USA – Page 435 – Blazingcatfur

The Royal Marines defeat the US Marines at the ‘Battle of the Mojave Desert’

The Marines occupy an almost mythic place in many Americans’ minds as an invincible force that runs to the guns and fights no matter what. That’s why it was so shocking to learn that, during a joint training exercise in the Mojave Desert, Britain’s Royal Marines inflicted such a shellacking on the Americans that the latter had to surrender halfway through the exercise. This is a direct result of the Pentagon having gone woke under Obama — something that Trump failed to undo — followed by Biden doubling down on Obama’s policies.

by Blazingcatfur•November 5, 2021November 4, 2021•0•USA

Why is Trudeau pressuring Michigan to keep a dangerous oil pipeline open?

Canada would be apoplectic if the US government marched into a Canadian court and argued that the province of Ontario has zero authority over an American company operating an aging, corroded pipeline under Canada’s pristine Georgian Bay. Yet this is the exact approach Canada is taking in US courts by arguing that the state of Michigan has zero authority to order the shutdown of an aging and dangerous pipeline operated by a Canadian company under the Straits of Mackinac – where any spill would have catastrophic ramifications for the Great Lakes.

Canada’s strained position is premised on ignoring the plain text of the 1977 US Canada Pipeline Treaty: “Pipeline[s] shall be subject to regulations by the appropriate governmental authorities … with respect to such matters as the following: (a) pipeline safety … ; (b) environmental protection.”

The author is a former Obama appointee:

Lana Pollack was appointed by President Obama to chair the US Section of the International Joint Commission. The IJC was established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to assist the US and Canadian governments in managing and protecting waters shared by the two countries. The views expressed are Pollack’s, not those of the IJC

This is not looking great for Canada, I would not be at all surprised if Trudeau bends over again.

by Blazingcatfur•November 4, 2021November 4, 2021•0•Canada, USA

How a medieval English law affects the US gun control debate

A medieval English law dating back nearly seven centuries is now at the heart of the most important US Supreme Court gun case in a decade.

The case – which stems from a New York legal battle – challenges a state law that requires that gun users who want a concealed carry permit first prove they have a valid reason.

To help them determine how broad the rights of America’s many gun owners go, the country’s nine supreme court judges are also looking back to the 1328 Statute of Northampton, which dates back to the reign of Edward III.

by Blazingcatfur•November 4, 2021November 4, 2021•0•Gun Control, Gun Rights, USA

China increasing nuclear arsenal much faster than was thought, Pentagon says

China is expanding its nuclear force much faster than US officials predicted just a year ago, highlighting a broad and accelerating buildup of military muscle designed to enable Beijing to match or surpass US global power by mid-century, according to a new Pentagon report.

The number of Chinese nuclear warheads could increase to 700 within six years, the report said, and may top 1,000 by 2030. The report released on Wednesday did not say how many weapons China has today, but a year ago the Pentagon said the number was in the “low 200s” and was likely to double by the end of this decade.

by Blazingcatfur•November 3, 2021November 3, 2021•0•"China - Communist Slave State", USA

Israeli spyware company NSO Group placed on US blacklist

NSO Group has been placed on a US blacklist by the Biden administration after it determined the Israeli spyware maker has acted “contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US”.

The finding by the commerce department represents a blow to the Israeli company and reveals a deep undercurrent of concern by the US about the impact of spyware on national security interests.

It comes three months after a consortium of journalists working with the French non-profit group Forbidden Stories, including the Guardian, revealed multiple cases of journalists and activists who were hacked by foreign governments using the spyware.

by Blazingcatfur•November 3, 2021November 3, 2021•0•"Surveillance Society", Espionage, Israel, USA

Maine referendum deals blow to Hydro-Québec project

That unusual alliance seeking to stymie the project included nature-lovers and fossil fuel companies, which funded the campaign against their common hydroelectric foe.

Democrats weren’t the only losers in elections held Tuesday in the U.S. So was a Canadian-led energy project, rejected by voters in one state referendum.

This spurned project doesn’t involve oil or pipelines or Western Canada.

It involves a Hydro-Québec transmission line between Quebec and New England — and now its future is in doubt.

Voters in Maine voted about 60-40 to halt construction of the project and force its backers to obtain two-thirds support in the state legislature if they want to complete it.

Justin’s best friend Joe Biden just pegged his butt again.

h/t SM

by Blazingcatfur•November 3, 2021November 3, 2021•0•Canada, USA

Iranian Oil Sales to China Skyrocket as Experts Say Biden Admin Turns Blind Eye to Sanctions Enforcement

Illicit Iranian oil sales to China have soared in recent months as the Biden administration attempts to reenter the 2015 nuclear accord, raising concerns from Iran experts that the United States is turning a blind eye to sanctions violations in a bid to entice Iran back to the bargaining table.

