Burgeoning Asian Bioweapons

Most of us know of the atrocities conducted at Auschwitz by Josef Mengele during World War II .
However , very few people are aware of the equally horrendous human experimentation conducted simultaneously by Japan .
A clandestine program conducted by the Japanese during World War II was responsible for the experimentation and genocide of hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens as well as others , and ultimately led the Chinese to develop their own robust biological weapons program which is in full swing presently .
In this report , we will look back at the Japanese biological weapons program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward to the burgeoning Chinese biological warfare program today , which arose from it .
Special thanks to fellow researcher , The Speaker , for contributions to this report .
Following World War I , the Japanese imperialist policy of expansion through military and political tactics , led to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 , which some scholars site as the origin of the Second Sino-Japanese War .
This war between the People ’ s Republic of China and the Japanese Empire transpired amidst the backdrop of World War II .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1941 , the United States declared war on the Japanese and began to aid China in their efforts .
After the devastation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the Soviet led invasion of the Japanese stronghold in Manchuria , Japan finally surrendered to the Allied forces .
It was within this time frame that Imperial Japan conducted covert biological and chemical warfare .
The clandestine project was overseen by a special department of the Japanese Imperial Army known as Unit 731 .
Other biological and chemical warfare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in major Chinese cities , following the Japanese invasion in 1937 .
At the peak of this operation , the entire network of biological and chemical warfare research units under Japanese Imperial Army control , comprised of approximately 10,000 doctors , professors , and biochemists .
This biological weapons research and development unit , which masqueraded as , the “ Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department , ” conducted horrendous human experiments , drawing comparisons between Unit 731 to somewhat similar experimentation conducted by Nazi German scientists at Auschwitz .
Shiro Ishii , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ army medical officer , led the secret research group responsible for spreading anthrax , bubonic plague , cholera , small pox , botulism and other deadly pathogens throughout China .
A wide range of test subjects were gathered from the population , including pregnant women , children , and the elderly , for the purposes of their human experimentation .
To desensitize the researchers from the horrors of experimentation on live humans , the dehumanized victims were referred to as “ logs , ” as described by one civilian employee who worked for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an inside joke , as the Unit 731 facility was officially described to local authorities as a lumber mill .
Interestingly , the secret project was internally referred to as , “ Holzklotz ” ( the German word for “ log.
” ) After touring several European laboratories as well as conducting extensive studies on chemical warfare used by the Germans in World War I , Shiro Ishii formed his theoretical concepts of Japan ’ s use of biological warfare .
The atrocities of chemical weapons used during World War I led to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the use of chemical and biological agents in war .
Though the Geneva Convention treaty of 1925 was signed by Japan , it was never ratified by the National Diet of Japan .
The human experiments conducted under Unit 731 included research in the areas of : understanding how various pathogens affect the human body , development of vaccines and treatments , and the weaponization of pathogens .
Human subjects were injected with diseases , often times disguised as vaccines , and then observed in order for researchers to understand the effects .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ confines of the Unit 731 facility , often times underwent vivisection procedures ( the dissection of live humans ) without anesthetic , in order for the scientists to observe the deterioration of organs resulting from the pathogens that ravaged their bodies .
Some human subjects were tied to stakes as researchers studied the effects of various bombs and weapons on them .
Others were forced to undergo freezing temperatures in order to understand the effects of frostbite .
Female prisoners were often times raped and impregnated in order to understand the transmission of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result , many children were born into captivity and were the subjects of human experimentation as well .
Over the course of their operation , at least 3,000 men , women and children were held captive for experimentation at the Unit 731 facility – none of whom survived .
Through their research , the unit developed special bombs carrying bioweapons , including one that carried fleas which was used to spread the bubonic plague .
Japanese soldiers poisoned food and water supplies in China using the biological weapons developed by Unit 731 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poisoned candies to unsuspecting children .
It is estimated that up to 580,000 people were killed from biological warfare and human experimentation conducted through the covert project .
While Nazi German leaders underwent military tribunals known as the Nuremberg trials , for war crimes following World War II , members of Unit 731 , including their ruthless leader Shiro Ishii , received secret immunity from U.S. authorities in exchange for their biological weapons research .
Twelve researchers from the unit were captured by Soviet forces and tried for their war crimes .
Members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentencing in comparison to their crimes , leading researchers to believe that the Soviets may have also struck a deal with the Japanese for biological weapons research .
Declassified documents reveal that the United States not only provided members of Unit 731 with immunity , but payments from the U.S. War Department were made to unnamed members of the unit in the amount of 150,000 to 200,000 yen .
The documents explain how the U.S. War Department believed that the “ information procured will have the greatest value in future development of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and the “ data on human experiments may prove invaluable.
” The eagerness for the United States to obtain this information may have been in an attempt to supersede the Soviet Union in a biological warfare arms race .
From the context of the Japanese biological warfare program which ravaged the Chinese population from 1933 to 1945 , and the presumed emerging biological weapons arms race between the United States and the USSR , China ’ s biological warfare program arose .
Though China agreed to the Geneva Protocol in 1952 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 2005 , the U.S. State Department reported that “ The United States believes that China continues to maintain some elements of an offensive BW capability .
The issue is whether this capability constitutes a violation of the BWC.
” The 2005 Compliance report went on to state , “ The United States believes that China began its offensive BW program in the 1950s and continued its program throughout the Cold War , even after China acceded to the BWC in 1984 .
Undoubtedly China perceived a threat from the BW programs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are some reports that China may still retain elements of its biological warfare program .
Such reports support the United States continued belief that China has not abandoned its offensive BW program… Facilities in China that may have legitimate public health and commercial uses could also offer access to additional BW-enabling capabilities.
” The same 2010 Compliance Report found again , that China ’ s declarations to maintain compliance with the BWC , “ have neither documented the offensive BW program it possessed prior to its accession to the BWC in 1984 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the program or any remaining biological munitions in accordance with the BWC , ” and went on to state that , “ Available information indicates China engaged during the reporting period in dual-use activities that included : identifying factors that enhance the virulence , toxicity , or antibiotic resistance of pathogens , including through the use of genetic engineering ; identifying , characterizing , and testing numerous new toxins ; producing toxins synthetically ; and examining advances in research on airborne microbial aerosols.
” The 2010 report did not , however , find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the BWC .
Then in July of 2019 , U.S. officials expressed concerns over China ’ s burgeoning biological weapons program during the 2019 CBRN Defense Conference and Exhibition .
The Lead Clinical Consultant at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense , Dr. James Madsen , stated that “ there are many deadly and frightening chem-bio threats that are not on many people ’ s radar .
One , which he would not name , can infect a person and have a long latency period .
‘ When you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late and you deteriorate over a period of months to weeks and you die.
’ ” The Chief Intelligence Officer at the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical , Biological , Radiological and Nuclear Defense explained , “ What we ’ ve seen over the past few years is the norms around chemical and biological weapon use have been eroded almost completely .
The norms surrounding these and the treaties surrounding these have really taken a hit.
” Compliance concerns were raised once again by the U.S. State Department in their 2019 Compliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicates that the People ’ s Republic of China ( China ) engaged during the reporting period in biological activities with potential dual-use applications , which raises concerns regarding its compliance with the BWC .
In addition , the United States does not have sufficient information to determine whether China eliminated its assessed biological warfare ( BW ) program , as required under Article II of the Convention.
” The report went on to explain , “ Article I of the BWC obligates States Party ‘ never in any circumstances to develop , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or retain … [ m ] microbial or other biological agents , or toxins whatever their origin or method of production , of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic , protective , or other peaceful purposes.
’ The United States has compliance concerns with respect to Chinese military medical institutions ’ toxin research and development because of the potential dual-use applications and their potential as a biological threat .
In addition , the United States assesses that China possessed an offensive BW program from the early 1950s to at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no available information to demonstrate that China took steps to fulfill its treaty obligations under Article II of the BWC , which requires China to destroy or to divert to peaceful purposes all items specified in Article I of its past offensive BW program.
” Continued defiance by China , to report biological research activities required by the Biological Weapons Convention of 1984 , are at the crux of growing distrust by the United States and other nations , as to their secretive biological weapons program .
What Have We Learned From SARS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to as severe acute respiratory syndrome , or SARS , began to spread swiftly worldwide in November of 2002 , eventually causing the World Health Organization to announce a worldwide health threat .
The first known case of SARS is believed to have occurred in Foshan , China near Guangzhou in Guangdong province , sometime in mid-November of 2002 .
When first discovered by mid-December , Chinese medical personnel notified health experts in order to diagnose the disease by early January of 2003 .
Health experts conducted an investigation of the unknown “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the provincial health bureau by January 27th of 2003 .
The report was marked as “ top secret , ” which only authorized the provincial health officials to open it .
Three days passed before any authorized provincial health officials read the document .
Then , once the document was finally read , a bulletin was distributed to hospitals within the province .
In compliance with the State Secrets Law regarding the dissemination of public health information , the public was kept in the dark about the emerging threat .
Under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were classified as a state secret until the Ministry of Health authorized a public announcement .
Therefore , any doctors , public officials , or journalists who were to report on the outbreak prior to authorization by the Ministry of Health , would risk persecution .
Consequently , a complete media blackout of the rapidly developing danger continued until February 11th 2003 , when health officials finally held a press conference on the matter .
Prior to April of 2003 , Chinese authorities shared very little information with the World Health Organization .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prevention waited until April 3rd 2003 to issue bulletins to hospitals nationwide .
Experts from the World Health Organization were finally permitted by the Ministry of Health to enter China , but were not allowed access to Guangdong , the epicenter of the outbreak , until 8 days later .
Another week went by before WHO officials were permitted to inspect Beijing military hospitals .
While SARS spread like wildfire throughout Beijing , the public was kept unaware of its scope and severity by local authorities .
Furthermore , reports from local authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels were skewed over fears of being reprimanded by their superiors .
All-in-all , the lack of transparency at every level of the Chinese government , inhibited authorities from assessing the scope and severity of the outbreak , in order to respond in a timely and efficient manner .
