Glenn Greenwald on the Deep State, Capitalism, and Identity Politics


Glenn Greenwald

Lawyer-turned-journalist Glenn Greenwald’s work with whistleblower Edward Snowden to reveal illegal government surveillance won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014. That same year he helped launch The Intercept, but he abruptly resigned six years later after a disagreement over editorial policy. In July, Reason‘s Nick Gillespie spoke with Greenwald at FreedomFest 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Q: You regularly inveigh against corporate media—including places you have worked, such as Salon and The Guardian. Have you changed or has the world changed?

A: I think it’s mostly the latter. The main reason Edward Snowden has said that he was drawn to me wasn’t so much because of my views about privacy and surveillance, although those aligned with his. But he saw that I looked at journalism in a radically different way than most of the media. I’ve always had a very prominent component of my work be media criticism. The views that I’ve always espoused are heard more on Fox than CNN and MSNBC, where they’re not welcome.

Q: Fifteen years ago, Fox News was the national security network and CNN was the critic. What has changed that?

A: I think the primary impetus was the reliance on “Russiagate” as the principal theme of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Once you start positing that there’s some evil foreign villain bent upon wreaking havoc inside the U.S. and that the political opponent domestically is aligned with that foreign power, that’s a very jingoistic way of looking at the world. On top of which, Russiagate itself emanated from the bowels of the CIA, the bowels of the U.S. security state, which was feeding leaks to The Washington Post and The New York Times. Liberals began viewing those security state agencies, the hatred of which has been fundamental to left-wing politics for decades, as not just their allies, but as guardians of all that was good and decent in the world, and that began this radical transformation about these kinds of questions.

Q: What is the link between corporatism in America and the CIA or the deep state?

A: One of the things that the left and right have in common is an awareness that our government has essentially been co-opted by corporate power. The richer you are, the more powerful you are within the corporate world, the more power you exert in Washington, which isn’t how a democracy should function. There is a union between state power on the one hand and corporate power on the other.

Q: Is it possible to have a capitalism that is not a crony capitalism?

A: I think one of the ways that people on the right and left can unite—I’m always looking for those opportunities—is by viewing whatever passes for capitalism in the United States as something that ought to be objected to, either because you’re against capitalism in theory, as people on the left are, or because you want capitalism that’s functioning and healthy and free of corruption, as people on the right do. But what we have is crony capitalism, which serves none of those interests.

Q: How can we make sense of the political shift we are experiencing in the U.S.?

A: The thing that makes no sense is that anybody would twice vote for Obama and then vote for Trump. How do you make sense of that if you see the world through conservatism versus liberalism? It makes perfect sense, though, if your driving ideology is not conservatism or liberalism, but contempt for the status quo and the ruling elites that safeguard it. Because that is what Obama channeled more than anything, right? “I’m an outsider. I have this funny name. I haven’t been in Washington very long. I want to change the way Washington works.” That’s exactly the message Trump nestled within his work in his own different style.

This interview has been condensed and edited for style and clarity. A video version is below.

The post Glenn Greenwald on the Deep State, Capitalism, and Identity Politics appeared first on Reason.com.

from Latest https://ift.tt/CndN1GW
via IFTTT

Why Are Leftists Obsessed With Destroying Hero Culture?

Why Are Leftists Obsessed With Destroying Hero Culture?

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us

In the movie ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ the well regarded district attorney Harvey Dent makes a statement that has since woven itself into our popular culture to the point that we often hear it quoted as if it was said by some ancient philosopher.  He noted:

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”  

The most predictable interpretation of this is that there is a fine line between doing good and doing evil with the best of intentions.  People can start out as heroes and quickly fall to darkness in the name of serving the “greater good.”  I think there is more meaning behind the quote, however.  

There is also the issue of historical revision and the fact that the heroes of yesterday might be considered the terrorists of tomorrow given who is in charge of writing the history books or reporting the news.  Sometimes heroes become villains through their own mistakes, other times they are just rewritten that way.    

For example, today we hear constant gnashing and wailing from the political left about the “crimes” of the Founding Fathers and why they should be erased or canceled from our cultural zeitgeist.  They have even attempted to revise the very foundations of American history through their “1619 Project” as they assert that no American accomplishment is valid because “everything” was built around the institution of slavery.  They make no mention that slavery was an institution in every single culture on the planet since civilization began, but that doesn’t matter to them.  

The goal of the 1619 Project was to diminish or dismiss everything distinctly American, right down to the revolution that founded our nation.  What they care about is the deconstruction of heroes, in part because if you can destroy the character of a hero then you might be able to also destroy what they stood for in the process.  And, if you can destroy the ideals of a society, it becomes a lot easier to then control that society.  

