Iran escalates threats near the anniversary of the killing of Qasem Soleimani

 

A man holds up a photo of Qasem Soleimani. Military.com.

Iran has escalated threats as the anniversary of the killing of Qasem Soleimani rapidly approaches. Military.com. Soleimani was killed in an airstrike in Iraq last January 3rd. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called the strike unforgivable and claimed that Iran had a plan for revenge against the United States and President Donald Trump. President Trump warned that any Iranian move that resulted in an American death would result in retaliation. As a show of force two American B-52 bombers flew over the Persian Gulf this week. 

My Comment:

More saber rattling from Iran. They have been making major threats via social media and it's clear that they are still angry that their terrorist leader, Qasem Soleimani, is dead. His death upturned many of Iran's plans in the region. 

Can Iran do anything though? They have several options for causing chaos. First they could use their military in a direct strike. They had already done so in the wake of the death of Soleimani, launching several missiles against US targets in Iraq. Though that strike accomplished next to nothing they could certainly do it again. 

A more threatening move would be to launch attacks using their proxy forces in Iraq. Those militias are somewhat powerful and have moved against US forces there in the past. They were responsible for a recent attack on the "Green Zone" in Baghdad and they could do so again. It's pretty unlikely they would accomplish much given the disparity in combat power and US air support. A sustained attack would do much more damage to those militias then it would to any American soldiers in the area. 

The most threatening move Iran could pull would be to use their sleeper cells and proxies active in the west to launch terror attacks. Iran has infiltrated quite a few people into the United States and Europe and those people could very easily be activated to launch attacks on citizens, infrastructure or make assassination attempts. Doing so would be suicidal though as these attacks would almost certainly result in open warfare. 

Indeed, any attack would be idiotic on the part of Iran. If they cause any American deaths in any of these scenarios, President Trump will respond. It might not lead to an all out war but it could lead to major strikes on military targets. Remember, President Trump almost already struck Iran but decided at the last moment that a major strike on Iran for their actions was not proportional as they hadn't killed any Americans. If they do so now that would change the calculus. 

And picking a fight now seems stupid with the election in flux. If Joe Biden gets in then there is zero point for Iran picking a fight. Biden will lay down for Iran and will try to bring back the Iran nuclear deal that was made by his former administration under Obama. All Iran would have to do is wait a month and see if conditions are more favorable. And if Trump does stay in office they can strike then. 

My guess is this is a bunch of saber rattling and nothing more. Iran lost a ton of face when Qasem Soleimani was killed and by making threats like this they are trying to get some of it back. Given they settled on an ineffective missile strike when Soleimani died I can't imagine they would try and start a war now.  

$600 stimulus payments begin arriving for Americans.

 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnunchin. Yahoo/AFP.

$600 stimulus payments have begun arriving for American citizens. Yahoo News. People with direct deposit with the IRS should see their payment soon while paper checks will be mailed before January 15th. Efforts to increase the payment to $2000 have stalled out in the Senate. People are eligible for the full payments if they make less than $75000 a year for singles and $150,000 for married couples. 

My Comment:

As of a few minutes ago my payment is pending in my bank account. I'm not too happy about the entire situation. I don't need the money (but I am still taking it) and it's not enough to actually help people. In my case if I wasn't working $600 would not even be enough to pay my rent. 

The $2000 amount was better but it seems likely that will be dead. Both the Democrats and Republicans are playing politics with the checks and neither side wants to compromise. I don't really blame Mitch McConnel for trying to tie in GOP priorities into the bills as the Democrats did the same thing, but it's not the best strategy. 

Again though, both amounts seem rather pointless. Neither is enough for the people late on their rent or who have run out of unemployment. And it's not like people can really spend the money on much right now. If this was a normal time I might use it to take a vacation but that's not really possible either. 

The entire thing seems like a wasted effort. If congress really wanted to help things they would demand the lockdowns to be lifted. Though that would probably increase Coronavirus infections it would boost the  economy and get more people to work then any payment could. 

And I am still bitter about the fact that the omnibus spending bill that is paying for this included so much other nonsense. No, we shouldn't be giving money to Pakistan for gender studies, or any of the other millions of dollars that bill wasted on other countries. They can get millions of dollars but normal American citizens get $600? What a joke. 

As to what I will be doing with my $600? Probably nothing. Like I said there isn't much to spend my money on and to be honest I am thinking of buying a house. Saving the money won't help the economy at all but I don't really want to anything else with it. If the government has a problem with that then too bad! 

Thousands of Aspen Colorado residents left without heat after apparent ecoterrorism attack on gas lines

 

File photo of Aspen Colorado. ABC News/AP

Thousands of Aspen Colorado residents are now left without heat and warm water after an apparent ecoterrorism attack on gas lines. ABC News. Work crews are trying to deliver space heaters as eight inches of snow and a low of two degrees are forecasted for tonight. The attack occurred at three different sites and graffiti at one of the sites said "earth first" a slogan of the radical Earth First! ecoterror group. In addition to the 3,500 citizens without power several businesses and hotels were left without gas during the height of tourism season for Aspen. 

My Comment:

Another attack on critical infrastructure. With the Nashville attack targeting AT&T it's the second in a week. It just goes to show how vulnerable our infrastructure is. The Nashville attack required a massive bomb but this attack only required a few people that knew how to shut off gas lines. It goes to show how easy an attack like this is. 

The timing of this attack is terrible. It's the middle of winter in Aspen and there is potential that people could freeze to death. Failing that the lack of heat and hot water could cause massive amounts of damage to water pipes, causing them to burst. That can cause thousands or even millions of dollars of damage. Plus, it will take some time to get these lines repaired and the gas turned back on to these residents. 

The attack was scary because of how simple it was and how easy it was to get away with. These people had some idea of what they were doing and were not caught. There was no real defense against this kind of attack and there wasn't even a camera to catch these people in the act. If they could do this in Aspen they could have hit a major city and that would have been much worse than this. 

As for who is responsible it seems likely that this was an ecoterror attack. Earth First is a radical environmentalist slogan and this has all the callings of an attack like this. They have a real problem with fossil fuels and don't like the upper class lifestyle of the people that live and visit Aspen. It seems very likely that a group like Earth First! could have been the ones to commit the terror attack.

With that being said, it's very possible that some other group used the Earth First slogan as a false flag. That's not likely at all but it's not outside the realm of possibility. Doing so would distract the FBI and allow a potential terror campaign to continue. But who would be doing it and why is beyond me. 

And yes, I do consider this a terror attack. Causing mayhem and potentially even killing people in service as of a political cause, even one as dumb as radical environmentalism. People rushed to call the Nashville bombing an act of terrorism, even though we don't know the motive yet, so it's clear that in this case where we do know the motive we can call it the same thing. 

Given the political instability in the Untied States and the major threat posed by foreign actors it would be smart to prepare yourself for attacks like this. Having food and water available is a good idea, and a portable heater wouldn't be a bad idea either. I get the feeling that these recent attacks are a start of a trend of infrastructure attacks.  

China sentences Coronavirus whistleblower to four years in prison.

 

A man holds up a picture of Zhang Zhan, the whistleblower. National Review.

China has sentenced a Coronavirus whistleblower to four years in prison. National Review. 37 year old Zhang Zhan had traveled to Wuhan to document the damage the Coronavirus was doing in China. Zhang posted videos of crowded hospitals and of citizens complaining about a loss of income. She also criticized Chinese censorship of reporters like her. Zhang was arrested and charged with "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and her trial lasted less then three hours. Zhang appeared in a wheelchair and has been on a hunger strike since her arrest. She has been force fed since she has been in custody with a feeding tube. 