The same lack of transparency , accountability , and oversight led to speculation , rumors and panic among the Chinese population and around the world .
By April of 2003 , Russian infectious disease experts publicly speculated that SARS may be a man-made biological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s epidemiological services stated that he believed the virus was a laboratory creation , explaining , “ there is no vaccine for this virus , its make-up is unclear , it has not been very widespread and the population is not immune to it ” .
The Russian official did , however , admit that he had reservations of this theory , considering the virus has a relatively minimal mortality rate and is not very easily transmittable .
The scientific consensus on the origins of the SARS outbreak , which was confirmed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2003 , attributes the source of this strain of the Coronavirus to animals .
However , on April 17th of 2003 , the Director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control stated that the virus “ didn ’ t look like much of any of the viruses we already had in our reference strain collection.
” In April of 2004 , SARS escaped the Chinese Institute of Virology laboratory in Beijing , when two researchers who were working on the virus became infected .
“ We suspect two people , a 26-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ postdoc , were both infected , apparently in two separate incidents , ” stated a World Health Organization spokesperson .
In response to the 2004 incident which emerged from a Chinese laboratory , an epidemiologist with the Hong Kong University–Pasteur Research Center remarked , “ Normally , it ’ s not possible to contaminate people even under level two confinement , if the security rules are obeyed , with the appropriate hoods , and so on , ” adding that SARS laboratory work requires level 3 confinement , which “ suggests there has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 18th of 2004 , the WHO announced that the virus was contained , after 1 person died and 9 were infected .
The WHO went on to state that “ biosafety concerns remain , ” and further investigation by the WHO and Chinese health officials would continue in order to determine the cause of the outbreak .
Years after the 2003 SARS outbreak , which claimed the lives of 774 people , the Taiwan National Security Bureau Director General informed the legislative committee that Chinese sources suspected the 2003 SARS incident to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The security bureau stated , “ In the 2003 SARS period , there were deaths and injuries , and in addition China hid the patient count , causing panic in people ’ s hearts…At that time insider information indicated that SARS was a biological weapon.
” A Chinese Foreign Ministry official refuted the claims , stating , “ These are completely groundless and irresponsible comments , ” adding , “ Could you help me find the original source so we can find the scoundrel who spread them ?
” Whether the SARS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laboratory or emerged as a natural occurrence , it is clear that the lack of transparency , accountability , and oversight of biological research conducted in Chinese laboratories , with dual-use applications , has fueled distrust among nations and their citizens as to Chinese laboratory safety practices , compliance by the Chinese government with BWC regulations , and their ability to effectively prevent future outbreaks that may cause worldwide health threats .
A Roundtable convened before the Congressional Executive Commission on China in May of 2003 to discuss what they have learned from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent another epidemic in the future .
The first known case of 2019-nCoV occurred on December 1st , 2019 .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization of multiple flu-like cases in Wuhan .
The patients were quarantined , and an investigation as to the source commenced .
Then on January 1st 2020 , a seafood market in Wuhan was identified as the potential source of the outbreak .
By January 7th , Chinese authorities ruled out known coronavirus strains such as SARS and MERS , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SARS-CoV group , and diagnosed the new strain as 2019-nCoV .
From January 13th to January 21st , cases were reported in Thailand , Japan , South Korea , Australia and the United States .
A day later , authorities quarantined Wuhan and 2 other cities , banning all travel .
By January 31st , the death toll reached 213 , with 9,776 reported cases , as more countries began to report their first cases , including : Mexico , Singapore , Taiwan , Germany , Cambodia , Finland , and India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Health Organization declared a global health emergency .
As of February 2nd 2020 , officials quarantined 17 cities in China and the virus spread to 24 other countries , with the number of confirmed cases reported at 14,549 , while the number of suspected cases neared 20,000 .
The death toll as of February 2nd climbed to 305 .
Coincidentally , they have begun treating some patients with HIV drugs , as Corey ’ s Digs just released chapter one of a large book on AIDS potential slush fund of $ 90B @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the source for the outbreak came from animals ( such as bats ) served in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan , the prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal , Lancet , reported a clinical study of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus , which determined that the first known case of 2019-nCoV had no direct contact with the Huanan Seafood Market , further stating that , “ None of his family members developed fever or any respiratory symptoms , ” and “ No epidemiological link was found between the first patient and later cases.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ original 41 cases , 14 patients had no contact with the Huanan Seafood Market .
The Lancet study went on to state that , “ Both SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV were believed to originate in bats , and these infections were transmitted directly to humans from market civets and dromedary camels , respectively .
Extensive research on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV has driven the discovery of many SARS-like and MERS-like coronaviruses in bats.
” Once the genetic sequence of 2019-nCoV became available , researchers began to investigate its genetic make-up in order to understand its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was determined that the 2019-nCoV strain is most closely related to strains found in bats .
Shi Zheng-Li is a coronavirus specialist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology , whose research focuses primarily on bats .
She led the team of specialists who determined that this latest strain of coronavirus resembles a bat virus with 96.2 % similarity and likewise resembles the coronavirus that causes SARS with a 79.5 % similarity .
Shi Zheng-Li has conducted several studies at the Wuhan Institute of Virology , the first biocontaminant level 4 laboratory in China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of handling the world ’ s most deadly diseases , including coronavirus .
Her bio page on the Wuhan Institute of Virology site states that her “ major achievements include the discovery of a number of genetically diverse bat SARS-like coronaviruses… and the antibodies of Nipah virus and Ebola virus in bats in Southern China.
” Furthermore , Shi Zheng-Li is participating in ongoing research projects including the National Basic Research Program ( 973 Program ) , which has supported her research into a study on the “ molecular mechanism of cross-species infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2011-2015 .
The National Natural Science Foundation of China has supported her research in the “ discovery and isolation and identification of human pathogens carried by bats , distribution characteristics , genetic evolution and their pathogenicity to humans ” from 2013-2017 .
Shi Zheng-Li led a team of experts at Wuhan Institute of Virology in the discovery that the “ genetic building blocks of SARS ” were found in a population of horseshoe bats .
The 2017 research paper written by Shi Zheng-Li and her team , which documented the study , stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and emergence of a disease similar to SARS is possible.
” The team of researchers isolated approximately 300 bat coronavirus sequences for the purposes of monitoring the virus ’ s evolution .
Just as in the case of the SARS outbreak , speculation as to the true origins of the 2019-nCoV have emerged .
A former Israeli military intelligence officer , who is familiar with the China ’ s biological warfare program , believes Wuhan Institute of Virology is connected to Beijing ’ s secret biological weapons program , stating “ Certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Virology ] have probably been engaged , in terms of research and development , in Chinese [ biological weapons ] , at least collaterally , yet not as a principal facility of the Chinese BW alignment.
” In 2017 , a molecular biologist at Rutgers University , Richard Ebright , criticized the new BSL-4 lab , stating that the excessive capacity to study the world ’ s deadliest pathogens will lead governments to assume that there is a potential for the development of bioweapons at the facility , adding “ These facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30th , 2020 , U.S .
Senator , Tom Cotton addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding China ’ s lack of transparency about the 2019-nCoV outbreak , stating , “ China is still lying about all of this .
They ’ ve been lying about it from the very beginning , and you don ’ t need their history of lying about SARS in 2003 , though it is relevant here .
You just have to see what ’ s happened over the last 2 months .
We now know the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even though China didn ’ t reveal it to the WHO until a month later on December 31st , when they continued to hide it from their own citizens , and they continued to say that it had been contained inside of Wuhan .
Today it is in every single province in China .
They also claimed for almost 2 months , until earlier this week , that it had originated in a seafood market in Wuhan – that locals had contracted it from animals in bat soup or snake tartar .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lancet published study last week demonstrating that of the original 40 cases , 14 of them had no contact with the seafood market including patient zero .
As one epidemiologist said , ‘ That virus went into the seafood market before it came out of the seafood market.
’ We still don ’ t know where it originated…I would note that Wuhan also has China ’ s only biosafety level 4 super laboratory that works with the world ’ s most deadly pathogens , to include , yes , coronavirus.
” The address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is just 16 kilometers from the presumed epicenter of the outbreak , Huanan Seafood Market , bolstering these speculations .
Adding to suspicions , a scientist working for the Canadian government at the National Microbiology Lab , plus her husband and her students from China , were expelled from the laboratory in July of 2019 , over a possible “ policy breach.
” The Canadian government has launched an investigation into the expelled scientists .
Xiangguo Qiu , who is an expert in the study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 5 trips to China from 2017 to 2018 , including to the Wuhan Institute of Virology level 4 laboratory , as well as to meetings with colleagues in Beijing .
Xiangguo Qiu also resides on the same Virologica Sinica editorial board from which Shi Zheng-Li , of Wuhan Institute of Virology , is Editor-In-Chief .
Furthermore , amidst the 2019-nCoV virus outbreak , indictments were unsealed for a Harvard University professor and 2 Chinese nationals , who were charged in 3 separate China related cases .
The indictment against the Harvard professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor “ lied about his involvement in the Thousand Talents Plan and affiliation with WUT [ Wuhan University of Technology ] .
” Leiber ’ s work has focused primarily on nanotechnology and brain science .
Yanqing Ye was indicted for falsely identifying as a student “ while studying at Boston University ’ s ( BU ) Department of Physics , Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering from October 2017 to April 2019 ” and lying “ about her ongoing military service at the National University of Defense Technology ( NUDT ) , a top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese Communist Party ] .
” Zaosong Zheng ’ s indictment states that he “ conducted cancer-cell research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston from Sept. 4 , 2018 , to Dec. 9 , 2019.
” The indictment against Zheng alleges that Zheng “ stole 21 vials of biological research and attempted to smuggle them out of the United States aboard a flight destined for China.
” Though the timing of these indictments , amidst the 2019-nCoV outbreak is curious , there is no known direct connection between these indictments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surrounding these investigations and indictments do , however , underscore the potential for threats against national security .
It is important to note that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recognizes that , “ biological and chemical materials and technologies—almost always dual-use—move easily in the globalized economy , as do personnel with the scientific expertise to design and use them for legitimate and illegitimate purposes , ” and perceives the increasing worldwide exchange and accessibility to pose a potential threat to U.S. national security .
Regardless of whether the SARS outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2019 were man-made or natural occurrences , the lack of transparency , accountability , and oversight by Chinese authorities as to their burgeoning biological weapons program has fueled speculations .
Let us hope , for the sake of the Chinese citizens , who have been devastated the most by these epidemics , as well as for the global population , that the Chinese government has finally learned from the grave mistakes of decades past .
Article posted with permission from Corey Lynn , originally posted at CoreysDigs.com

