Weekly Round-up: Another Interesting Transition Week
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Washington State is again restricting free speech by physicians.
The Epoch Times lays it all out in the article: “SCOTUS Asked to Block State From Investigating Doctors Who Question COVID-19 Policies"
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas this week revived an emergency application to block the Washington Medical Commission from investigating licensed physicians in the state over their criticism of COVID-19 policies.
The commission deems the doctors’ dissenting views on the disease as potentially dangerous misinformation that should be suppressed. The physicians counter that just because they have medical licenses they don’t forfeit their free speech rights under the First Amendment.
The Dec. 4 order by Thomas regarding the application in Stockton v. Ferguson was unusual in that Justice Elena Kagan rejected the same application on Nov. 20. The applicants renewed their request in a court filing directed to Thomas on Nov. 22.
JD Vance vows that the permanent FEMA roadblocks to providing housing (mobile homes) to people in the West NC area hardest hit by Hurricane Helena will stop under the Trump administration. This area has now been determined to be in a flood plain by FEMA - and it also happens to be the size of Massachusetts.
Vance vows the bureaucratic red tape will be lifted as soon as possible after Trump takes office.
Of note: President Joe Biden pledged to conserve 30% of the United States' lands and waters by 2030. This redistribution of private lands and water to the government is one of the Agenda 2030 targets. This initiative, known as the 30x30 goal, was formalized through an executive order issued on January 27, 2021. This redistribution program was so important to Biden that the executive order was signed seven days after Biden took office.
One has to wonder, as the Biden administration committed to this agenda (2030), was the decision not to allow housing for much of W. NC, for W. NC to not be rebuilt part of that plan?
Musk manages to trigger yet again another nation-state…
As he manages to put his finger right on the pulse of a significant future trend…
In response, The South China Morning Post had this to say:
Government data showed that Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.97 last year. In the annual “Population in Brief” report released in September that outlines Singapore’s population trends, the government noted that the decline in fertility could have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which “resulted in economic uncertainty and disrupted marriage and parenthood plans for some Singaporean couples”.
The government also noted that declining birth rates are happening across advanced societies, where more people are postponing having families and having fewer children to prioritize their careers, while attitudes are shifting towards marriage and parenthood, and there are concerns about child-raising costs, among other things.
Calling “ultra low” fertility rates an “existential challenge”, Leong Chan-Hoong, a senior fellow and head of Social Cohesion Research Programme at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: “If we can’t reverse or address this problem, it will have a long-term impact on our social and national fabric.”
From Collin Rugg on X @CollinRugg
Trump’s trip to France is proving memorable in more ways that one…
The handshake battle between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron continues. Their handshake at the Notre Dame Cathedral lasted for 17 seconds, coming short of their previous record of 29 seconds.
On Tuesday, December 3, China announced stringent export restrictions on “dual-use” technologies for both civilian and military use, specifically targeted at the United States. These restrictions double down on previously announced controls on these metals, going so far as to ban shipments of antimony, gallium, and germanium to the United States.
The new restrictions marked several firsts in the trade war—the first time Chinese critical minerals export restrictions were targeted at the United States rather than all countries, and the first time restrictions on critical minerals were a direct response to restrictions on advanced technologies. Critical mineral security is now intrinsically linked to the escalating tech trade war.
China is also banning companies outside of China, such as those Chinese companies operating in Africa and South America to stop selling to the United States. Of note - the United States, including the US military, is explicitly being targeted.
Beijing has set out to extend its domestic laws across international borders with a ban on selling some goods to the US that applies to companies both inside and outside China .
The first use of new export control rules attempts to replicate the extraterritorial reach of US and European sanctions by covering Chinese products or goods with Chinese parts in them.
In an announcement this week, China declared it’s banning both the sale of dual-use items to the American military and also the export to the US of materials...
What is the escalating trade war (AI summary below):
Recently, the Biden administration expanded restrictions on exports of semiconductor technology to China, targeting 140 Chinese companies. This includes prohibitions on advanced memory chips and manufacturing equipment aimed at curbing China's ability to produce high-end AI chips and military technologies.
The U.S. government argues that these measures are necessary to protect national security interests and to prevent China from advancing its military capabilities through technology.
From Fox News:
It couldn’t happen to a more worthy person…
Hooray for a medal for long-suffering former marine who cared enough to help his fellow travelers.
I live in Washington state, and I am so appalled at the state government here! Our current AG who will be governor next Jan is a complete clown (and that’s putting it nicely). The lawfare against doctors here is abhorrent (as well as all the suits against Trump during his first term). And, since the pandemic, I have lost complete trust in the health care here. My doctor of 25 years used to be great, she listened to me, and we discussed options. Now, she has to tow the health care party line. 😡 I so want to see justice against the jab and all of the maniacal mandates that were perpetrated against the populace. It’s beautiful here, but I’m done with the political BS, we just need to find the right red state with medical freedom along with the other conservative values that are definitely lost here.
Daniel Perry deserves the medal! He is the definition of standing up for his fellow man and taking care of the vulnerable in a difficult situation! And I detest that he was arrested because the violent threat he stopped died. Calling the dead perpetrator a “victim” is sick, another example of the pervasive mental illness in this country.
Sorry, rant over. Not many people here in WA that I can commiserate with. Thank you.