My Comment:

Though I am critical of journalism as a profession I have to say that Zhang Zhan was doing real journalism. Instead of making up nonsense and lying to people, she risked her life to tell the Chinese people and the world what the real conditions in Wuhan were. She deserves a ton of credit for that and what China is doing to her is terrible. 

Indeed, despite the horrible behavior of the current crop of journalism, you can tell a lot about a country in how they treat their journalists. In America we treat our journalists with kid gloves, even when they break the law. In China they throw them in prison and force feed them when they go on hunger strike. 

China deserves a lot of blame for the Coronavirus outbreak. If they had not kept the outbreak secret from the world other countries could have prepared themselves. If they had banned travel they could have prevented or at least delayed the outbreak, saving thousands of lives. But they did not and now we all have to deal with the fallout. 

So why doesn't China get more of the blame even though they could have prevented the pandemic and they are throwing journalists into prison for reporting the truth? Ironically enough it's because journalists are covering for them. Part of me thinks it is Trump Derangement Syndrome but I also think that China has a huge amount of influence. 

Will this story have an effect? Probably not. Like I said American journalism tends to cover for China and attacks anyone who criticizes them. And when it comes down to it the life of one journalist doesn't mean much internationally, as sad as it may seem. 

US Army special forces Sergeant charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder in Illinois mass shooting.

 

Mugshot of Sergeant Duke Webb. CBS News/WIFR-TV.

An active duty US Army special forces Sergeant has been charged with murder and attempted murder for a mass shooting in Rockford Illinois. CBS News. The attack occurred at a bowling alley that had an attached bar. The three dead were men in their 60's and 70's while another man in his 60's was injured in addition to two teenagers there to pick up food. No motive has been released for the attack and the crime seems random as the suspect, Sergeant Duke Webb, had no apparent relationship with the victims or business. Webb is a 1st Sergeant in the Army and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and worked in operations and intelligence.  

My Comment:

This incident flew under the radar as all the news has been about the stimulus deal or the bombing in Nashville. But I think this is an important story as well. This attack was very unusual and seems to be truly pointless. The attacker had no reason to shoot these people. 

It sounds like Webb had two handguns and surrendered when police arrived. They came pretty quick and probably saved lives. It's not clear why he surrendered when he could have fought with them but I it's a good thing that he was stopped. 

No motive has been released but I wonder if this guy just snapped. 2020 has been an absolute disaster for just about everyone and I don't doubt it was a bad year for Webb as well. I don't see any indication that this was a planned attack so some random thing might have set him off. If it was planned it wasn't that good of a plan as he could have killed a lot of other people. 

Mass shootings have almost disappeared in 2020 largely due to the fact that most businesses and schools are closed. Even this attack was on a place that was essentially closed. Only the bar area and kitchen was open so there weren't a lot of targets. 

I don't know how important the fact that this attacker was in the Army. It doesn't sound like he was a front line soldier but he was in the special forces and was fairly high ranked for a NCO. He's not the kind of guy you would expect to commit an attack like this. Plus I am guessing that he was evaluated and background checked if he was in this line of work. The attack does not make much sense. 

My take on the Nashville explosion.

 

A picture of the suspected RV involved in the bombing. Police photo via the New York Times.

A massive explosion happened yesterday in Nashville Tennessee leaving three people injured and causing major damage. The New York Times. Police responded to suspected gunshots when they found the RV and the RV broadcast a message saying it had a bomb on board, including a countdown. Police evacuated the area and prevented any deaths when the RV exploded. The RV was parked in front of a AT&T transmission building and caused service outages when the RV exploded. Possible human tissue was found in the area, though no fatalities are known at this time. The attack occurred in a busy part of town which was abandoned for the Christmas holiday. 

My Comment:

I missed this story yesterday being busy with Christmas and with little information to go on. I'm covering it now even as more news breaks. Apparently a person of interest has been named in this case. I am not going to link to the articles though as I think it is irresponsible to name people at this point in the investigation. It's possible that the person named in the article is responsible for the attack but it is also just as possible that he merely sold the attacker the RV, thus the medias effort to dox him could be completely unjustified. It could end up being a Richard Jewel situation where the media names the wrong man. 

As for the bombing itself, it's a very strange situation. There is a lot about this bombing that makes it unique and strange. The first thing that is off is that the attacker left a message warning people to stay away. That almost never happens and I can only think of a few situations like that where the attacker took efforts to spare people's lives. There were a couple of attacks like that during the Troubles in Northern Ireland but that's about it for people warning of an attack. 

This tells us that whatever the goal was of the attacker it wasn't the typical "cause as many deaths and injuries as possible" goal of most terrorists. Instead the attacker went out of his way to try and spare lives. Not only did he pass on a warning he also chose his target at a time he knew everyone would be gone. Nobody was out in this busy business district because yesterday was the one day nobody would be there. 

The choice of target seems pretty important here. Unless the attacker had a grudge against one of the local businesses it seems clear that the AT&T building was the primary target. Attacking that building took out the internet and phones for a large number of people. That appears to have been the goal for the attacker.

I will note that I could be wrong about that. The place of the attack could have been randomly chosen or it's possible that the attacker really did have a grudge against one of the other local businesses. But it seems to me that the true target was the AT&T building and thus this was an attack on our infrastructure. 

So what was this attack? We might never know the motive. It could have been done in service of many different goals or ideologies and we won't know unless a manifesto is found. The choice of target leaves some pretty disturbing options though. It is possible that this was an effort to ferment an insurrection and could be seen as trial run for further attacks. It's even possible that this was a foreign effort, to go along with the massive cyber attacks we have seen recently. Without more information we just don't know. 

The good news is that nobody died, that we know of. Though the attacker didn't seem to have that as a goal the bomb was powerful enough that a lot of people could have died if not for the actions of the police. We should be so lucky that attacks like this end this way, with no deaths, other then potentially the attacker.  

Editor's Note: Merry Christmas everyone!

 As you are certainly aware it's Christmas Day. I hope that everyone that is reading this has a nice holiday and enjoys the upcoming new year. I personally am heading to see my family today so I probably won't have a post up unless something huge happens. But almost nothing ever happens on Christmas Day so don't expect a post tonight! 

ATF reverses course and will no longer consider reclassifying AR pistols

 

Breitbart/AFP/Getty.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has reversed course and will no longer consider reclassifying AR pistols. Breitbart.  The ATF was considering putting AR pistols with stabilizing braces under the National Firearm Act as short barreled rifles', which require stronger background checks and taxes. The move was widely rejected by gun rights supporters and Republican politicians. Today the NRA reported that the ATF withdrew the effort. The ATF said the following in their statement:

Upon further consultation with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, ATF is withdrawing, pending further Department of Justice review, the notice and request for comments entitled “Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces’,” that was published on December 18, 2020. As explained in the notice, the proposed guidance was not a regulation. The notice informed and invited comment from the industry and public on a proposed guidance prior to issuing a final guidance document.

JUST IN: The ATF withdrew its guidance on pistol stabilizing braces.

Thank you to all @NRA members, gun owners, pro-2A members of Congress, @SenateMajLdr McConnell, @RepRichHudson, and all who helped strike down the @ATFHQ’s unsuccessful overreach.

— NRA (@NRA) December 24, 2020

My Comment:

This is rare excellent gun rights news. It looked for sure that the ATF was going to de facto ban AR pistols with braces. That would be a massive change for the negative given how popular those pistols are. And it would be a move that would have had next to zero level of compliance, gun owners wouldn't even consider following the ATF's rules here. 

