thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-05--Trump Treasury Secretary Lobbies For More Unconstitutional Wall Street Bailouts

Well , this should come as no surprise for those who are actually awake and not those still in the dreamworld of a right/left paradigm .
With rent freezes about to expire , Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin lobbies for more Wall Street bailouts even as the American middle-class plunges into the abyss .
As millions of Americans stand on the brink of economic annihilation , the money keeps flowing to Wall Street thanks to carefully contrived mechanisms to maintain a dying financial system afloat .
Many prophetic scenes depicted in a series of Mayan codices written in the early days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and compiled in El Libro de los Libros del Chilam Balam , describe a world foreign to its original authors .
But , one which was barreling down on them and their civilization even as the Mayan high priests recorded their visions for each stop on their cyclical calendar system .
The metaphors they leaned on to describe these new Western values and systems were accurate , despite having nothing comparable in their own cosmology or parallels in their relationship with the earth .
In one of the most striking prophecies , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the golden club , ” subtly alluding to the new paradigm of wealth and commercial imperatives being imposed on their world .
Over six centuries later , the golden club era has become an epoch .
The United States holds the biggest gold stick of them all and today , the descendants of the Maya and other ancestral victims of its inexorable advance find themselves at a potential tipping point , which may finally bring this historical aberration we now call capitalism to its natural end .
With human labor being swapped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modern-day world , the empire of commerce built over the last five centuries is quickly reaching complete self-sufficiency and discarding any excess human component .
This includes the banking and financial sectors , which in some ways , is far ahead of the game .
Money or wealth no longer exclusively requires human labor to generate .
The art of creating money out of nothing has been perfected by the financial sector , which has innumerable tools at its disposal to produce enormous wealth in a blink of an eye .
An illusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a limitless pool of taxpayer money to hedge their often risky bets .
The United States Treasury Department keeps a stash of that taxpayer money and uses it for currency speculation .
The massive profits from the secret market activities can be used for things like funding foreign governments and many other applications at the discretion of the presiding administration .
This slush fund was the central funding vehicle for the multiple economic relief facilities enacted in the CARES Act and is operated by the Federal Reserve on behalf of the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money machine was opened briefly for the general public through the emergency legislation .
But , Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is getting ready to cut it off even as he opens it even further for Wall Street .
By January 2021 , renters in America will owe $ 34 billion to their landlords , according to global investment bank and advisory firm , Stout .
More than half of the eviction moratoriums enacted to avoid an upsurge in homelessness during Covid lockdowns have been rescinded , including a federal moratorium that expired in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country take up the lion ’ s share of CARES Act funding allocations , with states like Virginia having already spent over 38 % of the money reserved for renters by early November .
As the money runs out and the December 31 CARES Act cutoff date approaches , states are fumbling to keep enough cash in their coffers to stem the tidal wave evictions that are at the doorstep and leaking through profusely .
Cases like that of Ricky Johnson , as reported by The Virginian-Pilot , are happening nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moratorium rules and successfully evicting tenants over technicalities and dubious legal maneuvers .
It was only through the efforts of a staunch group of friends and housing advocates , that Johnson was able to avoid ending up on the streets with his brother .
With their help , the Johnson brothers convinced a judge to vacate a previous order awarding possession of the property to a management company and managed to extend their stay of execution a paltry few weeks into next year .
But , in the rapacious economic climate that characterizes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months rent free can feel like a gift from the gods .
The gods , in this scenario , is the Department of the Treasury and its current head , Steve Mnuchin , who has formally asked that all but four credit facility programs created by the department to disburse CARES Act funds return any unused monies by the end of 2020 so they can be integrated into the regular federal pipeline , including the $ 429 billion supposedly leftover from CARES Act .
Mnuchin was deliberately misleading about where that money actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slush fund called the exchange stabilization fund ( ESF ) at the heart of these enormous giveaways to the biggest , richest , and most ruthless banks .
Of the total 13 facilities created by Treasury , Secretary Mnuchin had asked to spare only those which pertain to financial institutions like Citigroup and a handful of usual suspects .
In a formal letter to Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell in late November , Mnuchin instructed the Fed to extend four programs directed at helping Wall Street beyond December , while drawing the curtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about programs like the Main Street Lending Program and their supposed “ success ” in abating an economic downturn during the pandemic .
Mnuchin ’ s declaration of victory is at odds with the reality of people like Dana Imus , who lost her job as a forklift operator in March and hasn ’ t been able to get a job since .
Her landlord simply refused to recognize the federal eviction moratorium issued by the CDC in October .
Similar problems occur throughout the country as property owners circumvent the laws through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
Tawanda Mormon from Cleveland , Ohio , was thrust into a couch-surfing lifestyle when the 46-year old was hospitalized in August and fell behind on her $ 500-dollar rent .
Despite the CDC moratorium , Mormon was evicted in October and has been staying with friends and family .
In Missouri and North Carolina , judges refused to abide by the CDC ’ s notice and landlords across the nation have been fighting the order in court .
Among the loopholes being used to put people out of their homes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to nonpayment of rent , which allows landlords to bring an eviction case on virtually any other grounds , such as excessive noise or trash .
In addition , the CDC made the process more onerous for tenants seeking to avail themselves of moratorium protections by giving landlords the “ right to challenge the veracity ” of their claims .
Mnuchin ’ s request that four credit facilities for the financial sector be spared the December 31 deadline , while pulling the cord on all the relief programs for small businesses and regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feels like politics as an incoming Biden administration is set to use the coming housing crisis a springboard for sweeping legislative action as potentially millions of people start to fall through the cracks come January .
Meanwhile , big banks continue to receive their billion-dollar stipends from Uncle Sam without interruption .
Two of the four programs Mnuchin wanted off the chopping block are zombies from the 2008 financial collapse .
The Primary Dealer Credit Facility ( PDCF ) , which targets large banking institutions and back then extended $ 8.95 trillion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ houses , constituting two-thirds of the original program ’ s total disbursements and The Commercial Paper Funding Facility ( CPFF ) , which makes the Fed the buyer of last resort for loans in the broader economy , thereby providing liquidity in short term funding markets like small business loans .
The Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility ( MMFL ) , directed at hedge funds and non-bank financial entities , and the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility , which protects PPP loan originators from borrower default , round out the rest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ secret by the Fed with the exception of the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility .
According to Mnuchin ’ s letter , two programs whose data is verboten use “ core ” EFS funding .
In other words , the money comes from a slush fund operated by the Fed on behalf of the Treasury Department and is where the aforementioned $ 429 billion Mnuchin is disingenuously requesting “ back ” from the Fed actually is .
The shell game between the Treasury and the Fed keeps the money flowing on Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fed moved $ 9 trillion cumulatively into Wall Street ’ s trading houses via repo loans , whose recipients are hidden from the public by Fed policy on its open market operations , which fund the loans .
By using the ESF to fund the federal relief facilities contained in the CARES Act , the Treasury avails itself of the Fed ’ s secrecy policy on open market operations , which don ’ t have to be made public until one year after the facility is terminated at the earliest , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial reform legislation of 2010 .
Requesting an extension for the four Wall Street-geared facilities until March 2021 also extends the time it will take for such records to see the light of day .
According to Wall Street on Parade , it is likely that once disclosed , the financial data for these secret market operations will include the names of long-standing beneficiaries of government largesse .
The point of the game is to prop up America ’ s predatory financial sector , which has been going full throttle since the 2008 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were created to prevent the country ’ s biggest financial firms from going into a liquidity crisis as they scour the globe for more markets to squeeze .
Mnuchin ’ s letter came two weeks after Democratic senators delivered a message of their own to the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury , in which they called for two facilities in the CARES Act meant for the regular citizen– specifically the Main Street Lending Program ( MSLP ) and the Municipal Liquidity Facility ( MLF ) – to be kept on and reformed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren , Mark Warner , and Sherrod Brown , the letter makes a case for the expansion of these financial assistance programs citing statistics , which reflect the permanent closure of thousands of small businesses and declining revenue across the service economy .
The reality of crashing GDP numbers amid the pandemic tells the story , which includes a 41 % decrease in the number of self-employed Black business owners between February and April and a litany of cases that show the “ disproportionate economic impacts on minorities and women ” caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators shed light on some of the major problems regarding these facilities and how they are set up to bypass the most economically vulnerable populations by requiring applicants to meet an income threshold that leaves out the vast majority of working-class Americans .
In addition , they point to the billions of dollars left unused in the relief effort , which Mnuchin wants to keep in the ESF .
Fed Chairman Powell is quoted in the letter acknowledging that the MSLP currently targets “ larger [ businesses ] ” rather “ than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for reforms that would change this by lowering the application threshold from $ 100,000 to $ 50,000 and expanding eligibility criteria to open the funds to more than the paltry 250 businesses currently eligible for the MSLP facility .
The fact that Mnuchin ignored the informed pleas of the Democratic senators is immediately chalked up to partisan politics .
But , a gesture of goodwill by the outgoing administration does not help cement the division both parties exploit to achieve the aims of the interests that ultimately control them .
A Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morsels left behind by the outgoing Trump show to generate support for sweeping changes to the social contract as defined and imposed by the government through emergency response measures .
A desperate population facing evictions , food shortages , and falling income opportunities will find it difficult to resist any offers of federal help that come their way .
It is , however , more important than ever as Americans are sheep herded into a “ dark winter , ” that they keep their eyes open .
Diane Yentel , president of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a Biden administration will have a historic opportunity to expand government assistance programs in the very first days of his presidency , like the $ 100 billion emergency fund proposed by advocates to cover renters , landlords , and homeless people .
The question is whether there will be real justice behind any new programs or legislation brought forward to deal with a crisis that has been looming for a while .
The Maya prophets saw the unscrupulous nature of their new Western European rulers and the temporary nature of their enterprises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheat .
Those of the “ two-day banks ” and “ rats ” figure prominently in their descriptions of the world they saw unfolding before them .
Their advice was patience .
The days of the golden club are numbered and will disappear soon enough when the next series of ‘ katuns ’ rolls around .
It ’ s actions by the Trump administration like this that should tell you all you need to know about whose side they are on : The bankster ’ s side , same ones that bailed Trump @ @ @ @ @ @

