New York’s New Equal Rights Act Will Weaken Parental Rights, Critics Say
By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. | The Defender | November 12, 2024
New York voters last week approved Proposition 1, a ballot measure that adds abortion rights to the state constitution and bars discrimination based on pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes.
The measure, passed with 61.9% of the vote, also protects against discrimination based on age, gender identity or sexual orientation, according to CBS News, which said, “Opponents say the vague language opens up a can of worms that could cause more harm than good.”
Indeed, some legal experts argue that instead of promoting equality, the Equal Rights Act, as the measure is officially known, enshrines discrimination and strips away parental rights.
Opponents of the amendment argue it would “open the door to men using women’s bathrooms and transgender athletes to compete on sports teams that match their gender identities” and “allow minors to get abortions without parental consent.”
New York attorney Bobbie Ann Cox campaigned against Proposition 1. She said the amendment was “unnecessary” because “anti-discrimination laws are already in place.”
Cox told The Defender :
“No new rights were endowed by Proposition 1. In fact, it is the opposite, because Proposition 1 actually restricts our rights. The language is clear: It says we (the people) are not allowed to ‘discriminate’ against the named classes, nor are our firms, corporations or organizations.
“This gives the government license to control us, our firms, corporations and organizations — because who do you think will determine what is deemed ‘discrimination’ or ‘hate speech?’ The government will.”
Michael Kane, founder of Teachers for Choice, told The Defender that Proposition 1 is state lawmakers’ response to grassroots efforts supporting medical freedom and parental rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the state needed this law because “Teachers for Choice and our coalition partners have stopped all assaults on medical freedom and parental rights in Albany for the past five years.”
Kane added:
“Because of that, a group of Democrats from New York City put forth this ‘Equal Rights Amendment’ and rolled their wishlist of legislation into it, to go straight to the New York Constitution — because they knew they couldn’t get any of these crazy pieces of legislation passed in a real democratic process.”
Cox said the amendment “will result in complete totalitarian control” over New Yorkers. “It will flip our norms upside down, and give the government license to abolish our freedoms of speech, assembly, religion, family units and so on,” she said. “It is a Trojan Horse of the most epic kind.”
Kane said that despite the many protections the amendment promises, there are “no protections in Proposition 1 for health freedom, religious freedom or parental rights.”
Instead, the amendment “can and will be used to get parents out of the picture of all medical decisions for children,” Kane said. “This is why Proposition 1 says ‘you can’t discriminate’ against anyone based on ‘age.’”
Amendment gives government ‘power to discriminate against anyone’
The measure amends Article 1, Section 11 of the New York State Constitution on the equal protection of laws, which bans discrimination on the basis of “race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed, religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”
The second paragraph of the amendment adds:
“Nothing in this section shall invalidate or prevent the adoption of any law, regulation, program, or practice that is designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of a characteristic listed in this section, nor shall any characteristic listed in this section be interpreted to interfere with, limit, or deny the civil rights of any person based upon any other characteristic identified in this section.”
According to Cox, this language enshrines reverse discrimination, giving the government “the power to discriminate against anyone they want, at any time, for any reason.” She also criticized the measure’s “vague” language.
“The language of Proposition 1 is vague and extremely broad,” Cox said. “It’s unconstitutional to have overly broad laws for this very reason — the true intent cannot be known, which then leads to courts making the decisions piecemeal, which causes inconsistencies and massive confusion.”
Cox said the ballot did not provide voters with the full text of the amendment. Voters saw only a summary that described the measure as an amendment that “would protect against unequal treatment.”
Writing on Substack last month, Cox called the summary “a total sham, as it doesn’t even give the whole story.” She said the amendment “will unleash a massive tidal wave of chaos upon our citizenry, upon normalcy, and upon all that we hold dear in our society,”
She said she believes the amendment will weaken parental rights, abolish girls’ sports and single-sex spaces, legalize reverse discrimination and result in the “chilling of free speech.”
Cox said claims that the amendment protects the right to an abortion were a “lie.” She said the word “abortion” did not appear on the ballot and that the measure differs from laws passed in other states that explicitly make clear what the state’s laws are regarding abortion.
New amendment to face constitutional challenges
According to CBS News, New York joined seven other states that have “passed measures protecting abortion rights” after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Organizations including the New York Civil Liberties Union and the League of Women Voters of New York supported the measure.
Opponents of the amendment had difficulty overcoming support from these groups and key state officials, including Attorney General Letitia James.
Cox told The Defender she has formed a task force to explore legal avenues for challenging the amendment. She said policies the new administration may introduce might facilitate legal actions challenging the amendment.
“It’ll depend on what is done by Trump’s administration and how it is done,” Cox said.
Kane said the amendment “can and will be challenged as being a violation of the federal Constitution.”
This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please consider subscribing to The Defender or donating to Children’s Health Defense.
