Things Known About Hunter. You Were Right. Covid Commentary. Head On Confrontation. Sudan Next?

 

The Things Women Know

And now more we know about Hunter: Senate Report Details Hunter Biden’s Extensive Foreign Business Dealings — and Obama Officials’ Efforts to Ignore Them

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An extraordinary dear friend and fellow memo reader has access to material I do not because he is well connected, was one oft he most distinguished graduates  at West Point and enjoyed an amazing career and then,  after retiring, established an even more amazing career in the field of surgery.  He sent me this.

The Terrorist Lists: An Examination of the U.S. Government's Counterterrorism Designations Efforts Seth Loertscher, Daniel Milton, Bryan Price, and Cynthia Loertscher September 24, 2020 After the attacks of September 2001, the U.S. government grappled with ways to apply all aspects of its national power against the terrorist groups it found itself combating militarily. On the diplomatic and financial fronts, much of this increased effort revolved around the sanctioning and designating of terrorist groups and individual terrorist actors, resulting in a drastic increase of the number of individuals and groups which were branded with the term “terrorist.” Yet despite the application of these tools for almost 20 years, or longer in some cases, little work has been done to understand the impact of these programs. This report examines two sanctioning efforts the U.S. government has employed against terrorist actors: the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list and the designation of individuals as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under the authority granted by Executive Order 13224. Although the specific purposes of each of these programs differ from one another, ultimately both represent a non-kinetic approach to counterterrorism that relies on the application of diplomatic and/or financial statecraft. The examination of each of these programs in this report has two general goals. The first is to provide an overview of the program and descriptive statistics regarding its implementation. The second is to provide some form of assessment regarding the impact that these programs have on terrorist groups and individuals. In accomplishing these two goals, the authors relied exclusively on open-source information collected by researchers at the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC). This report attempts to provide a deeper understanding of the impacts of these tools, in addition to highlighting some of the structural limitations and gaps in the application of counterterrorism sanctions. READ MORE About the CTC The Combating Terrorism Center is an independent, privately funded, research and educational institution located in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy, West Point. The Center is uniquely situated at the nexus of theory and practice, which enables it to serve as a focal point and an independent voice on terrorism and counterterrorism strategy within the government as well as the academic community.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Past comments have a way of biting you in the derrière unless you are a hypocrite and above all a Trump Hating radical Democrat, then anything you say is acceptable..

You’re RIGHT! You convinced me!!

https://mobile.twitter.com/itguy1959/status/1307877608487628802?ref_url=https%3a%2f%2faim4truth.org%2f2020%2f09%2f21%2fcat-report-547%2f

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Some COVID commentary:

As our community confronts the threat of a resurgence of the Corona Virus, we again invite Lawrence homeowner and prominent immunologist Dr. Marc Sicklick to share his insights, suggestions and concerns with our residents. As your Mayor and neighbor I join Dr. Sicklick and other medical professionals in strongly urging every Lawrence citizen to wear a mask, maintain social distancing and protect yourself and those around you to ensure everyone's health and safety.   Alex H. Edelman Mayor

 