Most of us know of the atrocities conducted at Auschwitz by Josef Mengele during World War II. However, very few people are aware of the equally horrendous human experimentation conducted simultaneously by Japan. A clandestine program conducted by the Japanese during World War II was responsible for the experimentation and genocide of hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens as well as others, and ultimately led the Chinese to develop their own robust biological weapons program which is in full swing presently. In this report, we will look back at the Japanese biological weapons program that started it all, and fast forward to the burgeoning Chinese biological warfare program today, which arose from it.
Special thanks to fellow researcher, The Speaker, for contributions to this report.
Biological Weapons of the Imperial Japanese
Following World War I, the Japanese imperialist policy of expansion through military and political tactics, led to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, which some scholars site as the origin of the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war between the People’s Republic of China and the Japanese Empire transpired amidst the backdrop of World War II. Following the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States declared war on the Japanese and began to aid China in their efforts. After the devastation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the Soviet led invasion of the Japanese stronghold in Manchuria, Japan finally surrendered to the Allied forces.
It was within this time frame that Imperial Japan conducted covert biological and chemical warfare. The clandestine project was overseen by a special department of the Japanese Imperial Army known as Unit 731. Other biological and chemical warfare units connected to Unit 731 were founded in major Chinese cities, following the Japanese invasion in 1937. At the peak of this operation, the entire network of biological and chemical warfare research units under Japanese Imperial Army control, comprised of approximately 10,000 doctors, professors, and biochemists. This biological weapons research and development unit, which masqueraded as, the “Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department,” conducted horrendous human experiments, drawing comparisons between Unit 731 to somewhat similar experimentation conducted by Nazi German scientists at Auschwitz.
Shiro Ishii, the Surgeon General and a Japanese microbiologist army medical officer, led the secret research group responsible for spreading anthrax, bubonic plague, cholera, small pox, botulism and other deadly pathogens throughout China. A wide range of test subjects were gathered from the population, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly, for the purposes of their human experimentation. To desensitize the researchers from the horrors of experimentation on live humans, the dehumanized victims were referred to as “logs,” as described by one civilian employee who worked for the unit. The term originated as an inside joke, as the Unit 731 facility was officially described to local authorities as a lumber mill. Interestingly, the secret project was internally referred to as, “Holzklotz” (the German word for “log.”) After touring several European laboratories as well as conducting extensive studies on chemical warfare used by the Germans in World War I, Shiro Ishii formed his theoretical concepts of Japan’s use of biological warfare. The atrocities of chemical weapons used during World War I led to the Geneva Protocol of 1925, banning the use of chemical and biological agents in war. Though the Geneva Convention treaty of 1925 was signed by Japan, it was never ratified by the National Diet of Japan.
The human experiments conducted under Unit 731 included research in the areas of: understanding how various pathogens affect the human body, development of vaccines and treatments, and the weaponization of pathogens. Human subjects were injected with diseases, often times disguised as vaccines, and then observed in order for researchers to understand the effects. Victims, who were imprisoned within the confines of the Unit 731 facility, often times underwent vivisection procedures (the dissection of live humans) without anesthetic, in order for the scientists to observe the deterioration of organs resulting from the pathogens that ravaged their bodies. Some human subjects were tied to stakes as researchers studied the effects of various bombs and weapons on them. Others were forced to undergo freezing temperatures in order to understand the effects of frostbite. Female prisoners were often times raped and impregnated in order to understand the transmission of diseases to the unborn. As a result, many children were born into captivity and were the subjects of human experimentation as well. Over the course of their operation, at least 3,000 men, women and children were held captive for experimentation at the Unit 731 facility – none of whom survived.
Through their research, the unit developed special bombs carrying bioweapons, including one that carried fleas which was used to spread the bubonic plague. Japanese soldiers poisoned food and water supplies in China using the biological weapons developed by Unit 731, and were even known to hand out poisoned candies to unsuspecting children. It is estimated that up to 580,000 people were killed from biological warfare and human experimentation conducted through the covert project.
While Nazi German leaders underwent military tribunals known as the Nuremberg trials, for war crimes following World War II, members of Unit 731, including their ruthless leader Shiro Ishii, received secret immunity from U.S. authorities in exchange for their biological weapons research. Twelve researchers from the unit were captured by Soviet forces and tried for their war crimes. Members tried by the Soviets received notably light sentencing in comparison to their crimes, leading researchers to believe that the Soviets may have also struck a deal with the Japanese for biological weapons research. Declassified documents reveal that the United States not only provided members of Unit 731 with immunity, but payments from the U.S. War Department were made to unnamed members of the unit in the amount of 150,000 to 200,000 yen. The documents explain how the U.S. War Department believed that the “information procured will have the greatest value in future development of the US BW (bacteriological warfare) program” and the “data on human experiments may prove invaluable.” The eagerness for the United States to obtain this information may have been in an attempt to supersede the Soviet Union in a biological warfare arms race.
Burgeoning Chinese Biological Weapons
From the context of the Japanese biological warfare program which ravaged the Chinese population from 1933 to 1945, and the presumed emerging biological weapons arms race between the United States and the USSR, China’s biological warfare program arose.
Though China agreed to the Geneva Protocol in 1952 and the Biological Weapons Convention in 1984, by 2005, the U.S. State Department reported that “The United States believes that China continues to maintain some elements of an offensive BW capability. The issue is whether this capability constitutes a violation of the BWC.” The 2005 Compliance report went on to state, “The United States believes that China began its offensive BW program in the 1950s and continued its program throughout the Cold War, even after China acceded to the BWC in 1984. Undoubtedly China perceived a threat from the BW programs of its neighbor, the Soviet Union. There are some reports that China may still retain elements of its biological warfare program. Such reports support the United States continued belief that China has not abandoned its offensive BW program… Facilities in China that may have legitimate public health and commercial uses could also offer access to additional BW-enabling capabilities.”
The same 2010 Compliance Report found again, that China’s declarations to maintain compliance with the BWC, “have neither documented the offensive BW program it possessed prior to its accession to the BWC in 1984, nor documented that China has eliminated the program or any remaining biological munitions in accordance with the BWC,” and went on to state that, “Available information indicates China engaged during the reporting period in dual-use activities that included: identifying factors that enhance the virulence, toxicity, or antibiotic resistance of pathogens, including through the use of genetic engineering; identifying, characterizing, and testing numerous new toxins; producing toxins synthetically; and examining advances in research on airborne microbial aerosols.” The 2010 report did not, however, find that the dual-use activities were in violation of the BWC.
Then in July of 2019, U.S. officials expressed concerns over China’s burgeoning biological weapons program during the 2019 CBRN Defense Conference and Exhibition. The Lead Clinical Consultant at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Dr. James Madsen, stated that “there are many deadly and frightening chem-bio threats that are not on many people’s radar. One, which he would not name, can infect a person and have a long latency period. ‘When you have symptoms … it’s too late and you deteriorate over a period of months to weeks and you die.’” The Chief Intelligence Officer at the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense explained, “What we’ve seen over the past few years is the norms around chemical and biological weapon use have been eroded almost completely. The norms surrounding these and the treaties surrounding these have really taken a hit.”
Compliance concerns were raised once again by the U.S. State Department in their 2019 Compliance report, which stated, “Information indicates that the People’s Republic of China (China) engaged during the reporting period in biological activities with potential dual-use applications, which raises concerns regarding its compliance with the BWC. In addition, the United States does not have sufficient information to determine whether China eliminated its assessed biological warfare (BW) program, as required under Article II of the Convention.” The report went on to explain, “Article I of the BWC obligates States Party ‘never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile, or otherwise acquire or retain …[m]microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective, or other peaceful purposes.’ The United States has compliance concerns with respect to Chinese military medical institutions’ toxin research and development because of the potential dual-use applications and their potential as a biological threat. In addition, the United States assesses that China possessed an offensive BW program from the early 1950s to at least the late 1980s. There is no available information to demonstrate that China took steps to fulfill its treaty obligations under Article II of the BWC, which requires China to destroy or to divert to peaceful purposes all items specified in Article I of its past offensive BW program.”
Continued defiance by China, to report biological research activities required by the Biological Weapons Convention of 1984, are at the crux of growing distrust by the United States and other nations, as to their secretive biological weapons program.
What Have We Learned From SARS?
An atypical form of pneumonia referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, began to spread swiftly worldwide in November of 2002, eventually causing the World Health Organization to announce a worldwide health threat. The first known case of SARS is believed to have occurred in Foshan, China near Guangzhou in Guangdong province, sometime in mid-November of 2002. When first discovered by mid-December, Chinese medical personnel notified health experts in order to diagnose the disease by early January of 2003. Health experts conducted an investigation of the unknown “strange disease” and submitted a report to the provincial health bureau by January 27th of 2003. The report was marked as “top secret,” which only authorized the provincial health officials to open it. Three days passed before any authorized provincial health officials read the document. Then, once the document was finally read, a bulletin was distributed to hospitals within the province.
In compliance with the State Secrets Law regarding the dissemination of public health information, the public was kept in the dark about the emerging threat. Under the State Secrets Law, any infectious diseases were classified as a state secret until the Ministry of Health authorized a public announcement. Therefore, any doctors, public officials, or journalists who were to report on the outbreak prior to authorization by the Ministry of Health, would risk persecution. Consequently, a complete media blackout of the rapidly developing danger continued until February 11th 2003, when health officials finally held a press conference on the matter.
Prior to April of 2003, Chinese authorities shared very little information with the World Health Organization. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention waited until April 3rd 2003 to issue bulletins to hospitals nationwide. Experts from the World Health Organization were finally permitted by the Ministry of Health to enter China, but were not allowed access to Guangdong, the epicenter of the outbreak, until 8 days later. Another week went by before WHO officials were permitted to inspect Beijing military hospitals.
While SARS spread like wildfire throughout Beijing, the public was kept unaware of its scope and severity by local authorities. Furthermore, reports from local authorities up the chain of command to higher levels were skewed over fears of being reprimanded by their superiors. All-in-all, the lack of transparency at every level of the Chinese government, inhibited authorities from assessing the scope and severity of the outbreak, in order to respond in a timely and efficient manner.