Elon Musk’s X Sues California Over Deepfake Law Seen as Threat to Free Speech
By Dan Frieth | Reclaim The Net | November 16, 2024
Elon Musk’s X has initiated legal action against the state of California, seeking to prevent the enforcement of a new statute mandating that major online platforms either remove or label deepfake election-related content, as a violation of the First Amendment, particularly for its impact on memes and satire.
We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.
The legal challenge was presented in a federal court earlier this week, focusing on legislation designed to curb the influence of artificially altered videos, images, and sounds, collectively known as deepfakes. The legislation is poised to become effective on January 1.
The law in question, Assembly Bill 2655, was signed as part of California’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming 2024 US presidential election from the risks posed by technological manipulation. Governor Gavin Newsom, having clashed with Musk following Musk’s sharing of a parody video of Vice President Kamala Harris, aims to mitigate these alleged risks.
The legislation has sparked concerns among tech giants and free speech supporters, who understand that it suppresses user engagement and stifles free discourse and satire under the guise of curbing misinformation.
X’s legal challenge raises critical questions about the boundaries of free speech in the digital age, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects platforms from liability for user-generated content. By requiring platforms like X to preemptively label or remove content, the law, as X contends, “will inevitably result in the censorship of wide swaths of valuable political speech and commentary.”
“AB 2655 requires large online platforms like X, the platform owned by X Corp. (collectively, the ‘covered platforms’), to remove and alter (with a label) — and to create a reporting mechanism to facilitate the removal and alteration of — certain content about candidates for elective office, elections officials, and elected officials, of which the State of California disapproves and deems to be ‘materially deceptive,’” the complaint reads.
The complaint also states that “this system will inevitably result in the censorship of wide swaths of valuable political speech and commentary and will limit the type of ‘uninhibited, robust, and wide-open’ ‘debate on public issues’ that core First Amendment protections are designed to ensure.”
It goes on to say, “AB 2655 imposes a prior restraint on speech because it provides, pursuant to Sections 20515(b) and 20516, expedited causes of action under Section 35 of the California Code of Civil Procedure through which political speech can be enjoined before there occurs a ‘final judicial determination’ that the ‘speech is unprotected.’”
Finally, it states, “AB 2655 violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 2, of the California Constitution, both facially and as-applied to X Corp. AB 2655 imposes a prior restraint on speech that forces platforms to censor only certain election-related content of which the State of California disapproves and also directly and impermissibly interferes with the constitutionally protected content-moderation speech rights of covered social media platforms, like X.”
The implications for satire are particularly severe, as highlighted by the case of the parody Harris videos. Although Governor Newsom’s office insists that AB 2655, also known as the Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024, says it exempts parody and satire, the practical application of this exemption is murky at best since it was a parody video that was the impetus for Governor Newsom to push for the introduction of the law.
The Flatline
The Stagnation of Life Expectancy
Biopolitiks by Dr. Alejandro Diaz | November 14, 2024
Life expectancy is one of the most relevant measures of health outcomes. Historical data on this issue tells the story of the revolutionary medical advancements of the last centuries. Over the last 100 years, life expectancy has risen dramatically. Rapid industrialization and scientific advancements have reduced the early mortality risk tremendously. Since 1900, life expectancy has doubled in nearly every corner of the globe. However, something extremely interesting happened at the turn of this last decade. For the first time in over 60 years, global life expectancy dropped. This wasn’t an isolated trend, by the way. Life expectancy had been flatlining for about the past 10 years globally, and 30 years in some developed nations, particularly the United States.
Life Expectancy Statistics according to Our World in Data
What’s the reason behind this flatline?
To dive into the hows and whys behind the stagnation, it is important to first understand how this data is measured and what it means for health outcomes. Life expectancy refers to the number of years the average person within a selected population can expect to live. Although there are various methods, the most common is referred to as “period life expectancy.” This method calculates the period during which a person born in the year of measurement can expect to live if the death rates stay constant.
Life expectancy is widely considered to be one of the most relevant indicators in the measurement of the health of a population. Experts believe that this is a more accurate measure than other comparable indicators, like total mortality. More broadly, some refer to it as a clear indicator of human progress.
Regardless of the many interpretations, it is clear that this is a relevant global health statistic.
Life expectancy is not only a health indicator—it’s a Biopolitikal indicator. It accurately quantifies the relationship between policy and the health outcomes of governed populations. This statistic can measurably grade the quality of public health policy. The coordination of those in charge of scientific/medical advancements, in conjunction with policymakers, has driven improvements. This outlines the importance of this measurement and how it is indicative of recent systemic failures on the Biopolitikal level.
Globally, the stagnation of this metric coincides with the increased incidence of chronic diseases. It seems that much of the detriment, not only in life expectancy data but in disease burden generally—particularly non-communicable disease burden—begins around the year 1990. The medical advancements of the prior century appear to have leveled off in their impact on health outcomes.
Among developed nations, the United States stands out, with life expectancy lagging behind comparable nations.
