Beware: The murder of the United Healthcare CEO has turned into a case of oppressor-oppressed on social media and by some reporters. It’s becoming a Victor Hugo novel. Romanticizing a Psychopath, Oppressor-Oppressed The media is lighting up with some nasty comments about the murdered United Healthcare CEO being a mass murderer as the head of […] The post Les Miserables: The CEO Killer Speaks for the Oppressed? appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

This week, Daniel Penny’s defense attorneys flagged Judge Maxwell Wiley to what they say are improper and misleading actions by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office working with the media.  Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran, is on trial for the death of Jordan Neely, whom Penny restrained on the NYC subway last year after Neely allegedly threatened passengers. The defense says Bragg’s office has been aggressively pushing the media to add in their coverage that there’s no mandatory minimum sentence if Penny is convicted on the second-degree manslaughter charge.  “The District Attorney’s efforts to have the jury speculate as to a potential sentence are both improper and misleading,” Penny attorneys Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff told Fox News. “While it is technically true that these charges do not carry a mandatory minimum, that is the case with most felonies in New York. It is equally true that the maximum sentence is 15 years in state prison.” “Moreover, the tenacity with which the District Attorney has sought to obtain a conviction against Mr. Penny strongly suggests that they will advocate for a substantial sentence in the event of a guilty verdict,” the attorneys added. A defense attorney named Danielle Iredale told Fox that this appears to be a signal to the jury that it’s okay for them to convict Penny since he potentially won’t serve any time behind bars. “Defense lawyers are barred from mentioning potential sentences at trial — the reasoning being that it would be an attempt to seek sympathy from jurors who then may reach a verdict based on something other than the facts, In other words, ‘He may be guilty, but 10 years is too much time,’” Iredale explained. “Here, there is a hypocrisy to the DA’s messaging. In attempting to publish the fact that there is no statutory mandatory minimum sentence, they are essentially saying, ‘It’s OK to convict, he may not go to the jail!’” In closing arguments and throughout the trial, the state has argued that Penny went “too far” and was “reckless” when restraining Neely, ultimately killing him.  Controversially, the prosecution has leaned heavily into race, implying that Penny, who is white, was motivated by Neely’s race when restraining him. Notably, Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran has referred to Penny as “the white man” during the trial, while referring to Neely by his name, The Daily Wire reported. She also told the jury during closing arguments that Penny “didn’t recognize that Jordan Neely was a person” and viewed Neely as “a person [who] needed to be eliminated.” The defense, alternatively, has repeatedly asked the jury to consider who they’d want on the subway with them if they were under a serious threat. Raiser argued that Penny could have done nothing when Neely allegedly threatened terrified subway riders, but instead, he chose to act, putting his “own life on the line” to protect “perfect strangers.” CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Penny’s defense has also raised serious doubt about the manner in which Neely died. The New York medical examiner said he died of asphyxiation, but, controversially, she admitted during the trial that she made that determination based on viral video evidence before she ever received a toxicology report.  Moreover, a forensic pathologist brought by the defense testified that Neely’s death was caused by the “combined effects” of sickle cell, K2, which is a synthetic drug tied to psychosis, schizophrenia, and other factors. He also said that the chokehold did not directly kill Neely. Notably, Neely still had a pulse when police arrived on the scene. Mouth-to-mouth was not given to Neely because, according to police testimony, he looked filthy and like an apparent drug user.  Penny has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, which carries a 15-year sentence, and criminally negligent homicide, which carries a four-year sentence. Closing arguments in the case wrapped on Tuesday, and the jury will continue deliberations on Friday.

One extra friendly cow may have gotten the wrong impression when a woman pulled over to give him a snack! Richard Ross and his mother, Kalin, were driving through Natural Bridge, Virginia when Mom spotted the sweet-looking animal outside. She really wanted to feed him a treat, so her son stopped the car. However, she wasn’t expecting the creature to be quite so… affectionate. Richard caught the most hilarious footage of his mom’s interaction with the friendly cow. Having rolled down her window, Kalin started scooping grain out of a container to feed the animal. Unfortunately, though, this Cow-sanova wasn’t all that interested in the treat — he wanted a kiss! So, he reached into the car with his enormous tongue and tried to lick the woman’s face. “Did you want some more?” Kalin asked, offering the animal another handful of grain. She started cracking up when the all-too-friendly cow bypassed her outstretched hand and attempted to give her a big, slobbery smooch. Luckily, she managed to evade the surprisingly long reach of the determined animal’s tongue — mostly. He wasn’t able to plant one on her face, but he did lick her shoulder pretty thoroughly. Richard captured some great footage of this humorous event. At one point, he got an excellent shot of the cow’s enormous mouth and lengthy tongue coming in through the open window. If Kalin hadn’t been laughing the entire time, this clip would have actually been pretty scary! Fox 10 tells us that Richard caught this footage in October. He couldn’t help but find it funny that the cow had asked his mom “for a kiss,” as he recalled to Storyful. ABC News shared the man’s video on social media, where one commenter remarked on the friendly cow’s lack of manners. “My that cow is forward,” they joked. Usually, you need to exercise caution around strange animals in case they’re aggressive. Thanks to this cow, we now also have to worry about them being too friendly! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Woman Gets More Than She Bargained For In Close Encounter With Friendly Cow appeared first on InspireMore.