The same lack of transparency, accountability, and oversight led to speculation, rumors and panic among the Chinese population and around the world. By April of 2003, Russian infectious disease experts publicly speculated that SARS may be a man-made biological weapon. The head of Russia’s epidemiological services stated that he believed the virus was a laboratory creation, explaining, “there is no vaccine for this virus, its make-up is unclear, it has not been very widespread and the population is not immune to it”. The Russian official did, however, admit that he had reservations of this theory, considering the virus has a relatively minimal mortality rate and is not very easily transmittable.
The scientific consensus on the origins of the SARS outbreak, which was confirmed by the World Health Organization on April 16th of 2003, attributes the source of this strain of the Coronavirus to animals. However, on April 17th of 2003, the Director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control stated that the virus “didn’t look like much of any of the viruses we already had in our reference strain collection.”
In April of 2004, SARS escaped the Chinese Institute of Virology laboratory in Beijing, when two researchers who were working on the virus became infected. “We suspect two people, a 26-year-old female postgraduate student and a 31-year-old male postdoc, were both infected, apparently in two separate incidents,” stated a World Health Organization spokesperson. In response to the 2004 incident which emerged from a Chinese laboratory, an epidemiologist with the Hong Kong University–Pasteur Research Center remarked, “Normally, it’s not possible to contaminate people even under level two confinement, if the security rules are obeyed, with the appropriate hoods, and so on,” adding that SARS laboratory work requires level 3 confinement, which “suggests there has been some mishandling of something.” On May 18th of 2004, the WHO announced that the virus was contained, after 1 person died and 9 were infected. The WHO went on to state that “biosafety concerns remain,” and further investigation by the WHO and Chinese health officials would continue in order to determine the cause of the outbreak.
Years after the 2003 SARS outbreak, which claimed the lives of 774 people, the Taiwan National Security Bureau Director General informed the legislative committee that Chinese sources suspected the 2003 SARS incident to be a result of a biological weapon. The security bureau stated, “In the 2003 SARS period, there were deaths and injuries, and in addition China hid the patient count, causing panic in people’s hearts…At that time insider information indicated that SARS was a biological weapon.” A Chinese Foreign Ministry official refuted the claims, stating, “These are completely groundless and irresponsible comments,” adding, “Could you help me find the original source so we can find the scoundrel who spread them?”
Whether the SARS outbreak of 2003 originated from a Chinese laboratory or emerged as a natural occurrence, it is clear that the lack of transparency, accountability, and oversight of biological research conducted in Chinese laboratories, with dual-use applications, has fueled distrust among nations and their citizens as to Chinese laboratory safety practices, compliance by the Chinese government with BWC regulations, and their ability to effectively prevent future outbreaks that may cause worldwide health threats. A Roundtable convened before the Congressional Executive Commission on China in May of 2003 to discuss what they have learned from the SARS outbreak in China and how to prevent another epidemic in the future.
Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV: Repeating the Past?
The first known case of 2019-nCoV occurred on December 1st, 2019. On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization of multiple flu-like cases in Wuhan. The patients were quarantined, and an investigation as to the source commenced. Then on January 1st 2020, a seafood market in Wuhan was identified as the potential source of the outbreak. By January 7th, Chinese authorities ruled out known coronavirus strains such as SARS and MERS, though the new strain is associated with the SARS-CoV group, and diagnosed the new strain as 2019-nCoV. From January 13th to January 21st, cases were reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States. A day later, authorities quarantined Wuhan and 2 other cities, banning all travel. By January 31st, the death toll reached 213, with 9,776 reported cases, as more countries began to report their first cases, including: Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, Germany, Cambodia, Finland, and India. On the same day, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency. As of February 2nd 2020, officials quarantined 17 cities in China and the virus spread to 24 other countries, with the number of confirmed cases reported at 14,549, while the number of suspected cases neared 20,000. The death toll as of February 2nd climbed to 305. Coincidentally, they have begun treating some patients with HIV drugs, as Corey’s Digs just released chapter one of a large book on AIDS potential slush fund of $90B taxpayer dollars.
Though officials quickly determined that the source for the outbreak came from animals (such as bats) served in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, the prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal, Lancet, reported a clinical study of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, which determined that the first known case of 2019-nCoV had no direct contact with the Huanan Seafood Market, further stating that, “None of his family members developed fever or any respiratory symptoms,” and “No epidemiological link was found between the first patient and later cases.” Including the first patient, of the original 41 cases, 14 patients had no contact with the Huanan Seafood Market. The Lancet study went on to state that, “Both SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV were believed to originate in bats, and these infections were transmitted directly to humans from market civets and dromedary camels, respectively. Extensive research on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV has driven the discovery of many SARS-like and MERS-like coronaviruses in bats.”
Once the genetic sequence of 2019-nCoV became available, researchers began to investigate its genetic make-up in order to understand its origins. From their research, it was determined that the 2019-nCoV strain is most closely related to strains found in bats. Shi Zheng-Li is a coronavirus specialist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, whose research focuses primarily on bats. She led the team of specialists who determined that this latest strain of coronavirus resembles a bat virus with 96.2% similarity and likewise resembles the coronavirus that causes SARS with a 79.5% similarity. Shi Zheng-Li has conducted several studies at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the first biocontaminant level 4 laboratory in China’s history, which is capable of handling the world’s most deadly diseases, including coronavirus. Her bio page on the Wuhan Institute of Virology site states that her “major achievements include the discovery of a number of genetically diverse bat SARS-like coronaviruses… and the antibodies of Nipah virus and Ebola virus in bats in Southern China.” Furthermore, Shi Zheng-Li is participating in ongoing research projects including the National Basic Research Program (973 Program), which has supported her research into a study on the “molecular mechanism of cross-species infection and transmission of important viruses” from 2011-2015. The National Natural Science Foundation of China has supported her research in the “discovery and isolation and identification of human pathogens carried by bats, distribution characteristics, genetic evolution and their pathogenicity to humans” from 2013-2017. Shi Zheng-Li led a team of experts at Wuhan Institute of Virology in the discovery that the “genetic building blocks of SARS” were found in a population of horseshoe bats. The 2017 research paper written by Shi Zheng-Li and her team, which documented the study, stated, “The risk of spillover into people and emergence of a disease similar to SARS is possible.” The team of researchers isolated approximately 300 bat coronavirus sequences for the purposes of monitoring the virus’s evolution.
Just as in the case of the SARS outbreak, speculation as to the true origins of the 2019-nCoV have emerged. A former Israeli military intelligence officer, who is familiar with the China’s biological warfare program, believes Wuhan Institute of Virology is connected to Beijing’s secret biological weapons program, stating “Certain laboratories in the institute [Wuhan Institute of Virology] have probably been engaged, in terms of research and development, in Chinese [biological weapons], at least collaterally, yet not as a principal facility of the Chinese BW alignment.” In 2017, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University, Richard Ebright, criticized the new BSL-4 lab, stating that the excessive capacity to study the world’s deadliest pathogens will lead governments to assume that there is a potential for the development of bioweapons at the facility, adding “These facilities are inherently dual use.” On January 30th, 2020, U.S. Senator, Tom Cotton addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding China’s lack of transparency about the 2019-nCoV outbreak, stating, “China is still lying about all of this. They’ve been lying about it from the very beginning, and you don’t need their history of lying about SARS in 2003, though it is relevant here. You just have to see what’s happened over the last 2 months. We now know the first case manifested no later than December 1, even though China didn’t reveal it to the WHO until a month later on December 31st, when they continued to hide it from their own citizens, and they continued to say that it had been contained inside of Wuhan. Today it is in every single province in China. They also claimed for almost 2 months, until earlier this week, that it had originated in a seafood market in Wuhan – that locals had contracted it from animals in bat soup or snake tartar. That is not the case. The Lancet published study last week demonstrating that of the original 40 cases, 14 of them had no contact with the seafood market including patient zero. As one epidemiologist said, ‘That virus went into the seafood market before it came out of the seafood market.’ We still don’t know where it originated…I would note that Wuhan also has China’s only biosafety level 4 super laboratory that works with the world’s most deadly pathogens, to include, yes, coronavirus.” The address listed for Professor Shi Zheng-Li’s work conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is just 16 kilometers from the presumed epicenter of the outbreak, Huanan Seafood Market, bolstering these speculations.
Adding to suspicions, a scientist working for the Canadian government at the National Microbiology Lab, plus her husband and her students from China, were expelled from the laboratory in July of 2019, over a possible “policy breach.” The Canadian government has launched an investigation into the expelled scientists. Xiangguo Qiu, who is an expert in the study of the Ebola virus, made at least 5 trips to China from 2017 to 2018, including to the Wuhan Institute of Virology level 4 laboratory, as well as to meetings with colleagues in Beijing. Xiangguo Qiu also resides on the same Virologica Sinica editorial board from which Shi Zheng-Li, of Wuhan Institute of Virology, is Editor-In-Chief. Furthermore, amidst the 2019-nCoV virus outbreak, indictments were unsealed for a Harvard University professor and 2 Chinese nationals, who were charged in 3 separate China related cases. The indictment against the Harvard professor, Charles Leiber, alleges that the professor “lied about his involvement in the Thousand Talents Plan and affiliation with WUT [Wuhan University of Technology].” Leiber’s work has focused primarily on nanotechnology and brain science. Yanqing Ye was indicted for falsely identifying as a student “while studying at Boston University’s (BU) Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering from October 2017 to April 2019” and lying “about her ongoing military service at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), a top military academy directed by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party].” Zaosong Zheng’s indictment states that he “conducted cancer-cell research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston from Sept. 4, 2018, to Dec. 9, 2019.” The indictment against Zheng alleges that Zheng “stole 21 vials of biological research and attempted to smuggle them out of the United States aboard a flight destined for China.” Though the timing of these indictments, amidst the 2019-nCoV outbreak is curious, there is no known direct connection between these indictments and the outbreak itself. The recent events surrounding these investigations and indictments do, however, underscore the potential for threats against national security.
It is important to note that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recognizes that, “biological and chemical materials and technologies—almost always dual-use—move easily in the globalized economy, as do personnel with the scientific expertise to design and use them for legitimate and illegitimate purposes,” and perceives the increasing worldwide exchange and accessibility to pose a potential threat to U.S. national security.
Regardless of whether the SARS outbreak of 2003 or the Novel Coronavirus outbreak of 2019 were man-made or natural occurrences, the lack of transparency, accountability, and oversight by Chinese authorities as to their burgeoning biological weapons program has fueled speculations. Let us hope, for the sake of the Chinese citizens, who have been devastated the most by these epidemics, as well as for the global population, that the Chinese government has finally learned from the grave mistakes of decades past.
Article posted with permission from Corey Lynn, originally posted at CoreysDigs.com


thewashingtonstandard--2020-02-05--End the Hoax: There Are No Palestinians

End the Hoax: There Are No Palestinians

President Trump ’ s “ Deal of the Century ” was a brilliant illustration of his mastery of the art of the deal .
This extravagantly generous proposal , and the Palestinians ’ contemptuous rejection of it , severely damages the international Left ’ s claim that the Israelis are the obstacles to peace , and exposes the Palestinian leadership for the genocidal warmongers they are .
Now it is time to take one more crucial step : end the recognition of the “ Palestinian people ” altogether .
There is no such nation , race , ethnicity , nationality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Returning to reality on this matter will pave the way to the adoption of sane policies for the region .
“ The Palestinian people ” was born in 1963 , when the foes of Israel hit upon a new strategy that would turn the tide of international public opinion against Israel and give new impetus to the jihad against it .
Before that , as The Palestinian Delusion : The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process shows , amid all the drama surrounding Jewish settlement in Palestine , the rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Jewish state , the Palestinians are nowhere to be seen .
Palestine was the name of a region , like Staten Island or Dubuque , not the name of a people .
It is no accident that neither Mark Twain , nor any of the series of English travelers who visited the area , nor anyone else who traveled through desolate Palestine over the centuries ever mentioned the “ Palestinian ” people .
They spoke of encountering Arabs , as well as Jews and Christians and others , but no one , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestine , ever refers to any Palestinians .
Nor do the many British White Papers and other documents the British government produced during the Mandate period ever mention the Palestinians .
The opposing factions in those documents are the Jews and the Arabs .
There is a very simple reason for this : there were no Palestinians .
An uncomfortable fact for those who advance the claim that the Palestinians are the indigenous people of the area is that they have no history : there was never a state of Palestine , never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never ( until quite recently ) a Palestinian flag , and nothing that distinguishes the Palestinians culturally , linguistically , or otherwise from the other Arabs of the region .
During the Mandate period , the Arabs of Palestine generally considered themselves to be Syrians , and Palestine to be Southern Syria .
Early in 1919 , Arab Muslims in fourteen Palestinian municipalities , calling themselves the Muslim-Christian Association , presented a petition to the Paris Peace Conference , which was deliberating about the postwar fate of Syria , Palestine , and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Southern Syria , i.e.
, Palestine , be considered to be “ inseparable from the independent Arab Syrian government , ” for it was “ nothing but part of Arab Syria and it has never been separated from it at any stage.
” Arabs in Palestine , they said , had “ national , religious , linguistic , moral , economic , and geographic bonds ” with Syria , and therefore insisted that Palestine must be “ undetached from the independent Arab Syrian Government.
” Palestine “ should be part of Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under foreign control.
” Those who were making these demands would all today be considered Palestinians .
Yet they would be baffled beyond measure if they could be transported a century ahead and made to listen to today ’ s rhetoric about the Palestinians , the indigenous people of Palestine .
So would Musa Kazim al-Husayni , who as head of the Jerusalem Town Council declared in October 1919 : “ We demand no separation from Syria.
” Even Ahmad Shukairy , who in the 1960s was President of the Palestine Liberation Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World War I , no one was talking about the rights of the Palestinian people ; instead , what was in the air was union of the Arabs of Palestine with the Arabs in Syria : the slogan went “ Unity , Unity , From the Taurus [ Mountains ] to Rafah [ in Gaza ] , Unity , Unity.
” In fact , the word “ Palestinians ” was more often applied to Jews than to Muslim Arabs .
During the Mandate period , some Arabs rejected the term , explaining : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Arabs .
The Palestinians are the Jews.
” Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi , an Arab Muslim leader , regarded the term with the same disdain , telling the Peel Commission in 1937 : “ There is no such country as Palestine !
‘ Palestine ’ is a term the Zionists invented !
There is no Palestine in the Bible .
Our country was for centuries part of Syria.
” In 1946 , the Arab-American historian Philip Hitti testified before the 1946 Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry : “ There is no such thing as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – meaning that there had never been a nation bearing this name .
By the early 1960s , however , the situation had changed , and changed drastically .
The 1963 draft constitution of the Palestine Liberation Organization refers matter-of-factly to “ Palestinians , ” as if they were a distinct and readily identifiable people .
“ All the Palestinians , ” it states , “ are natural members in the Liberation Organization exercising their duty in their liberation of their homeland in accordance with their abilities and efficiency.
” In the early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the fact of their non-existence in history was much more widely known than it is today .
In 1969 , Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir stated that “ there was no such thing as Palestinians….It was not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself as a Palestinian people and we came and threw them out and took their country away from them .
They did not exist.
” In fact , she noted , an “ independent Palestinian people with a Palestinian State ” had never existed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well .
Syrian President Hafez Assad once told Yasser Arafat : “ You do not represent Palestine as much as we do .
Never forget this one point : There is no such thing as a Palestinian people , there is no Palestinian entity , there is only Syria .
You are an integral part of the Syrian people , Palestine is an integral part of Syria .
Therefore it is we , the Syrian authorities , who are the true representatives of the Palestinian people.
” Prince Hassan of the Jordanian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 , 1970 : “ Palestine is Jordan and Jordan is Palestine ; there is only one land , with one history and one and the same fate.
” PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people was a propaganda invention in a 1977 interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw : The Palestinian people does not exist .
The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity .
In reality today there is no difference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lebanese .
Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people , since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “ Palestinian people ” to oppose Zionism .
For tactical reasons , Jordan , which is a sovereign state with defined borders , can not raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa , while as a Palestinian , I can undoubtedly demand Haifa , Jaffa , Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem .
However , the moment we reclaim our right to all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan .
Abdul Hamid Sharif , the Prime Minister of Jordan , would have agreed .
He said in 1980 : “ The Palestinians and Jordanians do not belong to different nationalities .
They hold the same Jordanian passports , are Arabs and have the same Jordanian culture.
” King Hussein of Jordan put it most succinctly of all in 1981 : “ The truth is that Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan.
” Nonetheless , the myth has taken hold , and it is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age that has little historical memory and scant interest in gaining more , that the Palestinians are a genuine nationality , and are the indigenous people of the land that Israel illegally occupies .
This is a propaganda success that Josef Goebbels and the editors of Pravda would have envied , and it became the foundation for more .
Having established the Palestinians as a tiny indigenous people whose land was stolen by rapacious , well-heeled , and oppressive foreigners , it was time to return to the negotiating table – not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel , but to exploit the victimhood status of the new tiny people they had invented in order to win valuable concessions from the Israelis .
If all this were recognized , the onus would be on Jordan , Syria , Lebanon and the other Arab states for not welcoming their Palestinian Arab brethren .
The contention that the Palestinians are a people who must have a state would lose much of its force .
Returning to reality and discarding propaganda fantasies can never have a downside .
It ’ s time to @ @ @ @

President Trump’s “Deal of the Century” was a brilliant illustration of his mastery of the art of the deal. This extravagantly generous proposal, and the Palestinians’ contemptuous rejection of it, severely damages the international Left’s claim that the Israelis are the obstacles to peace, and exposes the Palestinian leadership for the genocidal warmongers they are. Now it is time to take one more crucial step: end the recognition of the “Palestinian people” altogether. There is no such nation, race, ethnicity, nationality, or culture, and never was. Returning to reality on this matter will pave the way to the adoption of sane policies for the region.
“The Palestinian people” was born in 1963, when the foes of Israel hit upon a new strategy that would turn the tide of international public opinion against Israel and give new impetus to the jihad against it. Before that, as The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process shows, amid all the drama surrounding Jewish settlement in Palestine, the rise of Zionism, and the establishment of the Jewish state, the Palestinians are nowhere to be seen. Palestine was the name of a region, like Staten Island or Dubuque, not the name of a people.
It is no accident that neither Mark Twain, nor any of the series of English travelers who visited the area, nor anyone else who traveled through desolate Palestine over the centuries ever mentioned the “Palestinian” people. They spoke of encountering Arabs, as well as Jews and Christians and others, but no one, among multitudes of people who wrote about Palestine, ever refers to any Palestinians. Nor do the many British White Papers and other documents the British government produced during the Mandate period ever mention the Palestinians. The opposing factions in those documents are the Jews and the Arabs.
There is a very simple reason for this: there were no Palestinians.
An uncomfortable fact for those who advance the claim that the Palestinians are the indigenous people of the area is that they have no history: there was never a state of Palestine, never a King or President of Palestine, never (until quite recently) a Palestinian flag, and nothing that distinguishes the Palestinians culturally, linguistically, or otherwise from the other Arabs of the region.
During the Mandate period, the Arabs of Palestine generally considered themselves to be Syrians, and Palestine to be Southern Syria. Early in 1919, Arab Muslims in fourteen Palestinian municipalities, calling themselves the Muslim-Christian Association, presented a petition to the Paris Peace Conference, which was deliberating about the postwar fate of Syria, Palestine, and other former Ottoman possessions.
The petitioners insisted that Southern Syria, i.e., Palestine, be considered to be “inseparable from the independent Arab Syrian government,” for it was “nothing but part of Arab Syria and it has never been separated from it at any stage.” Arabs in Palestine, they said, had “national, religious, linguistic, moral, economic, and geographic bonds” with Syria, and therefore insisted that Palestine must be “undetached from the independent Arab Syrian Government.” Palestine “should be part of Southern Syria, provided the latter is not under foreign control.”
Those who were making these demands would all today be considered Palestinians. Yet they would be baffled beyond measure if they could be transported a century ahead and made to listen to today’s rhetoric about the Palestinians, the indigenous people of Palestine. So would Musa Kazim al-Husayni, who as head of the Jerusalem Town Council declared in October 1919: “We demand no separation from Syria.”
Even Ahmad Shukairy, who in the 1960s was President of the Palestine Liberation Organization, conceded that at the close of World War I, no one was talking about the rights of the Palestinian people; instead, what was in the air was union of the Arabs of Palestine with the Arabs in Syria: the slogan went “Unity, Unity, From the Taurus [Mountains] to Rafah [in Gaza], Unity, Unity.”
In fact, the word “Palestinians” was more often applied to Jews than to Muslim Arabs. During the Mandate period, some Arabs rejected the term, explaining: “We are not Palestinians, we are Arabs. The Palestinians are the Jews.”
Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, an Arab Muslim leader, regarded the term with the same disdain, telling the Peel Commission in 1937: “There is no such country as Palestine! ‘Palestine’ is a term the Zionists invented! There is no Palestine in the Bible. Our country was for centuries part of Syria.”
In 1946, the Arab-American historian Philip Hitti testified before the 1946 Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry: “There is no such thing as Palestine in history, absolutely not” – meaning that there had never been a nation bearing this name.
By the early 1960s, however, the situation had changed, and changed drastically. The 1963 draft constitution of the Palestine Liberation Organization refers matter-of-factly to “Palestinians,” as if they were a distinct and readily identifiable people. “All the Palestinians,” it states, “are natural members in the Liberation Organization exercising their duty in their liberation of their homeland in accordance with their abilities and efficiency.”
In the early days of the existence of the Palestinians, the fact of their non-existence in history was much more widely known than it is today. In 1969, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir stated that “there was no such thing as Palestinians….It was not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself as a Palestinian people and we came and threw them out and took their country away from them. They did not exist.” In fact, she noted, an “independent Palestinian people with a Palestinian State” had never existed.
The Arab Muslims of Palestine knew this as well. Syrian President Hafez Assad once told Yasser Arafat: “You do not represent Palestine as much as we do. Never forget this one point: There is no such thing as a Palestinian people, there is no Palestinian entity, there is only Syria. You are an integral part of the Syrian people, Palestine is an integral part of Syria. Therefore it is we, the Syrian authorities, who are the true representatives of the Palestinian people.”
Prince Hassan of the Jordanian National Assembly put it simply on February 2, 1970: “Palestine is Jordan and Jordan is Palestine; there is only one land, with one history and one and the same fate.” PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people was a propaganda invention in a 1977 interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw:
The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.
For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.
Abdul Hamid Sharif, the Prime Minister of Jordan, would have agreed. He said in 1980: “The Palestinians and Jordanians do not belong to different nationalities. They hold the same Jordanian passports, are Arabs and have the same Jordanian culture.”
King Hussein of Jordan put it most succinctly of all in 1981: “The truth is that Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan.”
Nonetheless, the myth has taken hold, and it is now widely taken for granted, in our age that has little historical memory and scant interest in gaining more, that the Palestinians are a genuine nationality, and are the indigenous people of the land that Israel illegally occupies.
This is a propaganda success that Josef Goebbels and the editors of Pravda would have envied, and it became the foundation for more. Having established the Palestinians as a tiny indigenous people whose land was stolen by rapacious, well-heeled, and oppressive foreigners, it was time to return to the negotiating table – not in order to achieve any genuine accord with Israel, but to exploit the victimhood status of the new tiny people they had invented in order to win valuable concessions from the Israelis.
If all this were recognized, the onus would be on Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the other Arab states for not welcoming their Palestinian Arab brethren. The contention that the Palestinians are a people who must have a state would lose much of its force. Returning to reality and discarding propaganda fantasies can never have a downside. It’s time to take that step.
Article posted with permission from Robert Spencer


thewashingtonstandard--2020-02-05--The Circus Comes To Iowa

The Circus Comes To Iowa

The Dem circus rolled into Iowa with an app to tabulate caucus results .
It failed , miserably , and by the time I read the news this morning , there were zero results .
I had a good chuckle over that one , especially after discovering the app was developed by an Obama lickspittle .
Of all the possibilities for a company name , and to paraphrase Obama , who thought Shadow , Inc. was a good idea ?
# IowaCaucuses https : //t.co/ZUdKB8v8rc But what ’ s really amusing is the response by the propaganda media .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day , it was determined Joe Biden was left in the dust and this upset the overpaid teleprompter readers who , of course , are expected to cheerlead the establishment favorite .
Yes , Todd , it is “ catastrophic ” for you , Hillary Clinton , and the rest of the establishment parasites who tell us ad nauseam they ’ re “ public servants , ” when it fact they ’ re self-seeking sociopaths selected to service the financial elite while peddling a raft of lies and blue sky bullshit nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Establishment Democrats managed to push Mayor Pete , now known as Mayor Cheat ( for declaring his victory prior to the arrival of fiddled results ) , up above Bernie Sanders .
That ’ s right .
Democrats out here in flyover country want Bernie Sanders because he ’ s not an establishment Democrat .
Citizen Democrats want Bernie the same way citizen Republicans wanted and got Trump in 2016 .
Flyover Democrats and Republicans , generally ignored until elections roll around , want change—not Obama fake establishment change but real change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will never allow , not without bloodletting .
It ’ s too bad .
They will not get real , honest change—not without a revolution .
I ’ m not sure Hillary Incorporated will be able to sideline Sanders like it did in 2016 .
People are warning up to his fantasy socialism and basket of free stuff because—well , because they ’ ve been ripped off by the financial elite for decades , the middle class is melting , and the USG is lying about economic stats and feeding ( through a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) made-up funny money into the Great Corporate Casino and using its artificiality to argue —as the Stable Orange Genius tell us—this is nothing short of the Greatest Economy Ever .
The problem is most people don ’ t have a solid grasp of any of this .
Millions believe a free stuff economy is actually possible .
It ’ s difficult to blame them .
They ’ ve been ripped off for so long they ’ ll vote for an avowed Marxist .
The second sabotage of Bernie by the DNC in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffering from the early stages of senility—will piss off a lot of citizen Democrats .
Mayor Pete will not remain at the top of the list and like Trump , he ’ s nowhere near presidential material .
Pete ’ s at the top of the list to block Bernie , but at the end of the day , that dog don ’ t hunt .
The child-sniffer Biden will be hoisted to the top of the corrupt pile of shit known as the DNC .
And Trump will be re-elected .
And @ @ @ @ @

The Dem circus rolled into Iowa with an app to tabulate caucus results. It failed, miserably, and by the time I read the news this morning, there were zero results. I had a good chuckle over that one, especially after discovering the app was developed by an Obama lickspittle.
Of all the possibilities for a company name, and to paraphrase Obama, who thought Shadow, Inc. was a good idea? #IowaCaucuses
https://t.co/ZUdKB8v8rc
— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) February 5, 2020
But what’s really amusing is the response by the propaganda media. After results finally did trickle in later in the day, it was determined Joe Biden was left in the dust and this upset the overpaid teleprompter readers who, of course, are expected to cheerlead the establishment favorite.
Chuck Todd On Iowa Results: “Fourth Place For Biden Is Catastrophic” https://t.co/TrcoovUaub via @YouTube — TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) February 5, 2020
Yes, Todd, it is “catastrophic” for you, Hillary Clinton, and the rest of the establishment parasites who tell us ad nauseam they’re “public servants,” when it fact they’re self-seeking sociopaths selected to service the financial elite while peddling a raft of lies and blue sky bullshit nobody believes anymore.
But not to worry. Establishment Democrats managed to push Mayor Pete, now known as Mayor Cheat (for declaring his victory prior to the arrival of fiddled results), up above Bernie Sanders.
As of right now in the Iowa Caucus count, Bernie Sanders is ahead in the popular vote, and yet Pete Buttigieg leads in delegates. That is called a broken system. pic.twitter.com/SHpzpKats2 — Zach Carter (@zachdcarter) February 4, 2020
That’s right. Democrats out here in flyover country want Bernie Sanders because he’s not an establishment Democrat.
Citizen Democrats want Bernie the same way citizen Republicans wanted and got Trump in 2016. Flyover Democrats and Republicans, generally ignored until elections roll around, want change—not Obama fake establishment change but real change, the sort of change the elite will never allow, not without bloodletting.
It’s too bad. They will not get real, honest change—not without a revolution.
I’m not sure Hillary Incorporated will be able to sideline Sanders like it did in 2016. People are warning up to his fantasy socialism and basket of free stuff because—well, because they’ve been ripped off by the financial elite for decades, the middle class is melting, and the USG is lying about economic stats and feeding (through a bankster cartel masquerading as a federal agency) made-up funny money into the Great Corporate Casino and using its artificiality to argue —as the Stable Orange Genius tell us—this is nothing short of the Greatest Economy Ever.
The problem is most people don’t have a solid grasp of any of this. Millions believe a free stuff economy is actually possible. It’s difficult to blame them. They’ve been ripped off for so long they’ll vote for an avowed Marxist.
The second sabotage of Bernie by the DNC in favor of Joe Biden—he appears to be suffering from the early stages of senility—will piss off a lot of citizen Democrats.
Mayor Pete will not remain at the top of the list and like Trump, he’s nowhere near presidential material. Pete’s at the top of the list to block Bernie, but at the end of the day, that dog don’t hunt. The child-sniffer Biden will be hoisted to the top of the corrupt pile of shit known as the DNC.
And Trump will be re-elected.
And there will be blood.
Article posted with permission from Kurt Nimmo


thewashingtonstandard--2020-02-05--Is America Now “The Evil Empire”?

Is America Now “The Evil Empire”?

Last week movie director Oliver Stone told the television program “ Russia Today ” that America is now “ the evil empire.
” This is in reference to President Reagan ’ s famous remark in the mid-1980s that the Soviet Union was “ the evil empire.
” Reagan got a lot of flak from the left for saying that .
But Reagan was right .
The USSR put to death tens of millions of human beings in order to force the country into communism .
Oliver Stone was bemoaning the “ economic censorship ” he claims to have experienced at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t care to see some of his movies bashing America and all it stands for .
One of Stone ’ s biggest beefs is that both major political parties sanction wars and more wars .
Although he didn ’ t finish his thought , the Oscar-winning movie director essentially called for America ’ s demise : “ Empires fall .
Let ’ s pray that this empire , these evil things … because we are the evil empire .
What Reagan said about Russia is true about us.
” TRENDING : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host confronts him on Hunter It is not a news flash that Oliver Stone is not a fan of America .
But to call America “ the evil empire ” is a new one .
I agree with Reagan , not Stone .
In the 20th century alone , the Communists killed some 100 million ( some say as high as 130 million ) human beings , many of them their own people .
In every country where they ’ ve seized power , these atheistic regimes have declared war on the church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ churches to be destroyed .
He wrote in his famous essay “ Socialism and Religion ” : “ We must combat religion – this is the ABC of all materialism and consequently Marxism.
” In 1925 , the Soviets founded the League of Militant Godless ( LMG ) to eradicate all religion ; by 1941 it disbanded in failure .
Despite all the crushing , brutal attacks , they could not eradicate Christianity .
Ukraine is constantly in the news because of the impeachment trial winding down in the U.S. Senate as of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forget that Stalin forced starvation on millions ( 3.5 to 8 million ) of Ukrainians in the 1930s , to force them into communism .
We don ’ t know ultimately how many Ukrainians he killed , even though he boasted to having killed 10 million of them , because he had the census workers shot .
The Communists killed Christians in Russia , China , Vietnam , Cambodia , Cuba and every other place where they have ascended to power .
In some cases ( though not all ) the church has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the persecution .
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn , the great intellectual and Nobel-prize winning Russian author , said in his book “ The Mortal Danger ” ( 1980 ) : “ It is no accident that the Soviet Union has made no effort more concentrated and ferocious in 60 years than its attempt to eradicate Christianity , and yet they have proved incapable of destroying it.
” No wonder Reagan called the Soviet Union , “ the evil empire.
” Meanwhile , virtually every time America has gone to war , it was either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win freedom for others .
Even the Vietnam War , in which Oliver Stone served his country , was geared toward helping the southern portion of that country not fall into the Communists ’ hands – which did happen after we pulled out .
And millions were killed consequently .
Ironically , the kind of atheistic politics extolled by the Communists Stone apparently admires are leading us down a dark road – though I doubt it ’ s the one Stone has in mind .
It ’ s a road of turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a decade in the Soviet gulag ( sentenced for an oblique criticism of Stalin , not even by name ) .
Years later , on June 8 , 1978 , he delivered the graduating speech at Harvard .
He was booed for saying that all our problems ( including communism ) get back to forgetting God and that we must turn back to Him .
Christian author and pastor Dr. Erwin Lutzer says that Solzhenitsyn confided in a friend that that negative response at Harvard “ hurt him more deeply than his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments on the incident , “ He understood more clearly than our self-styled intellectuals that when God is irrelevant anything is permissible.
” To whatever extent America has gone to the dark side , it is because we have driven God out of the public square .
As a society , we are reaping the consequences of that .
In his Farewell Address ( 1796 ) , George Washington declared , “ Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity , religion and morality are indispensable supports .
In vain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patriotism , who should labour to subvert these great pillars of human happiness , these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.
” America is far from perfect , and we do need to get back to God .
But at this point , we are far from being “ the evil empire .
”