Life Expectancy vs Health Expenditures (Our World in Data)
The situation of the United States is quite particular in the sense that it represents some of the highest expenditures per capita on healthcare but lies around the mid-range of the spectrum in terms of overall health outcomes. In this specific chart above, it measures life expectancy. The United States has been the most affected country by the global chronic disease epidemic, by far.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report from earlier this year in February stated that around 130 million people suffer from some sort of chronic disease in the United States. The figure has risen by nearly 50 million in the last 30 years. This represents a clear Biopolitikal failure. One study out of California mentioned the increase in circulatory disease as one of, if not the main, contributors to the stagnation of American life expectancy “post-2010.”
This chronic disease data is reflected in life expectancy rates. From 1960 to 1990, the U.S. life expectancy rate rose nearly six years; in the next 30-year period from 1990 to 2020, it rose only two years. The correlation is clear.
The data is similar globally; however, the United States is a special case.
In the previously mentioned CDC report, they also estimate that around 90% of the over $4 trillion USD in yearly federal health expenditures go to managing chronic diseases. This shows that not only is the chronic disease epidemic costing the government trillions in taxpayer dollars, but also that some are making billions in treating them.
This, of course, is in the United States. But what does the global data suggest? In Europe, experts suggest that around 70% of all deaths on the continent originate from chronic diseases, specifically cancer and cardiovascular disease. Despite the economic disparities, data out of Latin America shows a very similar story. The WHO estimates that around 63% of men and 60% of women are considered overweight in the region.
These figures represent incentives for the system to keep the patient sick in perpetuity, contributing to stagnating life expectancy rates. However, this also represents an enormous opportunity for us to make a positive transformation in the Biopolitikal framework.
The Path Forward
To reverse this tendency we must course correct. The solution lies in the collective decision-making processes. A critical review of the current landscape is a necessity.
We must review certain aspects influencing the chronic health epidemic and the general detriment of health outcomes across the board. That means looking at the root causes. In my professional opinion, I would include in that list the current vaccine schedule. Is it really necessary for people to receive the nearly 70 vaccines that are on the recommended immunization schedules from the moment they practically leave the womb to adulthood? When most deadly infectious diseases have been eradicated globally. What effects are these having on children? Could this be why we’re seeing widespread immunosuppression in the global population?
Recommended child immunization schedule according to the CDC
Food and agriculture policy must be modified. Last week we discussed the effects of the dangerous chemicals and additives included in the global food supply. Many of these have been linked to long-term health issues, including hormonal disruption, obesity, ADHD, and chronic diseases. These additives compromise the nutritional value of food and contribute to the global rise in non-communicable diseases by promoting unhealthy dietary patterns.
Additionally, overmedication further exacerbates these ailments. Instead of addressing the root dietary issues, doctors resort to pharmaceuticals.
I would go so far as to argue that this critical review should extend to medical school curricula. Curriculums should be modified to include further training on nutrition, functional medicine, etc., giving medical graduates a new understanding to take on these public health crises.
Medical schools don’t teach you how to think; they teach you what to think.
Transforming, from a policy perspective, the way we look at public health is necessary. We as a society must collectively broaden our perspective to consider these alternative approaches.
Luckily, the point of inflection is now. Global attitudes toward this line of thinking are shifting rapidly. There is immense enthusiasm arising from the possibility of real reform coming to the highest levels of Biopolitikal decision-making.
With today’s announcement, it seems as though we are even closer than we think of it all coming to fruition. As of today, November 14th, President-Elect Donald J. Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, definitely the most qualified for the position. As I have mentioned repeatedly in my substack posts, whatever the United States does, the world will follow. Parting from this principle, Global Biopolitiks is set to experience a massive shift in the coming years.
About me (Dr. Alejandro Diaz)
I am a Pediatric Allergist / Immunologist and Global Health Expert with extensive international experience. I have delivered conferences in over 27 countries around the globe on topics of medicine, migration, biosecurity, and related topics. This includes prestigious venues such as the White House, the US Capitol, the Romanian Parliament, the European Parliament in Brussels, the Mexican Senate of the Republic, the United Nations in Geneva, Japanese Parliament, among others.
My career encompasses diverse roles in healthcare including private practice, health systems, and advisory positions for medical service companies, governments, and government entities worldwide.
Canada’s Censorship Crusade Targets Tech Giants in a Push for “Disinformation” Control
By Didi Rankovic | Reclaim The Net | November 15, 2024
Over the last four years, Canada’s Liberal government headed by Justin Trudeau got itself heavily aligned with the neighbor to the south on several key but also very contentious issues – such as restrictive Covid measures, various forms of pressure on tech companies, and “disinformation” censorship.
A flurry of controversial bills in Canada, some of which became law, serve to cement this impression.
Now, as President Trump prepares to start his second term in office in the US, Canada’s “orphaned” ruling class continues with the “disinformation” narrative – either as a sign of long-term commitment or looking for new “disinformation partners” elsewhere in the world – or simply as a sign of inertia.
