The Evening Blues - 6-9-22



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Lowell Fulson

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features West Coast blues guitarist Lowell Fulson. Enjoy!

Lowell Fulson - Black Nights

“He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.”

-- George Bernard Shaw


News and Opinion

U.S. Effort to Hurt Russia Undermines Itself and the World

The United States continues to shoot itself in the foot in its futile effort to damage the Russian economy. It is also asking other nations to do likewise and live with inflation, food scarcity, and rising energy prices. European countries have gone along with the sanctions which cut off their natural gas supplies from Russia when there is no logical alternative source for them. However, the rest of the world has refused to join in U.S. and EU condemnations or accept that they must live with privations caused by the reckless actions of other nations.

Of course, the ongoing state of delusion just continues the fantasy foreign policy decision making in Washington. The Countering Malign Russian Influences in Africa Act, HR 7311, is just one example. But while the U.S. makes up nonsense as it goes along, the real problems that African nations have with the U.S. and their desire to have good relations with Russia go unaddressed.

Russian president Vladimir Putin recently welcomed Macky Sall, president of Senegal and Chairman of the African Union (AU) to a summit meeting. African countries are particularly hard hit by sanctions against Russia. They depend on Russia and Ukraine for supplies of wheat and other grains. When the sanctions regime removed Russia from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, it impeded Africans ability to pay for commodities, including food and fertilizer. In a virtual meeting with the EU, Sall said, “When the SWIFT system is disrupted, it means that even if the products exist, payment becomes complicated, if not impossible.” In other words, Africa has to go hungry because of the U.S. obsession with an impossible mission of breaking up Russia or turning back the clock to the 1990s when compromised Russian leadership allowed their country to be open to international thievery.

African nations are not the only ones who face serious crises because of anti-Russian sanctions. The U.S. expects India and China to give up supplies of Russian oil and cause hardships in those countries. Biden will soon visit Saudi Arabia and ask for an increase in oil production, which of course means that OPEC nations will make less money. Of course, Sall’s visit to Russia could have been a wakeup call to Washington that policy changes were needed, instead they fell back on old strategies, warning African countries not to buy grain from Russia, calling it “stolen” from Ukraine. At a moment of opportunity, the Biden administration just added insult to injury.

The United States is still the country with the world reserve currency and 800 military bases around the world. This power is never used for the benefit of humanity. The drive to dominate never ends, and people throughout the planet are expected to go along and suffer due to American whims. ...

The U.S. is once again undermining itself. An empire in crisis will inevitably behave irrationally. It demands control but creates the circumstances which undo the very systems, such as SWIFT, that it depends upon. But there will be more meetings with Putin, and more countries saying that they will not undermine themselves because Washington asks them to.

Chancellor Scholz in Lithuania: Germany boosts combat troops for war against Russia

Germany is playing an increasingly aggressive role in NATO’s war offensive against Russia. During his visit to Lithuania on Tuesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Germany would increase the number of its combat troops on the ground in that country. “We are determined that we will increase our contribution,” Scholz said at a meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and the heads of government of the three Baltic states in Vilnius. The German presence was to be developed “in the direction of a robust combat brigade.” This means a massive expansion of the German commitment. Currently, just under 1,000 Bundeswehr soldiers are stationed in Lithuania; a brigade consists of up to 5,000 soldiers.

The entire meeting bore the character of a war summit against Russia. NATO’s war aim—to defeat Russia militarily and economically and thus ultimately to subjugate it—was openly expressed. “Our common goal is clear: Russia must not and will not win this war!” declared Scholz. “Our goal is clear: Russia must lose this war and Ukraine must win it,” said Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins. Nauseda called Russia a “terrorist state” towards which there could be “no dialogue or cooperation, no appeasement or yielding.” Instead, he said, Moscow’s “complete isolation must be sought” and “we must respond decisively to the Russian threat and strengthen our defences.” ...

Scholz then boasted about Germany’s massive rearmament. He said he was “very happy to be here today because this is a day that follows shortly on the heels of the decision that the German Bundestag made last Friday.” With a “constitution-amending majority,” he said, “a special fund for the Bundeswehr has been set in motion, comprising 100 billion euros, which will make it possible to further strengthen the German armed forces, which are already very strong.” ...

The massive war offensive refutes the official propaganda of a supposedly defensive approach “against Russian aggression,” as claimed by Scholz in Vilnius. Indeed, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, the NATO powers have been tightening the noose around Russia. In Ukraine, Washington and Berlin orchestrated a coup in early 2014 in cooperation with fascist forces like Svoboda and Right Sector to bring a pro-Western regime to power in Kiev. Subsequently, the imperialist powers have continued to fuel the conflict.

