Today has been the proof of the pudding for the geopolitical strategy developed by Anthony Blinken under the guidance of our very own Metternich and Machiavelli, that would be Joey SoftServe and Kamala Harris. Unfortunately, the results have not been encouraging. About four hours ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech that recognized the autonomy of Donetsk and Luhansk, two major Russian-speaking areas in Eastern Ukraine. He also expounded upon the theory of perpetual Russian victimhood in a way that would have had CRT guru Ibrahim X. Kendi running for his notepad. //

Shortly after the speech, Putin ordered Russian peacekeepers into Eastern Ukraine. //

keep in mind that the root cause of this crisis is the decision made during the George W. Bush administration to not only expand NATO to nations like Hungary and Poland, but also to former Soviet states like Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. That decision was made on the assumption that Russia was a spent geopolitical force, an assumption that, in retrospect, seems ill-advised.

How this plays out now is anyone’s guess. The White House has already ruled out sanctions on Russia for recognizing the autonomy of Donetsk and Luhansk and the peacekeepers seem to fall within the “minor incursion” parameters that Joe Biden established in January. I don’t know what level of risk the Ukrainians are willing to take by accidentally, or not, killing Russian troops. I’d just note that under the UN “peacekeeping” definition, both sides have to agree to a ceasefire before deployment. That hasn’t happened in this case which leads one to believe that the primary purpose of the Russian troops is to get some of them killed. So we haven’t seen the last of this melodrama.

In a unique action of political courage and foresight, on January 13, the Senate entertained a bill to impose sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 project to send a message to Putin that his adventurism would not be tolerated. Egged on by the White House, Senate Democrats killed the bill. No other attempt to sanction Russia has been introduced by Chuck Schumer or any Democrat.

On January 19, Biden publicly signaled that his junta would be okay with some Russian movement into Ukrainian territory. //

What we have just experienced was one of two things. Either Putin punked Joe Biden and left all the world to gape in amazement at the ease and audacity of the act, or he worked hand-in-glove with Biden and Anthony Blinken to carve up Ukraine at virtually no cost to Putin–sort of reminiscent of how Poland was dismembered in 1939. Either way, US credibility suffered the same damage and Putin was able to show that Joe Biden is just not up to the task of responding to challenges. What happens over the next few years will be ugly.

Curtis Houck @CurtisHouck
This is just an almost comically false statement by Putin:

"Despite the known problems, Russia has always cooperated and worked with Ukraine in an open and honest manner, with respect to its interests."

He adds Ukraine blackmailed them.

Lol okay.

2:13 PM · Feb 21, 2022 //

Putin’s “history lesson” on Russian territorial claims and the Soviet Union is obviously not an accident. He is clearly is laying the groundwork not just to take Ukraine, but to rebuild large swaths of the former USSR under his rule. That’s not exactly a new goal for Putin, as the former KGB agent has long spoken lovingly of the Soviet Union, blaming its downfall for Russia’s current malaise.

Perhaps the most important development from Putin’s speech came towards the end, though. The Russian leader recognized the “sovereignty” of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine. //

It’s not hard to game out what happens next. With those areas now being “independent” states as far as Russia is concerned, the separatist leadership there can now invite Russian military forces to enter. In other words, Putin has just taken a chunk of Ukraine without firing a shot. If Ukraine or NATO try to prevent the entry of Russian forces into those areas, it’ll set off a hot war that can be blamed on Western “aggression.”

It’s actually a very cunning move, and it shows just how idiotic Joe Biden’s strategy has been in dealing with this situation. While the administration has been focused on using the threat of sanctions as a deterrent, Putin was busy going in the backdoor, getting what he wants without triggering the repercussions set up by the Western nations. Further, Biden also lifted sanctions on the Nordstream 2 pipeline, giving Putin enormous leverage over Europe, while receiving nothing in return. //

Let’s recall that Sen. Ted Cruz tried to get a sanctions bill targeting Russia passed back in December. He would have had the votes, too, if not for a vigorous lobbying effort by the White House on behalf of Putin. Perhaps those sanctions would have caused enough financial hardship to change the situation? We’ll never know for sure, but what we do know is that the defeat of that bill was the green light for Putin to start amassing his invasion force.

