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Questioning America’s Warlords

I know, I know: President Joe Biden has announced that our combat troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by 9/11 of this year, marking the 20th anniversary of the colossal failure of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to defend America.

Of course, that other 9/11 in 2001 shocked us all. I was teaching history at the U.S. Air Force Academy and I still recall hushed discussions of whether the day’s body count would exceed that of the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day of the Civil War. (Fortunately, bad as it was, it didn’t.)

Hijacked commercial airliners, turned into guided missiles, would have a profound impact on our collective psyche. Someone had to pay and among the first victims were Afghans in the opening salvo of the misbegotten Global War on Terror, which we in the military quickly began referring to as the GWOT.

Little did I know then that such a war would still be going on 15 years after I retired from the Air Force in 2005 and 80 articles after I wrote my first for TomDispatch in 2007 arguing for an end to militarism and forever wars like the one still underway in Afghanistan.

Over those years, I’ve come to learn that, in my country, war always seems to find a way, even when it goes badly — very badly, in fact, as it did in Vietnam and, in these years, in Afghanistan and Iraq, indeed across much of the Greater Middle East and significant parts of Africa.

Not coincidentally, those disastrous conflicts haven’t actually been waged in our name. No longer does Congress even bother with formal declarations of war. The last one came in 1941 after Pearl Harbor. During World War II, Americans united to fight for something like national security and a just cause. Today, however, perpetual American-style war simply is. Congress postures, but does nothing decisive to stop it. In computer-speak, endless war is a feature of our national programming, not a bug.

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The Criminalization of Dissent. “Covid Deniers”and “Anti-Vaxxers” under Surveillance

One of the hallmarks of totalitarian systems is the criminalization of dissent. Not just the stigmatization of dissent or the demonization of dissent, but the formal criminalization of dissent, and any other type of opposition to the official ideology of the totalitarian system. Global capitalism has been inching its way toward this step for quite some time, and now, apparently, it is ready to take it.

Germany has been leading the way. For over a year, anyone questioning or protesting the “Covid emergency measures” or the official Covid-19 narrative has been demonized by the government and the media, and, sadly, but not completely unexpectedly, the majority of the German public. And now such dissent is officially “extremism.”

Yes, that’s right, in “New Normal” Germany, if you dissent from the official state ideology, you are now officially a dangerous “extremist.” The German Intelligence agency (the “BfV”) has even invented a new category of “extremists” in order to allow themselves to legally monitor anyone suspected of being “anti-democratic and/or delegitimizing the state in a way that endangers security,” like … you know, non-violently protesting, or speaking out against, or criticizing, or satirizing, the so-called “New Normal.”

Naturally, I’m a little worried, as I have engaged in most of these “extremist” activities. My thoughtcrimes are just sitting there on the Internet waiting to be scrutinized by the BfV. They’re probably Google-translating this column right now, compiling a list of all the people reading it, and their Facebook friends and Twitter followers, and professional associates, and family members, and anyone any of the aforementioned people have potentially met with, or casually mentioned, who might have engaged in similar thoughtcrimes.

You probably think I’m joking, don’t you? I’m not joking. Not even slightly. The Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution (“Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz”) is actively monitoring anyone questioning or challenging the official “New Normal” ideology … the “Covid Deniers,” the “conspiracy theorists,” the “anti-vaxxers,” the dreaded “Querdenkers” (i.e., people who “think outside the box”), and anyone else they feel like monitoring who has refused to join the Covidian Cult. We’re now official enemies of the state, no different than any other “terrorists” … or, OK, technically, a little different.

As The New York Times reported last week (German Intelligence Puts Coronavirus Deniers Under Surveillance), “the danger from coronavirus deniers and conspiracy theorists does not fit the mold posed by the usual politically driven groups, including those on the far left and right, or by Islamic extremists.” Still, according to the German Interior Ministry, we diabolical “Covid deniers,” “conspiracy theorists,” and “anti-vaxxers” have “targeted the state itself, its leaders, businesses, the press, and globalism,” and have “attacked police officers” and “defied civil authorities.”

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Former Olympian: Female Weightlifters Told To ‘Be Quiet’ About Transgender People Competing For Olympics

Former Olympic weightlifter Tracey Lambrechs said female athletes are being told to silence complaints about transgender New Zealand athlete Laurel Hubbard competing in women’s weightlifting competitions.

Lambrechs blasted allowing biological men to compete against women in sports during an interview with Television New Zealand (TVNZ) last week, according to Reuters. Lambrechs comments come as the 43-year-old Hubbard is poised to become the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics, assuming they can qualify under the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) regulations for fitness and performance.

“I’m quite disappointed, quite disappointed for the female athlete who will lose out on that spot,” Lambrechs said. “We’re all about equality for women in sport but right now that equality is being taken away from us.”

“I’ve had female weightlifters come up to me and say, ‘What do we do? This isn’t fair, what do we do?’ Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do because every time we voice it we get told to be quiet,” she continued.

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Fauci: “Possible” Mask Mandates Could Last Indefinitely to Fight Flu

Anthony Fauci told NBC’s Chuck Todd that it’s “possible” mask mandates could continue indefinitely in order to reduce seasonal flu infections.

During his appearance on Meet The Press, Fauci was asked when Americans could take the masks off given that the CDC is now advising vaccinated Americans that they can remove the face coverings when outside.

“At what point, if vaccinated people get together, do you take the mask off? Are masks going to be something we have with us in a seasonal aspect?” Todd asked Fauci.

“You know, that’s quite possible, I think people have gotten used to the fact that wearing masks, clearly if you look at the data, diminished respiratory diseases. We’ve had practically a nonexistent flu season this year, merely because people were doing the kinds of public health things that were directed predominantly against COVID-19,” responded Fauci.

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New Jersey Plans Taxpayer-Funded $1K Stimulus Checks for Illegal Aliens

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is planning to provide eligible illegal aliens in his state with up to $1,000 stimulus checks, paid for by the state’s taxpayers.

As part of a $275 million budget package, Murphy is offering eligible illegal aliens — those who were unable to secure state and federal relief during the Chinese coronavirus crisis — about $40 million worth of taxpayer-funded aid in the form of one-time stimulus checks.

Eligible illegal aliens could receive up to $1,000 and up to $2,000 per household. Murphy’s office said they may consider a second round of stimulus checks for illegal aliens at a later date depending on federal aid for New Jersey.

The move comes after illegal aliens in New Jersey started a hunger strike, demanding they receive $2,000 stimulus checks, as Breitbart News reported.

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China Can Exploit Climate Change To ‘Control Social, Political Environment,’ Boasts Chinese Communist Party Adviser.

A Chinese Communist Party adviser and professor identified climate change as an opportunity to “regulate and control the social, political, and economic environment,” functioning as part of China’s broader goal to expand its global power.

Unearthed by The Epoch Times, the remarks come from Renmin University Professor Di Dongsheng, who has also worked with various Chinese Communist Party bodies including the foreign ministry and the National Development and Reform Commission.

“It can help to regulate and control the social, political, and economic environment,” Di said referencing climate change in a blog post.

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