Russia Consolidates Gains, Land Bridge to Crimea Complete, Ukraine Must Surrender Kherson Zaporozhie

Russia and Turkey raise hopes of grain export corridor from Ukraine

The Kremlin has claimed shipments of grain will restart in the coming days from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port of Berdiansk after work to de-mine the area, as its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, held talks with his Turkish counterpart.

However, the Turkish foreign affairs minister struck a more considered note, saying more talks between Moscow and Kyiv would be required to ensure the safety of any vessels carrying exports.

Speaking alongside Lavrov in Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu described a United Nations plan to launch a sea corridor for Ukrainian grain exports as “reasonable” but added that Russia and Ukraine would have to accept any agreement.

“Various ideas have been put out for the export of Ukrainian grains to the market and most recently is the UN plan [including] a mechanism that can be created between the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey,” Cavusoglu said. “We see it as reasonable.” ...

Shipping industry insiders say Ukraine’s coastal waters would need to be de-mined with special insurance arranged and strict assurances given over the safety of vessels and crew before any shipowners would be willing to send a fleet to the Black Sea.

Plot To Take Down Anti-War Journalists Exposed!

General UNDER INVESTIGATION For Illegal Qatar Lobbying

Poll Shows Lula With Big Lead Over Bolsonaro in Brazil's Presidential Contest

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a world-renowned leftist who lifted millions out of poverty during his tenure as Brazil's president, maintains a significant lead over the South American nation's far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of the October election, according to new survey data released Wednesday.

A Genial/Quaest poll found that 46% of voters would support Lula in a first-round vote, giving him a 16-point lead over Bolsonaro, who garnered 30%—a two-point decline since April.

Should the two candidates meet in a head-to-head runoff as expected, Lula would defeat Bolsonaro by a margin of 54% to 32%, said the polling firm, which conducted in-person interviews with 2,000 voters between June 2 and June 5.

To Combat Insulin Price Gouging, California Looks Into Generic Drug Production

With insulin prices in the United States so astronomical that experts have accused the federal government and pharmaceutical industry of violating human rights, California is exploring a plan to produce its own generic version of the lifesaving medicine and make it accessible to millions of people with diabetes.

"Everyone who cares about the future of U.S. domestic policy should pay attention to this effort in California to build a public option for prescription drug manufacturing," Steph Sterling, vice president of the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank, said Tuesday.

As Kaiser Health News reported, California is "attempting to achieve what no other state has done: produce its own brand of generic insulin and sell it at below-market prices to people with diabetes."

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom "is asking state lawmakers to pump $100 million into an ambitious initiative to launch California's generic drug label, CalRx, and begin producing insulin in the next few years," the news outlet reported. "The state is also working to identify other generic drugs it could bring to market, targeting those that are expensive or in short supply."

Just three pharmaceutical corporations control the nation's lucrative insulin market, however, so the century-old drug ranges in price from $300 to $400 per vial without insurance. Due to this rampant price gouging and the widespread lack of coverage under a for-profit healthcare system, one-quarter of Californians who rely on insulin to live with diabetes cannot afford it. Corporate profiteering is forcing many people to ration the drug or go without it, with deadly consequences.

Amazon Union Slams Company Effort to Bar Public From Election Hearing

Amazon's lawyers filed a motion on Tuesday urging the National Labor Relations Board to bar the public—and potentially members of the press—from tuning in to a hearing next week at which the company is set to lay out its case for why the historic union victory at the JFK8 warehouse in New York should be overturned.

According to the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon executive chairman and former CEO Jeff Bezos, the company argues in its motion that "because the hearing is being held on Zoom, it makes it difficult to know if witnesses who aren't supposed to be able to observe the proceedings are in attendance, or if the hearing is being recorded and shared with those witnesses."

"Amazon declined to comment and did not immediately respond to questions about whether members of the media would be permitted to attend the hearing if the company's motion is granted," the Post noted. "The motion, which requests that the general public be barred from attending, specifies the parties that Amazon says should be allowed to attend the full proceeding, including witnesses and legal teams, does not explicitly mention members of the media."

The Amazon Labor Union (ALU), the worker-led group that spearheaded the successful organizing drive at JFK8, characterized the company's motion as a cynical attempt to advance its slew of unfounded election objections behind closed doors. NLRB hearings are usually in person and open to the public.

