Russia’s detention of WNBA star sparks fears Putin may use anthem-opposing player as bargaining chip

 BPR  "There are increasing fears that Vladimir Putin intends to hold a women’s professional basketball star who was arrested after she arrived in Moscow last month as a hostage as tensions between Russia and the U.S. continue to intensify.

"WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was seized by Russian authorities at Moscow’s airport for allegedly being in possession of an illegal substance in the form of hashish oil contained in a cartridge for a vape pen that was in her luggage, an offense that could result in a prison sentence of 5-10 years if she’s found guilty.

"With Putin not budging despite a crushing onslaught of official sanctions along with actions by the “public-private partnership” to cripple Russia financially – most recently the move by both Visa and Mastercard to suspend all operations by deactivating their cards for Russians – some suspect that Griner could be used as a bargaining chip.

"The two-time Olympic gold medalist who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury last made contact with the outside world on February 5 when she posted to Instagram, since then there has been silence from the 31-year-old seven-time All-Star.". . . 

. . .Some were unsympathetic to Griner’s plight, pointing out that she has opposed the national anthem before Mercury games and said that she would not be on the floor if the “Star-Spangled Banner” was played.

A couple years ago she protested playing of the National Anthem. She’s about to find out how good she had here in the US.

WNBA news: Brittney Griner reportedly detained in Russia https://t.co/zksGXOdLq7

— Tbone’s Ghost (@sundeviltrouble) March 6, 2022

‘Profoundly embarrassing’: Douglas Murray claims Kamala Harris was ‘painful’ in Ukraine talks

 

"US Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the Munich Security Conference in the midst of the Ukraine crisis was “beneath something that a school child would say,” according to author Douglas Murray. “Kamala Harris said, in front of her European colleagues … ‘we’re looking at the possibility of war in Europe guys’,” Mr Murray said."

Mark Villano: I loved it when Biden said that our thoughts and prayers were with the Iranian people. As far as Kamala is concerned, what scares me the most is that he selected our next Supreme Court Justice using the exact same criteria and list of "qualifications" that he used to pick the VP.When you select leaders solely because they have specific appearances you get a "dunderhead" Video

Alabama Gas Station Manager Says He Removes Five Or Six Biden ‘I Did That’ Stickers From Gas Pumps Each Day

 Alabama Gas Station Manager Says He Removes Five Or Six Biden ‘I Did That’ Stickers From Gas Pumps Each Day (legalinsurrection.com)

"If you’ve been to a gas station lately, you may have seen the small stickers featuring Joe Biden, usually positioned so that he is pointing to the price with the caption, “I did that.”

"The stickers are sold in packs of 100 online, and they’re turning up everywhere.

"One gas station manager in Alabama was recently featured in a local news report about this and said that he removes five or six of the stickers from his pumps every day.

"Apparently, stations can be fined by their corporations for vandalism if the stickers aren’t removed.

"Nicole Zedeck reports at WAAY News in Alabama:

Satirical sticker at North Alabama gas pumps bringing problems for gas station owners. . .

 You might see the derisive stickers up in New Hampshire, the swing state Biden is set to visit on Tuesday to promote his $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that just passed Congress…

Biden’s approval rating in the Granite State is the same as it is nationally — abysmal. And the passage of the infrastructure bill won’t change that, no matter how much the Democrats and CNN celebrate it. . . .

Reflections on Putin’s Invasion

Americans should ask why the feckless and lethargic Joe Biden, the worst president of the modern era, also moved inexplicably, slowly for months in arming Ukraine, just as he was months behind in pursing orderly, phased withdrawal from Afghanistan and opted for humiliating chaos there, as well as leaving behind weapons that could have been salvaged and, in many cases, sent last year to Ukraine.....

 The American Spectator  The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out" Lindsey Graham

"This is not World War III.

