veteranstoday--2020-06-27--Ex-National security Republicans bailing out on Trump

Group of Republicans , Who Claim Trump is a ‘ National Security Risk ’ , Set to Endorse Biden – Report [ Editor ’ s Note : The tom toms are drumming as various anti-Trump war parties begin to put their war paint on leading up to the Republican convention .
The initial seeding for this move began with the 4-star generals coming out with Trump being a ‘ Divider-in-Chief ’ .
That was followed by the ex-Defense department officials , and later the ex-Justice department ones calling for Attorney General Barr ’ s resignation .
This is an unprecedented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans and the VFW black legions tried their coup on Roosevelt that fizzled .
I sense a similar group of ex-Justice Department prosecutors might be doing something similar .
Glenn Kirschner seems to be the point man on this effort now .
Here is a sample , as he talks about what needs to be AFTER Trump loses , to put a wooden stake into the heart of the monster .
This is worth six minutes to watch .
No former prosecutor , ( 30 years with army JAG and then a DC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentioned what he does here .
We have a ‘ brotha of a different color ’ here .
Kirschner just came onto my radar over the past week .
He has a niche YouTube audience with 70K subscribers and is doing these almost daily , so I will be bringing some over .
This is not a VT guy , yet , but he is a fellow traveler… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for helping .
Click to donate > > A number of Republicans who previously served as US national security officials under Presidents Ronald Reagan , George H.W .
Bush , and George W. Bush are currently forming a coalition to publicly back Joe Biden in the upcoming election , anonymous sources familiar with the matter told Reuters .
The group will reportedly include “ at least two dozen officials ” who will publicly oppose Donald Trump ’ s re-election bid , suggesting that it would “ endanger ” US national security .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-authored by two former staffers in the George W. Bush administration : John Bellinger III , former legal adviser to the National Security Council and State Department , and Ken Wainstein , the 43rd president ’ s homeland security adviser .
Robert Blackwill , who served as US Ambassador to India from 2001 to 2003 and US National Security Council Deputy for Iraq from 2003 to 2004 , is also reportedly expected to join the group .
All three former officials have previously publicly opposed Donald Trump ’ s candidacy .
Some other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security matters , may also take part in the initiative , sources say .
The group ’ s public endorsement of Biden is expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks , possibly after the Democratic National Convention in August , when the former US vice president will be formally endorsed as the Democratic Party ’ s presidential candidate .
There is yet another prominent group publicly voicing its opposition to Trump ’ s re-election , the Lincoln Project , a “ political action committee ” co-founded by George T. Conway III , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Trump ’ s presidential counselor .

Group of Republicans, Who Claim Trump is a ‘National Security Risk’, Set to Endorse Biden – Report
…from Sputnik News, Moscow
[ Editor’s Note: The tom toms are drumming as various anti-Trump war parties begin to put their war paint on leading up to the Republican convention. The initial seeding for this move began with the 4-star generals coming out with Trump being a ‘Divider-in-Chief’.
That was followed by the ex-Defense department officials, and later the ex-Justice department ones calling for Attorney General Barr’s resignation. This is an unprecedented event in American political history since the Republicans and the VFW black legions tried their coup on Roosevelt that fizzled.
I sense a similar group of ex-Justice Department prosecutors might be doing something similar. Glenn Kirschner seems to be the point man on this effort now. Here is a sample, as he talks about what needs to be AFTER Trump loses, to put a wooden stake into the heart of the monster.
This is worth six minutes to watch. No former prosecutor, (30 years with army JAG and then a DC criminal prosecutor), has ever publicly mentioned what he does here. We have a ‘brotha of a different color’ here.
Kirschner just came onto my radar over the past week. He has a niche YouTube audience with 70K subscribers and is doing these almost daily, so I will be bringing some over. This is not a VT guy, yet, but he is a fellow traveler… Jim W. Dean ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– First published … June 24, 2020 –
According to the most recent survey by Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is currently leading over President Donald Trump in the run-up to the November election. However, there are still more than four months ahead of the national vote.


veteranstoday--2020-06-27--How Many Civilizations Are Out There?

How Many Civilizations Are Out There?

