Month: January 2022

U.S. Rhetoric Is Making Ukrainians Uneasy


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Three decades after Ukraine seized its independence from the crumbling Soviet Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin is insisting that Ukrainians are “essentially Russians.” In fact, about 10 percent of the Ukrainian population is Russian.

This type of rhetoric from Moscow is not new. But with Russian troops gathering at the border, Ukrainians are understandably anxious.

Kyiv may be Putin’s greatest sore spot, since he considers the Ukrainian capital the “mother city” of Russian history. He has even called Ukraine “an artificial creation of Soviet leaders”—a bold statement, considering the Soviets starved 3.9 million Ukrainians to death in the 1930s during the Holodomor.

“To Ukrainians, Russia has always been and remains an occupant—not a big brother,” counters Maria Chaplia, co-founder of Ukrainian Students for Freedom. Chaplia doesn’t deny that Russia and Ukraine have a shared past. But that doesn’t mean, she says, that the two countries must be conjoined in the future. She points to the most glaring example of disunion: the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, when Ukrainians overthrew President Viktor Yanukovych for refusing to sign a trade agreement with the European Union. (Russia had opposed the pact.) More recently, Ukrainians have torn down Lenin statues, changed the names of cities, adopted an Orthodox Church, and elevated their native language. In one sign of the times, the local edition of Elle recently announced that it would now publish in Ukrainian instead of Russian.

But Putin isn’t the only reason Ukrainians have been feeling nervous lately. He’s the chief provocateur, but the U.S. and the rest of NATO have unnecessarily escalated the conflict too.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Russia could attack “at short notice.” President Biden believes such an invasion “would change the world.” Vice President Kamala Harris says Russian aggression “will be met with serious, severe, and a unified response and consequences.” Rhetoric like that prompted Ukrainian President Zelensky—the man they’re supposedly helping—to urge the U.S. to tone down the war talk. Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reacted with more war talk: “I think you’d have to go back quite a while to the Cold War days to see something of this magnitude.”

The doomsday talk isn’t helpful. Zelensky is clearly grateful for the support his country has been receiving, but he is also warning the West against “inciting panic.” As Ukraine’s president, he stressed, “I’m located here. I know…deeper details.” The U.S. should not undermine Ukraine’s ability to chart its course by prematurely sounding the alarms. Panic is highly contagious, and Ukrainians don’t need another pandemic on their hands.

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Lawsuit: Crackdown on Church Soup Kitchens Violates the First Amendment


reason-sttimothys

An Oregon church is suing the city of Brookings, Oregon, over limits the local government has imposed on how often it can serve free meals to the poor. A federal lawsuit filed Friday by St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church argues that Brookings’ regulations on “benevolent meal service” unconstitutionally restrict its religious mission to feed the hungry.

“What we’re doing is what churches do. Churches feed people,” Rev. Bernie Lindley of St. Timothy’s told Reason last year, shortly after the Brookings ordinance passed. “To tell a church that they have to be limited in how they live into the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a violation of our First Amendment right to freely practice our religion.”

St. Timothy’s has run a soup kitchen several days a week since the 1980s, as have other churches in Brookings. When those churches shut down their meal service during the pandemic, St. Timothy’s extended its effort to six days a week.

Seeing more people at the church more days a week didn’t sit well with some of the neighbors. They complained in an April 2021 petition to the city government that St. Timothy’s soup kitchen—and its participation in the city’s safe parking program, whereby it lets people live in their cars on the church parking lot—was bringing crime and vagrancy to the area.

In response, the city council passed an ordinance in October that said churches and nonprofits in residentially zoned areas could offer free meal service only two days a week. And to do that, they needed special conditional use permits.

On paper, this was actually a liberalization of Brookings’ zoning rules. Because state health authorities regulate soup kitchens like restaurants, and restaurants are a commercial use, soup kitchens were technically prohibited in the city’s residential zones. And all of Brookings’ churches are located in residentially zoned areas.

City Manager Janelle Howard says the ordinance was intended as a compromise: It legalized technically prohibited soup kitchens while mollifying residents’ complaints about the nuisances they caused.

In practice, though, the churches’ charitable work had been unregulated before. The ordinance’s actual effect was to pave the way for a crackdown. [OK?]

Lindley and St. Timothy’s participated in early talks with the city about its soup kitchen ordinance, but they dropped out after it became clear that Brookings intended to limit the number of days the church could offer meals.