When the political left seeks to undermine the legacy of the founders they aren’t just engaging in character attacks against men who can no longer defend themselves, they are also attempting to sabotage the vision those men created – The vision of a free republic outside of the dictates of collectivism and monarchy (rule by the elites).     

Obviously the Founding Fathers are no longer alive, but there are millions of people that have carried on their legacy for generations that are in fact still living to see their heroes be made into monsters through revisionism.  

But the destruction of heroes goes even deeper than historical rewrites.

Leftists are also targeting the very foundations of heroic archetypes and mythologies by attacking hero representations in our society.  They are seeking to change the nature of heroism by hijacking cultural pillars and erasing beloved stories and characters in order to “reboot” them in the image of the leftist cult.  This is usually done under the cover of “diversity and equity” as a means to obscure the true agenda.  Let’s break down the tactics and motives behind this trend…

Rewriting Heroes To “Reflect Our Modern Era”

Woke ideology does not reflect our modern era in any way; it is actually a masked version of the old social models of collectivism and communism, specifically the social Marxism displayed by Mao’s Cultural Revolution.  The only difference is today we have online struggle sessions and corporations are fully onboard with the movement.  When leftists claim they are fighting the system, they have no idea what this really means.  The system loves woke politics. 

Leftists use the reflection argument all the time to justify the gutting of hero mythologies and replacing them with vapid clones.  A recent example would be the latest Amazon release of their Lord Of The Rings prequel series.  I wrote about this extensively in my article ‘Amazon’s Woke Lord Of The Rings Is The Death Rattle Of Social Justice Content.’   To summarize, the new Lord of The Rings is designed to spread a political message and undermine the values of the past rather than tell a meaningful organic story.  Amazon even released their woke Lord of The Rings on the anniversary of Tolkien’s death.

Sometimes this propaganda is subtle, and sometimes it’s a train wreck in your face.

Specifically I examined the political left’s obsession with injecting their own Cultural Marxism into every new entertainment product as a means to saturate the media space with their ideology.  When they say they want to rehash old stories and old heroes but write them to “reflect the world of today,” what they are really doing is erasing past ideals and principles and eliminating choice.  They don’t want you to see the world from different points of view; you are only allowed to see it from THEIR point of view.  This is the exact opposite of good story telling.  

Diversity As A Crutch And A Cudgel

Diversity is meaningless.  It serves no purpose in terms of heroic representations.  People identify with actions and deeds and principles, not skin color.  Leftists in Hollywood do not actually care about diversity of skin color, they only care about two things – Using minorities as a crutch to justify poor storytelling and lazy productions, and using minorities as a cudgel or weapon when they face criticism.

That is to say, when they make garbage media with no imagination or effort, they announce “we got diversity, though,” and this is supposed to make you want to watch their products anyway, otherwise you might be “racist.”  By extension, when you dare to criticize the political pontificating and terrible writing in their media, they can then say “our stories are fantastic, you just don’t like us because we hire brown people.”  See how that works?  They use minorities as a shield, either for their ineptitude or their malicious intent, but they DO NOT care about such people if they can’t exploit them.  

“Diversity and inclusion” is the new slave plantation that leftist elites in Hollywood use to farm virtue points and ESG loans.  That’s all there is to it.  If they actually respected the idea of presenting diverse heroes, they would create original minority heroes and write them well.  Or, they would pick minority heroes from real history and avoid implanting current day woke politics into that era.      

Narcissists Can’t Write Heroes

It has long been my contention that the leftist ideology is rooted in appeals to narcissism.  Everything about it is based in entitlement rather than sacrifice.  It is based in demands for special treatment rather than respect for accomplishment and merit.  It is based in equity of outcome while eliminating equality of opportunity.  A person that has embraced the victim mentality can never be a hero or imagine how a hero would act.  They have no relationship to the concept, because narcissists are usually villains in the real world and villains tend to see themselves as victims while they spend their time victimizing others.  How else can they justify the evils they do?

No Conservative Heroes Allowed

As our media world was overrun with woke ideologues over the years the depictions of heroes and villains have become utterly twisted.  Heroes act selfishly with ego and hubris, and villains are usually depicted as either misunderstood people that are only reacting to the trespasses of society, or they are ridiculous exaggerations of conservatives and liberty activists.  This trend has become an epidemic in films, television, video games, comic books, etc.  Only in the past couple of years has there been mass push-back against the agenda, but there is a long way to go before things can change for the better.

Many of these woke productions fail miserably, but they aren’t necessarily interested in box office success or making money.  Again, what they care about is saturation, as well as murdering the hero archetype openly where everyone can see.  They want to destroy your heroes in front of you and replace them with woke pod people.  This is what they care about.   