Herod’s plot reveals a deeper spiritual battle against God's plan.

Our 10 Popular Shared Song Titles and Winning Choices article presents a group of songs that share only one thing in common: their song titles. That single commonality fuels this article because, for the most part, we aim to pick song titles that very different musical artists utilize. This was done to showcase how a particular phrase can be interpreted in vastly different artistic ways—musically, lyrically, and stylistically. It’s fascinating to see the same song title used by classic rock bands, R&B artists, country singers, adult contemporary performers, and more, with many of these songs becoming huge hits. So, what The post 10 Popular Shared Song Titles And Winning Choices appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

The mass displacement of populations has been a recurring feature of human history, often driven by conflict, environmental degradation, and economic disparity. It isn’t just people relocating in many cases. It’s weaponized migration. The book Overrun is a deep dive into how the Biden administration created an illegal migration crisis in only four years. In recent days I have had time enough to think deeply about what generated this huge mess in a country that had it all. I have a good idea of the whole picture, which I want to share here. Weaponized migration However, in recent years, there has been a growing recognition that migration can also be deliberately engineered as a tool of political coercion and destabilization. Under certain contexts, migration can be weaponized, functioning as a form of “slow violence” that inflicts widespread suffering and undermines the stability of states and societies. The concept of migration as a weapon of mass destruction may seem hyperbolic, but it is grounded in a growing body of evidence. The infiltration of criminal groups in the migration wave is one of the most blatant pieces of evidence. By systematically targeting civilian populations, undermining state institutions, and provoking social unrest, actors can exploit migration to achieve a spectrum of strategic objectives. These objectives may include territorial expansion, regime change, or distracting attention from domestic problems. This has been a behavioral pattern, and the free media and social networks continuously unmask it. We have in recent history two perfect examples: the displacement of Venezuelan migrants, resulting in turmoil in the streets under the government of President Duque (a known enemy of the Venezuelan regime) in 2017-2018. This chaos disappeared once the guerrilla chief Petro and his gang took over the Presidency. The same pattern was generated in Chile, with such unrest in the streets never seen in years, only to produce problems in the government of President Piñera (compared by the Venezuelan regime with Pinochet, a known dictator). Once again, as President Boric assumed office, all the turmoil ceased, and there has not been a serious demonstration ever since. Historically, forced migration has been used also as a tool for ethnic cleansing. In the case of the most recent regimes, the rogue States use it to expel opposition and enemies. The Colombian guerrilla expelled and displaced almost 5 million people only to use their territory as a sanctuary. The leftist ideology once exhibited by these groups lost all the “coating” they had. Their real purpose of existing is to serve as guardians of the humungous drug production business and the corresponding trafficking routes. Which can be considered an act of war. Demographic changes The expulsion of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe after World War II, the displacement of Palestinians in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar are all examples of how migration has been used to engineer demographic change and consolidate power. Sadly, the weaponization of migration has evolved in recent years, with new technologies and globalization facilitating more sophisticated forms of population displacement. It is even considered an “asymmetric” kind of weapon. This term means that smaller and weaker parts can use it against the strong opponents and generate in their territory a massive disruption of normality for a prolonged time. The Syrian civil war provides a particularly striking example of how migration can be used as a weapon of mass destruction. The Assad regime, with the support of Russia, has employed a range of tactics, including indiscriminate bombing, siege warfare, and the targeting of civilian infrastructure, to force millions of Syrians to flee their homes. This mass displacement has not only created a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions but has also had a destabilizing effect on neighboring countries and Europe. The weaponization of migration is often facilitated by the failure of states to protect their favorite groups of popular revolts, for instance, (Venezuela’s case) with the complicity of external actors (Turkey, Russia, Iran). It’s not the same controlling a population of 35 million instead of one of 28MM. Weak or failing states are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, as their inability to provide basic services and security can create conditions that are ripe for mass displacement. Moreover, external actors, such as great powers and regional rivals, may support or even instigate conflict to create refugee flows that can be used as leverage. Managing the influx The receiving states need to dedicate resources, time, and money to solve problems that they shouldn’t have in the first place. Just like Venezuelans experienced first-hand, the international community has been slow to respond to the threat posed by the weaponization of migration. While numerous international legal instruments protect refugees and internally displaced persons, these instruments have often proven inadequate in the face of large-scale displacement crises. Moreover, the global governance system has been unable to develop effective mechanisms for preventing and responding to the deliberate engineering of migration. In the article that inspired this entry, Dr. Greenhill explains that both migration and refugee flows are the most significant causes of serious armed conflicts in the post-Cold War period. It is important to remember that despotic regimes have mostly used forced migration: Cuba in the 1965 and 1994 waves and the most famous “shipping” of Mariel refugees in 1980, including all the imprisoned thugs. Jails were emptied. In other latitudes, extremist groups and authoritarian governments have used the refugee crisis for their political ends, fostering