The ordinance became enforceable last week, potentially opening St. Timothy’s up to fines and other sanctions. To prevent that, the church and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

The complaint argues that Brookings’ soup kitchen regulations violate the U.S. and Oregon constitutions’ protections of free expression and the free exercise of religion. It also claims that the regulations’ vague description of “benevolent meal service” and unclear potential sanctions violate the U.S. Constitution’s due process protections.

Lastly, it argues that Brookings is violating a federal law limiting state and local governments from adopting land use regulations that impose a “substantial burden” on “religious exercise.”

“We’ve been serving our community here for decades and picking up the slack where the need exists and no one else is stepping in,” Lindley declared in a statement. “We have no intention of stopping now and we’re prepared to hold fast to our beliefs. We won’t abandon the people of Brookings who need our help, even when we’re being threatened.”

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Brickbat: Hot Wheels


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Dustin Bates suffered fractured ribs, a broken right leg and a fractured spine when he was struck by a Lake Worth, Texas, police SUV while fleeing from cops on foot, according to a lawsuit he has filed. Bates was later charged with evading arrest and drug possession, but those charges were dismissed by prosecutors. Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said an investigation found officer Jonathan Granado chased Bates, who had crashed a motorcycle he had been riding but continued running away on foot, into a field, where Granado’s vehicle slid on wet grass when he braked and struck Bates at about 45 mph. A Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Granado. The Department of Justice also declined to take action against Granado.

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U.S. Rhetoric Is Making Ukrainians Uneasy


spnphotosten607511

Three decades after Ukraine seized its independence from the crumbling Soviet Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin is insisting that Ukrainians are “essentially Russians.” In fact, about 10 percent of the Ukrainian population is Russian.

This type of rhetoric from Moscow is not new. But with Russian troops gathering at the border, Ukrainians are understandably anxious.

Kyiv may be Putin’s greatest sore spot, since he considers the Ukrainian capital the “mother city” of Russian history. He has even called Ukraine “an artificial creation of Soviet leaders”—a bold statement, considering the Soviets starved 3.9 million Ukrainians to death in the 1930s during the Holodomor.

“To Ukrainians, Russia has always been and remains an occupant—not a big brother,” counters Maria Chaplia, co-founder of Ukrainian Students for Freedom. Chaplia doesn’t deny that Russia and Ukraine have a shared past. But that doesn’t mean, she says, that the two countries must be conjoined in the future. She points to the most glaring example of disunion: the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, when Ukrainians overthrew President Viktor Yanukovych for refusing to sign a trade agreement with the European Union. (Russia had opposed the pact.) More recently, Ukrainians have torn down Lenin statues, changed the names of cities, adopted an Orthodox Church, and elevated their native language. In one sign of the times, the local edition of Elle recently announced that it would now publish in Ukrainian instead of Russian.

But Putin isn’t the only reason Ukrainians have been feeling nervous lately. He’s the chief provocateur, but the U.S. and the rest of NATO have unnecessarily escalated the conflict too.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Russia could attack “at short notice.” President Biden believes such an invasion “would change the world.” Vice President Kamala Harris says Russian aggression “will be met with serious, severe, and a unified response and consequences.” Rhetoric like that prompted Ukrainian President Zelensky—the man they’re supposedly helping—to urge the U.S. to tone down the war talk. Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reacted with more war talk: “I think you’d have to go back quite a while to the Cold War days to see something of this magnitude.”

The doomsday talk isn’t helpful. Zelensky is clearly grateful for the support his country has been receiving, but he is also warning the West against “inciting panic.” As Ukraine’s president, he stressed, “I’m located here. I know…deeper details.” The U.S. should not undermine Ukraine’s ability to chart its course by prematurely sounding the alarms. Panic is highly contagious, and Ukrainians don’t need another pandemic on their hands.

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Offshore US Oil & Gas Is Critical To Lowering Energy Prices

Offshore US Oil & Gas Is Critical To Lowering Energy Prices

Authored by David Holt via RealClearEnergy.com,

While most Americans have never heard of it, the Interior Department’s five-year plan for offshore energy development is essential to maintaining our basic standard of living and keeping the prices for thousands of everyday goods and services low. At a time of record inflation and sky-high energy costs, it is critical that the Biden Administration show its energy and environmental leadership by moving forward with this offshore energy plan.  

Since 1953, the U.S. Interior Secretary has been required by law to prepare a five-year plan to set a schedule for oil and gas leases in U.S. offshore waters. It is a lengthy, multi-year regulatory process with multiple stages for public comment, input and consultation. 

It is one of the most lucrative federal programs in existence, often contributing more money to the U.S. Treasury than any other program except federal income taxes. It generates billions for states and local governments, creates tens of thousands or jobs all across the U.S. economy, and, most importantly, because it contributes more than 30% of our energy, offshore production ensures we all have the essential energy we need to keep our homes warm, lights on and economy thriving.

As of today, the current plan is scheduled to expire on July 1, and there is increasing concern that the Biden Administration has not yet begun the process to initiate the new 2022-2027 five-year plan. These concerns are even greater now because high energy prices and rising inflation are such a drag on our wallets and the overall economy.  Historically, the simple action of announcing a responsible and impactful five-year plan has immediately given global energy markets near- and longer-term signals to help alleviate high energy prices. 

Further, analytical models show that, because of our strong environmental regulatory regime, the U.S. is leading the world in emission reductions – including climate emission reductions – with the U.S. offshore energy program the most environmentally responsible offshore basin in the world.  A strong five-year plan – with strong and consistent regulatory structures and transparent rules, will only advance U.S. leadership in meeting our energy and environmental goals in unison.  

Yet some continue to argue that any oil and gas production is detrimental. 

This is a flawed argument that ignores the reality that economies are dependent on energy – including oil and natural gas – and eliminating them too quickly will result in higher – not lower – emissions. 

International energy forecasts overwhelmingly show significant demand for oil and gas for decades to come. If the U.S. is to meet its economic and production obligations to farmers, manufacturers, grocers, truck drivers, laborers, small businesses and households all across the nation, our energy and environmental policies must meet our baseline needs while continuing to advance ever-improving environmental goals. 

Without a plan, global and domestic doubts will escalate about our nation’s commitment to meeting its energy demands – especially on the heels of recent measures to pause energy production and pipeline construction in the U.S. Most of these measures have made oil and gas production more challenging, triggering the highest gasoline, home heating and electricity prices in years for small businesses, parents and families – especially those families near the poverty line who cannot afford to pay more for energy.  

It is time we all recognize that energy justice is important, and our political leaders must avoid creating policies that unnecessarily increase energy prices. 

Nearly everyone has a holiday 2021 story of eye-popping grocery bills. But as usual, Americans who live in poverty or on fixed incomes feel that squeeze sharper than the rest of us. If prices are bad enough to stir grumbling among those who can absorb 23% higher food prices and 59% higher energy prices, then please consider for a second those who cannot.  

Many of us will have to take fewer trips or spend less disposable income; folks in poverty may have to choose between food or paying their energy bills. Or potentially risk their health by keeping the heat off in the winter, to avoid incurring a large bill. This is unacceptable in 21st Century America, especially when we lead the world in energy production and emissions reduction. 

Yet offshore and onshore oil and gas production declined in 2021. For instance, in September – the most recent month for federal data – U.S. crude output fell slightly from a year earlier, with a drop of nearly 30% in offshore Gulf of Mexico production offsetting onshore gains. Demand for oil, however, climbed 9.8% from a year earlier. 

The administration is legally obligated to prepare the five-year plan including a schedule of oil and gas lease sales. It must indicate the size, timing and location of proposed leasing activity to best meet the nation’s energy needs for the five-year period following its approval, while also addressing a range of economic, environmental and social considerations. 

It is essential that this process begin immediately.

It would signal to the public and financial markets the seriousness of our nation’s energy and environmental policy, and continued U.S. leadership toward our ambitious 2050 net zero carbon emissions goal while meeting the country’s robust and ever-growing energy demand.

Families, parents and small businesses are all hurting from high prices, and less expensive energy is the key to bringing them down. The fastest way to do that is not asking OPEC to increase supply, certainly not when we have the ability to meet surging demand ourselves. 

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/31/2022 – 11:05

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Spotify Adds Billions In Market Since Neil Young ‘Nothingburger’

Spotify Adds Billions In Market Since Neil Young ‘Nothingburger’

Mainstream media unleased an avalanche of notes over the weekend claiming that Spotify has had $2 billion wiped off its market value because of the actions of Neil Young and others in opposing Joe Rogan’s content on the platform have now been exposed as embarrassing fake news.

Variety and others ran headlines such as:

However, as Summit News’ Steve Watson noted, and as pointed out by many on social media, the drop in value of Spotify stock is part of a longer downward trend that started before Neil Young uttered a word about Rogan.

As Steve Watson notes, the writer of the Variety piece even admitted in the article “To be sure, Spotify’s stock price was already on the slide — having plummeted 25% year-to-date as of January 25, the day before Young’s catalog was pulled off Spotify.”

But the majority failed to read beyond the headline, as is the case with most people looking for verification of their own pro-censorship opinions.

But, since Spotify’s ‘COVID-Info-Hub’ statement and Rogan’s response – helped by an upgrade from Citi analysts…

Prevailing equity values of Spotify don’t assume material subscription growth or improving economics beyond 2023, the Citi analysts argued in a note Monday morning as part of a look at subscriber-based stocks (including Netflix) after significant pressure.

“While Netflix and Spotify may see more modest sub growth, we see other top-line vectors. For Netflix, we believe the firm has ample pricing power. For Spotify, we believe the firm can improve ad-supported monetization,” the Citi analysts said.

They lowered target prices on Netflix, Spotify, Roku, DraftKings and Robinhood, with Netflix’s target falling to $450 from $595. Spotify’s target was lowered to $240 from $275 – still notably above current levels.

…Spotify shares are soaring and the company has now added “billions” in market cap since Neil Young’s virtue-signaling…

Another ‘narrative’ wrecked by reality.

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/31/2022 – 10:50

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‘Coward-19?’ Trudeau Tests Positive For COVID While Hiding Out From Canadian Truckers

‘Coward-19?’ Trudeau Tests Positive For COVID While Hiding Out From Canadian Truckers

Canadian Prime Minister was accused of hypocrisy when he suddenly was nowhere to be found late last week as a convoy of truckers rolled into Ottawa to protest the government’s COVID mandates. Many scoffed at Trudeau’s sudden disappearing act when confronted by a massive crowd of protesters, many carrying signs mocking his comment that the truckers and their supporters were part of a “tiny fringe minority”.

Making matters worse for the PM, Canadian media reported Monday morning that Trudeau had been diagnosed with COVID, despite receiving a booster dose early this month on Jan. 4.

Is it possible to get infected with COVID while being boosted and in hiding? Or has Trudeau really been stricken with COWARD-19?

The truckers are protesting a new measure imposed by the Canadian government on Jan. 15 requiring unvaccinated cross-border truckers to quarantine upon returning home, making it virtually impossible for them to work. The convoy ended outside Parliament in Ottawa over the weekend, as thousands of protesters gathered.

Trudeau had reportedly decided to isolate due to one of his children testing positive for COVID. Now it appears he too has tested positive. Of maybe this is just another excuse for him to remain in hiding?

Former President Trump praised the Canadian truckers over the weekend, proclaiming that they were doing more to protect American freedoms than any lawmakers.

According to his own quarantine requirements, Trudeau now has an excuse to remain in hiding for up to 14 days.

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/31/2022 – 10:33

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Watch: CNN Labels Rogan’s Millions Of Listeners As “Less Enlightened” Than Their Few Thousand Viewers

Watch: CNN Labels Rogan’s Millions Of Listeners As “Less Enlightened” Than Their Few Thousand Viewers

Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News,

In a broadcast virtually no one watched, CNN talking heads and CNN’s potato head Brian Stelter had a ‘debate’ about Joe Rogan’s podcast causing ‘big problems’ for Spotify, and declared that all of Rogan’s millions of listeners are basically idiots.

Weaselly ‘reporter’ Oliver Darcy, who will not relent until everything apart from CNN is censored and banned, compared Rogan’s audience to fat unhealthy people who choose to eat junk food rather than stay healthy.

Writer Kat Rosenfield went one further and labelled Rogan’s entire global audience as stupid.

“Here is people who, they like something that we — you know, who consider ourselves more enlightened — don’t think is good for them, we think that they’re internalizing this misinformation and using it to make bad decisions.” she proclaimed.

Watch:

Rogan gets on average 11 million listeners to every podcast he does. Much of his content features in depth discussions with experts in their field that last 3+ hours.

CNN struggles to reach 700,000 viewers at prime time and deals in 3 minute sound bites and meh Russia conspiracy nonsense featuring primarily their own creepy correspondents.

Who exactly is more enlightened?

*  *  *

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Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/31/2022 – 10:20

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Watch Live: US & Russia Square Off In Rare UN Security Council Debate

Watch Live: US & Russia Square Off In Rare UN Security Council Debate

The UN Security Council in New York is set to meet at 10am EST after the US demanded that Moscow “explain itself” over what Washington has for weeks asserted is “imminent” plans to “invade” Ukraine. 

“Our voices are unified in calling for the Russians to explain themselves,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the US Sunday news shows. “We’re going into the room prepared to listen to them, but we’re not going to be distracted by their propaganda.”

But voices aren’t exactly “unified” on the 15-member council, given especially China’s stance. Lately Beijing has issued rare condemnation of NATO’s history of expansion and has called for calm. 

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters late last week that “China and Russia see each other as a priority in our respective diplomacy. There is no ceiling to China-Russia mutual trust, no forbidden zone in our strategic cooperation and no limit on how far our longstanding friendship can go.”

Russia has denounced Monday’s meeting as a “shameful public-relations stunt” orchestrated by the US:

“I can’t recall another occasion when a SC member proposed to discuss its own baseless allegations and assumptions as a threat to intl order from someone else,” wrote Dmitry Polyanski, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the U.N., Friday on Twitter.

WATCH THE MEETING LIVE HERE:

Moscow is expected to for the first time lay out its case condemning NATO’s eastward expansion, which threatens Russia’s security, before a large Western and global audience. 

As The Wall Street Journal points out Monday, the debate could also serve as a barometer gauging Western allies’ appetite for imposing extensive sanctions or even military action…

“In addition to Russia, China and other countries often oppose U.S. priorities at the U.N. A former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said Thursday that a challenge on the Security Council is accurately calculating the extent of support for the U.S. position among other members, especially on this kind of sensitive issue,” WSJ observes.

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/31/2022 – 10:17

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Senate Closes In On “Mother Of All Sanctions” Against Russia; West Takes Aim At Oligarchs

Senate Closes In On “Mother Of All Sanctions” Against Russia; West Takes Aim At Oligarchs

The United States, alongside its British and Europe allies, has drawn up more sanctions targeting Russia in the event Putin orders an invasion of Ukriaine, this time taking aim at oligarchs and elites which are considered the Russian leader’s “inner circle” – including their family members. Already the “the mother of all sanctions” package is separately nearing completion in the US senate.

An unnamed US official told Reuters of the classified list of those individuals who could be targeted based on the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act: “The individuals we have identified are in or near the inner circles of the Kremlin and play a role in government decision making or are at a minimum complicit in the Kremlin’s destabilizing behavior.”

“Putin’s cronies will no longer be able to use their spouses or other family members as proxies to evade sanctions. Sanctions would cut them off from the international financial system and ensure that they and their family members will no longer able to enjoy the perks of parking their money in the West and attending elite Western universities,” the official added. 

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) file, via Yahoo News/The Hill

UK foreign secretary Liz Truss at the same on Sunday time unveiled legislation in Britain which would authorize targeting Russian banks, energy companies and “oligarchs close to the Kremlin” – which would be hit with sanctions by London.

The timing of the announcement underscored the sanctions would be internationally coordinated, the threat of which is intended as a ‘deterrent’ message to the Kremlin. However, Moscow has said over and over again throughout the crisis that it has no plans to invade Ukraine. Increasingly Ukrainian government leaders agree that the West’s threat assessment of a near-term Russian offensive is overblown.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez described that a far reaching Russian sanctions package is on the cusp of obtaining bipartisan agreement and should be ready this week. The well-known Russia hawk, while speaking alongside James Risch (R-Idaho), confirmed to CNN on Sunday they had widespread bipartisan support. 

“I would describe it as we are on the 1-yard line, and hopefully we will be able to conclude successfully,” Menendez said. “There is an incredible bipartisan resolve for support of Ukraine and an incredibly strong bipartisan resolve to have severe consequences for Russia if it invades Ukraine and in some cases for what it has already done.”

Sen. Risch described that he is “cautiously optimistic at this point that when we get back to D.C. tomorrow that we’re going to be moving forward.”

Crucially, if it actually takes effect in the event of severe escalation on the Russia-Ukraine border, the US would go after Russian companies’ ability to be tied into the global payment system linking Russia’s economy with the West, as The Hill describes: 

Menendez’s bill would target Russian officials and financial institutions if President Biden determines Russia has invaded or engaged in a significant “escalation of hostilities” against Ukraine. The bill also authorizes sanctions on companies in Russia that offer secure messaging systems such as SWIFT, the international system by which banks communicate, and includes additional security assistance and provisions to help Ukraine push back against Russian disinformation. 

Threatening Russia’s ability to transact international payments via SWIFT would be deemed by the Kremlin an act of war, as Russian officials have emphasized multiple times over the past few years. Russia has long been working on alternate means of settling international payments, especially pursuing these alternate means with the large economies of India and China.

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/31/2022 – 10:00

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