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The media have ignored pedophilia in the elite

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

 

Dear readers:

 

The news of the death of billionaire Jeffery in jail, opened the hell for the until now a pedophilia world hidden in the darkroom of mainstream media – untouched. The following article, written by without-mincing-words writer, Matt Agoris, gives us a more explained – with logic and direct to the point words, a perspective to many unanswered questions behind this occult elite culture of child trafficking – for sex. – Marvin Ramírez.

It took a billionaire pedophile to die in jail for the mainstream media to finally report on elite child sex trafficking

 

by Matt Agoris

 

Adult and child sex trafficking is an unfortunate and horrifying reality that plagues countries around the world—including the United States. As TFTP has reported, people have been arrested attempting to purchase children as young as three-months-old to abuse them, including police officers. Even former child sex slaves have come forward to tell their stories and provide insight into the elite sickos who have the money and resources to deal in the lives of children. This has been ongoing for decades, yet the media and Americans alike, have largely ignored it, until now.

The arrest of Jeffery Epstein and his subsequent demise in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York has catapulted the massive problem of elite child sex trafficking into the limelight. Naturally, politicians on both sides — including the president — are attempting to use Epstein’s death for political advantage which has skewed the discourse. However, for the first time, Americans are actually talking about the problem of child sexual abuse among the elite, and this is healthy.

While some Americans are hearing Epstein’s name for the first time, TFTP has been reporting on his special treatment and ties to the elite for years. The child trafficking scandal doesn’t stop at the White House either, it crosses the pond and implicates the royal family too. Last year, a photo of the Queen’s son, Prince Andrew, surfaced as evidence during legal proceedings, showing him with his arm around one of the underage victims.

Epstein is a convicted child molester and sexually abused no less than 40 underage girls. Despite this fact, Alexander Acosta protected him while serving as a U.S. Attorney in Florida. After letting an admitted pedophile off with a wrist slap, instead of being fired, Acosta was then appointed to Trump’s labor secretary in 2017 before resigning last month amid the Epstein controversy.

Instead of going to prison for life, as he should’ve considering the evidence against him, Epstein only got 13 months and was allowed to stay in the Palm Beach County Jail in his own private cell where he was allowed to leave the prison six days a week for “work release”. Epstein was forced to register as a sex offender for life, but with his money and his connections he wasn’t too bothered—until last month.

Despite the left and the right pitting Epstein against their political foes, this pedophile was tied to all sides of the political spectrum.

Just in case you thought sex abuse was a partisan thing, here’s a picture of @POTUS with convicted child rapist and @BillClinton Lolita Express chauffer, Jeffrey Epstein. #ItsABigFuckingClubAndYouAreNotInIt pic.twitter.com/qpNxcdzT6W

— Matt Agorist (@MattAgorist) November 29, 2017

As a report in the Miami Herald noted:

The eccentric hedge fund manager, whose friends included former President Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew, was also suspected of trafficking minor girls, often from overseas, for sex parties at his other homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and the Caribbean, FBI and court records show.

However, he was never held accountable until last month — only after his victims and dedicated reporters pushed for justice for nearly a decade.

Now, as a tornado of conspiracy theories over Epstein’s death continues to travel across the internet like wildfire, the media can no longer ignore the problem, nor Epstein’s connections.

Maybe now, as the DOJ investigates, the media may start to actually report on this massive problem. This is not the first time high profile figures have been arrested for sick crimes against children and let off with a wrist slap, but it is the first time the media is giving it so much attention—because this sicko is now dead.

As TFTP reported, in April of 2016, Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House under Clinton and Bush — and admitted child rapist — was sentenced to 15 months in prison after he was caught paying his victims to keep quiet. However, he was released in 2017 — two months before finishing his already insultingly lenient sentence.

Hastert was sentenced, not for raping children, but for illegally structuring bank transactions in an effort to cover up his sexual abuse of young boys.

Just like Epstein, Hastert was an admitted serial child rapist, yet because he is a well-connected politician and former Speaker of the House, this vile man’s victims received no justice. In fact, Hastert attempted to sue his victims for speaking out after he paid them to stay silent about their abuse.

As TFTP has reported, Washington D.C. not only protects sex abusers but they use your tax dollars to silence their victims. Sadly, most people ignore at least half of all the abuse because blowhards in the media try to turn sex abuse into a partisan issue. Those on the left ignore the crimes of their party, just like those on the right claim sex abuse is a liberal issue. But as we’ve shown, there is no difference between a blue child rapist and a red one.

As the Free Thought Project has previously reported, the problem of child sex trafficking goes all the way to the top in the UK as well. Sir Edward Heath, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was found by the police chief to be a pedophile. Just like what happens in the US, his vile crimes against children were allegedly ‘covered up by the establishment.’

Unfortunately, pedophilia and human trafficking is all too common among those in power. Sadly, however, those who attempt to draw attention to this problem are labeled as conspiracy nuts or perpetrators of fake news. Hopefully, as the truth comes out in regard to Jeffrey Epstein, the establishment will have a harder time protecting society’s worst.

Social media: Information overload is a weapon of control

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

 

Dear readers:

 

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and that you had wasted so much of your precious time on social media every time you check your notifications on your cell phone – but didn’t know why and what to do? The following article by research journalist show us all how all this technology is like a gun pointing to our head. – Marvin Ramírez

 

by James Corbett

 

Do you feel confused? Listless? Overwhelmed? Have you ever found yourself scrolling through news feeds and flicking mindlessly through social media posts with a strange mixture of outrage, dread, and boredom? Is your disgust at the thought of going online consistently overwhelmed by your compulsion to pick up your fondleslab?

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. More and more people are finding it harder and harder to put their devices down even though it leaves them feeling restless, angry or empty. As a result, some are seeking ways to disconnect and unplug from the 24/7 siren song of never-ending news feeds, instant messaging and social media distractions, whether by ditching their smartphone in favor of a “dumb” phone or taking device-free holidays.

Yes, we all succumb to information overload, and yes, we all need a break from the online maelstrom every now and then.