Marc J. Sicklick, M.D., F.A.A.A.A.I., F.A.C.A.A.I. Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 123 Grove Avenue, Suite 110 Cedarhurst, NY 11516 Telephone 516-569-5550 Fax 516-210-0080 www.marcsicklick.com   September 24, 2020 As we get into the fall, COVID 19 seems to be doing what other coronaviruses do.  Most past coronaviruses tended to decrease in mid-spring, in May, and return in the early fall. There is no reason to think that COVID-19 will be different.  The summer drop off in numbers and deaths was not the end of the epidemic.  It was a brief, expected lull that has ended. This is not the time to ease up, neither because of a misguided feeling that "it's over" which is unfathomable to me, nor because of burn out. It is the time to increase vigilance and prevention. The disease will be here for the foreseeable future and we have to adapt to the new reality. If a doctor tells a patient that they have a horrible, potentially fatal disease, but if they are willing to go through a year or two of absolute misery they will be cured and go on to have years of normal life, does anyone think the patient would not be willing to go through it?  We're being asked, not to go through misery and suffering, but rather to go through inconvenience and annoyance.  How can we say no to that? Local numbers from yesterday in the Five Towns showed that the percentage positive, which was below 1% all summer and went up to about 1.5% over the past week, jumped to 3.5%.  Far Rockaway  jumped to 5.2% yesterday.  It doesn't take a mathematician to see where this is going if we don't ALL do the right thing immediately.  We are heading towards disease spread and to government ordered lockdowns. If a vaccine came out tomorrow, and if (IF) it were perfect, it will still be about a year until enough people develop immunity to protect us.  The vaccine is not coming out tomorrow, and I don't expect a vaccine to be anywhere near 100%, and do not expect it to offer lifetime immunity. I expect that we will need boosters on a regular basis.  I can't define regular basis from this distance. It's important to define some basic terms. Isolation is for someone who has the disease.  It is for a minimum of 10 days and the person must be well for at least several days. Isolation means staying away from everyone. It does not mean going around wearing a mask.  It means not going around. Quarantine is  for someone who has had  exposure to a disease source.  It is for 14 days since that is the window for developing COVID-19 after exposure. Less than 14 days is not enough.  Less than the full 14 days increases the risk of spread.  One cannot test themselves out of quarantine.  The 14 days is sacrosanct. If during this 14 day window someone develops COVID, they change to isolation from quarantine and begin their 10 day (minimum) count. The criteria for needing quarantine is being less than 6 feet from, and more than 10-15 minutes near, a positive person.   Obviously, more intimate contact such as sharing food or utensils or a face to face conversation would require quarantine even with less than ten minutes spent together.  Both the Nassau County Board of Health and New York City Board of Health have mentioned 12 feet spacing for religious services where there is singing, "chanting", or loud sermons. We are into a significant uptick now.  If you look at the numbers, the Five Towns and Far Rockaway are real hotspots.  It is only a matter of time before, unfortunately,  we see deaths again. People,have told me that the virus seems less virulent, less damaging.  This is not true.  First of all, the deaths and severe complications can lag several weeks behind the case number increase.  Second, younger people are being hit now.  We aren't having nursing home deaths so the population is less likely to die.  It may look like things are less dangerous, but the optics can be very deceiving. The University of Washington's updated  predictions show a curve moving up in New York from the current handful of daily deaths to as high as several hundred per day towards the end of the fall. What must we all do? Everyone needs to mask.  Everyone needs to maintain distancing.  Everyone needs to avoid unnecessary close contact, even with close relatives who don't live in the same house. Children and grandchildren will spread the disease and biologic ties do not prevent it.  This isn't a personal choice.  This is an obligation as a member of society to protect other people. If you walk into a room and it's overcrowded, meaning the minimum of 6 feet in all directions is not there, walk out.  This applies to social gatherings or religious services.  Don't go in and if you're already there, walk out. If you walk into a store and people aren't wearing masks, don't be shy.  Tell the owner to follow the guidelines.  If they don't comply, walk out. You may save a life.  It may be your own. It may be a friend, relative, or neighbor. It's not just about you.  It's also about your contacts. There have been no major breakthroughs in the past few weeks.  No new magic drugs.  No scientific news pointing to an imminent vaccine release.  The only news is of the uptick in numbers. Sincerely yours, Marc J. Sicklick, M.D.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Radical blacks seem to know no bounds when it comes to whom they hate and attack. They are a danger to themselves, to their own race and to everyone they seem to touch. The best way to bring them to heel  is to confront them and cut off their hominy and grits, so to speak. There was a recent episode of ant-Semitism from a member of the Philadelphia NAACP and he was called out and is now undergoing "sensitivity" classes. It is possible this will simply build more resentment and hatred but  it also may work. At least a Jewish Organization  in Philadelphia did not shirk it's responsibility and has a film that might be of interest. Here are the video details: Richard:   Tomorrow (Friday 9/25) on FOX29 (805 on your Comcast guide) at 6:28 p.m. there will be a 30 minute special airing on anti-Semitism.  I will be featured a couple of times during this time.  It will air again on Monday (9/28) at 10:30 p.m.  If you need to watch via computer the link is here.   We've worked hard with our friends at FOX29 on this important show and hope that you will both tune in and spread the word.   Thanks very much.    SR Steven Rosenberg Chief Operating Officer Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia 2100 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 Work: 215.832.0577  Cell: 215.435.2400 srosenberg@jewishphilly.