The biggest problem is that most conservatives ignored the culture war while only focusing on fleeting political battles.  They acted as if the culture war didn’t matter, and in the process we have almost lost our country completely.  Future generations need heroic ideals and examples to live by, among real live people as well as in popular media.  By ignoring the culture war, conservatives ignored the future.  

There are some people out there that are working to change our country’s course by producing original media with a heroic message based in American foundations of freedom, individualism, self reliance and meritocracy.  I’m working to join them by producing my own graphic novel project based on a survivalist hero.  The best we have is Burt Gummer from Tremors – He’s great, but we need more.  Readers who are interested in original non-woke entertainment can learn more about that project HERE.  

It’s important not to underestimate the power of media in culture.  There is a reason why leftists are so obsessive with it; by changing all our heroes to villains they hope to change our values and our behaviors.  They aren’t just rewriting movies, or characters, or comic books, they are trying to rewrite us.  

The only way to stop this is to identify the threat, neutralize the propaganda, and then bring back legitimate hero culture by writing it once again with our own hands and our own deeds.             

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 23:30

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/qswi04n Tyler Durden

Activists More Than Halfway To Forcing Constitutional Amendment Convention

Activists More Than Halfway To Forcing Constitutional Amendment Convention

Authored by Brian McGlinchey via Stark Realities   

Though it’s received relatively little attention, a conservative-led drive to call a convention to consider amendments to the U.S. Constitution has been making steady progress, and is now more than halfway toward realizing its goal.

At a time when Americans are increasingly polarized — to the extent that 43% think a civil war will erupt in the next decade — should you be alarmed or enthused?

Article V of the Constitution provides two avenues for amendments. Under the first one, Congress proposes amendments that are enacted if three-fourths of the state legislatures approve them. That’s the way all amendments have been advanced so far.

Conservative activists want to knock the dust off the other Article V provision, which empowers state legislatures to “call a convention for proposing amendments.”

To trigger a convention that way, two-thirds of the state legislatures must call for one, and governors have no say in the matter. States would then send delegates to a convention where proposals would be put forth and debated. In the end, the convention is only a vehicle for proposing amendments.

As with congressionally-proposed amendments, ratification of any convention-proposed amendment requires the approval of three-fourths of the states. That approval must come from the state legislatures or, if states choose, a ratifying convention in the state.

So far, 19 state legislatures have called for an amendments convention, which means advocates are more than halfway toward the 34 they need. Though that still leaves lots of work to do, there’s a sense of growing momentum, as four states joined the cause in 2022 alone: Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Today, Republicans have full legislative control in 30 states. (That doesn’t count Nebraska, which has a nonpartisan, unicameral legislature and is already on board.)

“COS” = Convention of States. Chart via Convention of States Action

With political winds seemingly favoring the GOP in the coming November elections, a few more states could flip to full Republican control, including Minnesota and Nevada, which have yet to call for a convention.

It isn’t all about Red vs Blue, however: Convention advocates have also targeted Republicans who’ve opposed their efforts. Convention of States Action and its affiliates spent over $600,000 in at least five state primary contests.

Convention of States Action’s model language for state legislatures seeks to limit the scope of the convention to “proposing amendments…that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”

Many right-leaning advocates see a convention as an opportunity to rein in a federal government that is — thanks in part to the Supreme Court’s wildly creative interpretations of the Commerce Clause — operating far beyond the bounds of the Constitution, dominating countless aspects of American life that, according to the 10th Amendment, are to be exclusively under the purview of state governments.

“The states have sort of lost their voice, and all we can do now is beg from the cheap seats and say, ‘Hey, don’t do that’,” South Carolina state rep. Bill Taylor, who led a successful constitution-calling effort, told Insider.

Though the largest convention drive is led by conservatives, some liberals are itching for a state-led constitution-editing session of their own. Prompted by the Citizens United decision, progressive commentator Cenk Uygur launched Wolf PAC to push for a convention geared toward campaign finance reform. Four legislatures have advanced the Wolf PAC convention application.

In 2016, Convention of States Action held a mock constitutional convention, and six amendments proposals were advanced. Among other things, they included:

  • Congressional term limits

  • Requiring a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate to increase the public debt

  • Restoring the Commerce Clause to its original intent and scope

  • Repeal of the 16th Amendment, which gave us the income tax

  • Giving states, by a three-fifths vote, the power to negate any federal law, regulation or executive order

  • Giving Congress an easy means of overriding federal regulation

137 delegates representing 50 states participated in Convention of States Action’s 2016 simulated amendments convention 

While the conservative drive has largely stayed under the major media radar, there is a growing sense of alarm among liberals. Former senator Russ Feingold is promoting a new book he co-authored: “The Constitution in Jeopardy.” In an interview with ABC News, he said the effort could result in reduced federal protection of the environment, civil rights and voting rights.