Well, this should come as no surprise for those who are actually awake and not those still in the dreamworld of a right/left paradigm. With rent freezes about to expire, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin lobbies for more Wall Street bailouts even as the American middle-class plunges into the abyss.
Raul Diego has the story.
As millions of Americans stand on the brink of economic annihilation, the money keeps flowing to Wall Street thanks to carefully contrived mechanisms to maintain a dying financial system afloat.
Many prophetic scenes depicted in a series of Mayan codices written in the early days of the Spanish colony, and translated and compiled in El Libro de los Libros del Chilam Balam, describe a world foreign to its original authors. But, one which was barreling down on them and their civilization even as the Mayan high priests recorded their visions for each stop on their cyclical calendar system.
The metaphors they leaned on to describe these new Western values and systems were accurate, despite having nothing comparable in their own cosmology or parallels in their relationship with the earth. In one of the most striking prophecies, the interpreting shaman warns of the days of “the golden club,” subtly alluding to the new paradigm of wealth and commercial imperatives being imposed on their world.
Over six centuries later, the golden club era has become an epoch. The United States holds the biggest gold stick of them all and today, the descendants of the Maya and other ancestral victims of its inexorable advance find themselves at a potential tipping point, which may finally bring this historical aberration we now call capitalism to its natural end.
With human labor being swapped out for robots and algorithms in our modern-day world, the empire of commerce built over the last five centuries is quickly reaching complete self-sufficiency and discarding any excess human component. This includes the banking and financial sectors, which in some ways, is far ahead of the game.
Money or wealth no longer exclusively requires human labor to generate. The art of creating money out of nothing has been perfected by the financial sector, which has innumerable tools at its disposal to produce enormous wealth in a blink of an eye. An illusion that is kept alive only because they have a limitless pool of taxpayer money to hedge their often risky bets.
The United States Treasury Department keeps a stash of that taxpayer money and uses it for currency speculation. The massive profits from the secret market activities can be used for things like funding foreign governments and many other applications at the discretion of the presiding administration. This slush fund was the central funding vehicle for the multiple economic relief facilities enacted in the CARES Act and is operated by the Federal Reserve on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department.
The spigot from the money machine was opened briefly for the general public through the emergency legislation. But, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is getting ready to cut it off even as he opens it even further for Wall Street.
The homeless armies
By January 2021, renters in America will owe $34 billion to their landlords, according to global investment bank and advisory firm, Stout. More than half of the eviction moratoriums enacted to avoid an upsurge in homelessness during Covid lockdowns have been rescinded, including a federal moratorium that expired in July.
Rent and landlord relief programs across the country take up the lion’s share of CARES Act funding allocations, with states like Virginia having already spent over 38% of the money reserved for renters by early November. As the money runs out and the December 31 CARES Act cutoff date approaches, states are fumbling to keep enough cash in their coffers to stem the tidal wave evictions that are at the doorstep and leaking through profusely.
Cases like that of Ricky Johnson, as reported by The Virginian-Pilot, are happening nationwide and show how landlords are getting around moratorium rules and successfully evicting tenants over technicalities and dubious legal maneuvers. It was only through the efforts of a staunch group of friends and housing advocates, that Johnson was able to avoid ending up on the streets with his brother.
With their help, the Johnson brothers convinced a judge to vacate a previous order awarding possession of the property to a management company and managed to extend their stay of execution a paltry few weeks into next year. But, in the rapacious economic climate that characterizes the American real estate market, three months rent free can feel like a gift from the gods.
The gods, in this scenario, is the Department of the Treasury and its current head, Steve Mnuchin, who has formally asked that all but four credit facility programs created by the department to disburse CARES Act funds return any unused monies by the end of 2020 so they can be integrated into the regular federal pipeline, including the $429 billion supposedly leftover from CARES Act. Mnuchin was deliberately misleading about where that money actually goes since it lays bare a massive slush fund called the exchange stabilization fund (ESF) at the heart of these enormous giveaways to the biggest, richest, and most ruthless banks.
Of the total 13 facilities created by Treasury, Secretary Mnuchin had asked to spare only those which pertain to financial institutions like Citigroup and a handful of usual suspects. In a formal letter to Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell in late November, Mnuchin instructed the Fed to extend four programs directed at helping Wall Street beyond December, while drawing the curtain down on the remaining facilities and preening about programs like the Main Street Lending Program and their supposed “success” in abating an economic downturn during the pandemic.
Mnuchin’s declaration of victory is at odds with the reality of people like Dana Imus, who lost her job as a forklift operator in March and hasn’t been able to get a job since. Her landlord simply refused to recognize the federal eviction moratorium issued by the CDC in October. Similar problems occur throughout the country as property owners circumvent the laws through intimidation and legislative loopholes to force tenants out.
Tawanda Mormon from Cleveland, Ohio, was thrust into a couch-surfing lifestyle when the 46-year old was hospitalized in August and fell behind on her $500-dollar rent. Despite the CDC moratorium, Mormon was evicted in October and has been staying with friends and family. In Missouri and North Carolina, judges refused to abide by the CDC’s notice and landlords across the nation have been fighting the order in court.
Among the loopholes being used to put people out of their homes that the CDC’s order only applies to nonpayment of rent, which allows landlords to bring an eviction case on virtually any other grounds, such as excessive noise or trash. In addition, the CDC made the process more onerous for tenants seeking to avail themselves of moratorium protections by giving landlords the “right to challenge the veracity” of their claims.
Where’s the ball?
Mnuchin’s request that four credit facilities for the financial sector be spared the December 31 deadline, while pulling the cord on all the relief programs for small businesses and regular Americans included in the CARES Act, feels like politics as an incoming Biden administration is set to use the coming housing crisis a springboard for sweeping legislative action as potentially millions of people start to fall through the cracks come January.
Meanwhile, big banks continue to receive their billion-dollar stipends from Uncle Sam without interruption. Two of the four programs Mnuchin wanted off the chopping block are zombies from the 2008 financial collapse.
The Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF), which targets large banking institutions and back then extended $8.95 trillion in secret, below-market-rate loans to three trading houses, constituting two-thirds of the original program’s total disbursements and The Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF), which makes the Fed the buyer of last resort for loans in the broader economy, thereby providing liquidity in short term funding markets like small business loans. The Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMFL), directed at hedge funds and non-bank financial entities, and the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility, which protects PPP loan originators from borrower default, round out the rest.
Financial data for these programs are kept secret by the Fed with the exception of the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility. According to Mnuchin’s letter, two programs whose data is verboten use “core” EFS funding. In other words, the money comes from a slush fund operated by the Fed on behalf of the Treasury Department and is where the aforementioned $429 billion Mnuchin is disingenuously requesting “back” from the Fed actually is.
The shell game between the Treasury and the Fed keeps the money flowing on Wall Street year-round. In September of 2019, the Fed moved $9 trillion cumulatively into Wall Street’s trading houses via repo loans, whose recipients are hidden from the public by Fed policy on its open market operations, which fund the loans.
By using the ESF to fund the federal relief facilities contained in the CARES Act, the Treasury avails itself of the Fed’s secrecy policy on open market operations, which don’t have to be made public until one year after the facility is terminated at the earliest, as stipulated in section 1103 of the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation of 2010.
Requesting an extension for the four Wall Street-geared facilities until March 2021 also extends the time it will take for such records to see the light of day. According to Wall Street on Parade, it is likely that once disclosed, the financial data for these secret market operations will include the names of long-standing beneficiaries of government largesse.
The point of the game is to prop up America’s predatory financial sector, which has been going full throttle since the 2008 financial crisis when these types of facilities were created to prevent the country’s biggest financial firms from going into a liquidity crisis as they scour the globe for more markets to squeeze.
Politicking
Mnuchin’s letter came two weeks after Democratic senators delivered a message of their own to the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, in which they called for two facilities in the CARES Act meant for the regular citizen– specifically the Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) and the Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF) – to be kept on and reformed.
Signed by Senators Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Mark Warner, and Sherrod Brown, the letter makes a case for the expansion of these financial assistance programs citing statistics, which reflect the permanent closure of thousands of small businesses and declining revenue across the service economy.
The reality of crashing GDP numbers amid the pandemic tells the story, which includes a 41% decrease in the number of self-employed Black business owners between February and April and a litany of cases that show the “disproportionate economic impacts on minorities and women” caused by the pandemic and related restrictions.
The senators shed light on some of the major problems regarding these facilities and how they are set up to bypass the most economically vulnerable populations by requiring applicants to meet an income threshold that leaves out the vast majority of working-class Americans. In addition, they point to the billions of dollars left unused in the relief effort, which Mnuchin wants to keep in the ESF.
Fed Chairman Powell is quoted in the letter acknowledging that the MSLP currently targets “larger [businesses]” rather “than a lot of minority businesses.” The senators called for reforms that would change this by lowering the application threshold from $100,000 to $50,000 and expanding eligibility criteria to open the funds to more than the paltry 250 businesses currently eligible for the MSLP facility.
The fact that Mnuchin ignored the informed pleas of the Democratic senators is immediately chalked up to partisan politics. But, a gesture of goodwill by the outgoing administration does not help cement the division both parties exploit to achieve the aims of the interests that ultimately control them. A Biden administration will most certainly pounce on the morsels left behind by the outgoing Trump show to generate support for sweeping changes to the social contract as defined and imposed by the government through emergency response measures.
End of the katún
A desperate population facing evictions, food shortages, and falling income opportunities will find it difficult to resist any offers of federal help that come their way. It is, however, more important than ever as Americans are sheep herded into a “dark winter,” that they keep their eyes open.
Diane Yentel, president of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, is sure that a Biden administration will have a historic opportunity to expand government assistance programs in the very first days of his presidency, like the $100 billion emergency fund proposed by advocates to cover renters, landlords, and homeless people. The question is whether there will be real justice behind any new programs or legislation brought forward to deal with a crisis that has been looming for a while.
The Maya prophets saw the unscrupulous nature of their new Western European rulers and the temporary nature of their enterprises, built up only to steal and cheat. Those of the “two-day banks” and “rats” figure prominently in their descriptions of the world they saw unfolding before them. Their advice was patience. The days of the golden club are numbered and will disappear soon enough when the next series of ‘katuns’ rolls around.
It’s actions by the Trump administration like this that should tell you all you need to know about whose side they are on: The bankster’s side, same ones that bailed Trump out in the ’90s.


