activistpost--2020-04-15--New Evidence CV Is An Escaped Experiment; U.S. Funded Wuhan Lab $3.7M Studying Bats, Safety Warnings

A new documentary film by Epoch Times in collaboration with NTD ( New Tang Dynasty Television ) , both based in New York , details additional concerning – and potentially horrifying – facts that the Wuhan coronavirus is a biological experiment that either escaped or was deliberately released ( see at end of article ) .
This comes as UK ministers are expressing doubt that the coronavirus originated from Wuhan ’ s Hunan Seafood market and rather insist that there is credible evidence it came from Wuhan ’ s lab , which also had U.S. funding .
The documentary led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-depth look at the progression of the pandemic from January to April , and details how Shi Zhengli a virologist often called China ’ s “ bat woman ” altered studies throwing the world ’ s science community off the trail in order to support her claim that the Wuhan coronavirus virus ( COVID-19 ) came from bats at the market .
The film also dissects the virus in great detail exposing its spike ( or S-proteins ) , which has layers of HIV-1 gp120 included in it and its nucleoids and amino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan lab ’ s experiments on bats .
Additional claims are made that China has covered up much of the earlier information about the virus , in some cases even ordering documents destroyed .
The film by Philipp proves without a doubt , at least to this writer , that the virus is a biological escaped experiment .
This is something that Activist Post has been raising as a strong possibility to readers , despite alternative press being attacked for claiming the virus displayed signs of being a biological weapon produced in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law , and the man who drafted the Biological Weapons Act of 1989 , recently said in an explosive interview with Geopolitics and Empire that the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan likely came from the BSL-4 lab in the city .
Boyle stated in the interview that he believes the virus is potentially lethal and an offensive biological warfare weapon or dual-use biowarfare weapons agent genetically modified with function properties .
Boyle also touched on a fact this reporter stated previously — how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lab in Winnipeg were involved in the smuggling of coronavirus to Wuhan ’ s lab in July of last year .
Recently , scientists have now admitted and found that the coronavirus kills the immune system by attacking T-cells ; This alludes to a confirmation of earlier reports retracted by Indian scientists that ZeroHedge reported which stated COVID-19 SARS2 had four new sequences matching HIV-1 gp120 inserted into its spike or S-proteins .
Dr. Judy Mikovits a molecular biologist and former director at the lab of Antiviral Mechanisms NCI , makes the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stating that : “ the virus is certainly not natural , given the S-proteins and E-proteins.
” Mikovits isn ’ t the only molecular biologist speaking out ; Czech Dr. Sona Pekova is also working on the tests for the virus and stated that it ’ s likely an escaped lab experiment due to the modified proteins .
Ministers in UK are now no longer dismissing the theory that the coronavius pandemic erupted due to a biological experiment gone wrong , or a deliberate release , The Dailymail reported .
“ There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zoonotic theory ] based on the nature of the virus .
Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is that laboratory in Wuhan .
It is not discounted.
” Cobra the emergency committee led by recently infected recovering Borris Johnson , said .
Even the Pentagon , which had previously flatly dismissed the possibility , now seems at least open to other considerations according to a recent statement cited by Defense One : The approximate £30 million Wuhan Institute of Virology , based ten miles from the infamous wet market , is supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virology labs in the world .
A second institute in the city , the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention – is barely three miles from the accused market – is also believed to have carried out experiments on animals such as bats to examine the transmission of coronaviruses .
The Wuhan Institute of Virology was involved in carrying out research on bats from the Yunnan caves which scientists believe is the original source of the outbreak , Dailymail reported .
Beyond that , it has now emerged that several U.S. state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lab , Washington Post reported .
WaPo reports that the U.S State Department received two cables from U.S. Embassy officials in 2018 warning of inadequate safety at a Wuhan , China biolab conducting “ risky studies ” on bat coronaviruses , according to the Washington Post , which notes that the cables have “ fueled discussions inside the U.S. government about whether this or another Wuhan lab was the source of the virus.
” Interestingly enough , this coincides with a warning that same year from a major U.S. government report from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Medicine which warned that advances in synthetic biology now allow scientists to have the capability to recreate dangerous viruses from scratch ; make harmful bacteria more deadly ; and modify common microbes so that they churn out lethal toxins once they enter the body .
It has also emerged that Wuhan ’ s Virology Institute was funded for 3.7 million by the NIH ( National Institutes of Health ) headed by none other than Anthony Fauci .
Results of the research were published in November 2017 under the headline : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bat SARS-related coronaviruses provides new insights into the origin of SARS coronavirus.
” This may explain why despite the virus has been claimed to be airborne and able to spread a now reported 13 feet .
Regardless , the U.S. or any country has refused to say the virus may be an escaped lab experiment .
The FBI also discussed several suspicious encounters where Chinese nationals were trying to smuggle viruses out of the U.S. , including a coronavirus , as Activist Post reported .
This doesn ’ t include the case in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University ’ s chemistry department , Charles Lieber , was federally charged with failing to disclose funding from the Chinese government , after he hid his involvement in China ’ s “ Thousand Talents Program , ” along with Chinese nationals .
It also doesn ’ t include an incident in a Canadian lab in Winnipeg where coronavirus samples were smuggled to Wuhan ’ s lab in July of last year by a couple .
Typically , Canadian and U.S. authorities work hand in hand ; in 2001 after the September 11 attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ottawa , Canada for terrorism and cross-border related cases .
The FBI ’ s report also specifically uses the words , “ biosecurity risk ” when describing China , which is typically used to refer to the intentional misuse of pathogens , such as for bioterrorism and biosafety , which covers accidental release according to the World Heath Organization .
The Lancet medical journal published a study finding that many of the first cases of the novel coronavirus , including suspected patient zero , had no connection to the wet market , leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence listed above that the virus may have been a bio accident .
Lancet also makes note that there are no bats sold at the Wuhan Seafood market , as the CDC themselves admitted .
Many suspect “ patient zero ” was actually Shi Zhengli ’ s assistant Huang Yan Ling , who has gone missing and was suspiciously removed from the Wuhan Institute of Virology ’ s website as Laowhy86 noted in a YouTube video investigating the coronavirus ’ s origins entitled : “ I Found The Source of the Coronavirus.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zero , expressing it was “ fake news ” that her or any other researcher was infected .
However , Chinese media has continued the investigation whether or not patient zero was Ling or another researcher .
South Chinese scientists have raised concerns as well , expressing that there were two separate lab incidents with the coronavirus-infected bats , one spilling blood and the other spilling urine on lab workers , as Activist Post reported .
Ironically , one of those South Chinese scientists was Xio Botao , a researcher who purportedly knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Patient Zero.
” It is worth noting the lab was officially working with different strains of coronavirus , as well as other deadly illnesses like Ebola , beginning in 2018 .
This lab is just a few miles away from the Huanan wet market where the first case of the coronavirus is believed to have been transmitted .
Even before the lab opened , scientists all over the world were voicing concerns about the potential dangers .
An article was published in the prestigious science journal Nature in 2017 , detailing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinions about how a dangerous bug could leak from the facility .
In fact , the SARS virus has escaped from high-level containment facilities in Beijing multiple times .
Interestingly enough , in 2004 , China punished five top officials of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) for the outbreak of SARS .
The investigation found that the release of the virus was due to the negligence of two CDC employees who were infected and was not deliberate , China Daily reported .
ZeroHedge pointed out that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on November 18th , 2019 asked for researchers to “ use bats to research the molecular mechanism that allows Ebola and SARS-associated coronaviruses to lie dormant for a long time without causing diseases.
” What was missed at the time by many of us is that the same job post board has another shocking post on December 24th 2019 , which states the following : In 2015 , the National Library of Medicine published a paper warning that a “ SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronavirus pose threat for human emergence.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning that a hybrid lab-created version of a bat coronavirus — one related to the virus that causes SARS ( severe acute respiratory syndrome ) — could cause a possible pandemic .
In 2020 , another paper was published in Nature , which claimed that the Wuhan coronavirus is closely related to ( CoVZC45 and CoVZXC21 ) sampled from bats from Zhoushan by the People Liberation Army of China .
The E-protein and NSP7 shows 100 % amino acid similarity to CoVZC45 and 89.1 % similarity to nucleoids of the CoVZC45 virus which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not a natural virus .
Further , she adds , the S-proteins also show a similarity to the original SARS .
According to the documentary by Epoch Times and NTD , the following research further illustrates the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus .
On January 23 , 2020 the Wuhan virus exploded .
While Wuhan announced the lockdown of the city , Dr. Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology , published a paper in the authoritative science journal , Nature on February 3 , 2020 stating that the Wuhan coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper indicated that the Wuhan virus utilized the same key as SARS to gain entry into the human body .
She also announced the 2019-nCoV genome sequence was 96.2 % consistent with a bat coronavirus originating in Yunnan , China , called RaTG13 , signaling a natural source of the Wuhan virus .
Since the SARS outbreak in 2003 , Shi Zhengli had been conducting research on coronaviruses .
From 2010 onward , the focus of Shi and her team , was redirected to identifying the capacity for coronavirus transmission across species , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protein of the coronaviruses .
Her team ’ s research in the Wuhan virology lab , has been looking into the part that can make coronaviruses transmittable to humans .
In June , 2010 , a team including Shi Zhengli , published a paper .