A quick note for non-gun experts out there. AR pistols are based on the AR-15 platform but do not have a stock and thus are classified as a pistol. These pistols are often fitted with wrist braces that allow the weapons to be fired one handed. They can also function as a stock if you use them that way but they are in no way stocks and until recently the ATF agreed. Short barreled rifles are rifles that have barrels shorter than 16 inches and are regulated under the NFA, which require a more vigorous background check and a $200 tax per gun.

To be perfectly honest I always thought that AR pistols were a pretty obvious end run around the NFA. This just goes to show the ingenuity of gun manufacturers and the stupidity of gun laws. People want short firearms and banning them served no purpose. So the gun manufactures followed the law and filled customer demand. And it was a rare case of basically nobody disagreeing with it as I have only rarely heard anti-gun people trying to ban AR pistols. Probably because they didn't even know they existed. 

Banning short barreled rifles never made any sense in the first place. Even though short barreled rifles are smaller then normal rifles they aren't concealable and don't offer much of an advantage over carrying a pistol. An AR pistols is more powerful then a normal handgun but without being concealable at all. And they aren't as accurate and as easy to use as a full size rifle. They are kind of the worst of both worlds. 

I personally have no desire to own a AR pistol but I have considered buying pistol versions of other rifles, most notably the CZ scorpion. I have wanted a pistol caliber carbine for awhile but haven't had the opportunity to buy one. I am glad that I may have the chance to do so after the great 2020 panic buy subsides... if it ever subsides. And the only reason I don't want an AR pistol is that it would be fairly redundant for me as I already have a full size AR.  

This is a major victory for gun owners but I don't know how long it will last. On one hand it's very clear that there is almost zero desire for gun control in the United States after the events of 2020. I can think of no greater advertisement for the 2nd amendment then the combined crises of the Coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter riots. After seeing cites burn and people attacked in the streets even the most progressive lefty realized that guns actually do have a purpose. 

On the other it's very disturbing that the ATF brought this up in the first place. And this is under a (relatively) pro-gun Trump administration. If the unthinkable happens and Joe Biden scams his way into the Presidency then all bets are off. I would hope that Biden would have the same realization that Obama must have had, going after guns would not only hurt him politically, it could lead to violence and even civil war. But Biden is barely alive anymore and I have zero trust in Kamala Harris being any better. And even if Trump manages to defend his presidency, it's not like he has been great on gun rights. After all the ATF did this under him and though he might have had something to do with them dropping it, it's still not much of a relief.  

President Trump blasts Coronavirus relief bill saying he will veto it unless payments are increased to $2000 per individual.

 

President Donald Trump. 

President Trump has blasted the Coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress saying he will veto it unless payments for Americas are increased to $2000 per individual and the pork spending was removed. Fox News. President Trump explained that the bill had very little to do with Coronavirus relief and decried the large amount of spending on other countries. He also decried the small amount of help small businesses with restaurants especially getting next to no help. 

pic.twitter.com/v9Rdjz6DNu

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020

My Comment:

Make sure you watch that video I posted from President Trump's Twitter account. It's shocking how much money the government is wasting on what is supposed to be a Coronavirus relief bill. Trump's statement was a greatest hits collection of the terrible things in this bill. Giving countries like Cambodia and Burma millions of dollars, giving millions of dollars to arts and entertainment centers that aren't even open and giving money to illegal immigrants. 

And I think Trump is right to veto this. The $600 offered by congress was a joke. Like I said in my last post on this bill, $600 isn't even enough to cover rent. It's not anywhere near to help the people that actually need it. I personally don't, I worked through the entire pandemic, but for people that lost their jobs $600 is nothing. 

Not that $2000 is a life changing amount of money but it's a lot more then $600. For someone like me $2000 would have most of my bills paid for a month. As it stands now, I would probably spend it or hold onto it for a potential down payment on a house. Both would contribute the economy. 

Politically this is a good move for President Trump. Almost everyone I talked to were rolling their eyes at the $600 at best, with most of them furious about what the government was doing. When informed about the money they were wasting on other countries they were all very angry about it.

And on social media? It seems like one of the only things that everyone on that platform agreed on. Ted Cruz and AOC were agreeing, Democrats and Republicans were liking each others tweets and the lambs and lions were lying down together. Everyone was furious with what Congress did and for the first time in a long time the country was united, even if the reasons were varied. 

Will President Trump's effort work? I am not sure. I think that there are enough congress members and Senators to overturn President Trump's veto. Doing so might be political suicide though. Like I said, people are furious over this and I am guessing that they will quickly amend the bill to increase the payments. But cutting the pork? I don't see it happening... 

Greece is increasing their military spending, purchasing 18 Rafale fighters from France.

 

File photo of Rafale fighters. Greek Reporter.

Greece is increasing their military spending by 57% and buying 18 Rafale fighters from France. Greek reporter. Greece will spend $6.6 billion for 2021, more than double what they spent in 2019. The 18 Rafale fighters will cost 2.5 billion Euros. New frigates, helicopters, drones, upgrades to F-16's and 15,000 more troops. 

My Comment:

Though none of the articles I have read explains why Greece is spending so much money on defense, the answer is pretty obvious. This is all about Turkey, an supposed ally and NATO member. Turkey has been extremely aggressive in their foreign policy and have made claims on Greek territory and have historic conflicts with Greece, most notably the Greek Genocide. 

The fact that Greece is spending all this money now is a huge deal. Greece has had massive economic problems even before the Coronavirus outbreak. The outbreak has made things much worse as Greece is very dependent on tourism for income and that has been largely cutoff as people aren't willing or able to travel. To spend now would normally be a mistake but it seems clear that it's a matter of national urgency to spend. 

I think the Greeks are right to be worried. Turkey has been very dangerous lately. They are behind much of the chaos in the region and were a major factor in why Syria is such a mess. They were also major contributors to the Armenia-Azerbaijan war and they are causing problems in Cyprus as well. 

It's not out of the realm of possibility that Greece and Turkey go to war. Turkey wants to push their claims and it's clear that their leader, Tayyip Erdogan, has gone off the deep end. I don't think he is entirely stable. And the chances of an accidental war grow as Turkey becomes more aggressive. 

I don't think that Greece can easily win a war against Turkey. It's possible but very unlikely unless Greece gets help. Turkey has a huge modern army and one that has been tested in Syria and with their own insurgency with the Kurds. They have a large air force with modern weapons. 

What this new Greek spending accomplishes is not a potential military victory. What they are doing is making it more difficult for Turkey to try to start a war with Greece. Doing so would probably greatly damage Turkey even if they win, especially now that Greece is on a spending spree. 

What is really interesting is what happens to NATO if Greece and Turkey go to war. My guess is that in a sane world Turkey would get kicked out and NATO would back Greece unless something really stupid happened. I have been pushing for Turkey to be kicked out for awhile given their treatment of minorities like the Kurds, their former support of ISIS and their aggressive moves in Syria. But I also can't see other NATO countries actually fighting against Turkey. Doing so would not serve their interests and that means that any support of Greece would probably not involve sending troops.

Hopefully though this won't amount to much of anything. Other than a nice payday for France, which is selling the Rafales to Greece. A war between Greece and Turkey is no longer unthinkable but I also think it's still very unlikely. 

Congress reaches agreement for Coronavirus stimulus bill, will include $600 payments.

Senate Leader Mitch McConnel. ABC/AFP.