"Despite their indoctrination, Russian military leaders do not share Putin’s archaic siege mentality, that Russia must defend against a perennial attack from NATO — which has proven itself, at best, entirely defensive. With no Communist Politburo to restrain or oust him, Putin nonetheless cannot assume a compliant military. In typical old-line Communist fashion, Putin likely will shame and relieve of command some Russian officers, scapegoated for simply doing his absurd bidding.

"As I write this, WNBA Star Brittney Griner is being detained in Russia. This is right out of the old Soviet Union playbook: intimidate America by arresting Americans, even to be held and later traded in future negotiations. We’ve seen this movie many times.

"We despair and cry as we watch — in real time —brave people suffering against Putin’s evil. But Putin is not Russia! For two decades Putin has wanted this and bided his time; he moved alone against Ukraine (why now?) because our president is Joe Biden, and the next two in line are even worse, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi.

"Calibrated sanctions over months and weeks escalated as Putin moved more troops into the region, might have avoided this invasion, its death and destruction and humanitarian tragedy. But that would have taken a real commander in chief, robust leadership, strategic thinking, and a team that believes in America, rather than masochistically tearing down our country regularly, here and in the eyes of the world. Indeed, Biden’s U.S. Agency for Global Media is more likely to apologize for our country rather than tell America’s story; our once creative agitprop is a relic.". . .

California Democrats Ignore Crime, Homelessness at State Convention

 Report: California Democrats Ignore Crime, Homelessness at State Convention (breitbart.com)

"Crime and homelessness are among the top concerns of California voters — but Democrats ignored them at their recent statewide convention, preferring instead to focus on what they called Republican-led attacks on “democracy.'”. . .

. . ."A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California revealed that voters in the state believe homelessness (#2, at 13%) and crime (#4, at 7%) are among the top issues in the state (#1 was the coronavirus and #3 was the economy).

"Democrats nationwide have tried to argue that Republicans are a threat to democracy, after arguing for nearly four years that the democratic election in 2016 should be overturned because of a false conspiracy theory about Russian “collusion.”

"Specifically, Democrats point to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which participants viewed as an effort to protect democracy; and to voting reforms in Republican-led states, which supporters view as an effort to protect voting from fraud.". . .

Republicans a threat to Democracy? Democrats: The Party Run by George Soros - The Lid (lidblog.com)    . . ."After the last election George Soros, met with a group of Mega-rich liberals to ensure that they get to control the country after the 2008 Elections. What they ended up doing is giving $100 Million dollars to key liberal organizations in major battle ground states(see Obama’s Liberal Shock Troops ). Here’s the scary part, if you believe the polls it may be working.

"Soros is the financial head of the Democratic Party:". . .

George Soros/Political activity - Ballotpedia

"For the 2016 presidential election cycle, Soros signed on to be the co-chair of the finance council for Ready for Hillary, a Super PAC in support of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[7] Ready for Hillary changed its name to Ready PAC when Clinton announced her candidacy and slowly began to "wind down as the Clinton campaign [built] up."[8] FEC records show that Soros personally contributed at least $50,000 to Ready PAC from 2013 to 2015, and that he contributed $343,400 to the joint fundraising committee Hillary Victory Fund in November 2015.". . .

Is Soros Behind the Democrats More than People Know? | Armstrong Economics

Justin Trudeau blames Putin invading Ukraine on Democracies NOT being ANTI-Free Speech enough. No, really. It’s amazing.

 Prime Ministers – mackaycartoons

News Thud   "Canada’s Prime Minister Herr Justin Trudeau said something amazingly ridiculous about Ukraine and Russia, which I am sure utterly surprises everyone.

"Castro Jr. said that there’s “slippage” in Democracies. “Countries turning towards slightly more authoritarian leaders,” said the authoritarian leader.

"And then he added, “Countries allowing increasing misinformation and disinformation to be shared on social media.”

"So — allowing free speech is a “slippage” of Democracy that is enabling dictators?

"I mean, the guy is right that “slippage” in the west emboldens dictators, he’s just wrong about who the dictators are and what dictatorship is.

"But what do you expect from Castro Jr. anyway?" . . .

Ted Cruz Warns of 'Dangerous' Censorship from Biden's 'Woke' FCC Nominee

| Neon Nettle

"My principal concern with Ms. Sohn is that she has expressed a significant willingness to use government power against political enemies and to use government power as a tool of censorship," Cruz said.

"Republican Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has warned the Senate that approving Democrat Joe Biden's "woke" nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would be "dangerous" for free speech.

"As the Senate Commerce Committee voted on a party-line basis to move the nominee to a full vote in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Cruz raised the alarm about the threat of censorship from putting Gigi Sohn in charge of the FCC.

"Speaking before the Committee after the vote, Cruz warned that Sohn has a history of advocating for censorship of conservatives.

"Cruz argues it would be "dangerous" to allow Biden’s pick to become FCC Commissioner.

""[I have] significant substantive concerns with this nominee,” Cruz told the Senate.". . .

Controversial Nomination of Sohn to FCC Reported to Senate Floor in a Tie Vote (ipwatchdog.com). . ."The Chamber added that Sohn’s advocacy for “overly aggressive and combative regulation of the communications sector” evidenced by her support of the 2015 Open Internet Order, “which regulated broadband like a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act…led to the decline in private sector broadband investment for the first time outside a national economic slowdown.' ”. . .

Biden's pick of Gigi Sohn to lead the FCC is utterly inappropriate - Washington Times

This new reality makes the Biden administration’s nomination of Gigi Sohn to the FCC all the more troubling given her track record of disregard for our sensitive secrets and outright hostility to intellectual property, which could dangerously empower America’s enemies namely Russia and China, if she is confirmed.  She is an utterly inappropriate choice, and the administration should withdraw her nomination straight away.

 Biden Pushes Pro-Censorship Partisan Leftist Gigi Sohn for FCC Commissioner (breitbart.com)  . . ."But the FCC is a double-edged sword. Just as the commission can protect consumers from tech censorship, it can also use its regulatory might to pressure tech companies to submit to a partisan left-wing agenda.

"There is a convention that the five commissioners should remain relatively nonpartisan, even though they are allocated along party lines, with three commissioners from the party occupying the White House and two from the opposition.

"The Biden administration has broken that convention, sending a far-left radical, Gigi Sohn, to the Senate for confirmation.

"Sohn was the co-founder and CEO of the leftist advocacy group Public Knowledge, which recently called on cable and satellite providers to drop the conservative One America News Network (OAN).". . .

What's a university for, if not to question 'the science'?

 

American Thinker

But here we have a topic that could not be more vital — our medical response to a virus — and the subject is off limits, as if the very notion of interrogating it introduced a ripple in the placidity of doctrine, heresy into an unchanging belief system. 

. . ."But then, finally, out of the hitherto silent thousand-member faculty, a sponsor materialized.  Kirsch then contacted the university for instructions as to how to proceed with the event, only to encounter yet another obstacle.  He was reminded that MIT's COVID policies for campus gatherings were still in place, "which currently include mandatory masking and the requirement that all event attendees must be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19."  Foiled again.

"I'm not going to go into the details of Kirsch's concerns about the mRNA jab.  He lists them in some detail in his Substack newsletters (which gives any would-be debater a leg up on the event).  I am deadly serious about the fact that we are at a crucial period in our history.  At this moment, we are defining what scientific inquiry is and is not — and what educational institutions are fundamentally for.

"Rodney Stark, in The Victory of Reason, writes that "[s]cience is a method utilized in organized efforts to formulate explanations of nature, always subject to modifications and corrections through systematic observations."  In other words, contrary to what we've been hearing, science isn't a thing, but a process.  And it certainly isn't static.  There should never be a definite article before the word science.  That's adherence to dogma, not rational inquiry.

"Further, the university should be aggressively seeking out controversial subjects, not shielding itself from them.  In the words of mathematician and philosopher Jacob Bronowski, "it is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known but to question it.' ". . .