It described research to understand the susceptibility of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 ACE-2 proteins , of different bat species to the S Protein of the SARS virus .
In the experiments , they also modified key amino acid codons to mutate the bats ACE-2 to examine compatibility with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrated their awareness of the special relationship between the S Protein and the ACE-2 receptor .
It also signified that Shi had unearthed the passageway for coronaviruses into human bodies .
In October , 2013 , Shi and her team published a paper in Nature .
They claimed a breakthrough in coronavirus research .
They successfully isolated three viruses from bats , one of which had a S Protein that integrated with human ACE-2 receptors .
This effectively demonstrated the direct human infection of SARS-like viruses to humans , without the need of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2015 , Shi and her team at the Wuhan virology lab once again published a paper .
This time in the British journal , Nature Medicine .
They discussed the creation of a synthetic virus , a self-replicating Chimeric virus .
This virus had the SARS virus as the framework , with the key S protein replaced , by the one they had found in a bat coronavirus , she mentioned in her 2013 paper .
This new virus demonstrated a powerful ability for cross-species infection .
The mice infected with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no cure .
This symbolized that Shi ’ s successful splicing of the SARS virus , was a key to open the door to the cross-species transmission .
They planned to further experiment on primates , although Shi Zhengli did not indicate any conclusion from this research .
Her move to research on primates wasn ’ t done without controversy .
Shi ’ s experiments quickly triggered widespread debates from the academic community .
Simon Wain-Hobson of the Pasteur Institute in France , expressed deep concerns .
He told Nature , “ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predict the trajectory .
Propagation could happen anywhere .
Its worth noting that on February 7th , Chinese Major General Chen Wei , China ’ s chief biochemical weapon defense expert , the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences and “ Director of the Institute of Biological Engineering ” took over the Wuhan Virology Institute P4 laboratory according to Xilu a Chinese Military website .
That ’ s not all China ’ s leader Xi Jing Ping called for the inclusion of a bio security into China ’ s National Security framework , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bio security law , South China Morning Post reported .
Symptoms of the coronavirus include a fever , cough , shortness of breath , and other breathing difficulties .
However , according to Chinese state media , some are not experiencing any of these symptoms and are instead experiencing nausea , diarrhea , tiredness , bad concentration , headache , irregular heartbeat , chest pain , cornea inflammation , and muscular pains in the limbs , back , and waist .
There are also emerging suspected symptoms ; for example , French scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems such as hives , painful red skin and a condition similar to frostbite .
Best preventive measures include washing your hands , and avoiding public places where someone may be sick , according to the CDC .
Since the virus outbreak was officially announced in January , scientists have found a multitude of everlasting damage caused to our bodies including but not limited to — heart problems , liver damage , kidney damage , brain damage , and lung damage .
This has many scientists and doctors perplexed and worried about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and future health .
British scientific advisers have even estimated the pandemic may be as much as 15 to 40 times worse than what China has said .
According to a leaked audio recording by Epoch Times , a Chinese military expert who spoke to military medics revealed that in recovered patients , the immune system is totally destroyed and they could remain contagious .
He added , “ do not expect a vaccine , let me tell you .
Do not expect there ’ ll be a vaccine .
Those who talked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all charlatans .
Those who have been infected will have a lot of trouble .
( Now that it has spread far and wide , ) what ’ s next , how it will develop later , no one has a clue .
This virus , in fact , is how humans are going to self-destruct .
There is absolutely nothing we can do about it.
” However , he added , that the only solution is to “ increase your own personal immunity.
” Moreover , the South China Morning Post issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world .
According to French scientists in a new ( non-peer-reviewed ) paper , they had to bring the temperature almost to a boiling point in order to kill the virus .
China lied about SARS previously , which was a biological accident 3 out of the 4 times according to the World Health Organization .
So , with all this evidence pointing back to China , using Occam ’ s razor we can determine that the virus more than likely leaked from Wuhan Institute of Virology , especially given the infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a matter of months .
Ironically , and something you can take as predictive programming or a warning from Hollywood , the 2011 movie Contagion is about a bat coronavirus which escapes China and ravages the world without a cure according to IMDB .
However , as Activist Post wrote while discussing the increase of a police surveillance state , measures being put into place now will likely remain long after the pandemic has stopped and the virus has run its course .
That ’ s the everlasting effect that COVID-19 will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are entering COVID-1984 .
The coronavirus is now classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization , and it may very well be a legitimate health concern for all of us around the world and the virus itself may be an escaped lab experiment as this article details .
But it ’ s the government ’ s response that should worry us all more in the long run like increased phone surveillance and talking “ pandemic drones.
” You can watch the full investigative documentary by the Epoch Times and NTD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Wuhan Coronavirus ” below .
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By Aaron Kesel
A new documentary film by Epoch Times in collaboration with NTD (New Tang Dynasty Television), both based in New York, details additional concerning – and potentially horrifying – facts that the Wuhan coronavirus is a biological experiment that either escaped or was deliberately released (see at end of article). This comes as UK ministers are expressing doubt that the coronavirus originated from Wuhan’s Hunan Seafood market and rather insist that there is credible evidence it came from Wuhan’s lab, which also had U.S. funding.
The documentary led by investigative reporter Joshua Philipp takes an in-depth look at the progression of the pandemic from January to April, and details how Shi Zhengli a virologist often called China’s “bat woman” altered studies throwing the world’s science community off the trail in order to support her claim that the Wuhan coronavirus virus (COVID-19) came from bats at the market. The film also dissects the virus in great detail exposing its spike (or S-proteins), which has layers of HIV-1 gp120 included in it and its nucleoids and amino acids, to the history of the Wuhan lab’s experiments on bats. Additional claims are made that China has covered up much of the earlier information about the virus, in some cases even ordering documents destroyed. The film by Philipp proves without a doubt, at least to this writer, that the virus is a biological escaped experiment.
This is something that Activist Post has been raising as a strong possibility to readers, despite alternative press being attacked for claiming the virus displayed signs of being a biological weapon produced in a lab. Dr. Francis Boyle, a professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law, and the man who drafted the Biological Weapons Act of 1989, recently said in an explosive interview with Geopolitics and Empire that the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan likely came from the BSL-4 lab in the city.
Boyle stated in the interview that he believes the virus is potentially lethal and an offensive biological warfare weapon or dual-use biowarfare weapons agent genetically modified with function properties. Boyle also touched on a fact this reporter stated previously — how Chinese biowarfare agents working at the Canadian lab in Winnipeg were involved in the smuggling of coronavirus to Wuhan’s lab in July of last year.
Recently, scientists have now admitted and found that the coronavirus kills the immune system by attacking T-cells; This alludes to a confirmation of earlier reports retracted by Indian scientists that ZeroHedge reported which stated COVID-19 SARS2 had four new sequences matching HIV-1 gp120 inserted into its spike or S-proteins. Dr. Judy Mikovits a molecular biologist and former director at the lab of Antiviral Mechanisms NCI, makes the same argument in Epoch Times‘ film, stating that: “the virus is certainly not natural, given the S-proteins and E-proteins.”
Mikovits isn’t the only molecular biologist speaking out; Czech Dr. Sona Pekova is also working on the tests for the virus and stated that it’s likely an escaped lab experiment due to the modified proteins.
Ministers in UK are now no longer dismissing the theory that the coronavius pandemic erupted due to a biological experiment gone wrong, or a deliberate release, The Dailymail reported. “There is a credible alternative view [to the zoonotic theory] based on the nature of the virus. Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is that laboratory in Wuhan. It is not discounted.” Cobra the emergency committee led by recently infected recovering Borris Johnson, said.
Even the Pentagon, which had previously flatly dismissed the possibility, now seems at least open to other considerations according to a recent statement cited by Defense One:
“There’s a lot of rumor and speculation in a wide variety of media, blog sites, etc.,” (Joint Chiefs Chairman) Milley said. “It should be no surprise to you that we have taken a keen interest in that, and we have had a lot of intelligence take a hard look at that.” “At this point it’s inconclusive, although the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural, but we do not know for sure,” Milley said.
The approximate £30 million Wuhan Institute of Virology, based ten miles from the infamous wet market, is supposed to be one of the most secure virology labs in the world. A second institute in the city, the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention – is barely three miles from the accused market – is also believed to have carried out experiments on animals such as bats to examine the transmission of coronaviruses. The Wuhan Institute of Virology was involved in carrying out research on bats from the Yunnan caves which scientists believe is the original source of the outbreak, Dailymail reported.
Beyond that, it has now emerged that several U.S. state department cables warned of safety issues of the lab, Washington Post reported.
WaPo reports that the U.S State Department received two cables from U.S. Embassy officials in 2018 warning of inadequate safety at a Wuhan, China biolab conducting “risky studies” on bat coronaviruses, according to the Washington Post, which notes that the cables have “fueled discussions inside the U.S. government about whether this or another Wuhan lab was the source of the virus.” Interestingly enough, this coincides with a warning that same year from a major U.S. government report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine which warned that advances in synthetic biology now allow scientists to have the capability to recreate dangerous viruses from scratch; make harmful bacteria more deadly; and modify common microbes so that they churn out lethal toxins once they enter the body.
It has also emerged that Wuhan’s Virology Institute was funded for 3.7 million by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) headed by none other than Anthony Fauci. Results of the research were published in November 2017 under the headline: “Discovery of a rich gene pool of bat SARS-related coronaviruses provides new insights into the origin of SARS coronavirus.”