But what if this state of information overload—the malaise we experience when we find ourselves paralyzed by a ceaseless stream of noise and nonsense—is not a mere byproduct of this vaunted “Information Age” but the actual point of it? Has it ever occurred to you that these devices have been weaponized against us? Or that the confusion and exhaustion we feel after spending an hour mindlessly scrolling on our smartphone is the effect that this weaponized technology has on our psyche?

And, more to the point, what can we do to protect ourselves from these daggers of digital distraction?

First, let’s examine the problem.

Suppose you start your day by checking your friends’ social media profiles. The stream of dream vacation pictures and posts about happy relationships and fun parties leaves you feeling miserable as you head out the door for work.

Later that morning you take a break from your desk job (entering information on a computer, of course) to check the news. Clickbait nonsense battles with atrocity porn for your attention in the news feed. You finally find something interesting and informative only to scroll down to the comment section and find it populated by trolls bent on starting flame wars and disinformation operatives deploying every trick in the book to derail thoughtful conversation.

Closing the browser window you get back to work and discover an angry email from your boss in your inbox reminding you that your latest report was due yesterday and several messages from your coworkers asking for your help with their own projects.

Running to the one place you know you can get away from it all—the washroom—you lock the stall door . . . only to feel a buzzing in your pocket. You got a new message on Facebook! You pull your phone out of your pocket and start the whole process over again.

The worst part is that you know that this constant flow of information is making you miserable, but you can’t help yourself. It’s harder and harder to leave the phone at home when you go out to the store or turn the TV off when you’re eating dinner. You’ve become a slave to the technology that once promised to free you.

Now this may not be a description of your average day, but we all know people to whom this description applies. And if you use electronic devices on a daily basis, it’s getting harder and harder to deny that you’ve experienced the strange mixture of compulsion and depression that those devices bring.

This is not even controversial at this point. We hardly need a scientific study to tell us that social media is making us dumb, angry and addicted, but in case you missed it here’s a scientific study telling us that social media is making us dumb, angry and addicted. As you might expect, people who compare their mundane, humdrum existence to the idealized lives that people present online—fun parties, great food, perfect vacations, happy families—are more likely to develop depressive symptoms.

But it’s important to note that this state of affairs has not come about by accident. This technology has been weaponized against you. This is not conspiracy theory or conjecture; as I pointed out in my podcast on The Weaponization of Social Media, many of the founders of the social media giants don’t even use social media themselves and they actively keep it away from their children. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch Facebook co-founder Sean Parker admitting that they designed their product to keep you addicted by exploiting vulnerabilities in human psychology.

When you realize that all aspects of our online experience—like the red badges and phone buzzers that alert us to new social media notifications—have been precisely fine-tuned to keep you clicking indefinitely, you can at least appreciate that it is not merely a matter of weak will that has led you to this spot.

It is also important to realize that this is not merely a ploy to earn more advertising revenue for the big internet companies. It does do that, of course, but this addiction to (and, ultimately, enslavement to) the very source of our unhappiness if part of a much more insidious agenda. We are being groomed by the hucksters and charlatans of our era to accept the coming integration of man and machine. Or, worse yet, to embrace it.

Never mind that the Borg-like vision of the future propounded by these transhumanists is a nightmare beyond comprehension. Never mind that free will will be rendered meaningless in a world where we are nudged by devices along pre-determined paths. Never mind that privacy will be unthinkable when our every thought will be monitored and analyzed in real time. Never mind that dissent will be impossible when our ability to access the networks upon which our lives are built can be turned off at the flip of the switch. We’ll be able to surf the internet in our head! Where do I sign up?

If you think information overload is bad now, wait until you’re interacting with avatars of your friends in augmented reality while listening to music that only you can hear and ordering your Alexa to adjust the thermostat and order you a pizza for dinner.

So what do we do about this?

If this were just another clickbait listicle designed to give you some trite pieces of warm and fuzzy advice and keep you coming back for more, this is the point where I’d give you a few bullet points about setting a screen time limit on your phone or practicing mindful browsing (searching for something specific instead of scrolling and clicking aimlessly). These things are all well and good, as far as they go . . . but they don’t go far enough, do they?

Because if we really face up to the fact that these devices have been weaponized against us, and that they are leading us into a transhuman future, then we arrive pretty quickly at a conclusion that might put you into a cold sweat: Every time you pick up your device, every time you check that news feed, every time you scroll through your social media notifications, you are putting a loaded gun to your head.

Or, even worse, you are ingesting a little bit of poison. One or two doses won’t hurt. A thousand doses might make you sick, but you can probably handle it. The fatal dose might be the millionth. And if the poison is sweet enough, then, like any addict, you’ll convince yourself that it’s OK to keep taking it; after all, we’ll be able to quit before we get to that millionth hit, won’t we?

And what’s the alternative, anyway? Giving up on this tech altogether? Is that even possible?

These are not rhetorical questions. They are very real questions with answers that have very real consequences for our lives. And I’m not posing these questions from up in the clouds. I make my living online. My life right now revolves around the very information overload that I’m writing about. Will I know where to draw that line in the sand and stop using the tech before it becomes an implantable brain chip? Will you?

Feel free to tell me that I’m being overly dramatic and that there’s nothing to worry about here. But the next time you feel yourself reaching for your phone in a moment of silence or scrolling aimlessly through a news feed with a gnawing sense of emptiness in the pit of your stomach, take a moment to reflect on that sensation. And then see if you can put the phone down.

The brutal history of anti-Latino discrimination in America

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

 

Dear readers:

 

Many of us know that discrimination in the past was terrible for Latino people in the US, but this article, written by Erin Blakemore, describes it in more detail and historically. I hope you enrich yourself in history that has been omitted in our school system. – Marvin Ramírez.

 

School segregation, lynchings and mass deportations of Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens are just some of the injustices Latinos have faced

 

by Erin Blakemore

 

Olvera Street is a Los Angeles icon—a thriving Mexican market filled with colorful souvenirs, restaurants and remnants of the oldest buildings in Los Angeles. But though the bright tourist destination teems with visitors, few realize it was once the site of a terrifying raid.

