Category U. S. Deep State

May 27 2022

Soros Promoting World War III – Let’s Go!


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted May 27, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The pieces are starting to come together in this grand plot to fulfill George Soros’ dream – One World Government. After Soros’ speech at Davos, there are a lot of people of all faiths flocking to a Catholic Church to light a candle and pray for the rapid death of this cantankerous ‘old codger’ who seems to want to take the world into World War III and perhaps like some Egyptian Pharoh, take as many people with him into the here-after. I wish I could say that Soros is just crazy. But I do not believe that is the case. He has harbored a dream of a One-World Government forever perhaps growing up in communism.

His theme is that “climate change is on the verge of becoming irreversible” and that we MUST defeat Putin is all supporting his One-World government with the United Nations at the head. History will remember Soros up there with Marx responsible for the deaths of up to 50% of the world’s population by 2040. He is spinning his propaganda that Putin and Xi must be removed from power and somehow the people will cheer and run into the arms of the United Nations where they can fall at the feet of George Soros and kiss his disgusting toes at this age.

Everything that Soros and the World Economic Forum have been doing is nothing but promoting war. Henry Kissinger said that Ukraine should surrender the Donbas to Russia. Indeed, that was the Minsk Agreement. Zelensky has refused to do so and would instead subject his citizens to endless war for territory full of Russian Ukrainians which they hate with a passion.

Zelensky won the election promising to (1) end corruption, and (2) end the civil war. His solution for the corrupt was just to take everything for himself. The amount of money he has stashed in offshore accounts is said to be at least $100 million and some report he is approaching $1 billion.

As for the war, he has refused to surrender the two provinces as the Minsk Agreement stated in 2014. He denies them the right to vote for their own future. The West refuses to acknowledge the vote of Crimes when in fact they are ethnic Russians and are hated by the Ukrainians. I can confirm that from the outset I head Crimea is Ukrainian or Crimea will be depopulated.

I have been sent videos taken from Ukrainian soldiers showing the torture they are submitting to Russians. I have refrained from posting them because they are so horrible. There are Russians being nailed to a cross and then set on fire alive. There are two soldiers who volunteered. One from Canada and one from France. Both have returned disguised telling about the war crimes they have watched the Ukrainians carrying out. Nobody wants to even admit that there are Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Nobody wants to report the truth that Zelensky has even seized religion. The orthodox church no longer acknowledges the Patriarch of Moscow. This is a war of absolute hatred. The sheer level of war crimes unreported is off the charts. This is all being sanctioned to create World War III to ensure that the Russians look at the West with the same hatred that

This conspiracy is more than most suspect. It has been Bill Browder who was advised on confiscating all the assets of private Russia Oligarchs to destroy the world economy. Putin was NOT friends with all the Oligarchs. Yeltsin turned to Putin because he was the only independent person. He was not part of the Berezovsky group of the Seven Oligarchs and he was not part of the hardline Communists. Both those groups were against Yeltsin. Putin was selected to go against the Oligarchs. It was 1886 when Berezovsky created the “Davos Pact” of Oligarchs to fund Yeltsin’s campaign. It was also 1996 when Browder and Edmond Safra created Hermitage Capital Management to invest in Russia. Browder appeared with Soros I believe just last week in Berlin. Browder has been protected by the Democrats at every level.

Henry Kissinger spoke correctly at Davos and said Zelensky should surrender the Russian regions to Russia. Zelensky is told not to do so otherwise there is no confrontation for World War III. If Zelensky were truly concerned about his own people, then why fight for territory that was always occupied by Russians? It makes no sense except to sacrifice is own people to promote World War III to accomplish this agenda.

May 27 2022

DOJ Re-Review of FBI Conduct in Olympic Gymnast Rapes by Larry Nassar Ends, Yet Again, With DOJ Declining to Prosecute


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 26, 2022 | Sundance

The FBI conduct in the events of the Olympic gymnasts being repeatedly raped by Larry Nassar is one of the most blood-boiling examples of FBI corruption and criminal conduct in modern times.  No one has ever been held accountable.

Even after another DOJ re-review of the admitted lies told by the FBI agents in the case, the result today is nothing… Whoopsie, mistakes were made.  Move along folks, move along.  Nothing to see here…. Just, move along.   Infuriating.

WASHINGTON – Two former FBI agents accused of mishandling sex-abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar will not be charged with a crime, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

In a statement, officials said that after a “careful re-review of evidence,” the department “is adhering to its prior decision not to bring federal criminal charges,” adding: “This does not in any way reflect a view that the investigation of Nassar was handled as it should have been, nor in any way reflects approval or disregard of the conduct of the former agents.”

John Manly, a lawyer for many of Nassar’s alleged victims, called the decision “incomprehensible” and said the FBI agents “violated their oaths of office and colluded in the cover up of the worst sexual assault scandal in the history of sports.” (more)

In July 2021 the DOJ OIG produced an absolutely damning Inspector General investigation of FBI conduct in the rape and sexual assault of U.S. Gymnasts, revealing how FBI agents facilitated Nassar’s sex crimes by taking no action despite numerous witness statements to them.

Worse yet, the FBI never reported the sexual assaults to local law enforcement… and to top it off, the rank and vile FBI agents lied during the investigation of their conduct, and the DOJ under AG Bill Barr, and now under AG Merrick Garland, refused to prosecute the FBI liars.

The entire IG report [Must Read pdf Here] reveals layer-upon-layer of FBI wrongdoing, misconduct and false statements in an effort to cover-up their activity when the internal investigation of their conduct began.  This report is a total condemnation of the FBI rank and file.  It really is quite stunning.

IG Report Excerpt – […] “The OIG found that, despite the extraordinarily serious nature of the allegations and the possibility that Nassar’s conduct could be continuing, senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies.

The Indianapolis Field Office did not undertake any investigative activity until September 2nd, five weeks after the meeting with USA Gymnastics—when they telephonically interviewed one of the three athletes. Further, FBI Indianapolis never interviewed the other two gymnasts who they were told were available to meet with FBI investigators.

This absence of any serious investigative activity was compounded when the Indianapolis Field Office did not transfer the matter to the FBI office (the Lansing Resident Agency), where venue most likely would have existed had evidence been developed to support the potential federal crimes being considered, even though the Indianapolis office had been advised to do so by the USAO and had told USA Gymnastics that the transfer had occurred.

Additionally, the Indianapolis office did not notify state or local authorities of the sexual assault allegations even though it questioned whether there was federal jurisdiction to pursue them. As a result, the Lansing Resident Agency did not learn of the Nassar allegations until over a year after they were first reported to the FBI and then learned of them only from the MSUPD. 

Moreover, the FBI conducted no investigative activity in the matter for more than 8 months following the September 2015 interview. During that period of time, as alleged and detailed in numerous civil complaints, Nassar’s sexual assaults continued.“ (read full report)

Do not overlook this part:

The FBI responded to the IG report with this statement:

FBI Response to IG  – “As the Inspector General made clear in [the] report, this should not have happened. The FBI will never lose sight of the harm that Nassar’s abuse caused. The actions and inactions of certain FBI employees described in the report are inexcusable and a discredit to this organization. The FBI has taken affirmative steps to ensure and has confirmed that those responsible for the misconduct and breach of trust no longer work FBI matters.

Prior to today, the FBI initiated improvements to make sure that serious allegations, such as these, are promptly shared with our law enforcement partners and within the FBI. As a continuation of these efforts, the FBI is fully committed to implementing all of the recommendations made by the Inspector General.

We will take all necessary steps to ensure that the failures of the employees outlined in the report do not happen again.” (link)

BACKGROUND on FBI –  As we discovered in January of this year, the FBI was fully aware of the terrorist who was planning to shoot the synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and yet they did nothing.

The FBI knowledge of the shooter, Malik Faisal Akram, who was known as Faisal Akram was confirmed by The Daily Mail. Akram ranted, prior to his travel to the U.S, that he wished he had died in the 9/11 terror attacks. He was a regular visitor to Pakistan, and reportedly a member of the Tablighi Jamaat group set up to ‘purify’ Islam. To say the U.S. intelligence system knew Faisal Akram would be an understatement.

The FBI was also fully aware of the Boston Marathon bombers, the Tsarnaev brothers, before they executed their plot.  The FBI took no action.

The FBI knew about the San Bernardino terrorists, specifically Tashfeen Malik, and were monitoring her phone calls and communications before her and Syed Farook executed their attack killing 14 people and leaving 22 others seriously injured.  The FBI took no action.

The FBI knew Colorado grocery store shooter Ahmad Alissa before he executed his attack.  The FBI took no action.

The FBI knew in advance of the Pulse Nightclub shooter (Omar Mateen) and were tipped off by the local sheriff. The FBI knew in advance of the San Bernardino Terrorists (Tashfeen Malik). The FBI knew in advance of the Boston Marathon Bombers (the Tsarnaev brothers) tipped off by Russians.  The FBI knew in advance of the Parkland High School shooter (Nikolas Cruz). The FBI knew in advance of the Fort Hood shooter (Nidal Hasan), and the FBI knew in advance of Colorado grocery store shooter Ahmad al-Aliwi Alissa.  The FBI took no action.

The case of the first recorded ISIS attack on U.S. soil was in Garland, Texas in 2015.

The FBI not only knew the shooters (Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi) in advance, BUT the FBI ALSO took the shooters to the venue and were standing only a few yards away when Simpson and Soofi opened fire.  Yes, you read that correctly – the FBI took the terrorists to the event and then watched it unfold.  “An FBI trainer suggested in an interview with “60 Minutes” that, had the attack been bigger, the agency’s numerous ties to the shooter would have led to a congressional investigation.”

Remember, shortly before the 2018 mid-term election, when Ceasar Syoc – a man living in his van – was caught sending “energetic material that can become combustible when subjected to heat or friction”, or what FBI Director Christopher Wray called “not hoax devices”?

Remember how sketchy everything about that was, including the child-like perpetrator telling a judge later that he was trying to walk back his guilty plea, because he was tricked into signing a confession for a crime he did not create.

Or more recently, the goofball plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer that involved 18 suspects, twelve of them actually working for the FBI as the plot was hatched?  And we cannot forget the January 6th. DC protest turned insurrection effort, which is clearly looking like an FBI inspired and coordinated effort; and unlike Syoc, despite the numerous CCTV cameras and resources in the area, they cannot find who placed the pipe-bombs?

Have we forgotten the Atlanta “Olympic Park Bombing”, and the FBI intentionally setting up transparently innocent, Richard Jewel?

Then, there’s the entirety of the FBI conduct in “Spygate”, the demonstrably evident FBI operation to conduct political surveillance against Donald Trump using their investigative authorities; and the downstream consequences of a massive institutional effort to cover up one of the biggest justice department scandals in the history of our nation.   The original effort against Donald Trump used massive resources from the DOJ and FBI.  Heck, the coverup operation using the Mueller/Weissmann special counsel used more than 50 investigative FBI agents alone.

And of course, the FBI still had 13 extra agents available to rush to a NASCAR racetrack to investigate a garage door pull-down rope that might have been perceived as a noose; but the serial rape of hundreds of teenage girls, eh, not-so-much effort – even when they are standing in front of the FBI begging for help.

[At this point, I am increasingly convinced by evidence there are elements within the FBI that are enablers involved in sex trafficking, human smuggling, abduction, counterfeiting and money laundering as part of their operational mission.]

The FBI didn’t make a mistake, or drop the proverbial ball in the Olympic gymnast case, they intentionally and specifically maintained the sexual exploitation of teenage girls by doing absolutely nothing with the complaints they received.   This is not misconduct, this is purposeful.

Then, as if to apply salt to the open wound of severe FBI politicization….what did the FBI do with the Hunter Biden laptop?

[Notice I’ve set the issue of the disappearing Huma Abedin/Anthony Weiner laptop –in the known custody of the FBI– over there in the corner, next to missing investigation of the Awan brothers.]

More recently the FBI executed a search warrant on the home and office of Project Veritas and the founder James O’Keefe.  While the raid was taking place a New York Times reporter called O’Keefe to ask him about his thoughts on getting raided. The same New York Times journalist, a few days later, then begins writing about the confidential, attorney-client privileged information illegally retrieved then leaked by the FBI during their raid.

♦My point is this…

What the Federal Security Service (FSB) is to the internal security of the Russian state; so too is the FBI in performing the same function for the U.S. federal government.

The FBI is a U.S. version of the Russian “State Police”; and the FBI is deployed -almost exclusively- to attack domestic enemies of those who control government, while they protect the interests of the U.S. Fourth Branch of Government.  That is the clear and accurate domestic prism to contextualize their perceived mission: “domestic violent extremists pose the greatest threat” to their objective.

Put another way, “We The People”, who fight against government abuse and usurpation, are the FBI’s actual and literal enemy.

Let me be very clear with another brutally obvious example.  Antifa could not exist as an organization, capable to organize and carry out violent attacks against their targets, without the full support of the FBI.   If the FBI wanted to arrest members of Antifa, who are actually conducting violence, they could do it easily – with little effort.

It is the absence of any action by the FBI toward Antifa, that tells us the FBI is enabling that violent extremist behavior to continue.  Once you accept that transparent point of truth, then, you realize the FBI definition of domestic violent extremism is something else entirely.

The FBI is not a law enforcement or investigative division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  The FBI is a political weapon of a larger institution that is now focused almost entirely toward supporting a radical communist agenda to destroy civil society in the United States.

The current mission of the FBI is to facilitate, preserve and protect the administration of Joe Biden.  Anyone who continues to push the fraudulent “honorable FBI rank and file talking point”, is, at this point in history, willfully and purposefully operating to deceive the American people on behalf of government interests who are intent on destroying us.

It is not a difference of opinion any longer.  Personally, I have lost the ability to sit comfortably or intellectually with anyone who pushes or accepts the ‘mistakes are made‘ nonsense.  The FBI is not making mistakes, they are doing well what is important to them.

To me, it comes down to a simple matter of accepting what is continually staring us in the face.

As you read the media summaries of the Michael Sussmann trial, never lose sight of the fact that 40 FBI agents were involved in the Mueller-Weissmann probe to investigate the fraudulent construct of Hillary Clinton and crew.  40 agents.

May 27 2022

Very Disturbing Updates From Texas School Shooting, Gunman Fired Outside School for Twelve Minutes, Federal Marshals Blocked Frantic Parents From School Before Shooting Started


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 26, 2022 | Sundance

A very alarming set of updates from the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting has everyone starting to question what was previously said by authorities about the events.

The Wall Street Journal has some updated information that is extremely disturbing.

TEXAS – […] “Victor Escalon, a regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said in a briefing that the now-deceased gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, lingered outside Robb Elementary for 12 minutes firing shots before walking into the school and barricading himself in a classroom where he killed 19 children and two teachers.

Mr. Escalon said he couldn’t say why no one stopped Ramos from entering the school during that time Tuesday. Most of the shots Ramos fired came during the first several minutes after he entered the school, Mr. Escalon said.  People who arrived at the school while Ramos locked himself in a classroom, or saw videos of police waiting outside, were furious.

“The police were doing nothing,” said Angeli Rose Gomez, who after learning about the shooting drove 40 miles to Robb Elementary, where her children are in second and third grade. “They were just standing outside the fence. They weren’t going in there or running anywhere.”

DPS officials previously said an armed school officer confronted Ramos as he arrived at the school. Mr. Escalon said Thursday that information was incorrect and no one encountered Ramos as he arrived at the school. “There was not an officer readily available and armed,” Mr. Escalon said.

A Border Patrol tactical team went into the school an hour later, around 12:40 p.m., was able to get into the classroom and kill Ramos, Mr. Escalon said.

Ms. Gomez, a farm supervisor, said that she was one of numerous parents waiting outside the school who began encouraging—first politely, and then with more urgency—police and other law enforcement to enter the school sooner. After a few minutes, she said, U.S. Marshals put her in handcuffs, telling her she was being arrested for actively intervening in an active investigation.

Ms. Gomez convinced local Uvalde police officers whom she knew to persuade the marshals to set her free. Around her, the scene was frantic. She said she saw a father tackled and thrown to the ground by police and a third pepper-sprayed. Once freed from her cuffs, Ms. Gomez made her distance from the crowd, jumped the school fence, and ran inside to grab her two children. She sprinted out of the school with them.

Videos circulated on social media Wednesday and Thursday of frantic family members trying to get access to Robb Elementary as the attack was unfolding, some of them yelling at police who blocked them from entering.

“Shoot him or something!” a woman’s voice can be heard yelling on a video, before a man is heard saying about the officers, “They’re all just [expletive] parked outside, dude. They need to go in there.”

Parents can be heard yelling to each other that their kids were inside the school and that they needed to get in. A woman can be heard yelling at a police officer, “He’s one person! Take him out!”

The Uvalde Police Department couldn’t be reached for comment. A representative for the U.S. Marshals Service didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Asked at the press conference why law enforcement weren’t able to respond in the initial 12 minutes Ramos was outside the school, Mr. Escalon said that was part of the investigation. “Our job is to report the facts and have answers. We’re not there yet,” he said. (read more)

May 27 2022

RIP Ray Liotta, 1954 – 2022


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 26, 2022 | Sundance

Ray Liotta was a remarkably compelling actor for this era.  According to multiple media reports, he died in his sleep last night at the age of 67.  Liotta was filming a movie in the Dominican Republican at the time of his death.

Ray Liotta was best known for his performances in the movies Goodfellas, Cop Land and Field of Dreams.  He was a very strong actor, a deliberate persona on camera, and kept a generally low profile in his private life.  [Fox News Story Here]

May 27 2022

GDP Figures Revised Downward, U.S. Economy Shrinks 1.5 Percent in First Quarter, Things are Getting Much Worse


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 26, 2022 | Sundance 

May 26, 2022 | Sundance | 160 Comments

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) originally calculated the first quarter economy at a scale of -1.4% growth. The BEA revises that figure downward today with more data showing a contracted level of consumer spending [DATA HERE].  The economy contracted by -1.5% in the revised numbers.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the dollar value of all goods and services produced in the economy, minus the dollar value of goods and services we import. The percentages discussed are percentages of change over time.

♦ What changed in this revision to make the economy worse?

(1) U.S. inflation was revised upward (prices increased); (2) the estimate of calculated inventories was lowered; (3) the estimate of consumer spending was raised (inflation issue); which leads to (4) a massive drop in the calculation of disposable incomes.  [See the Change Table]

This table shows where the revisions are located:

Look at the revision to disposable incomes:

The Joe Biden’s economic policy is literally: (a) draining our savings and bank accounts, and (b) increasing our personal debt as we struggle to survive.

(Via MSM) – […] The U.S. economic contraction to start the year was worse than expected as weak business and private investment failed to offset strong consumer spending, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

First-quarter gross domestic product declined at a 1.5% annual pace, according to the second estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That was worse than the 1.3% Dow Jones estimate and a write-down from the initially reported 1.4%.

Downward revisions for both private inventory and residential investment offset an upward change in consumer spending. A swelling trade deficit also subtracted from the GDP total.

The pullback in GDP represented the worst quarter since the pandemic-scarred Q2 of 2020 in which the U.S. fell into a recession spurred by a government-imposed economic shutdown to battle Covid-19.  (read more)

These economic conditions are mostly driven by energy policy.  U.S. energy policy underlines almost all economic activity and touches every facet of our lives as a consumer. You cannot change U.S. energy policy so drastically without changing every single economic aspect which is connected to energy policy.

What’s coming next?  WATCH:

.

I concur with that prediction.

Prepare your affairs accordingly.

May 26 2022

The Ukrainian Solution: Money, Weapons, and Embargo


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted May 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Kremlin has made it known that they will not evacuate troops from Ukraine until their victory is declared. “We are sure that everything will be fine, and we are sure that we will win, we will achieve all the goals,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia has already downgraded “unfriendly states” to “hostile states” as Western countries are now directly involved. “Sometimes it seems that the very existence of Russia is a significant irritant for the collective West, and they are ready to do anything to prevent us from developing and living the way we want,” Peskov stated.

Kissinger suggested that Ukraine surrender some of its territories to Russia, as it is land that is composed of mostly Russian-speaking individuals who have not been allowed to vote on whether they’d like to remain under Ukrainian rule. “Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome. Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante,” Kissinger said, ““pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine … but a new war against Russia itself.” Furthermore, Kissinger is concerned that the West’s hostility will cause Russia to form a closer alliance with China.

Kissinger’s suggestion could end the war. Russia would feel as if they achieved the objective, and Ukraine would remain an independent country. Western nations would not need to spend billions of taxpayer funds on war while teetering on their own recessions. The food shortages due to the lack of wheat coming from Russia and Ukraine would end. Most importantly, the threat of the next world war would dissipate.

Zelensky’s advisor adamantly rejected the peace offer. “The shortest way to end the war – weapons, money, embargo,” Mykhailo Podolyak declared on Twitter. That may be the easiest solution for those in power, but it comes at the expense of the people. Ukraine and its Western allies will continue throwing money and fuel on the problem until the global economy crumbles so that they can reset it to their liking.

May 26 2022

Trump: Where Do I Get My Reputation Back?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted May 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Former President Donald Trump has called Hillary’s Russian collusion lies one of “the greatest political scandals in history.” Hillary Clinton deliberately smeared Donald Trump’s name to distract the public from her email scandal. “For three years, I had to fight her off, and fight those crooked people off, and you’ll never get your reputation fully back,” Trump stated.

The American people voted Trump into office. Clinton insisted that Trump was only appointed due to his ties with Russia. This goes beyond defamation, as she was clearly trying to persuade voters and pretend that she was the only reputable candidate. Where is the outrage from the GOP? Trump recently said “if we had real leadership, instead of people like Mitch McConnell, they would do something about it. And guys like Bill Barr. They would have done something about it.” He’s right. All of the men he mentioned are career politicians and they did not want an independent man hellbent on draining the swamp to interfere in their own suspicious activities. The media in general has been failing to cover the ongoing trial and continues to downplay Hillary’s treason.

“Where do I get my reputation back?” the former president asked. Once your name is dragged through the dirt, it becomes extremely hard to explain to the truth the public who has already built a distorted image of you in their mind. Could the following election have played out differently if not for Clinton’s lies? Again, this goes far beyond defamation and is a treasonous act on the part of Hillary Clinton and every Democratic who knew the truth but promoted a lie.

May 26 2022

Henry Kissinger on Taiwan


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted May 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Veteran diplomat and former Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry Kissinger is warning Washington to avoid conflict with China over Taiwan. Although Joe Biden said that the US would interfere if China were to invade Taiwan, the White House clarified that the US will respect the One China policy. “The United States should not by subterfuge or by a gradual process develop something of a ‘two-China’ solution, but that China will continue to exercise the patience that has been exercised up until now,” Kissinger warned at Davos.

Although the US has been supplying military equipment to Taiwan since 1979 under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US has agreed to acknowledge the One China policy that states Taiwan is under Chinese rule. “A direct confrontation should be avoided and Taiwan cannot be the core of the negotiations because it is between China and the United States,” Kissinger stated, going as far as to say neutrality is crucial to “overall peace.”

A key figure in the Paris Peace Accords, Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for arranging a cease-fire during the Vietnam War. His award was presented amid controversy as the war did not technically end until 1975. Additionally, Kissinger authorized bombing raids in Cambodia to target the Khmer Rouge. North Vietnamese diplomat Le Duc Tho received this award jointly with Kissinger but rejected it for the reasons mentioned. War is never the first option, and Kissinger knows the complexities of war from behind the curtain. Biden would be wise to take this warning with the utmost caution.

May 26 2022

Twitter Agrees to Pay $150 Million FTC Fine for Using Two Factor Authentication as Ruse to Sell Targeted User Data to Advertisers


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 25, 2022 | Sundance

Two-Factor authentication has always been a platform ruse for gathering data on platform users.  Twitter was just one company amid a large number of on-line platforms who pushed “two factor authentication” as a security measure.  The real motive of TFA was to gain the user cell phone number in order to gain more specific information about the user.

Today multiple media outlets are reporting the FTC and Twitter have agreed to a settlement where Twitter will pay a $150 million settlement for violating user privacy and selling user data.  Twitter collected cell phone and email account information for users under the auspices of user security.  However, Twitter actually planned to use the cell phone and email data to sell a more comprehensive package of user identification to advertisers.

(Reuters) – […] The company will pay $150 million as part of the settlement announced by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In addition to the monetary settlement, the agreement requires Twitter to improve its compliance practices.

The complaint said that the misrepresentations violated the FTC Act and a 2011 settlement with the agency.

“Specifically, while Twitter represented to users that it collected their telephone numbers and email addresses to secure their accounts, Twitter failed to disclose that it also used user contact information to aid advertisers in reaching their preferred audiences,” the complaint said.

[…]  “Twitter obtained data from users on the pretext of harnessing it for security purposes but then ended up also using the data to target users with ads,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a statement. “This practice affected more than 140 million Twitter users, while boosting Twitter’s primary source of revenue.”

The complaint also alleges that Twitter falsely said it complied with the European Union-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks, which bar companies from using data in ways that consumers do not authorize.

Twitter’s settlement follows years of fallout over the privacy practices of tech companies.

Revelations in 2018 that Facebook, the world’s biggest social network, was using phone numbers provided for two-factor authentication to serve ads enraged privacy advocates.

Facebook, now called Meta (FB.O), similarly settled with the FTC over the issue as part of a $5 billion agreement reached in 2019. (read more)

Two Factor Authentication (TfA) and the 5G telecommunications network work hand in glove.

By connecting the registered user id to their cell phone number, advertisers can target platform users with far more granular detail.  3G networks tracked user history to build the user portfolio.  5G networks bridge the space between user identity, cell phone, and geolocation services and apps on cell phones.

Cell phones are registered to people.  The TfA purpose was to identify the actual people behind the registered accounts and then monitor them for enhanced targeting.  The data of the user is monetized and your unique identity is sold to advertisers.

This is one of the reasons CTH does not track anyone, or ask for any data on any user.  We do not monetize users at The Conservative Treehouse, and all of our engagement systems, including the comment system, are built around the principle that user privacy is our number one priority.

Any engagement platform that asks you to enter your cell phone as part of the registration process is going to have the ability to sell your data and user identity to a third party.  It really is that simple.

May 26 2022

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the County Employment and Wages Summary Wednesday [DATA HERE].  The economic tracking measures the employment and wage increases at a county level throughout 343 counties in the nation.


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 25, 2022 | Sundance | 158 Comments

The BLS measures the data on an annual basis from December 2020 through December 2021.  The average rate of wage growth at a county level was 5.9%, far lower than the measured 8.5% inflation rate.  That means real wages, the income of most Americans at the county level have dropped.

However, within the data Florida stands out as having the largest number of counties exceeding the national average.  23 Florida counties are included in the BLS tracking.  An incredible 21 out of 23 Florida counties have wage growth that far exceeds the national average. [BLS, Table-1]

Additionally, Florida holds the top spot for the highest annual rate of wage growth in Palm Beach County with 15.6%…. AND… Florida holds the top spot for the highest annual rate of wage growth amid the ten largest counties, with Miami-Dade wage gains of 11.1%. [BLS, Table-2]

Congratulations Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida workers.   You have the rare distinction of having wage growth overall that exceeds the BLS measured level of Biden inflation.   It’s no wonder why so many people are heading to Florida for jobs.

FREEDOM. If you keep it, they will come.