There are also alarmists among some conservatives who conjure images of a “runaway convention” that ignores the stipulated scope and advances any number of unwelcome amendments — for example, an evisceration of gun rights.

Even if the convention somehow went off the deep end, it’s important to remember that it only proposes amendments. Calling a convention requires the support of 34 legislatures, but any proposed amendment must then garner the support of 38 of them—some of which didn’t even support having a convention.

With that built-in friction acting as a brake on extreme ambitions, amendments would seemingly require at least some bipartisan appeal to make it across the goal line. In that light, perhaps the proposal with the best chance of passing the high ratification hurdle would be one establishing congressional term limits, which is a central thrust of the conservative-led effort.

A 2021 Rasmussen survey found 87% of Republicans, 83% of Democrats and 78% of independents favor them, which means state legislatures would face bipartisan pressure to ratify them if given the opportunity.

The mere drive to hold a convention may have its own prodding effect on various fronts. Looking back, a state-led push for an Article V convention to bring about the direct election of U.S. senators was still one state short when Congress decided to yield to growing pressure and propose such an amendment on its own.

Though it’s understandable that liberals would view a conservative-led constitutional-amendment push with deep unease — just as conservatives would were the roles reversed — limiting the power of the federal government may be the surest way to avert more acrimonious division in the country.

The intensity of today’s division springs from the fact that we have an increasingly powerful central government — including a increasingly unchecked executive branch — imposing its will on 331 million people spread across a vast country containing many different subcultures and sets of values.

Liberals and conservatives are thus compelled to clash with increasing intensity over who gets to control levers the Constitution never even authorized. The more we rightly restore authority to state and local governments, the lower the national political stakes for all of us, and the lower our collective temperature.

However, the federal government won’t surrender that power on its own — which is exactly why the founders gave us this other avenue of amending the Constitution.

Indeed, as one contemporaneous account recorded, George Mason, in urging the adoption of the state-driven convention avenue, argued that, without it, “no amendments of the proper kind would ever be obtained by the people, if the government should become oppressive.”

Stark Realities undermines official narratives, demolishes conventional wisdom and exposes fundamental myths across the political spectrum. Read more and subscribe at starkrealities.substack.com

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 22:30

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/0dN32TM Tyler Durden

In Uncertain Times, Americans Stick With Fast Food

In Uncertain Times, Americans Stick With Fast Food

U.S. fast food and other limited service restaurants did not only get through the pandemic better than the restaurant industry as a whole – in high inflation times, affordable fast food has also been seeing steadily growing sales while other restaurant types could not uphold their post-pandemic growth trajectory.

In fact, as Statista’s Katharina Buchholz details below, in June, the latest month on record with the Census Bureau, quick service restaurant sales grew by 14.4 percent, while those of other restaurants were down to 9.2 percent year-over-year.

Infographic: In Uncertain Times, Americans Stick With Fast Food | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

Sales of limited service restaurants – which were well equipped to pandemic lifestyles due to their emphasis on take-out and drive-thru experiences – did not dip as much in the pandemic as those of regular restaurants did.

However, by spring of 2021, other restaurant sales had one more overtaken fast food sales and stayed on a higher growth trajectory after leaving pandemic effects behind. In June, however, other restaurant sales slipped by almost $1.7 billion compared to May, while limited service restaurant sales only decrease by $150 million.

According to Bloomberg, drive-thru services have been aiding fast food chains as they stayed popular beyond the pandemic. In February, U.S. drive-thru sales were 20 percent higher than they had been in the same month two years earlier.

Industry publication QSR is even speaking of a “golden age of fast food” as sales and restaurant numbers are expanding in the sector, while also acknowledging headwinds like the hiring crunch, inflation

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 22:00

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/helN1Zg Tyler Durden

Watch: Drone Captures Images Of Mexican Drug Cartel Camp

Watch: Drone Captures Images Of Mexican Drug Cartel Camp

Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The first gunshots seemed to come down the mountain on the other side of Arizona’s border fence with Mexico, just east of Arivaca, where rival drug cartel factions battle to the death for supremacy.

Sam, my security guide, listened closely as more shots rang out.

They were hunters, no doubt, though not the kind you would typically expect.

“Where exactly do you think the shots are coming from?” I asked Sam nervously from the back seat of his pickup truck.

“I think they’re to the right,” Sam said, focused on the nearest mountain. “They could be on top of that big peak as well.”