This may explain why despite the virus has been claimed to be airborne and able to spread a now reported 13 feet. Regardless, the U.S. or any country has refused to say the virus may be an escaped lab experiment. The FBI also discussed several suspicious encounters where Chinese nationals were trying to smuggle viruses out of the U.S., including a coronavirus, as Activist Post reported.
This doesn’t include the case in January, where the head of Harvard University’s chemistry department, Charles Lieber, was federally charged with failing to disclose funding from the Chinese government, after he hid his involvement in China’s “Thousand Talents Program,” along with Chinese nationals. It also doesn’t include an incident in a Canadian lab in Winnipeg where coronavirus samples were smuggled to Wuhan’s lab in July of last year by a couple. Typically, Canadian and U.S. authorities work hand in hand; in 2001 after the September 11 attacks the agency established a permanent presence in Ottawa, Canada for terrorism and cross-border related cases.
The FBI’s report also specifically uses the words, “biosecurity risk” when describing China, which is typically used to refer to the intentional misuse of pathogens, such as for bioterrorism and biosafety, which covers accidental release according to the World Heath Organization.
The Lancet medical journal published a study finding that many of the first cases of the novel coronavirus, including suspected patient zero, had no connection to the wet market, leading many including Boyle to speculate with abundant evidence listed above that the virus may have been a bio accident. Lancet also makes note that there are no bats sold at the Wuhan Seafood market, as the CDC themselves admitted. Many suspect “patient zero” was actually Shi Zhengli’s assistant Huang Yan Ling, who has gone missing and was suspiciously removed from the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s website as Laowhy86 noted in a YouTube video investigating the coronavirus’s origins entitled: “I Found The Source of the Coronavirus.”
Zhengli has denied that Ling was patient zero, expressing it was “fake news” that her or any other researcher was infected. However, Chinese media has continued the investigation whether or not patient zero was Ling or another researcher. South Chinese scientists have raised concerns as well, expressing that there were two separate lab incidents with the coronavirus-infected bats, one spilling blood and the other spilling urine on lab workers, as Activist Post reported.
Ironically, one of those South Chinese scientists was Xio Botao, a researcher who purportedly knew Ling and called her in his report “Patient Zero.”
It is worth noting the lab was officially working with different strains of coronavirus, as well as other deadly illnesses like Ebola, beginning in 2018. This lab is just a few miles away from the Huanan wet market where the first case of the coronavirus is believed to have been transmitted.
Even before the lab opened, scientists all over the world were voicing concerns about the potential dangers. An article was published in the prestigious science journal Nature in 2017, detailing the plans for the lab and sharing expert opinions about how a dangerous bug could leak from the facility. In fact, the SARS virus has escaped from high-level containment facilities in Beijing multiple times.
Interestingly enough, in 2004, China punished five top officials of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the outbreak of SARS. The investigation found that the release of the virus was due to the negligence of two CDC employees who were infected and was not deliberate, China Daily reported.
ZeroHedge pointed out that a job post from the Wuhan Virology Institute on November 18th , 2019 asked for researchers to “use bats to research the molecular mechanism that allows Ebola and SARS-associated coronaviruses to lie dormant for a long time without causing diseases.”
What was missed at the time by many of us is that the same job post board has another shocking post on December 24th 2019, which states the following:
Long-term research on the pathogenic biology of bats carrying important viruses has confirmed the origin of bats for major human and animal infectious diseases such as SARS and SADS, and discovered and identified a large number of new viruses in bats and rodents.
In 2015, the National Library of Medicine published a paper warning that a “SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronavirus pose threat for human emergence.” That same year, Nature published an article warning that a hybrid lab-created version of a bat coronavirus — one related to the virus that causes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) — could cause a possible pandemic.
In 2020, another paper was published in Nature, which claimed that the Wuhan coronavirus is closely related to (CoVZC45 and CoVZXC21) sampled from bats from Zhoushan by the People Liberation Army of China. The E-protein and NSP7 shows 100% amino acid similarity to CoVZC45 and 89.1% similarity to nucleoids of the CoVZC45 virus which, according to Mikovitz, proves it is not a natural virus. Further, she adds, the S-proteins also show a similarity to the original SARS.
According to the documentary by Epoch Times and NTD, the following research further illustrates the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus.
On January 23, 2020 the Wuhan virus exploded. While Wuhan announced the lockdown of the city, Dr. Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, published a paper in the authoritative science journal, Nature on February 3, 2020 stating that the Wuhan coronavirus was of probable bat origin. The paper indicated that the Wuhan virus utilized the same key as SARS to gain entry into the human body. She also announced the 2019-nCoV genome sequence was 96.2% consistent with a bat coronavirus originating in Yunnan, China, called RaTG13, signaling a natural source of the Wuhan virus. Since the SARS outbreak in 2003, Shi Zhengli had been conducting research on coronaviruses. From 2010 onward, the focus of Shi and her team, was redirected to identifying the capacity for coronavirus transmission across species, specifically putting the spotlight on the S protein of the coronaviruses. Her team’s research in the Wuhan virology lab, has been looking into the part that can make coronaviruses transmittable to humans. In June, 2010, a team including Shi Zhengli, published a paper. It described research to understand the susceptibility of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 ACE-2 proteins, of different bat species to the S Protein of the SARS virus. In the experiments, they also modified key amino acid codons to mutate the bats ACE-2 to examine compatibility with the SARS S Protein. This paper demonstrated their awareness of the special relationship between the S Protein and the ACE-2 receptor. It also signified that Shi had unearthed the passageway for coronaviruses into human bodies. In October, 2013, Shi and her team published a paper in Nature. They claimed a breakthrough in coronavirus research. They successfully isolated three viruses from bats, one of which had a S Protein that integrated with human ACE-2 receptors. This effectively demonstrated the direct human infection of SARS-like viruses to humans, without the need of an intermediate host. Then in November, 2015, Shi and her team at the Wuhan virology lab once again published a paper. This time in the British journal, Nature Medicine. They discussed the creation of a synthetic virus, a self-replicating Chimeric virus. This virus had the SARS virus as the framework, with the key S protein replaced, by the one they had found in a bat coronavirus, she mentioned in her 2013 paper. This new virus demonstrated a powerful ability for cross-species infection. The mice infected with the synthetic virus revealed severe lung damage with no cure. This symbolized that Shi’s successful splicing of the SARS virus, was a key to open the door to the cross-species transmission. They planned to further experiment on primates, although Shi Zhengli did not indicate any conclusion from this research. Her move to research on primates wasn’t done without controversy. Shi’s experiments quickly triggered widespread debates from the academic community. Simon Wain-Hobson of the Pasteur Institute in France, expressed deep concerns. He told Nature, “If the new virus escaped, nobody could predict the trajectory. Propagation could happen anywhere.
It is worth noting that on February 7th, Chinese Major General Chen Wei, China’s chief biochemical weapon defense expert, the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences and “Director of the Institute of Biological Engineering” took over the Wuhan Virology Institute P4 laboratory according to Xilu a Chinese Military website. That’s not all, China’s leader Xi Jing Ping called for the inclusion of bio security into China’s National Security framework, and to accelerate the introduction of a bio security law, South China Morning Post reported.
CONFIRMED UNFORTUNATELY – Chinese Military Website Xilu – China's chief biochemical weapon defense expert enters Han to fight the epidemic! The decisive battle begins:https://t.co/z2k2GzmbPU https://t.co/A5vePJGuDT — ⒶK #FreeAssange #BOT⌛🏴☠🎗(₿)🍀 (@An0nAKn0wledge) February 9, 2020
Symptoms of the coronavirus include a fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other breathing difficulties. However, according to Chinese state media, some are not experiencing any of these symptoms and are instead experiencing nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, bad concentration, headache, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, cornea inflammation, and muscular pains in the limbs, back, and waist. There are also emerging suspected symptoms; for example, French scientists have warned that COVID-19 may cause dermatological problems such as hives, painful red skin and a condition similar to frostbite.
Best preventive measures include washing your hands, and avoiding public places where someone may be sick, according to the CDC.
Since the virus outbreak was officially announced in January, scientists have found a multitude of everlasting damage caused to our bodies including but not limited to — heart problems, liver damage, kidney damage, brain damage, and lung damage. This has many scientists and doctors perplexed and worried about the coronavirus and its effects on our current and future health. British scientific advisers have even estimated the pandemic may be as much as 15 to 40 times worse than what China has said.
According to a leaked audio recording by Epoch Times, a Chinese military expert who spoke to military medics revealed that in recovered patients, the immune system is totally destroyed and they could remain contagious. He added, “do not expect a vaccine, let me tell you. Do not expect there’ll be a vaccine. Those who talked about how vaccines can be developed are all charlatans. Those who have been infected will have a lot of trouble. (Now that it has spread far and wide,) what’s next, how it will develop later, no one has a clue. This virus, in fact, is how humans are going to self-destruct. There is absolutely nothing we can do about it.” However, he added, that the only solution is to “increase your own personal immunity.”
Moreover, the South China Morning Post issued a new warning to lab technicians around the world. According to French scientists in a new (non-peer-reviewed) paper, they had to bring the temperature almost to a boiling point in order to kill the virus.
