thewashingtonstandard--2020-01-16--How Israeli Spy-Linked Tech Firm Gained Access to US Government’s Most Classified Networks

If the networks of the U.S. military , the U.S. intelligence community and a slew of other U.S. federal agencies were running the software of a company with deep ties , not only to foreign companies with a history of espionage against the U.S. but also foreign military intelligence , it would — at the very least — garner substantial media attention .
Yet , no media reports to date have noted that such a scenario exists on a massive scale and that the company making such software recently simulated the cancellation of the 2020 election and the declaration of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earlier this month , MintPress News reported on the simulations for the U.S. 2020 election organized by the company Cybereason , a firm led by former members of Israel ’ s military intelligence Unit 8200 and advised by former top and current officials in both Israeli military intelligence and the CIA .
Those simulations , attended by federal officials from the FBI , DHS and the U.S. Secret Service , ended in disaster , with the elections ultimately canceled and martial law declared due to the chaos created by a group of hackers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ installment of this three part series delved deeply into Cybereason ’ s ties to the intelligence community of Israel and also other agencies , including the CIA , as well as the fact that Cybereason stood to gain little financially from the simulations given that their software could not have prevented the attacks waged against the U.S. ’ electoral infrastructure in the exercise .
Also noted was the fact that Cybereason software could be potentially used as a backdoor by unauthorized actors , a possibility strengthened by the fact that the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have a history of placing backdoors into U.S. telecommunications and electronic infrastructure as well as aggressive espionage targeting U.S. federal agencies .
The latter issue is crucial in the context of this installment of this exclusive MintPress series , as Cybereason ’ s main investors turned partners have integrated Cybereason ’ s software into their product offerings .
This means that the clients of these Cybereason partner companies , the U.S. intelligence community and military among them , are now part of Cybereason ’ s network of more than 6 million endpoints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a combination of staff comprised largely of former intelligence operatives and an AI algorithm first developed by Israeli military intelligence .
Cybereason , thus far , has disclosed the following groups as lead investors in the company : Charles River Ventures ( CRV ) , Spark Capital , Lockheed Martin and SoftBank .
Charles River Ventures ( CRV ) was among the first to invest in Cybereason and has been frequently investing in other Israeli tech start-ups that were founded by former members of the elite Israeli military intelligence Unit 8200 over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based in California , appears to have followed CRV ’ s interest in Cybereason since the venture capitalist who co-founded Spark and led its investment in Cybereason is a former CRV partner who still has close ties to the firm .
While CRV and Spark Capital seem like just the type of investors a company like Cybereason would attract given their clear interest in similar tech start-ups coming out of Israel ’ s cyber sector , Cybereason ’ s other lead investors — Lockheed Martin and SoftBank — deserve much more attention and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government , thanks to Lockheed “ A match made in heaven , ” trumpeted Forbes at the news of the Lockheed Martin-Cybereason partnership , first forged in 2015 .
The partnership involved not only Lockheed Martin becoming a major investor in the cybersecurity company but also in Lockheed Martin becoming the largest conduit providing Cybereason ’ s software to U.S. federal and military agencies .
Indeed , as Forbes noted at the time , not only did Lockheed invest in the company , it decided to integrate Cybereason ’ s software completely into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ model of both using Cybereason internally , and selling it to both public and private customers.
” Cybereason CEO and former offensive hacker for Israeli military intelligence — Lior Div — said the following of the partnership : Rich Mahler , then-director of Commercial Cyber Services at Lockheed Martin , told Defense Daily that the company ’ s decision to invest in Cybereason , internally use its software , and include the technology as part of Lockheed Martin ’ s cyber solutions portfolio were all “ independent business decisions but were all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How independent each of those decisions actually was is unclear , especially given the timing of Lockheed Martin ’ s investment in Cybereason , whose close and troubling ties to Israeli intelligence as well as the CIA were noted in the previous installment of this investigative series .
Indeed , about a year prior to their investment in the Israeli military intelligence-linked Cybereason , Lockheed Martin opened an office in Beersheba , Israel , where the IDF has its “ cyberhub ” .
The office is focused not on the sales of armaments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hewson , Lockheed Martin ’ s CEO , said the following during her speech that inaugurated the company ’ s Beersheba office : Beersheba not only houses the IDF ’ s technology campus , but also the Israel National Cyber Directorate , which reports directly to Israel ’ s Prime Minister , as well as a high-tech corporate park that mostly houses tech companies with ties to Israel ’ s military intelligence apparatus .
The area has been cited in several media reports as a visible indicator of the public-private merger between Israeli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Unit 8200 alumni , and the Israeli government and its intelligence services .
Lockheed Martin quickly became a key fixture in the Beersheba-based cyberhub .
Not long before Lockheed began exploring the possibility of opening an office in Beersheba , the company was hacked by individuals who used tokens tied to the company , RSA Security , whose founders have ties to Israel ’ s defense establishment and which is now owned by Dell , a company also deeply tied to the Israeli government and tech sector .
The hack , perpetrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sparked Lockheed ’ s subsequent interest in Israel ’ s cybersecurity sector .
Soon after opening its Beersheba office , Lockheed Martin created its Israel subsidiary , Lockheed Martin Israel .
Unlike many of the company ’ s other subsidiaries , this one is focused exclusively on “ cybersecurity , enterprise information technology , data centers , mobile , analytics and cloud ” as opposed to the manufacture and design of armaments .
Haden Land , then-vice president of research and technology for Lockheed Martin , told the Wall Street Journal that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at securing contracts with the IDF and that the company ’ s Israel subsidiary would soon be seeking partnership and investments in pursuit of that end .
Land oversaw the local roll-out of the company ’ s Israel subsidiary while concurrently meeting with Israeli government officials .
According to the Journal , Land “ oversees all of Lockheed Martin ’ s information-systems businesses , including defense and civilian commercial units ” for the United States and elsewhere .
Just a few months later , Lockheed Martin partnered and invested in Cybereason , suggesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so was aimed at securing closer ties with the IDF .
This further suggests that Cybereason still maintains close ties to Israeli military intelligence , a point expounded upon in great detail in the previous installment of this series .
Thus , it appears that not only does Lockheed Martin use Cybereason ’ s software on its own devices and on those it manages for its private and public sector clients , but it also decided to use the company ’ s software in this way out of a desire to more closely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to technology and cybersecurity .
The cozy ties between Lockheed Martin , one of the U.S. government ’ s largest private contractors , and the IDF set off alarm bells , then and now , for those concerned with U.S. national security .
Such concern makes it important to look at the extent of Cybereason ’ s use by federal and military agencies in the United States through their contracting of Lockheed Martin ’ s Information Technology ( IT ) division .
This is especially important considering Israeli military intelligence ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private tech companies against the U.S. government , as detailed here .
While the exact number of U.S. federal and military agencies using Cybereason ’ s software is unknown , it is widespread , with Lockheed Martin ’ s IT division as the conduit .
Indeed , Lockheed Martin was the number one IT solutions provider to the U.S. federal government up until its IT division was spun off and merged with Leidos Holdings .
As a consequence , Leidos is now the largest IT provider to the U.S. government and is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way Lockheed Martin was .
Even after its IT division was spun off , Lockheed Martin continues to use Cybereason ’ s software in its cybersecurity work for the Pentagon and still maintains a stake in the company .
The Leidos-Lockheed Martin IT hybrid provides a litany of services to the U.S. military and U.S. intelligence .
As investigative journalist Tim Shorrock noted for The Nation , the company does “ everything from analyzing signals for the NSA to tracking down suspected enemy fighters for US Special Forces in the Middle East and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Lockheed and consequential partnership with Cybereason , became “ the largest of five corporations that together employ nearly 80 percent of the private-sector employees contracted to work for US spy and surveillance agencies.
” Shorrock also notes that these private-sector contractors now dominate the mammoth U.S. surveillance apparatus , many of them working for Leidos and — by extension — using Cybereason ’ s software .
Leidos ’ exclusive use of Cybereason software for cybersecurity is also relevant for the U.S. military since Leidos runs a number of sensitive systems for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to manage the entire military telecommunications infrastructure for Defense Information Systems Agency ( DISA ) .
In addition to maintaining the military telecom network , Cybereason is also directly partnered with World Wide Technologies ( WWT ) as of this past October .
WWT manages cybersecurity for the U.S. Army , maintains DISA ’ s firewalls and data storage as well as the U.S. Air Force ’ s biometric identification system .
WWT also manages contracts for NASA , itself a frequent target of Israeli government espionage , and the U.S. Navy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lockheed/Leidos partnership in that Cybereason ’ s software is now completely integrated into its portfolio , giving the company full access to the devices on all of these highly classified networks .
Many of these new partnerships with Cybereason , including its partnership with WWT , followed claims made by members of Israel ’ s Unit 8200 in 2017 that the popular antivirus software of Kaspersky Labs contained a backdoor for Russian intelligence , thereby compromising U.S. systems .
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the alleged backdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unit 8200 in identifying it , a fact revealed by the New York Times a week later .
Notably , none of the evidence Unit 8200 used to blame Kaspersky has been made public and Kaspersky noted that it was actually Israeli hackers that had been discovered planting backdoors into its platform prior to the accusation levied against Kaspersky by Unit 8200 .
As the New York Times noted : Unit 8200 ’ s claims ultimately led the U.S. government to abandon Kaspersky ’ s products entirely in 2018 , allowing companies like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Unit 8200 ) to fill the void .
Indeed , the very agencies that banned Kaspersky now use cybersecurity software that employs Cybereason ’ s EDR system .
No flags have been raised about Cybereason ’ s own collaboration with the very foreign intelligence service that first pointed the finger at Kaspersky and that previously sold software with backdoors to sensitive U.S. facilities .
While its entry into the U.S. market and U.S. government networks is substantial , Cybereason ’ s software is also run throughout the world on a massive scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into Latin American and European markets in major ways in just the last few months .
It has also seen its software become prominent in Asia following a partnership with the company Trustwave .
Much of this rapid expansion followed a major injection of cash courtesy of one of the company ’ s biggest clients and now its largest investor , Japan ’ s SoftBank .
SoftBank first invested in Cybereason in 2015 , the same year Lockheed Martin initially invested and partnered with the firm .
It was also the year that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli tech start-ups .
SoftBank first injected $ 50 million into Cybereason , followed by an additional $ 100 million in 2017 and $ 200 million last August .
SoftBank ’ s investments account for most of the money raised by the company since it was founded in 2012 ( $ 350 million out of $ 400 million total ) .
Prior to investing , Softbank was a client of Cybereason , which Ken Miyauchi , president of SoftBank , noted when making the following statement after Softbank ’ s initial investment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s largest telecommunications companies — not only began to deploy Cybereason internally but directly partnered with it after investing , much like Lockheed Martin had done around the same time .
This partnership resulted in SoftBank and Cybereason creating a joint venture in Japan and Cybereason creating partnerships with other tech companies acquired by SoftBank , including the U.K. ’ s Arm , which specializes in making chips and management platforms for Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices .
SoftBank ’ s interest in Cybereason is significant , particularly in light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 U.S. election , given that SoftBank has significant ties to key allies of President Trump and even the president himself .
Indeed , SoftBank ’ s Masayoshi Son was among the first wave of international business leaders who sought to woo then-president-elect Trump soon after the 2016 election .
Son first visited Trump Tower in December 2016 and announced , with Trump by his side in the building ’ s lobby , that SoftBank would invest $ 50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs .
Trump subsequently claimed on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this investment because Trump had won the election .
Son told reporters at the time that the investment would come from a $ 100 billion fund that would be created in partnership with Saudi Arabia ’ s sovereign wealth fund as well as other investors .
“ I just came to celebrate his new job .
I said , ‘ This is great .
The US will become great again , ’ ” Son said , according to reports .
Then , in March of 2017 , Son sent top SoftBank executives to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s economic team and , according to the New York Times , “ the SoftBank executives said that because of a lack of advanced digital investments , the competitiveness of the United States economy was at risk .
And the executives made the case , quite strongly , that Mr .
Son was committed to playing a major role in addressing this issue through a spate of job-creating investments.
” Many of SoftBank ’ s investments and acquisitions in the U.S. since then have focused mainly on artificial intelligence and technology with military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” firm Boston Dynamics , suggesting Son ’ s interest lies more in dominating futuristic military-industrial technologies than creating jobs for the average American .
After their initial meeting , Trump and Son met again a year later in June 2018 , with Trump stating that “ His [ Son ’ s ] $ 50 billion turned out to be $ 72 billion so far , he ’ s not finished yet.
” Several media reports have claimed that Son ’ s moves since Trump ’ s election have sought to “ curry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the creation of this fund alongside the Saudis , SoftBank has since become increasingly intertwined with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman ( MBS ) , a key ally of President Trump in the Middle East known for his authoritarian crackdowns on Saudi elites and dissidents alike .
The ties between Saudi Arabia and SoftBank became ever tighter when MBS took the reins in the oil kingdom and after SoftBank announced the launch of the Vision Fund in 2016 .
SoftBank ’ s Vision Fund is a vehicle for investing in hi-tech companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia .
Notably , Son decided to launch the Vision Fund in Riyadh during President Trump ’ s first official visit to the Gulf Kingdom .
In addition , the Mubadala Investment Company , a government fund of the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) , gave $ 15 billion to the Vision Fund .
UAE leadership also share close ties to the Trump administration and MBS in Saudi Arabia .
As a consequence , SoftBank ’ s Vision Fund is majority funded by two Middle Eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. government , specifically the Trump administration .
In addition , both countries have enjoyed the rapid growth and normalization of ties with the state of Israel in recent years , particularly following the rise of current Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and Jared Kushner ’ s rise to prominence in his father-in-law ’ s administration .
Other investments in the Vision Fund have come from Apple , Qualcomm and Oracle ’ s Larry Ellison , all tech companies with strong ties to Israel ’ s government .
The Saudi and Emirati @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are so obvious that even mainstream outlets like the New York Times have described them as a “ front for Saudi Arabia and perhaps other countries in the Middle East.
” SoftBank also enjoys close ties to Jared Kushner , with Fortress Investment Group lending $ 57 million to Kushner Companies in October 2017 while it was under contract to be acquired by SoftBank .
As Barron ’ s noted at the time : According to The Real Deal , Kushner Companies obtained the financing from Fortress only after its attempts to obtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a specific real estate venture were abandoned after the U.S. Attorney and the Securities and Exchange Commission began to investigate how Kushner Companies used the EB-5 investor visa program .
A key factor in the opening of that investigation was Kushner Companies ’ representatives touting Jared Kushner ’ s position at the White House when talking to prospective investors and lenders .
SoftBank also recently came to the aid of a friend of Jared Kushner , former CEO of WeWork Adam Neumann .
Neumann made shocking claims about his ties to both Kushner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even asserting that he had worked with both in creating Kushner ’ s long-awaited and controversial Middle East “ peace plan ” and claimed that he , Kushner and MBS would together “ save the world.
” Neumann previously called Kushner his “ mentor.
” MBS has also discussed on several occasions his close ties with Kushner and U.S. media reports have noted the frequent correspondence between the two “ princelings.
” Notably , SoftBank invested in Neumann ’ s WeWork using money from the Saudi-dominated Vision Fund and later went on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IPO collapse and Neumann was pushed out .
SoftBank ’ s founder , Masayoshi Son , had an odd yet very close relationship with Neumann , perhaps explaining why Neumann was allowed to walk with $ 1.7 billion after bringing WeWork to the brink of collapse .
Notably , nearly half of SoftBank ’ s approximately $ 47 billion investments in the U.S. economy since Trump ’ s election , went to acquiring and then bailing out WeWork .
It is unlikely that such a disastrous investment resulted in the level of job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 .
Given that it is Cybereason ’ s top investor and shareholder by a large margin , SoftBank ’ s ties to the Trump administration and key allies of that administration are significant in light of Cybereason ’ s odd interest in 2020 U.S. election scenarios that end with the cancellation of this year ’ s upcoming presidential election .
It goes without saying that the cancellation of the election would mean a continuation of the Trump administration until new elections would take place .
Furthermore , with Cybereason ’ s close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now well-documented , it is worth asking if Israeli military intelligence would consider intervening in 2020 if the still-to-be-decided Democratic contender was strongly opposed to Israeli government policy , particularly Israel ’ s military occupation of Palestine .
This is especially worth considering given revelations that sexual blackmailer and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein , who targeted prominent U.S. politicians , mostly Democrats , was in the employ of Israeli military intelligence .
Notably , Cybereason ’ s doomsday election scenarios involved the weaponization of deep fakes , self-driving cars and the hacking Internet of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technologies being pioneered and perfected — not by Russia , China or Iran — but by companies directly tied to Israeli intelligence , much like Cybereason itself .
These companies , their technology and Cybereason ’ s own work creating the narrative that U.S. rival states seek to undermine the U.S. election in this way , will all be discussed in the conclusion of MintPress ’ series on Cybereason and its outsized interest in the U.S. democratic process .