Members of a rival Mexican drug cartel were set up less than a half mile over Arizona’s border with Mexico on Aug. 25, as captured in this private security drone footage. (Courtesy private Arizona security company)

It’s not as if we were invisible, clambering noisily up the winding dirt fire road in the border zone known as the California Gulch, part of the Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona.

Our arrival in Sam’s gargantuan white Chevy Silverado on the sweltering morning of Aug. 25 was about as clandestine as a bullhorn in a public library.

They could be warning shots”—for us, Sam said. “But this is where they’re coming. Right here.”

Sam is the pseudonym he uses to conceal his identity and that of his security company in Arizona. He’s been threatened by the Sinaloa Cartel for conducting border-watching activities. He now fears for the safety of his employees and family.

Actual drone still footage shows a Mexican drug cartel faction (red dot) camped out just over the U.S. border near Arivaca, Ariz., on Aug. 25. (Courtesy of a private Arizona security company)

Below our position, the unfinished Trump border wall and fence stretched east and west for miles, then abruptly stopped. On the U.S. side of the border, cattle grazed among dry clumps of grass or basked in the imperfect shade of sparse shrubbery, swatting flies with their tails.

The jagged peaks on the Mexican side of the steel-grated border fence loomed green and majestic. Strange, though, how nature doesn’t immediately reveal its secrets. Hidden among the Las Guijas Mountains are some of the worst elements of the Sinaloa Cartel, Sam said.

“How strong is your stomach?” Kyle, Sam’s security specialist, had asked me the day before.

The fact that I enjoyed watching gory horror movies was good enough for Kyle to share an actual cell phone video of a man being mauled by two pit bulls in a Mexican border town not far from us.

Unfortunately some things cannot be unseen.

Kyle said that kind of cartel brutality is common in cities and towns on the Mexican side of the border fence.

Kyle, a private security specialist in Arizona, operates a surveillance drone using an electronic console just east of Arivaca, Ariz., on Aug. 25. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

These guys are battling for control of the Sinaloa Cartel. You have fights within fights,” said Sam, speaking both from experience and professional intelligence gathering.

Sam believes cartel mayhem eventually will spill across the U.S. border in military force, bringing death and destruction to Americans—but not if a coalition of private citizens, law enforcement, and security firms that he envisions has its say.

The real battle, he said, is not about winning hearts and minds.

It’s about matching intel with intel, using superior surveillance techniques and equipment to beat the drug and human smugglers.

For this purpose, Sam’s company recently acquired a $33,000 JTI-branded drone which they frequently use to conduct border reconnaissance missions for clients and law enforcement.

Close-up drone footage shows a rival drug cartel faction member talking on a hand-held radio in an enclose on the Mexican side of the border fence east of Arivaca, Ariz., on Aug. 25. (Courtesy Arizona private security company)

The drone is a beast of versatility equipped with high-definition and thermal cameras, and high-powered zoom lenses.

Kyle operates the drone from the pickup bed using a console and laptop computer for imaging purposes. The drone has a maximum range of five miles traveling at speeds over 48 mph hundreds of feet above the ground. Batteries are interchangeable and last 45 minutes on a single charge.

You can hear the drone yet rarely see it at higher altitudes housed in fortified gray plastic with four propellers to carry it aloft.

Closeup drone footage shows a heavily armed Mexican drug cartel faction member walking near Arizona’s border with Mexico on Aug. 25. Seconds later, the man took aim at the drone with his rifle hoping to shoot it down. (Photos courtesy Arizona private security company)

Sam and Kyle’s mission today was to seek out and photograph nearby cartel encampments on Mexico’s side of the border fence.

Kyle took the drone out of a suitcase, then placed it in the middle of the fire road as he prepared for take-off. With the push of a console button, the drone whirred to life, propellers spinning like a supercharged weed-whacker.

Up—up—and away the drone went with the turn of a joystick.

Kyle monitored the action on the console screen while Sam watched on a laptop computer. The rugged mountain terrain below seemed alien in both viewfinders, taking shape when Kyle maneuvered to a lower altitude.

My guess is there are two factions here,” Sam said. “One is trying to keep [the other] from pushing east, the other west. We think they’re on the peak right below us—oh, there they are!”

One of the factions is Los Chapitos, whose founder is Ivan Archivaldo-Guzman Salazar, alias “Chapito,” a Mexican narco trafficker and son of imprisoned druglord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Guzman was head of the Sinaloa Cartel until his arrest and extradition to the United States in 2017.

An Arizona private security firm keeps high-tech equipment, including a surveillance drone, secure in heavy-duty suitcases in the back of a company pickup truck on Aug. 25. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The other faction is El Mayo, led by suspected Mexican drug kingpin Ismael Maro Zambada Garcia.

Sam said both factions currently are at war to control the entire Sinaloa Cartel on Arizona’s southern flank.