After months of gridlock Congress has reached an agreement on a new Coronavirus stimulus bill. ABC News. The $900 billion relief bill will provide relief for millions of Americans who have suffered major economic damage due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The package, which will be voted on Monday, will be bundled with a massive $1.2 trillion spending bill needed to keep the government open. The bill will provide $600 for individuals making less then $75,000 and $1200 for married couples, with an additional $600 for each child. The bill will also provide a $300 benefit for the unemployed. The paycheck protection plan, which expired last summer would be revived and would provide additional funds for businesses. Republicans did prevent billions of dollars from being used to fund states and cities while Democrats got rid of liability protection for businesses.   

My Comment:

A fairly disappointing result as this is a huge amount of money. I don't know how our government is going to pay for this massive spending. I know interest rates are low right now but this seems like a massive waste of money.  

I also don't think it's going to help many people. For someone like me who worked throughout the crisis another $600 isn't going to do much. There is still not much to do with that money and it's not like $600 is a life changing amount of money. 

But for the people that need it? It's kind of a joke. $600 doesn't even cover rent in most places so though it isn't nothing it might as well be. The $1200 checks from the last time around would have helped more but $600 isn't much use. 

The unemployment bonus might have more of an effect. If people are out of work they will be able to get bye easier. That's probably a good thing but I do have to complain that people that are out of work are making more money then people that still have jobs. It's annoying to me. 

The real meat in this is all the relief that businesses are going to get and this is where the real pork is. Though some of the businesses will get help they need a lot of the money is going to go to people that donated to political campaigns on both sides of the political spectrum. 

What is most disappointing about this bill is how long it took to get. It is clear that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats did not want a new stimulus to happen before the election because it would help President Trump win his reelection campaign and make their voter fraud more difficult. Now that is a moot point they can let the peasants have their checks. It's disgusting. 

That being said, I will be cashing the check when it comes (or more accurately when it is deposited in my account). My taxes paid for this so I might as well get some of the money back. The whole thing just reeks of cynicism though and I don't really have a solution. 

 

Editor's Note: Holidays.

 Just a quick update, my vacation is over. But since the next couple of weeks are the holidays my posting might not return to normal quite yet. Between Christmas and New Years I might not have the time or will to make a post everyday. I am also working a bit of overtime so that will take up some time as well. I hope to have a few posts up but again, if you don't see one don't worry about it, I'm just busy. 

344 Nigerian boys released from Boko Haram custody

 

Some of the boys released by Boko Haram. NPR/AFP.

344 boys captured by Boko Haram in Nigeria have been released. NPR. The children had been abducted by Boko Haram in one of their boldest attacks in recent memory, in a part of Nigeria they were not previously active it. The boys will receive medical attention before they are returned to their families. It is unclear how Nigeria was able to secure the release of the boys but the government was under major pressure from citizens who felt that they were not doing enough to counter the Boko Haram terror group.

My Comment:

I know that I am a little late with this post but there isn't much else happening right now and it's a rare positive story. I try to write those up whenever possible, especially when it's a follow up to a story I already covered. When I wrote up the story on Tuesday I didn't think this situation would be resolved so quickly. 

No doubt that this is a major victory for Nigeria and a huge relief to the families of these boys and to the boys themselves. Boko Haram is a brutal terror group and one of the most violent in the world so this outcome is much better then expected. 

How did it happen though? Very unclear. None of the reporting I have seen mentions how it came to pass and I am guessing that it might remain secret for awhile. It's possible I missed it, I did happen to miss this story for a couple of days, but I kinda doubt it. 

The first possibility is that someone paid a ransom for these boys. That seems very unlikely as most governments do not negotiate with terrorists that way and the last thing you want to do is reward kidnapping. I find that possibility to be unlikely at best and only mention it for the sake of completion. 

Another possibility is that Nigeria was able to secure these boys via a military operation. That too seems unlikely as I doubt very seriously that none of the boys would have been injured or even killed in a firefight with Boko Haram. I guess the terrorists could have backed down right away but that doesn't seem likely either. 

My guess though? Boko Haram just let them go. They made their point that they could pull off an operation this big and get a major prize. Keeping them for the unlikely chance that they could be ransomed off made little sense and though they could have killed them it would have been a lot of work and would have been bad publicity. 

Most of all though I think they let them go because they could not handle that many hostages. Keeping them meant they had to feed, house and control over 300 children, no small task in the best of times, let alone when you are being hunted by the government. Letting them go was probably the right move for Boko Haram.

Though this story had a happy ending it's still important to note that Boko Haram is on the rise again. These people are hitting targets in parts of Nigeria they haven't hit before and it's a matter of time before they commit another major terror attack. Hopefully Nigeria can get their act together and finally stop these terrorists. 

Jeffrey Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel arrested

 

File photo of Jeffrey Epstein. The Daily Beast/Getty.

Jean-Luc Brunel, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested for various sex crimes. The Daily Beast. The charges include rape, sexual assault of a child, sexual harassment, human trafficking and criminal conspiracy. Brunel was accused of trafficking girls for Jeffrey Epstein and essentially acting as his pimp through his modeling agencies. French police had opened an investigation into Burnel in 2019 but he had avoided arrest until now. He claimed that he would answer questions and was not on the run. 

My Comment:

This is probably the biggest news to break on the Jeffrey Epstein case since Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested. Jean-Luc Brunel was a huge part of Epstein's trafficking scheme and to see him arrested is a very positive development. 

Jean-Luc Brunel is a rather famous and powerful person. His activities in the modeling industry were very impactful and he was credited for discovering some rather famous people, including Sharon Stone, Milla Jovovich and Christy Turlington. He was, to be glib, a player. Someone with actual power. And someone that Epstein could use to help further his goals of blackmail and degeneracy. 

My hope is the same hope that I had for Ghislaine Maxwell. Brunel needs to cut a deal to save himself. He needs to give us a list of every celebrity, musician and politician that had sex with underaged girls in his presence. These people desperately need to be punished, and not just because of what they did. There are two systems of justice in this country and everyone is sick and tired of the rich and famous getting away with everything. 

I am worried that Brunel might not be long for this world. Much like Epstein I think there is a decent chance he commits "suicide" soon. Like Epstein he knows where a lot of the bodies are buried and the rich and powerful likely fear that he will indeed cut a deal. If that's the case he might end up dead in a prison cell just like his friend, Jeffrey Epstein.

On the other hand, Ghislaine Maxwell still breathes. Everyone was afraid that she would was going to die immediately after her arrest but she is still alive and kicking and we even get occasional news updates about how she is doing in jail. If she can survive then I think Brunel might as well.

Finally, I have to say that the media has largely buried the Jeffrey Epstein story. Sure, they give updates on Maxwell but it's mostly a tabloid thing. There hasn't been a serious inquiry into the Epstein affair since the revelations about Prince Andrew came out. What a world we live in where a massive pedophile/blackmail ring gets exposed and it's leader "commits suicide" in prison and now it's hardly even a story... 

French President Emmanuel Macron tests positive for Coronavirus sending Europe's leaders into isolation.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron. Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Coronavirus after showing mild symptoms. Reuters. He and his wife will be self isolating. However, Macron had close contact with all but two of the European Union leaders recently during a summit at Brussels. He also had lunch with European Council President Charles Michel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and OECD chief Angel Gurria on Monday and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa yesterday. Macron is young and in good health so it is expected that he will recover fully. It is unclear how Macron contracted the disease.

My Comment:  

Looks like another world leader has contracted the Coronavirus, right before the vaccine became available too. Macron joines Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro as world leaders who have caught the virus. It just goes to show that anyone can catch the disease, even the most powerful men in the world. 

I have no doubt that Macron is going to be fine. Macron is ridiculously young at 42 and has no health worries to speak of. It would be incredibly shocking for someone in his health and age to die from the disease and even an extended illness is unlikely. His wife is more at risk as she is 67 but it's not clear if she was exposed, let alone infected. 

And I do have to point out Macron is going to get the best care in the world. Nobody wants to be the doctor or nurse then let a world leader die and only the most competent people will care for him. This is why both Boris Johnson and Donald Trump survived, with both of them being dramatically older and less healthy than Macron. If they can pull through it would be totally shocking if Macron did not. 

More concerning is who Macron might have passed the disease on to. I am not too worried about the people in Brussels as Coronavirus does not spread the early. But for the Spanish and Portuguese Prime Ministers? They had lunch with him without masks and there was a window there where Macron could have infected them. Neither man is in a high risk category with Pedro Sanchez being 48 and Antonio Costa being 59 (and at slightly higher risk), but it is concerning that they could have been infected. The various aides and other people that interacted with Macron might be at a much higher risk

One does wonder how exactly Macron got infected. It's little wonder that world leaders are getting it as they can't isolate from the world entirely but it seemed like Macron was taking precautions and got it regardless. I guess it only takes one person being sick around him though to infect him. 

Still, I kinda feel that the Coronavirus is on the way out. Though cases are still sky high the death rate is not that bad. And new therapeutics and vaccines are coming out daily. It will take time for the virus to burn out completely but we get closer to herd immunity everyday. And once that happens we will have finally beaten this virus. 

Member of al-Shabaab charged with 9/11 style plot to hijack an airplane and crash it into a building in the United States.

 

The Manhattan Federal Courthouse where the suspect was charged. The Guardian/Reuters.

A member of the al-Shabaab terror group has been charged with a plot to hijack an airplane and crash it into a building in the United States. AFP. Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a Kenyan aged 30, was arrested in 2019 in the Philippines and charged with six counts of terrorism. Abdullah had been trained there as a pilot and was prepared to hijack a commercial flight and crash it into a building, echoing the infamous 9/11 terror attacks. He also researched how to hijack airplanes and potential targets to attack with a hijacked plane. It's unclear how much further along the plot was before it was disrupted. Al-Shabaab is the Somalia based al-Qaeda affiliate and has conducted major attacks in the region but have not as of yet attacked the United States directly. 

My Comment:

This might be old news but I only just heard about this terror plot. I don't recall seeing any media coverage of this so I am guessing the news just broke today. I would hope that I would have remembered such a significant terror plot if it had gotten major coverage. 

This was a very serious terror plot. If it hadn't been disrupted it had a decent chance of working. Abdullah had the training to crash his plane into his target, which was not disclosed. We all know how that would have turned out with the best case scenario being the hijacked plane getting shot down or taken down by passengers. 

Still, hijacking a commercial airplane is a lot harder to do then it was before 9/11. Cockpits have been hardened and aren't easily breached. And even if they are the passengers onboard are going to be a lot more willing to fight back then they were in a pre-9/11 world. Plus, air marshals and other security measures would make hijacking a plane dramatically more difficult. 

However, with a pilot's license Abdullah could have chosen a different way to attack. He could have become a commercial pilot and then killed his co-pilot with no real chance at stopping him. This has happened before with the Germanwings crash, though that was a suicide, not a terror attack. And I don't think that is the only time that has happened. 

All that being said, even if this plot hadn't been disrupted, I don't think it was a sure thing. As I said, our defenses against hijacking is a lot more robust than it used to be. We now know what to expect with this kind of attack and that's probably why this plot failed. That and, my guess, some idiot talked and it allowed the plot to be uncovered. 

The biggest news though is that al-Shabaab apparently directed and approved of this attack, which is a major escalation. Though al-Shabaab has committed some truly horrible terror attacks, they have not done much outside of East Africa. Pulling off a 9/11 style terror attack would pretty much by default make them the most dangerous terror group operating today. Thankfully the attack got disrupted but I do think that America needs to take al-Shabaab more seriously. 

Boko Haram has kidnapped hundreds of schoolchildren in Nigeria

 

File photo of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. AFP.

Boko Haram has taken credit for a massive kidnapping of schoolchildren in Northwest Nigeria. AFP. It was first suspected that the children had been taken by bandits but Boko Haram claimed credit, greatly reducing hopes that the children would be released soon. Boko Haram has a long history of targeting schools and their name roughly translates to "western education is forbidden". It is unclear how many children Boko Haram took but the number is between 333 and 500, all of them boys from the Government Science secondary school in the city of Kankara. Boko Haram has not operated in the Northwest of Nigeria before and has made inroads in influencing gangs there. 

My Comment:

Boko Haram is back in the headlines again. They first gained international attention by conducting a mass kidnapping like this back in 2014 so it's sad to see them back to their old tricks. This mass abduction in a part of the country that was not considered a stronghold for them is very concerning. 

There is still some question about responsibility for this attack. The Nigerian government hasn't confirmed it but I tend to think that Boko Haram is telling the truth. It was either them or their affiliates in the region. I'd be shocked if it wasn't them at this point.

It's no surprise that Boko Haram is targeting schoolchildren. The terror group has long despised western education and was founded to attack it. Kidnapping these children is basically status quo for Boko Haram. 

Why does Boko Haram hate western education? Because they feel it is un-Islamic. They have a real problem with educating girls and do not like boys to learn about things that are not related to religion. It's important to note that this isn't a reaction to western "imperialism", any attempt to educate children that wasn't in there prescribed way was going to run afoul of Boko Haram. 

What is going to happen to these boys? Probably nothing good. The best case scenario is that they are released but I can't see Boko Haram letting them go. And I also don't see anyone being able to afford the ransom for them as well. A military operation could release some or all of these boys but I am not sure that Nigeria can pull that off. 

It's unclear how old these boys are but my fear is that they will end up as child soldiers for Boko Haram. They have used child soldiers before and if these boys were in secondary school they were between the ages of 11 and 18, depending on how that works in Nigeria. They are old enough to be trained for war and my guess is that is what Boko Haram will do with them if they are not rescued soon. 

It is fairly disturbing that Boko Haram is on the rise again. They had largely been defeated, much like their partners in ISIS, back in 2018. But they have come back in a big way. Far from being defeated Boko Haram is now pulling off major attacks in regions they didn't use to have a presence in. It is not a good sign for Nigeria and I hope that they can find some solution to this problem before it escapes central Africa. 

Vaccinations begin against Coronavirus in the United States.

 

Sandra Lindsay, a nurse from Long Island, was among the first people vaccinated against Coronavirus in the United States. Politico/AP.

Vaccinations using Pfizer's Coronavirus vaccine have begun in the United States. Politico. President Trump celebrated as the first vaccines were administered. Sandra Lindsay, a nurse from Long Island was among the first to be vaccinated and it was carried on live television. If the vaccine is successful it could lead to the end of the pandemic as soon as this fall, if not earlier. The initial shots are going to health care workers and nursing home patients first, with others being vaccinated as supplies increase. The second Coronavirus vaccine, created my Morderna, will be evaluated this week and could be approved later this month, which would speed up vaccination times. 

My Comment:

I have covered the vaccination efforts extensively so this will be a shorter post. But I did want to write up something as this is the best news this country has had in a long time. With the vaccine available the most vulnerable people should be protected and the death rate will completely collapse. A lot of lives are going to be saved in the next days and weeks. 

As for the first people to get the vaccine, I think it should have been a long term care or nursing home patient. Nothing against health care workers but the fact of the matter is that Coronavirus isn't killing younger and healthy people, which most health care workers are. I know there is an argument for doing so, I just disagree with it. 