Ali Rogin @AliRogin
NEW: In a conference call with reporters on responding to Putin, and what comes next, a senior admin official suggested that Russian troops in Donetsk/Luhansk alone may not warrant the "swift and severe" sanctions the admin has been previewing.
5:47 PM · Feb 21, 2022 //

Exactly why should Putin care about Biden’s piddly sanctions? He doesn’t. He wouldn’t care unless you make him personally hurt. But that should have been done long ago. The sanctions on Nord Stream 2 should never have been waived. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Putin would be making more moves on Ukraine. He’s made moves against the other republics now for years since the Soviet Union broke apart.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Tesla chief executive Elon Musk donated a total of 5,044,000 shares in the world's most valuable automaker to a charity from Nov. 19 to Nov. 29 last year, its filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showed on Monday.

The donation was worth $5.74 billion, based on the closing prices of Tesla shares on the five days that he donated the stock. The filing did not disclose the name of the charity. //

He said on Twitter that he would pay more than $11 billion in taxes in 2021 due to his exercise of stock options set to expire this year.

He also traded barbs with politicians Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who called on wealthy people to pay more taxes.

Sawyer Merritt 📈🚀 @SawyerMerritt
·
Feb 20, 2022
For 2021, Elon will be paying the single largest tax bill of any individual in history (over $11 billion). @elonmusk

Breaking911 @Breaking911
SEN. WARREN: "You know how much [Elon Musk] paid in taxes, one of the richest people in the world? Zero! And he's not the only one. Jeff Bezos, another one of the richest people in the world, he pays less in taxes than a public school teacher or a firefighter."
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Elon Musk @elonmusk
Will visit IRS next time I’m in DC just to say hi, since I paid the most taxes ever in history for an individual last year. Maybe I can have a cookie or something …
5:24 PM · Feb 20, 2022

Ted Cruz @tedcruz
Joe Biden becoming president is the best thing to happen to Vladimir Putin.
10:05 AM · Feb 20, 2022

“No, it hasn’t worked at all. If you look at what the Ukrainians want, they’ve been very explicit,” Cruz said. “They’ve asked the United States explicitly, ‘Put sanctions on Nord Stream 2, right now, today.’ Joe Biden could do that this morning. He refuses to do it. And they said, number two, provide lethal military aid, give us the weapons to defend ourselves.”

Cruz explained that Joe Biden personally lobbied against the bill to put sanctions on Nord Stream 2. As we noted at the time, not only did they do that but they used the filibuster rule to defeat the bill, requiring 60 votes. Not only were they helping Putin but they were being hypocritical once again on the question of the filibuster. The Democrats had previously been for the sanctions and then they flipped because of who was in the White House and the lobbying from Biden. Cruz skewered their flip-flopping.

someone who comes from a country that knows something about Communist dictatorships, Romanian Member of the European Parliament Cristian Terhes, had a few things to say about Trudeau and his crackdown on the Freedom Convoy.

“What made us strong – and I’m talking about the Western world – were the values,” Terhes declared. “The respect for basic fundamental rights. The understanding that the government is there to serve you as a person, not for you to serve the government. The prime minister of Canada, the way he’s behaving right now – he’s exactly like a tyrant, like a dictator. He’s like Ceaușescu in Romania,” Terheș said during a speech to European Parliament in Brussels. “If you raise doubts about the vaccines, you’re outcasted. What’s the difference between what he does and what happened under The Inquisition?”

Ceaușescu was a communist Romanian politician and dictator.