High above the nearest mountain less than a half mile away, the drone’s camera suddenly spied two blue tarps spaced about 25 yards apart. In one of the tents, a man could be seen talking frantically on a hand-held radio.

As Kyle zoomed in closer, the screen showed another man in body armor walking out of the bush, carrying what appeared to be an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle—definitely cartel.

“We found his [expletive]!” Sam shouted and gave Kyle a fist pump, but it was too soon to celebrate.

At that moment, the man looked up and saw the drone.

He raised his rifle, and took aim.

Read more here…

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 21:30

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/C5v1iFO Tyler Durden

Texas Tax Haul Soars By Record 26% in 2022 Fiscal Year

Texas Tax Haul Soars By Record 26% in 2022 Fiscal Year

The Texas government just closed out its 2022 fiscal year with a bang. On Thursday, the state comptroller reported that the Lone Star State’s tax revenue rocketed by 25.6% to a total of $75.21 billion.

It’s only the fifth time since 1988 that revenue grew by a double-digit percentage — and it’s double the next largest increase over that 34-year span.  

“Revenues continue to outpace even our most recent forecast as All Funds tax collections closed the fiscal year $841 million above the projection in our Certification Revenue Estimate,” said state Comptroller Glenn Hegar in an official release

That’s a stark contrast to California, which saw July revenue come in 12% below forecast.

Texas has been a major beneficiary of migration from California: Over the last census cycle, 34% of new Texans arrived from California alone. Meanwhile, New York saw personal income tax collection fall 3.2% from April 1 through July.  

Economic growth and inflation have driven higher sales tax collections as demand remains strong and businesses and consumers continue to pay elevated prices for goods,” said Hegar.

Gains in petroleum revenue led the way: Natural gas production tax revenue rocketed 185% to $4.5 billion, while oil production tax revenue grew a whopping 84% to $6.4 billion. 

However, the broader revenue picture was rosy too:

  • Sales tax revenue rose 19.3% to $43 billion

  • Motor vehicle sales and rental tax revenue was up 12.5% to $6.45 billion

  • Franchise tax revenue leapt 25.2% to $5.67 billion

The sales tax is the state’s largest source of funding, representing 56% of all tax collections. It’s imposed at a rate of 6.25%; combined with local sales taxes, the total at the register can be as high as 8.25%.

Texas is one of only seven states with no personal income tax — along with Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and Washington.  

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 21:00

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/VEkSjbt Tyler Durden

Judge Dismisses Carter Page Lawsuit Against FBI Despite ‘Deeply Troubling’ Surveillance

Judge Dismisses Carter Page Lawsuit Against FBI Despite ‘Deeply Troubling’ Surveillance

Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Carter Page, a former associate of President Donald Trump, over the FBI’s controversial surveillance of him as part of its investigation into the Trump campaign.

Carter Page, petroleum industry consultant and former foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump, in New York City on Aug. 21, 2020. (Brendon Fallon/The Epoch Times)

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich issued the ruling on Thursday stating that Page, who was an informal presidential campaign adviser to Trump in 2016, cannot sue the FBI or other former officials involved in the $75 million lawsuit (pdf).

Page filed the suit in 2020 against the FBI, the Justice Department, and multiple former FBI officials for damages stemming from what he called the “unlawful spying” against him over the now disproven allegations that the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia.

In the lawsuit, Page accused the federal agencies and ex-officials of violating his constitutional rights and other legal rights by unlawfully surveilling him, noting that the “defendants’ unjustified and illegal actions (including violations of federal criminal law)” had “violated federal statutes enacted to prevent unlawful spying on United States persons, as well as the Constitution.”

Defendants listed in the lawsuit included former FBI director James Comey, former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former top counterintelligence official Peter Strzok, and former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith.

Clinesmith pleaded guilty in 2020 to doctoring an email from the CIA to make it appear as if Page was not an agency asset, without disclosing that Page was an approved operational contact for the CIA who reported on his interactions with Russian intelligence officers.

The email was used to obtain spy warrants to surveil Page.

Friedrich noted that the “FBI’s conduct in preparing the FISA warrant applications to electronically surveil Page was deeply troubling” and that the government itself has “conceded that it lacked probable cause for two of the warrants.”

‘No Actionable Claim’

However, Friedrich, a Trump appointee, ruled that the lawsuit be thrown out because Page had “brought no actionable claim against any individual defendant or against the United States.”

“In part, that is because Page faces at least three statutory roadblocks. First, Congress has not created a private right of action against those who prepare false or misleading FISA applications,” the judge wrote, noting that “both the plain language and the structure of FISA make clear that civil liability under 50 U.S.C. § 1810 attaches only to those who conduct or perform electronic surveillance.”