"Maybe they're seeing that worker testimony is more credible than they thought," ALU tweeted late Tuesday. "This motion won't pass and hundreds of JFK8 workers are dying to see this trial."

ALU attorney Seth Goldstein said of Amazon's motion that he has "never heard of this happening before."

"This is fantasy," Goldstein told the Post. "It again shows that Amazon is out of touch with the importance of transparency so that everybody understands what is happening."

Amazon's motion came after the company succeeded in transferring the JFK8 case from the NLRB's Brooklyn office—which oversaw the election—to its Phoenix office.

Cornele Overstreet, the NLRB's regional director in Phoenix, said in a filing last month that Amazon's objections "could be grounds for overturning the election."

Amazon, which waged an aggressive union-busting campaign that has drawn legal action from the NLRB, has accused the union of "electioneering in the polling area" and distributing marijuana to workers in exchange for their support, among other objections.

The union has denied Amazon's allegations and voiced confidence that the NLRB will ultimately reject Amazon's case.

"We're disappointed that Amazon is attempting to overturn the democratic voice of over 2,600 of its own workers," Cassio Mendoza, a worker at the Staten Island warehouse and an ALU organizer, said after Amazon first outlined its objections in April.

"The entire world knows that the workers won our election," Mendoza added, "and we look forward to sitting down with Amazon... to negotiate a fair contract for the workers at JFK8."

NEW SCOTUS Decision Allows Unconstitutional Home Invasions & Assaults: Briahna Joy Gray



the horse race



Donald Trump to testify in New York investigation into his business practices

Former president Donald Trump will testify under oath on 15 July in New York attorney general Letitia James’ investigation into his business practices, according to a court filing released Wednesday. His daughter Ivanka Trump and son Donald Trump Jr will also testify.

News of next month’s testimony is the latest development in the three-year investigation into the former president’s dealings after he failed in an attempt last month to stop her investigation and ended up paying a $110,000 fine.

James has said investigators have found “significant evidence” of wrongdoing in the investigation, which has honed in on whether the Trump Organization misstated the values of its real estate properties to obtain favorable loans and tax deductions.

The attorney general previously said her investigation discovered evidence suggesting that for more than a decade the company’s financial statements “relied on misleading asset valuations and other misrepresentations to secure economic benefits”.

Dems Bring In TV EXECS To Produce Primetime Jan 6 Hearings

Jan. 6 Hearings to Open as Proud Boys Members Are Indicted for Seditious Conspiracy



the evening greens


‘Gold rush’ for gas production threatens to lock in global heating

Countries around the world are pouring funds into new natural gas facilities that could destroy the chances of limiting global heating, in response to soaring energy prices and the war in Ukraine. Governments including the US, Germany, the UK and Canada are investing in new gas production, distribution and use as they seek to sanction Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, according to new research.

The findings, from the Climate Action Tracker research initiative, show a dash for gas under way that will lock countries into fossil fuel use at a crucial time, when scientists have warned that a decisive turn towards lower-carbon alternatives within the next few years is the only way to stave off climate breakdown. Niklas Höhne, of NewClimate Institute, one of the partners behind the Climate Action Tracker, said: “We’re about to witness a ‘gold rush’ for new fossil gas production, pipelines and LNG [liquefied natural gas] facilities, locking us into another high-carbon decade.” ...

The dash for gas comes as scientists have warned it is “now or never” on the climate. Global greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to give the world a chance of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the target agreed at last year’s Cop26 climate summit.

Big Oil Is Suing Countries To Block Climate Action

Fossil fuel investors are adopting a bold new legal tactic in response to efforts to limit global warming: They are going to private international tribunals to argue that climate change policies are illegally cutting into their profits, and they must therefore be compensated. Now governments are scrambling to figure out how to not get sued for billions when enacting climate policies.

Termed “investor-state dispute settlement” legal actions,  such moves could have a chilling effect on countries’ ability to take climate action. Consider this case from 2017: Nicolas Hulot, France’s environment minister at the time, drafted a law that sought to end fossil fuel extraction in the country by 2040. In response, Vermilion, a Canadian oil and gas company, threatened to use such a settlement provision to sue the French government. In the end, the French law was watered down to allow new oil and gas exploration even after 2040.

When these legal actions move forward, the results tend to benefit oil and gas interests. A recent report on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) actions found that when such cases were decided on by their merits, fossil fuel investors emerged victorious 72 percent of  the time — earning, on average, $600 million in compensation.