In 1931, police officers grabbed Mexican-Americans in the area, many of them U.S. citizens, and shoved them into waiting vans. Immigration agents blocked exits and arrested around 400 people, who were then deported to Mexico, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.

The raid was just one incident in a long history of discrimination against Latino people in the United States. Since the 1840s, anti-Latino prejudice has led to illegal deportations, school segregation and even lynching—often-forgotten events that echo the civil-rights violations of African-Americans in the Jim Crow-era South.

The story of Latino-American discrimination largely begins in 1848, when the United States won the Mexican-American War. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which marked the war’s end, granted 55 percent of Mexican territory to the United States. With that land came new citizens. The Mexicans who decided to stay in what was now U.S. territory were granted citizenship and the country gained a considerable Mexican-American population.

As the 19th century wore on, political events in Mexico made emigration to the United States popular. This was welcome news to American employers like the Southern Pacific Railroad, which desperately needed cheap labor to help build new tracks. The railroad and other companies flouted existing immigration laws that banned importing contracted labor and sent recruiters into Mexico to convince Mexicans to emigrate.

Anti-Latino sentiment grew along with immigration. Latinos were barred entry into Anglo establishments and segregated into urban barrios in poor areas. Though Latinos were critical to the U.S. economy and often were American citizens, everything from their language to the color of their skin to their countries of origin could be used as a pretext for discrimination. Anglo-Americans treated them as a foreign underclass and perpetuated stereotypes that those who spoke Spanish were lazy, stupid and undeserving. In some cases, that prejudice turned fatal.

According to historians William D. Carrigan and Clive Webb, mob violence against Spanish-speaking people was common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They estimate that the number of Latinos killed by mobs reach well into the thousands, though definitive documentation only exists for 547 cases.

The violence began during California’s Gold Rush just after California became part of the United States. At the time, white miners begrudged former Mexicans a share of the wealth yielded by Californian mines—and sometimes enacted vigilante justice. In 1851, for example, a mob of vigilantes accused Josefa Segovia of murdering a white man. After a fake trial, they marched her through the streets and lynched her. Over 2,000 men gathered to watch, shouting racial slurs. Others were attacked on suspicion of fraternizing with white women or insulting white people.

Even children became the victims of this violence. In 1911, a mob of over 100 people hanged a 14-year-old boy, Antonio Gómez, after he was arrested for murder. Rather than let him serve time in jail, townspeople lynched him and dragged his body through the streets of Thorndale, Texas.

These and other horrific acts of cruelty lasted until the 1920s, when the Mexican government began pressuring the United States to stop the violence. But though mob brutality eventually quelled, hatred of Spanish-speaking Americans did not.

In the late 1920s, anti-Mexican sentiment spiked as the Great Depression began. As the stock market tanked and unemployment grew, Anglo-Americans accused Mexicans and other foreigners of stealing American jobs. Mexican-Americans were discouraged and even forbidden from accepting charitable aid.

As fears about jobs and the economy spread, the United States forcibly removed up to 2 million people of Mexican descent from the country—up to 60 percent of whom were American citizens.

Euphemistically referred to as “repatriations,” the removals were anything but voluntary. Sometimes, private employers drove their employees to the border and kicked them out. In other cases, local governments cut off relief, raided gathering places or offered free train fare to Mexico. Colorado even ordered all of its “Mexicans”—in reality, anyone who spoke Spanish or seemed to be of Latin descent—to leave the state in 1936 and blockaded its southern border to keep people from leaving. Though no formal decree was ever issued by immigration authorities, INS officials deported about 82,000 people during the period.

The impact on Spanish-speaking communities was devastating. Some light-skinned Mexican-Americans attempted to pass themselves off as Spanish, not Mexican, in an attempt to evade enforcement. People with disabilities and active illnesses were removed from hospitals and dumped at the border. As one victim of “repatriation” told Raymond Rodríguez, who wrote a history of the period, Decade of Betrayal, “They might as well have sent us to Mars.”

Others, like Rodríguez’s father, did not wait for raids or enforcement and returned to Mexico independently to escape discrimination and the fear of removal. His wife refused to accompany him and the family never saw him again.

When deportations finally ended around 1936, up to 2 million Mexican-Americans had been “repatriated.” (Because many of the repatriation attempts were informal or conducted by private companies, it is nearly impossible to quantify the exact number of people who were deported.) Around one third of Los Angeles’ Mexican population left the country, as did a third of Texas’ Mexican-born population. Though both the state of California and the city of Los Angeles apologized for repatriation in the early 2000s, the deportations have largely faded from public memory.

Another little-remembered facet of anti-Latino discrimination in the United States is school segregation. Unlike the South, which had explicit laws barring African-American children from white schools, segregation was not enshrined in the laws of the southwestern United States. Nevertheless, Latino people were excluded from restaurants, movie theaters and schools.

Latino students were expected to attend separate “Mexican schools” throughout the southwest beginning in the 1870s. At first, the schools were set up to serve the children of Spanish-speaking laborers at rural ranches. Soon, they spread into cities, too.

By the 1940s, as many as 80 percent of Latino children in places like Orange County, California attended separate schools. Among them was Sylvia Mendez, a young girl who was turned away from an all-white school in the county. Instead of going to the pristine, well-appointed 17th Street Elementary, she was told to attend Hoover Elementary—a dilapidated, two-room shack.

Today, an estimated 54 million Latinos live in the U.S. and around 43 million people speak Spanish. But though Latinos are the country’s largest minority, anti-Latino prejudice is still common. In 2016, 52 percent of Latinos surveyed by Pew said they had experienced discrimination. Lynchings, “repatriation” programs and school segregation may be in the past, but anti-Latino discrimination in the U.S. is far from over.