Last week movie director Oliver Stone told the television program “Russia Today” that America is now “the evil empire.”
This is in reference to President Reagan’s famous remark in the mid-1980s that the Soviet Union was “the evil empire.” Reagan got a lot of flak from the left for saying that. But Reagan was right. The USSR put to death tens of millions of human beings in order to force the country into communism.
Oliver Stone was bemoaning the “economic censorship” he claims to have experienced at the box office by ordinary Americans who don’t care to see some of his movies bashing America and all it stands for.
One of Stone’s biggest beefs is that both major political parties sanction wars and more wars.
Although he didn’t finish his thought, the Oscar-winning movie director essentially called for America’s demise: “Empires fall. Let’s pray that this empire, these evil things … because we are the evil empire. What Reagan said about Russia is true about us.”
TRENDING: Biden snaps as ‘Today’ show host confronts him on Hunter
It is not a news flash that Oliver Stone is not a fan of America. But to call America “the evil empire” is a new one. I agree with Reagan, not Stone.
In the 20th century alone, the Communists killed some 100 million (some say as high as 130 million) human beings, many of them their own people.
In every country where they’ve seized power, these atheistic regimes have declared war on the church of Jesus Christ. Lenin ordered 70,000 churches to be destroyed. He wrote in his famous essay “Socialism and Religion”: “We must combat religion – this is the ABC of all materialism and consequently Marxism.”
In 1925, the Soviets founded the League of Militant Godless (LMG) to eradicate all religion; by 1941 it disbanded in failure. Despite all the crushing, brutal attacks, they could not eradicate Christianity.
Ukraine is constantly in the news because of the impeachment trial winding down in the U.S. Senate as of this writing. Many people seem to forget that Stalin forced starvation on millions (3.5 to 8 million) of Ukrainians in the 1930s, to force them into communism. We don’t know ultimately how many Ukrainians he killed, even though he boasted to having killed 10 million of them, because he had the census workers shot.
The Communists killed Christians in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Cuba and every other place where they have ascended to power. In some cases (though not all) the church has survived these attacks and is the stronger for the persecution.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the great intellectual and Nobel-prize winning Russian author, said in his book “The Mortal Danger” (1980): “It is no accident that the Soviet Union has made no effort more concentrated and ferocious in 60 years than its attempt to eradicate Christianity, and yet they have proved incapable of destroying it.”
No wonder Reagan called the Soviet Union, “the evil empire.”
Meanwhile, virtually every time America has gone to war, it was either to fight for her own freedom or to win freedom for others. Even the Vietnam War, in which Oliver Stone served his country, was geared toward helping the southern portion of that country not fall into the Communists’ hands – which did happen after we pulled out. And millions were killed consequently.
Ironically, the kind of atheistic politics extolled by the Communists Stone apparently admires are leading us down a dark road – though I doubt it’s the one Stone has in mind. It’s a road of turning our back on God.
Solzhenitsyn spent about a decade in the Soviet gulag (sentenced for an oblique criticism of Stalin, not even by name). Years later, on June 8, 1978, he delivered the graduating speech at Harvard.
He was booed for saying that all our problems (including communism) get back to forgetting God and that we must turn back to Him. Christian author and pastor Dr. Erwin Lutzer says that Solzhenitsyn confided in a friend that that negative response at Harvard “hurt him more deeply than his suffering in the Russian gulag.”
Lutzer comments on the incident, “He understood more clearly than our self-styled intellectuals that when God is irrelevant anything is permissible.”
To whatever extent America has gone to the dark side, it is because we have driven God out of the public square. As a society, we are reaping the consequences of that.
In his Farewell Address (1796), George Washington declared, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
America is far from perfect, and we do need to get back to God. But at this point, we are far from being “the evil empire.”
Article posted with permission from Jerry Newcombe


thewashingtonstandard--2020-02-05--Federal Court: California Magazine Ban Violates Second Amendment

If Democrats had their way , most of us would not be allowed to have guns at all .
Those that were allowed , would be allowed just a single non-lethal bullet .
You don ’ t really think Andy let Barney have a real bullet , do you ?
Look at what is happening around the globe .
Very few countries allow for citizens to act in self-defense with anything that can actually defend one ’ s self .
With that said , there is good news coming out of California .
In one of the strongest judicial statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date , Judge Roger T. Benitez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California determined on Friday that California ’ s ban on commonly possessed firearm magazines violates the Second Amendment .
The NRA-supported case had already been up to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on the question of whether the law ’ s enforcement should be suspended during proceedings on its constitutionality .
Last July , a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit upheld Judge Benitez ’ s suspension of enforcement and sent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the merits of the law itself .
Judge Benitez rendered his opinion late Friday afternoon and handed Second Amendment supporters a sweeping victory by completely invalidating California ’ s 10-round limit on magazine capacity .
“ Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts , ” he declared .
In a scholarly and comprehensive opinion , Judge Benitez subjected the ban both to the constitutional analysis he argued was required by the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller and a more complicated and flexible test the Ninth Circuit has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Either way , Judge Benitez ruled , the law would fail .
Indeed , he characterized the California law as “ turning the Constitution upside down.
” He also systematically dismantled each of the state ’ s purported justifications for the law , demonstrating the factual and legal inconsistencies of their claims .
With all of the happenings in Virginia , it is important to note that not all laws stick and if it violates the 2nd Amendment , hopefully , a judge will see clearly enough to overturn it .
California is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Gun supply retailers are FLOODING California with 30-round magazines , making sure patriots are armed up to defeat the communists when it all breaks loose Looks like all of those high-capacity mags that people bought are suddenly legal again .
Way to go California !
Every time tyrants come for our guns , we buy more .
In the end , the liberals are facing more of a “ gun problem ” than they imagined they had in the first place .
Shall not be infringed , moonbats .

Magazine Bans are ridiculous.
If Democrats had their way, most of us would not be allowed to have guns at all.
Those that were allowed, would be allowed just a single non-lethal bullet.
You don’t really think Andy let Barney have a real bullet, do you?
Think I’m crazy America?
Look at what is happening around the globe.
Very few countries allow for citizens to act in self-defense with anything that can actually defend one’s self.
With that said, there is good news coming out of California.
From BreakingtheMatrix:
In one of the strongest judicial statements in favor of the Second Amendment to date, Judge Roger T. Benitez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California determined on Friday that California’s ban on commonly possessed firearm magazines violates the Second Amendment.
The case is Duncan v. Becerra.
The NRA-supported case had already been up to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on the question of whether the law’s enforcement should be suspended during proceedings on its constitutionality. Last July, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit upheld Judge Benitez’s suspension of enforcement and sent the case back to him for further proceedings on the merits of the law itself.
Judge Benitez rendered his opinion late Friday afternoon and handed Second Amendment supporters a sweeping victory by completely invalidating California’s 10-round limit on magazine capacity. “Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts,” he declared.
In a scholarly and comprehensive opinion, Judge Benitez subjected the ban both to the constitutional analysis he argued was required by the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller and a more complicated and flexible test the Ninth Circuit has applied in prior Second Amendment cases.
Either way, Judge Benitez ruled, the law would fail. Indeed, he characterized the California law as “turning the Constitution upside down.” He also systematically dismantled each of the state’s purported justifications for the law, demonstrating the factual and legal inconsistencies of their claims.
Read more…
#####
With all of the happenings in Virginia, it is important to note that not all laws stick and if it violates the 2nd Amendment, hopefully, a judge will see clearly enough to overturn it.
California is known for some crazy gun laws.
Looks like all of those high-capacity mags that people bought are suddenly legal again.
Way to go California!
Every time tyrants come for our guns, we buy more.
In the end, the liberals are facing more of a “gun problem” than they imagined they had in the first place.
Shall not be infringed, moonbats.
Article posted with permission from Dean Garrison


thewashingtonstandard--2020-02-05--USMCA, Medicaid Initiative & Profits, The SOTU & The Trump Administration

On the heels of the State of the Union address by President Donald Trump , we take on the continued @ @ @ @ @ his remarks regarding the globalist agenda in education .
However , we also make reference @ @ @ @ @ which we will have to say more about next week , and who is profiting @ @ @ @ @ looks like family members tied to Trump are going to make a bundle on that @ @ @ @ @ and document mentioned in this episode : Watch the State of the Union address for @ @ @ @ @ permission from Sons Of Liberty Media SonsOfLibertyMedia.com , Minds , MeWe , Spreely , Tim @ @ @ @ @ Editor at FreedomOutpost.com GunsInTheNews.com and TheWashingtonStandard.com .
He is husband to his `` more precious @ @ @ @ @ father of 10 `` mighty arrows '' , jack of all trades , Christian and @ @ @ @ @ resides in the U.S. occupied Great State of South Carolina .
.
Follow Tim on @ @ @ @ @ out on Gab Mumbl It and Steemit

On the heels of the State of the Union address by President Donald Trump, we take on the continued issue of the USMCA and his remarks regarding the globalist agenda in education. However, we also make reference to the Medicaid initiative, which we will have to say more about next week, and who is profiting from it. It certainly looks like family members tied to Trump are going to make a bundle on that initiative.
Article, book and document mentioned in this episode:
Watch the State of the Union address for 2020.
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Article posted with permission from Sons Of Liberty Media