According to a paper published in Science last month, more ISDS claims could soon be coming. That is because of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), a 30-year-old international energy agreement that has been ratified by 50 countries, mostly in Europe. The treaty calls for “fair and equitable treatment” of investors and “payment of prompt, adequate and effective compensation” in case governments take over their assets — clauses that fossil fuel investors could use to threaten ISDS legal action against new climate regulations. ...

The potential for fossil-fueled ISDS actions are also baked into U.S. trade deals. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), for example, includes stipulations of “fair and equitable treatment” of foreign investments, which could be used to thwart ambitious climate agendas. The strategy is already being used in response to some of the United States’ biggest recent climate victories.

Proposed deal could slash toxic emissions in America’s ‘Cancer Alley’

A proposed legal settlement between the Environmental Protection Agency EPA and residents of the town of Reserve, Louisiana could significantly reduce toxic emissions in one of the most polluted parts of the US. Announced on Tuesday via the federal register, the proposed agreement, known as a consent decree, would settle two lawsuits partly brought against the EPA by members of the predominantly Black community in St John the Baptist parish, the epicenter of the region known colloquially as “Cancer Alley”.

The agreement would lead the EPA to conduct a review of its air pollutant standards and potentially make new rules governing emissions for petrochemical plants in the region. Reserve, a small community in St John the Baptist parish, is home to the most air polluted census tract in the US, where data collected by the EPA estimates the cancer-risk rate is 50 times the national average. ...

The high cancer-risk rate in Reserve is largely attributable to a synthetic rubber plant that borders the community, operated by the Japanese chemicals giant Denka. It is the only location in America to emit the likely human carcinogen chloroprene.

The EPA’s recommended lifetime exposure limit to chloroprene emissions is currently 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter. In 2017, shortly after Denka purchased the plant from the American company DuPont, which operated the facility for decades and sold it after fearing the EPA would begin to regulate its emissions, the Japanese firm committed to reducing emissions by 85%. But air monitoring around the plant shows that emissions regularly exceed the EPA guideline, sometimes by dozens of times.

In one of the lawsuits potentially settled by the consent decree, the EPA was sued for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act for failing to control chloroprene emissions, as well as host of other pollutants including the human carcinogens ethylene oxide and formaldehyde.


Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

The Peterson Billionaire Clique Is Back for Your Social Security

Craig Murray: US Prolongs Ukraine War

Bulgaria Won’t Send Weapons to Ukraine

Millions of dollars went missing as Afghanistan fell, watchdog says

Paul Mason Says Bellingcat Launders Information For Western Intelligence

NewsGuard’s Scarlet Letter

US elections: How pro-Israel spending affects Palestine advocacy

Why Saudi Arabia Isn’t Giving Up On Its Russian Oil Alliance

Biden's Foreign Policy Is One Big Mess

Iran pulls UN nuke cameras in possible 'fatal blow' to deal

‘It’s a war on the people’: El Salvador’s mass arrests send thousands into despair

Concern grows as two new Omicron sub-variants spread across US

Warned of ‘massive’ climate-led extinction, a US energy firm funded crisis denial ads

Industrial water use threatens Louisiana capital’s drinking water

Dems Midterm Strategy: FORCE People To Care About Jan 6

World-Controlling Bilderberg Group Meeting Discovered By Journalists

Amazon, Google IN TROUBLE If This Antitrust Bill Passes: Analysis


A Little Night Music

Lowell Fulson - Tramp

Lowell Fulson - Reconsider Baby

Lowell Fulson - Guitar Shuffle

Lowell Fulson - Three O'Clock Blues

Lowell Fulson - Blue Shadows

Lowell Fulsom - Too Many Drivers

Lowell Fulson - Talkin' Woman

Lowell Fulsom - Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

Lowell Fulson @ Mark Naftalin's Blue Monday Party


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14 users have voted.

Comments

It's a nice thought, but as long as the Zelensky / NATO / US / EU bloc is running the table --
there will be no peace without huge profits being denied the arms industry, sad to say.

Good news the EPA is being forced to do their job in cancer alley vis-a-vis Japanese
toxins. Some determined fighters in the bayous.

Thanks for the Lowell Fulson. Good stuff!

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13 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@QMS

yep, it appears that zelensky is completely down with the u.s. plan to fight russia to the last ukrainian. i'm sure that everybody expects that the ukro-nazis will lose, there will be a brief cease-fire and then the cia-inspired "internal resistance" (or as we call them today "terrorist") attacks will begin.

yep, it would be good to see the epa forced to live up to its mandate and protect the people instead of the rich bastards that don't give a damn who they kill or maim to make a profit.

have a great evening!