 

The truth about Iran’s nuclear program

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

 

Dear readers:

 

As you have been hearing the drum of war in the mainstream lately about the US about to attack Iran for doing this and doing that, well, if you don’t have an idea of your own of why should we attach the Persian nation, here’s a well-researched article written by investigative journalist, James Corbett, of what is really happening behind real deal in wanting war with Iran. – Marvin Ramírez.

 

by by James Corbett

corbettreport

 

“Be afraid!” say the repeaters of mockingbird media. Afraid of who? Afraid of Iran, of course.

Oh, haven’t you heard? The Iranian government’s stockpile of enriched uranium is about to surpass 300 kilograms! And Iran’s store of heavy water is about to surpass 130 metric tons! Don’t you understand? This will exceed the limits on these materials set out in the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)! And the dastardly Iranian government is not only embarrassed by these actions, but openly taking steps to end (some of) their commitments under the JCPOA!

Sounds chilling, doesn’t it? But there’s one little disclaimer that seems missing from a lot of the MSM’s scaremongering coverage of these developments: None of this has anything to do with an offensive nuclear weapons program.

Confused? Of course you are. The highly-technical details of the 159-page nuclear agreement were never meant to be scrutinized by (much less understood by) the average Joe Sixpack and Jane Soccermom. Words like “enriched” and “highly enriched,” “heavy water” and “tritium,” “nuclear program” and “nuclear weapons program” are thrown around by the media as if these terms are all the same, even though they describe fundamentally different materials and processes. And the whole point is to make the public afraid of a nuclear weapons program that both US and Israeli intelligence has confirmed doesn’t exist.

So what’s the real story on the Iran nuclear deal?

Well, as I had cause to point out on The Corbett Report podcast quite recently, defining our terms is the first step toward understanding the world. So let’s do some defining.

First, “enrichment.” As the World Nuclear Association explains:

Natural uranium contains 0.7 percent of the U-235 isotope. The remaining 99.3 percent is mostly the U-238 isotope which does not contribute directly to the fission process (though it does so indirectly by the formation of fissile isotopes of plutonium). Isotope separation is a physical process to concentrate (‘enrich’) one isotope relative to others. Most reactors are light water reactors (of two types—PWR and BWR) and require uranium to be enriched from 0.7 percent to 3-5 percent U-235 in their fuel. This is normal low-enriched uranium (LEU). There is some interest in taking enrichment levels to about 7 percent, and even close to 20 percent for certain special power reactor fuels, as high-assay LEU (HALEU).

Note that there is a large difference between low-enriched uranium (less than 20 percent U-235) used for fuel in nuclear power plants and research reactors, and high-enriched uranium (over 90 percent U-235) used for nuclear weapons. One guess which kind Iran is producing. That’s right: low-enriched uranium! To be precise, 3.67 percent U-235 enriched uranium, also known as ” not even close to being used in a nuclear weapon” enriched uranium.

Sadly, if predictably, this distinction seldom makes it into media reports concerning Iran’s “threats” to break the 300 kilogram stockpile limit. For every article specifically noting that Iran is producing “low-enriched uranium,” there are a hundred articles that elide this fact by merely referring to it as “enriched uranium.”

Take this gem from the Big Brother Corporation, for example: “Enriched uranium is used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons.” That kind of “journalism” is precisely what enables the war hawks to get away with their lies.

Then what about “heavy water?” As the Wide Asleep in America blog detailed in a post on misleading reporting about the Iran nuclear deal:

“Heavy water is actually just a denser form of normal water, containing a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, which acts as both a moderator and coolant in the nuclear fuel process. It is not fissile material. It poses absolutely no danger and has no military capabilities. It cannot make bombs, nor is it a necessary component of the bomb-making process. Heavy water can literally be consumed just as regular H2O, although that would be a particularly pricey way to quench one’s thirst.”

In other words, heavy water is not radioactive and, let’s reiterate, it “cannot make bombs, nor is it a necessary component of the bomb-making process.” It is, however, a key ingredient in heavy water reactors.

Why, then, does the Iran deal set a limit on heavy water storage? Because at the time that the JCPOA was being negotiated, the Iranians were working on building a research reactor, the Arak Nuclear Plant, which was to be a natural uranium heavy water reactor. While the heavy water itself is not militarily capable, the concern at the time was that the then-still-under-construction Arak reactor could be used to breed weapons-grade plutonium from non-enriched uranium.

So there you go. Clearly the Iranians are stockpiling heavy water as part of their plan to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, right? Wrong. Firstly, the Arak plant never had a so-called “hot cell facility” that could separate plutonium from the reactor’s irradiated fuel. And secondly (but rather more importantly), Iran removed the reactor core from the Arak plant in 2016 and filled it with concrete. That’s right, they don’t even have a heavy water reactor, let alone the ability to separate plutonium from such a reactor, let alone the intention to do so.

So why are they “stockpiling” heavy water and uranium, anyway? Because they can’t get rid of it anymore. As the Moon Of Alabama blog points out:

“When the Trump administration left the nuclear agreement a year ago it renewed sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program. But it also issued waivers for the export of heavy water and enriched uranium. Iran continued to sell these products or to stockpile them outside of the country.”

But then, in May of this year, the US State Department suddenly stopped issuing these waivers. As a result, for the past two months Iran has had no legal way to offload its extra heavy water and uranium.

This is why we are now inundated with the “Iran hell-bent on breaking the agreement” stories. What’s more, Iran’s current conundrum is the perfectly predictable result of State having halted those waivers. Pompeo and the war cabal knew that these pressures they exerted would force Iran into non-compliance. That’s precisely why they did it.

So let’s get this straight:

  • Iran is “stockpiling” uranium and heavy water not by choice, but because they are legally forbidden from doing anything else with it.
  • They are not “stockpiling” highly-enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb, but low-enriched uranium for power plants.
  • They do not even have a heavy water reactor, let alone the facilities that would be required to separate plutonium out of that reactor.
  • Iran is in violation of the JCPOA because they literally cannot comply with it anymore.
  • The US pulled out of the JCPOA anyway, which raises questions as to why the US is interested in Iranian compliance with the deal at all.
  • Oh, and let’s not forget that not only has the IAEA repeatedly confirmed that Iran never diverted any nuclear material into any military program, but the US intelligence community itself conceded in 2011 that Iran was not trying to build a nuclear bomb. (Bonus: even the Mossad made an assessment in 2012 that Iran was “not performing the activity necessary to produce weapons.”)