I think I disagree with Dr. Fauci, who was quoted in the article that it might take until fall before things are back to normal. I think by Spring, or Summer at the latest, the death rate and infection rate for the virus will have collapsed to the point where most restrictions can be lifted. It might take until fall for the virus to go away completely but I don't think we have to wait that long for us to loosen things up. 

Keep in mind that the other vaccine, by Morderna, is coming out soon as well. This vaccine is a lot easier to work with and won't have as many logistical problems as the Pfizer one. With both vaccines being used at the same time it will greatly speed up the work in getting enough people vaccinated. 

For my part I am ready for the vaccine. I do have worried about both versions but I am also sick and tired of this stupid virus and everyone's reactions to it. I do have a few older relatives that I worry about and I want to see them protected. I personally am not afraid of the virus or the vaccine but I will take the vaccine, largely because it will be required to by my job. 

As for the anti-vax movement, I somewhat sympathize. These vaccines are totally new and there are some side effects, some of which are severe. I do think that there are some people that should be allowed to skip the vaccine and I don't agree with forcing anyone to take it against their will. That being said, I think the dangers are being overhyped. I think most people should get vaccinated just to end the pandemic. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accused of sexual harassment.

 

Andrew Cuomo. MTA.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment. AP. Former aide Lindsey Boylan claimed that Cuomo had harassed her for years. She did not make specific claims but said she was criticized by the Governor on her looks. She also said she did not want to make statements to the media. Boylan quite after complaints about her behavior. Boylan is also running for Manhattan Borough president as a Democrat.  

Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched.

I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.

— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) December 13, 2020

My Comment:

I've got mixed feelings on this one. One the one hand I certainly believe that Governor Cuomo could have sexually harassed someone. For one thing he's a male supporter of Feminism which is a warning flag in itself. Plus he seems to get off on having power, and I don't see much of a difference between harassing one of your employees and shutting down an entire state for no real reason. 

One the other hand, this is a very thin accusation. Boylan did not provide any evidence for her claims or any collaborating statements. Indeed, it just seems like it is her word against Governor Cuomo's and in a he said she said case, the correct thing to do is give the accused the benefit of the doubt.  

I also think that it's clear that Boylan has political reasons to potentially falsely accuse Cuomo. She seems to have major disagreements with her party on how progressive it is and even Cuomo isn't far enough to the left for her. Accusing Cuomo of harassment could give her the political clout to win a race. 

Further more it looks like there might have been some personal animosity with Cuomo as it appears that she was a hard person to get along with. It's possible that the harassment was all in her head. Or she is making it up just because she dislikes Cuomo. 

The biggest red flag to me though is that she isn't willing to talk to the press. Though the press hardly seems interested in taking down Cuomo, if she made a statement she could be fact checked by someone. Keeping her accusations vague and unsubstantiated makes sure that doesn't happen. 

With all that being said, I do think this probably warrants an investigation. I'm willing to give Cuomo the benefit of the doubt but I do think that someone should look into the accusations against him. If he is guilty of harassing an aide then he should be punished for it. But if he isn't then I think Boylan should be punished. 

As much as I despise Cuomo I despise people who falsely accuse people more. I tend to think that this accusation is probably false but I also don't know for sure. An investigation should happen but it's pretty sad that this is even a thing no matter what the outcome is. 

FDA authorizes Pfizer/BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine.

 

A vial of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine. ABC News/Reuters. 

The FDA has authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine. ABC News. The vaccine will be able to be used on an emergency basis. In the first 24 hours 2.9 million doses will be delivered to 636 sites across the country. Most the doses are earmarked for healthcare workers and people that live in nursing homes and long term care facilities. A second group of 2.9 million doses will be shipped out soon as well with 500,000 doses being held in reserve. The vaccine may begin to be administered soon, possibly within 24 hours

 

pic.twitter.com/ofLq3OMicv

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020

My Comment:

Very good news With the vaccine on the way we might finally see an end to this stupid pandemic. It's going to be awhile before we see any difference but it will be a start. And the most vulnerable people, the only people dying from this virus in large numbers, will be protected from the virus. 

This is a massive accomplishment and one that the US government, the medical companies and President Donald Trump deserve a lot of credit for getting this done. Getting a vaccine done in less then a year was something that wasn't thought possible before the Coronavirus pandemic but it's now clear that it is possible. 

And I also have to point out the logistics of this. These vaccines are now traveling across the country to be given to thousands of people. Millions of doses were bought and paid for even before the trials were complete so they could be sent out right away. I think it's very possible that we could have people taking the vaccine as soon as tomorrow. Keep in mind that the Pfizer vaccine requires extremely low temperatures to be stored and transported so that has also complicated things. It's amazing that they are going to pull this off. 

I know there have been some reports of side effects from the UK. These have been mostly mild with a few more severe cases. From what I understand the side effects are similar to the ones that the regular flu shot has, but are more common. I don't think that would stop me from taking the vaccine but some people are afraid of it. Plus, people might not want to get the 2nd required dose after they get side effects from the first one. 

Another problem is that the medical industry has pissed away a lot of the public's trust and good will. The way they have responded to the pandemic has not been good, vaccine development not withstanding. Not only did they downplay the virus in the beginning, they flip flopped on masks and, most damning, supported lockdowns at the same time they encouraged rioting and violence during the George Floyd disaster this summer. Is it any wonder why some people are afraid to take the vaccine?

Keep in mind that there will be a delay in getting the vaccine to everyone. I agree that the people in nursing homes and long term care should get the vaccine first. They are by far at the most risk of death and they deserve to be protected. And the health care workers will get the vaccine as well, largely for practical reasons. They get exposed to the virus at higher rates and if they get infected they could pass it on to their patients. 

It will be some time before things get back to normal. What is going to be the big question is if all the stupid rules and regulations start to fade away after the vaccine. It's very clear that in many cases the Democrats (and even some Republicans) are getting off on the power the pandemic has given them. They might be reluctant to give that power up... 

But this does mean that things will have to start to get back to some semblance of normalcy soon. If these governors don't let up even after a vaccine is released they are going to face resistance, perhaps even insurrection. People are at the end of their ropes and when this pandemic finally ends I am expecting a huge party. 

Editor's Note: Vacation.

 Just an FYI, I will be on vacation starting today. This means that posting might become infrequent or happen at abnormal times. Given the fact that I have no plans to travel and that there isn't all that much to do around here due to the pandemic, posting shouldn't be effected too badly but you never know. 

18 states file lawsuit against 4 other states to overturn the election.

 

President Donald Trump.

18 states have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results in 4 states that changed their election laws in the leadup to the 2020 election. Fox News. The lawsuit says that the four states, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania the governors and courts changed the election laws in violation of the constitution, which requires state legislators to be the one to change election laws. The Supreme Court will take up the case because it has original jurisdiction on the issue, bypassing lower courts which have been hostile against the Trump administration claims. Texas, who brought the lawsuit, said that the states who changed the laws damaged the voter rights of people in the states bringing the lawsuits. The changes to the laws made voter fraud harder to detect and stop and gave partisan advantage to Joe Biden. 

The following states have joined the lawsuit with Texas as of this writing, along with the Trump administration: Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. Arizona also joined the lawsuit after the Fox News report was released. 

My Comment:

This new lawsuit is a different strategy for Republicans. Instead of trying to prove voter fraud, which has a strong but circumstantial case, they are arguing that these states violated the constitution. I think this is a good strategy as it doesn't require a "smoking gun", just a legal argument. 