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6 users have voted.
ggersh's picture

turned into shit, it's healthcare, it's schooling, it's governance, it's military, it's intelligence, etc.etc.etc. I'm sure everyone gets the picture.

It's near impossible to think that america has no clue as to the situation in Ukraine since we've been training them along w/NATO for at least 8 years

originally from

https://www.moonofalabama.org/

https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2022/06/i-am-getting-tired-writing-post...

Chris Hedges got it so right

“We now live in a nation where doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the press destroys information, religion destroys morals, and our banks destroy the economy.”
― Chris Hedges

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12 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

joe shikspack's picture

@ggersh

heh, i'm not so sure that america has lost the plot, rather, i think that it has lost control of the plotters who don't seem to give a fig about the things that the average citizen wants and needs. and the plotters seem to have captured the reins government, so there's little chance of stopping them before they tear the who thing down.

that hedges quote is great. thanks!

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5 users have voted.

I understand your point, but try to put it into a sensible frame of reference
what does it benefit the country to destroy / rape / exclude the populous
from basic needs? there must me some evil program at loose here
we can see the consequence of throwing away our future for the sake of
a bunch of greedy idiots, but what is there to gain in hollowing a nation?
wish I had a rocket launcher ..

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9 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

lot more frequently.

Be well and have a good one

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4 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

snoopydawg's picture

the constitution, not nullify it like they did with the border patrol nonsense that puts them outside the law. The constitution didn’t come with exemptions nor does government have the right to ignore it and yet here we are anyway. I do not like guns, but I will support the 2nd amendment because it’s the only one still standing as written.

Oh so now it’s an emergency? Good grief I could see how the lake was shrinking for years, but government just now says that they are going to look into the problem. It affects our weather as they know and they also know that if it shrinks too much more we’re going to have severe environmental issues with the dust picked up by the wind. The dust already affects the snow melt by making it melt faster. They’ve known that for a decade. But hey what’s the rush. Right?

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10 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

heh, i guess that it's a good thing that the second amendment is fully, doggedly backed by a profitable industry and corporate culture. i guess if any of the other rights had a serious constituency that was making hard cash off of it, we could have other rights.

have a great evening and give sam a nice scritch for me!

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6 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@joe shikspack

She went wading again today and had a great time. Stole a noodle that she said was just lying there with no one around. I looked and….yep she lied. But the family thought it was cute. Those styrofoam things about 5 feet long. She almost swam but it was because of the drop off. The dam almost looks full. I’ll give her the scritch when she wakes up.

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5 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

dogs seem to have a different view of property rights than people do. in particular, anything that is interesting and doesn't have someone attached to it is abandoned in their view. Smile

have a great evening!

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4 users have voted.

with a ruling that once again, gives cover to police.
All local cops have to do is get ICE or the FBI to kill off locals for them. Complete immunity.
I figure Texas, freedom loving, but also glorifying cops, will be happy to go along with that.
Bye,4th, glad we knew ya.

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8 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

joe shikspack's picture

@on the cusp

yep, i guess now that we've seen the culture war distraction leak, the scrotus can get down to the business of doing what the conservative majority was put there for - destroying individual rights and fostering the tyranny of corporations and their captive government.

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7 users have voted.

@joe shikspack Joe, from Day 1.
Glad I am old.
It is getting suckier by the day to be a defense attorney. I leave it to the civil litigators to worry about getting personal injury damages. I am just trying to keep folks out of prison.
We are getting hot and dry down here in Texas. It will take ac and cold beer to rectify...
Hope you are over the bug, back to full speed ahead, pal.

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9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

joe shikspack's picture

@on the cusp

it's actually cool here tonight, in the high 60's with an occasional breeze. i could deal with this being the new normal.

the bug is gone, i am back to normal. thanks!

hope the ac and the beer are cold and refreshing, have a good one!

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5 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

Let's face it, they largely trashed the 4th long ago, at least if you're on the road, so all this does is eliminate your right to sue if they do manage to violate in in such a clearly blatant manner that the court would otherwise still forbid it, which is rare in this day and age. As has been noted time and again, the second is the only one of the bill of rights still standing and it doesn't appear to cover knives, just guns, unless that's changing thanks to all the changes to carry rules.

be well and have a good one

Found this on the 10th, unposted, many things from yesterday aare out of whack on my machine which also demanded an update and reboot - ah well I'll try now

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4 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --