distancing guidelines .
Host Dana Bash said , “ Dr .
Birx , you mentioned deaths .
The former Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the U.S. coronavirus death toll could double to 300,000 deaths by the end of the year .
Do you think that is possible ?
” Birx said , “ Anything is possible if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , public health is called public health because it has a public component .
We need all of the public to help us get us control of this virus .
If we still are going to parties at home , even though the bars are closed , if we are creating interactions where we know , it ’ s not safe because there are multiple people there .
You don ’ t have masks on , and you ’ re not socially distanced .
It ’ s not super spreading individuals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we need to stop those .
We definitely need to take more precautions .
”

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said it was “possible” the coronavirus death toll in America could reach 300,000 if people do not follow social distancing guidelines.
Host Dana Bash said, “Dr. Birx, you mentioned deaths. The former Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the U.S. coronavirus death toll could double to 300,000 deaths by the end of the year. Do you think that is possible?”
Birx said, “Anything is possible if we don’t have all— you know, public health is called public health because it has a public component. We need all of the public to help us get us control of this virus. If we still are going to parties at home, even though the bars are closed, if we are creating interactions where we know, it’s not safe because there are multiple people there. You don’t have masks on, and you’re not socially distanced. It’s not super spreading individuals, it’s super spreading events, and we need to stop those. We definitely need to take more precautions.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--Rents Across NYC Continue to Plummet, Shopping Districts Turned Into Ghost Towns

Fifth Avenue is empty of traffic as people remain at home to stop the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic on March 31 , 2020 in New York City .
High-end handbag maker Valentino is suing to get out of its lease on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan , a vacated Barneys New York still sits empty on Madison Avenue just a block over , while bankrupted luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus is shutting its doors for good on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach .
As the coronavirus pandemic brings tourism to a temporary standstill , leaves consumers holed up at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , America 's glitziest and most expensive retail districts are losing tenants , and rents are in a free fall .
The pressures from the Covid-19 crisis will likely have a lasting impact on shopping streets such as Michigan Avenue — better-known as the `` Magnificent Mile '' — in Chicago , the Las Vegas Strip , and Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles , to name a few .
It is already beginning to play out with the changes taking place throughout the New York City retail scene , serving as a leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other major metros , real estate analysts predict .
`` In the U.S. , certainly you will see that what was once perceived as a luxury block in any major city is no longer exclusively luxury , '' said Naveen Jaggi , the president of commercial real estate services firm JLL 's Retail Advisory team .
`` We will see an extension of what happened in 2008 and 2009 , which left American consumers shifting toward value more aggressively . ''
`` More and more retail real estate space is going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` Take Fifth Avenue .
You see a Vans , a Five Below and a Timberland .
Those kinds of brands are the ones taking space .
That 's all you need to know about the direction of Fifth Avenue . ''
Some of these changes were already shaping up before the Covid-19 crisis .
The discount retailer Five Below , for example , opened its store on Fifth Avenue late in 2018 , marking a pivotal moment for a retail district that is home to Saks Fifth Avenue 's sprawling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right down the block .
But now , this changing dynamic is expected to accelerate .
During the second quarter ended June 30 , average asking rents along 16 major retail corridors in Manhattan declined for the eleventh consecutive quarter , falling to $ 688 per square foot , according to a report from the commercial real estate services firm CBRE .
The drop marked the first time since 2011 that prices dropped below $ 700 , the firm said , representing an 11.3 % decline from a year ago .
Within that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SoHo neighborhood saw the biggest declines , according to CBRE , tumbling 37.5 % year-over-year to $ 437 per square foot from $ 699 per square foot — and falling below $ 500 for the first time since 2014 .
The Upper Madison Avenue corridor from 57th Street to 72nd Street , which holds a number of luxury retailers including Balenciaga , Celine and Hermes , saw rents drop 15.3 % from a year ago to $ 882 per square foot .
The most expensive retail rents in the city are found in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which runs from 49th Street to 59th Street and boasts retail storefronts from Tiffany to Gucci to Cartier .
Those rents held steady at $ 3,000 per square foot during the second quarter , CBRE said , falling 4.8 % from a year ago , but remaining unchanged from the prior quarter .
All told , the number of ground-floor leases available in Manhattan 's 16 retail corridors tracked by CBRE hit a record of 235 , surpassing a previous high of 230 set back in 2013 , the real estate group said @

Fifth Avenue is empty of traffic as people remain at home to stop the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic on March 31, 2020 in New York City.
High-end handbag maker Valentino is suing to get out of its lease on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, a vacated Barneys New York still sits empty on Madison Avenue just a block over, while bankrupted luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus is shutting its doors for good on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
As the coronavirus pandemic brings tourism to a temporary standstill, leaves consumers holed up at home and puts millions out of work, America's glitziest and most expensive retail districts are losing tenants, and rents are in a free fall. The pressures from the Covid-19 crisis will likely have a lasting impact on shopping streets such as Michigan Avenue — better-known as the "Magnificent Mile" — in Chicago, the Las Vegas Strip, and Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, to name a few.
It is already beginning to play out with the changes taking place throughout the New York City retail scene, serving as a leading indicator of what's to come in other major metros, real estate analysts predict.
"In the U.S., certainly you will see that what was once perceived as a luxury block in any major city is no longer exclusively luxury," said Naveen Jaggi, the president of commercial real estate services firm JLL's Retail Advisory team. "We will see an extension of what happened in 2008 and 2009, which left American consumers shifting toward value more aggressively."
"More and more retail real estate space is going to be taken up by non-luxury," he said. "Take Fifth Avenue. You see a Vans , a Five Below and a Timberland. Those kinds of brands are the ones taking space. That's all you need to know about the direction of Fifth Avenue."
Some of these changes were already shaping up before the Covid-19 crisis. The discount retailer Five Below, for example, opened its store on Fifth Avenue late in 2018, marking a pivotal moment for a retail district that is home to Saks Fifth Avenue's sprawling department store and a multilevel Louis Vuitton right down the block. But now, this changing dynamic is expected to accelerate.
During the second quarter ended June 30, average asking rents along 16 major retail corridors in Manhattan declined for the eleventh consecutive quarter, falling to $688 per square foot, according to a report from the commercial real estate services firm CBRE. The drop marked the first time since 2011 that prices dropped below $700, the firm said, representing an 11.3% decline from a year ago.
Within that, rents on Prince Street in the SoHo neighborhood saw the biggest declines, according to CBRE, tumbling 37.5% year-over-year to $437 per square foot from $699 per square foot — and falling below $500 for the first time since 2014.
The Upper Madison Avenue corridor from 57th Street to 72nd Street, which holds a number of luxury retailers including Balenciaga, Celine and Hermes, saw rents drop 15.3% from a year ago to $882 per square foot.
The most expensive retail rents in the city are found in the Plaza District along Fifth Avenue, which runs from 49th Street to 59th Street and boasts retail storefronts from Tiffany to Gucci to Cartier. Those rents held steady at $3,000 per square foot during the second quarter, CBRE said, falling 4.8% from a year ago, but remaining unchanged from the prior quarter.
All told, the number of ground-floor leases available in Manhattan's 16 retail corridors tracked by CBRE hit a record of 235, surpassing a previous high of 230 set back in 2013, the real estate group said.