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-05--Baltimore’s Use of City-Wide, Daytime Aerial Surveillance To Spy On & Track Citizens Challenged

RICHMOND , Va. — Pushing back against efforts to extend the government ’ s spying powers , The Rutherford Institute has asked a federal appeals court to end Baltimore ’ s use of aerial surveillance to continuously track and monitor the activities of citizens throughout the city .
In an amicus brief filed in partnership with Electronic Freedom Foundation , National Assn .
of Criminal Defense Lawyers , and Brennan Center for Justice , Rutherford Institute attorneys have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to rule that the city ’ s Aerial Investigative Research program , which uses plane-based cameras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with other city surveillance systems , violates the Fourth Amendment ’ s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures .
The brief in Beautiful Struggle v. Baltimore Police Department , which asks the Appeals Court to reconsider and reverse its earlier ruling upholding the program , argues that the comprehensive collection of data and tracking of over a half million people every day is a severe infringement on privacy rights and chills the exercise of the rights of speech and assembly protected by the First Amendment .
“ We ’ re on the losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already taken hostage our computers , our phones , our finances , our entertainment , our shopping , our appliances , and now , it ’ s focused its sights on us from the air , ” said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead , president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America : The War on the American People .
“ By subjecting Americans to surveillance without their knowledge or compliance and then storing the data for later use , the government has erected the ultimate suspect society .
In such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing as ‘ innocent until proven guilty.
’ ” Concerned over rising crime rates within the city , in 2016 , the Baltimore Police Department began secretly implementing an Aerial Investigative Research ( AIR ) program that deployed three planes equipped with cameras to record activities and the movements of persons throughout the entire city during daytime hours .
When news reports revealed the existence of the AIR program , it was shut down due to strong public opposition .
But the program was revived when a new police chief was appointed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ council .
Under the reimplemented program , airborne cameras continuously capture video of 90 % of the city during daylight hours .
The captured images can detect individuals and track their movements .
Although individuals appear as a pixilated dot on the AIR images and can not be identified from those images , the AIR system is also integrated with other surveillance systems , including over 800 surveillance cameras using facial recognition technology and automated license plate readers that can track the movements of vehicles .
In April 2020 , a coalition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , asserting that AIR ’ s pervasive surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment ’ s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures .
After the district court refused to order that the AIR program be stopped , the coalition appealed to a panel of circuit court judges , which determined that the aerial surveillance was no more extensive than other systems used by the government .
In the appeal , The Rutherford Institute and its coalition partners argue that the AIR program ’ s capacity to track individuals is just as objectionable as the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information , which the Supreme Court found violates the Fourth Amendment .
The Rutherford Institute , a nonprofit civil liberties organization , provides legal assistance at no charge to individuals whose constitutional rights have been threatened or violated and educates the public on a wide spectrum of issues affecting their freedoms .
The amicus brief in Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle v. Baltimore Police Department

RICHMOND, Va. — Pushing back against efforts to extend the government’s spying powers, The Rutherford Institute has asked a federal appeals court to end Baltimore’s use of aerial surveillance to continuously track and monitor the activities of citizens throughout the city. In an amicus brief filed in partnership with Electronic Freedom Foundation, National Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Brennan Center for Justice, Rutherford Institute attorneys have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to rule that the city’s Aerial Investigative Research program, which uses plane-based cameras to record ground movements and is integrated with other city surveillance systems, violates the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. The brief in Beautiful Struggle v. Baltimore Police Department, which asks the Appeals Court to reconsider and reverse its earlier ruling upholding the program, argues that the comprehensive collection of data and tracking of over a half million people every day is a severe infringement on privacy rights and chills the exercise of the rights of speech and assembly protected by the First Amendment.
“We’re on the losing end of a technological revolution that has already taken hostage our computers, our phones, our finances, our entertainment, our shopping, our appliances, and now, it’s focused its sights on us from the air,” said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People . “By subjecting Americans to surveillance without their knowledge or compliance and then storing the data for later use, the government has erected the ultimate suspect society. In such an environment, there is no such thing as ‘innocent until proven guilty.’”
Concerned over rising crime rates within the city, in 2016, the Baltimore Police Department began secretly implementing an Aerial Investigative Research (AIR) program that deployed three planes equipped with cameras to record activities and the movements of persons throughout the entire city during daytime hours. When news reports revealed the existence of the AIR program, it was shut down due to strong public opposition. But the program was revived when a new police chief was appointed and its implementation was approved by the city council. Under the reimplemented program, airborne cameras continuously capture video of 90% of the city during daylight hours. The captured images can detect individuals and track their movements. Although individuals appear as a pixilated dot on the AIR images and cannot be identified from those images, the AIR system is also integrated with other surveillance systems, including over 800 surveillance cameras using facial recognition technology and automated license plate readers that can track the movements of vehicles. In April 2020, a coalition of community organizers and activists sued the city, asserting that AIR’s pervasive surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. After the district court refused to order that the AIR program be stopped, the coalition appealed to a panel of circuit court judges, which determined that the aerial surveillance was no more extensive than other systems used by the government. In the appeal, The Rutherford Institute and its coalition partners argue that the AIR program’s capacity to track individuals is just as objectionable as the government’s use of cell phone location information, which the Supreme Court found violates the Fourth Amendment.
The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties organization, provides legal assistance at no charge to individuals whose constitutional rights have been threatened or violated and educates the public on a wide spectrum of issues affecting their freedoms.
The amicus brief in Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle v. Baltimore Police Department
Article posted with permission from John Whitehead


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-05--Louisiana:  Police Conducting Child Sex Trafficking Sting Bust One Of Their Own

New Orleans , LA — Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and the Cyber Crime Unit , in partnership with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation , Homeland Security Investigations , and Lafourche Parish Sheriff ’ s Office launched a sting last month to catch the low-life scum who traffic in child sex abuse .
During the law enforcement sting , they nabbed one of their own , a Port Fourchon Harbor Police Officer , Jason Plaisance , 47 .
Plaisance was caught trafficking in child porn in the sting along with a convicted sex-offender , Dillion Everett , 33 .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , was fired from his job and now faces multiple counts of trafficking in child pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 .
“ We at the Greater Lafourche Port Commission are aware of the arrest of Jason Plaisance for the alleged crime of possession of child pornography by the Attorney General ’ s Office , ” Port Director Chett Chiasson said Thursday .
“ We cooperated with the AG ’ s Office throughout this investigation .
Plaisance has subsequently been terminated from his employment with the Greater Lafourche Port Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy when it comes to any crimes committed by one of our officers .
We are saddened by this news and our hearts go out to all those affected by these horrific types of crimes.
” Everett , who had already been arrested for similar crimes , was charged with 120 counts of possession of child pornography involving juveniles under 13 and 22 counts of distribution of pornography involving juveniles under 13 .
Showing the problem with child predators being repeat offenders , Everett was just released in January of this year after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the same Cyber Crime Unit .
“ Crimes against children are heinous offenses that inflict life-long damage to their victims so my office will continue to bring child predators to justice , no matter who they are or where they hide , ” Landry said .
“ I appreciate the cooperation of the Port Fourchon Harbor Police Department and the work of our law enforcement partners to make these two arrests.
” The local press was quick to run their article titles with the detail that Plaisance is a “ former ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught trafficking in child porn , he was not a former officer .
In the state of Louisiana alone , in just the past few months , TFTP has reported on numerous officers who have been caught preying on children .
In November , TFTP reported on Rodney Vicknair , 53 , who was arrested and charged with sexual battery , indecent behavior with a juvenile and malfeasance , for sexually assaulting a child while investigating a sexual assault that she reported .
This child abuse victim went to police for help and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also , TFTP reported on a similar joint investigation into child sex abuse by the Louisiana attorney general ’ s office , the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation ’ s Cyber Crime Unit and the St. John the Baptist Sheriff ’ s Office .
During that investigation , authorities made several arrests , including one of their own deputies , who now faces dozens of disturbing charges .
St. John the Baptist Sheriff ’ s deputy Avo Marzwanian , 34 , of LaPlace , was charged with 10 counts of distribution and 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ juveniles under the age of 13 , the attorney general ’ s office said .
But that ’ s not all , apparently this deputy didn ’ t limit his abuse solely to children and was also charged with 15 counts of sex abuse against animals .
Also earlier this year , another former cop was arrested in connection with a child sex ring .
As TFTP reported late last year , a high level Livingston Parish Sheriff ’ s Office deputy — who commanded the SWAT team — and his wife were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unspeakable crimes against children and animals .
Dennis Perkins , 44 , and and his wife Cynthia Perkins , 34 , are accused of multiple counts of child rape and the production of child pornography , among other disturbing charges .
Then , at the beginning of the month , another former cop , Melanie Barnett Curtin , 41 , of Denham Springs , was arrested Saturday , Feb. 1 as she returned from a cruise in New Orleans .
This is one state out of 50 .