Time will tell, and it will be interesting to see, but for the moment, news out of Canada speaks about a report compiled by the House of Commons Heritage Committee, titled, “Tech Giants’ Intimidation and Subversion Tactics to Evade Regulation in Canada and Globally.”
How about the tactics deployed in Canada – and globally – using all manner of intimidation and subversion to evade citizens’ right to free speech?
Maybe another day, by another ruling coalition.
Right now, the Liberals, the New Democratic Party, and Bloc Québécois stand behind statements such as this one, found in the cumbersomely-named report:
“The Government of Canada notes some individuals and groups create disinformation to promote political ideologies including extremist views and conspiracy theories or simply to make money.”
This looks like a call to combine (yet more) censorship with (yet more) deplatforming. And the ones to “fix” things for Canada’s current government are companies behind major social platforms, like Meta and Google.
It’s always fascinating to see that even today, there are still those willing to claim that these giants could possibly “do more” (censorship, that is) than they have been earnestly doing, for years.
But the group of Canada’s MPs behind the report believes so.
They want mechanisms put in place “to detect undesirable or questionable content that may be the product of disinformation or foreign interference and that these platforms be required to promptly identify such content and report it to users.”
Does Canadian parliament’s pressure on US tech companies not count as “foreign interference”? Unclear. Another thing that’s unclear – as in, undefined in the report – is what its authors have in mind when they mention “disinformation” and, “conspiracy theories.”
It’s as if these terms have become “art for art’s sake.”
Whatever that may be, Canada’s ruling parliamentarians want specific actions against these undefined phenomena to be enforced by tech companies.
“Failure to do so should result in penalties,” reads the document.
Congressional Investigation into Authors of ‘Disinformation Dozen’ Intensifies
By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. | The Defender | November 15, 2024
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), authors of the “Disinformation Dozen,” faces a Nov. 21 deadline to provide Congress with documents related to its alleged collusion with the Biden administration and social media platforms to censor online users.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Nov. 7 subpoenaed CCDH as part of an ongoing congressional investigation, launched in August 2023, into the nonprofit’s censorship-related activities.
The subpoena requests all communications and documents “between or among CCDH, the Executive Branch, or third parties, including social media companies, relating to the identification of groups, accounts, channels, or posts for moderation, deletion, suppression, restriction, or reduced circulation.”
The subpoena also requests all records, notes, and other “documents of interactions between or among CCDH and the Executive Branch referring or relating to ‘killing’ or taking adverse action against Elon Musk’s X social media platform.”
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1854563397859193136
CCDH previously included Kennedy on its “Disinformation Dozen” list, published in March 2021, of the 12 “leading online anti-vaxxers.”
Leaked CCDH documents released last month by investigative journalists Paul D. Thacker and Matt Taibbi revealed that CCDH sought to “kill” Twitter and launch “black ops” against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee for secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
CCDH included Kennedy, founder of Children’s Health Defense (CHD), on its list of “The Disinformation Dozen” when he was still chairman of CHD.
“Black ops” are defined as a “secret mission or campaign carried out by a military, governmental or other organization, typically one in which the organization conceals or denies its involvement.”
A subsequent report by Taibbi and Thacker showed that CCDH employed tactics it initially developed to help U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the U.S. Democratic Party, to target Musk, Kennedy and others.
CCDH used ‘explicit military terminology’ to target speech
Thacker told The Defender the leaked documents “definitely spurred” Jordan’s subpoena.
Sayer Ji, the founder of GreenMedInfo, was also listed among “The Disinformation Dozen.” He said the leaked documents were “chilling” and that CCDH’s efforts were part of “the largest coordinated foreign influence operation targeting American speech since 1776.”
Ji told The Defender :
“The leaked documents confirm what we experienced firsthand: CCDH wasn’t just targeting 12 individuals — we were test cases for deploying military-grade psychological operations against civilians at scale.
“Just as the British Crown once used seditious libel laws to silence colonial dissent, CCDH’s operation expanded to silence hundreds of millions globally, from doctors sharing clinical observations to parents discussing vaccine injuries.”
Ohio physician Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, also on “The Disinformation Dozen” list, told The Defender, “The exposure of the manipulation that went on behind the scenes to silence us is what we suspected, and now we know … We have the sad last laugh against their attacks. They are the ones with blood on their hands.”
Ji said CCDH’s internal communications reveal not just bias, “but explicit military terminology — ‘black ops,’ ‘target acquisition,’ ‘strategic deployment’ — coordinated between Five Eyes networks and dark money interests to target constitutionally protected speech.”
Writing on GreenMedInfo, Ji said, “CCDH’s ‘black ops’ approach includes coordinated media smears, economic isolation, and digital censorship.” Ji said CCDH’s activities represent “a new level of institutionalized power directed at civilian targets, often bypassing constitutional safeguards.”
Thacker said Jordan’s investigation should expand to include CCDH’s “black ops.”
“I don’t want to speculate on what CCDH was doing with ‘black ops’ against Kennedy,” Thacker said. “I think that should be explored by a congressional committee, with CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed put under oath,” Thacker said.
CCDH facing multiple lawsuits, possible Trump administration investigation
Jordan’s subpoena is the latest in a series of legal challenges for CCDH. According to GreenMedInfo, the organization faces several lawsuits and government investigations.
Following last month’s CCDH document leak, the Trump campaign said an investigation into CCDH “will be at the top of the list.”
The campaign also filed a complaint against the Harris campaign with the Federal Election Commission, “for making and accepting illegal foreign national contributions” — namely, from the U.K. Labour Party.
This followed the release of evidence indicating that the Biden administration coordinated with the U.K. Foreign Office as part of what GreenMedInfo described “as a systematic censorship regime involving CCDH and affiliated organizations.”
A lawsuit Musk filed against CCDH in July 2023 for allegedly illegally obtaining data and using it in a “scare campaign” to deter advertisers from X will likely proceed on appeal. A federal court initially dismissed the lawsuit in March.
Discovery in the Missouri v. Biden free speech lawsuit may also “shed further light and legal scrutiny on the critical role that CCDH played in allegedly suppressing and violating the civil liberties of U.S. citizens,” according to GreenMedInfo.
CCDH, others flee X in protest
Earlier this week, CCDH deleted its account on X, the platform it wanted to “kill.”
Writing on Substack, Ji said CCDH’s departure from X, during the same week Trump nominated Kennedy to lead HHS, represents a “seismic shift” and marks “a watershed moment, signaling the unraveling of entrenched systems of control and the rise of a new era for health freedom and open discourse.”
Several other left-leaning organizations and individuals, including The Guardian and journalist Don Lemon, also said they will stop using X, after Trump tapped Musk to lead a federal agency tasked with increasing government efficiency.
According to NBC News, many ordinary users are also fleeing X, citing “bots, partisan advertisements and harassment, which they all felt reached a tipping point when Donald Trump was elected president last week with Musk’s support.”
But according to Adweek, X’s former top advertisers, including Comcast, IBM, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate Entertainment, resumed ad spending on the platform this year, but at “much lower rates” than before.
“Elon Musk’s ties with Donald Trump might spur some advertisers to think spending on X is good for business,” Adweek reported.
Thacker said CCDH’s deletion of its X account was “aligned” with the departure of “other organizations and ‘journalists’ aligned with the Democratic Party.” He said it appears to have been a “coordinated protest.”
Ji said organizations like CCDH view X “as an existential threat.” He added:
“Having experienced both Twitter 1.0’s AI-driven censorship system and X’s more open environment, I understand exactly why CCDH sees X as an existential threat. X represents what Twitter 1.0’s embedded censorship infrastructure was designed to prevent: a truly free digital public square.
“Under Musk’s commitment to free speech, their tactical advantage disappeared. They’re not leaving because X is toxic. They’re leaving because they can’t control it.”
Online censorship ‘may no longer be sustainable under intensified scrutiny’
According to GreenMedInfo, CCDH’s departure from X “appears to reflect an internal recognition that their operational model — characterized by critics as a US-U.K. intelligence ‘cut-out’ facilitating unconstitutional suppression of civil liberties — may no longer be sustainable under intensified scrutiny.”
In recent months, several mainstream media outlets have corrected stories that relied upon CCDH reports claiming “The Disinformation Dozen” was responsible for up to two-thirds of vaccine-related “misinformation” online.
According to Thacker, this reflects an increasing awareness by such outlets that readers are turning their backs on such reporting.
“The outlets that promoted CCDH propaganda are being investigated by their own readers, who are fleeing in droves. Readers are voting against this type of propaganda by refusing to subscribe to these media outlets,” Thacker said.
Yet, “many outlets continue to host these demonstrably false narratives without correction,” Ji said.
According to Ji, these false narratives resulted in medical professionals fearing the loss of their licenses for expressing non-establishment views, self-censorship among scientists “to avoid career destruction,” suppression of “critical public health discussions” and the labeling of millions of posts as “misinformation.”
“This isn’t just about suppressing speech. It’s about establishing a new form of digital control that echoes the colonial-era suppression our founders fought against,” Ji said.
“CCDH has polluted political discourse by pretending there is some absolute definition of the term ‘misinformation’ and that they hold the dictionary,” Thacker said. “That’s nonsense. They spread hate and misinformation to attack perceived political enemies of the Democratic Party.”
Ji called upon Congress to investigate “The full scope of those silenced beyond the ‘Disinformation Dozen,’” the “systematic suppression of scientific debate,” “media organizations’ role in amplifying foreign influence operations” and “dark money funding networks” supporting such organizations.
Thacker said Congress should examine possible CCDH violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. “We need to also look at how much foreign money they took in and whether we as a nation are comfortable with foreign influence trying to alter the law and political discussions.”
“The fight isn’t just about correcting past wrongs or personal vindication. It’s about preserving fundamental rights to free speech and scientific inquiry in the digital age,” Ji said. “If we don’t address this systematic abuse of power, we risk surrendering the very freedoms our founders fought to establish.”
This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please consider subscribing to The Defender or donating to Children’s Health Defense.
Gaza Municipality: 70% of wells and 105,000 water lines destroyed
Palestinian Information Center – November 14, 2024
GAZA – The Gaza Municipality revealed on Thursday that the Israeli occupation destroyed more than 105,000 water lines and more than 70% of water wells in the Gaza Strip.
The limited capabilities of the municipality hinder its ability to solve this severe crisis, which forces citizens to transport water manually to their homes, said the municipality’s spokesman, Asem Al-Nabih.
He pointed out that the prices of desalinated water witnessed a significant increase due to the sharp increase in fuel prices, which further exacerbates the suffering of local citizens in obtaining potable water.
On October 23, two employees of the Gaza Municipality were killed, and two others were injured while repairing water wells at the Bir Al-Safa station in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza.
Since the start of the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli occupation has been working to destroy all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip.
Students occupy Italy defence firm HQ to protest over Gaza
MEMO | November 13, 2024
Around a hundred students occupied Leonardo’s LDOF.MI Turin headquarters to denounce what they say is the Italian defence group’s complicity in Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Reuters reports.
The students, who unfurled a Palestinian flag from the roof of Leonardo’s offices, said the company was supporting Israel by providing remote technical assistance and spare parts to Israel’s air force.
Leonardo declined to comment.
Images released by the students show them in Leonardo’s offices waving Palestinian flags and carrying spray cans. Outside they hung banners on the buildings saying ‘no arms to Israel’ and accusing the group of complicity in genocide.
They also clambered on top of a plane in the grounds of the company’s headquarters.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto condemned the protest, saying on X that the students were “destroying and defacing” the offices where an “important meeting with the staff of the defence ministry” was taking place.
“These people must be treated for what they are, dangerous subversives. Criminals have no political colour, they are just criminals,” he said.
Crosetto said in March that Italy had continued to export arms to Israel, despite government assurances last year that it was blocking such sales following the Israeli occupation army’s genocidal campaign in Gaza since October last year.
In March the minister said only previously signed orders were being honoured after checks had been made to ensure the weaponry would not be used against Gazan civilians.
Through its US subsidiary, Leonardo provides Israel with aircraft and owns an Israeli radar company called RADA.
Under Italian law, arms exports are banned to countries that are waging war and those deemed to be violating international human rights.
British surgeon says Israeli drones ‘deliberately’ shooting children in Gaza
Retired British surgeon Nizam Mamode
Press TV – November 13, 2024
A retired British surgeon who recently returned from a hospital in Gaza says he treated bleeding children who had been deliberately targeted by Israeli drones.
In harrowing testimony to British MPs on Tuesday, Nizam Mamode recounted dealing with daily influxes of bombing and shooting victims while volunteering at Nasser Hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory.
The 62-year-old surgeon who broke down three times during his testimony said he and other experienced colleagues had “never seen anything on this scale ever.”
“Drones would come down and pick off civilians, children.”
He said at least once or twice daily, there were “mass casualty incidents,” meaning that 10 to 20 people were killed and up to 40 seriously injured.
“This is not an occasional thing. This was day after day after day operating on children who would say, ‘I was lying on the ground after a bomb dropped and this quadcopter came down and hovered over me and shot me’.”
Nizam Mamode estimated that at least 60 percent of the people treated were women and children.
He provided detailed accounts of his patients, including an 8-year-old girl who he said was bleeding to death during surgery one Saturday evening. “I asked for a swab and they said, ‘No more swabs’,” he said.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says the Israeli forces are killing Palestinian children at a rate that is unprecedented in the history of modern wars. The regime’s forces have so far killed more than 17,000 children since October 7, 2023, the rights group said.
In recent months, several surgeons who volunteered at hopitals in the Gaza Strip says they were haunted by the harrowing scenes he witnessed in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Mamode said Israeli forces were frequently attacking humanitarian convoys to discourage aid workers from coming the besieged territory.
Mamode ascribed the same aim to five Israeli attacks on UN convoys, including one while he was in Gaza.
He said he spent the entire month in the hospital partly because it was not safe to travel around.
https://twitter.com/PalHighlight/status/1856674628766191833
Mamode said he had to choose whether to sleep in a hot room inside the hospital or outside on stairs where it was cooler, but where drones “had the ability to pick me off.”
“My biggest fear while I was there was being killed by the Israelis,” Nizar Mamode.
“All of those guest houses are in the Israeli army’s computers and are designated safe houses, so my assumption is that it was a deliberate attack and the aim behind it is to discourage aid workers from coming,” Mamode said.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the Tel Aviv regime has so far killed more than 43,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza, and injured over 103,000 others.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has said women and children comprise nearly 70 percent of those killed in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s campaign of genocide in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Labour MP and committee chair Sarah Champion asked Mamode to clarify if he meant that rogue snipers were shooting at the armoured vehicles.
“No, no,” he said. “This is the Israeli army coming up as a unit and deliberately shooting.”
UN official: Israel systematically violates international law
Palestinian Information Center – November 13, 2024
The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ilze Brands Kehris, described the humanitarian and human rights situation for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as catastrophic, saying that the Israeli occupation army systematically violates basic principles of international humanitarian law.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held on Tuesday evening to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the specter of famine and humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
The meeting witnessed briefings by UN officials who spoke about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza in light of the ongoing Israeli war of extermination on the Strip since October 7, 2023.
Kehris stressed that the overwhelming majority (70%) of those killed in Gaza by strikes, shelling and other hostilities were children and women, noting that more than 43,000 Palestinians were martyred and nearly 100,000 others were wounded.
She suggested that the real numbers are much higher, as many of the martyrs and wounded are still under the rubble, stressing that the age group most represented in verified fatalities was children from 5 to 9 years old.
The UN official noted that nearly 1.9 million people have been displaced, many repeatedly, including pregnant women, people with disabilities, older people, children, and the sick.
Kehris stressed that the Israeli airstrikes on shelters and residential buildings continue to kill unconscionable numbers of civilians, reaffirming once again that there is nowhere in Gaza is safe. She noted that the pattern of strikes indicate that the Israeli forces have systematically violated fundamental principles of international humanitarian law: distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack.
Kehris stressed that “Israel’s conduct of hostilities has destroyed Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, including places that have protected status under international law: hospitals, schools, and vital services including electricity, water, and sewage. This contributes directly to the famine risk being discussed today.”
“Israel has killed hundreds of medical personnel, civilian police, journalists, and humanitarian aid workers, including more than 220 of our own United Nations staff. Thousands of Palestinians have been taken from Gaza to Israel, usually shackled and blindfolded to be held incommunicado,” she added.
“Meanwhile, there is constant and continued interference with the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance, which has fallen to some of the lowest levels in a year. As the Occupying Power, Israel is obliged under international law to protect Palestinian civilians, and to provide them with supplies essential to their survival,” she emphasized.
“The cumulative impact of more than a year of destruction in Gaza has taken an enormous toll – basic services for Palestinians in Gaza, the fabric of society, have been decimated. Conditions of life, particularly in northern Gaza, are increasingly not fit for survival,” she underscored.
The UN official said, “the manner in which the Israeli military is conducting operations in northern Gaza suggests not only that Israel’s actions are seeking to empty northern Gaza of Palestinians, by displacing survivors to the South, but points to further grave risks of atrocities of the most serious nature.”
British Premier tells UK Parliament there is no genocide in Gaza
MEMO | November 13, 2024
UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has told the Parliament on Wednesday that Israel is not committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports.
During the Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons, Independent lawmaker, Ayoub Khan, raised from Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, who recently claimed that the term genocide referred to “when millions of people lost their lives in comments like Rwanda, the Second World War in the Holocaust” and that using it to describe Gaza “now undermines [its] seriousness”.
Khan then said Lammy’s words are not acceptable.
“Article two of the United Nations Genocide Convention makes it explicitly clear that genocide is not about numbers, it’s about intent. The intent of the Israeli government and the IDF has been explicitly clear in words and in actions over the past 400 days, killed more than 45,000 innocent men, women and children.”
The lawmaker said the Foreign Minister explicitly denied that genocide was even taking place and “suggested that the Israeli army had not yet killed enough Palestinians” to constitute genocide.
“Will the Prime Minister share his definition of genocide with this House?” he asked.
In his response, Starmer said: “It would be wise to start a question like that by reference to what happened in October of last year. I’m well aware of the definition of genocide, and that is why I’ve never described this as and referred to it as genocide.”
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories who is currently on a UK visit, has repeatedly affirmed her belief that what is happening qualifies as genocide.
US rewards Israeli regime with more weapons for breaching 30-day Gaza aid ultimatum
By Alireza Akbari | Press TV | November 13, 2024
During a meeting on Tuesday at the White House, Israeli President Isaac Herzog lavished praise on his outgoing American counterpart Joe Biden for his steadfast support of Israel, both in “words and deeds,” referring to Biden as “an incredible friend of Israel for decades.”
During the meeting, which coincided with the expiration of the US 30-day deadline for Israel to enhance aid flow to Gaza, Herzog presented Biden with a lucrative gift.
“You are clearly a Zionist, Mr. President,” Herzog told Biden, echoing his own words.
Despite the Biden administration vowing reduction in US military assistance if the Israeli regime failed to allow aid into the Gaza Strip in 30 days, the deadline expired without any change in the US policy.
Herzog told reporters in Washington on the sidelines of his meeting with Biden that the US government remains committed to ensuring the “security” of the Israeli regime.
In mid-October, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a crucial deadline to their Israeli counterparts amid the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with the regime obstructing nearly 90% of humanitarian flow between the northern and southern regions.
The letter outlined that Israel needed to take “urgent and sustained actions” to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days.
Specifically, it called for the daily entry of at least 350 trucks of aid, the opening of a fifth border crossing, enhanced security for aid sites and the movement of humanitarian workers, an end to the isolation of northern Gaza, and the facilitation of movement for individuals in al-Mawasi to travel inland.
Furthermore, the letter highlighted US laws that could “restrict military assistance” to those impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid.
As the November 12 deadline passed, the State Department announced that it would not suspend military assistance to Israel and stated that they had “not made an assessment that the Israelis are in violation of US law,” giving a clean chit to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv.
The US decision not to impose reductions in military assistance to the Israeli regime can be understood within the broader framework of its unwavering support for Israel since October 2023, according to experts, as the death toll continues to surge in the territory.
Washington has maintained its “iron-clad” military support for the Tel Aviv regime amid the genocidal war on Gaza, providing arms worth tens of billions of dollars, breaking all records.
This contradiction between rhetoric and reality raises significant questions about the United States’ true commitment to addressing humanitarian issues in Gaza, according to human rights activists.
The United States has significantly bolstered its military support for Israel since early October 2023.
Shortly after the Israeli regime unfolded a genocidal campaign in the region, the US began deploying warships and warplanes, pledging to provide Israel with “whatever it needs.”
By October 10, the commitment deepened, as additional ships were dispatched, and more personnel in the US were put on alert for possible deployment.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin further bolstered the US military presence on October 12 by ordering about 2,000 troops to be prepared for potential deployment to Israel. This military buildup included five shipments of American weapons and equipment arriving in Israel by October 17.
On October 18, the US wielded its veto power in the United Nations Security Council, blocking a resolution that called for a pause in hostilities. The following days saw President Biden actively advocating for increased military support, urging Congress to approve more aid.
On October 20, Biden formally requested 14 billion in military aid for Israel, part of a larger 105 billion package intended for various global needs.
The Pentagon continued its military readiness by announcing the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems and additional Patriot batteries to the region on October 21.
By November 2023, the US House of Representatives responded to the intensified support efforts by approving a plan allocating $14.5 billion in military aid for Israel, further cementing the US’s commitment to its ally amid the ongoing war on Gaza.
Despite the extensive military support provided to Israel, the Biden administration has attempted to project concern for the humanitarian situation in the West Asia region.
In February 2024, the administration issued a national security directive requiring written assurances from Israel that it was using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international law.
This move came amid growing scrutiny of Israel’s acts of aggression and their impact on civilians.
By March 2024, the US began advocating for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, linking it to the release of hostages. However, Congress simultaneously approved $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel.
On March 29, despite escalating tensions, the Biden administration authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel.
In April, a supplemental appropriations act provided an additional $8.7 billion in military aid to Israel, further solidifying the US commitment to its ally.
By May, the White House announced a pause in the shipment of large bombs to Israel in anticipation of a pending assault on Rafah, though it indicated that other military assistance would continue.
The administration’s support for Israel continued to grow, with the announcement of $20.3 billion in new arms sales agreements in August.
Since October 2023, the United States has consistently approved military aid to Israel, reaching a record number of 17.9 billion in security assistance, including $6.8 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF), $5.7 billion for missile defense systems, $1 billion for heavy weaponry, and $4.4 billion to replenish US weapon stocks transferred to Israel.
During this period, the US has facilitated over 100 military aid transfers to Israel. These shipments have encompassed a wide array of munitions, including artillery shells, precision-guided bombs, and 2,000-pound bunker-buster munitions.
Israel has benefited from expedited deliveries drawn from a US strategic stockpile since the 1980s, underscoring the depth of the military partnership between Washington and the Tel Aviv regime.
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The toxic legacy of nuclear weapons testing serves as a stark warning of the danger these weapons pose
By Scott Ritter | RT | March 11, 2021
Millions of people suffer and die from the effects of radiation exposure from decades of nuclear weapons testing. Their experience should give serious pause to those who continue to embrace the viability of a nuclear deterrent.
A dust storm originating in the Sahara Desert swept across parts of Spain, France, the UK, and Ireland last month. In addition to bringing a red tinge to the sky, the dust caused a slight, yet noticeable, spike in radiation in the areas it reached. This radiation spike was caused by the presence of cesium-137, a radioactive isotope produced through the nuclear fission of uranium-235 in nuclear weapons. A legacy of French nuclear weapons testing that occurred in Algeria during the 1960s, the cesium-137 contamination is a reminder that while the testing of nuclear weapons may have been halted for the time being, the consequences of these tests live on through the poisoning of the planet mankind calls home.
The Saharan radioactive dust cloud is but the most recent visible phenomenon of a plague that has infected much of the world. … continue
Blog Roll
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