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--Twitter Endangers Americans By Suppressing Medical Debate

Twitter has once again acted as judge , jury , and executioner .
For four days , Twitter prevented the @ BreitbartNews twitter account from posting , only restoring its permissions earlier today .
This is in no small part because Twitter dragged its feet on Breitbart News ’ s appeal Twitter initially locked Breitbart News ’ s account because it posted a video of a press conference featuring Rep. Ralph Norman ( R-SC ) and licensed doctors sharing their views and opinions on coronavirus and the medical response to the pandemic .
The event was held by the organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Tea Party Patriots .
In short , Twitter has punished a news organization for posting a video of a live-streaming of a press conference held by a congressman and licensed medical doctors .
At the event , some of the doctors shared their opinion on hydroxychloroquine , highlighting it as a potentially helpful treatment in fighting COVID-19 .
One doctor called it a “ cure.
” Because Breitbart News ’ s Twitter account carried a video livestream of their comments , Twitter accused Breitbart of “ spreading misleading and potentially harmful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aside , Breitbart News is a news company , not a licensed medical professional and has no editorial position on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 .
But for Twitter ( which is also not a licensed medical professional ) to assert the video contained potentially harmful information rings hollow .
Hydroxychloroquine is not Tide Pods ; it ’ s not something people can simply go down to the local drugstore , buy , and ingest without medical advice and supervision .
In the United States , hydroxychloroquine is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by prescription ; so a person would have to go to their doctor and get it prescribed after making a decision with their own doctor whether or not to take hydroxychloroquine .
And , whether Twitter likes it or not , or thinks it should be otherwise , doctors are prescribing hydroxychloroquine on an off-label basis for COVID-19 .
Twitter trying to pretend it is not happening or wishing it was not happening is self-sophistry .
Twitter has demanded that Breitbart News delete the following tweets before restoring access to the account .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeal has been locked out of its account .
Incredibly , Twitter took almost three full days to reply to Breitbart ’ s appeal – meaning time and traffic lost during a fast-moving election season .
When Twitter finally did respond , it denied the appeal .
Twitter then demanded that Breitbart News delete the following tweets before restoring access to the account and that Breitbart serve a 12-hour “ time out ” — meaning even more time and traffic lost during a fast-moving election season .
( Update : Twitter has unrestricted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter ’ s actions have public health implications .
The tech giant is preventing the public , including the critically ill , from receiving information from physicians with first-hand experience treating COVID-19 patients .
Twitter ’ s censorship denies the public access to information — and that can put lives , health , and the well-being of Americans at risk .
Hydroxychloroquine is a commonly prescribed drug that has been approved for use in the United States since the 1950s and is widely prescribed to treat malaria .
The effectiveness of the drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the subject of discussion and debate among medical professionals .
Harvey A. Risch , a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health , has argued in Newsweek that “ tens of thousands of patients with COVID-19 are dying unnecessarily ” because use of the drug has become so politicized .
A media panic broke out after President Trump referenced reports that the drug might be effective in treating COVID-19 , leading to the drug briefly being banned in Ohio .
That ban has now been reversed by the Ohio Board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to The Lancet , one of the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious medical journals in the world .
A study , widely covered by the corporate media , claiming hydroxychloroquine is ineffective and potentially dangerous , had to be retracted by the journal after major discrepancies were found in the study ’ s data .
Congressman Louie Gohmert ( R-TX ) , who recently contracted COVID-19 , announced yesterday that he would be taking the drug to treat the illness following advice from his doctor .
Here is where things stand : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answers the question of hydroxychloroquine ’ s usefulness in treating COVID-19 , especially when used in conjunction with other medications .
Many licensed professionals have reportedly treated COVID-19 patients with it , and some have reported at least anecdotal evidence of efficacy .
Another way to put it is that the usefulness of hydroxychloroquine remains a topic of open discussion and debate .
Twitter has decided that discussion and debate should not be happening , and is punishing anyone ( even a news organization covering a third-party press conference ) , who in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is not Twitter ’ s “ job.
” And , in the end , it may be that Twitter is the one that has , by censorship and omission , effectively “ spread ” misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19 .
Are you an insider at Google , Reddit , Facebook , Twitter , or any other company who wants to confidentially blow the whistle on wrongdoing or political bias ?
Reach out to Allum Bokhari at allumbokhari @ protonmail.com .
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Big Tech ’ s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election is out in September .

Twitter has once again acted as judge, jury, and executioner. For four days, Twitter prevented the @BreitbartNews twitter account from posting, only restoring its permissions earlier today. This is in no small part because Twitter dragged its feet on Breitbart News’s appeal
Twitter initially locked Breitbart News’s account because it posted a video of a press conference featuring Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and licensed doctors sharing their views and opinions on coronavirus and the medical response to the pandemic. The event was held by the organization America’s Frontline Doctors and organized by the Tea Party Patriots.
In short, Twitter has punished a news organization for posting a video of a live-streaming of a press conference held by a congressman and licensed medical doctors.
At the event, some of the doctors shared their opinion on hydroxychloroquine, highlighting it as a potentially helpful treatment in fighting COVID-19. One doctor called it a “cure.”
Because Breitbart News’s Twitter account carried a video livestream of their comments, Twitter accused Breitbart of “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”
As an aside, Breitbart News is a news company, not a licensed medical professional and has no editorial position on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19. But for Twitter (which is also not a licensed medical professional) to assert the video contained potentially harmful information rings hollow. Hydroxychloroquine is not Tide Pods; it’s not something people can simply go down to the local drugstore, buy, and ingest without medical advice and supervision.
In the United States, hydroxychloroquine is a legal, FDA approved medication available only by prescription; so a person would have to go to their doctor and get it prescribed after making a decision with their own doctor whether or not to take hydroxychloroquine.
And, whether Twitter likes it or not, or thinks it should be otherwise, doctors are prescribing hydroxychloroquine on an off-label basis for COVID-19. Twitter trying to pretend it is not happening or wishing it was not happening is self-sophistry.
Twitter has demanded that Breitbart News delete the following tweets before restoring access to the account. Breitbart appealed that decision, and pending appeal has been locked out of its account. Incredibly, Twitter took almost three full days to reply to Breitbart’s appeal – meaning time and traffic lost during a fast-moving election season. When Twitter finally did respond, it denied the appeal.
Twitter then demanded that Breitbart News delete the following tweets before restoring access to the account and that Breitbart serve a 12-hour “time out” — meaning even more time and traffic lost during a fast-moving election season. (Update: Twitter has unrestricted Breitbart News’ Twitter account.)
Twitter’s actions have public health implications. The tech giant is preventing the public, including the critically ill, from receiving information from physicians with first-hand experience treating COVID-19 patients. Twitter’s censorship denies the public access to information — and that can put lives, health, and the well-being of Americans at risk.
Hydroxychloroquine is a commonly prescribed drug that has been approved for use in the United States since the 1950s and is widely prescribed to treat malaria. The effectiveness of the drug as a treatment for COVID-19 is still the subject of discussion and debate among medical professionals.
Harvey A. Risch, a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, has argued in Newsweek that “tens of thousands of patients with COVID-19 are dying unnecessarily” because use of the drug has become so politicized.
A media panic broke out after President Trump referenced reports that the drug might be effective in treating COVID-19, leading to the drug briefly being banned in Ohio. That ban has now been reversed by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
The panic even extended to The Lancet, one of the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious medical journals in the world. A study, widely covered by the corporate media, claiming hydroxychloroquine is ineffective and potentially dangerous, had to be retracted by the journal after major discrepancies were found in the study’s data.
Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who recently contracted COVID-19, announced yesterday that he would be taking the drug to treat the illness following advice from his doctor.
I am taking #Hydroxychloroquine to treat my coronavirus diagnosis. It is what was decided as the best course of action between my doctor and me–not by government bureaucrats. How long until the tech tyrants censor this tweet? https://t.co/dzAYAXiQ8p — Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) July 31, 2020
Here is where things stand: There is no definitive medical study that answers the question of hydroxychloroquine’s usefulness in treating COVID-19, especially when used in conjunction with other medications. Many licensed professionals have reportedly treated COVID-19 patients with it, and some have reported at least anecdotal evidence of efficacy. Another way to put it is that the usefulness of hydroxychloroquine remains a topic of open discussion and debate.
Twitter has decided that discussion and debate should not be happening, and is punishing anyone (even a news organization covering a third-party press conference), who in any way airs that discussion and debate. That is not Twitter’s “job.” And, in the end, it may be that Twitter is the one that has, by censorship and omission, effectively “spread” misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.
Are you an insider at Google, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or any other company who wants to confidentially blow the whistle on wrongdoing or political bias? Reach out to Allum Bokhari at allumbokhari@protonmail.com.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. His book #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election is out in September.


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--Derek Hunter: Democrats Sure Love a Funeral

Political rallies are a thing of the past , at least this year .
Conventions are not happening , not in any recognizable way at least .
But this reality hasn ’ t stopped Democrats from having a slice of both , only it comes with a side of death .
More accurately , death comes with an opportunity to have a rally or a convention-esque speech .
It ’ s pretty sick , actually .
There are states that have allowed their entire population fewer funerals with fewer attendees than either George Floyd or John Lewis had .
Nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure their families miss them dearly , but there are bodies in refrigerator trucks that can ’ t be claimed by family members because of state-imposed restrictions .
Their families miss them dearly too , and would love , and need , to memorialize them as well .
It ’ s an important part of the grieving process .
Yet , they can ’ t , or at least can ’ t have more than a few people .
Who wants to be the person to tell family members they didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s funeral because a governor said there could only be 10 people there ?
Meanwhile , Floyd and Lewis were taken on tour , with Floyd receiving three services and Lewis six .
While they were allegedly subject to some restrictions , you ’ d be hard-pressed to spot them from the pictures and videos .
Again , it ’ s not their fault .
Each man likely had ideas of what they ’ d like their memorials to be ( Lewis more than Floyd ) , but why did they get exemptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a member of Congress , so under normal circumstances a week ’ s worth of events across several states wouldn ’ t be out of the ordinary .
Floyd was an unknown with a less than clean past , to put it politely .
The likelihood of his memorial filling one church was a longshot , let alone three services in three different states .
But these aren ’ t ordinary times , and those things happened anyway .
They happened because Democrats were able to exploit them .
Noted Democrats , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while he was alive , eulogized Floyd like they grew up together or he ’ d cured cancer .
At two of the memorials , Al Sharpton gave a speech that you could have heard at the Democratic National Convention if there was one .
Why would a race-hustling , progressive grifter who ’ d never met him be chosen to speak at two memorials if not for political reasons ?
Joe Biden showed up at the memorial in Houston , on video at least ( his handlers likely didn ’ t trust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Why would a former vice president submit a video ?
At least it was , unlike Sharpton ’ s performances , non-political ( in content anyway ; him doing it was plainly political ) .
Still , inappropriate .
Even though invited by the family ( more likely an idea planted by Sharpton or some other partisan hack manipulating the family ; because who ’ d think to invite Joe Biden ? )
a normal person would have felt weird and politely declined .
The Lewis funeral was different in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew him .
Even there , the left-wing ’ s inability to be appropriate for the moment could not be contained .
When pursuing political power is your life , everything is political .
Former President Barack Obama spent a chunk of his eulogy attacking President Trump because why not ?
Obama was always given credit for being things he was not , and he was regularly called a good and decent human being .
So telling the world that black people somehow can ’ t get a photo ID , among other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the case of Obama , Lewis likely would have approved of partisanship dripping from the pulpit .
Lewis was as partisan as people come .
When Democrats were ramming through Obamacare , Lewis claimed to have been called the N-word by Tea Party protesters in his walk through a crowd to cast his vote .
Every step of that walk was filmed , and Andrew Breitbart offered a $ 100,000 reward to anyone who could prove anyone had said it .
To this day , that reward remains unclaimed .
Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt to help Democrats during his life , so why wouldn ’ t he embrace more lies after he died for the same end ?
Some people love a parade ; Democrats love a funeral .
In 2002 , the memorial service for Senator Paul Wellstone , who died in a plane crash , turned into such a disgraceful partisan rally that his former staffers ultimately apologized for it .
The only difference between then and now is Democrats are done apologizing for exploiting death and have become rather shameless about it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ convention and the media coverage that comes with it , any gathering will do .
And if you ’ re a shameless hack willing to do anything to obtain political power and there just happens to be a casket there , so be it .
Derek Hunter is the host of a free daily podcast ( subscribe ! )
, host of a daily radio show on WCBM in Maryland , and author of the book , Outrage , INC. , which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DerekAHunter and on Parler at @ DerekHunter .

Political rallies are a thing of the past, at least this year. Conventions are not happening, not in any recognizable way at least. But this reality hasn’t stopped Democrats from having a slice of both, only it comes with a side of death. More accurately, death comes with an opportunity to have a rally or a convention-esque speech. It’s pretty sick, actually.
There are states that have allowed their entire population fewer funerals with fewer attendees than either George Floyd or John Lewis had. Nothing against either man. I’m sure their families miss them dearly, but there are bodies in refrigerator trucks that can’t be claimed by family members because of state-imposed restrictions. Their families miss them dearly too, and would love, and need, to memorialize them as well. It’s an important part of the grieving process.
Yet, they can’t, or at least can’t have more than a few people. Who wants to be the person to tell family members they didn’t make the cut for attending grandma’s funeral because a governor said there could only be 10 people there?
Meanwhile, Floyd and Lewis were taken on tour, with Floyd receiving three services and Lewis six. While they were allegedly subject to some restrictions, you’d be hard-pressed to spot them from the pictures and videos.
Again, it’s not their fault. Each man likely had ideas of what they’d like their memorials to be (Lewis more than Floyd), but why did they get exemptions?
Lewis was a civil rights leader and a member of Congress, so under normal circumstances a week’s worth of events across several states wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. Floyd was an unknown with a less than clean past, to put it politely. The likelihood of his memorial filling one church was a longshot, let alone three services in three different states. But these aren’t ordinary times, and those things happened anyway.
They happened because Democrats were able to exploit them. Noted Democrats, who did nothing that helped George Floyd while he was alive, eulogized Floyd like they grew up together or he’d cured cancer. At two of the memorials, Al Sharpton gave a speech that you could have heard at the Democratic National Convention if there was one. Why would a race-hustling, progressive grifter who’d never met him be chosen to speak at two memorials if not for political reasons?
Joe Biden showed up at the memorial in Houston, on video at least (his handlers likely didn’t trust him to deliver a speech in person). Why would a former vice president submit a video? At least it was, unlike Sharpton’s performances, non-political (in content anyway; him doing it was plainly political). Still, inappropriate. Even though invited by the family (more likely an idea planted by Sharpton or some other partisan hack manipulating the family; because who’d think to invite Joe Biden?) a normal person would have felt weird and politely declined.
The Lewis funeral was different in that the people who spoke of him actually knew him. Even there, the left-wing’s inability to be appropriate for the moment could not be contained. When pursuing political power is your life, everything is political.
Former President Barack Obama spent a chunk of his eulogy attacking President Trump because why not? Obama was always given credit for being things he was not, and he was regularly called a good and decent human being. So telling the world that black people somehow can’t get a photo ID, among other standard liberal tropes, was not surprising.
In the case of Obama, Lewis likely would have approved of partisanship dripping from the pulpit. Lewis was as partisan as people come. When Democrats were ramming through Obamacare, Lewis claimed to have been called the N-word by Tea Party protesters in his walk through a crowd to cast his vote. Every step of that walk was filmed, and Andrew Breitbart offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who could prove anyone had said it. To this day, that reward remains unclaimed.
Lewis lied and smeared innocent Americans in an attempt to help Democrats during his life, so why wouldn’t he embrace more lies after he died for the same end?
Some people love a parade; Democrats love a funeral. In 2002, the memorial service for Senator Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash, turned into such a disgraceful partisan rally that his former staffers ultimately apologized for it. The only difference between then and now is Democrats are done apologizing for exploiting death and have become rather shameless about it. When you can’t have a convention and the media coverage that comes with it, any gathering will do. And if you’re a shameless hack willing to do anything to obtain political power and there just happens to be a casket there, so be it.
Derek Hunter is the host of a free daily podcast (subscribe!), host of a daily radio show on WCBM in Maryland, and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekAHunter and on Parler at @DerekHunter.


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--Daniel Horowitz: Lost Common Sense – How America Lived Through the Asian Flu of 1957

Horowitz : Lost common sense : How America lived through the Asian flu of 1957 “ Let us all keep a cool head about Asian influenza as the statistics on the spread and the virulence of the disease begin to accumulate.
” ~New York Times editorial , Sept. 17 , 1957 “ So , what was it like to live through the Asian flu of 1957 ?
” I recently asked my father .
“ What ’ s the Asian flu ?
” replied my father , who was in second grade at the time .
“ Well , do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1968 ?
” I followed up , thinking that surely he ’ d remember something that killed around 100,000 people ( the equivalent of 160,000 today ) when he was in college and very news-savvy .
“ I remember the riots in ’ 68 and the oil crisis in the ’ 70s , but don ’ t recall anything about flus.
” Try this social experiment on anyone who lived through the 1950s and 1960s , or try it on yourself if you are a Baby Boomer or older .
You likely don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life nor any trauma-induced fear and panic .
That is because there wasn ’ t any disruption .
The 1957 Asian flu , a form of H2N2 influenza that is believed to have originated in China , is estimated to have killed 116,000 Americans , the equivalent of roughly 200,000 in today ’ s larger America .
Given that an estimated 25 percent of the entire country contracted that flu and a much larger share suffered from strong symptoms , one has to wonder what the recorded death toll would have been had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as liberally as we do today .
For even greater context , keep in mind that there were only about 4.9 million people over the age of 75 back then , as compared to 23 million today .
So , while the general population was slightly more than half of what it is today , the over-75 population was approximately one-fifth of what it is today .
The over-90 population was 1/12 of today ’ s advanced senior population .
Accordingly , the death toll in 1957 was even more severe than with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seniors we have today .
After all , the median age of death from COVID-19 is 78 , roughly around life expectancy , with roughly half of all deaths occurring among sicker seniors in nursing homes .
Another more dangerous aspect of the Asian flu as compared to COVID-19 is that it seemed to be more dangerous to pregnant women and to cause birth defects , similar to what was observed during the Spanish flu .
A study published in Minnesota in 1959 found that nearly 20 % of deaths that occurred during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making it the leading cause of death for pregnant women during those months .
One-half of all women of child-bearing age who died during the epidemic were pregnant .
Imagine the panic that would have induced today !
It ’ s not that our government wasn ’ t concerned at all about the Asian flu .
After the virus raged on through the summer of 1957 , a vaccine was produced , and by September 11 , 1.8 million doses were delivered to the military and 3.6 million to the general population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines , was partially successful , but people continued to die for several more months and , on a smaller scale , for years to come until the Asian flu mutated into the H3N2 Hong Kong flu in 1968 .
The government and the people understood that medical care and vaccines work , but there was never a thought to shut down people ’ s lives , and nobody ever thought that humans could stop the spread of the actual virus .
Hence , few remember living through it .
During the onset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) in 2009 , D.A .
Henderson , the former dean of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health , who is widely credited with helping to eradicate smallpox , co-authored an analysis of the public response to the 1957 flu in an attempt to draw parallels and glean some lessons in preparing a response to the swine flu .
He noted that the 1957 epidemic began early in the year in Asia , particularly targeting those with pre-existing conditions for the most deadly cases , and eventually infected 25 percent of the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemed to spread widely , but much as with COVID-19 , the attack rate on naval ships was 18 % -45 % , implying some people had some degree of inherent immunity , as indicated by the fact that “ family members of patients returning from infected camps or conference centers seldom were infected despite their close contact with the cases.
” Thus , much as with COVID-19 , it seemed to be very contagious but also inexplicably hit a brick wall with some people .
He also observed , “ Serological surveys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influenza illness showed serological evidence of infection.
” That sounds very similar to our asymptomatic phenomenon , although it seems that many more young adults and children suffered acute flu-like symptoms with the Asian flu than they do with this virus .
As the summer wore on , policymakers , many of whom had lived through the Spanish flu as children , understood the need to focus on vaccines and medical care .
With a greater capacity to develop vaccines and with the advent of antibiotics , they realized that the proper targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mitigating deaths , because for most people , this was just like a seasonal flu .
In a gathering of public health officials in Washington in late August , the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers ( ASTHO ) resolved to focus on “ prevention , which in the absence of effective means to stop the spread of infection [ , ] resolves itself into an immunization program.
” Also , rather than panicking everyone and counting every last case in the country , they “ recommended that ‘ hospital admissions be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases of influenza with complications , or to those with other diseases which might be aggravated by influenza.
’ ” Health officials understood what our leaders today clearly don ’ t , which is that for a virus that targets only certain people with serious complications or death and is broadly mild ( and today , downright asymptomatic ) in most others , the worst thing you can do is treat every case like a serious case , needlessly stressing medical care , and risk spreading the virus in hospitals to vulnerable people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other ailments and chronic conditions .
It was all about treatment where it was needed and developing a vaccine for the vulnerable .
What about the ability to arrest the virus through superstitious Middle Ages rituals like virtue-signaling mask-wearing and social isolation of the healthy with the sick ?
As Henderson et al .
observed : “ At the meeting , ASTHO also stated that ‘ there is no practical advantage in the closing of schools or the curtailment of public gatherings as it relates to the spread of this disease [ emphasis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognition that they saw no practical means for limiting the spread of infection.
” The epidemic spread through the country throughout the fall until the excess deaths leveled off in mid-December and then seemed to jump slightly later in the winter .
Unlike with COVID-19 , although children rarely died from the Asian flu , they appeared to get sick and contribute to mass spreading .
“ It was estimated that over 60 % of students had clinical illnesses during the autumn , ” writes Henderson et al .
In fact , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absence of protective antibody among children and young and middle-aged adults , ” unlike today , where older people seem to have less immunity to the virus .
Yet , despite the high percentage of absenteeism in a lot of city schools , the schools were never shut .
The surgeon general said the epidemic was “ not alarming ” and estimated that the fatality rate was no more than two-thirds of 1 % .
By contrast , in most areas of the country today , the fatality rate from COVID-19 appears to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and in some places , significantly lower .
Henderson ’ s paper further observes that hospitals were often crowded but there was always enough surge capacity to deal with the patients .
“ The Maryland State Department of Health , which appointed an Influenza Advisory Committee in June 1957 , referred to pandemic cases as being ‘ mild diseases , ’ noting that the virus ‘ does not cause more serious illness than other types of flu—it simply affects more people.
’ ” In a dynamic related to today ’ s predicament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made to close down the economy and quarantine people .
“ Quarantine was not considered to be an effective mitigation strategy and was ‘ obviously useless because of the large number of travelers and the frequency of mild or inapparent cases.
’ ” Sound familiar ?
Except today , we are doing the opposite .
“ Closing schools and limiting public gatherings were not recommended as strategies to mitigate the pandemic ’ s impact , except for administrative reasons due to high levels of absenteeism…In early October , the Nassau County Health Commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools should stay open even in an epidemic ’ and that ‘ children would get sick just as easily out of school.
’ ” Sound familiar ?
Most of the transmission occurring at home ?
And again , back then , kids got sicker from the Asian flu and transmitted it more than they do SARS-CoV-2 .
When I bring up the 1957 example , some have challenged me by suggesting the situation back then wasn ’ t so dire as to warrant lockdown because they produced a vaccine early on .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too little , too late ” because it was only available to 17 % of the population , was only 60 % effective , and wound up circulating after the virus had already peaked .
“ Given the limited amount of vaccine available and the fact that it was not more than 60 % effective , it is apparent that vaccine had no appreciable effect on the trend of the pandemic.
” The paper closes with the following 30,000-foot overview of the Asian flu response : Remember , this is with 25 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a few months ( equivalent to 110 million today ) and a larger share of those people suffering a serious , if not deadly , case of the flu , including children and young adults .
While the health system was certainly much better than it was during the pre-antibiotics era of the 1918 Spanish flu , it was primitive compared to today ’ s standards .
Yet , we managed and thrived .
“ The overall impact on GDP was negligible and likely within the range of normal economic variation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have back then were mass media , social media , and the incurable virus of evidence-free panic propagation to induce an epidemic of fear and paranoia .
While this current virus is worse than recent flu-like epidemics this generation , it is much more in line with the 1957 Asian flu and its sister , the 1968 Hong Kong flu .
If you lived during the time , you most assuredly remember Woodstock , which occurred during the peak of the Hong Kong flu , but you are unlikely to remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years prior to writing his analysis on the 1957 epidemic , Henderson co-authored a paper in which he observed , “ There are no historical observations or scientific studies that support the confinement by quarantine of groups of possibly infected people for extended periods in order to slow the spread of influenza.
” Thus , from 1957 until fairly recently – before the medical profession was politicized – they all understood that we lack the ability to stop the spread of a flu-like virus .
The best we can do is treat it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Experience has shown that communities faced with epidemics or other adverse events respond best and with the least anxiety when the normal social functioning of the community is least disrupted.
” What a shame that Henderson and the common sense that defined America until recently are no longer living .

"Let us all keep a cool head about Asian influenza as the statistics on the spread and the virulence of the disease begin to accumulate." ~New York Times editorial, Sept. 17, 1957
"So, what was it like to live through the Asian flu of 1957?" I recently asked my father.
"What's the Asian flu?" replied my father, who was in second grade at the time.
"Well, do you remember the Hong Kong flu of 1968?" I followed up, thinking that surely he'd remember something that killed around 100,000 people (the equivalent of 160,000 today) when he was in college and very news-savvy.
"I remember the riots in '68 and the oil crisis in the '70s, but don't recall anything about flus."
Try this social experiment on anyone who lived through the 1950s and 1960s, or try it on yourself if you are a Baby Boomer or older. You likely don't recall any disruption in your life nor any trauma-induced fear and panic. That is because there wasn't any disruption.
The 1957 Asian flu, a form of H2N2 influenza that is believed to have originated in China, is estimated to have killed 116,000 Americans, the equivalent of roughly 200,000 in today's larger America. Given that an estimated 25 percent of the entire country contracted that flu and a much larger share suffered from strong symptoms, one has to wonder what the recorded death toll would have been had we tested everyone and counted those deaths as liberally as we do today.
For even greater context, keep in mind that there were only about 4.9 million people over the age of 75 back then, as compared to 23 million today. So, while the general population was slightly more than half of what it is today, the over-75 population was approximately one-fifth of what it is today. The over-90 population was 1/12 of today's advanced senior population. Accordingly, the death toll in 1957 was even more severe than with COVID-19 when one considers how many more seniors we have today. After all, the median age of death from COVID-19 is 78, roughly around life expectancy, with roughly half of all deaths occurring among sicker seniors in nursing homes.
Another more dangerous aspect of the Asian flu as compared to COVID-19 is that it seemed to be more dangerous to pregnant women and to cause birth defects, similar to what was observed during the Spanish flu. A study published in Minnesota in 1959 found that nearly 20% of deaths that occurred during pregnancy were due to the 1957-58 epidemic, making it the leading cause of death for pregnant women during those months. One-half of all women of child-bearing age who died during the epidemic were pregnant. Imagine the panic that would have induced today!
It's not that our government wasn't concerned at all about the Asian flu. After the virus raged on through the summer of 1957, a vaccine was produced, and by September 11, 1.8 million doses were delivered to the military and 3.6 million to the general population. The vaccine, like all flu vaccines, was partially successful, but people continued to die for several more months and, on a smaller scale, for years to come until the Asian flu mutated into the H3N2 Hong Kong flu in 1968. The government and the people understood that medical care and vaccines work, but there was never a thought to shut down people's lives, and nobody ever thought that humans could stop the spread of the actual virus. Hence, few remember living through it.
During the onset of the H1N1 pandemic (swine flu) in 2009, D.A. Henderson, the former dean of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, who is widely credited with helping to eradicate smallpox, co-authored an analysis of the public response to the 1957 flu in an attempt to draw parallels and glean some lessons in preparing a response to the swine flu. He noted that the 1957 epidemic began early in the year in Asia, particularly targeting those with pre-existing conditions for the most deadly cases, and eventually infected 25 percent of the U.S. population in the fall.
The virus seemed to spread widely, but much as with COVID-19, the attack rate on naval ships was 18%-45%, implying some people had some degree of inherent immunity, as indicated by the fact that "family members of patients returning from infected camps or conference centers seldom were infected despite their close contact with the cases." Thus, much as with COVID-19, it seemed to be very contagious but also inexplicably hit a brick wall with some people. He also observed, "Serological surveys revealed that half of those reporting no influenza illness showed serological evidence of infection." That sounds very similar to our asymptomatic phenomenon, although it seems that many more young adults and children suffered acute flu-like symptoms with the Asian flu than they do with this virus.
As the summer wore on, policymakers, many of whom had lived through the Spanish flu as children, understood the need to focus on vaccines and medical care. With a greater capacity to develop vaccines and with the advent of antibiotics, they realized that the proper targeted treatment to the vulnerable was key to mitigating deaths, because for most people, this was just like a seasonal flu. In a gathering of public health officials in Washington in late August, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO) resolved to focus on "prevention, which in the absence of effective means to stop the spread of infection[,] resolves itself into an immunization program."
Also, rather than panicking everyone and counting every last case in the country, they "recommended that 'hospital admissions be limited as far as possible to those cases of influenza with complications, or to those with other diseases which might be aggravated by influenza.'"
Health officials understood what our leaders today clearly don't, which is that for a virus that targets only certain people with serious complications or death and is broadly mild (and today, downright asymptomatic) in most others, the worst thing you can do is treat every case like a serious case, needlessly stressing medical care, and risk spreading the virus in hospitals to vulnerable people who are already there, often for other ailments and chronic conditions. It was all about treatment where it was needed and developing a vaccine for the vulnerable.
What about the ability to arrest the virus through superstitious Middle Ages rituals like virtue-signaling mask-wearing and social isolation of the healthy with the sick?
As Henderson et al. observed: "At the meeting, ASTHO also stated that 'there is no practical advantage in the closing of schools or the curtailment of public gatherings as it relates to the spread of this disease [emphasis added].' This was in recognition that they saw no practical means for limiting the spread of infection."
The epidemic spread through the country throughout the fall until the excess deaths leveled off in mid-December and then seemed to jump slightly later in the winter. Unlike with COVID-19, although children rarely died from the Asian flu, they appeared to get sick and contribute to mass spreading. "It was estimated that over 60% of students had clinical illnesses during the autumn," writes Henderson et al. In fact, he notes that there was a "complete absence of protective antibody among children and young and middle-aged adults," unlike today, where older people seem to have less immunity to the virus.
Yet, despite the high percentage of absenteeism in a lot of city schools, the schools were never shut. The surgeon general said the epidemic was "not alarming" and estimated that the fatality rate was no more than two-thirds of 1%. By contrast, in most areas of the country today, the fatality rate from COVID-19 appears to be closer to 0.2%-0.3%, and in some places, significantly lower.
Henderson's paper further observes that hospitals were often crowded but there was always enough surge capacity to deal with the patients. "The Maryland State Department of Health, which appointed an Influenza Advisory Committee in June 1957, referred to pandemic cases as being 'mild diseases,' noting that the virus 'does not cause more serious illness than other types of flu—it simply affects more people.'"
In a dynamic related to today's predicament, Henderson notes that no efforts were made to close down the economy and quarantine people. "Quarantine was not considered to be an effective mitigation strategy and was 'obviously useless because of the large number of travelers and the frequency of mild or inapparent cases.'"
Sound familiar? Except today, we are doing the opposite.
"Closing schools and limiting public gatherings were not recommended as strategies to mitigate the pandemic's impact, except for administrative reasons due to high levels of absenteeism…In early October, the Nassau County Health Commissioner in New York stated that 'public schools should stay open even in an epidemic' and that 'children would get sick just as easily out of school.'"
Sound familiar? Most of the transmission occurring at home? And again, back then, kids got sicker from the Asian flu and transmitted it more than they do SARS-CoV-2.
When I bring up the 1957 example, some have challenged me by suggesting the situation back then wasn't so dire as to warrant lockdown because they produced a vaccine early on. However, Henderson contends that it was "too little, too late" because it was only available to 17% of the population, was only 60% effective, and wound up circulating after the virus had already peaked. "Given the limited amount of vaccine available and the fact that it was not more than 60% effective, it is apparent that vaccine had no appreciable effect on the trend of the pandemic."
The paper closes with the following 30,000-foot overview of the Asian flu response:
The 1957-58 pandemic was such a rapidly spreading disease that it became quickly apparent to U.S. health officials that efforts to stop or slow its spread were futile. Thus, no efforts were made to quarantine individuals or groups, and a deliberate decision was made not to cancel or postpone large meetings such as conferences, church gatherings, or athletic events for the purpose of reducing transmission. No attempt was made to limit travel or to otherwise screen travelers. Emphasis was placed on providing medical care to those who were afflicted and on sustaining the continued functioning of community and health services. The febrile, respiratory illness brought large numbers of patients to clinics, doctors' offices, and emergency rooms, but a relatively small percentage of those infected required hospitalization.
Remember, this is with 25% of the population getting the virus within just a few months (equivalent to 110 million today) and a larger share of those people suffering a serious, if not deadly, case of the flu, including children and young adults. While the health system was certainly much better than it was during the pre-antibiotics era of the 1918 Spanish flu, it was primitive compared to today's standards. Yet, we managed and thrived. "The overall impact on GDP was negligible and likely within the range of normal economic variation," notes Henderson.
What we didn't have back then were mass media, social media, and the incurable virus of evidence-free panic propagation to induce an epidemic of fear and paranoia. While this current virus is worse than recent flu-like epidemics this generation, it is much more in line with the 1957 Asian flu and its sister, the 1968 Hong Kong flu. If you lived during the time, you most assuredly remember Woodstock, which occurred during the peak of the Hong Kong flu, but you are unlikely to remember the epidemic.
In 2006, three years prior to writing his analysis on the 1957 epidemic, Henderson co-authored a paper in which he observed, "There are no historical observations or scientific studies that support the confinement by quarantine of groups of possibly infected people for extended periods in order to slow the spread of influenza." Thus, from 1957 until fairly recently – before the medical profession was politicized – they all understood that we lack the ability to stop the spread of a flu-like virus. The best we can do is treat it without sowing panic. As Henderson warned, "Experience has shown that communities faced with epidemics or other adverse events respond best and with the least anxiety when the normal social functioning of the community is least disrupted."
What a shame that Henderson and the common sense that defined America until recently are no longer living.


bonginoreport--2020-08-02--John Hawkins: I Am Not a Woke American

John Hawkins: I Am Not a Woke American

This post is authored by John Hawkins I am not woke .
Not at all .
I don ’ t disrespect the flag , the anthem , or respect the people that do .
If you do disrespect our country , I don ’ t care what your business or your cause is because you and it can go straight to Hell .
Also , don ’ t add insult to injury by disrespecting the flag and then saying , “ Well , that ’ s not what it ’ s about.
” Of course , that ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly telling the world that you don ’ t like America to get attention for your cause .
You may be stupid , but everyone isn ’ t .
A country that has provided more opportunities for people than any other in history doesn ’ t deserve to be disrespected by pampered millionaire athletes , commie teachers , and anarchists living with mommy and daddy .
Along similar lines , what so many working Americans don ’ t deserve is a collection of politicians that are so weak and spineless that they let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and terrorize cities rather than allow the police to enforce law and order .
There ’ s not a police force in America that couldn ’ t have shut down these riots in 2-3 days tops if the politicians let them .
It ’ s fine to worry about police brutality , but a lack of police brutality when dealing with mobs and criminals running wild across the city is a bigger failing .
Bad cops need to go , but what about the other side of the equation ?
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , getting shot , and then we have people demanding that we give the benefit of the doubt to the criminal ?
If you are going to ask cops to put themselves in danger and deal with the worst people in our society on a daily basis , all while knowing that everyone from the politicians to the media are going to slant the truth to make them look like bad guys , then yes , they deserve the public ’ s support .
Some people don ’ t do that because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teaches kids that everything that made America successful in the first place from the Founding Fathers on is bad .
Our mainstream media is even worse .
You can ’ t take anything you read about politics and culture in the New York Times , Washington Post , or CNN at face value because pushing a woke narrative is more important than the truth .
“ News ” isn ’ t about the facts anymore ; it ’ s about pushing an ideology and everything else including the truth is secondary to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such an extent that people regularly fake hate crimes to get attention .
Our social media giants are one giant hate factory that divides us and amplifies the worst human instincts we have .
It ’ s a toxic soup that is eating through everything that made America a great country in the first place .
The Coronavirus hasn ’ t helped , but it has revealed how deeply dysfunctional our country has become .
Woke politicians locked whole states down , whether areas were highly infected or had no one infected and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They also harassed people going to church , told people they couldn ’ t see their dying parents in the hospital and ruined small businesses .
But then when the woke wanted to protest by the thousands , these same little tin gods gave it the thumbs up and called it , “ science.
” Wokeness has made everything political , even preventing a virus from killing people .
There was a time when American culture was the answer to all the world ’ s problems .
A time when if every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our work ethic , our belief in capitalism , and in freedom , that it would have made the world into a paradise .
Today , no country in their right mind would want to copy America ’ s woke culture .
It ’ s as dysfunctional as any place on earth and maybe worse because poor and backward nations have an excuse while the woke among us are acting like babied rich kids running daddy ’ s factory into the ground because they never saw it as anything other than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes from freedom , entrepreneurship , a Protestant work ethic , and genuinely good people .
Woke culture is about censorship and asking other people to pay your way instead of working along with hating your own country and people that aren ’ t woke .
It ’ s Stage 4 societal cancer and the further it spreads , the less likely it is that our society will survive long-term .
When the woke mob are behaving like children in the streets , you don ’ t give them what they want by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or generally trying to make them happy .
You protect law-abiding citizens ; you enforce the law and you show them that their tactics are counterproductive .
Stop rewarding the sick , selfish behavior of people that don ’ t know what gender they are , but definitely know how to rewrite our whole society based on what they learned in their women ’ s studies classes .
Stand up , speak out , and fight back instead of letting spoiled brats try to tear down everything Americans have built over generations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s website Brass Pills , is the author of 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know and you can find him on Parler here .

I am not woke. Not at all.
I don’t disrespect the flag, the anthem, or respect the people that do. If you do disrespect our country, I don’t care what your business or your cause is because you and it can go straight to Hell. Also, don’t add insult to injury by disrespecting the flag and then saying, “Well, that’s not what it’s about.” Of course, that’s what it’s about. You are publicly telling the world that you don’t like America to get attention for your cause. You may be stupid, but everyone isn’t. A country that has provided more opportunities for people than any other in history doesn’t deserve to be disrespected by pampered millionaire athletes, commie teachers, and anarchists living with mommy and daddy.
Along similar lines, what so many working Americans don’t deserve is a collection of politicians that are so weak and spineless that they let mobs loot stores, burn police stations, and terrorize cities rather than allow the police to enforce law and order. There’s not a police force in America that couldn’t have shut down these riots in 2-3 days tops if the politicians let them. It’s fine to worry about police brutality, but a lack of police brutality when dealing with mobs and criminals running wild across the city is a bigger failing. Bad cops need to go, but what about the other side of the equation? We have career criminals acting like maniacs around the police, getting shot, and then we have people demanding that we give the benefit of the doubt to the criminal? If you are going to ask cops to put themselves in danger and deal with the worst people in our society on a daily basis, all while knowing that everyone from the politicians to the media are going to slant the truth to make them look like bad guys, then yes, they deserve the public’s support.
Some people don’t do that because our school system is broken. It teaches kids that everything that made America successful in the first place from the Founding Fathers on is bad. Our mainstream media is even worse. You can’t take anything you read about politics and culture in the New York Times, Washington Post, or CNN at face value because pushing a woke narrative is more important than the truth. “News” isn’t about the facts anymore; it’s about pushing an ideology and everything else including the truth is secondary to that. Our culture has glorified victimhood to such an extent that people regularly fake hate crimes to get attention. Our social media giants are one giant hate factory that divides us and amplifies the worst human instincts we have. It’s a toxic soup that is eating through everything that made America a great country in the first place.
The Coronavirus hasn’t helped, but it has revealed how deeply dysfunctional our country has become. Woke politicians locked whole states down, whether areas were highly infected or had no one infected and they crippled our economy in the process. They also harassed people going to church, told people they couldn’t see their dying parents in the hospital and ruined small businesses. But then when the woke wanted to protest by the thousands, these same little tin gods gave it the thumbs up and called it, “science.” Wokeness has made everything political, even preventing a virus from killing people.
There was a time when American culture was the answer to all the world’s problems. A time when if every nation on earth had adopted our morals, our work ethic, our belief in capitalism, and in freedom, that it would have made the world into a paradise. Today, no country in their right mind would want to copy America’s woke culture. It’s as dysfunctional as any place on earth and maybe worse because poor and backward nations have an excuse while the woke among us are acting like babied rich kids running daddy’s factory into the ground because they never saw it as anything other than a wallet. The greatness in American culture comes from freedom, entrepreneurship, a Protestant work ethic, and genuinely good people. Woke culture is about censorship and asking other people to pay your way instead of working along with hating your own country and people that aren’t woke. It’s Stage 4 societal cancer and the further it spreads, the less likely it is that our society will survive long-term.
When the woke mob are behaving like children in the streets, you don’t give them what they want by taking down statues, weakening police forces, or generally trying to make them happy. You protect law-abiding citizens; you enforce the law and you show them that their tactics are counterproductive. Stop rewarding the sick, selfish behavior of people that don’t know what gender they are, but definitely know how to rewrite our whole society based on what they learned in their women’s studies classes. Stand up, speak out, and fight back instead of letting spoiled brats try to tear down everything Americans have built over generations.
John Hawkins runs the men’s website Brass Pills, is the author of 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know and you can find him on Parler here.


bonginoreport--2020-08-03--American Troops Pulled From Germany as NATO Falters

The first troop reductions in Germany under President Donald Trump ’ s order have taken place , and many in the national security community are aghast , even The Wall Street Journal .
The President based his decision on Germany ’ s failure to contribute adequately to NATO defense , flouting an agreed on 2 % ( of GDP ) threshold for national defense contributions , but the story – like the alliance – is more complicated .
NATO requires consensus .
The validity of the alliance hangs on whether states would be willing to approve a military response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Without it , the U.S. would lack the ability to use NATO airfields in Germany , Italy , Turkey , and the UK .
It would not have permission for ground forces to transit much of western Europe .
Today , Germany ’ s military is a shambles .
It has few operational tanks , not very many aircraft , and a navy in serious decline .
But the Germans really don ’ t care .
Because Germany is Russia ’ s biggest paying customer for natural gas , Berlin believes there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bother it .
If there is a threat to outliers such as Poland or the Baltic States , Germany is far from committed to responding .
There is a strong likelihood that Germany would veto any NATO response to a ( highly unlikely ) Russian aggression outside of a direct attack on Germany itself .
If Germany uses its veto , France and Italy will likely align with it .
So too would Turkey , increasingly estranged from NATO .
Thus , even without any troop pullback by the United States , NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collective security alliance .
Objectively , the U.S. is a nuclear power with a weakened conventional defense capability .
Years of wasteful wars in Iraq , Afghanistan , and other hotspots have worn out conventional U.S. hardware ( aircraft , ships , tanks , artillery ) , reduced our stockpile of munitions , especially smart weapons , and made many of our warfighters bitter about being in conflicts that sap lives and offer no compensation in victory .
From a defense planner ’ s perspective , any engagement of U.S. forces in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces , and seriously weaken our already short-handed response to China ’ s growing power and assertiveness .
A good analyst would argue to rebuild our forces over the next two decades before America gets into any more quagmires or engages a major power .
This means that hanging onto the status quo and selective enhancements is about the best the U.S. can do in the middle future to protect our vital security interests .
And , indeed , that is what the administration ’ s 2021 Defense Budget document calls for .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was originally set up ; collective defense was not one of them .
It was patently obvious the U.S. would provide the bulk of any effort to protect Europe .
The others would do what they could , which was never much .
The initial reason for NATO was to form an ironclad alliance to prevent Europeans from starting World War III .
The American troop presence in Europe blocked Germany from being a hostile and dangerous aggressive power , as it was after World War I when a peace settlement failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after World War II when in the U.S. army was the bulwark against another Hitler .
The second reason for NATO was to stop Russia from being even more greedy and , to a degree , to cover up President Franklin Roosevelt ’ s decision to acquiesce in Russia ’ s domination of Eastern Europe .
What changed the equation was that the American nuclear umbrella ceased to be unilateral when Russia exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949 .
In the period from the 1960s through the 1980s , there developed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would use its nuclear arsenal to defend against Russia .
In large measure , European suspicions were correct — which explains France ’ s Force de Frappe and the UK ’ s nuclear bombs and missile-firing nuclear submarines .
( Even the Germans and the Italians wanted nuclear weapons but withered under U.S. pressure and backed off .
Instead , they sold their nuclear technology to Iraq , Pakistan , Syria , Iran , and others . )
Today , the danger of a general war on the continent still deters Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But a nuclear deterrent probably is meaningless in smaller land grab operations , most of which are almost impossible to prevent .
One reason Russia occupies about 20 percent of Georgia , and Ukraine is being swallowed in chunks , is that no one in Europe , or the United States , is willing – or able ?
– to pay a real price to stop Vladimir Putin .
In practical terms , the U.S. should worry less about NATO and instead see what it can do to bolster at least some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
At the same time , the U.S. has to be cautious that in doing so it is not put into a costly and risky trap .
The best candidate for defense is Poland because the Poles are making serious investments in their security and because they welcome bilateral cooperation with the U.S. as a bulwark against their traditional enemy , Russia .
While NATO is unlikely to support it in a crisis , the opposite is the case with the United States , although it won ’ t be simple .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europeans will reverse course , but there is little evidence the current crop of European leaders believes in NATO beyond lip service .
Under current conditions , then , NATO is reaching its end as a collective security system .
Given the nearly fatal condition of NATO , President Trump ’ s pullout of troops has no actual impact on the balance of forces in Europe .
But the decision sends a message to Western European countries that if they want to defend themselves , they had better get started .
Stephen Bryen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shoshana Bryen is Senior Director of The Jewish Policy Center and editor of inFOCUS Quarterly .
The Daily Wire is one of America ’ s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news , opinion , and entertainment .
Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member .

The first troop reductions in Germany under President Donald Trump’s order have taken place, and many in the national security community are aghast, even The Wall Street Journal.
The President based his decision on Germany’s failure to contribute adequately to NATO defense, flouting an agreed on 2% (of GDP) threshold for national defense contributions, but the story – like the alliance – is more complicated.
NATO requires consensus. The validity of the alliance hangs on whether states would be willing to approve a military response to a Russian action against any NATO member. Without it, the U.S. would lack the ability to use NATO airfields in Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the UK. It would not have permission for ground forces to transit much of western Europe.
Today, Germany’s military is a shambles. It has few operational tanks, not very many aircraft, and a navy in serious decline. But the Germans really don’t care. Because Germany is Russia’s biggest paying customer for natural gas, Berlin believes there is no incentive for the Russians to bother it.
If there is a threat to outliers such as Poland or the Baltic States, Germany is far from committed to responding. There is a strong likelihood that Germany would veto any NATO response to a (highly unlikely) Russian aggression outside of a direct attack on Germany itself. If Germany uses its veto, France and Italy will likely align with it. So too would Turkey, increasingly estranged from NATO.
Thus, even without any troop pullback by the United States, NATO has reached a precarious point as a collective security alliance.
Objectively, the U.S. is a nuclear power with a weakened conventional defense capability. Years of wasteful wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hotspots have worn out conventional U.S. hardware (aircraft, ships, tanks, artillery), reduced our stockpile of munitions, especially smart weapons, and made many of our warfighters bitter about being in conflicts that sap lives and offer no compensation in victory.
From a defense planner’s perspective, any engagement of U.S. forces in Europe might break the back of our armed forces, and seriously weaken our already short-handed response to China’s growing power and assertiveness. A good analyst would argue to rebuild our forces over the next two decades before America gets into any more quagmires or engages a major power. This means that hanging onto the status quo and selective enhancements is about the best the U.S. can do in the middle future to protect our vital security interests. And, indeed, that is what the administration’s 2021 Defense Budget document calls for.
There were two rationales for NATO when it was originally set up; collective defense was not one of them. It was patently obvious the U.S. would provide the bulk of any effort to protect Europe. The others would do what they could, which was never much.
The initial reason for NATO was to form an ironclad alliance to prevent Europeans from starting World War III. The American troop presence in Europe blocked Germany from being a hostile and dangerous aggressive power, as it was after World War I when a peace settlement failed to change its expansionist behavior, and after World War II when in the U.S. army was the bulwark against another Hitler.
The second reason for NATO was to stop Russia from being even more greedy and, to a degree, to cover up President Franklin Roosevelt’s decision to acquiesce in Russia’s domination of Eastern Europe.
What changed the equation was that the American nuclear umbrella ceased to be unilateral when Russia exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949. In the period from the 1960s through the 1980s, there developed in Europe an increasing skepticism that the U.S. would use its nuclear arsenal to defend against Russia. In large measure, European suspicions were correct — which explains France’s Force de Frappe and the UK’s nuclear bombs and missile-firing nuclear submarines. (Even the Germans and the Italians wanted nuclear weapons but withered under U.S. pressure and backed off. Instead, they sold their nuclear technology to Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, and others.)
Today, the danger of a general war on the continent still deters Russia, Europe, and the United States. But a nuclear deterrent probably is meaningless in smaller land grab operations, most of which are almost impossible to prevent. One reason Russia occupies about 20 percent of Georgia, and Ukraine is being swallowed in chunks, is that no one in Europe, or the United States, is willing – or able? – to pay a real price to stop Vladimir Putin.
In practical terms, the U.S. should worry less about NATO and instead see what it can do to bolster at least some of the most vulnerable and strategic post-communist European states. At the same time, the U.S. has to be cautious that in doing so it is not put into a costly and risky trap.
The best candidate for defense is Poland because the Poles are making serious investments in their security and because they welcome bilateral cooperation with the U.S. as a bulwark against their traditional enemy, Russia. While NATO is unlikely to support it in a crisis, the opposite is the case with the United States, although it won’t be simple.
There is always the chance that the Europeans will reverse course, but there is little evidence the current crop of European leaders believes in NATO beyond lip service. Under current conditions, then, NATO is reaching its end as a collective security system.
Given the nearly fatal condition of NATO, President Trump’s pullout of troops has no actual impact on the balance of forces in Europe. But the decision sends a message to Western European countries that if they want to defend themselves, they had better get started.
Stephen Bryen is a former high-ranking Pentagon official. Shoshana Bryen is Senior Director of The Jewish Policy Center and editor of inFOCUS Quarterly.


bonginoreport--2020-08-03--Mexico Captures Violent Cartel Leader

Mexico Captures Violent Cartel Leader

Mexican authorities arrested the top leader of a hyperviolent fuel-theft cartel that been waging a fierce turf war for control of key areas in Central Mexico .
The organization known as Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima ( CSRL ) is linked not only to gruesome mass killings but also to the use of improvised explosive devices and car bombs .
The arrest took place Saturday morning in the state of Guanajuato when state police forces and Mexican Army soldiers arrested Jose Antonio “ El Marro ” Yepez Ortiz and five other of his associates .
The arrest occurred during an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kidnapped businesswoman , state governor Diego Sinhue Rodriguez Vallejo announced on social media .
Authorities seized a weapons cache during the arrest that El Marro and his men kept at the house .
In recent weeks , the man known as El Marro went on the run after authorities arrested his parents and relatives in a series of raids .
As Breitbart Texas reported at the time , a tearful El Marro sent out a video threatening an all-out war for having touched his family .
CSRL actively fought with Mexico ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guanajuato and the region ’ s underground fuel market .
The fighting between the two organizations led to numerous mass killings and gruesome executions .
Unlike other criminal organizations , CSRL is primarily involved in the large-scale theft of fuel rather than drug trafficking .
However , the criminal organization made a name as one of Mexico ’ s most violent organizations .
The group is linked to the regular use of explosives in their attacks .
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas .
He co-founded Breitbart Texas ’ Cartel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Breitbart management .
You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook .
He can be contacted at Iortiz @ breitbart.com .
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas .
He co-founded Breitbart Texas ’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management .
Follow him on Twitter and Facebook .
He can be contacted at bdarby @ breitbart.com .

Mexican authorities arrested the top leader of a hyperviolent fuel-theft cartel that been waging a fierce turf war for control of key areas in Central Mexico. The organization known as Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) is linked not only to gruesome mass killings but also to the use of improvised explosive devices and car bombs.
The arrest took place Saturday morning in the state of Guanajuato when state police forces and Mexican Army soldiers arrested Jose Antonio “El Marro” Yepez Ortiz and five other of his associates. The arrest occurred during an early morning raid where they rescued a kidnapped businesswoman, state governor Diego Sinhue Rodriguez Vallejo announced on social media.
Authorities seized a weapons cache during the arrest that El Marro and his men kept at the house. In recent weeks, the man known as El Marro went on the run after authorities arrested his parents and relatives in a series of raids. As Breitbart Texas reported at the time, a tearful El Marro sent out a video threatening an all-out war for having touched his family.
CSRL actively fought with Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion for control of Guanajuato and the region’s underground fuel market. The fighting between the two organizations led to numerous mass killings and gruesome executions. Unlike other criminal organizations,CSRL is primarily involved in the large-scale theft of fuel rather than drug trafficking. However, the criminal organization made a name as one of Mexico’s most violent organizations. The group is linked to the regular use of explosives in their attacks.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.