China imported nearly 800,000 barrels of Iranian crude per day on average during the last three months, almost double the amount it was illegally buying from Iran during the same period last year when the Trump administration was pressuring Iran with a crippling sanctions campaign. The increase comes amid an effort by China and Iran to boost diplomatic ties and force the Biden administration into removing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

by Blazingcatfur•November 3, 2021November 3, 2021•0•"China - Communist Slave State", Iran, USA

China and the Crisis Presidency of Joe Biden

Less than a year in and Joe Biden’s presidency is beset by crises. Domestically, his increasingly unpopular agenda has been stalled by his own political party in Congress. On the international front, the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle continues to reverberate along with Europe’s growing frustration in dealing with the administration. Even on matters where we can agree, such as the submarine deal and our alliance with the Australia and the United Kingdom to counter China, the announcement was so badly handled it became just another friction point in U.S.-European relations. Then there is China itself. From the origins of COVID to its recent hypersonic missile test — an event the Pentagon’s top general Mark Milley concedes was a near “Sputnik moment” — and China’s ability to crush all US satellites as “debris,” the challenges between the U.S. and China only continue to grow.

by Blazingcatfur•November 3, 2021November 3, 2021•0•"China - Communist Slave State", USA

FBI Sat On Bombshell Footage From Kyle Rittenhouse Shooting

On Tuesday, opening statements in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, an18-year-old aspiring police officer accused of fatally shooting two men and wounding a third on the night of Aug. 25, 2020, as BLM riots raged in the streets of Kenosha in response to a white-on-black police shooting.

While prosecutors have slapped the teen with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide, Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming self-defense.

Now, new footage has emerged which bolsters his case.

BREAKING: Human Events Daily has obtained never-before-seen FBI footage of the Kyle Rittenhouse Shootinghttps://t.co/QFAfI7mmJp pic.twitter.com/J8vOOoD3rg

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 2, 2021

Not your grandfather’s FBI.

by Blazingcatfur•November 3, 2021November 3, 2021•0•FBI, USA, WTF?

Republican Glenn Youngkin defeats Democrat Terry McAuliffe in high-stakes Virginia governor’s election

Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s gubernatorial election. Tuesday’s race was the biggest test of President Joe Biden and his party’s strength since Democrats won back the White House in November 2020 and the Senate in January.

McAuliffe, a longtime fixture of Democratic politics, got his start raking in eye-popping sums as a fundraiser for former President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. After stints as chair of the Democratic National Committee and co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, McAuliffe served one term as Virginia’s governor from 2014 to 2018.

by Blazingcatfur•November 2, 2021•0•USA

October Gun Sales Second Highest On Record

The number of firearms flying off of store shelves may have slowed a bit compared to the blistering pace set back in the summer of 2020, but gun sales are still well above their historical averages according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The firearm industry trade group has released its adjusted NICS figures for the month of October, and they’re pretty eye-popping.

by Sarcasticat•November 2, 2021November 2, 2021•0•Guns and Ammo, USA

Taiwan and a Nuclear Deterrent

It’s no longer out of the question, particularly if the U.S. can no longer be relied upon.

Perceived American weakness and a shift in the regional balance of power in the East Asian-Pacific littoral may result in the restart of a Taiwanese nuclear weapons program designed to serve as the ultimate deterrent to a Communist Chinese attack or invasion. We have been here before.

by Blazingcatfur•November 2, 2021November 1, 2021•0•"China - Communist Slave State", Taiwan, USA

If China Controls Taiwan’s Chip Manufacturers, It Will Control The World

If Americans think the shortage of cars due to chip supply issues is bad, then consider what it would mean if the U.S. military were deprived of the advanced chips required for its arsenal of war equipment. It’s a real possibility as the world’s largest and most advanced semiconductor manufacturers sit precariously, approximately 100 miles off the coast of communist China on the island of Taiwan.

In total, Taiwanese companies supply 63 percent of global semiconductors, compared with 12 percent by U.S. manufacturers. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) alone provides over half the world’s made-to-order chips, and an estimated 90 percent of advanced processors.

by Blazingcatfur•November 1, 2021November 1, 2021•0•"China - Communist Slave State", Taiwan, USA

Why is the US still in Syria?

A week ago, US troops camped out in the small, dusty Syrian outpost of al-Tanf suddenly found themselves under a “deliberate and coordinated attack“, as multiple explosive-laden drones barreled toward their positions. According to US officials who spoke to the AP on background, Iran “resourced and encouraged” the latest drone attack targeting US forces. The five drones were also reportedly Iranian-manufactured, leading to speculation that Tehran is testing the Biden administration at a time when nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran remain in limbo.

Fortunately, US troops managed to defuse the drone attack without suffering any casualties. But the near-miss was still deeply troubling, for it again illustrated the extremely dangerous environment in which nearly 1,000 US forces in Syria are operating.

by Blazingcatfur•October 29, 2021October 29, 2021•0•Syria, USA

The rich are getting richer — but a political backlash is brewing