Secondly, the judge noted that Congress has “not provided for damages claims against federal officers for constitutional violations stemming from unlawful electronic surveillance in the national security context,” and thirdly, “Congress has not waived the United States’s sovereign immunity for this kind of claim.”

Read more here…

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 20:30

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/G8X2SZV Tyler Durden

Want To Get Away? These Are The Top 25 Islands To Visit In 2022

Want To Get Away? These Are The Top 25 Islands To Visit In 2022

After a pandemic-induced slump, travel is finally started to pick up again in many parts of the world. After years of waiting, where are people itching to go to on their next vacation?

Visual Capitalist’s Raul Amoros and Carmen Ang created this infographic, using survey data from Travel + Leisure (T+L) magazine, to highlight the 25 top-ranked islands to visit around the world.

Methodology of the World’s Best Awards

Before diving in, it’s worth summarizing the methodology and briefly explaining how T+L compiled their findings. Each year, T+L conducts an annual global survey that uncovers the top travel experiences worldwide.

In the survey, readers were asked to rate a range of things, including their favorite islands to visit. Islands were rated based on a few categories, including:

  • Activities and sights

  • Natural attractions and beaches

  • Food

  • Friendliness

  • Overall value

Each category was given a score of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. From there, each island’s final tally was calculated, based on the average scores across all categories. Below, we’ll dive into the 2022 rankings based on these scores.

The 5 Top-Ranked Islands to Visit

At the top of the list, there’s a good mix of European, Asian, and South Pacific islands. Here’s a look at the top five islands, along with some context that explains why respondents ranked them so highly:

1. Ischia, Italy

Nestled in the gulf of Naples about an hour away from the mainland, this charming volcanic island takes first place because of its charming villages, pristine beaches, and welcoming locals.

It’s also well-known for its hot springs, which are easily accessible by either taxi or public transport.

2. The Maldives

Famous for its baby-blue waters, respondents ranked the Maldives as their second-favorite island destination. Located in the Indian Ocean, this collection of islands is well-known for stunning beaches, as well as excellent snorkeling and diving. With a wide range of luxury resorts, the Maldives is also a popular honeymoon destination.

3. Bali, Indonesia

This Indonesia island ranks third on the list because of its picturesque natural beauty, rich culture, and a diverse range of outdoor activities like surfing, diving, and hiking. It’s also well-known for its art, music, and traditional dance performances. As the only predominantly Hindu province in Indonesia, visitors get a chance to learn more about Balinese Hinduism.

4. Milos, Greece

Located in the Aegean Sea, Milos is well-loved by visitors because of its tranquil beaches. And while the island is a popular tourist destination, it offers a slightly slower pace that its neighbors Santorini or Mykonos.

5. Fiji Islands

This remote group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean ranked fifth on the list because of their rich marine life and friendly locals. Well-known for its excellent diving, it’s been labeled the “soft coral capital of the world.”

Top Ranking Islands, by Region

Seven of the top 25 island destinations are in Europe, making it first on the list by region. Southeast Asia comes in close second, with six islands in the top 25.

 

As the data shows, a majority of the islands rank highly because of their beautiful beaches and thriving marine life.

However, there are a couple of outliers on the list. One good example of an outlier is Mackinac Island, which is well-loved for its historical attractions (Mackinac Island is home to a colonial fort built in the 18th century).

One thing is clear from these rankings—whether you’re a diver, a history buff, or a foodie, there are a number of world-class island destinations that offer an experience of a lifetime.

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 20:00

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/bOdTL1K Tyler Durden

“They Are Trying To Assassinate”: Bannon Accuses Biden Of Stirring Anti-Right Hatred After Home ‘SWATed’ Again

“They Are Trying To Assassinate”: Bannon Accuses Biden Of Stirring Anti-Right Hatred After Home ‘SWATed’ Again

Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon looks on as his attorney David Schoen speaks to reporters as he leaves the Federal District Court House at the end of the fourth day of his trial for contempt of Congress in Washington, on July 21, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon has accused President Joe Biden of stoking hatred after police descended on Bannon’s Washington home over a fake report of a gunman on the loose. The incident occurred shortly before Biden’s Thursday speech attacking MAGA Republicans.

Firefighters and police officers were sent to Bannon’s home on Sept. 1 evening, where he broadcasts his “War Room” radio program, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department told The Epoch Times. They left after finding no shots fired and no one hurt.

It was the second time Bannon has been a victim of swatting, a harassment tactic of calling the emergency police line with a false claim of criminal activity so as to dispatch a law enforcement team to a particular address. Such practices can be traumatizing for the targeted person and have turned fatal in the past.