Professor Remi Charrel and colleagues at the Aix-Marseille University in southern Franceheated the virus that causes Covid-19 to 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) for an hour and found that some strains were still able to replicate.
China lied about SARS previously, which was a biological accident 3 out of the 4 times according to the World Health Organization. So, with all this evidence pointing back to China, using Occam’s razor we can determine that the virus more than likely leaked from Wuhan Institute of Virology, especially given the infectious spread infecting every country in the world in a matter of months.
Ironically, and something you can take as predictive programming or a warning from Hollywood, the 2011 movie Contagion is about a bat coronavirus which escapes China and ravages the world without a cure according to IMDB.
However, as Activist Post wrote while discussing the increase of a police surveillance state, measures being put into place now will likely remain long after the pandemic has stopped and the virus has run its course. That’s the everlasting effect that COVID-19 will have on our society. Essentially, we are entering COVID-1984. The coronavirus is now classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and it may very well be a legitimate health concern for all of us around the world and the virus itself may be an escaped lab experiment as this article details. But it’s the government’s response that should worry us all more in the long run like increased phone surveillance and talking “pandemic drones.”
You can watch the full investigative documentary by the Epoch Times and NTD entitled: “Tracking Down the Origin of the Wuhan Coronavirus” below.
Also Read from Derrick Broze: New Reports Indicate US and China Collaborated on Coronavirus Research Prior to COVID-19 Outbreak
**By [@An0nkn0wledge](https://steemit.com/@an0nkn0wledge)**
Aaron Kesel writes for Activist Post.
Image: Pixabay
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activistpost--2020-04-15--The Richie Allen Radio Show with Spiro Skouras and Catherine Blaiklock

Richie is joined by Spiro Skouras ( 19:00 ) and Catherine Blaiklock .
Spiro is an accomplished journalist and broadcaster .
You can find him at www.activistpost.com Spiro has been following the movements of billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates .
Gates has been everywhere during the covid-19 crisis and telling anyone who will listen , that everyone on the planet needs to take a vaccine for covid , when it is ready .
Who is Gates really ?
Don ’ t miss this .
Catherine Blaiklock is a successful businesswoman and the founder of The Brexit Party .
Catherine actually served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Catherine discusses the financial implications of the covid-19 lockdown , the press coverage of it , the authoritarian approach of some police officers and free speech in 21st century Britain .
The Richie Allen Show by donating at www.richieallen.co.uk Richie has been producing and presenting television and radio programs for the best part of twenty years .
The Richie Allen Show airs Monday – Thursday at 5 PM GMT and at 11 AM UK Time each Sunday .
The show features up to the minute news analysis by researchers , journalists and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controlled media , as well as featuring activists from all around the world who are making a difference in their communities every day .
People are tired of hearing about the problems , they want to hear of positive solutions .
That is why the show , while challenging the mainstream medias version of events , focuses heavily on the men and women who are trying to cause a seismic shift in the current paradigm .
The skype line to the show will be open for listeners to call in and have their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Your Call Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons : By Attribution 3.0 License http : //creativecommons.org/licenses/b… ( incompetech.com ) https : //www.youtube.com/watch ?
v=yrFki… Subscribe to Activist Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
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Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Richie Allen
Richie is joined by Spiro Skouras (19:00) and Catherine Blaiklock. Spiro is an accomplished journalist and broadcaster. You can find him at www.activistpost.com
Spiro has been following the movements of billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates. Gates has been everywhere during the covid-19 crisis and telling anyone who will listen, that everyone on the planet needs to take a vaccine for covid, when it is ready. Who is Gates really? Don’t miss this.
Catherine Blaiklock is a successful businesswoman and the founder of The Brexit Party. Catherine actually served as the party’s first leader. Catherine discusses the financial implications of the covid-19 lockdown, the press coverage of it, the authoritarian approach of some police officers and free speech in 21st century Britain.

The Richie Allen Show by donating at www.richieallen.co.uk
Richie has been producing and presenting television and radio programs for the best part of twenty years. The Richie Allen Show airs Monday – Thursday at 5 PM GMT and at 11 AM UK Time each Sunday.
Listen live here:
http://www.richieallen.co.uk
http://www.fabradiointernational.com (Channel 2)
http://www.triggerwarning.tv/live
https://tunein.com/radio/The-Richie-A…
The show features up to the minute news analysis by researchers, journalists and academics who are ignored by the corporate controlled media, as well as featuring activists from all around the world who are making a difference in their communities every day. People are tired of hearing about the problems, they want to hear of positive solutions.
That is why the show, while challenging the mainstream medias version of events, focuses heavily on the men and women who are trying to cause a seismic shift in the current paradigm. The skype line to the show will be open for listeners to call in and have their say. There will be no censorship.
Your Call Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b… (incompetech.com)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrFki…
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and HIVE.
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activistpost--2020-04-15--Driven By The Dramatic Collapse Of US Shale, The Trump Administration Takes Aim At Venezuela

By Whitney Webb , The Last American Vagabond President Trump has claimed that the U.S. no longer needs foreign oil and is “ energy independent.
” Yet , the U.S. shale oil industry faces near total ruin , meaning that another “ war for oil ” could be in our future .
With Trump again taking aim at Venezuela , we may be closer to war than we think .
On Sunday , President Trump praised a deal reached largely by Saudi Arabia and Russia , two of the top oil producers in the world who together dominate the Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , saying that the agreed upon production cuts would “ save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States.
” Despite the president ’ s rosy tone , most analysts have called the agreement – which presumably will freeze the Saudi-Russian oil price war that broke out last month – “ too little too late ” and have noted that a slew of bankruptcies from the U.S. shale oil industry are inevitable , despite the actions that have been taken .
Even the Federal Reserve has stated that around 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bankruptcy in just a few months if the price of oil remains under $ 30 , a figure it is unlikely to pass for some time due to slumping demand caused by global lockdowns , among other factors that have emerged as the current coronavirus ( Covid-19 ) crisis has played out .
Trump has since fielded the possibility of imposing tariffs on oil imports to drive up oil prices and favor the domestic consumption of U.S. shale oil , but it remains to be seen if that policy will materialize .
Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends ( ISLET ) , a former Wall Street financial analyst and Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri , told The Last American Vagabond that , not only are numerous shale oil companies set to go out of business , but the entire shale oil industry in the U.S. “ can ’ t be saved.
” “ We have peak shale oil , ” Hudson stated , “ It was always an awful idea … It ’ s an over indebted sector and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hudson further asserted that the U.S. government ’ s “ nurturing ” of the shale oil sector in recent years was chiefly aimed at targeting Russia ’ s oil industry by driving down global oil prices , calling it an unsuccessful “ anti-Russian cold war campaign ” that has since backfired .
He added that Trump ’ s recent overtures with respect to the shale oil industry are likely aimed at “ making an excuse to give huge loans to the shale oil producers , as if it ’ s to keep them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the oil companies ] are just going to pay the loans to themselves and go out of business .
It ’ s a cover story for a huge corporate giveaway before this sector falls and goes bankrupt.
” Thus , the imminent reckoning for shale oil in the U.S. is unlikely to be stopped , despite the new production cuts and Trump ’ s efforts last month to set aside billions for the purchase of shale oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve ( SPR ) , a move critics labeled as a bail-out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In addition , the fate of U.S. shale oil is compounded by the possibility that the production cuts will not hold and that the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia could flare up again at any time .
Previous yet recent OPEC-brokered deals of a similar nature have ended in this way , and it is very possible – if not likely – that it will happen again .
With oil extremely cheap at the moment , some of the issues raised by shale oil bankruptcies are not necessarily of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet , if enough U.S. domestic oil producers go bankrupt , once current lockdowns are relaxed and oil demand creeps back up to relatively normal levels , there will be less domestic oil available , despite the SPR .
As a result , the U.S. will again have to look more to other countries in order to make up the difference .
Though the media thus far has explored the economic effects of this eventuality , less attention – if any – has been given to how it will impact U.S. foreign policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly claimed on several occasions that U.S. foreign policy objectives in the Middle East were no longer guided by oil due to the U.S. having obtained “ energy independence , ” “ independence ” that relies heavily on U.S. shale oil production .
However , critics – including Michael Hudson – have long charged that this claim of energy independence is a “ deliberate falsification.
” Such claims are also supported by the fact that U.S. foreign policy in Iraq , Syria and elsewhere has remained linked to oil in key ways during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independence ” under Trump .
Yet , the bankruptcies of 40 % ( or perhaps more ) of U.S. shale oil producers would likely greatly increase the role oil plays in guiding U.S. foreign policy .
While there are many reasons as to why oil has long been a key factor in U.S. foreign policy ( with the petrodollar ranking chief among them ) , another often overlooked reason is the U.S. military ’ s heavy reliance on oil .
Indeed , the U.S. military is the largest institutional purchaser and consumer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , securing a reliable , stable and –ideally – geographically nearby source of oil has long been deemed a critical , strategic objective by the Pentagon .
The Pentagon has said as much on numerous occasions , stating recently that “ … longer operating distances , remote and austere geography , and anti-access/area denial threats [ areas or nations unfriendly to the U.S. ] are challenging the Department ’ s ability to assure the delivery of fuel .
As the ability to deliver energy is placed at risk , so too is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sustain forces around the globe.
” In other words , long distances from fuel sources as well as fuel sources located in or near areas/nations that are hostile to the U.S. directly threaten U.S. empire and its global military presence .
