Author: HP McLovincraft

Seeker of rabbit holes. Pessimist. Libertine. Contrarian. Your huckleberry. Possibly true tales of sanity-blasting horror also known as abject reality. Prepare yourself. Veteran of a thousand psychic wars. I have seen the fnords. Deplatformed on Tumblr and Twitter.

New Jersey Bill Would Require College Students to Receive Coronavirus Vaccine

A proposed bill in New Jersey would require college students and staff at higher education institutions to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

Proposed by Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. and co-sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, Bill A4334 would essentially require that all in-person students and staff be fully vaccinated while exempting only those who would work virtually.

“If the bill becomes law, it would go into effect in the 2022-2023 school year,” noted News12.

The bill will now be reviewed by the Assembly Health Committee and will have to pass the state Senate before it becomes law. A similar bill in the New Jersey Senate has not yet received a vote.

Colleges and universities have adopted their own vaccination policies without government mandates up until now. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, no other state in the union has required coronavirus vaccinations for students in higher education.

Keep reading

Does assassination of Shinzo Abe signal strategic shift for Japan?

It seems increasingly clear that more than any particular policy achievement, Abe’s greatest legacy was a more substantial global leadership for Japan and peace with Russia and China.

One focus of Abe’s foreign policy was to secure a treaty with Russia on their territorial dispute. Abe had pursued this initiative even after some of his closest foreign policy advisers tried to scupper his efforts. The operation in Ukraine gave current PM Kishida Fumio room to join US sanctions targeting Moscow – marking a changed course from Abe’s foreign policy legacy.

Japan had been happy to offer economic concessions on the disputed islands in the Kurils, but Kishida – even before the Ukraine crisis – had abandoned Abe’s Russia policy. There is little question that Abe’s diplomatic initiative was stymied by his successors, particularly given that the goal was ultimately strategic: to forge a friendship with Russia that would stabilize Japan’s northern flank.

Ironically, Abe often spoke throughout his career about revising the Japanese Constitution to give the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) greater room to expand. On Friday, he was murdered in cold blood by an alleged member of the Self-Defense Forces.

Keep reading

It is Now Illegal to Film Near Police Officers in Arizona

Frequent readers of the Free Thought Project know that filming the cops is not a crime. Despite this being a widely known provision — held up with multiple court precedents — cops continue to violate the First Amendment protected right of citizens to film the police. Earlier this year, the Arizona House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would criminalize filming cops on the job, dealing a massive blow to First Amendment rights. The following month, the Senate passed it, and on Wednesday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed it into law.

On Sept. 24 it will be illegal to record the police in Arizona within an 8-foot distance.

Republican Representative John Kavanaugh, who is a former police officer, was the lead sponsor of the legislation. According to the new law, it is illegal “for a person to knowingly make a video recording of law enforcement activity, including the handling of an emotionally disturbed person, if the person does not have the permission of the law enforcement officer” and is within 8 feet of the cop.

Kavanaugh originally stipulated a 15 foot radius, however it was later amended after multiple objections. But for many, this is still too far.

As Valera Voce, points out, the law also classifies unlawful video recording of law enforcement activity as a petty offense, unless a person fails to comply with a verbal warning of a violation or has been previously convicted of a violation in which case an offense is a class 3 misdemeanor. A class 3 misdemeanor comes with a minimum of 30 days in jail. Finally, the bill explicitly declares that it “does not establish a right, or authorize any person, to make a video recording of a law enforcement officer.”

“It’s crazy thinking about that for a second. The video that led to the criminal conviction of the police officer who killed George Floyd would itself be a criminal act. And that makes no sense whatsoever,” attorney Dan Barr told FOX 10.

Keep reading

Despite Gun Ban, Japan’s Former Leader Was Assassinated With A Homemade Shotgun

Japan’s gun laws are some of the strictest in the world making it the go-to example for the anti-gun lobby in America. This is why the world was shocked on Friday when Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed — with a gun.

Other than the police and the military, no one in Japan may purchase a handgun or a rifle. So comprehensive are the gun laws in Japan that even possession of a starter’s pistol is allowed only under extremely strict conditions.

Despite these oppressive gun control measures and a disarmed society, however, a deranged criminal was able to obtain a gun and kill the country’s former leader.

Before his body was even cold, the anti-gun corporate press began rolling out articles about Japan’s strict gun control and how this has contributed to the country’s low rate of gun violence. None of the articles mention anything about Japan’s far more peaceful culture and pacifism being the main contributor to lower violence, nor do they mention the fact that Japan is not free from mass killings.

In July of 2016, an assailant killed 19 people in an assisted-living facility. Because guns are banned, the killer used knives, highlighting the fact that disarming law-abiding citizens won’t stop criminals from committing mass harm.

Similarly, the banning of guns in Japan did not stop the killer from making his own gun and killing Shinzo Abe.

UK communications regulator tells tech platforms to prepare for online censorship bill before it’s even passed

The Office of Communications (Ofcom), UK’s broadcasting and telecommunications authority, has issued a roadmap for tech companies to start preparing to implement the Online Safety Bill.

That’s despite the fact that the bill is still in parliamentary procedure and is yet to pass.

In fact, Ofcom refers to this democratic procedure, the outcome of which should be unknown until MPs vote on the proposal, as a mere technicality: “A countdown to a safer life online.”

Ofcom announced the roadmap document on Twitter, saying that it has presented its plans for the first 100 days of acting as online safety regulator – for when it starts overseeing the implementation of a law that does not yet exist.