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Time are changing and Sudan could be next? With the Abraham Accords, The Times They Are  A-Changin’: An Israeli View By Doug Altabef Years ago, a survey was done in Japan, where people were asked how many people were there in Israel.  The top of the bell curve answer came back with 125 million people, about the same population as Japan  itself. Clearly, the people in Japan were impressed by Israel’s ubiquitous presence in the news and in the  halls of power. The evident conclusion: this must be a significant and important nation. It appears that  these Japanese survey takers were on to something. While Israel, for better or worse, is often at the center  of international attention, the recent normalization agreements reached with the UAE and Bahrain (which  will be followed by others) have the potential to portend a tectonic shift in international geo-political  alignments. Much has been stated already about the paradigm smashing significance of these agreements,  in which the reflexive constructive veto given to the Palestinians has been annulled. This simply has been  the product of agreements that do not reference the Palestinians, nor their continuing struggle with Israel.  Instead, as their title connotes, the Abraham Accords demonstrate the significance of the renewed  reconciliation between Isaac and Ishmael themselves, and, for the first time, their progeny, the Jews and  the Muslims. Admittedly, this process has been driven by self-interest, the great driver of all international relations. But  here, self-interest was not forced to take a back seat to immutable religious differences. Instead, each party was able to view the other through a half full glass – both are avowedly monotheistic,  and both share a major ancestor in common. Where can this all go? Is it unrealistic to posit a regional  NATO-like alliance composed of the pragmatic Sunnis and Israel, backed by the United States? Such an  alliance could pose a strong counterweight to such influences as Iran’s, Turkey’s and the Muslim  Brotherhood’s. In the meantime, there will be great opportunities for co-investment, partnerships and joint initiatives that  combine Israeli expertise and Gulf state capital. Whether it is in water, medical, agricultural or security  tech, the opportunities for partnership are many and varied. Combining these two facets of economic vibrancy and muscular security has enormous potential to set  into motion an even larger, and more pervasive global realignment. Clearly, much of the desire of the Gulf States to reappraise, and to ultimately shake Israel’s hand, had much to do with the continuing menace that Iran presents. Here, both parties to the agreement see completely eye to eye on the danger that Iran poses, and the need to present a united and strong front in opposition to it. But it gets even  more interesting and complicated by virtue of China’s recently announced massive investment plan in  Iran. By doing so, China has shown its hand in terms of with whom it is aligning itself. Much as the Chinese might want the world to perceive of this association as yet another Belt and Road  investment initiative, the clear perception is that this association is akin to a strategic alliance. Ironically, this is a great relief of a sort for Israel, which had been feeling the pressure of being caught  between the interests and agendas of the U.S. and China. Israel and its prime minister in particular have  worked hard to cultivate relations with China, designed to provide investment and market opportunities. But two things have arisen that are significantly changing Israel’s orientation. One is the recognition that  China is a rapacious investor, with the goal of usurping, stealing or otherwise appropriating Israeli  technology and know-how. The second is China’s deal with Iran. As a Middle Eastern country, Israel is well familiar with the axiom that “friend of my enemy is also my  enemy.” This combination of factors has been moving Israel away from China, augmented by the  increasingly insistent requests by the U.S. to do so. Amazingly, this re-pivot has been made a great deal easier and far less painful by the prospect of  replacing prospective Chinese investment capital with Gulf State capital. Money is fungible, and  investments from the Gulf are just as bankable, and probably far less fraught with potential negatives  than Chinese capital. As the larger potential domino effect implications of the Israel/Sunni alliance become more manifest, it  might not be a major leap of imagination to foresee India joining as well. India would be a natural and  powerful addition to the alliance: they have one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, they  have an increasingly close friendship with Israel, and, above all, they hate and fear the Chinese. The prospect of India throwing its lot in with the Israel/Sunni alliance could be the precursor to China’s  worst nightmare: a unifying vehicle for all those countries who fear its increasingly aggressive posture.  Japan, Southeast Asian countries and Australia, among others might see in this snowballing alliance a  way to effectively stare China down. The bottom line is that the Israel/Sunni alliance, which has great implications and benefits in and of  itself, is coming at a time when the bloom has come off the Chinese rose, and where more countries are  viewing Chinese initiatives and postures with suspicion and fear. It might be fanciful, but I do not think it is at all inconceivable that the Abraham Accords, so meaningful  Israel in terms of its international normalization, could have much further reaching resonance and impact. We might have just seen the first domino to fall in a new international alignment, in which nations  seeking to protect themselves against China/Iran will find common cause to work together to protect  their own individual and collective interests. If so, the Japanese survey takers will be shown to be exactly right: little Israel, Light to the Nations, will  have set the wheels of a global realignment into motion. Mr. Altabef is the Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu, Israel’s largest grassroots Zionist organization, and a Board member of the Israel Independence Fund. He can be reached at dougaltabef@gmail.com. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++