In addition , control and influence over global oil flows has long been a key component of military strategy , as noted in the “ Wolfowitz Doctrine.
” It is also worth noting that the economic calamity that threatens the domestic oil industry is not the only reliable , stable and geographically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crisis .
For instance , Argentina ’ s shale oil industry in the “ Vaca Muerta ” area also faces ruin , an endeavor that had largely been “ kick-started ” by Exxon Mobil after that company had been ejected from Venezuela and also includes considerable investments from another U.S. oil giant , Chevron – a company ordered by the Trump administration to stop doing business in Venezuela by April 22 .
As domestic oil production collapses , the US returns its attention to Venezuela Venezuela , the country with the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also made a seemingly odd reappearance on the Trump administration ’ s list of priorities during the current coronavirus crisis .
On March 26 , the Department of Justice , led by Attorney General William Barr , announced narco-terrorism and other criminal charges against top Venezuelan officials , including the country ’ s president Nicolás Maduro , alleging that these officials are involved in the trafficking of cocaine to the United States .
The charges were odd for a few reasons , one of the main ones being that the U.S. government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not Venezuela , is the source of the vast majority of cocaine that ends up in the U.S. Then , on March 31 , former CIA director and current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a plan entitled “ Democratic Framework for Venezuela , ” where he demanded that Maduro resign and the “ opposition ” figure Juan Guaidó also relinquish his claim to the Venezuelan presidency , a claim to power that the U.S. had previously backed .
Pompeo ’ s plan calls for the formation of a council that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ( a title the U.S. had previously reserved for Guaidó ) and that the council would be formed by members of Venezuela ’ s largest four political parties , including that led by Maduro .
Unsurprisingly , Maduro ’ s government rejected the plan .
The criminal charges against Maduro and Pompeo ’ s “ democratic ” plan were quickly followed with much more troubling news .
Announced at a press conference on April 1 , President Trump , alongside top government officials , announced that U.S. Southern Command would begin a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would include the deployment of Navy destroyers , combat ships , aircraft , helicopters and more .
The official justification of this large deployment is to surveil , disrupt and seize shipments allegedly containing “ drugs ” that are leaving Venezuela .
“ We must not let narco-terrorists exploit the pandemic to threaten American lives , ” Trump said at the time .
It was also announced that other countries would be joining the U.S. in what amounts to both a military build-up and a de facto blockade of Venezuelan exports , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcement regarding this new build-up and de facto naval blockade of Venezuela , U.S. media accused President Trump of using these announcements to deflect criticism about his administration ’ s handling of the federal response to the coronavirus crisis .
One report in Newsweek revealed that these initiatives with respect to Venezuela had been planned several months ago and were set to be announced this May .
That report also alleged , citing senior Pentagon officials , that the administration had decided to announce the planned crackdowns on Venezuela sooner in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be another reason that these initiatives targeting Venezuela were sped up : the carnage in shale oil markets in the U.S. as well as Argentina and the implications of that for U.S. access – particularly the military ’ s access – to oil supplies once lockdowns and their associated economic effects begin to lessen .
Michael Hudson told The Last American Vagabond that the U.S. pivot towards Venezuela was “ absolutely ” related to the carnage in global oil markets and particularly the U.S. oil industry .
He further argued that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system that it had enjoyed under pre-Chavista governments in Venezuela : “ Under U.S.-backed dictators , Venezuela provided the collateral [ for its debt ] with all of its oil reserves… [ Now , ] America wants to give IMF [ International Monetary Fund ] loans to Venezuela and [ oversee ] the collateralization of Venezuela ’ s foreign debt with its oil reserves and then foreclose .
[ They want to ] find an excuse to do to Venezuela what it did to Argentina , to grab Venezuela ’ s oil reserves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying its foreign debt , [ thus ] forcing it to default on its foreign debt.
” This certainly seems to be a big part of the equation , as the U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó has long promoted IMF loans and personally sought sizable loans from that organization to finance his “ interim government , ” which controls essentially nothing in Venezuela .
More recently , the IMF rejected Venezuela ’ s request for a loan to help it combat the coronavirus crisis , but the IMF has reportedly offered to give the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President , Nicolas Maduro , to step down and cede authority to a U.S.-backed “ emergency government.
” Yet , there is much more to be concerned about than the IMF and the U.S. ’ interest in imposing a debt-for-oil scheme on Venezuela .
As Hudson told The Last American Vagabond , one very notable “ great threat ” is the parallel between the recent U.S. policy and military moves towards Venezuela and the moves that were made by the George H.W .
Bush administration just prior to the 1989 invasion of Panama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venezuela ’ s oil and it wouldn ’ t be the first time , ” said Hudson .
Regime change in the time of coronavirus Though recent mainstream media reports claimed that the sudden reappearance of Venezuela on the White House ’ s agenda was merely political theater , subsequent events suggest something else .
This past Saturday , U.S. envoy for Venezuela – war criminal and Project for a New American Century neo-con Elliott Abrams – stated that , if Venezuela ’ s Maduro did not agree to the Pompeo plan for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a transition in Venezuelan governance would still occur , but would be more “ dangerous and abrupt.
” Abrams ’ comments failed to generate much buzz in the media , as the April 1 press conference and announcement had done , despite the fact that Abrams was essentially starting that “ dangerous and abrupt ” action would be taken to force Maduro from power .
There is also the added mystery of an incident that took place right before the announcement of the large deployment of U.S. military assets to target “ narco-terrorism.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Venezuelan coast guard ship asked a Portuguese cruise ship , the “ RCGS Resolute , ” that was in Venezuelan territorial waters to accompany it to port .
Instead , the cruise ship rammed the Venezuelan vessel , sinking it .
Maduro subsequently claimed that the cruise ship “ was being used to transport mercenaries , ” noting that Dutch authorities in Curacao , where the “ RCGS Resolute ” is currently docked , had been instructed to not inspect the ship .
The company that owns the cruise ship , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no passengers and disputes Venezuela ’ s account of why the coast guard vessel was sunk .
In addition to this disconcerting event , there is the fact that the U.S. ’ recently announced military build-up is the largest in the region since the U.S. invasion of Panama , which took place in 1989 during the George H.W .
Bush administration .
Disturbingly , the same Attorney General that greenlit the invasion of Panama once again serves in that same role in today ’ s administration , William Barr .
At the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr who created the legal justification for the war , arguing that the U.S. had the “ legal authority ” to arrest Panama ’ s then-dictator Manuel Noriega on drug charges , despite him not residing in the U.S. To think that Barr would not do so again is naive , especially considering that Trump had previously pushed to invade Venezuela , citing the invasion of Panama as an example of successful “ gunboat diplomacy , ” and has long talked about “ taking the oil ” of foreign countries and , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force to do just that .
Though the 1989 invasion of Panama was dressed up in the typical rhetoric of restoring “ democracy ” and promoting “ human rights , ” it was actually waged with the intention to utterly destroy Panama ’ s military .
Why would the U.S. want to destroy Panama ’ s capacity for self-defense ?
The answer lies in the treaty that then existed between Panama and the U.S. over the Panama canal , whereby control over the canal would eventually be returned to the Panamanians .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to retain control of the canal , per that treaty , was if Panama became incapable of defending it .
Notably , the gradual turnover of control of the canal was set to begin just ten days after the Bush administration ’ s invasion of Panama ended .
Not long after the invasion , in 1991 , the U.S. passed a law that ensured an indefinite U.S. military presence in the canal zone due to the fact that Panama ( thanks to the U.S. invasion ) could no longer defend that territory .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ invasion of Panama that are seemingly relevant today as well .
For instance , media ’ s effort to manufacture public consent for the invasion was largely centered around pointing out Manuel Noriega ’ s involvement in narco-trafficking and Panama ’ s lack of democracy under his rule .
Of course , this rhetoric has obvious similarities to current rhetoric involving Venezuela .
However , this media campaign , in Noriega ’ s case , failed to note that the Noriega ’ s role in drug smuggling was largely on the behalf of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collaborated with then-President , George H.W .
Bush , when he had served as CIA director .
In addition , Noriega was well known at the time to have been on the CIA payroll for years .
Such reports also overlooked the fact that the CIA had recently been caught driving the trafficking of drugs and weapons between Central America and the U.S. as part of the Iran Contra scandal .
If these reports had pointed this out , it would have made Noriega ’ s involvement in these matters , including his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negligible by comparison .
Similarly , today , efforts to link Venezuelan leadership to the drug trade fail to note that the U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó took selfies with a narco-paramilitary organization just a few months ago and that Colombian leadership and its military , the U.S. ’ biggest regional supporter of its Venezuela regime change agenda , both share direct ties to drug cartels .
It is also worth pointing out that , not only did the U.S. military hide the actual civilian death toll and cover up the war crimes committed during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experimental weapons on the Panamanian people , which CounterPunch noted was “ a kind of dress rehearsal for the Persian Gulf War the following year.
” As many readers of this article are likely aware , the Trump administration has been making strong overtures about regime change , and potentially war , in Iran alongside their push for regime change in Venezuela .
Were a similar invasion to occur in Venezuela , it seems likely that this pattern would repeat and would be treated as an experimental battlefield for a subsequent war in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggests that such a Panama-style invasion of Venezuela is not only a possibility , but increasingly likely .