And many civil and digital rights advocates are adamant that it should not exist, referring sometimes to the bill as “a censor’s charter.”

Keep reading

Sen Liz Warren Now Pivots to Government Control of Big Tech … Charger Cords?

Is Elizabeth Warren hitting the bottle again? The Massachusetts senator, who just declared war on crisis pregnancy centers, has now pivoted to … charger cords.

Fauxcahontas is vewy, vewy, angwy about why it takes so many different types of charger cords to power a variety of devices at home and work.

Warren said on Twitter on Thursday that “consumers shouldn’t have to keep buying new chargers all the time for different devices. We can clear things up with uniform standards—for less expense, less hassle, and less waste.”

It’s annoying and expensive to have to get a new charger cord with every device. But should Warren and her aging far-Left Senate kin, Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders, the backers of a standardized power cord, really be the high-tech big idea guys in such a venture? Thankfully, in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, they don’t actually give ideas on how to standardize cords. No, they simply want to compel it.

The trio contended, “we cannot allow the consumer electronics industry to prioritize proprietary and inevitably obsolete charging technology over consumer protection and environmental health.”

Can anyone check to see which side of the Blockbuster versus Netflix issue Warren, Markey, and Sanders were on? Do you suppose these three thought “nah, Betamax all the way”?

Keep reading

Corruption inquiry witness is found DEAD in an office two days after he gave evidence about seeing a $10,000 cash payment being exchanged

A former councillor has been found dead in his office days after telling NSW’s anti-corruption watchdog he regretted not reporting one of his colleagues who accepted $10000 from developers.    

Clifton Wong, who served as a councillor on Hurstville City Council from 1999 to 2012, was found by emergency services in a Sydney inner-west office complex, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. 

The time of death is thought to be about was about 1.20pm on Wednesday 

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances in the 62-year-old man’s death.

Wong was appearing before a probe into former Hurstville and Georges River councillors Con Hindi and Vince Badalati, and former Hurstville councillor Philip Sansom and their dealings with developers.

Wong had been named as a person of interest along with Mr Hindi, Mr Badalati and Mr Sansom when the inquiry commenced in November but was no longer considered one when he took the stand.  

Wong told the Independent Commission Against Corruption on June 28 he witnessed a developer hand then-deputy mayor Mr Hindi mayor $10,000 to help with a potential development.

In his testimony Wong said the money was from developers Wensheng Liu and Philip Uy to favour their bid to buy a council-owned car park. 

Wong expressed remorse when asked on Monday why he hadn’t said anything at the time.

Keep reading

Former NIH Chief Is Now Highest Paid Member Of Most Expensive White House Staff Ever

When Francis Collins departed as Director of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) in December 2021, his legacy included multiple-millions of dollars in secret royalty payments to himself, prominent colleagues like Dr. Anthony Fauci, and hundreds of other scientists, officials, and researchers working under him.

Today, Collins is the highest paid adviser to the president with the most expensive White House staff ever, according to data compiled by the Chicago-based non-profit government watchdog, Open The Books (OTB).

Collins is paid $300,000 annually as the Acting Science Adviser to President Joe Biden. The new salary represents a 47 percent increase over the $203,500 annual compensation Collins made as NIH Director for 12 years. All salary figures were obtained by OTB under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Earlier this year, The Epoch Times first reported that OTB uncovered more than 1,600 NIH officials, scientists, and researchers who received an estimated $350 million in secret royalty payments from sources outside the government that the agency refuses to identify.

The payments were made between 2010 and 2020, including all but a couple of years of Collins’ tenure.

“We also find that during this period, leadership at NIH was involved in receiving third-party payments. For instance, Francis Collins, the immediate past director of NIH, received 14 payments. Dr. Anthony Fauci received 23 payments, and his deputy, Clifford Lane, received eight payments,” OTB President Adam Andrzejewski told The Epoch Times.

Collins’ successor as NIH Director, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, admitted to Congress in May that the secret royalty payments have “the appearance of a conflict of interest,” but he claimed the agency has sufficient internal safeguards to prevent abuse.

Federal personnel law and regulations bar government employees from having either actual conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts in their decision-making as public servants.

Keep reading

University Of California Waives Tuition For Native Americans, Starting Fall 2022

Announced in April, the UC Native American Opportunity Plan allows California residents who are “members of federally recognized Native American, American Indian, and Alaska Native tribes” to get free education on UC campuses. The program applies to undergraduate and graduate students.

“The University of California is committed to recognizing and acknowledging historical wrongs endured by Native Americans,” UC President Michael Drake said in a letter (pdf).

“I am proud of the efforts the University of California has made to support the Native American community, including the creation of the [program].”

The UC system has ten campuses—Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. About 295,000 students were enrolled in the system in fall 2021.

The program is expected to cost $2.4 million and will be funded mainly by both the state’s and UC’s financial aid programs, according to Drake’s office.

The program was developed to expand “student diversity and make the University of California more affordable and accessible,” Drake said in the letter. The approximate annual tuition for a state resident is $13,104, according to the UC Admissions office.

California has 109 federally recognized tribes and has more Native Americans and those of Alaska Native heritage than any other state in the country, according to the Judicial Council of California.

Native Americans make up 1.7 percent of the state’s population while accounting for 0.5 percent of the UC system’s student body in Fall 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the university’s enrollment statistics.

Some universities and lawmakers across the country are following UC’s steps.

Keep reading