Is the legal argument sound? I have no idea. If it is true that only legislatures can change election laws then yeah, it's kind of an open and shut case. The election laws were changed by the governors and courts in these cases and weren't approved by the state legislatures. 

I do see a couple of potential problems. The first is that the Supreme Court might be sympathetic to the argument that it was an emergency situation due to the Coronavirus, which would justify changes to the election laws. I don't buy that argument because I don't think the Coronavirus pandemic was so severe that it justified changing the laws. 

The second problem is that the Supreme Court might not want to overturn the results of the election. I think that Roberts will probably argue that to the other justices as he is either extremely fearful of pissing off Democrats or he is compromised. On the other hand, the other five justices probably won't be convinced by this and I think Justice Thomas will likely want to get back at Joe Biden, who falsely accused him of sexual assault when he was being confirmed. 

I personally think that SCOTUS should rule in favor of Texas and the other plaintiffs. It's clear to me that Joe Biden and the Democrats stole the election and that the changes to the laws were both illegal and obviously tailored to fix the election for Joe Biden. I believe there is widespread voter fraud and the only acceptable way to fix this is to overturn the election results. 

Of course if this works it's going to be a mess. The media has spent the last month gaslighting the people by telling them there is no chance of a 2nd President Trump term and if this happens then he will get them. A lot of people on the left are not going to accept that, regardless of the legal reasoning. Indeed, even if there was a tape showing Joe Biden conspiring with high ranking Democrats to illegally rig the election and a flow chart showing how they did it, they would not accept it. 

But if it fails? Well, I sure as hell am not going to accept a Joe Biden presidency. There is no way a senile, corrupt and perverted disgusting old man like Biden got 80 million votes, more then Barack Obama did during his landslide wins. If the court effort fails that doesn't change the obvious conclusion that the 2020 election was not kosher. 

UK begins administering the Pfizer/BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine.

 

90 year old Margert Keenan was the first person to be administered the Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine. Reuters. 

The United Kingdom began administering the Pfizer/BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine today, with a 90 year old woman being the first to get it. Reuters. Margert Keenan received the vaccine at 0631 GMT making her the first person to get the vaccine outside of clinical trials. The UK is the first western country to begin vaccinations and has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic. They will have 800,000 doses during the first week and hope to have 20 million people vaccinated soon. People in assisted living, over 80 and some healthcare workers are being prioritized for the vaccine. 

My Comment:

The UK is not the first country to begin Coronavirus vaccinations. Both Russia and China have begun to do so as well with their domestically produced vaccine. The big difference is that neither the Russian or Chinese vaccines have finished their clinical trials, unlike the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine. Though I am somewhat wary of the Pfizer vaccine as well, I certainly would rather take it then Russia's or China's. And of the two I sure would rather take Russia's over whatever ungodly mess China has come up with... 

I generally think this is positive news. It the UK has no major issues with the Pfizer vaccine it means that they can begin administering the vaccine in the United States as well. Indeed, I am kind of annoyed that this hasn't begun happening here. From what I understand the FDA took the Thanksgiving weekend off and are now back to work. That kind of delay is inexcusable, if the vaccine is safe in a week or two it's going to be safe now. 

I generally agree with the way the UK is administering this vaccine. It really should go to the most vulnerable people and people in their 80's and 90's and people in assisted living are by far the most at risk of succumbing the disease. Though there is an argument that health care workers should get it first, they tend to be younger and in much better health. Plus a large number of them have been exposed already. 

Still, it's important to note that the people given the vaccine today still have to take a 2nd dose. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to be effective and if people don't come back to get the 2nd does they won't be protected. That shouldn't be a problem for the old folks getting the vaccine now as the doctors know where they are, but it could be a problem in the future. 

As for overall vaccination efforts the UK will be a good test case to see how many people go along with it. I know a lot of people are going to be skeptical of the vaccine and that will probably get worse as people start to understand that the vaccine does have some side effects. From what I understand a lot of people suffer from some rather severe fatigue after getting the Pfizer vaccine and there are the more general aches, pains and other minor symptoms many vaccines cause. Keep in mind in the United States the Pfizer vaccine won't be the only one, with the Morderna vaccine likely to be rolled out a week or two after the Pfizer one. 

For me, I plan to take the vaccine as soon as it comes out. I am somewhat worried about long term effects but I am so done with this outbreak. And even though my life hasn't been as badly effected by this pandemic as many other people have been, I still want my life back. The vaccine seems like the only way to do it on a timescale that isn't totally insane. 

Former head of Israel's space program claims that a "galactic federation" is in contact with the world's governments.

 

Aliens. New York Post. 

Haim Eshed, the former head of Israel's space program claims that an alien "Galactic Federation" is in contact with the world's government. New York Post. The aliens supposedly have an agreement to conduct experiments on Earth and conduct diplomacy on a secret American base on Mars. Eshed claims that President Trump was going to reveal the existence of this Galactic Federation but the aliens were concerned that it would cause a panic. 

My Comment:

I saw this story today and I had to make a post. The story is trending on Twitter right now and it's easy to see why, it's a totally insane story that would be easily dismissed as crackpottery if it was coming from someone that wasn't the head of a space program. Plus, it's a rare fun post to write about. 

So, should you take this story seriously? Probably not. Eshed hasn't been in charge of Israel's space program since 2010 and he's very old. It's possible he has gone senile. And I am pretty sure that if aliens existed and were in direct contact with the United States someone would have leaked proof by now. I don't think the government could keep a secret this big. 

I do have to say that Eshed's claims do match other alien conspiracy theories that I have heard. I haven't heard about us having a base on a Mars but I have heard people claiming that there is a group of aliens in contact with the worlds various governments. It's a common theory but I don't think it has much basis in reality. 

With that being said, it does seem that people are taking the idea of aliens more seriously lately. There have been more then a couple of releases from the United States military showing UFO's. The witnesses were allowed to talk about it and the media took it pretty seriously. I tend to think these sightings are of top secret military craft or some other phenomenon, but  in the past the idea that these could be extraterrestrial would have been laughed at. Not so much anymore. Indeed, thought I think there is almost no chance of this story being true it would not be the most shocking thing in the world if it was true. 

Assuming for the sake of argument that Eshed's claims are correct, would the revelation of alien life cause a mass panic? I personally think that people would be really excited about it... for about a week. Then they would go right back to fighting with each other about nonsense. Indeed, those military videos I mentioned above largely got a shrug from the general public. 

I also have to say that I don't think people would even trust the government at this point. If President Trump walked out with the Galactic Federation ambassador and said "aliens are real, this is my good friend Ambassador Glabrok, we are going to make the galaxy great again" half the country would say it was fake just because President Trump announced it. Same if Biden somehow becomes President and does the same thing. People will probably just assume that the whole thing is faked by holograms. I do have to admit that it would be hilarious that in that scenario that people who didn't believe in the existence of aliens would be the deranged conspiracy theorists... 

Russia's leading hypersonic missile expert arrested on treason charges.

 

Two MIG-31's carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles during Moscow's victory day parade. Newsweek/AFP/Getty.

Russia's leading hypersonic missile expert, Anatoly Gubanov, was arrested on charges of treason. Newsweek. Gubanov is accused of handing over aviation secrets to a foreign government and if convicted could serve up to 20 years. His focus was researching hydrogen powered hypersonic aircraft and had participated in foreign conferences. Hypersonic technology is critical for Russia as the technology allows them to bypass most missile defense system due to the extreme speeds and low altitudes the weapons can achieve. It is a major advantage that Russia has over the United States. 