If the networks of the U.S. military, the U.S. intelligence community and a slew of other U.S. federal agencies were running the software of a company with deep ties, not only to foreign companies with a history of espionage against the U.S. but also foreign military intelligence, it would — at the very least — garner substantial media attention. Yet, no media reports to date have noted that such a scenario exists on a massive scale and that the company making such software recently simulated the cancellation of the 2020 election and the declaration of martial law in the United States.
Earlier this month, MintPress News reported on the simulations for the U.S. 2020 election organized by the company Cybereason, a firm led by former members of Israel’s military intelligence Unit 8200 and advised by former top and current officials in both Israeli military intelligence and the CIA. Those simulations, attended by federal officials from the FBI, DHS and the U.S. Secret Service, ended in disaster, with the elections ultimately canceled and martial law declared due to the chaos created by a group of hackers led by Cybereason employees.
The first installment of this three part series delved deeply into Cybereason’s ties to the intelligence community of Israel and also other agencies, including the CIA, as well as the fact that Cybereason stood to gain little financially from the simulations given that their software could not have prevented the attacks waged against the U.S.’ electoral infrastructure in the exercise.
Also noted was the fact that Cybereason software could be potentially used as a backdoor by unauthorized actors, a possibility strengthened by the fact that the company’s co-founders all previously worked for firms that have a history of placing backdoors into U.S. telecommunications and electronic infrastructure as well as aggressive espionage targeting U.S. federal agencies.
The latter issue is crucial in the context of this installment of this exclusive MintPress series, as Cybereason’s main investors turned partners have integrated Cybereason’s software into their product offerings. This means that the clients of these Cybereason partner companies, the U.S. intelligence community and military among them, are now part of Cybereason’s network of more than 6 million endpoints that this private company constantly monitors using a combination of staff comprised largely of former intelligence operatives and an AI algorithm first developed by Israeli military intelligence.
Cybereason, thus far, has disclosed the following groups as lead investors in the company: Charles River Ventures (CRV), Spark Capital, Lockheed Martin and SoftBank. Charles River Ventures (CRV) was among the first to invest in Cybereason and has been frequently investing in other Israeli tech start-ups that were founded by former members of the elite Israeli military intelligence Unit 8200 over the last few years. Spark Capital, based in California, appears to have followed CRV’s interest in Cybereason since the venture capitalist who co-founded Spark and led its investment in Cybereason is a former CRV partner who still has close ties to the firm.
While CRV and Spark Capital seem like just the type of investors a company like Cybereason would attract given their clear interest in similar tech start-ups coming out of Israel’s cyber sector, Cybereason’s other lead investors — Lockheed Martin and SoftBank — deserve much more attention and scrutiny.
Cybereason widely used by US Government, thanks to Lockheed
“A match made in heaven,” trumpeted Forbes at the news of the Lockheed Martin-Cybereason partnership, first forged in 2015. The partnership involved not only Lockheed Martin becoming a major investor in the cybersecurity company but also in Lockheed Martin becoming the largest conduit providing Cybereason’s software to U.S. federal and military agencies.
Indeed, as Forbes noted at the time, not only did Lockheed invest in the company, it decided to integrate Cybereason’s software completely into its product portfolio, resulting in a “model of both using Cybereason internally, and selling it to both public and private customers.”
Cybereason CEO and former offensive hacker for Israeli military intelligence — Lior Div — said the following of the partnership:
Lockheed Martin invested in Cybereason’s protection system after they compared our solution against a dozen others from the top industry players. The US firm was so impressed with the results they got from Cybereason that they began offering it to their own customers – among them most of the top Fortune 100 companies, and the US federal government. Cybereason is now the security system recommended by LM to its customers for protection from a wide (sic) malware and hack attacks.”
Rich Mahler, then-director of Commercial Cyber Services at Lockheed Martin, told Defense Daily that the company’s decision to invest in Cybereason, internally use its software, and include the technology as part of Lockheed Martin’s cyber solutions portfolio were all “independent business decisions but were all coordinated and timed with the transaction.”
How independent each of those decisions actually was is unclear, especially given the timing of Lockheed Martin’s investment in Cybereason, whose close and troubling ties to Israeli intelligence as well as the CIA were noted in the previous installment of this investigative series. Indeed, about a year prior to their investment in the Israeli military intelligence-linked Cybereason, Lockheed Martin opened an office in Beersheba, Israel, where the IDF has its “cyberhub”. The office is focused not on the sales of armaments, but instead on technology.
Marilyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin’s CEO, said the following during her speech that inaugurated the company’s Beersheba office:
The consolidation of IDF Technical Units to new bases in the Negev Desert region is an important transformation of Israel’s information technology capability…We understand the challenges of this move. Which is why we are investing in the facilities and people that will ensure we are prepared to support for these critical projects. By locating our new office in the capital of the Negev we are well positioned to work closely with our Israeli partners and stand ready to: accelerate project execution, reduce program risk and share our technical expertise by training and developing in-country talent.”
Beersheba not only houses the IDF’s technology campus, but also the Israel National Cyber Directorate, which reports directly to Israel’s Prime Minister, as well as a high-tech corporate park that mostly houses tech companies with ties to Israel’s military intelligence apparatus. The area has been cited in several media reports as a visible indicator of the public-private merger between Israeli technology companies, many of them started by Unit 8200 alumni, and the Israeli government and its intelligence services. Lockheed Martin quickly became a key fixture in the Beersheba-based cyberhub.
Not long before Lockheed began exploring the possibility of opening an office in Beersheba, the company was hacked by individuals who used tokens tied to the company, RSA Security, whose founders have ties to Israel’s defense establishment and which is now owned by Dell, a company also deeply tied to the Israeli government and tech sector. The hack, perpetrated by still unknown actors, may have sparked Lockheed’s subsequent interest in Israel’s cybersecurity sector.
Soon after opening its Beersheba office, Lockheed Martin created its Israel subsidiary, Lockheed Martin Israel. Unlike many of the company’s other subsidiaries, this one is focused exclusively on “cybersecurity, enterprise information technology, data centers, mobile, analytics and cloud” as opposed to the manufacture and design of armaments.
Haden Land, then-vice president of research and technology for Lockheed Martin, told the Wall Street Journal that the creation of the subsidiary was largely aimed at securing contracts with the IDF and that the company’s Israel subsidiary would soon be seeking partnership and investments in pursuit of that end. Land oversaw the local roll-out of the company’s Israel subsidiary while concurrently meeting with Israeli government officials. According to the Journal, Land “oversees all of Lockheed Martin’s information-systems businesses, including defense and civilian commercial units” for the United States and elsewhere.
Just a few months later, Lockheed Martin partnered and invested in Cybereason, suggesting that Lockheed’s decision to do so was aimed at securing closer ties with the IDF. This further suggests that Cybereason still maintains close ties to Israeli military intelligence, a point expounded upon in great detail in the previous installment of this series.
Thus, it appears that not only does Lockheed Martin use Cybereason’s software on its own devices and on those it manages for its private and public sector clients, but it also decided to use the company’s software in this way out of a desire to more closely collaborate with the Israeli military in matters related to technology and cybersecurity.
The cozy ties between Lockheed Martin, one of the U.S. government’s largest private contractors, and the IDF set off alarm bells, then and now, for those concerned with U.S. national security. Such concern makes it important to look at the extent of Cybereason’s use by federal and military agencies in the United States through their contracting of Lockheed Martin’s Information Technology (IT) division. This is especially important considering Israeli military intelligence’s history of using espionage, blackmail and private tech companies against the U.S. government, as detailed here.
While the exact number of U.S. federal and military agencies using Cybereason’s software is unknown, it is widespread, with Lockheed Martin’s IT division as the conduit. Indeed, Lockheed Martin was the number one IT solutions provider to the U.S. federal government up until its IT division was spun off and merged with Leidos Holdings. As a consequence, Leidos is now the largest IT provider to the U.S. government and is also directly partnered with Cybereason in the same way Lockheed Martin was. Even after its IT division was spun off, Lockheed Martin continues to use Cybereason’s software in its cybersecurity work for the Pentagon and still maintains a stake in the company.
The Leidos-Lockheed Martin IT hybrid provides a litany of services to the U.S. military and U.S. intelligence. As investigative journalist Tim Shorrock noted for The Nation, the company does “everything from analyzing signals for the NSA to tracking down suspected enemy fighters for US Special Forces in the Middle East and Africa” and, following its merger with Lockheed and consequential partnership with Cybereason, became “the largest of five corporations that together employ nearly 80 percent of the private-sector employees contracted to work for US spy and surveillance agencies.” Shorrock also notes that these private-sector contractors now dominate the mammoth U.S. surveillance apparatus, many of them working for Leidos and — by extension — using Cybereason’s software.
Leidos’ exclusive use of Cybereason software for cybersecurity is also relevant for the U.S. military since Leidos runs a number of sensitive systems for the Pentagon, including its recently inked contract to manage the entire military telecommunications infrastructure for Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). In addition to maintaining the military telecom network, Cybereason is also directly partnered with World Wide Technologies (WWT) as of this past October. WWT manages cybersecurity for the U.S. Army, maintains DISA’s firewalls and data storage as well as the U.S. Air Force’s biometric identification system. WWT also manages contracts for NASA, itself a frequent target of Israeli government espionage, and the U.S. Navy. WWT’s partnership is similar to the Lockheed/Leidos partnership in that Cybereason’s software is now completely integrated into its portfolio, giving the company full access to the devices on all of these highly classified networks.
Many of these new partnerships with Cybereason, including its partnership with WWT, followed claims made by members of Israel’s Unit 8200 in 2017 that the popular antivirus software of Kaspersky Labs contained a backdoor for Russian intelligence, thereby compromising U.S. systems. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the alleged backdoor but did not mention the involvement of Unit 8200 in identifying it, a fact revealed by the New York Times a week later.
Notably, none of the evidence Unit 8200 used to blame Kaspersky has been made public and Kaspersky noted that it was actually Israeli hackers that had been discovered planting backdoors into its platform prior to the accusation levied against Kaspersky by Unit 8200. As the New York Times noted:
Investigators later discovered that the Israeli hackers had implanted multiple back doors into Kaspersky’s systems, employing sophisticated tools to steal passwords, take screenshots, and vacuum up emails and documents.”
Unit 8200’s claims ultimately led the U.S. government to abandon Kaspersky’s products entirely in 2018, allowing companies like Cybereason (with its own close ties to Unit 8200) to fill the void. Indeed, the very agencies that banned Kaspersky now use cybersecurity software that employs Cybereason’s EDR system. No flags have been raised about Cybereason’s own collaboration with the very foreign intelligence service that first pointed the finger at Kaspersky and that previously sold software with backdoors to sensitive U.S. facilities.
SoftBank, Cybereason and the Vision Fund
While its entry into the U.S. market and U.S. government networks is substantial, Cybereason’s software is also run throughout the world on a massive scale through partnerships that have seen it enter into Latin American and European markets in major ways in just the last few months. It has also seen its software become prominent in Asia following a partnership with the company Trustwave. Much of this rapid expansion followed a major injection of cash courtesy of one of the company’s biggest clients and now its largest investor, Japan’s SoftBank.
SoftBank first invested in Cybereason in 2015, the same year Lockheed Martin initially invested and partnered with the firm. It was also the year that SoftBank announced its intention to invest in Israeli tech start-ups. SoftBank first injected $50 million into Cybereason, followed by an additional $100 million in 2017 and $200 million last August. SoftBank’s investments account for most of the money raised by the company since it was founded in 2012 ($350 million out of $400 million total).
Prior to investing, Softbank was a client of Cybereason, which Ken Miyauchi, president of SoftBank, noted when making the following statement after Softbank’s initial investment in Cybereason:
SoftBank works to obtain cutting edge technology and outstanding business models to lead the Information Revolution. Our deployment of the Cybereason platform internally gave us firsthand knowledge of the value it provides, and led to our decision to invest. I’m confident Cybereason and SoftBank’s new product offering will bring a new level of security to Japanese organizations.”
SoftBank — one of Japan’s largest telecommunications companies — not only began to deploy Cybereason internally but directly partnered with it after investing, much like Lockheed Martin had done around the same time. This partnership resulted in SoftBank and Cybereason creating a joint venture in Japan and Cybereason creating partnerships with other tech companies acquired by SoftBank, including the U.K.’s Arm, which specializes in making chips and management platforms for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
SoftBank’s interest in Cybereason is significant, particularly in light of Cybereason’s interest in the 2020 U.S. election, given that SoftBank has significant ties to key allies of President Trump and even the president himself.
Indeed, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son was among the first wave of international business leaders who sought to woo then-president-elect Trump soon after the 2016 election. Son first visited Trump Tower in December 2016 and announced, with Trump by his side in the building’s lobby, that SoftBank would invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs. Trump subsequently claimed on Twitter that Son had only decided to make this investment because Trump had won the election.
Son told reporters at the time that the investment would come from a $100 billion fund that would be created in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund as well as other investors. “I just came to celebrate his new job. I said, ‘This is great. The US will become great again,’” Son said, according to reports.
Then, in March of 2017, Son sent top SoftBank executives to meet with senior members of Trump’s economic team and, according to the New York Times, “the SoftBank executives said that because of a lack of advanced digital investments, the competitiveness of the United States economy was at risk. And the executives made the case, quite strongly, that Mr. Son was committed to playing a major role in addressing this issue through a spate of job-creating investments.” Many of SoftBank’s investments and acquisitions in the U.S. since then have focused mainly on artificial intelligence and technology with military applications, such as “killer robot” firm Boston Dynamics, suggesting Son’s interest lies more in dominating futuristic military-industrial technologies than creating jobs for the average American.
After their initial meeting, Trump and Son met again a year later in June 2018, with Trump stating that “His [Son’s] $50 billion turned out to be $72 billion so far, he’s not finished yet.” Several media reports have claimed that Son’s moves since Trump’s election have sought to “curry favor” with the President.
Through the creation of this fund alongside the Saudis, SoftBank has since become increasingly intertwined with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), a key ally of President Trump in the Middle East known for his authoritarian crackdowns on Saudi elites and dissidents alike. The ties between Saudi Arabia and SoftBank became ever tighter when MBS took the reins in the oil kingdom and after SoftBank announced the launch of the Vision Fund in 2016. SoftBank’s Vision Fund is a vehicle for investing in hi-tech companies and start-ups and its largest shareholder is the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Notably, Son decided to launch the Vision Fund in Riyadh during President Trump’s first official visit to the Gulf Kingdom.
In addition, the Mubadala Investment Company, a government fund of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), gave $15 billion to the Vision Fund. UAE leadership also share close ties to the Trump administration and MBS in Saudi Arabia.
As a consequence, SoftBank’s Vision Fund is majority funded by two Middle Eastern authoritarian governments with close ties to the U.S. government, specifically the Trump administration. In addition, both countries have enjoyed the rapid growth and normalization of ties with the state of Israel in recent years, particularly following the rise of current Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and Jared Kushner’s rise to prominence in his father-in-law’s administration. Other investments in the Vision Fund have come from Apple, Qualcomm and Oracle’s Larry Ellison, all tech companies with strong ties to Israel’s government.
The Saudi and Emirati governments’ links to the Vision Fund are so obvious that even mainstream outlets like the New York Times have described them as a “front for Saudi Arabia and perhaps other countries in the Middle East.”
SoftBank also enjoys close ties to Jared Kushner, with Fortress Investment Group lending $57 million to Kushner Companies in October 2017 while it was under contract to be acquired by SoftBank. As Barron’s noted at the time:
When SoftBank Group bought Fortress Investment Group last year, the Japanese company was buying access to a corps of seasoned investors. What SoftBank also got is a financial tie to the family of President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.”
According to The Real Deal, Kushner Companies obtained the financing from Fortress only after its attempts to obtain funding through the EB-5 visa program for a specific real estate venture were abandoned after the U.S. Attorney and the Securities and Exchange Commission began to investigate how Kushner Companies used the EB-5 investor visa program. A key factor in the opening of that investigation was Kushner Companies’ representatives touting Jared Kushner’s position at the White House when talking to prospective investors and lenders.
SoftBank also recently came to the aid of a friend of Jared Kushner, former CEO of WeWork Adam Neumann. Neumann made shocking claims about his ties to both Kushner and Saudi Arabia’s MBS, even asserting that he had worked with both in creating Kushner’s long-awaited and controversial Middle East “peace plan” and claimed that he, Kushner and MBS would together “save the world.” Neumann previously called Kushner his “mentor.” MBS has also discussed on several occasions his close ties with Kushner and U.S. media reports have noted the frequent correspondence between the two “princelings.”
Notably, SoftBank invested in Neumann’s WeWork using money from the Saudi-dominated Vision Fund and later went on to essentially bail the company out after its IPO collapse and Neumann was pushed out. SoftBank’s founder, Masayoshi Son, had an odd yet very close relationship with Neumann, perhaps explaining why Neumann was allowed to walk with $1.7 billion after bringing WeWork to the brink of collapse. Notably, nearly half of SoftBank’s approximately $47 billion investments in the U.S. economy since Trump’s election, went to acquiring and then bailing out WeWork. It is unlikely that such a disastrous investment resulted in the level of job creation that Son had promised Trump in 2016.
Given that it is Cybereason’s top investor and shareholder by a large margin, SoftBank’s ties to the Trump administration and key allies of that administration are significant in light of Cybereason’s odd interest in 2020 U.S. election scenarios that end with the cancellation of this year’s upcoming presidential election. It goes without saying that the cancellation of the election would mean a continuation of the Trump administration until new elections would take place.
Furthermore, with Cybereason’s close and enduring ties to Israeli military intelligence now well-documented, it is worth asking if Israeli military intelligence would consider intervening in 2020 if the still-to-be-decided Democratic contender was strongly opposed to Israeli government policy, particularly Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. This is especially worth considering given revelations that sexual blackmailer and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who targeted prominent U.S. politicians, mostly Democrats, was in the employ of Israeli military intelligence.
Notably, Cybereason’s doomsday election scenarios involved the weaponization of deep fakes, self-driving cars and the hacking Internet of Things devices, with all of those technologies being pioneered and perfected — not by Russia, China or Iran — but by companies directly tied to Israeli intelligence, much like Cybereason itself. These companies, their technology and Cybereason’s own work creating the narrative that U.S. rival states seek to undermine the U.S. election in this way, will all be discussed in the conclusion of MintPress’ series on Cybereason and its outsized interest in the U.S. democratic process.
Feature photo | Graphic by Claudio Cabrera
Article posted with permission from MintPress News


thewashingtonstandard--2020-01-17--Is A Republican Antichrist Muslim Any Better Than Ilhan Omar In Congress?  No

Is A Republican Antichrist Muslim Any Better Than Ilhan Omar In Congress ?
No I ’ m amazed to see what America will fall for .
There is no denying that the foundations of our forefathers was Christianity based on the Bible and not the teachings of Muhammad .
From the earliest days of the Mayflower Compact , it was clear that America was built to advance the Christian faith , not a libertine movement , not a Jewish movement and certainly not an Islamic movement .
Yet , Republicans are now positioning a Muslim to challenge Minnesota criminal jihad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress .
Dalia Al-Aqidi is challenging Ilhan Omar for Minnesota ’ s 5th Congressional seat in the 2020 election .
Interestingly enough , Al-Aqidi is also a refugee , only she is from Iraq , while Omar is from Somalia .
Both are proud antichrist Muslims .
• As We Approach 2020 Elections , Remember The Anti-Second Amendment Stance Of Muslims Who Ran For Office In 2018 & Beware Those Running This Time If you don ’ t understand what I mean by the term antichrist and have been indoctrinated with bad theology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let me let the apostle John explain who an antichrist is .
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ ?
This is the antichrist , he who denies the Father and the Son .
-1 John 2:22 Children , it is the last hour , and as you have heard that antichrist is coming , so now many antichrists have come .
Therefore we know that it is the last hour .
-1 John 2:18 By this you know the Spirit of God : every spirit that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flesh is from God , and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God .
This is the spirit of the antichrist , which you heard was coming and now is in the world already .
-1 John 4:2-3 For many deceivers have gone out into the world , those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh .
Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist .
-2 John 1:7 John is clear .
In writing his Gospel , he defined Jesus as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News reports that Al-Aqidi says that Ilhan Omar “ needs to be stopped , ” and she does , but with another Muslim ?
I think not .
Al-Aqidi , who discussed her newly launched campaign in an interview with Fox News , joins a growing field of Republicans looking to take on Omar .
“ She needs to be stopped , ” al-Aqidi told Fox News in a phone interview .
“ I truly believe that I ’ m strong enough to beat her at her own game.
” She explained that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , Omar would be limited in using her background as a Muslim woman who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia to distinguish them — because they are “ basically the same ” in that backstory , she said .
Al-Aqidi decried the use of identity politics on the campaign trail .
“ Muslims , Christians , Jews are all Americans , ” she said , while going on to blast Omar ’ s past comments that have been labeled anti-Semitic .
“ Every time she opens her mouth she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” al-Aqidi said .
Omar has apologized for past tweets about Israel that played on anti-Semitic tropes .
Al-Aqidi also alleged that Omar is more interested in raising her own political profile than helping her constituents .
“ I am loyal to the country that gave me a chance , gave me a brighter future , ” she said , claiming that Omar “ continually tries to weaken the country and divide us.
” It ’ s true that Omar does try and divide the people .
I have no doubt that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Al-Aqidi hope for a brighter future , but I have to ask , based on what ?
The principles and teachings of the Bible and not the Koran ?
How is one both loyal to the Koran and opposed to our original founders who stated in the Mayflower Compact : In the name of God , Amen .
We whose names are underwritten , the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James , by the Grace of God of Great Britain , France , and Ireland King , Defender of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country , a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia , do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another , Covenant and Combine ourselves together in a Civil Body Politic , for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid ; and by virtue hereof to enact , constitute and frame such just and equal Laws , Ordinances , Acts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony , unto which we promise all due submission and obedience .
In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod , the 11th of November , in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James , of England , France and Ireland the eighteenth , and of Scotland the fifty-fourth .
Anno Domini 1620 .
One can not possibly be loyal to the foundations of our country , including the laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biblical texts , not Islamic ones .
However , notice some of the language she incorporates as reported by Fox .
Al-Aqidi , who has 31 years of experience as a journalist , including as a White House correspondent for Alhurra , a U.S.-based Arabic channel that airs in the Middle East , says that one thing she has learned is that regularly attacking your opponents is not an effective strategy in politics .
“ Conflict resolution is an art .
You can not do anything without a conversation .
You talk to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out something that will be acceptable , ” she said .
“ Trashing the other side will get you nowhere.
” As for her own platform , al-Aqidi says her main concerns are security at home and abroad , the economy – where she says President Trump is “ doing great ” – and education .
See ?
So much for loyalty .
Trump is doing great on security at home ?
Really ?
How many illegals are still hear and coming over the border ?
How many has he signed off on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many refugees continue to come into America ?
• Government : This is About America ’ s Safety – 18 Republican Governors Ask For More Muslim Refugees As “ Christian Charity ” The economy ?
America is more than $ 4 trillion more in debt since Trump took office three years ago , and he ’ s just walked us right into the Council on Foreign Relations dream of a North American Union with USMCA , which is completely unconstitutional .
• “ Farmageddon ” : Trump Announces More Emergency Bailouts With Your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 416 Billion • Trump Admin : National Debt Is An ‘ Economic Threat ’ To The US • Senate Approves USMCA With Only 10 Votes Against : Prepare For Dictatorial Oligarchy Through Unelected Bureaucracy • Connecting The Dots : USMCA “ Trade Agreement ” , the North American Union , an Article V convention , & Red Flag Laws • Alan Keyes & Publius Huldah Connect The Dots On The USMCA , An Article V Convention , North American Union & Gun Confiscation ( Video ) Education ?
Where is that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and oath before the God of the Bible and the American people to uphold and then promote federal interference and funding of education ?
It isn ’ t there .
• Things To Come In The “ Education ” /Indoctrination Of America In 2020 • 2019 : The Year Of The Advancement Of The Communist Workforce In Education • The Continuing Crimes Of The 116th Congress & How The People Can Put An End To Them No , Ms. Al-Aqidi is saying she is loyal to something she thinks is America but is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wary of Ms. Al-Aqidi as they are of Ms. Omar .
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media

Is A Republican Antichrist Muslim Any Better Than Ilhan Omar In Congress? No
I’m amazed to see what America will fall for. There is no denying that the foundations of our forefathers was Christianity based on the Bible and not the teachings of Muhammad. From the earliest days of the Mayflower Compact, it was clear that America was built to advance the Christian faith, not a libertine movement, not a Jewish movement and certainly not an Islamic movement. Yet, Republicans are now positioning a Muslim to challenge Minnesota criminal jihad Rep. Ilhan Omar for her seat in Congress.
Dalia Al-Aqidi is challenging Ilhan Omar for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional seat in the 2020 election.
Interestingly enough, Al-Aqidi is also a refugee, only she is from Iraq, while Omar is from Somalia. Both are proud antichrist Muslims.
If you don’t understand what I mean by the term antichrist and have been indoctrinated with bad theology teaching you about a specific antichrist, let me let the apostle John explain who an antichrist is.
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. -1 John 2:22 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. -1 John 2:18 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. -1 John 4:2-3 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. -2 John 1:7
John is clear. In writing his Gospel, he defined Jesus as “the Word.”
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. -John 1:1-3
Now, Fox News reports that Al-Aqidi says that Ilhan Omar “needs to be stopped,” and she does, but with another Muslim? I think not.
Announcement I'm Dalia al-Aqidi and I’m running for Congress because we're not as divided as Ilhan Omar and the far-left would have us believe. I'm running to bring us closer together.I've seen up close the consequences of what radical Ilhan Omar is doing. Conflict. Division. Oppression. I escaped that world once, and I won't let it happen here. JOIN THE MOVEMENT >> https://action.daliaforcongress.com/fb-jointhemovement/ Posted by Dalia Al-Aqidi on Thursday, January 16, 2020
Al-Aqidi, who discussed her newly launched campaign in an interview with Fox News, joins a growing field of Republicans looking to take on Omar. “She needs to be stopped,” al-Aqidi told Fox News in a phone interview. “I truly believe that I’m strong enough to beat her at her own game.”
She explained that in a race between the two of them, Omar would be limited in using her background as a Muslim woman who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia to distinguish them — because they are “basically the same” in that backstory, she said.
Al-Aqidi decried the use of identity politics on the campaign trail.
“Muslims, Christians, Jews are all Americans,” she said, while going on to blast Omar’s past comments that have been labeled anti-Semitic.
“Every time she opens her mouth she says something either anti-U.S. or anti-Semitic,” al-Aqidi said. Omar has apologized for past tweets about Israel that played on anti-Semitic tropes.
Al-Aqidi also alleged that Omar is more interested in raising her own political profile than helping her constituents.
“I am loyal to the country that gave me a chance, gave me a brighter future,” she said, claiming that Omar “continually tries to weaken the country and divide us.”
It’s true that Omar does try and divide the people. I have no doubt that it is also true that America gave Ms. Al-Aqidi hope for a brighter future, but I have to ask, based on what? The principles and teachings of the Bible and not the Koran?
How is one both loyal to the Koran and opposed to our original founders who stated in the Mayflower Compact:
In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together in a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620.
One cannot possibly be loyal to the foundations of our country, including the laws that we have that was based on biblical texts, not Islamic ones.
It's time to defend America! I'm running for Congress because we're not as divided as Ilhan Omar and the far-left would have us believe. I'm running to bring us closer together. https://t.co/sa9dsHHTeO — Dalia al-Aqidi (@Dalia4Congress) January 16, 2020
However, notice some of the language she incorporates as reported by Fox.
Al-Aqidi, who has 31 years of experience as a journalist, including as a White House correspondent for Alhurra, a U.S.-based Arabic channel that airs in the Middle East, says that one thing she has learned is that regularly attacking your opponents is not an effective strategy in politics.
“Conflict resolution is an art. You cannot do anything without a conversation. You talk to the other side and try to figure out something that will be acceptable,” she said.
“Trashing the other side will get you nowhere.”
As for her own platform, al-Aqidi says her main concerns are security at home and abroad, the economy – where she says President Trump is “doing great” – and education.
See? So much for loyalty.
Trump is doing great on security at home? Really? How many illegals are still hear and coming over the border? How many has he signed off on unconstitutional spending to support them? How many refugees continue to come into America?
The economy? America is more than $4 trillion more in debt since Trump took office three years ago, and he’s just walked us right into the Council on Foreign Relations dream of a North American Union with USMCA, which is completely unconstitutional.
Education? Where is that in the Constitution that Ms. Al-Aqidi will swear and oath before the God of the Bible and the American people to uphold and then promote federal interference and funding of education? It isn’t there.
No, Ms. Al-Aqidi is saying she is loyal to something she thinks is America but is not America.
Voters should be as wary of Ms. Al-Aqidi as they are of Ms. Omar.
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media


thewashingtonstandard--2020-01-17--Virginia:  Lexington & Concord Redux

Virginia:  Lexington & Concord Redux

Tragically , most Americans do not have any idea what it was that actually triggered America ’ s War for Independence .
The primary reason was not “ taxation without representation , ” or taxes of any kind , for that matter .
And it was certainly not because our Founding Fathers were a bunch of anti-government extremists or demon-possessed puppets of the Illuminati .
For the most part , our Founding Fathers were good and honorable men of devout Christian faith .
They were mostly educated men of means who had much to lose by supporting America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in both the Holy Scriptures and the principles of Natural Law .
They were men who valued liberty above safety and wealth and were willing to sacrifice their “ lives , fortunes , and sacred honor ” to be able to bequeath the principles of liberty to their posterity .
“ The shot heard ’ round the world ” in the pre-dawn hours of April 19 , 1775 , on Lexington Green , Massachusetts , was probably inevitable , but the causes of its occurrence can not be denied .
The primary mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to confiscate the firearms of the colonists in Lexington and Concord .
It sent 800 military troops to fulfill that mission .
Warned of the approaching British troops by Paul Revere and William Dawes , a little over 70 men ( mostly from the congregation of the Church at Lexington , pastored by Jonas Clark ) stood on Lexington Green , muskets in arm , to face the troops .
The rest , as they say , is history .
What is undeniable is that decades of grievances of the colonies against British @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colonies to open rebellion against the Crown .
For decades , the colonies peacefully petitioned , redressed , reasoned , appealed , pleaded and remonstrated with the British Crown without bloodshed .
Even the Boston Massacre on March 5 , 1770 , did not bring the colonies to arms against their government .
But when British troops marched on Lexington and Concord to confiscate the firearms of the colonists , the line between peaceful protest and armed revolution was crossed .
Now , almost 245 years later , the government of the Commonwealth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line again .
As we speak , the State of Virginia is attempting to pass laws that would forcefully confiscate the arms of the people of that sovereign State : specifically , semi-automatic rifles AND pistols .
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is backing a proposed ban on “ assault weapons ” that would prohibit the sale of many semi-automatic firearm designs like the AR-15 , but would grandfather existing owners of the weapons so long as they are registered — or else face surrender .
His proposed bill did note , “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment.
” ( Source ) In fact , Governor Northam has asked the Virginia legislature for an additional $ 250,000 to fund the anticipated incarceration of Virginians who refuse to comply with the State ’ s gun confiscation ban and an additional $ 4.8 million budget to fund a special 18-member SWAT team dedicated to confiscating the arms of the people of Virginia .
A U.S .
Congressman from Virginia , Donald McEachin , is urging Governor Northam to call out the Virginia National Guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Predictably , hyper gun-grabber and billionaire Jewish Zionist Michael Bloomberg is throwing his money and support behind the Virginia governor ’ s efforts .
Make no mistake about it : This has the potential to be a Lexington and Concord redux .
Get a grip on this folks !
This is happening in the land of Washington and Jefferson—the land of Lee and Jackson .
This is happening in Virginia .
I lived in Virginia for over two years ; our oldest child—our only daughter—was born in Virginia .
As one can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are NOT taking this lying down .
Ninety-one counties and eleven cities in the State have declared themselves to be in open rebellion against these tyrannical proposals from Richmond .
The vast majority of sheriffs around the State have said they will NOT enforce these gun confiscation laws , if they are passed .
And the sales of firearms in Virginia have exploded .
I encourage readers to watch this testimony from a Virginian who was a former active duty soldier and Marine and is currently a Major in the Marine Corps Reserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resolve of Virginians to maintain their right to keep and bear arms .
This coming Monday , January 20 ( the day in between the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J .
“ Stonewall ” Jackson , by the way ) , 100,000 Virginians are expected to descend on the Virginia legislature in Richmond to protest the proposed gun confiscation acts—acts that can only be described as acts of war against the people of that State .
A sizeable number of states with tyrannical gun-grabbing governors and State legislatures are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest , as they intend to enact the same kind of gun confiscation laws in their states .
The governor of Washington State is already seeking gun confiscation laws in that State predicated on the proposals of the Virginia State government .
And as one can imagine , other draconian gun control measures , such as universal background checks ( meaning there would be no such thing as private gun sales ) , a high-capacity magazine ban ( magazines holding more than ten rounds ) , gun registration—and Donald Trump ’ s favorite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws—are also being proposed .
Speaking of Donald Trump , has anyone noticed that this president who keeps telling us how much he supports the Second Amendment has thus far said absolutely NOTHING in defense of the brave men and women of Virginia who are RIGHT NOW fighting for the right of every American to keep and bear arms ?
Not a peep !
Not a tweet !
This braggadocious , pompous , loquacious loudmouth , who is quick to condemn almost anyone and everyone to eternal hell if he doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the Lexington and Concord redux that is taking place right now in Virginia .
He conducts rallies all over America , so why won ’ t he go to Virginia and help rally the people in support of their God-given right to keep and bear arms ?
From a strictly political perspective , Trump should be jumping all over this situation in Virginia .
After all , he LOST that State in 2016 to Hillary Clinton .
And since Trump became president—and for the first time in 26 years—Democrats control the governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And what is the first thing they try to do ?
Propose laws to confiscate the people ’ s firearms .
Trump has campaigned all over America in support of the Second Amendment .
He has repeatedly told us that he is a “ true friend and champion ” for the Second Amendment ( of course , he told us the same thing about the pro-life cause , and he ’ s done absolutely NOTHING to overturn Roe—and continues to fund Planned Parenthood to the tune of over a half billion dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump would be seizing the opportunity that this Democrat gun grab in Virginia affords him to rally the people of that State to his 2020 candidacy by screaming to the heavens about how Democrats are going to take their guns and how he will protect those liberties .
Instead , he ’ s said NOTHING .
Remember , however , this same Donald Trump is the loudest voice in the country in support of “ red flag ” gun confiscation laws .
In his heart and soul , Trump has always been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal .
He only became “ pro-life ” and “ pro-gun ” when he decided to run for president as a Republican in 2016 .
There is absolutely no doubt that the rush to enact gun confiscation laws by states around the country—including Florida and Virginia—is largely due to the encouragement they received from President Trump ’ s boisterous call for gun confiscation in 2018 .
Plus , I hope you realize that Donald Trump is also the loudest voice in America in support of the militarization of our police .
For decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of America—especially the Christian people of America—to the existential threat against our right to keep and bear arms .
I have urged Christians to vote with their feet and get out of these statist churches who teach that we are Biblically bound to submit to governments that would demand the surrender of our firearms .
Any pastor or Bible teacher who takes that position is not only anti-freedom , anti-Constitution , anti-Bill of Rights and anti-Natural Law ; he is also anti-Christ and anti-God .
My constitutional attorney son and I co-authored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To Keep : Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns .
Every Christian in America—especially in Virginia right now—needs to read this book .
I delivered two messages dedicated specifically to the scriptural duty of Christians to never surrender their arms—and I ’ m talking about our AR-15 rifles .
The first message is entitled A Biblical Portrait Of The Righteousness And Requirement Of Bearing Arms .
And the second message is entitled The Attack Against Our Guns And The Christian Duty To Repel The Attack .
I ’ ve said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll say it here : The day that my AR-15 rifle is outlawed , I will be an outlaw !
And I would make that decision with the perfect confidence that doing so is in total conformity with the scriptural and Natural laws of my Creator and Redeemer—the same confidence as had Jonas Clark and those brave men on Lexington Green .
The truth is , the attempted tyrannical behavior of the State of Virginia—and many other government entities across the country—are exactly why America ’ s founders put the Second Amendment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with hunting or target shooting and everything to do with protecting oneself and others from common criminals and with protecting freedom from the criminals in government—ANY government .
To the valiant , liberty-loving people of Virginia , I say : HOLD THE LINE !
Fate has chosen you to once again be the vanguard of liberty for our nation .
Never surrender your arms !
Never surrender your semi-automatic rifles or your semi-automatic pistols .
Never surrender your high-capacity magazines .
And never surrender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or possess a firearm without government registration .
AT ALL COSTS , DO NOT SURRENDER !
If the tyrannical gun grabbers of this country can succeed in bringing the People of Virginia to their knees , it will start a whirlwind of gun confiscation that will sweep across this entire nation .
I ’ m here to tell you that the vast majority of the People of Montana are with you .
And if and when it comes our turn to stand and fight this tyranny , that is exactly what we will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am speaking for the People of Texas , Oklahoma , Arizona , Utah , Idaho , Wyoming , Alabama , Kentucky , West Virginia and many , many others .
Christian pastors in Virginia : Rally the people to liberty !
It is no hyperbole to say that the future of America as a free and independent country rests upon the shoulders of the People of Virginia RIGHT NOW , as well as with the liberty-loving people in all of our 50 sovereign states .
Donald Trump or no Donald Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pastor or no pastor .
Governor or no governor .
Lawman or no lawman .
WE THE PEOPLE fought to make this country free ; and WE THE PEOPLE must fight to keep this country free .
P.S .
Here , again , is our book To Keep or Not To Keep : Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns .
And here is my message DVD A Biblical Portrait Of The Righteousness And Requirement Of Bearing Arms .
And here is my message DVD The Attack Against Our Guns And The @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Tragically, most Americans do not have any idea what it was that actually triggered America’s War for Independence. The primary reason was not “taxation without representation,” or taxes of any kind, for that matter. And it was certainly not because our Founding Fathers were a bunch of anti-government extremists or demon-possessed puppets of the Illuminati.
For the most part, our Founding Fathers were good and honorable men of devout Christian faith. They were mostly educated men of means who had much to lose by supporting America’s War for Independence. They were schooled in both the Holy Scriptures and the principles of Natural Law. They were men who valued liberty above safety and wealth and were willing to sacrifice their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to be able to bequeath the principles of liberty to their posterity.
“The shot heard ’round the world” in the pre-dawn hours of April 19, 1775, on Lexington Green, Massachusetts, was probably inevitable, but the causes of its occurrence cannot be denied. The primary mission of the British Crown that morning was to confiscate the firearms of the colonists in Lexington and Concord. It sent 800 military troops to fulfill that mission.
Warned of the approaching British troops by Paul Revere and William Dawes, a little over 70 men (mostly from the congregation of the Church at Lexington, pastored by Jonas Clark) stood on Lexington Green, muskets in arm, to face the troops. The rest, as they say, is history.
What is undeniable is that decades of grievances of the colonies against British injustice and oppression did NOT bring the colonies to open rebellion against the Crown. For decades, the colonies peacefully petitioned, redressed, reasoned, appealed, pleaded and remonstrated with the British Crown without bloodshed. Even the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, did not bring the colonies to arms against their government. But when British troops marched on Lexington and Concord to confiscate the firearms of the colonists, the line between peaceful protest and armed revolution was crossed.
Now, almost 245 years later, the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia is threatening to cross that line again. As we speak, the State of Virginia is attempting to pass laws that would forcefully confiscate the arms of the people of that sovereign State: specifically, semi-automatic rifles AND pistols.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is backing a proposed ban on “assault weapons” that would prohibit the sale of many semi-automatic firearm designs like the AR-15, but would grandfather existing owners of the weapons so long as they are registered — or else face surrender.
His proposed bill did note, “The provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment.” (Source)
In fact, Governor Northam has asked the Virginia legislature for an additional $250,000 to fund the anticipated incarceration of Virginians who refuse to comply with the State’s gun confiscation ban and an additional $4.8 million budget to fund a special 18-member SWAT team dedicated to confiscating the arms of the people of Virginia. A U.S. Congressman from Virginia, Donald McEachin, is urging Governor Northam to call out the Virginia National Guard to confiscate the arms of the Virginians.
Predictably, hyper gun-grabber and billionaire Jewish Zionist Michael Bloomberg is throwing his money and support behind the Virginia governor’s efforts.
Make no mistake about it: This has the potential to be a Lexington and Concord redux.
Get a grip on this folks! This is happening in the land of Washington and Jefferson—the land of Lee and Jackson. This is happening in Virginia. I lived in Virginia for over two years; our oldest child—our only daughter—was born in Virginia.
As one can imagine, the freedom-loving people of Virginia are NOT taking this lying down. Ninety-one counties and eleven cities in the State have declared themselves to be in open rebellion against these tyrannical proposals from Richmond. The vast majority of sheriffs around the State have said they will NOT enforce these gun confiscation laws, if they are passed. And the sales of firearms in Virginia have exploded.
I encourage readers to watch this testimony from a Virginian who was a former active duty soldier and Marine and is currently a Major in the Marine Corps Reserve and a federal police officer, regarding the resolve of Virginians to maintain their right to keep and bear arms.
This coming Monday, January 20 (the day in between the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, by the way), 100,000 Virginians are expected to descend on the Virginia legislature in Richmond to protest the proposed gun confiscation acts—acts that can only be described as acts of war against the people of that State.
A sizeable number of states with tyrannical gun-grabbing governors and State legislatures are watching the events in Virginia with heightened interest, as they intend to enact the same kind of gun confiscation laws in their states. The governor of Washington State is already seeking gun confiscation laws in that State predicated on the proposals of the Virginia State government.
And as one can imagine, other draconian gun control measures, such as universal background checks (meaning there would be no such thing as private gun sales), a high-capacity magazine ban (magazines holding more than ten rounds), gun registration—and Donald Trump’s favorite: “red flag” gun confiscation laws—are also being proposed.
Speaking of Donald Trump, has anyone noticed that this president who keeps telling us how much he supports the Second Amendment has thus far said absolutely NOTHING in defense of the brave men and women of Virginia who are RIGHT NOW fighting for the right of every American to keep and bear arms? Not a peep! Not a tweet!
This braggadocious, pompous, loquacious loudmouth, who is quick to condemn almost anyone and everyone to eternal hell if he doesn’t agree with them, is totally mute about the Lexington and Concord redux that is taking place right now in Virginia. He conducts rallies all over America, so why won’t he go to Virginia and help rally the people in support of their God-given right to keep and bear arms?
From a strictly political perspective, Trump should be jumping all over this situation in Virginia. After all, he LOST that State in 2016 to Hillary Clinton. And since Trump became president—and for the first time in 26 years—Democrats control the governor’s mansion and both State houses. And what is the first thing they try to do? Propose laws to confiscate the people’s firearms.
Trump has campaigned all over America in support of the Second Amendment. He has repeatedly told us that he is a “true friend and champion” for the Second Amendment (of course, he told us the same thing about the pro-life cause, and he’s done absolutely NOTHING to overturn Roe—and continues to fund Planned Parenthood to the tune of over a half billion dollars annually).
One would think that Donald Trump would be seizing the opportunity that this Democrat gun grab in Virginia affords him to rally the people of that State to his 2020 candidacy by screaming to the heavens about how Democrats are going to take their guns and how he will protect those liberties.
Instead, he’s said NOTHING.
Remember, however, this same Donald Trump is the loudest voice in the country in support of “red flag” gun confiscation laws. In his heart and soul, Trump has always been a New York pro-gun control, pro-abortion liberal. He only became “pro-life” and “pro-gun” when he decided to run for president as a Republican in 2016.
There is absolutely no doubt that the rush to enact gun confiscation laws by states around the country—including Florida and Virginia—is largely due to the encouragement they received from President Trump’s boisterous call for gun confiscation in 2018.
Plus, I hope you realize that Donald Trump is also the loudest voice in America in support of the militarization of our police.
For decades, I have tried to awaken the people of America—especially the Christian people of America—to the existential threat against our right to keep and bear arms. I have urged Christians to vote with their feet and get out of these statist churches who teach that we are Biblically bound to submit to governments that would demand the surrender of our firearms. Any pastor or Bible teacher who takes that position is not only anti-freedom, anti-Constitution, anti-Bill of Rights and anti-Natural Law; he is also anti-Christ and anti-God.
My constitutional attorney son and I co-authored a book entitled To Keep or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns. Every Christian in America—especially in Virginia right now—needs to read this book.
I delivered two messages dedicated specifically to the scriptural duty of Christians to never surrender their arms—and I’m talking about our AR-15 rifles. The first message is entitled A Biblical Portrait Of The Righteousness And Requirement Of Bearing Arms. And the second message is entitled The Attack Against Our Guns And The Christian Duty To Repel The Attack.
I’ve said it from the pulpit, and I’ll say it here: The day that my AR-15 rifle is outlawed, I will be an outlaw! And I would make that decision with the perfect confidence that doing so is in total conformity with the scriptural and Natural laws of my Creator and Redeemer—the same confidence as had Jonas Clark and those brave men on Lexington Green.
The truth is, the attempted tyrannical behavior of the State of Virginia—and many other government entities across the country—are exactly why America’s founders put the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The right to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with hunting or target shooting and everything to do with protecting oneself and others from common criminals and with protecting freedom from the criminals in government—ANY government.
To the valiant, liberty-loving people of Virginia, I say: HOLD THE LINE! Fate has chosen you to once again be the vanguard of liberty for our nation. Never surrender your arms! Never surrender your semi-automatic rifles or your semi-automatic pistols. Never surrender your high-capacity magazines. And never surrender your right to freely sell, purchase or possess a firearm without government registration.
AT ALL COSTS, DO NOT SURRENDER!
If the tyrannical gun grabbers of this country can succeed in bringing the People of Virginia to their knees, it will start a whirlwind of gun confiscation that will sweep across this entire nation.
I’m here to tell you that the vast majority of the People of Montana are with you. And if and when it comes our turn to stand and fight this tyranny, that is exactly what we will do. And I’m sure I am speaking for the People of Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia and many, many others.
Christian pastors in Virginia: Rally the people to liberty!
Sheriffs, police chiefs, deputy sheriffs, policemen and State patrolmen: Resist this tyranny!
It is no hyperbole to say that the future of America as a free and independent country rests upon the shoulders of the People of Virginia RIGHT NOW, as well as with the liberty-loving people in all of our 50 sovereign states.
Donald Trump or no Donald Trump. Republican Party or no Republican Party. Pastor or no pastor. Governor or no governor. Lawman or no lawman. WE THE PEOPLE fought to make this country free; and WE THE PEOPLE must fight to keep this country free.
P.S. Here, again, is our book To Keep or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns .
And here is my message DVD A Biblical Portrait Of The Righteousness And Requirement Of Bearing Arms.
And here is my message DVD The Attack Against Our Guns And The Christian Duty To Repel The Attack.
Article posted with permission from Chuck Baldwin


thewashingtonstandard--2020-01-17--Antifa: “We Aren’t Just a Black-clad Group of Rabble-Rousers… Funded by George Soros.”

Politics in America is going to some strange places .
The conservative movement is fracturing between classical liberals and authoritarians , and the Left is fracturing between Sanders supporters who want to gulag you now and Warren supporters who want to wait 6-8 years .
And then there ’ s this rare moment of recognition by an Antifa faction that maybe it wants to retain the right to bear arms .
Antifa Seven Hills , based in Richmond , are opposing the slew of gun bills introduced by the newly Democratic Legislature since November , because they say those types @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poor people , minorities , and leftists — and to bolster law enforcement ’ s power .
“ I think it ’ s been pretty important for us to focus on the fact that gun control in America has a legacy of racist enforcement , ” said Antifa Seven Hills spokesperson James ( who asked that his name be withheld to avoid getting doxxed online ) .
“ Like taking guns away from black people , because black people were perceived as a threat to property and the sanctity of the state.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a reminder that one reason why the gun control movement has failed is because support for gun rights is not a purely conservative talking point , but a single issue for a lot of people , some of whom hardly ever vote Republican .
When gun lovers rally in front of the Virginia Capitol in Richmond next week , the local chapter of antifa will be there too… Instead , local antifa will join thousands of conservatives who are expected to descend on Richmond that day in protesting pending gun-control legislation introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration and in response to the emergence of an emboldened far-right movement , leftist gun groups have surged .
For example , the Socialist Rifle Association was formed in 2018 and today has over 50 chapters across the country .
Similarly , Redneck Revolt , a leftist gun group that formed in 2016 , claims at least 45 chapters nationwide .
And the Gay Communist Gun Club is seeing a resurgence .
.
“ I think what ’ s particular about the South is that we have to be a bit more creative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — instead of fulfilling some sort of meme of what antifa is , ” said James .
“ That ’ s really what we ’ re trying to work against right now , especially by talking to conservatives and showing we aren ’ t just a black-clad group of rabble-rousers who are out for attention and have jobs funded by George Soros.
” Not just .
We ’ re so much more than that .
Translation , we ’ re a distinct minority and the majority culture doesn ’ t like us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Portland .

Politics in America is going to some strange places. The conservative movement is fracturing between classical liberals and authoritarians, and the Left is fracturing between Sanders supporters who want to gulag you now and Warren supporters who want to wait 6-8 years.
And then there’s this rare moment of recognition by an Antifa faction that maybe it wants to retain the right to bear arms.
Antifa Seven Hills, based in Richmond, are opposing the slew of gun bills introduced by the newly Democratic Legislature since November, because they say those types of laws are used primarily to criminalize poor people, minorities, and leftists — and to bolster law enforcement’s power. “I think it’s been pretty important for us to focus on the fact that gun control in America has a legacy of racist enforcement,” said Antifa Seven Hills spokesperson James (who asked that his name be withheld to avoid getting doxxed online). “Like taking guns away from black people, because black people were perceived as a threat to property and the sanctity of the state.”
That’s a classical 2A argument and a reminder that one reason why the gun control movement has failed is because support for gun rights is not a purely conservative talking point, but a single issue for a lot of people, some of whom hardly ever vote Republican.
When gun lovers rally in front of the Virginia Capitol in Richmond next week, the local chapter of antifa will be there too… Instead, local antifa will join thousands of conservatives who are expected to descend on Richmond that day in protesting pending gun-control legislation introduced by Democratic lawmakers. Under the Trump administration and in response to the emergence of an emboldened far-right movement, leftist gun groups have surged. For example, the Socialist Rifle Association was formed in 2018 and today has over 50 chapters across the country. Similarly, Redneck Revolt, a leftist gun group that formed in 2016, claims at least 45 chapters nationwide.
And the Gay Communist Gun Club is seeing a resurgence.
. “I think what’s particular about the South is that we have to be a bit more creative and sensitive to the people around us — instead of fulfilling some sort of meme of what antifa is,” said James. “That’s really what we’re trying to work against right now, especially by talking to conservatives and showing we aren’t just a black-clad group of rabble-rousers who are out for attention and have jobs funded by George Soros.”
Not just. We’re so much more than that.
Translation, we’re a distinct minority and the majority culture doesn’t like us, the way that it does in Seattle or Portland.
Article posted with permission from Daniel Greenfield


thewashingtonstandard--2020-01-17--US Navy Has A Video Of UFOs:  Rejects FOIA Request To See It Due To “National Security”

US Navy Has A Video Of UFOs : Rejects FOIA Request To See It Due To “ National Security ” The United States Navy has reportedly confirmed it is in the possession of classified documents and a video related to a 2004 UFO sighting .
But we won ’ t get to see it , because the government , in a response to the Freedom of Information Act request , claims it ’ ll harm national security .
According to a report by CNET , in 2004 , Navy pilots on the USS Nimitz encountered a strange aerial object .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ request seeking additional information about that incident , the Office of Naval Intelligence ( ONI ) confirmed they had information .
However , according to Motherboard , the information the U.S. Navy has was “ discovered [ to contain ] certain briefing slides that are classified TOP SECRET.
” This is because the materials in question “ would cause exceptionally grave damage to the National Security of the United States.
” The Navy also said ONI has a video classified as “ SECRET , ” according to Motherboard .
In December 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video of the pilots ’ encounter with the UFO .
Several researchers speculate that the Navy could possess the full-length , raw copy of that footage because some witnesses of the incident say they saw a longer , higher-resolution version , Motherboard said .
Others have denied the existence of such a version .
–CNET Former Pentagon staffer Luis Elizondo told Motherboard that “ people should not be surprised by the revelation that other videos exist and at greater length.
” After all , if there ’ s any entity that will lie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people by manipulating the flow of information , it ’ s the U.S. government and its military-industrial complex .
U.S. Navy Admits Videos Of UFOs Are Real And “ Unidentified ” This narrative ( the official “ national security threat ” narrative ) is not a new one .
Allegedly , UFOs are all threats to the U.S. ’ s national security .

US Navy Has A Video Of UFOs: Rejects FOIA Request To See It Due To “National Security”
The United States Navy has reportedly confirmed it is in the possession of classified documents and a video related to a 2004 UFO sighting. But we won’t get to see it, because the government, in a response to the Freedom of Information Act request, claims it’ll harm national security.
According to a report by CNET, in 2004, Navy pilots on the USS Nimitz encountered a strange aerial object.
After researcher Christian Lambright sent a FOIA request seeking additional information about that incident, the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) confirmed they had information.
However, according to Motherboard, the information the U.S. Navy has was “discovered [to contain] certain briefing slides that are classified TOP SECRET.”
This is because the materials in question “would cause exceptionally grave damage to the National Security of the United States.”
The Navy also said ONI has a video classified as “SECRET,” according to Motherboard. In December 2017, The New York Times published a one-minute video of the pilots’ encounter with the UFO. Several researchers speculate that the Navy could possess the full-length, raw copy of that footage because some witnesses of the incident say they saw a longer, higher-resolution version, Motherboard said. Others have denied the existence of such a version. –CNET
Former Pentagon staffer Luis Elizondo told Motherboard that “people should not be surprised by the revelation that other videos exist and at greater length.”
After all, if there’s any entity that will lie repeatedly and continue to exert control over people by manipulating the flow of information, it’s the U.S. government and its military-industrial complex.
U.S. Navy Admits Videos Of UFOs Are Real And “Unidentified”
This narrative (the official “national security threat” narrative) is not a new one.
Allegedly, UFOs are all threats to the U.S.’s national security.
Ex-Defense Official: UFOs Pose A “Vital National Security Threat”
Article posted with permission from Mac Slavo


thewashingtonstandard--2020-01-17--San Francisco’s Response To Over 400 Restaurants Closing?  Fine Empty Storefronts With “Vacancy Tax”

San Francisco ’ s Response To Over 400 Restaurants Closing ?
Fine Empty Storefronts With “ Vacancy Tax ” More than 400 Restaurants in San Francisco shut their doors in 2019 alone .
Some people in San Francisco think it ’ s a good idea to enforce a “ vacancy tax ” to make sure those storefronts do not remain empty .
The San Francisco Examiner reports that fines may rise as high as $ 1000 per linear foot , if this proposal is adopted .
The proposal imposes a tax of $ 1,000 per linear feet of street frontage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 182 days in a given tax year .
The tax was amended Wednesday to start the tax at $ 250 per linear foot in 2021 , $ 500 in the second year and $ 1,000 in the third year and beyond .
The average storefront is estimated at about 25 linear feet .
The City Controller ’ s chief economist Ted Egan had estimated the unamended proposal would generate between $ 300,000 and $ 5 million annually .
The tax revenues would flow into a so-called Small Business Assistance Fund to “ assist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” such as to help businesses impacted by public construction projects , offset costs of seismic upgrade work and help with lease negotiations .
Let ’ s allow those who created the policies that destroyed private sector profitability have another crack at it .
Surely they can ’ t screw it up worse .
Of course they can .
This is San Francisco .
• Here ’ s How Bad San Francisco ’ s Poop Problem Got In 2019 • Meet San Francisco ’ s New DA : Public Urination ‘ Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No Longer Feels Like It ’ s in America • San Francisco Schools Radicalizing Kids as Young as 5 With Anti-Trump , Anti-American Propaganda Showcased at Recent Rally • Taxpayer $ $ $ in San Francisco Funds Screening of Movie “ Why Don ’ t We Murder More White People ?
” • There are no more felons in San Francisco Under Prop D , landlords who leave commercial space empty for more than 182 days , will be fined .
Voters say they will support plans aiming to bring vibrant neighborhoods back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said San Francisco resident Dan Beaman .
“ Right now , they don ’ t have incentive to fill it.
” Is it at all possible that people in California are actually growing dumber ?
No incentive to fill it ?
This is the kind of thinking that is destroying the Left Coast .
Either make a profit or we will fine you .
This may be the dumbest liberal idea I ’ ve ever heard .

San Francisco’s Response To Over 400 Restaurants Closing? Fine Empty Storefronts With “Vacancy Tax”
More than 400 Restaurants in San Francisco shut their doors in 2019 alone. Some people in San Francisco think it’s a good idea to enforce a “vacancy tax” to make sure those storefronts do not remain empty.
What?
I’m serious.
The San Francisco Examiner reports that fines may rise as high as $1000 per linear foot, if this proposal is adopted.
The proposal imposes a tax of $1,000 per linear feet of street frontage if it remains vacant for more than 182 days in a given tax year. The tax was amended Wednesday to start the tax at $250 per linear foot in 2021, $500 in the second year and $1,000 in the third year and beyond. The average storefront is estimated at about 25 linear feet.
The City Controller’s chief economist Ted Egan had estimated the unamended proposal would generate between $300,000 and $5 million annually.
The tax revenues would flow into a so-called Small Business Assistance Fund to “assist the maintenance and operation of small business,” such as to help businesses impacted by public construction projects, offset costs of seismic upgrade work and help with lease negotiations.
#####
Sounds great.
Let’s allow those who created the policies that destroyed private sector profitability have another crack at it. Surely they can’t screw it up worse.
Can they?
Of course they can. This is San Francisco.
Empty storefront?
Punish them!!!
NBC Bay Area has this:
Under Prop D, landlords who leave commercial space empty for more than 182 days, will be fined.
Voters say they will support plans aiming to bring vibrant neighborhoods back.
“I would definitely support that,” said San Francisco resident Dan Beaman. “Right now, they don’t have incentive to fill it.”
#####
Dan Beaman needs his head examined.
Is it at all possible that people in California are actually growing dumber?
No incentive to fill it?
Are you insane?
What about profits?
This is the kind of thinking that is destroying the Left Coast.
Either make a profit or we will fine you.
This may be the dumbest liberal idea I’ve ever heard.
Article posted with permission from Dean Garrison