NV: UFO enthusiasts descend around Area 51
Source: The Telegraph [UK]
“UFO enthusiasts began descending on rural Nevada on Thursday near the secret US military installation known as Area 51, long rumoured to house government secrets about alien life, with local authorities hoping the visitors were coming in peace. Some residents of Rachel, a remote desert town of 50 people a short distance from the military base, worried their community might be overwhelmed by unruly crowds turning out in response to a recent, viral social-media invitation to ‘storm’ Area 51. The town, about 150 miles north of Las Vegas, lacks a grocery store or even a gasoline station. Dozens of visitors began arriving outside Rachel’s only business — an extraterrestrial-themed motel and restaurant called the Little A’Le’Inn — parking themselves in cars, tents and campers.” (09/20/19)
A Step Toward Blowing Up the Presidential Voting System
Source: The Atlantic
by Russell Berman
“The 2016 presidential election pitted the two most disliked candidates in the history of public polling against each other. In the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, millions of Americans found themselves forced to vote for a major-party nominee they plainly couldn’t stand or to risk electing the candidate they hated even more by casting their ballot for a third-party contender. For the first time next November, a slice of the American electorate will have a way out of that lesser-of-two-evils scenario. Under a law set to take effect in 2020, Maine will become the first state to adopt ranked-choice voting in a presidential election — a method in which people list candidates by order of preference rather than bubbling in just one circle. Maine controls only four electoral votes and splits them in half by congressional district, but the change could have huge consequences if the national presidential race to 270 electoral votes is close.” (09/20/19)
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/09/ranked-choice-voting-2020/598303/
Free Talk Live, 09/19/19
Source: Free Talk Live
“Argentina’s Bad Monetary Policy :: Cryptocurrency Fiat Alternative :: 50% Inflation :: Silver Spot :: JP Morgan Precious Metals Traders Indicted for RICO :: Futures :: Chavismo Assesses the Laughable Venezuelan Petro :: Edgington Post — Tim Picciott :: HOSTS — Chris R., Nobody, Ian.” [Flash audio or MP3] (09/19/19)
Trump whines about whistleblower report
Source: Politico
“President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed reports that an intelligence official was so concerned about an alleged ‘promise’ the president made to a foreign leader in a phone call that the official filed a whistleblower complaint. ‘Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself. No problem!’ the president wrote in a tweet, calling the controversy ‘another Fake News story out there.’ ‘Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially ‘heavily populated’ call,’ he asked. ‘I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA!’ ‘It never ends!’ Trump wrote, complaining in another tweet that the explosive allegations were yet another example of ‘Presidential Harassment!’ The president’s denial came as the intelligence community’s inspector general briefed members of the House Intelligence Committee about the complaint.” (09/19/19)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/19/trump-denies-comment-foreign-leader-whistleblower-1502945
Government Employees Think People Hate Them. Increasingly, They’re Right
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“‘People actively hate us,’ one recently retired U.S. Border Patrol agent complains in a New York Times piece on morale and recruitment problems at the federal agency. In El Paso, an active duty agent admitted he and his colleagues avoid many restaurants because ‘there’s always the possibility of them spitting in your food.’ What’s remarkable about the piece isn’t the poor treatment directed at many Border Patrol agents; it’s that you could replace ‘Border Patrol’ with the name of any one of several other federal agencies and find a similar news story from recent years. Many arms of government are unpopular with large swathes of the American population, and people are not shy about expressing their contempt. For those of us who want a smaller, much less intrusive government, that should be viewed as a trend to nurture and encourage.” (09/19/19)
https://reason.com/2019/09/19/government-employees-think-people-hate-them-increasingly-theyre-right/
US regime expels Cuban diplomats ahead of UN General Assembly
Source: Deutsche Welle [Germany]
“Two members of Cuba’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York were ordered to leave the United States Thursday for engaging in ‘activities harmful to US,’ according to the US State Department. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that the two Cuban officials had been ‘abusing their privileges of residence’ and attempting to ‘conduct influence operations against the United States.’ The statement did not specify the nature of the alleged operations and the identities of the expelled officials have not been revealed.” (09/19/19)
https://www.dw.com/en/us-expels-cuban-diplomats-ahead-of-un-general-assembly/a-50505233
VERDAD is the Most Dangerous Crypto Bill to Face Congress Yet
Source: Bitcoin.com
by Wendy McElroy
“The U.S. Congress is considering more than 20 bills on cryptocurrency. One deserves special attention: S.1025, the Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance and Development Act (VERDAD). ‘Verdad’ is Spanish for ‘truth.’ If VERDAD passes, it will be the first time a specific crypto has been deemed illegal for Americans at home or abroad to use.” (09/19/19)
https://news.bitcoin.com/verdad-is-the-most-dangerous-crypto-bill-to-face-congress-yet/
Former Overstock CEO Byrne sells his entire $90 million stake to pile into gold, crypto investments
Source: Markets Insider
“Overstock founder and former CEO Patrick Byrne sold nearly 5 million shares totaling roughly $90 million in order to invest in ‘counter-cyclical’ assets like gold and cryptocurrencies. Byrne plans to make his new investments by Friday. He can also provide ‘a capital injection if needed by buying back into Overstock’ as soon as March 17, 2020, a Wednesday blog post highlighted. The former executive added that his move into crypto and precious metals allows him to move his capital ‘outside acts of retaliation from the Deep State.’ … Byrne added that his controversial statements would negatively affect the company, as he expects regulatory bodies to ‘try to break Overstock as a way of crippling me.’ The firm can avoid any Byrne-related hot water now that his stake is eliminated, he said. ‘You think me controversial now, but you ain’t seen nothing yet. I know enough to fry the Deep State to ashes,’ Byrne wrote. The company’s stock fell as much as 8.9% early Thursday before paring some losses.” (09/19/19)
American Psychopathy
Source: CounterPunch
by John Steppling
“There is a constant pro war slant to nearly all films that even indirectly touch on U.S. politics and/or the government. The first given is that war is inevitable and when involving the U.S. military it is a necessary and beneficent activity. There is a tacit and often openly direct support and praise of mass surveillance — even on ordinary citizens or citizens of friendly nations. The world is depicted as if threat existed on every corner and such trifles as torture or political manipulations are both routine and absolutely crucial to keep you, the viewer, safe. The message is always that new dangers are unprecedented and unique. Civil liberties are treated with the same contempt Obama showed for them. The exaggeration of threat, in fact, runs through nearly everything in mass media. There is also an exaggeration of the abilities of the surveillance industry (one aspect of the new magical thinking). But the really pernicious aspect of government influence in media comes in more subtle forms.” (09/20/19)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/09/20/american-psychopathy/
France: Foreign minister says regime is content to remain member of anti-Snowden Axis of Evil for now
Source: Yahoo! News
“France has not changed its mind on rejecting any asylum request from US surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden, its foreign minister said Thursday, after the former CIA employee said he would like sanctuary in the country. Snowden has been living in Russia since June 2013 after leaking a trove of classified documents showing the scope of post-9/11 US government surveillance. He said in an interview at the weekend he hoped President Emmanuel Macron would grant him the right to live in France. The whistleblower, who has given a host of interviews from Moscow to mark the publication of his new book, saw an initial request for asylum in France turned down six years ago under then-president Francois Hollande. ‘For now, he has made the request just through the media but I don’t see any reason to change the point of view,’ Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told CNEWS television.” (09/19/19)
https://news.yahoo.com/france-not-changed-mind-rejecting-snowden-asylum-115712757.html