As I explain in Spyhunter I can ’ t answer the really BIG questions – did Gilligan ever leave the island , were Hogan ’ s Heroes ever liberated from Stalag 13 and did Captain Parmenter in F-Troop ever get to marry his sweetheart ?
I can however attempt to answer some of the smaller questions , such as is there extra-terrestrial life and if so how many advanced civilizations are out there ?
Coronavirus is still with us of course , but it ’ s nice to talk about other stuff as well .
This column is prompted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Astrophysical Journal ( Vol .
896 , No .
1 , 15th June 2020 ) by Christopher Conselice and Tom Westby , predicting that there might be as many as 36 CETI ( Communicating Extra-Terrestrial Intelligent ) civilizations in the Milky Way , our galaxy for the time being .
( In about 2.4 billion years we may find Andromeda in our corner of the universe , but 2.4 billion years is long-term , almost enough time for Labour to work out that in order to increase the total tax take you need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the nearest CETI civilization might be as close as 17,000 light years away , not so far in cosmic terms , but not exactly somewhere to go for the weekend .
Their article attracted quite a bit of media attention in Britain , unsurprisingly .
Conselice and Westby were attempting to answer the Drake Equation , postulated by Frank Drake ( not to be confused with Sir Francis Drake ) back in 1960 .
Drake came up with a list of seven variables .
Depending upon how you crunch the variables you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilizations in the Milky Way or hardly any at all .
The article is a serious attempt to answer the Drake Equation and represents some of the deepest thinking yet on the question of extra-terrestrial life .
I broadly agree with Conselice and Westby ’ s conclusions , bearing in mind that their headline figures fall within a wide range – 4 to 211 , for example , in relation to the number of civilizations .
I would be surprised if we found a CETI civilization closer than 17,000 light years away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Gene Rodenberry came up with the brilliant idea for the original Star Trek series he had an optimistic view of a galaxy teeming with life .
Like most science fiction series , Star Trek has had multiple writers over the years , not all of whom seem to have watched previous episodes !
( I ’ ve only ever been hired as a consultant to one TV series – Spooks – and the first thing I asked Kudos , who produced it , was to send me a complete set of episodes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get up to speed . )
It is not possible to extract a coherent set of performance figures for the various fictional classes of starship in the seven Star Trek series ( to date , including Picard but not counting the animated series in the early 70s ) and thirteen motion pictures .
This is partly because no consistent set of figures is given for the location of the Vulcan system , Klingon home world and so on , partly because this , the greatest of all sci-fi franchises , has been written @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an astrophysicist , across a span of over five decades , partly because of the lack of internal consistency due to plot demands and partly because the writers have bought in to the worm hole theory , under which jumps through space are possible .
However in the fourth series the scriptwriters consistently gave USS Voyager a top speed , at ‘ Warp Eight ’ , of about 1,000c , that is to say 1,000 times light speed , roughly seven trillion mph – enough to get you a speeding ticket on I-95 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before you die of old age .
Whatever plot tricks , such as worm holes , are used and however many inconsistencies , one thing the Star Trek writers all agree on is that Einstein was wrong .
You can go faster than the speed of light .
Indeed you can , although you will need multiple fusion reactors , generating phenomenal amounts of energy , say 10 gigawatts each , in order to do so .
You also need a system to cope with stray gas molecules and other interstellar debris .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 80 mph in a Chevy Caprice and you won ’ t even bend a fender .
Hit one at Warp Eight in a starship ( I don ’ t think even the Caprice with the L72 big block engine could do Warp Eight ) and you risk disintegration to molecular level .
None of the writers envisaged Vulcan as being 17,000 light years away .
The original Enterprise seemed to get there in days , and 17,000 light years in a few a days would have had poor old Scottie moaning about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ galactic terms the fictional Vulcan was just around the corner .
I seriously doubt that Gene Rodenberry thought there might be only 36 intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way .
Our spiral galaxy is after all vast – possibly 200,000 light years in diameter – with at least 100 billion stars .
His assumption that the galaxy teemed with intelligent life was not unreasonable .
It just turns out to have been wrong , that ’ s all .
I respectfully agree with Conselice and Westby ’ s starting point that there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be a mistake to focus too much on the Democratic Party .
( I was astonished to come across a video , apparently real , of Joe Biden stating that poor kids are just as smart as white kids , as though all poor kids were black and Hispanic and all white kids were smart . )
We human beings are immensely complex creatures , with large brains , putting Joe Biden to one side for the moment ( no offense intended ) , which absorb about 20 % of our resting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an evolutionary process which may have begun as long ago as the Paleo-archean era , or , possibly , recommenced after the Late Heavy Bombardment ( LHB ) in the Eo-archean era ( 3.6 to 4 billion years ago ) wiped out all life on Earth .
The primary evidence for the LHB , by the way , is contained in the lunar surface samples brought back by the Apollo astronauts – and yes , they did reach the Moon !
( I ’ ve never met a man who walked on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve met an astronaut who successfully achieved lunar orbit insertion – Captain Jim Lovell , Apollo 13 Mission Commander . )
Modern humans only emerged about 300,000 years ago .
Communication in the electro-magnetic spectrum only began about 120 years ago .
If Conselice and Westby ’ s central assumption is right it will be at least 19000 AD before another civilization detects our first signals and 38000 AD before we receive a reply , assuming they use the electro-magnetic spectrum .
You can forget all those sci-fi movies about other civilizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to check us out !
( Voyager 1 only exited the heliosphere about six years ago . )
It has become increasingly clear in recent decades that the development of human civilization ( and we are a pretty civilized lot on the whole – any civilization which produces Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony and I Love Lucy has the right to call itself advanced ) has depended on a number of chance events .
The massive collision with the proto-planet Theia seems to have produced the Moon , which in turn produced tides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played a major role in the development of life .
Thanks to the energy imparted by that collision our planet rotates .
It is very difficult to see how life could develop in perpetual light or darkness .
Jupiter and the other gas giants have played a key role since the LHB in attracting comets , which might otherwise have hit Earth .
One of the most successful forms of life on Earth – the dinosaurs – probably needed to be wiped out in order to allow mammals , including humans , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entertaining yarns , where the Bad Guys largely get eaten , but they illustrate the sort of problems early Man might have had competing with the likes of Tyrannosaurus Rex , indeed we would most probably have been lunch .
T Rex , by the way , was far from being the most fearsome predator in the Upper Cretaceous Epoch , indeed may not even have been that much of a predator at all .
The great extinction at the end of the Upper Cretaceous can ’ t all have been down to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was , given the timeframe .
However it clearly contributed .
The development of modern civilization has required a relatively lengthy period of solar and climate stability , indeed the last glacial maximum may have been the last – by the time the next Ice Age comes along humanity will have developed energy sources capable of melting the ice and storing the water inside mountain ranges , in pump storage facilities .
Relatively long interglacial periods seem to be necessary for advanced civilizations to develop .
To sustain life a planet does seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Goldilocks ’ zone , that is to say not too hot and not too cold , with tolerable gravity and atmospheric pressures .
It ’ s easy to see why we ’ re not picking up extra-terrestrial versions of I Love Lucy and why there ’ s no credible evidence that extra-terrestrials have ever visited Earth , let alone phoned home .
Think about it – the planet is about four and a half billions year old , yet there isn ’ t a single fossil that shouldn ’ t be there , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old , and we ’ ve explored nearly all of the planet ’ s surface , and dug up much of it .
The same goes for the Moon .
There ’ s no indication whatsoever of alien visitation on any part of the lunar surface .
I may be doing them an injustice , but I think that Conselice and Westby subscribe to Einstein ’ s wacky theory , advanced as part of his theory of special relativity , that the speed of light is a limiting velocity .
If it were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be impossible .
What can intel specialists bring to the party ?
Several things , as a nice rocket scientist at JPL in Pasadena found when they were sensible enough to consult me .
Firstly as an intel specialist I am aware that Albert ‘ von ’ Einstein was the chief scientific adviser to German intelligence .
In World War II he was their key man , along with Robert Oppenheimer , inside the Manhattan Project .
He was the top atom spy of all time .
It follows that Einstein was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Everything he wrote in Germany of course needed to be signed off in Berlin .
I ’ m also aware that Germany ran a covert post-war space program and came up with the idea of UFOs to disguise it .
Since Dwight ‘ von ’ Eisenhower was also working for German intelligence it should come as no surprise that he was roped into the deception operation , the only one in history to give rise to a whole B movie genre and its own television series .
All sorts of ‘ secret ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited Earth .
Area 51 is no particular mystery to me – a friend of mine flew from there , in a U-2 .
It was a just a secret CIA flight test facility , that ’ s all .
There is nothing extra-terrestrial about stealth technology .
I ’ ve visited the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale CA , where it was designed , indeed I ’ ve seen the prototype F-117 Nighthawk .
It looks a bit otherworldly , but that ’ s all part of the radar defeating technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m aware of the perversion of science by the DVD , for example over global warming .
I ’ m not therefore as much in awe of scientific advice as say a politician might be .
Conselice and Westby however are clearly writing in good faith , which is a pleasure to see .
Finally there ’ s the small matter of IQ .
Entry level IQ for major players in the intelligence community is 175 , a figure which many rocket scientists struggle to reach .
We do therefore have something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we will reach out to other intelligent civilizations , but I suspect it will be a case of us visiting them , not the other way around .
I also suspect that as we explore the galaxy we will find evidence of lost civilizations , which might have flourished millions or even tens of millions of years ago .
Could we get as far as 17,000 light years away ?
I see no reason why not .
Hot on the heels of last week ’ s shameful terrorist attack in Reading , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yesterday saw another mass stabbing incident , this time in Glasgow .
This time it wasn ’ t terror-related – just another nutty asylum-seeker on the rampage .
The time has come to put a halt to this asylum racket .
We used to reckon in the old days in the immigration judiciary that only about three percent of asylum applicants were genuine .
I doubt that much has changed .
We need to move to a policy of regional asylum and withdraw from the obsolete 1951 UN Convention , which was designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War II .
Huge numbers of lives are lost , for example in leaky boats in the Med , to which must be added the lives lost in murderous attacks by asylum-seekers , as in Reading .
I ’ m not buying the ‘ conversion to Christianity ’ line , by the way .
It ’ s a popular route to claiming asylum from Moslem countries and China .
I once had a case where a so-called Christian thought that our Lord was born at Easter !
In the case of Libya the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asylum , only temporary leave , as they ’ re too wet to return failed asylum-seekers to Benghazi .
There ’ s no reason why we shouldn ’ t , in RAF transport aircraft if need be .
The RAF have a better safety record than the airlines , partly because they tend to lower the undercarriage before landing , unlike say Pakistan International Airlines .
( I thought the decision to go around in Karachi was odd – if you do decide to land without lowering the undercarriage and end up bouncing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off staying on the ground , since podded engines are vulnerable to ingested debris , indeed if you land on the engines you risk damaging the turbine blades . )
The UK is at long last emerging from lockdown .
The government are not denying reports , including from yours truly , that NHS patients were bumped off with lethal doses of Hydroxychloriquine in order to rig the trial , at WHO request .
Western governments continue to trot out dodgy death statistics in order to sow panic .
I still think that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by about two-thirds .
The UK Hydroxychloriquine trial should be disregarded .
This is a poignant movie , recently shown on Sky in the UK .
Whilst not quite Brian Dennehy ’ s last , it is amongst the last movies he ever made before his untimely death in April .
An actor to the end , Brian ’ s consummate professionalism shines through in this movie , despite his ailing health .
It ’ s a sweet-natured movie , which doesn ’ t descend into mawkish sentimentality , about the friendship between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white vet .
They successfully cross age and racial boundaries .
There ’ s no high drama – it ’ s a gentle movie , moving at a slow pace , but none the worse for all that .
It ’ s a fine example of the movie-maker ’ s art and well worth watching , if only for Brian Dennehy ’ s timeless performance .
We are going to miss him !

As I explain in Spyhunter I can’t answer the really BIG questions – did Gilligan ever leave the island, were Hogan’s Heroes ever liberated from Stalag 13 and did Captain Parmenter in F-Troop ever get to marry his sweetheart? I can however attempt to answer some of the smaller questions, such as is there extra-terrestrial life and if so how many advanced civilizations are out there? Coronavirus is still with us of course, but it’s nice to talk about other stuff as well.
This column is prompted in part by a recent article in the Astrophysical Journal (Vol. 896, No. 1, 15th June 2020) by Christopher Conselice and Tom Westby, predicting that there might be as many as 36 CETI (Communicating Extra-Terrestrial Intelligent) civilizations in the Milky Way, our galaxy for the time being. (In about 2.4 billion years we may find Andromeda in our corner of the universe, but 2.4 billion years is long-term, almost enough time for Labour to work out that in order to increase the total tax take you need to cut taxes.) They concluded that the nearest CETI civilization might be as close as 17,000 light years away, not so far in cosmic terms, but not exactly somewhere to go for the weekend.
Their article attracted quite a bit of media attention in Britain, unsurprisingly. Conselice and Westby were attempting to answer the Drake Equation, postulated by Frank Drake (not to be confused with Sir Francis Drake) back in 1960. Drake came up with a list of seven variables. Depending upon how you crunch the variables you could end up with several billion CETI civilizations in the Milky Way or hardly any at all.
The article is a serious attempt to answer the Drake Equation and represents some of the deepest thinking yet on the question of extra-terrestrial life. I broadly agree with Conselice and Westby’s conclusions, bearing in mind that their headline figures fall within a wide range – 4 to 211, for example, in relation to the number of civilizations. I would be surprised if we found a CETI civilization closer than 17,000 light years away.
The Star Trek view of the galaxy
When Gene Rodenberry came up with the brilliant idea for the original Star Trek series he had an optimistic view of a galaxy teeming with life. Like most science fiction series, Star Trek has had multiple writers over the years, not all of whom seem to have watched previous episodes! (I’ve only ever been hired as a consultant to one TV series – Spooks – and the first thing I asked Kudos, who produced it, was to send me a complete set of episodes on DVD, so that I could get up to speed.)
It is not possible to extract a coherent set of performance figures for the various fictional classes of starship in the seven Star Trek series (to date, including Picard but not counting the animated series in the early 70s) and thirteen motion pictures. This is partly because no consistent set of figures is given for the location of the Vulcan system, Klingon home world and so on, partly because this, the greatest of all sci-fi franchises, has been written by multiple writers, none of them an astrophysicist, across a span of over five decades, partly because of the lack of internal consistency due to plot demands and partly because the writers have bought in to the worm hole theory, under which jumps through space are possible.
However in the fourth series the scriptwriters consistently gave USS Voyager a top speed, at ‘Warp Eight’, of about 1,000c, that is to say 1,000 times light speed, roughly seven trillion mph – enough to get you a speeding ticket on I-95 but not enough to cross the galaxy before you die of old age.
Whatever plot tricks, such as worm holes, are used and however many inconsistencies, one thing the Star Trek writers all agree on is that Einstein was wrong. You can go faster than the speed of light. Indeed you can, although you will need multiple fusion reactors, generating phenomenal amounts of energy, say 10 gigawatts each, in order to do so. You also need a system to cope with stray gas molecules and other interstellar debris. Hit a stray gas molecule on I-95 at 80 mph in a Chevy Caprice and you won’t even bend a fender. Hit one at Warp Eight in a starship (I don’t think even the Caprice with the L72 big block engine could do Warp Eight) and you risk disintegration to molecular level.
None of the writers envisaged Vulcan as being 17,000 light years away. The original Enterprise seemed to get there in days, and 17,000 light years in a few a days would have had poor old Scottie moaning about the strain on his engines. In galactic terms the fictional Vulcan was just around the corner.
I seriously doubt that Gene Rodenberry thought there might be only 36 intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way. Our spiral galaxy is after all vast – possibly 200,000 light years in diameter – with at least 100 billion stars. His assumption that the galaxy teemed with intelligent life was not unreasonable. It just turns out to have been wrong, that’s all.
Life on Earth
I respectfully agree with Conselice and Westby’s starting point that there’s intelligent life on Earth. It would be a mistake to focus too much on the Democratic Party. (I was astonished to come across a video, apparently real, of Joe Biden stating that poor kids are just as smart as white kids, as though all poor kids were black and Hispanic and all white kids were smart.)
We human beings are immensely complex creatures, with large brains, putting Joe Biden to one side for the moment (no offense intended), which absorb about 20% of our resting calorie intake. We are the end-product of an evolutionary process which may have begun as long ago as the Paleo-archean era, or, possibly, recommenced after the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) in the Eo-archean era (3.6 to 4 billion years ago) wiped out all life on Earth.
The primary evidence for the LHB, by the way, is contained in the lunar surface samples brought back by the Apollo astronauts – and yes, they did reach the Moon! (I’ve never met a man who walked on the moon, sadly, but I’ve met an astronaut who successfully achieved lunar orbit insertion – Captain Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 Mission Commander.) Modern humans only emerged about 300,000 years ago. Communication in the electro-magnetic spectrum only began about 120 years ago.
If Conselice and Westby’s central assumption is right it will be at least 19000 AD before another civilization detects our first signals and 38000 AD before we receive a reply, assuming they use the electro-magnetic spectrum. You can forget all those sci-fi movies about other civilizations finding a Voyager probe and popping along to check us out! (Voyager 1 only exited the heliosphere about six years ago.)
It has become increasingly clear in recent decades that the development of human civilization (and we are a pretty civilized lot on the whole – any civilization which produces Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and I Love Lucy has the right to call itself advanced) has depended on a number of chance events. The massive collision with the proto-planet Theia seems to have produced the Moon, which in turn produced tides, which in turn seem to have played a major role in the development of life.
Thanks to the energy imparted by that collision our planet rotates. It is very difficult to see how life could develop in perpetual light or darkness. Jupiter and the other gas giants have played a key role since the LHB in attracting comets, which might otherwise have hit Earth.
One of the most successful forms of life on Earth – the dinosaurs – probably needed to be wiped out in order to allow mammals, including humans, to develop. The Jurassic Park movies are entertaining yarns, where the Bad Guys largely get eaten, but they illustrate the sort of problems early Man might have had competing with the likes of Tyrannosaurus Rex, indeed we would most probably have been lunch.
T Rex, by the way, was far from being the most fearsome predator in the Upper Cretaceous Epoch, indeed may not even have been that much of a predator at all. The great extinction at the end of the Upper Cretaceous can’t all have been down to one asteroid impact, big though it was, given the timeframe. However it clearly contributed.
The development of modern civilization has required a relatively lengthy period of solar and climate stability, indeed the last glacial maximum may have been the last – by the time the next Ice Age comes along humanity will have developed energy sources capable of melting the ice and storing the water inside mountain ranges, in pump storage facilities.
Relatively long interglacial periods seem to be necessary for advanced civilizations to develop. To sustain life a planet does seem to need to be in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone, that is to say not too hot and not too cold, with tolerable gravity and atmospheric pressures.
It’s easy to see why we’re not picking up extra-terrestrial versions of I Love Lucy and why there’s no credible evidence that extra-terrestrials have ever visited Earth, let alone phoned home. Think about it – the planet is about four and a half billions year old, yet there isn’t a single fossil that shouldn’t be there, nor a single alien artefact, however old, and we’ve explored nearly all of the planet’s surface, and dug up much of it.
The same goes for the Moon. There’s no indication whatsoever of alien visitation on any part of the lunar surface. I may be doing them an injustice, but I think that Conselice and Westby subscribe to Einstein’s wacky theory, advanced as part of his theory of special relativity, that the speed of light is a limiting velocity. If it were, a journey of 17,000 light years would be impossible.
What can intel specialists bring to the party?
Several things, as a nice rocket scientist at JPL in Pasadena found when they were sensible enough to consult me. Firstly as an intel specialist I am aware that Albert ‘von’ Einstein was the chief scientific adviser to German intelligence. In World War II he was their key man, along with Robert Oppenheimer, inside the Manhattan Project. He was the top atom spy of all time.
It follows that Einstein was not necessarily writing in good faith. Everything he wrote in Germany of course needed to be signed off in Berlin. I’m also aware that Germany ran a covert post-war space program and came up with the idea of UFOs to disguise it.
Since Dwight ‘von’ Eisenhower was also working for German intelligence it should come as no surprise that he was roped into the deception operation, the only one in history to give rise to a whole B movie genre and its own television series. All sorts of ‘secret’ documents were prepared suggesting that extra-terrestrials have visited Earth.
Area 51 is no particular mystery to me – a friend of mine flew from there, in a U-2. It was a just a secret CIA flight test facility, that’s all. There is nothing extra-terrestrial about stealth technology. I’ve visited the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale CA, where it was designed, indeed I’ve seen the prototype F-117 Nighthawk. It looks a bit otherworldly, but that’s all part of the radar defeating technology.
Thirdly as an intel specialist I’m aware of the perversion of science by the DVD, for example over global warming. I’m not therefore as much in awe of scientific advice as say a politician might be. Conselice and Westby however are clearly writing in good faith, which is a pleasure to see.
Finally there’s the small matter of IQ. Entry level IQ for major players in the intelligence community is 175, a figure which many rocket scientists struggle to reach. We do therefore have something to bring to the party!
I think we will reach out to other intelligent civilizations, but I suspect it will be a case of us visiting them, not the other way around. I also suspect that as we explore the galaxy we will find evidence of lost civilizations, which might have flourished millions or even tens of millions of years ago. Could we get as far as 17,000 light years away? I see no reason why not.
Reading and Glasgow
Hot on the heels of last week’s shameful terrorist attack in Reading, which saw three gay men murdered, yesterday saw another mass stabbing incident, this time in Glasgow. This time it wasn’t terror-related – just another nutty asylum-seeker on the rampage.
The time has come to put a halt to this asylum racket. We used to reckon in the old days in the immigration judiciary that only about three percent of asylum applicants were genuine. I doubt that much has changed.
We need to move to a policy of regional asylum and withdraw from the obsolete 1951 UN Convention, which was designed to deal with the aftermath of World War II. Huge numbers of lives are lost, for example in leaky boats in the Med, to which must be added the lives lost in murderous attacks by asylum-seekers, as in Reading.
I’m not buying the ‘conversion to Christianity’ line, by the way. It’s a popular route to claiming asylum from Moslem countries and China. I once had a case where a so-called Christian thought that our Lord was born at Easter! In the case of Libya the Home Office don’t normally grant asylum, only temporary leave, as they’re too wet to return failed asylum-seekers to Benghazi.
There’s no reason why we shouldn’t, in RAF transport aircraft if need be. The RAF have a better safety record than the airlines, partly because they tend to lower the undercarriage before landing, unlike say Pakistan International Airlines. (I thought the decision to go around in Karachi was odd – if you do decide to land without lowering the undercarriage and end up bouncing along the runway you’re better off staying on the ground, since podded engines are vulnerable to ingested debris, indeed if you land on the engines you risk damaging the turbine blades.)
Coronavirus latest
The UK is at long last emerging from lockdown. The government are not denying reports, including from yours truly, that NHS patients were bumped off with lethal doses of Hydroxychloriquine in order to rig the trial, at WHO request.
Western governments continue to trot out dodgy death statistics in order to sow panic. I still think that official death estimates need to be slashed by about two-thirds. The UK Hydroxychloriquine trial should be disregarded.
This Week’s Movie Review – Driveways (2019, dir. Andrew Ahn)
This is a poignant movie, recently shown on Sky in the UK. Whilst not quite Brian Dennehy’s last, it is amongst the last movies he ever made before his untimely death in April. An actor to the end, Brian’s consummate professionalism shines through in this movie, despite his ailing health.
It’s a sweet-natured movie, which doesn’t descend into mawkish sentimentality, about the friendship between a young Hispanic boy and an elderly white vet. They successfully cross age and racial boundaries.
There’s no high drama – it’s a gentle movie, moving at a slow pace, but none the worse for all that. It’s a fine example of the movie-maker’s art and well worth watching, if only for Brian Dennehy’s timeless performance. We are going to miss him!


veteranstoday--2020-06-27--Gary G. Kohls, MD Mindlessly Regurgitates Misinformation

[ Editor ’ s note : Are Kohls and the people who cite him disinfo agents or simply ‘ useful idiots ’ ?
Ian ] Gary G. Kohls , MD mindlessly regurgitated an antivaccine lie about Orac .
Orac responds .
It does not go well for Dr. Kohls .
Basically , it ’ s not wise to tug on Superman ’ s cape .
One of the hazards of being a blogger , particularly a blogger writing about medical pseudoscience and quackery , is that you will face online attacks from the very quacks whose quackery you deconstruct .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher your public profile becomes , the more outrageous the attacks will become .
Another thing you will soon realize is that the quacks , cranks , and pseudoscientists who attack you are not particularly concerned with accuracy , science , or reason .
At the very least , they are careless and unconcerned with whether their attacks have a basis in reality .
At the very worse , they lie shamelessly .
This brings us to Gary G. Kohls , MD , a retired quack who decided to attack a hero of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me in a lazily written attack piece that relies on an old misattribution .
The article appeared in The Duluth Reader entitled Internet Trolls , Disinformation Agents and Big Vaccine .
Of course , Dr. Kohls , being the lazy quack that he is , helpfully mentions that “ This article contains extensive excerpts from a Duty to Warn column that was published on the Global Research website on May 11 , 2016.
” It doesn ’ t take long to figure out where Dr. Kohls is coming from .
In fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his article , and that intention is to smear critics of antivaxers as either “ pharma shills ” or “ disinformation agents ” : A disinformation agent publishes or otherwise provides false information that is intended to mislead .
Disinformation is called propaganda when issued by government organizations , and it is called advertising when issued by corporations .
Guess whom Dr. Kohls is about to label as a “ disinformation agent.
” I know ; it ’ s too easy .
It ’ s going to be Dr. Paul Offit and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where our quacky friend Dr. Kohls is going first : But Big Vaccine companies , in their devious efforts to deter activists whose children have been sickened or killed by vaccines also hire internet trolls that cunningly infiltrate websites and chat rooms to cripple the efforts of the activists to spread “ unwelcome truths ” about vaccines .
Two common tactics are ad hominem attacks .
And the derogatory label “ anti-vaxxers ” when the reality is that vaccine critics are actually “ anti-over-vaccination ” activists .
I ’ d be willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ define “ over-vaccination.
” Or , if he can , I bet that his definition will have nothing to do with science , reason , or evidence .
My guess is that , basically , to Dr. Kohls “ over-vaccination ” means more vaccines than he happens to like , whatever that number is .
Certainly , Dr. Kohls appears to be quite antivaccine , given that he ’ s up to part 10 of a series he ’ s entitled Trying to Refute , with Real Vaccine Science and Documentable Facts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Safe and Effective .
Of course , his “ real vaccine science ” is anything but .
Let ’ s just put it this way .
He actually cites Dr. Suzanne Humphries , an antivaccine quack about whom I ’ ve written on a number of occasions .
Dr. Kohls is even gullible enough to spout the “ vaccines didn ’ t save us ” gambit beloved of antivaxers .
Basically , this intellectually dishonest—downright deceptive , actually—tactic involves pointing out that mortality was falling from a given infectious disease before a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this case , it was measles and a few other diseases .
The implication that antivaccinationists want people to draw is that hygiene , sanitation , and the like were the “ real ” causes of the decrease .
The long version of the rebuttal this gambit is here .
The short version is that disease incidence does not equal mortality and that measles incidence plummeted after the introduction of the vaccine .
The reason mortality was falling before the vaccine was for other reasons .
Medical care was getting better , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease died from it .
If Dr. Kohls thinks that ’ s a valid argument against vaccines , he ’ s dumber than he appears .
After all , if an antivaxer like J.B. Handley likes this particular gambit , you know it ’ s intellectually dishonest .
This leads to the classic “ pharma shill gambit , ” something I ’ ve been writing about since 2005 and have continued to write about on this blog until five years ago and this very day .
Not being concerned with facts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Kohls can ’ t resist going into full slime mode : Besides naively trusting the CDC , the author of last week ’ s “ Local View ” article extensively quoted an infamous and very arrogant internet troll named Robert Gorski , whose reputation and tactics are widely discredited among knowledgeable , unbiased scientists and physicians .
I ’ m not sure where this idiot—yes , Dr. Kohls , I ’ m calling you an idiot—got the idea that my name is Robert .
Maybe he was just careless .
Clearly the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much to be desired .
Be that as it may , I couldn ’ t help but laugh out loud when I read Dr. Kohls refer to my critics who ’ ve supposedly “ discredited ” me as “ knowledgeable , unbiased scientists and physicians.
” Yes , that was definitely a hoot to read , given that my critics tend to consist primarily of quacks , pseudoscientists , and antivaxers .
In any event , Dr. Kohls ’ antivaccine misinformation isn ’ t really what caught my attention .
As antivaxers go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not particularly clever .
If you don ’ t believe me , read his article A Letter to a Young Health Journalist ( in Response to her Recent Article about the Possibility of Big Pharma Developing a Universal Influenza Vaccine ) .
Here ’ s a taste : The following lists of potentially iatrogenic diseases ( which mainly occur in the fully-vaccinated , by the way ) include such vaccine-associated or vaccine-induced diseases that includes Autism , Asperger ’ s , ADHD , Asthma , Allergies and the fairly new , quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants ) .
The ASIA syndrome includes a large number of iatrogenic diseases that are caused by vaccine adjuvants and therefore commonly mis-diagnosed .
One of the most important is the newly-recognized syndrome , the debilitating post-vaccination disorder called macrophagic myofasciitis ( MMF ) .
Yes , he buys Yehuda Shoenfeld ’ s pseudoscience about ASIA .
Oh , and he ’ s a 9/11 Truther as well .
What actually caught my attention is how Dr. Kohls spread a libelous lie about me .
There is no question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about me is incorrect .
It is not a matter of opinion , judgment , or interpretation .
Dr. Kohl has , quite simply , misattributed statements to me in such a way as to portray me as a troll advocating dishonest tactics to attack antivaxers .
Whether it is though carelessness or dishonesty ( or both ) that Dr. Kohls did this , I do not know .
The best that can be said about Dr. Kohls is that he demonstrates a reckless disregard for the truth when he characterizes my views @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has misattributed to me .
That ’ s the best .
Alternatively , he is lying .
First , he quotes me as having written this passage : “ Go in there and “ agree with them ” and then say things that appear thoroughly delusional , overtly nuts , blatantly and obviously wrong even to nincompoops , etc .
Occasional spelling and grammar errors are also useful but don ’ t over-do .
The point of this exercise is to create an impression that drives away undecideds who may come in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps to do this as a group effort and begin gradually , so the sites appear to be “ going downhill slowly.
” – David Gorski , one of many well-hidden Big Pharma shills who specialize in trolling “ safe vaccine ” websites of distressed or angry parents whose children have been unequivocally injured or killed by vaccines .
I never wrote anything of the sort .
The above passage was taken from an anonymous comment left on my blog on April 20 , 2012 by a commenter using the ‘ nym g724 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Dr. Kohls claims that I wrote this : “ The way to do it is to first set up a fictitious email address .
Speaking from experience working on research on extremist groups…Create a totally fictitious name and then an address that reflects that name e.g .
John Doe and [ email protected ] Second , get an address on a free service provider such as Yahoo or Hotmail or whatever .
Since most of these ask for your “ other ” email address as proof of identity , give them the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will send a confirmation email to that address giving you your starting password .
Third , after about a week of using your new fictitious address in various places that let you sign up for comments , you can be sure it ’ s working , so then go in and delete the address you created on your broadband service .
Typically they deactivate the address immediately and then take a month to free up that slot for re-use .
This step ensures that your Yahoo or Hotmail address becomes un-traceable back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a month for the original fictitious name to completely purge from your broadband provider .
Fifth : Now you ’ re home free to get onto the anti-vax boards and any other objectionable boards you want to go after and make all manner of noise to make them look ridiculous and drive away the undecideds .
Yeee-hawww , round ‘ em up !
” – David Gorski , infamous pro-vaccine disinformation agent and surgeon who is on the faculty of Wayne State University .
His two pseudonyms are “ Orac ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a blogsite that he has deceptively named “ Science-Based Medicine ” .
First of all , Dr. Kohls really isn ’ t very bright , is he ?
I never go by the ‘ nym “ Respectful Insolence.
” ( For some bizarre reason , Dr. Kohls also seems to think that Paul Offit Skeptical Raptor .
He is not .
I know who the Raptor is and consider him a friend , just as much as Dr. Offit , but Offit is not Skeptical Raptor .
He also seems to think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderator on Wikipedia.
” He is not . )
More importantly , though , I ’ ve never written anything of the sort .
Again , the quoted passage was written by the same anonymous commenter using the ‘ nym g724 in a comment posted on April 25 , 2012 .
Here is the link .
In both cases , Dr. Kohls misattributed comments on my blog to me .
Someone ought to teach him how blogs and blog comments work .
Even worse , Dr. Kohls ’ source is Truth Library , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NaturalNews.com , arguably the quackiest site on the Internet .
Adams , of course , has been waging a one-man smear campaign against me for nearly three years .
He ’ s accused me of various crimes and even implied that I ’ m a pedophile .
Nice sources that Dr. Kohls relies on there !
So who is Dr. Gary G. Kohls ?
I had never heard of him before I came across this article .
According to his website , he is a retired physician who practiced “ holistic ” medicine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his practice , from which he retired in 2008 .
He started out as a psychiatrist , but sometime around 2000 he went woo : In 2000 , Dr. Kohls began his independent practice of medicine .
His special area of interest was in helping people recognize the connections between physical and emotional symptoms , psychological trauma , brain malnutrition and neurotransmitter/brain chemical depletions .
Understanding and teaching the concepts of brain nutrition was critical to his success in helping patients with mental health conditions .
For several years , in addition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an upper division course in the Psychology Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth , titled The Science and Psychology of the Mind Body Connection .
He was also instrumental in starting a Duluth chapter of the international group MindFreedom .
As a physician , Dr. Kohls was known as a thorough , compassionate physician who always spent ample time with his patients .
His interest was in discovering the root causes of his patient ’ s symptoms , working towards prevention and risk reduction .
In the past 15 years he immersed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of trauma , violence and stress on physical and mental well-being .
He studied the links between neurotransmitter depletions and such conditions as depression , insomnia , addictive disorders , eating disorders and fibromyalgia .
The toxicity and frequent loss of effectiveness of many anti-depressant drugs led him to new methods of treatment , including the use of more natural and well tolerated amino acids , prescribed on an individualized basis , which replenish the brain ’ s natural anti-depressants .
He took seriously the oath that all physicians take : to First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the MindFreedom website .
It doesn ’ t take much to figure out that MindFreedom International is very much anti-psychiatry .
Indeed , the splash page of its website advertises a protest planned for the meting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco in May .
The whole group has a very Scientology-like air about it , its “ methinks he doth protest too much ” denial notwithstanding .
Indeed , it appears to believe that mental illness does not exist and that psychiatry is torture , just like the Citizens Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Scientology off-shoot whose purpose is to attack psychiatry .
It ’ s not clear whether MindFreedom International is affiliated with the Church of Scientology , the way CCHR is .
Certainly , MFI is quite extravagant in its denial that it is , so much so that it makes me suspect that it is , in fact affiliated with CCHR .
Certainly , there is evidence that MFI might well be affiliated with CCHR .
Certainly , at least one former MFI member claims that there are links .
Whether MFI is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t really matter much ; its belief system is virtually identical to that of Scientology .
In a way , I must “ thank ” Gary G. Kohls , MD for giving me an opportunity to do something that I ’ ve been meaning to do for a long time , which is to address these quotes misattributed to me , originally by Mike Adams , at least as far as I can tell .
He ’ s also made me aware of a virtual treasure trove of antivaccine misinformation that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my back pocket for times when not much is going on and blogging material is scarce .
He ’ s also got a bunch of videos that can be mined , like this one : Yes , Dr. Kohls fully buys into the discredited notion that mercury in the thimerosal preservative that used to be used in childhood vaccines caused an “ autism epidemic.
” So , yes , from my perspective , Dr. Kohls is an antivaccine quack , and like antivaccine quacks , he ’ s not too concerned about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medicine .
Now , thanks to his error- and misinformation-filled attack on Paul Offit and me , he ’ s draw attention to himself that I suspect he will find to be unwelcome .
I suppose that I should also thank Peter Johnson as well .
It was , after all , his article refuting Dr. Kohls ’ antivax nonsense that provoked Kohls to attack me .

[Editor’s note: Are Kohls and the people who cite him disinfo agents or simply ‘useful idiots’? Ian]
Gary G. Kohls, MD mindlessly regurgitates misinformation about Orac
Gary G. Kohls, MD mindlessly regurgitated an antivaccine lie about Orac. Orac responds. It does not go well for Dr. Kohls. Basically, it’s not wise to tug on Superman’s cape.
One of the hazards of being a blogger, particularly a blogger writing about medical pseudoscience and quackery, is that you will face online attacks from the very quacks whose quackery you deconstruct. The more effective you are, the higher your public profile becomes, the more outrageous the attacks will become. Another thing you will soon realize is that the quacks, cranks, and pseudoscientists who attack you are not particularly concerned with accuracy, science, or reason. At the very least, they are careless and unconcerned with whether their attacks have a basis in reality. At the very worse, they lie shamelessly. This brings us to Gary G. Kohls, MD, a retired quack who decided to attack a hero of mine, Dr. Paul Offit, and me in a lazily written attack piece that relies on an old misattribution. The article appeared in The Duluth Reader entitled Internet Trolls, Disinformation Agents and Big Vaccine. Of course, Dr. Kohls, being the lazy quack that he is, helpfully mentions that “This article contains extensive excerpts from a Duty to Warn column that was published on the Global Research website on May 11, 2016.”
It doesn’t take long to figure out where Dr. Kohls is coming from. In fact, he lays out his intention very early in his article, and that intention is to smear critics of antivaxers as either “pharma shills” or “disinformation agents”:
A disinformation agent publishes or otherwise provides false information that is intended to mislead. Disinformation is called propaganda when issued by government organizations, and it is called advertising when issued by corporations.
Guess whom Dr. Kohls is about to label as a “disinformation agent.” I know; it’s too easy. It’s going to be Dr. Paul Offit and me. But let’s see where our quacky friend Dr. Kohls is going first:
But Big Vaccine companies, in their devious efforts to deter activists whose children have been sickened or killed by vaccines also hire internet trolls that cunningly infiltrate websites and chat rooms to cripple the efforts of the activists to spread “unwelcome truths” about vaccines. Two common tactics are ad hominem attacks. And the derogatory label “anti-vaxxers” when the reality is that vaccine critics are actually “anti-over-vaccination” activists.
I’d be willing to bet that Dr. Kohls can’t define “over-vaccination.” Or, if he can, I bet that his definition will have nothing to do with science, reason, or evidence. My guess is that, basically, to Dr. Kohls “over-vaccination” means more vaccines than he happens to like, whatever that number is. Certainly, Dr. Kohls appears to be quite antivaccine, given that he’s up to part 10 of a series he’s entitled Trying to Refute, with Real Vaccine Science and Documentable Facts, the Big Pharma Propaganda/Lie that all Vaccines are Safe and Effective.
Of course, his “real vaccine science” is anything but. Let’s just put it this way. He actually cites Dr. Suzanne Humphries, an antivaccine quack about whom I’ve written on a number of occasions. Dr. Kohls is even gullible enough to spout the “vaccines didn’t save us” gambit beloved of antivaxers. Basically, this intellectually dishonest—downright deceptive, actually—tactic involves pointing out that mortality was falling from a given infectious disease before a vaccine for it was introduced. In this case, it was measles and a few other diseases. The implication that antivaccinationists want people to draw is that hygiene, sanitation, and the like were the “real” causes of the decrease. The long version of the rebuttal this gambit is here. The short version is that disease incidence does not equal mortality and that measles incidence plummeted after the introduction of the vaccine. The reason mortality was falling before the vaccine was for other reasons. Medical care was getting better, and a smaller percentage of people who got the disease died from it.
If Dr. Kohls thinks that’s a valid argument against vaccines, he’s dumber than he appears. After all, if an antivaxer like J.B. Handley likes this particular gambit, you know it’s intellectually dishonest.
This leads to the classic “pharma shill gambit,” something I’ve been writing about since 2005 and have continued to write about on this blog until five years ago and this very day. Not being concerned with facts, evidence, truth, or accuracy, Dr. Kohls can’t resist going into full slime mode:
Besides naively trusting the CDC, the author of last week’s “Local View” article extensively quoted an infamous and very arrogant internet troll named Robert Gorski, whose reputation and tactics are widely discredited among knowledgeable, unbiased scientists and physicians.
I’m not sure where this idiot—yes, Dr. Kohls, I’m calling you an idiot—got the idea that my name is Robert. Maybe he was just careless. Clearly the Duluth Reader‘s copy checking leaves much to be desired. Be that as it may, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I read Dr. Kohls refer to my critics who’ve supposedly “discredited” me as “knowledgeable, unbiased scientists and physicians.” Yes, that was definitely a hoot to read, given that my critics tend to consist primarily of quacks, pseudoscientists, and antivaxers.
In any event, Dr. Kohls’ antivaccine misinformation isn’t really what caught my attention. As antivaxers go, he’s really quite unimaginative and not particularly clever. If you don’t believe me, read his article A Letter to a Young Health Journalist (in Response to her Recent Article about the Possibility of Big Pharma Developing a Universal Influenza Vaccine). Here’s a taste:
The following lists of potentially iatrogenic diseases (which mainly occur in the fully-vaccinated, by the way) include such vaccine-associated or vaccine-induced diseases that includes Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, Asthma, Allergies and the fairly new, quite commonly-mis-diagnosed syndrome: ASIA (the “Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants). The ASIA syndrome includes a large number of iatrogenic diseases that are caused by vaccine adjuvants and therefore commonly mis-diagnosed. One of the most important is the newly-recognized syndrome, the debilitating post-vaccination disorder called macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF).
Yes, he buys Yehuda Shoenfeld’s pseudoscience about ASIA. Oh, and he’s a 9/11 Truther as well.
What actually caught my attention is how Dr. Kohls spread a libelous lie about me. There is no question about whether the information Dr. Kohls spread about me is incorrect. It is not a matter of opinion, judgment, or interpretation. Dr. Kohl has, quite simply, misattributed statements to me in such a way as to portray me as a troll advocating dishonest tactics to attack antivaxers. Whether it is though carelessness or dishonesty (or both) that Dr. Kohls did this, I do not know. The best that can be said about Dr. Kohls is that he demonstrates a reckless disregard for the truth when he characterizes my views on Internet trolling with two quotes that he has misattributed to me. That’s the best. Alternatively, he is lying.
First, he quotes me as having written this passage:
“Go in there and “agree with them” and then say things that appear thoroughly delusional, overtly nuts, blatantly and obviously wrong even to nincompoops, etc. Occasional spelling and grammar errors are also useful but don’t over-do. The point of this exercise is to create an impression that drives away undecideds who may come in to check out these sites. It helps to do this as a group effort and begin gradually, so the sites appear to be “going downhill slowly.” – David Gorski, one of many well-hidden Big Pharma shills who specialize in trolling “safe vaccine” websites of distressed or angry parents whose children have been unequivocally injured or killed by vaccines.
I never wrote anything of the sort. The above passage was taken from an anonymous comment left on my blog on April 20, 2012 by a commenter using the ‘nym g724. Here is the link.
Next, Dr. Kohls claims that I wrote this:
“The way to do it is to first set up a fictitious email address. Speaking from experience working on research on extremist groups…Create a totally fictitious name and then an address that reflects that name e.g. John Doe and JDoe1234@. Second, get an address on a free service provider such as Yahoo or Hotmail or whatever. Since most of these ask for your “other” email address as proof of identity, give them the one on your broadband provider. They will send a confirmation email to that address giving you your starting password. Third, after about a week of using your new fictitious address in various places that let you sign up for comments, you can be sure it’s working, so then go in and delete the address you created on your broadband service. Typically they deactivate the address immediately and then take a month to free up that slot for re-use. This step ensures that your Yahoo or Hotmail address becomes un-traceable back to your broadband provider. Forth, wait a month for the original fictitious name to completely purge from your broadband provider. Fifth: Now you’re home free to get onto the anti-vax boards and any other objectionable boards you want to go after and make all manner of noise to make them look ridiculous and drive away the undecideds. Yeee-hawww, round ‘em up!” – David Gorski, infamous pro-vaccine disinformation agent and surgeon who is on the faculty of Wayne State University. His two pseudonyms are “Orac” and “Respectful Insolence”). Gorski publishes on a blogsite that he has deceptively named “Science-Based Medicine”.
First of all, Dr. Kohls really isn’t very bright, is he? I never go by the ‘nym “Respectful Insolence.” (For some bizarre reason, Dr. Kohls also seems to think that Paul Offit Skeptical Raptor. He is not. I know who the Raptor is and consider him a friend, just as much as Dr. Offit, but Offit is not Skeptical Raptor. He also seems to think that Dr. Offit is a “dominating moderator on Wikipedia.” He is not.) More importantly, though, I’ve never written anything of the sort. Again, the quoted passage was written by the same anonymous commenter using the ‘nym g724 in a comment posted on April 25, 2012. Here is the link. In both cases, Dr. Kohls misattributed comments on my blog to me. Someone ought to teach him how blogs and blog comments work.
Even worse, Dr. Kohls’ source is Truth Library, a site maintained by Mike Adams of NaturalNews.com, arguably the quackiest site on the Internet. Adams, of course, has been waging a one-man smear campaign against me for nearly three years. He’s accused me of various crimes and even implied that I’m a pedophile. Nice sources that Dr. Kohls relies on there!
So who is Dr. Gary G. Kohls? I had never heard of him before I came across this article. According to his website, he is a retired physician who practiced “holistic” medicine during the last decade or so of his practice, from which he retired in 2008. He started out as a psychiatrist, but sometime around 2000 he went woo:
In 2000, Dr. Kohls began his independent practice of medicine. His special area of interest was in helping people recognize the connections between physical and emotional symptoms, psychological trauma, brain malnutrition and neurotransmitter/brain chemical depletions. Understanding and teaching the concepts of brain nutrition was critical to his success in helping patients with mental health conditions. For several years, in addition to his private practice, Dr. Kohls taught an upper division course in the Psychology Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth, titled The Science and Psychology of the Mind Body Connection. He was also instrumental in starting a Duluth chapter of the international group MindFreedom.
As a physician, Dr. Kohls was known as a thorough, compassionate physician who always spent ample time with his patients. His interest was in discovering the root causes of his patient’s symptoms, working towards prevention and risk reduction. In the past 15 years he immersed himself in the study of the effects of trauma, violence and stress on physical and mental well-being. He studied the links between neurotransmitter depletions and such conditions as depression, insomnia, addictive disorders, eating disorders and fibromyalgia. The toxicity and frequent loss of effectiveness of many anti-depressant drugs led him to new methods of treatment, including the use of more natural and well tolerated amino acids, prescribed on an individualized basis, which replenish the brain’s natural anti-depressants. He took seriously the oath that all physicians take: to First Do No Harm.
I looked at the MindFreedom website. It doesn’t take much to figure out that MindFreedom International is very much anti-psychiatry. Indeed, the splash page of its website advertises a protest planned for the meting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco in May. The whole group has a very Scientology-like air about it, its “methinks he doth protest too much” denial notwithstanding. Indeed, it appears to believe that mental illness does not exist and that psychiatry is torture, just like the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a Scientology off-shoot whose purpose is to attack psychiatry.
It’s not clear whether MindFreedom International is affiliated with the Church of Scientology, the way CCHR is. Certainly, MFI is quite extravagant in its denial that it is, so much so that it makes me suspect that it is, in fact affiliated with CCHR. Certainly, there is evidence that MFI might well be affiliated with CCHR. Certainly, at least one former MFI member claims that there are links. Whether MFI is affiliated with Scientology or not probably doesn’t really matter much; its belief system is virtually identical to that of Scientology.
In a way, I must “thank” Gary G. Kohls, MD for giving me an opportunity to do something that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time, which is to address these quotes misattributed to me, originally by Mike Adams, at least as far as I can tell. He’s also made me aware of a virtual treasure trove of antivaccine misinformation that he’s published that I can keep in my back pocket for times when not much is going on and blogging material is scarce. He’s also got a bunch of videos that can be mined, like this one:
Yes, Dr. Kohls fully buys into the discredited notion that mercury in the thimerosal preservative that used to be used in childhood vaccines caused an “autism epidemic.”
So, yes, from my perspective, Dr. Kohls is an antivaccine quack, and like antivaccine quacks, he’s not too concerned about accuracy, good science, or good medicine. Now, thanks to his error- and misinformation-filled attack on Paul Offit and me, he’s draw attention to himself that I suspect he will find to be unwelcome. I suppose that I should also thank Peter Johnson as well. It was, after all, his article refuting Dr. Kohls’ antivax nonsense that provoked Kohls to attack me.


veteranstoday--2020-06-27--Europe should brace for a reality in which US is no longer a world power – Merkel

[ Editor ’ s Note : The US world reputation has never been lower than it is now , and it is not all because of Trump .
The Republicans have been fully onboard all the way , with the Democrats not far behind .
Surprisingly Merkel admits that the jury is still out on whether liberal economic democracies are the superior system .
The US loved emerging power China when it and Japan we buying the US debt every year , like it was a colonizer collecting tribute .
Trump found himself trying to play tough guy against a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large gold stockpiles , little foreign debt and a booming economy .
China held off modernizing its military while it was doing something much more important long term , establishing China as an economic powerhouse , which could then afford a large , state of the art military to protect it .
Merkel ’ s call for the EU to begin accepting the reality of defending itself rings hollow , as such a thing will not be financially viable until after a full Covid recovery .
The EU was struggling before the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership on her part , is that the EU has loved stoking the Russian Bear image , when Putin ’ s economy was fully absorbed in trying to provide a credible modern defense of his huge country .
A typical example is that despite Russia having the top fighter superiority in its new S-57 , it will take a decade of manufacturing production to have the numbers needed for a full air defense , due to its huge territory .
Yet , it continues to be falsely labelled an ‘ aggressor ’ , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not have the economy to feasibly support taking and holding territory .
Modern Russia has always presented itself as a good trade partner being in Russia ’ s best national security interests .
It is the US , EU and NATO who thought it would be cool to slowly push NATO up to Russia ’ s eastern border to have a first strike missile staging threat , a pointed gun at Russia ’ s head in all future negotiations .
Russia ’ s response was to use its famed technical expertise to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world , which were also affordable , funding much of that via conventional arms export sales .
Who really made the bad decisions to bring us to where were are now ?
The Russians and China ?
Hardly .
China is at the front end of a decade long process to field a modernized and large enough military to defend itself… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donate > > The US may voluntarily relinquish its status as a world power and Europeans must brace themselves for such a contingency , including by boosting their militaries , the German chancellor has warned .
European nations need “ to carry more of the burden than during the cold war ” in terms of defense spending , Merkel said , because they can not assume that the US will be there to protect them .
“ We grew up in the certain knowledge that the United States wanted to be a world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to withdraw from that role of its own free will , we would have to reflect on that very deeply , ” she said , in an interview published in six European newspapers .
The German leader stopped short of advocating a joint EU military force , the idea favored by French President Emmanuel Macron .
She said she saw the value of NATO capabilities , including the shared nuclear umbrella , in a world of the rising Asian powers China and India .
The French leader has a much more skeptical attitude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year he said NATO was “ brain dead.
” Merkel lamented the increasing selfishness of nations today , which , she said , contrasts with the unified multilateral response to the 2008 financial crisis .
“ These days , we have to do all we can to stop ourselves collapsing into protectionism , ” she said .
If Europe wants to be heard , then it needs to set a good example .
Protectionist approaches are at the core of the Trump administration ’ s foreign policy .
Under Trump , Washington pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US president saw as unfavorable to his country .
He also dialed up to 11 the criticism of European NATO members like Germany , which fail to meet their military spending obligations , calling them freeloaders .
And his administration has made confrontation with China on all fronts a priority , ramping up the pressure on third nations to scare them away from cooperating with Beijing .
Speaking about China , Merkel said its rise “ shows that even an undemocratic state can be economically successful , which is a major challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other post-cold war developments , from the emergence of the Islamist terrorist threat to the disappointing results of the Arab Spring , are a matter of grave concern for believers in liberal causes like herself .
We have not yet been able to furnish absolute proof that the liberal system is about to win the day .
But Merkel seems reluctant to join the US and go for a major confrontation with China , saying Beijing ’ s new-found power is a reality that other nations have to learn to live with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ player .
That makes us partners in economic cooperation and combating climate change , but also competitors with very different political systems , ” she said .
Not to talk to each other would certainly be a bad idea .
The same is true for Russia , the country that the US sees as its other strategic rival .
Berlin needs to remain engaged with Moscow despite all issues in their bilateral relations .
“ In countries like Syria and Libya , countries in Europe ’ s immediate neighbourhood , Russia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained .
“ I will therefore continue to strive for cooperation .
”

… from Russia Today, Moscow
[ Editor’s Note: The US world reputation has never been lower than it is now, and it is not all because of Trump. The Republicans have been fully onboard all the way, with the Democrats not far behind.
Surprisingly Merkel admits that the jury is still out on whether liberal economic democracies are the superior system. The US loved emerging power China when it and Japan were buying the US debt every year, like it was a colonizer collecting tribute.
Trump found himself trying to play tough guy against a country holding huge dollar cash reserves, large gold stockpiles, little foreign debt and a booming economy.
China held off modernizing its military while it was doing something much more important long term, establishing China as an economic powerhouse, which could then afford a large, state of the art military to protect it.
Merkel’s call for the EU to begin accepting the reality of defending itself rings hollow, as such a thing will not be financially viable until after a full Covid recovery. The EU was struggling before the virus.
What is missing, showing poor leadership on her part, is that the EU has loved stoking the Russian Bear image, when Putin’s economy was fully absorbed in trying to provide a credible modern defense of his huge country.
A typical example is that despite Russia having the top fighter superiority in its new S-57, it will take a decade of manufacturing production to have the numbers needed for a full air defense, due to its huge territory. Yet, it continues to be falsely labelled an ‘aggressor’, when any military analyst can see it does not have the economy to feasibly support taking and holding territory.
Modern Russia has always presented itself as a good trade partner being in Russia’s best national security interests. It is the US, EU and NATO who thought it would be cool to slowly push NATO up to Russia’s eastern border to have a first strike missile staging threat, a pointed gun at Russia’s head in all future negotiations.
Russia’s response was to use its famed technical expertise to have the most advanced retaliation weapon systems in the world, which were also affordable, funding much of that via conventional arms export sales.
Who really made the bad decisions to bring us to where we are now? The Russians and China? Hardly. China is at the front end of a decade long process to field a modernized and large enough military to defend itself… Jim W. Dean ]
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– First published … June 27, 2020 –
The US may voluntarily relinquish its status as a world power and Europeans must brace themselves for such a contingency, including by boosting their militaries, the German chancellor has warned.
–


veteranstoday--2020-06-27--Chris Hayes: Trump must resign as an ‘Urgent matter of public health, public safety’

Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War .
He is a disabled veteran and has worked @ @ @ @ @ for decades .
Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of @ @ @ @ @ .
He manages the world ’ s largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with @ @ @ @ @ has traveled extensively , is published around the world and is a regular guest on @ @ @ @ @ than “ several ” countries .
He is also a trained chef , wine enthusiast @ @ @ @ @ specializing in historical weapons and restoration .
Business experience and interests are in energy and @ @ @

Chris Hayes on why Trump must resign: “If this presidency had creditors, the virus’ resurgence this week would have been a default event. Only it is not his creditors who are suffering. It is us.”
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veteranstoday--2020-06-27--A Good Reason To Not Buy Fireworks

A Good Reason To Not Buy Fireworks

Why Fireworks Scare Some Dogs but Not Others Ears back .
Body trembling .
Hiding in the bathtub or crawling under the bed .
The telltale signs of a scared pup are familiar to dog owners , and they ’ re especially common in summer , when fireworks and thunderstorms can heighten dogs ’ anxiety levels .
But while the sight of a sparkler sends some dogs tail-tucked and running , others remain unfazed by booms and bangs .
To sort out this canine confusion , dog researchers around the world are investigating what makes dogs react to sounds with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could improve dogs ’ quality of life and even help to explain human fear responses .
Dogs are known for their olfactory prowess , but sound also dictates their experience of the world .
Dogs hear more than twice as many frequencies as humans , and they can also hear sounds roughly four times further away .
Reacting to every sound would demand too much energy , and so dog brains must determine which sounds are significant and which can be tuned out .
This “ auditory flexibility ” is especially important for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depend on the ability of military dogs and detection dogs to remain calm despite the loud sounds and explosions they may encounter .
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We ask you to Read Our Content Policy so a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news , opinion and media .
All content is owned by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT. About VT - Read Full Policy Notice - Comment Policy Due to the nature of independent content , VT can not guarantee content validity.We ask you toso a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news , opinion and media.All content is owned by author exclusively .
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All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT .

Why Fireworks Scare Some Dogs but Not Others
by Courtney Sexton/Smithsonianmag.com
Ears back. Body trembling. Hiding in the bathtub or crawling under the bed. The telltale signs of a scared pup are familiar to dog owners, and they’re especially common in summer, when fireworks and thunderstorms can heighten dogs’ anxiety levels. But while the sight of a sparkler sends some dogs tail-tucked and running, others remain unfazed by booms and bangs.
To sort out this canine confusion, dog researchers around the world are investigating what makes dogs react to sounds with fear. Better understanding canine fear behaviors could improve dogs’ quality of life and even help to explain human fear responses.
The sound of fear
Dogs are known for their olfactory prowess, but sound also dictates their experience of the world. Dogs hear more than twice as many frequencies as humans, and they can also hear sounds roughly four times further away. Reacting to every sound would demand too much energy, and so dog brains must determine which sounds are significant and which can be tuned out. This “auditory flexibility” is especially important for working dogs; for example, lives depend on the ability of military dogs and detection dogs to remain calm despite the loud sounds and explosions they may encounter.
Read More:


veteranstoday--2020-06-28--US Pandemic Worsens Thanks To Trump

US Pandemic Worsens Thanks To Trump

Deaths in US now exceed 125,000 , approximately one-fourth the world total of more than 495,000 The United States has surpassed 2.5 million coronavirus cases , as efforts to reopen the world ’ s economic powerhouse were dramatically set back by a surge of new infections in states such as Florida .
Infections are also up in some other parts of the world that have reopened , and the public health realities pushed global Pride celebrations largely online Saturday , 50 years after the first march for LGBT rights in New York .
The US leads the world in Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a third of the global total of nearly 9.9 million since the virus emerged late last year in China .
AT Premium On Saturday alone the US recorded more than 43,000 new cases , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
US deaths now exceed 125,000 , approximately one-fourth the world total of over 495,000 .
The tension between reopening battered economies – efforts pushed in the US by President Donald Trump – and public health is a source of debate in nearly every country .
In Iran , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it gradually lifted restrictions from April , supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “ something must be done ” to prevent coronavirus causing economic issues .
“ But in the case of negligence and significant spread of the disease , economic problems will increase , too , ” he said .
Iran ’ s President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that mask-wearing will be mandatory in certain areas as of next week and gave virus-hit provinces the green light to reimpose restrictive measures .
The EU on Saturday pushed back a decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” from which travellers can visit Europe – a list which could exclude the US .
Meanwhile stars including Coldplay , Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson lent support to a European Commission-led drive that raised 6.15 billion euros ( $ 6.9 billion ) to support vaccine research and help make it available to poorer countries .
Some of those countries are still far from reaching their peak in infections , authorities say .
In the Middle East , the governor of Bethlehem announced that the Palestinian city would temporarily close due to rising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populated cities have been particularly hard hit .
The country set a daily record Saturday with 18,500 new cases and 385 deaths .
Total infections are at 509,000 , with more than 15,600 deaths .
In Poland on Sunday , voters went to the polls in round one of a tight presidential race that was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The disease also continues to rampage through Latin America , with Peru surpassing 9,000 deaths in total on Saturday .
Brazil – the second hardest-hit country in the world after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the highest in the world that day , while Mexico recorded the second highest , 719 .
In Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has conceded there has been an “ explosion ” in new cases .
On Saturday the “ Sunshine State ” notched 9,585 cases in 24 hours , a new daily record .
ATF The average age of people infected has dropped sharply , to 33 from 65 two months ago .
Young people frustrated by months of confinement have poured back to the state ’ s beaches , boardwalks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemingly unconcerned about social distancing .
Miami announced beaches will close over the July 4 holiday weekend .
Bars are also closing .
Georgia , Nevada and South Carolina also reported new daily record cases on Saturday , while Arizona broke its record for hospitalizations .
With Trump struggling to lift his re-election bid off the ground ahead of November , the campaign confirmed that events featuring Vice President Mike Pence in Arizona and Florida next week have been postponed “ out of an abundance of caution.
” Trump had faced a backlash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite virus concerns one week ago .
In California , Governor Gavin Newsom ordered some areas to reinstate stay-at-home orders , while San Francisco announced a “ pause ” in its reopening .
Texas also shut down its bars .
Governor Greg Abbott , another Republican who resisted lockdowns , said Friday that if he could “ go back and redo anything , it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars.
” Texas was among the first US states to reopen .
Fifty years on from the first Gay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their supporters took many of their events online Saturday for Global Pride , a 24-hour online event broadcast live .
There were some small marches , such as in Mexico City , where some 200 people defied quarantine to progress along Reforma , the city ’ s main avenue .
The virus has also thrown world sports into turmoil .
Pakistan ’ s cricket board announced Saturday it would leave 10 players off its tour of England on Sunday after they tested positive .

__________
Asia Times
US tops 2.5m virus cases as infections surge
Deaths in US now exceed 125,000, approximately one-fourth the world total of more than 495,000
The United States has surpassed 2.5 million coronavirus cases, as efforts to reopen the world’s economic powerhouse were dramatically set back by a surge of new infections in states such as Florida.
Infections are also up in some other parts of the world that have reopened, and the public health realities pushed global Pride celebrations largely online Saturday, 50 years after the first march for LGBT rights in New York.
The US leads the world in Covid-19 cases by far, accounting for well over a third of the global total of nearly 9.9 million since the virus emerged late last year in China.
AT Premium
On Saturday alone the US recorded more than 43,000 new cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. US deaths now exceed 125,000, approximately one-fourth the world total of over 495,000.
The tension between reopening battered economies – efforts pushed in the US by President Donald Trump – and public health is a source of debate in nearly every country.
In Iran, which has struggled to curb its outbreak even as it gradually lifted restrictions from April, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “something must be done” to prevent coronavirus causing economic issues.
“But in the case of negligence and significant spread of the disease, economic problems will increase, too,” he said.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that mask-wearing will be mandatory in certain areas as of next week and gave virus-hit provinces the green light to reimpose restrictive measures.
The EU on Saturday pushed back a decision on a list of “safe countries” from which travellers can visit Europe – a list which could exclude the US.
Meanwhile stars including Coldplay, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson lent support to a European Commission-led drive that raised 6.15 billion euros ($6.9 billion) to support vaccine research and help make it available to poorer countries.
Some of those countries are still far from reaching their peak in infections, authorities say.
In the Middle East, the governor of Bethlehem announced that the Palestinian city would temporarily close due to rising infections.
While in India, densely populated cities have been particularly hard hit. The country set a daily record Saturday with 18,500 new cases and 385 deaths. Total infections are at 509,000, with more than 15,600 deaths.
In Poland on Sunday, voters went to the polls in round one of a tight presidential race that was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The disease also continues to rampage through Latin America, with Peru surpassing 9,000 deaths in total on Saturday.
Brazil – the second hardest-hit country in the world after the US – recorded 990 deaths on Saturday, the highest in the world that day, while Mexico recorded the second highest, 719.
‘Explosion’ in Florida
In Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has conceded there has been an “explosion” in new cases.
On Saturday the “Sunshine State” notched 9,585 cases in 24 hours, a new daily record.
ATF
The average age of people infected has dropped sharply, to 33 from 65 two months ago. Young people frustrated by months of confinement have poured back to the state’s beaches, boardwalks and bars, often without masks and seemingly unconcerned about social distancing.
Miami announced beaches will close over the July 4 holiday weekend. Bars are also closing.
Georgia, Nevada and South Carolina also reported new daily record cases on Saturday, while Arizona broke its record for hospitalizations.
With Trump struggling to lift his re-election bid off the ground ahead of November, the campaign confirmed that events featuring Vice President Mike Pence in Arizona and Florida next week have been postponed “out of an abundance of caution.”
Trump had faced a backlash after insisting on a rally in Oklahoma despite virus concerns one week ago.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered some areas to reinstate stay-at-home orders, while San Francisco announced a “pause” in its reopening.
Texas also shut down its bars. Governor Greg Abbott, another Republican who resisted lockdowns, said Friday that if he could “go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars.”
Texas was among the first US states to reopen.
Global Pride
Fifty years on from the first Gay Pride march, the LGBT community and their supporters took many of their events online Saturday for Global Pride, a 24-hour online event broadcast live.
There were some small marches, such as in Mexico City, where some 200 people defied quarantine to progress along Reforma, the city’s main avenue.
The virus has also thrown world sports into turmoil. Pakistan’s cricket board announced Saturday it would leave 10 players off its tour of England on Sunday after they tested positive.