Alright, enough of this nonsense. We all know that this is not really about the JCPOA or Iran’s compliance or non-compliance with that agreement. Nor is this about the threat of a non-existent nuclear weapons program. No, this is about ginning up another phony casus belli—a convenient excuse for war that the public might buy into more readily than the recent ridiculous false flag shenanigans in the Gulf of Oman.

For those who may still be naïve enough to think that we can be saved from the warmongers by a cool and level-headed Congress, here’s a reality check: Congress has completely abrogated their constitutional authority to declare war. Famously, the US has never formally declared war since WWII (despite having been in a few “kinetic military actions” since then), and since 2001 and the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), whatever warmongers happen to be populating the White House have had carte blanche to use any excuse to go after any perceived terrorist threat anywhere in the world at any time with whatever military response they like.

And don’t think the current clique of neo-neocons in the Trump administration won’t abuse this power. As Heather Brandon-Smith notes in her article on the subject:

“Now we know that the Trump Administration is looking to use it [the AUMF] for its own means as well. After a grilling by Senator Rand Paul during an April Senate hearing, Secretary Pompeo refused to concede that the 2001 AUMF would not apply to Iran. Despite President Trump’s State of the Union declaration that ‘great nations do not fight endless wars,’ with every passing day the administration continues to inch towards conflict with Iran—and using the 2001 law to justify it.”

It’s hard to talk about the imminent “kinetic military action” with Iran without sounding like a broken record. Many have been warning about it since the days of Bush 43 and the original neocon crew. But just because you’ve heard it before doesn’t mean it’s not worth talking about anymore. On the contrary, as I argued 12 years ago and as seems even more evident today: WWIII Starts in Iran.

Don’t fall for the simplistic tricks that are being used to lead the public into that war.

Tips for clean eating: 11 ways to improve your eating habits right now

by Zoey Sky

 

Spaghetti squash, which separates into long, thin strands after cooking, is a healthier replacement for pasta. You can also use zucchini to make veggie noodles.

Drink more water.

Good old water helps you stay hydrated and can also help with managing your weight. The commonly recommended amount of water consumption is eight 8-ounce glasses a day.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with health problems like diabetes, obesity, and other diseases. Store-bought fruit juice can also cause the same problems because of its high sugar content.

Avoid processed foods.

Processed foods have been modified from their natural state and they often lack many of the benefits offered by whole foods. A lot of processed foods lose their fiber and nutrients and gain chemicals, sugar, or other toxic ingredients. Studies have also linked processed foods with inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease.

Avoid packaged snacks.

Crackers, granola bars, muffins, and other snack foods usually contain refined grains, sugar, and other unhealthy ingredients. These processed foods all lack nutritional value.

To avoid unhealthy snacking, prepare healthier alternatives like sliced apples with peanut butter or mixed nuts.

Always check food labels.

Clean eating is based on whole, fresh foods, but you can still eat certain types of packaged foods, liked packaged meat, nuts, and vegetables. When buying packaged foods, check the labels for any added sugars, preservatives, or unhealthy fats that you should be avoiding.

If you want to eat a salad for instance, it’s better to make some at home instead of buying pre-washed salad mixes. Salad mixes may you save time, but they contain unhealthy additives, particularly in the salad dressing that’s usually included in the package.

Avoid refined carbs.

Refined carbs, such as ready-to-eat cereals and white bread, are highly processed foods and they provide little nutritional value. Studies have found that consumption of refined carbs is linked to fatty liver, inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity.

Choose whole grains that are rich in fiber and nutrients and can help reduce inflammation and improve gut health. When eating whole grains, choose the least-processed kinds like sprouted grain bread and steel-cut oats.

Avoid added sugar.

Added sugar is very common, and it’s even found in foods that aren’t sweet, like savory condiments and sauces. Table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are full of unhealthy fructose, and research shows that this compound is linked to cancer, diabetes, fatty liver, obesity, and other health problems.

If you’re fairly healthy, it’s fine to occasionally eat small amounts of natural sugar, like honey or maple syrup. But if you have diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or other similar health issues, avoid all forms of concentrated sugar.

Limit your alcohol intake.

Frequent alcohol consumption may promote inflammation. It can also contribute to various health conditions like digestive disorders, excess belly fat, and liver disease.

Replace canola oil and margarine with healthier alternatives.

Canola oil and margarine are produced via chemical extraction, making them highly processed. Instead of these unhealthy options, consume moderate amounts of healthy fats such as omega-3, which is found in foods like avocado, nuts, and fatty fish.

If you’re going to use vegetable oil, choose extra virgin olive oil.

Consume meat from ethically raised animals.

Livestock animals are usually raised in crowded, unsanitary factory farms. They are also given antibiotics to prevent infection and injected with hormones (e.g., estrogen and testosterone) to maximize growth.

Most cattle in industrial farms are fed grains instead of grass, which is their natural diet. Research has revealed that grass-fed beef has more anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants than grain-fed beef.

Factory farms also produce tons of waste that are damaging for the environment.

To ensure that you’re eating clean and helping the environment at the same time, make sure to eat meat from ethically raised livestock. (Natural News).

Mexico says drug trade a regional problem after Trump issues threat

The US president has given Mexico one year to comply or the US will withhold financial assistance

 

by Mexico News Daily

 

Mexico has responded to a threat from United States President Donald Trump to cut off financial aid if it doesn’t do more to stop drug trafficking by asserting that the production, transport and distribution of narcotics is a regional problem.

In a presidential memorandum released by the White House on Thursday night, Trump said the Mexican government needs to ramp up efforts to eradicate opium poppies, intercept illicit drugs and prosecute and seize the assets of traffickers.