New Orleans, LA — Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and the Cyber Crime Unit, in partnership with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office launched a sting last month to catch the low-life scum who traffic in child sex abuse. During the law enforcement sting, they nabbed one of their own, a Port Fourchon Harbor Police Officer, Jason Plaisance, 47.
Plaisance was caught trafficking in child porn in the sting along with a convicted sex-offender, Dillion Everett, 33. After his arrest, the officer of 21 years, was fired from his job and now faces multiple counts of trafficking in child pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13.
“We at the Greater Lafourche Port Commission are aware of the arrest of Jason Plaisance for the alleged crime of possession of child pornography by the Attorney General’s Office,” Port Director Chett Chiasson said Thursday. “We cooperated with the AG’s Office throughout this investigation. Plaisance has subsequently been terminated from his employment with the Greater Lafourche Port Commission. The GLPC takes a Zero Tolerance policy when it comes to any crimes committed by one of our officers. We are saddened by this news and our hearts go out to all those affected by these horrific types of crimes.”
Everett, who had already been arrested for similar crimes, was charged with 120 counts of possession of child pornography involving juveniles under 13 and 22 counts of distribution of pornography involving juveniles under 13. Showing the problem with child predators being repeat offenders, Everett was just released in January of this year after being busted for child porn in 2014 by the same Cyber Crime Unit.
“Crimes against children are heinous offenses that inflict life-long damage to their victims so my office will continue to bring child predators to justice, no matter who they are or where they hide,” Landry said. “I appreciate the cooperation of the Port Fourchon Harbor Police Department and the work of our law enforcement partners to make these two arrests.”
The local press was quick to run their article titles with the detail that Plaisance is a “former” officer. However, when he was caught trafficking in child porn, he was not a former officer.
In the state of Louisiana alone, in just the past few months, TFTP has reported on numerous officers who have been caught preying on children.
In November, TFTP reported on Rodney Vicknair, 53, who was arrested and charged with sexual battery, indecent behavior with a juvenile and malfeasance, for sexually assaulting a child while investigating a sexual assault that she reported. This child abuse victim went to police for help and was raped by the ones she trusted.
Also, TFTP reported on a similar joint investigation into child sex abuse by the Louisiana attorney general’s office, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crime Unit and the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office. During that investigation, authorities made several arrests, including one of their own deputies, who now faces dozens of disturbing charges.
St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s deputy Avo Marzwanian, 34, of LaPlace, was charged with 10 counts of distribution and 20 counts of possession of child pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13, the attorney general’s office said. But that’s not all, apparently this deputy didn’t limit his abuse solely to children and was also charged with 15 counts of sex abuse against animals.
Also earlier this year, another former cop was arrested in connection with a child sex ring. As TFTP reported late last year, a high level Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy — who commanded the SWAT team — and his wife were indicted on more than 150 felonies for unspeakable crimes against children and animals. Dennis Perkins, 44, and and his wife Cynthia Perkins, 34, are accused of multiple counts of child rape and the production of child pornography, among other disturbing charges. Then, at the beginning of the month, another former cop, Melanie Barnett Curtin, 41, of Denham Springs, was arrested Saturday, Feb. 1 as she returned from a cruise in New Orleans.
This is one state out of 50.
Article posted with permission from Matt Agorist


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-05--Fats: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly & The New Vaccines With Kate Shemirani

Fats : The Good , The Bad & The Ugly & The New Vaccines With Kate Shemirani What ’ s the difference between good fat and bad fat ?
Why is one healthy for you and the other unhealthy ?
Well , if you are looking to understand the difference , you ’ ve come to the right place .
We also discuss the new vaccines as they are being rolled out in the UK .
Nurse and nutritionist and The Sons of Liberty ’ s health and wellness expert Kate Shemirani joins me in this episode to inform you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the show and documentation that got my YouTube channel pulled that I mentioned in this episode .
The interview with Dr. Carrie Madej , along with documentation that got The Sons of Liberty YouTube channel pulled .
Partner with us as a Son or Daughter of Liberty : https : //thesonsofliberty.squarespace.com/membership/ Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media SonsOfLibertyMedia.com , Minds , MeWe , Spreely , Tim Brown is an author and Editor at FreedomOutpost.com GunsInTheNews.com and TheWashingtonStandard.com .
He is husband to his `` more precious than rubies '' wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' , jack of all trades , Christian and lover of liberty .
He resides in the U.S. occupied Great State of South Carolina .
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Follow Tim on Twitter .
Also check him out on Gab Mumbl It and Steemit

Fats: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly & The New Vaccines With Kate Shemirani
What’s the difference between good fat and bad fat? Why is one healthy for you and the other unhealthy? Well, if you are looking to understand the difference, you’ve come to the right place. We also discuss the new vaccines as they are being rolled out in the UK. Nurse and nutritionist and The Sons of Liberty’s health and wellness expert Kate Shemirani joins me in this episode to inform you on this subject.
Here’s the show and documentation that got my YouTube channel pulled that I mentioned in this episode.
The interview with Dr. Carrie Madej, along with documentation that got The Sons of Liberty YouTube channel pulled.
https://sonsoflibertyradio.com
https://sonsoflibertymedia.com
Sons of Liberty Store: https://thesonsofliberty.squarespace.com/
Support us through a donation: https://thesonsofliberty.squarespace.com/donate
Partner with us as a Son or Daughter of Liberty: https://thesonsofliberty.squarespace.com/membership/
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-06--Michigan Poll Observer: Military Ballots Looked Like ‘Xerox Copies,’ All for Biden

I think there have been enough eyewitnesses across several states who have provided affidavits to demonstrate there was widespread election fraud , or at least to the point of having a brand new election in those states .
Michigan is one of them .
However , something has to be done about a more transparent counting system .
What ’ s wrong with having the public video those counts ?
You know , citizen journalists with their phones keeping an eye on people who are supposed to be serving them .
I don ’ t mean Georgia senators counting votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure things are on the up and up .
Michigan Poll Observer : Military Ballots Looked Like ‘ Xerox Copies , ’ All for Biden A woman who said she was a poll observer at the TCF Center in Detroit on Election Day testified in front of a Michigan State Senate hearing that she saw numerous military ballots that looked like “ Xerox copies ” and were all allegedly marked for Democrat Joe Biden .
The woman , who only identified herself as Patty and said she has nine years ’ worth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military ballots … looked like they were all exactly the same Xerox copies of the ballot .
They were all for Biden across the board ; there wasn ’ t a single Trump vote.
” “ None of the voters [ were ] registered , ” and election workers “ had to manually enter the names and addresses and a birth date of 1/1/2020 , which would override the system and allow them to enter nonregistered voters , of which I saw several … throughout the day , ” Patty said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP observers tried to challenge them , election officials “ would tell us ‘ no.
’ ” At one point , the poll observer alleged that when military ballots came in , she and others were told by election officials “ to take a break.
” “ There were lots of agitators at the TCF Center ” who allegedly worked on “ behalf of the Democrat Party , ” Patty also told lawmakers .
She added that GOP poll observers were told to go upstairs to eat while the purported agitators and Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were able to eat on the same floor , suggesting the unequal treatment of observers .
None of the bipartisan group of lawmakers disputed her account .
She provided no other details .
Michigan ’ s Secretary of State ’ s office has not responded to a request for comment .
John James , a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate , has said he received multiple reports of irregularities and abnormalities in Detroit ’ s TCF Center on Election Night , including poll challengers and poll workers who reported feeling harassed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an interview with The Epoch Times , Melissa Carone—a freelance IT contractor who worked at the TCF Center for Dominion Voting Systems—alleged that she saw “ countless workers rescanning the batches without discarding them first ” on Election Day and beyond .
Carone also testified at the Tuesday hearing , saying that she saw workers rescanning ballots up to “ 8 to 10 times.
” Dominion has said , in response to other allegations , that “ no credible reports or evidence of any software issues exist , ” while saying that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state election officials , not by Dominion.
” Previously , Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said there is no evidence of voter fraud or irregularities that would overturn the election results in the state , which has 16 Electoral College votes .
“ Where evidence exists of actual fraud or wrongdoing , it should be submitted in writing to the Bureau of Elections , which refers all credible allegations to the Attorney General ’ s office for further investigation , ” Benson said earlier this month .
A spokesperson for Michigan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a statement to Epoch Times , responded to the allegations in the Michigan hearing .
“ No actual evidence of any wrongdoing or fraud was presented , despite repeated questions requesting such evidence from lawmakers , ” the spokesperson said on Wednesday .
“ Instead we saw a regurgitation of vague accusations based on lack of knowledge of election procedure and widely debunked conspiracy theories .
We hope the state senate will allow future testimony illustrating the facts underlying this election.
” What ’ s this all going to lead to ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have yet to see a single arrest or anyone charged .
If this is only going to be about a Trump re-election , then no thank you , but if it is going to be about bringing justice for people who break the law in order to put Biden in the White House or any other representative into office , then I ’ m all for it .
David Knight makes the same point I ’ ve made and he has the same reasons I have for why we would be fools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ martial law as a solution for election fraud .
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media

I think there have been enough eyewitnesses across several states who have provided affidavits to demonstrate there was widespread election fraud, or at least to the point of having a brand new election in those states. Michigan is one of them. However, something has to be done about a more transparent counting system. What’s wrong with having the public video those counts? You know, citizen journalists with their phones keeping an eye on people who are supposed to be serving them.
I don’t mean Georgia senators counting votes like below. I mean citizens making sure things are on the up and up.
Meanwhile in Michigan…
The Democratic Party is the party of cheaters! To them the ends justify the means and they don’t care if it’s bad – they do it because they can get away with it .. they do it because they don’t have a conscience!https://t.co/uPuhaVhFOF — Debbie D'Souza (@Debber66) December 2, 2020
Michigan Poll Observer: Military Ballots Looked Like ‘Xerox Copies,’ All for Biden
By Jack Phillips, The Epoch Times, December 2, 2020:
A woman who said she was a poll observer at the TCF Center in Detroit on Election Day testified in front of a Michigan State Senate hearing that she saw numerous military ballots that looked like “Xerox copies” and were all allegedly marked for Democrat Joe Biden.
The woman, who only identified herself as Patty and said she has nine years’ worth of experience, told the lawmakers that “military ballots … looked like they were all exactly the same Xerox copies of the ballot. They were all for Biden across the board; there wasn’t a single Trump vote.”
“None of the voters [were] registered,” and election workers “had to manually enter the names and addresses and a birth date of 1/1/2020, which would override the system and allow them to enter nonregistered voters, of which I saw several … throughout the day,” Patty said.
The woman said that when she and other GOP observers tried to challenge them, election officials “would tell us ‘no.’”
At one point, the poll observer alleged that when military ballots came in, she and others were told by election officials “to take a break.”
“There were lots of agitators at the TCF Center” who allegedly worked on “behalf of the Democrat Party,” Patty also told lawmakers. She added that GOP poll observers were told to go upstairs to eat while the purported agitators and Democratic poll challengers got food brought in and were able to eat on the same floor, suggesting the unequal treatment of observers.
None of the bipartisan group of lawmakers disputed her account. She provided no other details.
Michigan’s Secretary of State’s office has not responded to a request for comment.
John James, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, has said he received multiple reports of irregularities and abnormalities in Detroit’s TCF Center on Election Night, including poll challengers and poll workers who reported feeling harassed and unable to do their jobs.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Melissa Carone—a freelance IT contractor who worked at the TCF Center for Dominion Voting Systems—alleged that she saw “countless workers rescanning the batches without discarding them first” on Election Day and beyond. Carone also testified at the Tuesday hearing, saying that she saw workers rescanning ballots up to “8 to 10 times.”
Dominion has said, in response to other allegations, that “no credible reports or evidence of any software issues exist,” while saying that “vote counts are conducted by county and state election officials, not by Dominion.”
Previously, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said there is no evidence of voter fraud or irregularities that would overturn the election results in the state, which has 16 Electoral College votes.
“Where evidence exists of actual fraud or wrongdoing, it should be submitted in writing to the Bureau of Elections, which refers all credible allegations to the Attorney General’s office for further investigation,” Benson said earlier this month.
A spokesperson for Michigan’s Secretary of State’s office, in a statement to Epoch Times, responded to the allegations in the Michigan hearing.
“No actual evidence of any wrongdoing or fraud was presented, despite repeated questions requesting such evidence from lawmakers,” the spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Instead we saw a regurgitation of vague accusations based on lack of knowledge of election procedure and widely debunked conspiracy theories. We hope the state senate will allow future testimony illustrating the facts underlying this election.”
What’s this all going to lead to? Who knows at this point, but I have yet to see a single arrest or anyone charged. If this is only going to be about a Trump re-election, then no thank you, but if it is going to be about bringing justice for people who break the law in order to put Biden in the White House or any other representative into office, then I’m all for it. David Knight makes the same point I’ve made and he has the same reasons I have for why we would be fools to get behind a Trump declaration of martial law as a solution for election fraud.
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-06--Former CBS Healthwatch Reporter Writes Open Letter:  Lockdowns Are Based On Fraud

Former CBS Healthwatch reporter and author of The Matrix Revealed Jon Rappoport recently wrote and open letter to people who want freedom in which he exposed that the unlawful lockdowns being imposes in various states are all based on fraud .
This article is arranged so you see the fraud in more detail as you read further .
The lockdowns are based on high levels of COVID cases .
“ We have so many new cases , we have to lock down.
” This claim is based on the diagnostic PCR test .
The more tests you do , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive result is taken to mean : the person is infected with the virus .
But overwhelmingly , these so-called “ infected ” people have no symptoms .
They are healthy .
Nevertheless , each one is called a “ COVID case.
” This is absurd .
A case should mean the person has clinical symptoms ; he is sick .
These people aren ’ t sick , and there is no indication they will get sick .
So…expand testing , test millions of people , obtain results claiming “ infection , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” and order lock downs .
This is a straight-out con .
The real goal is lockdowns and economic devastation .
You need one piece of background here .
The PCR test is run in “ cycles.
” Each cycle is a quantum leap in amplifying or magnifying the original tiny , tiny piece of material taken from the patient ’ s swab sample .
It ’ s like blowing up a small photo to an amazing size .
The question is : how many cycles should the PCR test be run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the number of cycles changes the result .
July 16 , 2020 , podcast , “ This Week in Virology ” [ 1 ] : Tony Fauci makes a point of saying the PCR COVID test is useless and misleading when the test is run at “ 35 cycles or higher.
” A positive result , indicating infection , can not be accepted or believed .
Here , in techno-speak , is an excerpt from Fauci ’ s key quote ( starting at about the 4-minute mark [ 1 ] ) : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test at ] a cycle threshold of 35 or more…the chances of it being replication-competent [ aka accurate ] are miniscule…you almost never can culture virus [ detect a true positive result ] from a 37 threshold cycle…even 36… ” Too many cycles , and the test will turn up all sorts of irrelevant material that will be wrongly interpreted as relevant .
What Fauci failed to say on the video is : the FDA , which authorizes the test for public use , recommends the test should be run up to 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all labs in the US that follow the FDA guideline are knowingly or unknowingly participating in fraud .
Fraud on a monstrous level , because… Millions of Americans are being told they are infected with the virus on the basis of a false positive result , and… The total number of COVID cases in America—which is based on the test—is a gross falsity .
The lockdowns and other restraining measures are based on these fraudulent case numbers .
Let me back up and run that by you again .
Fauci says the test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 35 cycles or higher .
The FDA says run the test up to 40 cycles , in order to determine whether the virus is there .
This is the crime in a nutshell .
If anyone in the White House has a few brain cells to rub together , pick up a giant bullhorn and start revealing the truth to the American people .
“ Hello , America , you ’ ve been tricked , lied to , conned , and taken for a devastating ride .
On the basis of fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” If anyone in the Congress has a few brain cells operating , pull Fauci into a televised hearing and , in ten minutes , make mincemeat out of the fake science that has driven this whole foul , stench-ridden assault on the US economy and its citizens .
All right , here are two chunks of evidence for what I ’ ve written above .
First , we have a CDC quote on the FDA website , in a document titled : “ CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 ] See pdf page 38 ( doc page 37 ) .
This document is marked , “ Effective : 12/01/2020.
” That means , even though the virus is being referred to by its older name , the document is still relevant as of Dec 2020 .
“ For Emergency Use Only ” refers to the fact that the FDA has certified the PCR test under a traditional category called “ Emergency Use Authorization.
” FDA : “ …a specimen is considered positive for 2019-nCoV [ virus ] if all 2019-nCoV marker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth curves cross the threshold line within 40.00 cycles ( [ less than ] 40.00 Ct ) .
” Naturally , MANY testing labs reading this guideline would conclude , “ Well , to see if the virus is there in a patient , we should run the test all the way to 40 cycles .
That ’ s the official advice.
” Then we have a New York Times article ( August 29/updated September 17 ) headlined : “ Your coronavirus test is positive .
Maybe it shouldn ’ t be.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Most tests set the limit at 40 [ cycles ] .
A few at 37.
” “ Set the limit ” would usually mean , “ We ’ re going to look all the way to 40 cycles , to see if the virus is there.
” The Times : “ This number of amplification cycles needed to find the virus , called the cycle threshold , is never included in the results sent to doctors and coronavirus patients… ” Boom .
That ’ s the capper , the grand finale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t reveal their collusion in this crime .
IS THE PCR TEST USEFUL AND MEANINGFUL ?
Now let ’ s go to published official literature , and see what it reveals .
Spoiler alert : the admitted holes and shortcomings of the test are devastating .
From “ CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel For Emergency Use Only.
” [ 2 ] : “ Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms.
” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive test doesn ’ t guarantee that the COVID virus is causing infection at all .
And , ahem , reading between the lines , maybe the COVID virus might not be in the patient ’ s body at all , either .
From the World Health Organization ( WHO ) : “ Coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) technical guidance : Laboratory testing for 2019-nCoV in humans ” : “ Several assays that detect the 2019-nCoV have been and are currently under development , both in-house and commercially .
Some assays may detect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some may also detect other strains ( e.g .
SARS-CoV ) that are genetically similar.
” Translation : Some PCR tests register positive for types of coronavirus that have nothing to do with COVID—including plain old coronas that cause nothing more than a cold .
The WHO document adds this little piece : “ Protocol use limitations : Optional clinical specimens for testing has [ have ] not yet been validated.
” Translation : We ’ re not sure which tissue samples to take from the patient , in order for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FDA : “ LabCorp COVID-19RT-PCR test EUA Summary : ACCELERATED EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION ( EUA ) SUMMARYCOVID-19 RT-PCR TEST ( LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA ) ” [ 5 ] : “ …The SARS-CoV-2RNA [ COVID virus ] is generally detectable in respiratory specimens during the acute phase of infection .
Positive results are indicative of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA ; clinical correlation with patient history and other diagnostic information is necessary to determine patient infection status…THE AGENT DETECTED MAY NOT BE THE DEFINITE CAUSE OF DISEASE ( CAPS are mine ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its territories are required to report all positive results to the appropriate public health authorities.
” Translation : On the one hand , we claim the test can “ generally ” detect the presence of the COVID virus in a patient .
But we admit that “ the agent detected ” on the test , by which we mean COVID virus , “ may not be the definite cause of disease.
” We also admit that , unless the patient has an acute infection , we can ’ t find COVID .
Therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” confirmed by the test is nonsense .
And even though a positive test for COVID may not indicate the actual cause of disease , all positive tests must be reported—and they will be counted as “ COVID cases.
” Regardless .
“ This product is for research use only and is not intended for diagnostic use.
” Translation : Don ’ t use the test result alone to diagnose infection or disease .
Oops .
Translation : Although this company states the test can detect COVID , it also states the test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has one of a number of other irrelevant viruses in his body .
What is the test proving , then ?
Who knows ?
Flip a coin .
Translation : This clearly means the test is not suited to detect how much virus is in the patient ’ s body .
That ’ s another indication that the test is useless for determining whether the patient is ill—since millions and millions of virus must be present , in order to produce illness .
“ The detection result of this product is only for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be used as the only evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment .
The clinical management of patients should be considered in combination with their symptoms/signs , history , other laboratory tests and treatment responses .
The detection results should not be directly used as the evidence for clinical diagnosis , and are only for the reference of clinicians.
” Translation : Don ’ t use the test as the exclusive basis for diagnosing a person with COVID .
And yet , this is exactly what health authorities are doing all over the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to government agencies , and they are counted as COVID cases .
Those quotes , from official government and testing sources , torpedo the whole “ scientific ” basis of the test .
CONCLUSION : The PCR test is useless and deceptive .
It provides de facto dictators the opportunity to cite “ new case levels ” and lock down populations , creating economic and human devastation .
RESIST , REBEL , PROTEST , OPEN UP THE ECONOMY ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN .
Of course , it ’ s based on fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been saying all along .
It ’ s not that there isn ’ t something causing some people to become sick .
There is , but the way this is all being blown out of proportion , infringing on the rights of the people and tanking the phoney economy is just criminal and a lot of people in politics , media , and medicine need to be held accountable for spreading fear where none was needed in order to advance an agenda .
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media

Former CBS Healthwatch reporter and author of The Matrix Revealed Jon Rappoport recently wrote and open letter to people who want freedom in which he exposed that the unlawful lockdowns being imposes in various states are all based on fraud.
Rappoport wrote:
This article is arranged so you see the fraud in more detail as you read further.
QUICK OVERVIEW:
The lockdowns are based on high levels of COVID cases.
“We have so many new cases, we have to lock down.”
This claim is based on the diagnostic PCR test.
The more tests you do, the more positive results come up. A positive result is taken to mean: the person is infected with the virus.
But overwhelmingly, these so-called “infected” people have no symptoms. They are healthy. Nevertheless, each one is called a “COVID case.” This is absurd.
A case should mean the person has clinical symptoms; he is sick.
These people aren’t sick, and there is no indication they will get sick.
So…expand testing, test millions of people, obtain results claiming “infection,” call all these healthy people “cases,” and order lock downs.
This is a straight-out con. The real goal is lockdowns and economic devastation.
IS THE PCR TEST DECEPTIVE?
You need one piece of background here.
The PCR test is run in “cycles.” Each cycle is a quantum leap in amplifying or magnifying the original tiny, tiny piece of material taken from the patient’s swab sample. It’s like blowing up a small photo to an amazing size.
The question is: how many cycles should the PCR test be run at? This is vital issue, because the number of cycles changes the result.
July 16, 2020, podcast, “This Week in Virology” [1]: Tony Fauci makes a point of saying the PCR COVID test is useless and misleading when the test is run at “35 cycles or higher.” A positive result, indicating infection, cannot be accepted or believed.
Here, in techno-speak, is an excerpt from Fauci’s key quote (starting at about the 4-minute mark [1]): “…If you get [perform the test at] a cycle threshold of 35 or more…the chances of it being replication-competent [aka accurate] are miniscule…you almost never can culture virus [detect a true positive result] from a 37 threshold cycle…even 36…”
Too many cycles, and the test will turn up all sorts of irrelevant material that will be wrongly interpreted as relevant.
That’s called a false positive.
What Fauci failed to say on the video is: the FDA, which authorizes the test for public use, recommends the test should be run up to 40 cycles. Not 35.
Therefore, all labs in the US that follow the FDA guideline are knowingly or unknowingly participating in fraud. Fraud on a monstrous level, because…
Millions of Americans are being told they are infected with the virus on the basis of a false positive result, and…
The total number of COVID cases in America—which is based on the test—is a gross falsity.
The lockdowns and other restraining measures are based on these fraudulent case numbers.
Let me back up and run that by you again. Fauci says the test is useless when it’s run at 35 cycles or higher. The FDA says run the test up to 40 cycles, in order to determine whether the virus is there. This is the crime in a nutshell.
If anyone in the White House has a few brain cells to rub together, pick up a giant bullhorn and start revealing the truth to the American people.
“Hello, America, you’ve been tricked, lied to, conned, and taken for a devastating ride. On the basis of fake science, the country was locked down.”
If anyone in the Congress has a few brain cells operating, pull Fauci into a televised hearing and, in ten minutes, make mincemeat out of the fake science that has driven this whole foul, stench-ridden assault on the US economy and its citizens.
All right, here are two chunks of evidence for what I’ve written above. First, we have a CDC quote on the FDA website, in a document titled: “CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel For Emergency Use Only.” [2] See pdf page 38 (doc page 37). This document is marked, “Effective: 12/01/2020.” That means, even though the virus is being referred to by its older name, the document is still relevant as of Dec 2020. “For Emergency Use Only” refers to the fact that the FDA has certified the PCR test under a traditional category called “Emergency Use Authorization.”
FDA: “…a specimen is considered positive for 2019-nCoV [virus] if all 2019-nCoV marker (N1, N2) cycle threshold growth curves cross the threshold line within 40.00 cycles ([less than] 40.00 Ct).”
Naturally, MANY testing labs reading this guideline would conclude, “Well, to see if the virus is there in a patient, we should run the test all the way to 40 cycles. That’s the official advice.”
A disastrous inference.
Then we have a New York Times article (August 29/updated September 17) headlined: “Your coronavirus test is positive. Maybe it shouldn’t be.” [3] Here are money quotes:
“Most tests set the limit at 40 [cycles]. A few at 37.”
“Set the limit” would usually mean, “We’re going to look all the way to 40 cycles, to see if the virus is there.”
The Times: “This number of amplification cycles needed to find the virus, called the cycle threshold, is never included in the results sent to doctors and coronavirus patients…”
Boom. That’s the capper, the grand finale. Labs don’t or won’t reveal their collusion in this crime.
Get the picture?
IS THE PCR TEST USEFUL AND MEANINGFUL?
Now let’s go to published official literature, and see what it reveals. Spoiler alert: the admitted holes and shortcomings of the test are devastating.
From “CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel For Emergency Use Only.” [2]:
“Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms.” (doc page 40)
Translation: A positive test doesn’t guarantee that the COVID virus is causing infection at all. And, ahem, reading between the lines, maybe the COVID virus might not be in the patient’s body at all, either.
From the World Health Organization (WHO): “Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) technical guidance: Laboratory testing for 2019-nCoV in humans”:
“Several assays that detect the 2019-nCoV have been and are currently under development, both in-house and commercially. Some assays may detect only the novel virus [COVID] and some may also detect other strains (e.g. SARS-CoV) that are genetically similar.”
Translation: Some PCR tests register positive for types of coronavirus that have nothing to do with COVID—including plain old coronas that cause nothing more than a cold.
The WHO document adds this little piece: “Protocol use limitations: Optional clinical specimens for testing has [have] not yet been validated.”
Translation: We’re not sure which tissue samples to take from the patient, in order for the test to have any validity.
From the FDA: “LabCorp COVID-19RT-PCR test EUA Summary: ACCELERATED EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION (EUA) SUMMARYCOVID-19 RT-PCR TEST (LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA)” [5]:
“…The SARS-CoV-2RNA [COVID virus] is generally detectable in respiratory specimens during the acute phase of infection. Positive results are indicative of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA; clinical correlation with patient history and other diagnostic information is necessary to determine patient infection status…THE AGENT DETECTED MAY NOT BE THE DEFINITE CAUSE OF DISEASE (CAPS are mine). Laboratories within the United States and its territories are required to report all positive results to the appropriate public health authorities.”
Translation: On the one hand, we claim the test can “generally” detect the presence of the COVID virus in a patient. But we admit that “the agent detected” on the test, by which we mean COVID virus, “may not be the definite cause of disease.” We also admit that, unless the patient has an acute infection, we can’t find COVID. Therefore, the idea of “asymptomatic patients” confirmed by the test is nonsense. And even though a positive test for COVID may not indicate the actual cause of disease, all positive tests must be reported—and they will be counted as “COVID cases.” Regardless.
From a manufacturer of PCR test kit elements, Creative Diagnostics, “SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Multiplex RT-qPCR Kit” [6]:
“This product is for research use only and is not intended for diagnostic use.”
Translation: Don’t use the test result alone to diagnose infection or disease. Oops.
“non-specific interference of Influenza A Virus (H1N1), Influenza B Virus (Yamagata), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (type B), Respiratory Adenovirus (type 3, type 7), Parainfluenza Virus (type 2), Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Chlamydia Pneumoniae, etc.”
Translation: Although this company states the test can detect COVID, it also states the test can read FALSELY positive if the patient has one of a number of other irrelevant viruses in his body. What is the test proving, then? Who knows? Flip a coin.
“Application Qualitative”
Translation: This clearly means the test is not suited to detect how much virus is in the patient’s body. That’s another indication that the test is useless for determining whether the patient is ill—since millions and millions of virus must be present, in order to produce illness.
“The detection result of this product is only for clinical reference, and it should not be used as the only evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment. The clinical management of patients should be considered in combination with their symptoms/signs, history, other laboratory tests and treatment responses. The detection results should not be directly used as the evidence for clinical diagnosis, and are only for the reference of clinicians.”
Translation: Don’t use the test as the exclusive basis for diagnosing a person with COVID. And yet, this is exactly what health authorities are doing all over the world. All positive tests must be reported to government agencies, and they are counted as COVID cases.
Those quotes, from official government and testing sources, torpedo the whole “scientific” basis of the test.
CONCLUSION: The PCR test is useless and deceptive. It provides de facto dictators the opportunity to cite “new case levels” and lock down populations, creating economic and human devastation.
RESIST, REBEL, PROTEST, OPEN UP THE ECONOMY ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN.
SOURCES:
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Vy6fgaBPE
[2] https://www.fda.gov/media/134922/download
[3] https://nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/coronavirus-testing.html
[4] https://web.archive.org/web/20200301092906/http://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/laboratory-guidance (for http://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/laboratory-guidance)
[5] https://www.fda.gov/media/136151/download
[6] https://www.creative-diagnostics.com/pdf/CD019RT.pdf
Of course, it’s based on fraud! This is what we’ve been saying all along. It’s not that there isn’t something causing some people to become sick. There is, but the way this is all being blown out of proportion, infringing on the rights of the people and tanking the phoney economy is just criminal and a lot of people in politics, media, and medicine need to be held accountable for spreading fear where none was needed in order to advance an agenda.
Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-06--Lockdowns Destroy Small Businesses – Exempt Hollywood