“On one side they say well we should not believe in God,” Terhes continued. “But on the other, they say ‘believe in science. We don’t have to. Science is not about belief. Science is about measurements, conclusions, hypothesis, and arguments.” //“I hope this movement for freedom and for rights is spreading all around the world. Because at the end of the day, we have to make sure that all these elected officials understand that they were elected into those offices to work for the people. Not to behave like masters of slaves.”

Watching the Biden Administration do foreign policy, particularly in the middle of a crisis, is like watching a slow train wreck. You know they’re going to hit that car that’s lying up ahead in the tracks, but they just keep speeding headlong into it. //

Zelensky notes – quite accurately – that the United States made certain commitments to Ukraine for giving up their nuclear weapons years ago as part of the Budapest Memorandum. Under that agreement, the U.S. said that they would help back Ukraine. Because of that commitment from us, Ukraine gave up their weapons which could have helped them now.

Guess who was a big part of that denuding of Ukraine’s defense? Barack Obama, when he was a junior senator from Illinois. We paid a lot of money to help them get rid of conventional weapons that they could have used when Russia invade Crimea in 2014. Obama then was, of course, basically missing in action, leaving Ukraine twisting in the wind, despite his part in helping leave them defenseless. //

Tommy Pigott @TommyPigott
The last two times Russia has escalated in regards to Ukraine, Joe Biden has been in the White House

RNC Research @RNCResearch
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on why Vladimir Putin did not escalate during the Trump administration: "Ask him"
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10:05 AM · Feb 20, 2022

A bioethicist claims there are no moral reasons for disallowing skin cells to be turned into ova and sperm (in vitro gametogenesis, IVG) — already done in mice — so as to allow open-ended means of having children. When coupled with other emerging biotechnologies, there would be few impossibilities! From, “Is There a Valid Ethical Objection to the Clinical Use of In Vitro-Derived Gametes?”:

IVG affords biological parenthood to more family constructions than does natural conception. Concerns regarding this fact constitute a large proportion of those found in the literature. Biological parenthood could conceivably be made accessible to the deceased; postmenopausal women; single individuals; same-sex couples; groups of more than two individuals; children, fetuses and embryos. //

Ethicists discourage objections based on natural law as they have been illustrated to be flawed and morally prejudiced. Even if this were not the case, an attack on the unnatural is a prima facie move which targets the entire medical profession, including medicines, vaccines and other ARTs. This is something that, one must assume, is not the intention of proponents of such a view.

Therefore, one may say instead that reproductive IVG somehow crosses a line and is more unnatural than other medical interventions but even this is difficult to justify. When one is less accustomed to a certain practice, it may attract more distrust or criticism than is warranted; this is a manifestation of the mere-exposure effect, a cognitive bias that renders individuals more averse to the unfamiliar. //

The West is engaged in the most radical remaking of the basic structure of the family in human history — enabled by the most powerful technologies ever devised — methods that can literally change our genomes down the generations and erase fundamental family definitions.

And we are inert in the face of the chaos that could (would, in my view) result therefrom. Not only are we not creating reasonable boundaries; we aren’t even talking about it.

No standards! No norms! Anything goes! These are the seeds of our destruction.

Outline is a free service for reading and annotating news articles. We remove the clutter so you can analyze and comment on the content. In today's climate of widespread misinformation, Outline empowers readers to verify the facts.

After over 60 years of service, the James River Power Station (JRPS) is officially being retired. The decision to retire JRPS was based on escalating costs for compliance upgrades, aging infrastructure, and the availability of reliable renewable resources.

To decommission the power station, steps will be taken to dismantle or demolish parts of the plant. This work will include some exterior components, the lakeside water intake structure, and removal of the four stacks.

The demolition process will be handled under strict safety and environmental compliance rules. The process will begin mid-September and is expected to conclude in early 2022. Usable areas of the facility, such as the building office space, electrical substation equipment, and two natural gas combustion turbines will remain.