Indeed , as previously mentioned , the U.S. has ordered the few U.S. companies that have been given waivers to avoid sanctions for their operations in Venezuela ( namely Chevron ) to terminate their dealings in the country by April 22 – next Wednesday .
In addition , soon after that date , Venezuela ’ s oil sector is set to resume two joint oil ventures , one of which involves two European oil companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which the U.S. sanctioned in February for doing business with Venezuela ’ s state oil company .
Those projects are due to re-initiate in May and July , respectively .
The U.S. is openly opposed to these projects going forward and has threatened sanctions ( and further sanctions in Rosneft ’ s case ) against the companies involved .
Taken in combination with Elliott Abrams ’ recent statements , the massive U.S. military build-up and the collapse of U.S. oil markets , such events seem to be pointing in the direction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There is also the added layer of the U.S. facing a new “ Great Depression ” and these major economic downturns are often followed by the U.S. entering a major war .
On the other hand , there is also the fact that most of the U.S. population is on lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis , making domestic resistance against such an invasion unlikely to manifest in any significant way .
If Americans aren ’ t careful and don ’ t quickly begin to pay attention , the country could soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war for oil.
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By Whitney Webb, The Last American Vagabond
President Trump has claimed that the U.S. no longer needs foreign oil and is “energy independent.” Yet, the U.S. shale oil industry faces near total ruin, meaning that another “war for oil” could be in our future. With Trump again taking aim at Venezuela, we may be closer to war than we think.
On Sunday, President Trump praised a deal reached largely by Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the top oil producers in the world who together dominate the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), saying that the agreed upon production cuts would “save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States.”
Despite the president’s rosy tone, most analysts have called the agreement – which presumably will freeze the Saudi-Russian oil price war that broke out last month – “too little too late” and have noted that a slew of bankruptcies from the U.S. shale oil industry are inevitable, despite the actions that have been taken. Even the Federal Reserve has stated that around 40% of domestic shale companies now face bankruptcy in just a few months if the price of oil remains under $30, a figure it is unlikely to pass for some time due to slumping demand caused by global lockdowns, among other factors that have emerged as the current coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis has played out. Trump has since fielded the possibility of imposing tariffs on oil imports to drive up oil prices and favor the domestic consumption of U.S. shale oil, but it remains to be seen if that policy will materialize.
Michael Hudson, President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a former Wall Street financial analyst and Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, told The Last American Vagabond that, not only are numerous shale oil companies set to go out of business, but the entire shale oil industry in the U.S. “can’t be saved.”
“We have peak shale oil,” Hudson stated, “It was always an awful idea … It’s an over indebted sector and is one of the first to go.” Hudson further asserted that the U.S. government’s “nurturing” of the shale oil sector in recent years was chiefly aimed at targeting Russia’s oil industry by driving down global oil prices, calling it an unsuccessful “anti-Russian cold war campaign” that has since backfired. He added that Trump’s recent overtures with respect to the shale oil industry are likely aimed at “making an excuse to give huge loans to the shale oil producers, as if it’s to keep them in business, and then they [the oil companies] are just going to pay the loans to themselves and go out of business. It’s a cover story for a huge corporate giveaway before this sector falls and goes bankrupt.”
Thus, the imminent reckoning for shale oil in the U.S. is unlikely to be stopped, despite the new production cuts and Trump’s efforts last month to set aside billions for the purchase of shale oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), a move critics labeled as a bail-out for domestic “Big Oil” producers. In addition, the fate of U.S. shale oil is compounded by the possibility that the production cuts will not hold and that the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia could flare up again at any time. Previous yet recent OPEC-brokered deals of a similar nature have ended in this way, and it is very possible – if not likely – that it will happen again.
With oil extremely cheap at the moment, some of the issues raised by shale oil bankruptcies are not necessarily of immediate concern while demand remains low. Yet, if enough U.S. domestic oil producers go bankrupt, once current lockdowns are relaxed and oil demand creeps back up to relatively normal levels, there will be less domestic oil available, despite the SPR. As a result, the U.S. will again have to look more to other countries in order to make up the difference. Though the media thus far has explored the economic effects of this eventuality, less attention – if any – has been given to how it will impact U.S. foreign policy.
For years, President Trump has publicly claimed on several occasions that U.S. foreign policy objectives in the Middle East were no longer guided by oil due to the U.S. having obtained “energy independence,” “independence” that relies heavily on U.S. shale oil production. However, critics – including Michael Hudson – have long charged that this claim of energy independence is a “deliberate falsification.” Such claims are also supported by the fact that U.S. foreign policy in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere has remained linked to oil in key ways during this period of so-called “domestic energy independence” under Trump. Yet, the bankruptcies of 40% (or perhaps more) of U.S. shale oil producers would likely greatly increase the role oil plays in guiding U.S. foreign policy.
While there are many reasons as to why oil has long been a key factor in U.S. foreign policy (with the petrodollar ranking chief among them), another often overlooked reason is the U.S. military’s heavy reliance on oil. Indeed, the U.S. military is the largest institutional purchaser and consumer of oil in the world and, therefore, securing a reliable, stable and –ideally – geographically nearby source of oil has long been deemed a critical, strategic objective by the Pentagon.
The Pentagon has said as much on numerous occasions, stating recently that “… longer operating distances, remote and austere geography, and anti-access/area denial threats [areas or nations unfriendly to the U.S.] are challenging the Department’s ability to assure the delivery of fuel. As the ability to deliver energy is placed at risk, so too is the Department’s ability to deploy and sustain forces around the globe.”
In other words, long distances from fuel sources as well as fuel sources located in or near areas/nations that are hostile to the U.S. directly threaten U.S. empire and its global military presence. In addition, control and influence over global oil flows has long been a key component of military strategy, as noted in the “Wolfowitz Doctrine.”
It is also worth noting that the economic calamity that threatens the domestic oil industry is not the only reliable, stable and geographically close oil supply to be hit by the crisis. For instance, Argentina’s shale oil industry in the “Vaca Muerta” area also faces ruin, an endeavor that had largely been “kick-started” by Exxon Mobil after that company had been ejected from Venezuela and also includes considerable investments from another U.S. oil giant, Chevron – a company ordered by the Trump administration to stop doing business in Venezuela by April 22.
As domestic oil production collapses, the US returns its attention to Venezuela
Venezuela, the country with the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has also made a seemingly odd reappearance on the Trump administration’s list of priorities during the current coronavirus crisis. On March 26, the Department of Justice, led by Attorney General William Barr, announced narco-terrorism and other criminal charges against top Venezuelan officials, including the country’s president Nicolás Maduro, alleging that these officials are involved in the trafficking of cocaine to the United States. The charges were odd for a few reasons, one of the main ones being that the U.S. government’s own data shows that Colombia, not Venezuela, is the source of the vast majority of cocaine that ends up in the U.S.
Then, on March 31, former CIA director and current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a plan entitled “Democratic Framework for Venezuela,” where he demanded that Maduro resign and the “opposition” figure Juan Guaidó also relinquish his claim to the Venezuelan presidency, a claim to power that the U.S. had previously backed. Pompeo’s plan calls for the formation of a council that would be led by an “interim president” (a title the U.S. had previously reserved for Guaidó) and that the council would be formed by members of Venezuela’s largest four political parties, including that led by Maduro. Unsurprisingly, Maduro’s government rejected the plan.
The criminal charges against Maduro and Pompeo’s “democratic” plan were quickly followed with much more troubling news. Announced at a press conference on April 1, President Trump, alongside top government officials, announced that U.S. Southern Command would begin a new “counter-narcotics effort” targeting Venezuela that would include the deployment of Navy destroyers, combat ships, aircraft, helicopters and more. The official justification of this large deployment is to surveil, disrupt and seize shipments allegedly containing “drugs” that are leaving Venezuela. “We must not let narco-terrorists exploit the pandemic to threaten American lives,” Trump said at the time. It was also announced that other countries would be joining the U.S. in what amounts to both a military build-up and a de facto blockade of Venezuelan exports, including its oil.
Soon after the announcement regarding this new build-up and de facto naval blockade of Venezuela, U.S. media accused President Trump of using these announcements to deflect criticism about his administration’s handling of the federal response to the coronavirus crisis. One report in Newsweek revealed that these initiatives with respect to Venezuela had been planned several months ago and were set to be announced this May. That report also alleged, citing senior Pentagon officials, that the administration had decided to announce the planned crackdowns on Venezuela sooner in order to “redirect attention.”
However, there may be another reason that these initiatives targeting Venezuela were sped up: the carnage in shale oil markets in the U.S. as well as Argentina and the implications of that for U.S. access – particularly the military’s access – to oil supplies once lockdowns and their associated economic effects begin to lessen.
Michael Hudson told The Last American Vagabond that the U.S. pivot towards Venezuela was “absolutely” related to the carnage in global oil markets and particularly the U.S. oil industry. He further argued that the U.S. was seeking to reimpose a debt-for-oil system that it had enjoyed under pre-Chavista governments in Venezuela: “Under U.S.-backed dictators, Venezuela provided the collateral [for its debt] with all of its oil reserves… [Now,] America wants to give IMF [International Monetary Fund] loans to Venezuela and [oversee] the collateralization of Venezuela’s foreign debt with its oil reserves and then foreclose. [They want to] find an excuse to do to Venezuela what it did to Argentina, to grab Venezuela’s oil reserves as collateral by … preventing Venezuela from paying its foreign debt, [thus] forcing it to default on its foreign debt.”