These are attempts to have the police kill me,” the 68-year-old, who was not home at the time, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 2. The previous hoax call in July prompted some 80 officers to swarm Bannon’s home, he said.

With one wrong assessment from the police or an inadvertent move from the other party, Bannon added, things could have turned ugly.

“It’s very dangerous, they are trying to assassinate,” he said. “They’re trying to weaponize the police to get into a situation where they inadvertently kill the political opponents of the Biden regime.”

annon was not the only conservative targeted in recent months. In late August, police showed up at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) door in the early morning hours, two days in a row, in response to fake reports of a shooting at the residence. Following the first police response, the caller called back using a computer-generated voice, saying that they were upset over Greene’s “stance on ‘trans-gender youth’s rights.’”

A jury in Washington convicted Bannon, who worked in the Trump administration, of being guilty of contempt of Congress in July over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Jan. 6 select committee.

Bannon on Friday blamed Biden for escalating hostility against Trump supporters. He noted the prank call had occurred less than an hour before Biden used his primetime speech to attack “MAGA Republicans” who embrace Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sept. 1, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In Biden’s words, these individuals, together with Trump, “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”

Bannon described the caller, who like in Greene’s case had used a machine-generated voice, as “very sophisticated.”

This directly comes from the White House. They’ve stirred up the most dangerous and deranged members of their party,” he said.

“What they wanted was a visual of the police around my place with me coming out … so they can play that split screen with Biden speech in Philadelphia,” said Bannon. “The deranged followers of Joe Biden timed this perfectly.”

Bannon said Biden’s remarks were what Mao Zedong, the first leader of the Chinese communist regime, would have given during the Cultural Revolution, a campaign that Mao unleashed in 1960s to crush his political opponents. The movement brought the country into a decade of political and social chaos where frenzied young ideologues traveled around China and destroyed the country’s traditional heritage, and harassed and publicly denounced anyone deemed to be class enemies.

“The Chinese ‘laobaixing’ has gone through this,” said Bannon, using a Chinese term for the general populace. “They’ve seen where they demonize their fellow countrymen as enemies.”

What has played out in communist China is now repeating in America, said Bannon.

Read more here…

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 19:30

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/phiZmgd Tyler Durden

President Biden Says He’ll Attend Detroit Auto Show Because He’s A “Car Guy”

President Biden Says He’ll Attend Detroit Auto Show Because He’s A “Car Guy”

President Joe Biden is going to be expected at the forthcoming Detroit Auto Show that will be taking place in two weeks. It’ll mark the first time he has visited Detroit since his days as Vice President, Bloomberg noted last week. 

“I’ll be there. I’m a car guy, as you kind of noticed,” Biden said last week when asked if he was going to attend. 

Sure, we noticed. In fact, we couldn’t help but notice that Biden is such a car guy that his administration is trying to force through counterproductive and burdensome environmental and EV requirements for auto manufacturers. Biden apparently has such reverence for the industry he has decided that it needs to be changed in its entirety.

The new requirements and subsidies under the Biden administration have forced automakers to fundamentally change their vehicle lineups and how they operate. They’ve also become a tax on the American people that is dropping straight to the bottom line of auto manufacturers, as we’ve noted over the last week that automakers are raising their EV prices by almost the exact amount that the Biden administration is offering in subsidies to buyers.   

And he’s such a fan of U.S. auto companies that Biden has barely acknowledged U.S. automaker Tesla’s existence, simply because the company isn’t embracing unionization amongst its workers. 

Recall, back in May, we noted when Musk delivered a scathing criticism of Biden and the President’s handling of inflation. Musk told a virtual conference ;last month that he believes the government has printed too much money in recent years.

“I mean, the obvious reason for inflation is that the government printed a zillion amount of more money than it had, obviously,” Musk said, likely referring to COVID-19 relief stimulus packages worth trillions of dollars that were passed in recent years.

If governments could merely “issue massive amounts of money and deficits didn’t matter, then, well, why don’t we just make the deficit 100 times bigger,” Musk asked. “The answer is, you can’t because it will basically turn the dollar into something that is worthless.”

During the same conference, Musk said: “The real president is whoever controls the teleprompter” and “The path to power is the path to the teleprompter.”

Biden was officially invited to the Auto Show by Maureen Donohue Krauss, chief executive officer of the Detroit Regional Partnership, who also sought out Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to attend.

The show starts on September 14 and the last sitting President to attend was Barack Obama, Bloomberg noted. 

Biden concluded: “As my grandfather used to say, with the grace of God and the goodwill of my neighbors, I’ll see you at the Auto Show.”

Tyler Durden
Sat, 09/03/2022 – 19:00

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/BvhTx5V Tyler Durden