My Comment:

This is a pretty huge deal for Russia. Hypersonic technology is Russia's major advantage that they have over both the United States and China. With one of their top scientists giving away their secrets that advantage is probably gone. 

The question is who did Gubanov give these secrets to? It's very possible that it was the United States. Our CIA is fairly good at turning people and there are always reasons for people to give up secrets. If it is true then it is an intelligence coup for the United States. Cutting Russia's advantage in hypersonic technology is a major priority and stealing their secrets is a good way to do so. 

But America isn't the only suspect. China is also very good at stealing secrets. Indeed, even without any other context I would say that China is a prime suspect. They have their own hypersonic program and they have a long history of stealing from Russia. They want to have their own advantage with hypersonic missiles. 

It's also possible that some other country is responsible for this as well. Europe has their own intelligence services and it wouldn't surprise me if the UK or Germany was the one that flipped Gubanov. Same thing with Israel, who would love to have hypersonic missiles to take out Iranian targets in any war between the two countries. 

I do have to say that it's possible that Gubanov didn't intend to betray his country. He may have had real friendships with people who he thought was his friends. If so then he should have been more careful, as an important scientist he should have known that he was a target for espionage. 

Finally, it goes to show how much Russia has reformed since the old Soviet days. Back in the day anyone found guilty of spying in a case like this would likely be executed. Instead Gubanov faces 20 years in prison, assuming he is convicted. He might have some issues in prison but that still a less harsh punishment than even the United States has. Here a treason conviction, which is admittedly very hard to get, can be punished with execution... 

A few random thoughts on the Coronavirus pandemic...

 

An electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2. NAIAD.

A not-so-typical post tonight. I couldn't find anything I really wanted to write about so I thought I could give an update on the state of things concerning the Coronavirus Pandemic and how it is being dealt with. This isn't going to be a traditional post and I don't plan on pulling a bunch of sources to support my arguments. This is just an opinion piece, and shouldn't be taken as anything else. 

With that out of the way I think it's clear that a lot of things are happening with this virus, with some of them being relatively good while others being pretty obviously awful. That's true of the general state of the world today but I wanted to put my thoughts down in a bullet point style list.

-The virus is obviously real and people are getting sick and in some cases dying. I generally think the people that say "there is no virus" or "it's a government lie" are full of it. I think there is a strong argument to be made that the virus is not as big of a deal as it is being portrayed but you are deep into tinfoil hat territory if you are saying the virus doesn't exist. 

-I hate that the term "Covid-19" took off. It annoys me as much as the Obama administration's attempt to get people to call ISIS "ISIL". But unlike "ISIL" Covid-19 actually took off. I much prefer either Coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, the former because that is what everyone called it the beginning and changing it feels Orwellian and the latter as it is the proper name for the virus itself. Covid-19 is just a dumb name and I hate it. 

-It's very clear that the virus is not as deadly as everyone feared. Though there is current major wave of new infections the death rate isn't changing much and most of the people that are dying are people that were going to die soon anyways. 

There are a couple of reasons for this I think. First of all I think it's pretty clear the virus changed. That was to be expected as the vast majority of new viruses become less deadly over time due to mutation and evolutionarily pressure. It's not the same virus from January and February that was causing Chinese people to die in the streets in Wuhan. 

I also think that the treatments have finally caught up with the disease. We now know what works and what doesn't with the disease and we have learned from many of our mistakes (ventilators not being that important, don't send infected people to nursing homes and so on and so forth). 

-The vaccine coming out might not change things as much as we hoped. I've seen quite a few disturbing reports in the media that people could still be required to social distance and wear masks even after they have received the vaccine. Given that the only reason why a healthy person is likely to want a new and experimental vaccine is to get back to their normal lives I can't think of a worse way to get people to actually take the vaccine.

-I'm not too worried about the dangers of the vaccine and I will most likely take it if/when I am offered it. I agree that there could be risks down the line but at this point I am sick enough of the virus that I am willing to take it just so it goes away faster. Plus, given that I am in a critical industry I feel it's a duty to do whatever I can to make sure I can work. 

-It's also very clear that the "expert" class has pissed away the last of their credibility during this virus outbreak. It's to the point where I fear that if an actually dangerous virus, something like the Spanish Flu that killed the healthy along with the old, sick and weak, people will be blindsided by it because they will assume that the government is lying about it. And who could blame them at this point?

I generally think that the powers that be lost any possibility of credibility after they lockdowned the country for a month only to lift it because rioters wanted to burn cities down after a criminal got killed. If the virus is so deadly that everyone has to hide in their houses for a month (or longer in blue states) why are people allowed to loot a television from Wal-Mart? It became impossible to take any public health official or politician seriously when they said that "racism" is more of a threat then the virus. 

And it's also clear that some of these politicians don't give a damn about the virus and are instead using it as a cudgel to bash their own constituents. The Democratic Governors of New York, New Jersey, Michigan and California have shown how tyrannical and arbitrary they can be. And it's not like there is a shortage of Republican Governors being jackasses as well (like DeWine in Ohio). It makes no sense to ban people from church while at the same time leaving the strip clubs and marijuana dispensaries open, so it's hard not to see it as anything other then enemy action.  

The worst thing though? It's the utter hypocrisy of these people. Congress has all but given up on another stimulus package (and you can't tell me they couldn't have gotten one passed before the election) but they are demanding businesses to stay closed and that people stay home without any help. And that's not even getting into all the people getting caught not wearing masks and violating their own damn virus orders. It's very clear that these rules have nothing to do with keeping people safe and everything to do with the elite class and their utter disgust of anyone who isn't them. "How dare the plebes do things like work for a living, go out to eat, or workout at a gym? They aren't people!"

-The damage from the lockdowns have far exceeded the damage from the virus itself. There are a lot of people that are out of work and a lot of businesses that have shut down. The stock market has recovered and there is some optimism that the economy is coming back, but we aren't going to be able to ignore the lives ruined by the lockdowns.

-People around here in Wisconsin are utterly sick of the virus. In some cases that means just completely ignoring the restrictions to the point of flaunting them. And more then a few people go along with it but consider the whole thing a joke But even the people that are still taking the virus seriously are near their wits end. I have noticed that people are on edge all the time and are a lot easier to anger. That includes me.   

If this continues for much longer people are going to start to lose it. I know that suicides and murders are way up and I think that is a trend that will be worse before it gets better. And I think the real reason for all the unrest and violence over the summer was because of the lockdowns and the economic problems they caused. If things aren't better before the end of spring I am expecting riots and violence that made this year look like a joke. And that's assuming we avoid some kind of armed conflict over the election. 

-Despite all of this I am doing fairly well throughout this. Though I have had a few scares with me and my family everyone I know who has had it has survived and is doing well. And even though my place of employment had a massive amount of cases nobody has died as far as I know. My financial situation is good and other then a bit of anxiety, I'm in a decent place. 

I think working throughout the crisis has been a blessing, and not just because of the obvious reason that I can pay my bills. Having a weekly routine that has not been disrupted at all by the virus has helped a lot. I still go to work every day and have done so, even when our company was briefly shut down due to the virus. I haven't seen my friends and family anywhere near as much as I would normally but other then that and a few virus scares the virus hasn't been too bad for me. 

So that's my post for today. In a few months I may revisit the topic as a general "state of things" update for the Coronavirus. It's good to once and awhile take stock of how things are going and how things might be. Sometimes you have to remember not to just focus on the trees and have a look at the forest as well. This was my "forest" post and I think I should probably do more of them, and not just on the virus.