Clarence Thomas’s influence must not be reduced to his race because that characterization inherently contradicts everything he stands for. //

The Washington Post’s attempt to smear Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for thinking like a white man is a completely incorrect interpretation of the justice’s legal legacy. //

It’s fair to say that after the justice’s more than 30 “distinguished” years on the bench, The Washington Post’s interpretation of Thomas is all wrong. Thomas’s thinking has shaped the way all conservatives today think, regardless of their race. He is a great thinker who is not only admired in conservative circles but has inspired them. Thomas’s influence cannot and should not be reduced to his race because that characterization inherently contradicts everything he stands for.

‘If the prosecution wins, the ability of pastors to preach the gospel is effectively over in Finland, without criminal sanction.’

A new book, ‘Red Roulette: An Insider’s Story Of Wealth, Power, Corruption And Vengeance In Today’s China,’ exposes China’s top leaders as little more than corrupt oligarchs. //

When the CCP launched economic reform in the 1980s, it did so for survival, not because it had an ounce of desire to embrace freedom and democracy. Desmond sees the CCP’s honeymoon with Chinese entrepreneurs “was little more than a Leninist tactic, born in the Bolshevik Revolution, to divide the enemy in order to nihilate it.”

After decades of economic growth, as soon as the Party became confident that its survival was secure, it has again cracked down on private businesses and entrepreneurs and brutally suppressed dissenting voices. //

this book confirms what we already knew but with concrete examples.

First, the book confirmed that corruption is a systemic problem in China, and it begins with the senior leadership of the CCP. This explains why no CCP anti-corruption campaign has successfully stamped out corruption. These campaigns have always been more about purging political rivals than addressing the root cause of corruption.

Second, the book confirms the true nature of the CCP: it’s coldblooded, ruthless, and will do anything to remain in control. //

Third, the book also confirms that western businesses have been complicit in rampant corruption in China. They offered children and relatives of red aristocrats overpaid positions or invested in firms owned by red aristocrats to land Chinese clients or obtain preferential business deals in China. Driven by greed, western businesses have played a disgraceful role in strengthening a corrupt authoritarian regime. //

Desmond said he wanted to write an honest account. Still, he offers no apology and demonstrates no remorse. Had he taken some responsibility for profiting from and strengthening a corrupt dictatorial regime, it would have made his book more trustworthy.

Another shortcoming of the book is that although it promised to tell all, it only named names of those corrupt senior CCP officials that western media already reported about, such as the Wens. Desmond refrained from implicating China’s current leader, Xi Jinping.

The U.S. is preparing to save the world from climate change because of fossil fuels by preparing to pockmark the planet’s surface with mineral mines. //

The session started with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reviewing the bidding the mineral resources risks faced by the United States in a post-climate change industrial base world. In it, the need for metals and minerals to build and maintain post-oil infrastructure will make the United States far more dependent on countries like Russia, China, and countries in Africa, where the mines that produce chemicals needed for computers, vehicles, batteries, solar panels, and other accouterments of a renewables-based world will change the power balance of global stability. //

Bottom line, we’ll be digging new holes in the ground because our cars will need four to 10 times as much metal and mineral content per vehicle. It must come from somewhere. So much for the pristine wilds of Alaska, or anywhere else we happen to find rare earth minerals in the New World. //

Murkowski noted in her remarks that the U.S. must also be thinking in terms of strategic mineral reserves for defense and security purposes. The tensions of limited resources and zero-sum competition begin anew. //

In the next 100 years, it’s only going to be a portion of the First World that will make the conversion to this expensive, mineral-based system. The rest of the world will keep burning oil and gas. And most of the human race’s population growth will take place in those parts of the world. So, by my reckoning, the trajectory of the carbon emission curve of planet Earth isn’t going to change much. It is just what it is.