This certainly seems to be a big part of the equation, as the U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó has long promoted IMF loans and personally sought sizable loans from that organization to finance his “interim government,” which controls essentially nothing in Venezuela. More recently, the IMF rejected Venezuela’s request for a loan to help it combat the coronavirus crisis, but the IMF has reportedly offered to give the country such a loan were Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, to step down and cede authority to a U.S.-backed “emergency government.”
Yet, there is much more to be concerned about than the IMF and the U.S.’ interest in imposing a debt-for-oil scheme on Venezuela. As Hudson told The Last American Vagabond, one very notable “great threat” is the parallel between the recent U.S. policy and military moves towards Venezuela and the moves that were made by the George H.W. Bush administration just prior to the 1989 invasion of Panama. “America would like to grab Venezuela’s oil and it wouldn’t be the first time,” said Hudson.
Regime change in the time of coronavirus
Though recent mainstream media reports claimed that the sudden reappearance of Venezuela on the White House’s agenda was merely political theater, subsequent events suggest something else. This past Saturday, U.S. envoy for Venezuela – war criminal and Project for a New American Century neo-con Elliott Abrams – stated that, if Venezuela’s Maduro did not agree to the Pompeo plan for a new “transition government,” a transition in Venezuelan governance would still occur, but would be more “dangerous and abrupt.” Abrams’ comments failed to generate much buzz in the media, as the April 1 press conference and announcement had done, despite the fact that Abrams was essentially starting that “dangerous and abrupt” action would be taken to force Maduro from power.
There is also the added mystery of an incident that took place right before the announcement of the large deployment of U.S. military assets to target “narco-terrorism.” On the last day of March, a Venezuelan coast guard ship asked a Portuguese cruise ship, the “RCGS Resolute,” that was in Venezuelan territorial waters to accompany it to port. Instead, the cruise ship rammed the Venezuelan vessel, sinking it. Maduro subsequently claimed that the cruise ship “was being used to transport mercenaries,” noting that Dutch authorities in Curacao, where the “RCGS Resolute” is currently docked, had been instructed to not inspect the ship. The company that owns the cruise ship, however, asserts that it is carrying no passengers and disputes Venezuela’s account of why the coast guard vessel was sunk.
In addition to this disconcerting event, there is the fact that the U.S.’ recently announced military build-up is the largest in the region since the U.S. invasion of Panama, which took place in 1989 during the George H.W. Bush administration. Disturbingly, the same Attorney General that greenlit the invasion of Panama once again serves in that same role in today’s administration, William Barr. At the time of the Panama invasion, it was Barr who created the legal justification for the war, arguing that the U.S. had the “legal authority” to arrest Panama’s then-dictator Manuel Noriega on drug charges, despite him not residing in the U.S. To think that Barr would not do so again is naive, especially considering that Trump had previously pushed to invade Venezuela, citing the invasion of Panama as an example of successful “gunboat diplomacy,” and has long talked about “taking the oil” of foreign countries and, in places like Syria, has used military force to do just that.
Though the 1989 invasion of Panama was dressed up in the typical rhetoric of restoring “democracy” and promoting “human rights,” it was actually waged with the intention to utterly destroy Panama’s military. Why would the U.S. want to destroy Panama’s capacity for self-defense? The answer lies in the treaty that then existed between Panama and the U.S. over the Panama canal, whereby control over the canal would eventually be returned to the Panamanians.
The only “loophole” for the U.S. to retain control of the canal, per that treaty, was if Panama became incapable of defending it. Notably, the gradual turnover of control of the canal was set to begin just ten days after the Bush administration’s invasion of Panama ended. Not long after the invasion, in 1991, the U.S. passed a law that ensured an indefinite U.S. military presence in the canal zone due to the fact that Panama (thanks to the U.S. invasion) could no longer defend that territory.
There are other notable points regarding the invasion of Panama that are seemingly relevant today as well. For instance, media’s effort to manufacture public consent for the invasion was largely centered around pointing out Manuel Noriega’s involvement in narco-trafficking and Panama’s lack of democracy under his rule. Of course, this rhetoric has obvious similarities to current rhetoric involving Venezuela.
However, this media campaign, in Noriega’s case, failed to note that the Noriega’s role in drug smuggling was largely on the behalf of U.S. interests and that Noriega had closely collaborated with then-President, George H.W. Bush, when he had served as CIA director. In addition, Noriega was well known at the time to have been on the CIA payroll for years. Such reports also overlooked the fact that the CIA had recently been caught driving the trafficking of drugs and weapons between Central America and the U.S. as part of the Iran Contra scandal. If these reports had pointed this out, it would have made Noriega’s involvement in these matters, including his supporting role in Iran Contra, appear negligible by comparison.
Similarly, today, efforts to link Venezuelan leadership to the drug trade fail to note that the U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó took selfies with a narco-paramilitary organization just a few months ago and that Colombian leadership and its military, the U.S.’ biggest regional supporter of its Venezuela regime change agenda, both share direct ties to drug cartels.
It is also worth pointing out that, not only did the U.S. military hide the actual civilian death toll and cover up the war crimes committed during the invasion, they tested out new experimental weapons on the Panamanian people, which CounterPunch noted was “a kind of dress rehearsal for the Persian Gulf War the following year.” As many readers of this article are likely aware, the Trump administration has been making strong overtures about regime change, and potentially war, in Iran alongside their push for regime change in Venezuela. Were a similar invasion to occur in Venezuela, it seems likely that this pattern would repeat and would be treated as an experimental battlefield for a subsequent war in Iran.
The current confluence of factors suggests that such a Panama-style invasion of Venezuela is not only a possibility, but increasingly likely. Indeed, as previously mentioned, the U.S. has ordered the few U.S. companies that have been given waivers to avoid sanctions for their operations in Venezuela (namely Chevron) to terminate their dealings in the country by April 22 – next Wednesday. In addition, soon after that date, Venezuela’s oil sector is set to resume two joint oil ventures, one of which involves two European oil companies and another that involves Russia’ Rosneft, which the U.S. sanctioned in February for doing business with Venezuela’s state oil company. Those projects are due to re-initiate in May and July, respectively. The U.S. is openly opposed to these projects going forward and has threatened sanctions (and further sanctions in Rosneft’s case) against the companies involved.
Taken in combination with Elliott Abrams’ recent statements, the massive U.S. military build-up and the collapse of U.S. oil markets, such events seem to be pointing in the direction of an invasion being more likely than not. There is also the added layer of the U.S. facing a new “Great Depression” and these major economic downturns are often followed by the U.S. entering a major war. On the other hand, there is also the fact that most of the U.S. population is on lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, making domestic resistance against such an invasion unlikely to manifest in any significant way. If Americans aren’t careful and don’t quickly begin to pay attention, the country could soon sleepwalk into another devastating and deadly “war for oil.”
Question Everything, Come To Your Own Conclusions.
Source: The Last American Vagabond
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activistpost--2020-04-15--ACLU Files Historic Lawsuit to Stop Surveillance Planes Above Baltimore

The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the city of Baltimore from rolling out a disturbing aerial surveillance program .
The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of a group of Baltimore community activists who have raised concerns about the introduction of a controversial technology known as wide-area aerial surveillance which involves stationing an aircraft equipped with ultra-high-resolution cameras over a city to track all visible pedestrians and vehicles within that city .
Imagine a day in the future when everyone , from the moment they step outside their home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that their every movement is being recorded by powerful cameras circling in the skies above .
Not just where they work , shop , eat and drink , and whose homes they visit , but details about their political , religious , sexual , and medical lives—all captured and stored in databases without a warrant and available to law enforcement upon request .
The ACLU states in the lawsuit that the program would violate the plaintiffs ’ constitutional rights to freedom of association and privacy .
The rights group argues that government tracking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Constitution ’ s ban on “ general warrants , ” which authorize searches under broad and vague criteria .
The ACLU states that the systems violates the Fourth Amendment prohibition against “ unreasonable searches and seizures ” and the First Amendment ’ s guarantees of the right to assemble .
The ACLU also notes that the Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear that the courts ’ role when interpreting new technology is to protect the “ degree of privacy against government that existed when the Fourth Amendment was adopted.
” The wide-area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iraq and Afghanistan in a program called “ Gorgon Stare ” —is yet another example of tools from the U.S.-led Global War on Terror making their way to American cities .
Coincidentally , the company behind the technology , Persistent Surveillance Systems ( PSS ) , was founded by Ross McNutt , a former colonel in the U.S. Air Force who worked on similar programs in the military .
McNutt and PSS are now preparing to roll out the same technology in the skies above Baltimore .
The company has been promoting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , the Baltimore police department is the first to embrace the idea .
The ACLU warns that if McNutt and PSS succeed , the flood gates will be opened and additional companies would likely join the market .
This would likely lead to a roll out of even more powerful technologies , including automated AI analysis , multi-spectral imaging , and night vision capabilities , not to mention much higher camera resolutions .
The lawsuit also warns that the monitoring program would likely put activists , protesters , and dissidents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the lawsuit include Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle , a grassroots think-tank that advances the public policy interests of Black people in Baltimore , Erricka Bridgeford , co-founder of the Baltimore Ceasefire 365 project to end gun violence in the city , and Kevin James , a community organizer and hip-hop musician .