“. . . Mexico needs to do more to stop the deadly flow of drugs entering our country,” he wrote, declaring that included the development of “a comprehensive drug control strategy.”

“. . . Mexico’s full cooperation is essential to reduce heroin production and confront illicit fentanyl production and every form of drug trafficking, including through United States ports of entry.”

If Trump is unable to certify that Mexico is doing more to combat the drug trade, the United States government could withhold financial assistance to Mexico and block international development bank loans.

In Thursday’s memorandum, the U.S. president made such a ruling for Bolivia and Venezuela, which he said had “failed demonstrably” during the past 12 months to uphold their anti-drug commitments.

“Without further progress over the coming year, I will consider determining that Mexico has failed demonstrably to uphold its international drug control commitments,” Trump wrote.

Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) responded to Trump’s memorandum in a statement published yesterday.

“The production, transport and distribution of narcotics . . . by transnational organized crime networks, as well as the associated violence, represent a regional problem, whose attention requires the collaboration and coordinated efforts of the governments in the region,” the SRE said.

The foreign ministry defended Mexico’s efforts to combat the drug trade, stating that the country “has made efforts to combat the production and trafficking of drugs in its territory, often with a very high cost in human and financial terms.”

The SRE charged that the trafficking of drugs and associated violence is fueled by the high levels of drug consumption.

“Drug use reduction goals are not always met by the countries in the region,” the SRE said, making a thinly veiled reference to the United States, the world’s largest market for narcotics.

“In our own case, the new federal administration of Mexico is promoting strong prevention campaigns aimed at dissuading [drug] use among the young population,” the statement said.

The SRE expressed its concern about the “massive” amount of firearms that are smuggled into Mexico from the United States, pointing out that it has been proven that guns sourced from the U.S. are used in thousands of murders every year.

It said that the illegal drug trade is supported by millions of dollars that are laundered in “the financial systems of the countries in the region” and therefore “a comprehensive solution to the cancer of drug trafficking” also requires a joint effort to “prevent and penalize money laundering.”

The statement concluded by saying that Mexico remains committed to continuing cooperating with other countries in the region to combat the production and trafficking of narcotics.

Christopher Wilson, deputy director at the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, said the warning from Trump is “something that has to be taken seriously, but still it is truly unlikely that it would actually occur.”

He added that United States financial assistance to Mexico isn’t significant considering the size of the Mexican economy, asserting that what’s more important is bilateral cooperation on law enforcement issues.

“It is unclear if that is truly at risk, but that would be very negative to the interests of both United States and Mexico,” Wilson said.

Since Mexico agreed to increase enforcement against undocumented migrants as part of a deal with the United States that ended Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican goods, the Mexican government has received almost no criticism from its United States counterpart and some praise.

Trump said on July 1 that Mexico is doing a “great job” in stemming illegal migration as more than 20,000 federal security force members patrolled both the southern and northern borders.

Even as he threatened to cut of financial aid if Mexico doesn’t do more to combat the illicit drug trade, the U.S. president acknowledged that many Mexican military and law enforcement professionals are already “bravely meeting this challenge and confronting the transnational criminal organizations that threaten both of our countries.”

Source: El Universal (sp), Associated Press (en).

Growing hostility against Mexicans in US, atmosphere of intolerance: Foreign Affairs

Growing hostility against Mexicans in US, atmosphere of intolerance: Foreign Affairs

 

Along with Ethiopia, Haiti, India and others, the SRE classifies the US as a “hard life” country for Mexican citizens

 

by Mexico News Daily

 

There is a growing climate of hostility against Mexicans and other minority groups in the United States, the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) warns in a new security document.

Mexican consulates in the U.S. have detected “a sharp increase in recent months in the hostile environment against minorities,” the SRE said in a document obtained by the newspaper El Universal that outlines plans to purchase new security equipment for diplomatic missions.

Published this month, the document says that “scheduled attacks, marches that promote xenophobia and fierce debates on United States television have undermined the cosmopolitan environment in that country.”

The publication of the document comes in the aftermath of the August 3 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in which a lone gunman killed 22 people including eight Mexican citizens.

According to an affidavit filed by the El Paso Police Department, the 21-year-old suspect told officers that he targeted Mexicans, while in a manifesto published online the alleged shooter said he was carrying out the attack in “response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

The massacre, which the New York Times said was “the deadliest attack to target Latinos in modern American history,” has shaken Latino communities across the United States.

Critics of Donald Trump, including candidates vying for the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party, have accused the United States president of creating racial division in the U.S. and emboldening those who have carried out racially-motivated attacks.

In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, Trump infamously labelled some Mexican immigrants as drug dealers, criminals and “rapists.”

More recently, he described the arrival of large migrant caravans at the United States southern border as an “invasion.”

In light of the identified growth in hostility towards minorities, the SRE said that the safety of its diplomatic personnel in the United States could be at risk, especially considering that the security systems in place at some Mexican missions are obsolete.

Along with Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Palestine, the SRE classifies the United States as a “hard life” country for Mexican citizens including diplomatic staff posted to the country.

One of the reasons why the foreign ministry makes such a classification is because it deems that there is an atmosphere of “intolerance and manifest discrimination” in the country to which it applies.

Amid an environment in which Mexicans are considered more vulnerable to attacks, the SRE said that the Mexican consulate in San Francisco needs a new video surveillance system.

The cameras it has are obsolete, the SRE said, a situation that leaves the consulate unprotected in an area where “local authorities have reported burglaries, assaults and vandalism.”

The SRE said the consulate in Chicago requires a new safe-deposit box to store the large amounts of cash it receives on a daily basis, while the embassy in Washington D.C. also requires upgrades to its video security system.

The safety of diplomatic personnel as well as Mexican citizens and people of other nationalities who attend Mexican consulates and the countries embassies “must be protected at all costs,” the SRE said.

Source: El Universal (sp).