Environmentalist still have little idea just how much strip mining and ore processing the climate change community has bought into to meet the goals of their global advocates. There will be a lot of money to be made, as ordinary people’s lives are forced to change. I’m anticipating this clash of values among the “woke” is coming as reality sets in. //

Humanity is quite literally exchanging one form of scorching the earth for another one. The whereabouts of the resources will change who has political and economic power. It’ll create economic competition among the world’s industrialized societies for minerals that will cause stress, embargoes, and wars. It’s how matrices work. This is the sound of inevitability.

I’ve always been uncomfortable with this “woke” version of climate change. //

What we will see in the remainder of the 21st century will be the consequence effects of the decisions Climate Change policies are creating now. My instinct says they won’t be pretty. Turning over apple carts never is. The constant is the voracious energy appetite of the First World. All we are doing is changing its diet.

After listening to how the policy community is talking about planning for the future, it may not be for the better. Bit of a Pandora’s Box. Either naively not well thought through or rife with hubris flying on wings of wax that will melt all too soon.

Since hunting season is over, is it legal to put out a device that will cause deer to help drop their antlers? Say pieces of chain over a pile of corn or something like that?

A lot of folks use hog panels fashioned like the inside of a fence corner with the bait at the base of the inside angle. They are lots of variations of this 'contraption'. And yes, they are legal to use to collect antlers. Good luck!

I have a question, I know that baiting is illegal in Indiana. My question is this, can I take a 5 gallon bucket mash up some apples, poke holes in the lid, fasten the lid to the bucket and then hoist the bucket up in a tree around 10 feet or so that the deer can't get to it. Only smell it. Would this be considered baiting? The DNR website say that baiting is when a substance is introduced into the hunt for the deer to consume. Either by solid or liquid. Could I get some clarification on this please. Thank you.

morrison
Moderator

Nov 4, 2014 at 2:06pm

With the scenario you described above, you are creating a very large scent attractant. As long as the deer cannot consume or have the opportunity to consume the apples

Upon receiving this question today, I looked up the federal code of regulations (CFR). I have amended the post from yesterday. Upon reviewing the actual laws, I discovered that neither the federal or state laws restrict the hunting of crows over bait. I have posted the federal and state laws/ administrative codes below. In general, the federal statute establishes the guidelines in which the state can set the regulations for the taking of crows (50 CFR 20.133) The state has developed two administrative codes that establish the season for taking crows as well as a code for taking crows that are causing depredation, being a nuisance, or being a risk to human health.

As you can see below, the federal law established the regulations to cover migratory game birds and crows. It has set crows apart from everything else. Any regulation that applies to the taking of crows will most likely not pertain to any other migratory game bird and vice versa.

Fifty years ago Friday, on Dec. 21, 1968, Apollo 8 lifted off, marking the first time humans left low Earth orbit and flew to the moon.

This was the second manned spaceflight of the Apollo program, and it was a nerve-wracking and remarkable flight that captured the world's attention. The mission capped a difficult and conflict-filled year in the U.S., offering a rare moment when people could feel good about their planet.

Any trip to space is risky. But a mission to the moon, nearly a quarter-million miles from Earth, was something else. There were many things that could go wrong and many unknowns about this first trip. But on Christmas Eve 1968, the capsule made it to lunar orbit. //

There was also an unexpected moment during the 20 hours they circled the moon. As they focused on the lunar surface below, something else caught the crew's attention.

"Oh my God, look at that picture over there! It's the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!" exclaimed Anders.

Anders rushed to snap a picture of the Earth, rising above the barren lunar landscape. The "Earthrise" image remains one of the most famous ever taken in space, and Anders says it forever changed the way people think about where we live.

"The only color that we could see and contrasted by this really unfriendly, stark lunar horizon, made me think, 'You know, we really live on a beautiful little planet,' " he says. //

In an interview with NPR earlier this year, Borman, the mission commander, noticed the same thing. "The only telegram I remember out of all the thousands we got after Apollo 8 said, 'Thank you Apollo 8 you saved 1968,' " he said.