This is not the first time surveillance planes have caused controversy in Baltimore .
In November 2015 , internal documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) revealed the agency flew surveillance planes over Baltimore and Ferguson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planes also operated thermal imaging equipment .
The documents , obtained by the ACLU via Freedom of Information Act requests , outline how the bureau is using planes equipped with infrared and night vision cameras .
The release of the documents came after FBI Director James Comey confirmed to Congress that the agency flew surveillance aircraft over Ferguson and Baltimore during the protests following the police killings of both Michael Brown and Freddie Gray .
According to the FBI ’ s own flight logs , the agency flew 10 surveillance flights over Baltimore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 , comprising a total of 36.2 flight hours .
The flights took place mostly at night and typically involved a Baltimore Police Department representative and an FBI agent .
Evidence logs show that at least half the flights conducted video surveillance , and the FBI is apparently holding on to copies of these videos .
Still other flights conducted “ electronic surveillance , ” but specific details were redacted .
Additionally , in September 2015 , Anti Media reported on the existence of a fleet of surveillance aircraft operated by the Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been flying over various locations within the United States , as well as foreign destinations .
The ACLU ’ s lawsuit is an attempt to stop the expansion of these types of programs over American cities .
If they fail and there is no public push back , Americans will soon have to contend with the reality that surveillance drones are watching their every move .
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By Derrick Broze
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the city of Baltimore from rolling out a disturbing aerial surveillance program.
The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of a group of Baltimore community activists who have raised concerns about the introduction of a controversial technology known as wide-area aerial surveillance which involves stationing an aircraft equipped with ultra-high-resolution cameras over a city to track all visible pedestrians and vehicles within that city.
The ACLU writes:
Imagine a day in the future when everyone, from the moment they step outside their home, has to live with the knowledge that their every movement is being recorded by powerful cameras circling in the skies above. Not just where they work, shop, eat and drink, and whose homes they visit, but details about their political, religious, sexual, and medical lives—all captured and stored in databases without a warrant and available to law enforcement upon request. That day is here.
The ACLU states in the lawsuit that the program would violate the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights to freedom of association and privacy. The rights group argues that government tracking of everyone in a city would violate the Constitution’s ban on “general warrants,” which authorize searches under broad and vague criteria. The ACLU states that the systems violates the Fourth Amendment prohibition against “unreasonable searches and seizures” and the First Amendment’s guarantees of the right to assemble. The ACLU also notes that the Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear that the courts’ role when interpreting new technology is to protect the “degree of privacy against government that existed when the Fourth Amendment was adopted.”
The wide-area aerial surveillance technology—originally used for monitoring citizens in Iraq and Afghanistan in a program called “Gorgon Stare”—is yet another example of tools from the U.S.-led Global War on Terror making their way to American cities. Coincidentally, the company behind the technology, Persistent Surveillance Systems (PSS), was founded by Ross McNutt, a former colonel in the U.S. Air Force who worked on similar programs in the military. McNutt and PSS are now preparing to roll out the same technology in the skies above Baltimore.
The company has been promoting the technology to local police for years. However, the Baltimore police department is the first to embrace the idea.
The ACLU warns that if McNutt and PSS succeed, the flood gates will be opened and additional companies would likely join the market. This would likely lead to a roll out of even more powerful technologies, including automated AI analysis, multi-spectral imaging, and night vision capabilities, not to mention much higher camera resolutions. The lawsuit also warns that the monitoring program would likely put activists, protesters, and dissidents of all kinds under surveillance.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a grassroots think-tank that advances the public policy interests of Black people in Baltimore, Erricka Bridgeford, co-founder of the Baltimore Ceasefire 365 project to end gun violence in the city, and Kevin James, a community organizer and hip-hop musician.
This is not the first time surveillance planes have caused controversy in Baltimore. In November 2015, internal documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed the agency flew surveillance planes over Baltimore and Ferguson, MO during highly-publicized protests. The planes also operated thermal imaging equipment. The documents, obtained by the ACLU via Freedom of Information Act requests, outline how the bureau is using planes equipped with infrared and night vision cameras.
The release of the documents came after FBI Director James Comey confirmed to Congress that the agency flew surveillance aircraft over Ferguson and Baltimore during the protests following the police killings of both Michael Brown and Freddie Gray.
According to the FBI’s own flight logs, the agency flew 10 surveillance flights over Baltimore from April 29 to May 3, 2015, comprising a total of 36.2 flight hours. The flights took place mostly at night and typically involved a Baltimore Police Department representative and an FBI agent. Evidence logs show that at least half the flights conducted video surveillance, and the FBI is apparently holding on to copies of these videos. Still other flights conducted “electronic surveillance,” but specific details were redacted.
Additionally, in September 2015, Anti Media reported on the existence of a fleet of surveillance aircraft operated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that has been flying over various locations within the United States, as well as foreign destinations.
The ACLU’s lawsuit is an attempt to stop the expansion of these types of programs over American cities. If they fail and there is no public push back, Americans will soon have to contend with the reality that surveillance drones are watching their every move.
By Derrick Broze | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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activistpost--2020-04-15--Trump Signs Executive Order That Supports Mining The Moon And Asteroids

United States president Donald Trump recently found time to sign an executive order allowing the U.S to acquire resources from the Moon , Mars and outer space .
The order is named ‘ Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources ’ .
And it seems to effectively cancel out the international ‘ Outer Space Treaty ’ which came into effect in 1967 .
“ Americans should have the right to engage in commercial exploration , recovery , and use of resources in outer space , consistent with applicable law , ” read part of a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The U.S government is understood to have been considering the prospect of space mining for some time .
But now the process is likely to be fast-tracked as private companies and wealthy entrepreneurs come on board .
“ Successful long-term exploration and scientific discovery of the Moon , Mars , and other celestial bodies will require partnership with commercial entities to recover and use resources .
Including water and certain minerals , in outer space , ” read another section of the White House statement .
Why does America want to claim resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mining is simply that the earth is running out of natural resources .
Material needed in the manufacture of cell phones , for example , is extremely rare .
And there ’ s also the possibility to cut out the ‘ middle man ’ and increase profits .
“ We are currently depleting the resources we have , ” Benjamin Sovacool , professor of energy policy at University of Sussex , told the BBC .
“ Metals such as lithium or cobalt – which you need – are mainly in places like China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s difficult to get them.
” Another theory is that due to the Moon ’ s relatively close location to earth , it could serve as a launching pad for missions to other planets located further away , such as Mars .
The resources needed for rocket fuel such as hydrogen and oxygen are present on the Moon .
This would negate the need for additional fuel having to be transported from earth .
As much as anything else perhaps , America ’ s status as the world ’ s leading economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S has lost the race – other countries are ahead , like China and Russia , ” professor Sovacool said .
I ’ m an experienced journalist who has written for some of South Africa ’ s biggest publications .
Also a photographer , soccer coach , dog-lover and surfer , I enjoy spending time outdoors in beautiful Cape Town .
I believe that a new approach is needed to sustain our planet and that it is important to put this message out .
Read More stories by Anthony McLennan Subscribe to Activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom news .
Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $ 1 per month at Patreon .
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Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Anthony McLennan
United States president Donald Trump recently found time to sign an executive order allowing the U.S to acquire resources from the Moon, Mars and outer space.
The order is named ‘Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources’. And it seems to effectively cancel out the international ‘Outer Space Treaty’ which came into effect in 1967.
“Americans should have the right to engage in commercial exploration, recovery, and use of resources in outer space, consistent with applicable law,” read part of a statement on the official White House website.
Outer space is a legally and physically unique domain of human activity, and the United States does not view it as a global commons.
‘Water and certain minerals’
The U.S government is understood to have been considering the prospect of space mining for some time. But now the process is likely to be fast-tracked as private companies and wealthy entrepreneurs come on board.
“Successful long-term exploration and scientific discovery of the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies will require partnership with commercial entities to recover and use resources. Including water and certain minerals, in outer space,” read another section of the White House statement.
Why does America want to claim resources in space?
One reason behind space mining is simply that the earth is running out of natural resources. Material needed in the manufacture of cell phones, for example, is extremely rare.
And there’s also the possibility to cut out the ‘middle man’ and increase profits.
“We are currently depleting the resources we have,” Benjamin Sovacool, professor of energy policy at University of Sussex, told the BBC.
“Metals such as lithium or cobalt – which you need – are mainly in places like China, Russia or Congo. And it’s difficult to get them.”
The Moon as a halfway filling station
Another theory is that due to the Moon’s relatively close location to earth, it could serve as a launching pad for missions to other planets located further away, such as Mars.
The resources needed for rocket fuel such as hydrogen and oxygen are present on the Moon. This would negate the need for additional fuel having to be transported from earth.
As much as anything else perhaps, America’s status as the world’s leading economic power is under threat.
“The U.S has lost the race – other countries are ahead, like China and Russia,” professor Sovacool said.
It will be really attractive to people like President Trump if you are able to get minerals in a place where the Chinese aren’t – like space.
Image credit: NASA
Source: Truth Theory
I’m an experienced journalist who has written for some of South Africa’s biggest publications. Also a photographer, soccer coach, dog-lover and surfer, I enjoy spending time outdoors in beautiful Cape Town. I believe that a new approach is needed to sustain our planet and that it is important to put this message out. Read More stories by Anthony McLennan
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and HIVE.
Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.