Before Thanksgiving , Los Angeles imposed a curfew and , in a shocking oversight , asked Hollywood to follow it .
While the entertainment industry isn ’ t as big a part of the local economy as it would like you to think , its producers , directors , and stars provide a disproportionate share of the capital that the Democrats politicians who run the place use to get elected to higher office .
After ordering Hollywood to restrict filming to the same curfew as other businesses , a few hours later the order was withdrawn followed by a final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voluntarily limit and/or avoid activities likely to invite a negative community response ” which could “ jeopardize community confidence in our ability to operate safely.
” As if allowing movie studios to shoot around the clock while shutting down small businesses might “ invite a negative community response ” or raise questions about the corrupt system .
The film permit office now claims that “ the State of California has viewed workers supporting the film , television and commercial production industry… as essential for the state ’ s critical infrastructure.
” What role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical infrastructure ” of California ?
Money .
Not for the economy .
In that regard , the entertainment industry is much less crucial than many of the industries that had been shut down by the lockdowns .
With unemployment claims topping 8 million and California Democrat leaders fighting to eliminate freelance workers , that ’ s a drop in the bucket .
If the crews in question were working in restaurants , they wouldn ’ t matter .
But the critical infrastructure that Hollywood funds is the political ambitions of the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poured millions into Newsom ’ s campaign , and celebrity fundraising helped put Garcetti into the mayor ’ s office .
The Democrat with the biggest haul of industry cash usually wins .
Your local pizza shop isn ’ t going to compete with that .
If only there were some sort of industry dedicated to exposing social injustice using art .
While restaurants spent a fortune prepping to meet the new regulations , only to be shut down anyway , the entertainment industry goes into a new lockdown with nothing to worry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the watch of Muntu Davis , LA ’ s top health officer who was picked in the wake of the Black Lives Matter race riots to implement “ equity ” .
Equity is now the top value at LA County ’ s Department of Public Health which declares that it seeks to “ ensure just systems , policies and practices ” .
That means giving Disney a pass , but shutting down cafes .
This is what social justice lockdowns look like .
Not just in LA , but across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy is in a downturn , but film production has been a bright spot , ” a New York Times article chirps .
Even while Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio targeted Chassidic Jews , ranting about weddings and synagogues , the entertainment industry and its allied media were exempted , and the accompanying rules were bent and broken .
Even while Democrat leaders were lecturing about the dangers of church and synagogue services , the Video Music Awards went on and celebrities were allowed to dodge curfew .
Since no election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the high school talent show staffed by unfunny social justice activists , with occasional celebrity cameos , went forward , along with a live studio audience .
Cuomo and De Blasio , not to mention the media , decided not to notice that SNL was flouting the rules by paying audience members so they counted as crew .
Having a live audience of Manhattanites to laugh when you howl insults at President Trump is an essential activity in New York .
Unlike irresponsible , non-essential stuff like religious services .
As the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major studios… all report that they are full.
” 559 permits have been granted and 35 series are already filming in the city even though , as one studio boss notes , “ one person every week or two test positive somewhere on the lot.
” Unlike churches or synagogues , or weddings , these shoots are never described as superspreader events .
In a truly surreal scene , New Amsterdam , a TV drama , was caught filming outside Bellevue Hospital , blocking the path of real doctors and nurses , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat leaders complain that there aren ’ t enough hospital beds , the NBC medical drama takes up space in and around hospitals while getting a free pass from the authorities .
The Times story noted that , “ the large crew found it impossible to perfectly socially distance ” and leaves it at that , while photos show no actual social distancing by the crews .
But the New York Times has its own Hollywood studio deals involving the 1619 Project .
Governor Cuomo is so dependent on entertainment industry cash that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including one organized in Beverly Hills by the MPAA featuring major studio heads with tickets going for as much as $ 50,000 .
This year , Cuomo held a fundraiser for his birthday featuring movie stars who praised him for protecting Hollywood ’ s tax credits .
Those $ 420 million in tax credits are a net loss for the state , but a gain for Cuomo .
That tops California ’ s film tax credit total of $ 330 million .
Cuomo had been insisting that the “ state has no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut first responders .
He even tried to tax volunteers who came to help during the pandemic .
“ We ’ re not in a position to provide any subsidies right now , ” Cuomo falsely claimed .
Then he called for maintaining the same insane level of Hollywood subsidies , and went further by making sure that only the big studios who fund his corrupt ambitions cash in on the $ 420 million .
After claiming that there would be no money to pay police , no money for anything , New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in subsidies but limited it to studios spending over $ 1 million .
The “ state has no money ” for cops and firefighters , but has $ 420 million for Hollywood .
Just to bring the corruption up to Chicago levels , Cuomo ’ s proposal made sure that Saturday Night Live , but no new productions , would get access to the $ 420 million subsidy .
If only there were some talented political satirists with a weekend show who could mock this crookedness .
Back in California , Disney ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in tax credits in California .
Netflix ’ s 13 Reasons Why , which has been blamed for encouraging teenage suicide , vacuumed up over $ 40 million .
You can ’ t expect one of the wealthiest companies in America to set off a spike in teenage suicides and promote pedophilia without some serious taxpayer subsidies .
When California and New York dole out $ 750 million in tax breaks to some of the wealthiest donors in a powerful industry who fund the political ambitions of top Democrats like Newsom and Cuomo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect their projects to be subjected to everyone else ’ s rules .
That ’ s why the order to limit film shoots to the 7 AM to 10 PM curfew was quickly pulled in LA .
The county may be banning public gatherings , and destroying the last surviving small businesses who were on their last legs , but film shoots are back at half of pre-pandemic levels .
And that ’ s not just in America .
The UK has some of the most onerous lockdowns around , and its order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shops , cafes , hotels , museums and “ places of worship ” , but left open “ professional film and TV filming ” .
Religion is non-essential , but television must go on .
There has been a great deal of discussion about the harm caused by the lockdowns to the livelihoods of tens of millions of people , but there ’ s been little discussion about who has been exempted from lockdown restrictions and their corrupt political and economic rationales .
The best leverage against lockdown self-righteousness is the exposure of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small businesses while leaving giants like Amazon and Target , Disney and Netflix , wealthier than ever because of the lockdowns that benefit them .
The LA Film Office warned productions about a “ negative community response ” .
It ’ s about time .

Before Thanksgiving, Los Angeles imposed a curfew and, in a shocking oversight, asked Hollywood to follow it. While the entertainment industry isn’t as big a part of the local economy as it would like you to think, its producers, directors, and stars provide a disproportionate share of the capital that the Democrats politicians who run the place use to get elected to higher office.
After ordering Hollywood to restrict filming to the same curfew as other businesses, a few hours later the order was withdrawn followed by a final plea to film shoots to “to voluntarily limit and/or avoid activities likely to invite a negative community response” which could “jeopardize community confidence in our ability to operate safely.”
As if allowing movie studios to shoot around the clock while shutting down small businesses might “invite a negative community response” or raise questions about the corrupt system.
The film permit office now claims that “the State of California has viewed workers supporting the film, television and commercial production industry… as essential for the state’s critical infrastructure.”
What role does shooting movies play in the “critical infrastructure” of California? Money.
Not for the economy. In that regard, the entertainment industry is much less crucial than many of the industries that had been shut down by the lockdowns. With unemployment claims topping 8 million and California Democrat leaders fighting to eliminate freelance workers, that’s a drop in the bucket. If the crews in question were working in restaurants, they wouldn’t matter.
But the critical infrastructure that Hollywood funds is the political ambitions of the Democrats.
During the gubernatorial race, Hollywood poured millions into Newsom’s campaign, and celebrity fundraising helped put Garcetti into the mayor’s office. The Democrat with the biggest haul of industry cash usually wins. Your local pizza shop isn’t going to compete with that.
If only there were some sort of industry dedicated to exposing social injustice using art.
While restaurants spent a fortune prepping to meet the new regulations, only to be shut down anyway, the entertainment industry goes into a new lockdown with nothing to worry about.
All of this is happening under the watch of Muntu Davis, LA’s top health officer who was picked in the wake of the Black Lives Matter race riots to implement “equity”. Equity is now the top value at LA County’s Department of Public Health which declares that it seeks to “ensure just systems, policies and practices”. That means giving Disney a pass, but shutting down cafes.
This is what social justice lockdowns look like. Not just in LA, but across the country.
“New York City’s economy is in a downturn, but film production has been a bright spot,” a New York Times article chirps. Even while Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio targeted Chassidic Jews, ranting about weddings and synagogues, the entertainment industry and its allied media were exempted, and the accompanying rules were bent and broken.
Even while Democrat leaders were lecturing about the dangers of church and synagogue services, the Video Music Awards went on and celebrities were allowed to dodge curfew.
Since no election could go forward without Saturday Night Live, the high school talent show staffed by unfunny social justice activists, with occasional celebrity cameos, went forward, along with a live studio audience. Cuomo and De Blasio, not to mention the media, decided not to notice that SNL was flouting the rules by paying audience members so they counted as crew.
Having a live audience of Manhattanites to laugh when you howl insults at President Trump is an essential activity in New York. Unlike irresponsible, non-essential stuff like religious services.
As the New York Times notes, “The major studios… all report that they are full.” 559 permits have been granted and 35 series are already filming in the city even though, as one studio boss notes, “one person every week or two test positive somewhere on the lot.” Unlike churches or synagogues, or weddings, these shoots are never described as superspreader events.
In a truly surreal scene, New Amsterdam, a TV drama, was caught filming outside Bellevue Hospital, blocking the path of real doctors and nurses, a population prone to infections. Even while Democrat leaders complain that there aren’t enough hospital beds, the NBC medical drama takes up space in and around hospitals while getting a free pass from the authorities.
The Times story noted that, “the large crew found it impossible to perfectly socially distance” and leaves it at that, while photos show no actual social distancing by the crews.
But the New York Times has its own Hollywood studio deals involving the 1619 Project.
Governor Cuomo is so dependent on entertainment industry cash that he flew out to California for fundraisers, including one organized in Beverly Hills by the MPAA featuring major studio heads with tickets going for as much as $50,000. This year, Cuomo held a fundraiser for his birthday featuring movie stars who praised him for protecting Hollywood’s tax credits.
Those $420 million in tax credits are a net loss for the state, but a gain for Cuomo. That tops California’s film tax credit total of $330 million.
Cuomo had been insisting that the “state has no money”, and was threatening to cut first responders. He even tried to tax volunteers who came to help during the pandemic.
“We’re not in a position to provide any subsidies right now,” Cuomo falsely claimed. Then he called for maintaining the same insane level of Hollywood subsidies, and went further by making sure that only the big studios who fund his corrupt ambitions cash in on the $420 million.
After claiming that there would be no money to pay police, no money for anything, New York State kept the $420 million in subsidies but limited it to studios spending over $1 million.
The “state has no money” for cops and firefighters, but has $420 million for Hollywood.
Just to bring the corruption up to Chicago levels, Cuomo’s proposal made sure that Saturday Night Live, but no new productions, would get access to the $420 million subsidy. If only there were some talented political satirists with a weekend show who could mock this crookedness.
Back in California, Disney’s Captain Marvel got $20 million in tax credits in California. Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, which has been blamed for encouraging teenage suicide, vacuumed up over $40 million. You can’t expect one of the wealthiest companies in America to set off a spike in teenage suicides and promote pedophilia without some serious taxpayer subsidies.
When California and New York dole out $750 million in tax breaks to some of the wealthiest donors in a powerful industry who fund the political ambitions of top Democrats like Newsom and Cuomo, there’s no reason to expect their projects to be subjected to everyone else’s rules.
That’s why the order to limit film shoots to the 7 AM to 10 PM curfew was quickly pulled in LA. The county may be banning public gatherings, and destroying the last surviving small businesses who were on their last legs, but film shoots are back at half of pre-pandemic levels.
And that’s not just in America.
The UK has some of the most onerous lockdowns around, and its order shut down clothing stores, mobile phone shops, cafes, hotels, museums and “places of worship”, but left open “professional film and TV filming”. Religion is non-essential, but television must go on.
There has been a great deal of discussion about the harm caused by the lockdowns to the livelihoods of tens of millions of people, but there’s been little discussion about who has been exempted from lockdown restrictions and their corrupt political and economic rationales.
The best leverage against lockdown self-righteousness is the exposure of the hypocritical and discriminatory treatment that closes small businesses while leaving giants like Amazon and Target, Disney and Netflix, wealthier than ever because of the lockdowns that benefit them.
The LA Film Office warned productions about a “negative community response”. It’s about time.
Article posted with permission from Daniel Greenfield


thewashingtonstandard--2020-12-06--How Did Omar’s Husband Get $634,000 in Pandemic Bailout Cash?

You ’ ve got ta give Rep. Ilhan Omar credit , she really knows how to bring in the benjamins .
A political consulting firm co-owned by Rep. Ilhan Omar ’ s ( D. , Minn. ) husband , Tim Mynett , received more than half-a-million dollars in pandemic bailout cash—even as it was raking in millions from Omar ’ s campaign .
The E Street Group , a D.C.-based company run by Mynett and Will Hailer , received $ 134,800 in Paycheck Protection Program loans and $ 500,000 in Economic Injury Disaster loans , new data show .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cope with the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
Mynett ’ s firm , whose LinkedIn page says it has between 11 and 50 employees , received the aid as it was being showered with cash from Omar ’ s campaign .
Throughout the 2020 election cycle , Omar ’ s campaign steered nearly $ 3 million to the E Street Group to cover advertisements , consulting , travel expenses , and production costs .
It was by far the campaign ’ s largest vendor .
PPP loans were meant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Economic Injury Disaster loans , the bulk of the E Street Group cash , was meant for organizations experiencing , in the SBA ’ s words , a “ downturn in revenue ” .
Specifically , they had to have , “ suffered working capital losses due to the coronavirus pandemic , not due to a downturn in the economy or other reasons ” .
The Free Beacon report appears to document a thriving business swimming in cash from Rep. Omar and other lefties .
Beyond that , a baseline question is how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a downturn in revenue during an election year .
Conventional non-profits who live and die by donations might have , but there ’ s no sign that the cash ever stopped flying to Omar or to E Street Group .
Omar raised a ton of money this election cycle and passed a lot of it over to E Street Group .
The EDL loans are supposed to cover “ six months of working capital ” .
That would mean E Street Group was going through $ 1 million a year for working capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving a sizable cash influx from politician campaigns that was far in excess of that .
This represents another angle for those investigating Omar ’ s interesting financial situation .

You’ve gotta give Rep. Ilhan Omar credit, she really knows how to bring in the benjamins.
A political consulting firm co-owned by Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D., Minn.) husband, Tim Mynett, received more than half-a-million dollars in pandemic bailout cash—even as it was raking in millions from Omar’s campaign. The E Street Group, a D.C.-based company run by Mynett and Will Hailer, received $134,800 in Paycheck Protection Program loans and $500,000 in Economic Injury Disaster loans, new data show. Both funds were established to help small businesses cope with the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Mynett’s firm, whose LinkedIn page says it has between 11 and 50 employees, received the aid as it was being showered with cash from Omar’s campaign. Throughout the 2020 election cycle, Omar’s campaign steered nearly $3 million to the E Street Group to cover advertisements, consulting, travel expenses, and production costs. It was by far the campaign’s largest vendor.
PPP loans were meant to help organizations keep paying their employees. Economic Injury Disaster loans, the bulk of the E Street Group cash, was meant for organizations experiencing, in the SBA’s words, a “downturn in revenue”.
Specifically, they had to have, “suffered working capital losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, not due to a downturn in the economy or other reasons”.
The Free Beacon report appears to document a thriving business swimming in cash from Rep. Omar and other lefties. Beyond that, a baseline question is how exactly a political consultancy would have suffered a downturn in revenue during an election year.
Conventional non-profits who live and die by donations might have, but there’s no sign that the cash ever stopped flying to Omar or to E Street Group. Omar raised a ton of money this election cycle and passed a lot of it over to E Street Group.
The EDL loans are supposed to cover “six months of working capital”. That would mean E Street Group was going through $1 million a year for working capital, while at the same time was receiving a sizable cash influx from politician campaigns that was far in excess of that.
This represents another angle for those investigating Omar’s interesting financial situation.
Article posted with permission from Daniel Greenfield