 

Migrants’ protest in Chiapas triggers confrontations with security forces

Violent clashes began Tuesday at a migration station in Tapachula

 

Migrants from Africa and Haiti clashed with security forces in Tapachula, Chiapas, this week while protesting to demand transit visas that would allow them to travel to the northern border.

Hundreds of migrants began a protest on Monday outside the Siglo XXI migration station, where they blocked the entry and exit of buses transporting Central Americans on their way to be deported to their countries of origin.

The newspaper El Universal reported that migrants from Ethiopia, Mali, Cameroon, Somalia, Congo, Mauritania, Guinea and Haiti were among those protesting against the government’s decision to cease granting permits. They would allow them to travel to the border with the United States, where they intend to seek asylum.

Permits currently being issued only allow the migrants to stay in Chiapas, where they say there are no employment opportunities.

The newspaper El Financiero said that under current laws, migrants are entitled to receive a 20-day transit visa to travel to the United States but some have been waiting in Tapachula for more than three months without even being able to apply for one.

On Tuesday night, Federal Police officers and members of the National Guard attempted to break up the protest but were met with resistance. Scuffles ensued and four migrants were arrested and taken inside the detention center.

On Wednesday, there was another attempt to break up the protests during which a pregnant African woman fell to the ground and went into convulsions, reportedly due to sunstroke, fatigue and not having eaten. She was assisted by medical personnel from the migration station but lost the baby later, according to the advocacy group Pueblo Sin Fronteras (People Without Borders).

Director Irineo Mújica Arzate claimed there have been acts of repression and violence against the migrants on the part of federal forces.

His organization said in a statement that security forces have turned Tapachula into a “prison city,” conducting raids to hunt down migrants, and committing acts of abuse.

During Wednesday’s eviction attempt, women and children lay on the ground outside the migration station to prevent two police cars and another vehicle from leaving.

When police tried to forcibly remove them, the women fought back and accused the officers of committing acts of violence.

The government agreed in June to step up enforcement against undocumented migrants and deployed federal security forces to both the southern and northern borders.

 

Use public social benefits and you won’t be able to get your ‘green card’

New DHS rule threatens access to green cards for immigrants using some public programs

 

by the El Reportero’s wire services

 

The Trump administration on Aug. 12 finalized a rule which creates additional hurdles for those who’ve waited years to legally stay in the United States. This “public charge” rule expands the list of public programs the government will consider in deciding some immigration applications. The programs will now include certain health care, nutrition, and housing programs. The proposed rule does not apply to those applying for citizenship, humanitarian migrants such as refugees and asylees, and those applying to renew their DACA.

The new rule requires that future receipt of certain kinds of government programs – namely Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and public housing (Section 8) – will factor into the determination by immigration officials of who gets a green card. The rule does not go into effect today – there is a 60-day waiting period before the rule is enacted. In the meantime, multiple legal challenges are likely which could lead to further delays.

Advocates and experts emphasize that individuals should not take immediate action if they are currently participating in government programs since the DHS rule does not apply retroactively. Advocates and experts encourage individuals to use caution when deciding whether to participate in certain programs, making sure that they have the information they need to make informed decisions.

 

PAHO keeps alert for dengue epidemic in Latin America

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is maintaining an alert for the growing dengue epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 720 deaths from January to July.

So far this year, more than two million dengue patients have been reported in the region, where 70 percent of the population lives in conditions favorable to the spread of the disease, transmitted by the Aeges Egypti mosquito.

Nicaragua, Brazil, Honduras, Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Paraguay, Guatemala and Mexico are the countries most affected by the new outbreak, PAHO said in its alert.

Dr. Jose Luis San Martin, PAHO’s regional dengue advisor, said the alert was issued in response to an increase in dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We also noted, he said, an increase in deaths, especially in children under 15, a group that regularly had not been affected, so the warning was considered necessary.

Explaining the increase in the number of infected people, San Martin said that in the more than 300 years of dengue presence in the region and after its re-emergence three decades ago, there are epidemic cycles repeated every three or five years, with an equal duration of time, which is why the region is currently in the fourth year after it had a major outbreak in 2015 with more than two million cases.

 

5 years after Ayotzinapa, Iguala’s ex-mayor, wife still in jail awaiting trial

Their daughter says authorities have failed to respect their right to the presumption of innocence

The former mayor of Iguala, Guerrero, and his wife have now spent almost five years in jail awaiting trial in the case of the 43 students who disappeared in September 2014.

José Luis Abarca Velázquez and María de los Angeles Pineda, a former regional president of the DIF family services agency, are accused of masterminding the attacks in Iguala against students from the Ayotzinapa teacher training college.

Six people were killed on the night of September 26, 2014, and 43 students were allegedly handed over to the Guerreros Unidos drug gang by municipal police before they were killed.

Abarca and Pineda, who were allegedly complicit with the Guerrero Unidos’ criminal activities, evaded capture for more than a month but were arrested in Mexico City on November 4, 2014.

Yesterday, less than three months before the fifth anniversary of their detention, the couple’s daughter took to social media to denounce what she says has been a failure to respect her parents’ right to the presumption of innocence.

. . . In the previous six-year term [of the federal government], they didn’t care that my parents were innocent of what they were accused of, they concealed evidence, altered files and altered the dates of hearings so that they didn’t occur,” Yazareth Abarca Pineda wrote on Facebook.

“They’ve been prisoners in maximum security jails for almost five years without guarantees, without medical care, without their children,” she added.

“. . . Let justice be served, for once in the history of this country, let’s allow one single thing to be done well and with honesty.”

In hashtags added to her post, Abarca Pineda claimed that her parents are political prisoners.

In addition to defending the innocence of the so-called “Imperial Couple” of Iguala, Abarca Pineda has also initiated legal action in a Mexico City court aimed at recovering assets seized from her parents.

A night of jazz by two great musicians in Sausalito

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

 

Walter Earl and Arlington Houston form a great two-people team jamming to the heart. Walter’s piano accompanied by Arlinton’s bass make a perfect jazz duet for a night of inspiration and fun. You won’t be disappointed, come and see them play and enjoy fine jazz.

By the way, this restaurant/club has been the host of several renown musician such as pianist, composer, and arranger Jesúss “Chuchito” Valdés, Jr., who is the third-generation manifestation of a Cuban jazz piano dynasty that includes his father, Chucho Valdés, and grandfather, Bebo Valdés.

To afford live entertainment, the Elizabeth, the owner of this divine Italian Restaurant, charges a small $5 cover charge.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, from 8 – 11 p.m., at Osteria Divino, 37 Caledonia St., Sausalito, California.

 

Salsa in the Mission with Emilio Pérez and his New Caní band

Come and celebrate summer time with salsa, Latin jazz and tropical music for the soul on the dance floor, with Grupo New Caní. In the congas Emilio Pérez, in timbales Tito Thumas and his aunt Patricia Thumas on the piano.

At Cavas-22 Restaurant. Full bar and Mexican and International food, 22nd Street @ Bartlett – across the street from Café Revolution. Fridays and Saturdays, from 8 to 11:30 p.m.

 

Re-Invent opportunities of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

As our 40th CHCC Annual Statewide Convention approaches, you are urged to take advantage of the incredible opportunities that are in store for you!

Whether you are an entrepreneur, corporate partner, community leader, elected official, or a small business owner, we pride ourselves in ensuring there is information and resources that will give you significant value on your investment.

Your registration not only gives you access to executive workshops, matchmaking services, and industry experts, but also includes free technical assistance for small business, saving you hundreds of dollars an hour.

On top of all that, you are also invited to the opening night reception at the Port of Stockton, three special luncheons catered by local chefs, the Awards Breakfast, the Millennial Party and the CHCC Awards Gala and Dinner!

On Aug. 21 –23 at the Port of Stockton, California.

 

Come celebrate 30 years of democratizing power

Help us celebrate our 30th anniversary over food, drinks, and music at the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Urban Habitat launched our regional equity programs in 1989 with the goal of creating a just and connected Bay Area for all who call this region home. We have worked to increase the power of low-income communities and communities of color so they can determine their own destinies, live in their homes without fear of displacement, and ride reliable and affordable transit that takes them where they need to go.

Your partnership has been integral to our success. We’re proud of all that we have accomplished together, and we hope you will join us on this special occasion! Thursday, Sept. 12, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Oakland Museum of California, Koret Plaza, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland

 

SPJ NorCal To Host Shield Law panel at UC Berkeley Journalism School

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

 

SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee is hosting a workshop on California’s Shield Law.

Come learn about what the law does and doesn’t cover, as well as examples of how it has been applied with real-world cases. The recent detention and search and seizure of freelance stringer Bryan Carmody has prompted discussions about the Shield Law among local officials and law enforcement alike; it’s time for journalists to come together and do the same. Working journalists and students are invited to attend.

*Pizza and soft drinks to be served

Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m., at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

 

Gian Marco on tour through SF

Peruvian singer-songwriter, Gian Marco Javier Zignago Alcóver, will be in SF as part of his Intuición Tour USA 2019.

Winner of the Latin Grammy Award for the Best Singer-Songwriter Album three times, first in 2005 for his Album Resucitar, in 2011 for his Album Días Nuevos, and in 2012 for his Album 20 Años.

Though he experienced some solo success with the albums A Tiempo (2002) and Resucitar (2004), both of which were produced by Emilio Estefan, Jr., he was most successful as a songwriter. Among the more notable Latin pop stars who have performed his songs are Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Alejandro Fernández, Obie Bermúdez, Jon Secada, and Cristian Castro.

On Aug. 3., at 9 p.m. at the Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco.

 

Hispanic Chambers of Commerce 40th Annual Statewide Convention

Expected to be one of the largest, multi-day conventions held in Stockton, over 2,000 attendees will converge on the Stockton Arena including entrepreneurs, small business owners, corporate representatives and policymakers from across the state.

The CHCC State Convention will include dynamic speakers and focus on business training seminars and Chambers of Commerce executive workshops. Key topics and initiatives for the convention include: International Trade, Hispanic Millennials, Latina Empowerment, Procurement, and Corporate Diversity & Inclusion.

Our Small Business Development Center is offering FREE technical assistance for businesses.

So, whether you need legal advice, or a business plan, WE can pair you with experts that offer FREE services saving you hundreds of dollars an hour. The convention also features matchmaking services for companies. Grow your business by getting contracts with state and local agencies, or even large private-sector companies.

We will match you with agencies in need of your services. Awards will be presented during the convention in the categories of: Chamber of the Year; Chamber Executive of the Year; Corporate Partner of the Year; Latina Empresaria Hall of Fame; Minerva Empresaria; Pioneer Empresaria; Rising Star Empresaria; Regional Business Awards; Hispanic Shark of the Year; Oscar De La Hoya Entrepreneurship & Community Excellence; the CHCC Veterans Award; the John Aguilar Procurement Achievement Award and the distinguished Chairman’s Awards.

I hope to see you all at our Annual Convention!

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 during the CHCC 40th Annual Statewide Convention, in Stockton, CA. Application Deadline is Friday, July 26, 2019 at 6 p.m.

 

Gardening at your Local Library

July gardening programs for all ages, all size gardens

 

This summer the public is invited to dive into the dirt with gardening events at San Francisco branch libraries across the City. Participants can learn about succulents, worm composting and how to garden in an apartment.

They can pick up new plants at the Ortega Branch plant swap or swing by the Portola Branch in San Francisco’s official Garden District to check out the “seed library” or help maintain their flourishing garden. Author/gardening expert Pam Peirce will discuss how to get the most from a small-space San Francisco food garden at the Sunset Branch.

Along with Fog City Gardener, teens and tweens can learn to harvest honey, arrange flowers and support bees.

https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/379730047_sfpl_busscilibrarians/1379653757_celebrating_san_franciscos_conservatory_of_flowers

All San Francisco Public Library programs and exhibits are free and open to the public.