fear and xenophobia. The Syrian crisis is acknowledged as one of the main drivers of Muslim migration to Europe. The parallelism of the coercion of Turkey to the European Union with the Venezuelan rule attitude is remarkable. The Turkish officials in charge of the deal to include Turkey in the EU made a rude statement to their counterparts to “face the consequences of migration” if they voted against the incorporation of Turkey into the EU. Of course, opening borders to a creeping dictator like Erdogan is not to be taken lightly. The Venezuelan regime angrily threatened with the “Bolivarian Hurricane”, and Duque, before 2018, as well as Piñera, had to face serious turmoils, including the destruction of public property. If there is a book and classroom example of weaponized migration, it is this one. Another painful example is found in the analogies between the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges that he directed a campaign of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other crimes against humanity during the country’s Darfur conflict and certain South American bus driver we all know by now. Mind you, the Horn of Africa deal with the EU included this despotic Sudanese’s demands. Look at the mess Europe is heading now. How to deal with the consequences of forced migration in your area Migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that challenges our societies. The situation gets even more complex when it is used by unscrupulous people as a weapon. The added value of your regular Joe writing life experiences in worldwide media is that you get the real data you need. Most of the consequences of uncontrolled migration generated in the short term are petty felonies, homelessness, street begging, drugs, and go as far as home squatting, and serious violent crimes. We Venezuelans have been dealing with these effects for so long that it’s almost automatic to proceed with the installation of gratings and bars on windows, doors, and other openings where an undesired scoundrel could fit through. Padlocks, CCTV cameras, motion sensors, and all these systems are good tools, but there is another dimension with migrants, and I will explain it. Talking by experience, we humans like to be part of a clan. It’s part of our brain wiring to feel safe between those we share bonds with. It’s regrettable that those “clans” sometimes can be nosy, and thugs love to band up, too. Most of the time, the good people in the group don´t even know some of the guys hanging out next to them, perhaps were in jail once or a runaway somewhere else. That’s why it’s so hard to combat these situations. If you suddenly stumble into a band of migrants, the wisest thing to do is avoid confrontation. No matter how resentful you can be, it’s not the moment to show it. Things can get out of control, and all of the “witnesses” will be against you. Politicians would have a field day exploiting all this. Don’t allow your taxes to be wasted on this. There are some good people in those groups, also. The familiarity with a language or way of behaving is what makes the bonds within a migrant group strong. If you can bypass the crowd and become invisible, so much better. I just watched a video of one of the major concentrations of Venezuelan migrants in Chile, Calle La Puente, Cal y Canto Metro Station. This is the same crowd that once polluted the Caracas downtown and many other places, like the Boulevard, once an emblematic and high-end restaurant and cafe route. If you cross paths with a group of migrants, open your eyes, and don’t show fear or discomfort. Do what you do as usual. Young guys in numbers can be annoying and total j*rks, no matter the origin. Trust me, I know. But it’s not the moment to be a Karen. If you want to help someone knocking at your door, ask for some references first (and verify them!) before offering landscaping chores or other jobs. If you have been seeing the same people around for some time, it’s because they will stick to a place where there are jobs. That means they probably have a place to stay and can provide an address. Don’t allow a guy you see for the first time to get into your backyard. That’s dumb, and if the guy steals your Roomba, it means more work on the desk of an officer. Keep your eyes wide open and analyze facts before conceding trust. We are facing significant challenges from weaponized migration In conclusion, the weaponization of migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that poses a significant challenge to international security, democracy, and human rights. By understanding the mechanisms through which migration can be used as a tool of political coercion, the Americas can develop more effective strategies for prevention, response, and, especially, protection. The actors involved in the weaponized migration need to understand that implications can and will be punished by international law and policy. Thanks for your reading and your much-needed donations to keep writing and sharing this journey with such a fabulous community. Stay safe, and keep tuned! J. Have you seen evidence of weaponized migration? Is your area home to a large number of migrants?  Has it caused problems? What other ways do you see this being weaponized? Let’s discuss it in the comments section. About Jose Jose is an upper middle class professional. He is a former worker of the oil state company with a Bachelor’s degree from one of the best national Universities. He has an old but in good shape SUV, a good 150 square meters house in a nice neighborhood, in a small but (formerly) prosperous city with two middle size malls. Jose is a prepper and shares his eyewitness accounts and survival stories from the collapse of his beloved Venezuela. Jose and his younger kid are currently back in Venezuela, after the intention of setting up a new life in another country didn’t  go well. The SARSCOV2 re-shaped the labor market and South American economy so he decided to give it a try to homestead in the mountains, and make a living as best as possible. But this time in his own land, and surrounded by family, friends and acquaintances, with all the gear and equipment collected, as the initial plan was.  Follow Jose on YouTube and gain access to his exclusive content on Patreon. Donations: paypal.me/JoseM151 The post Weaponized Migration Is More Destructive Than People Think appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

It all depends on what you mean by “near”.

The First Descendant Season 2 is underway, bringing new characters and missions to the free Steam game. It’s a great time to jump back in if you’ve been away or were waiting for a reason to start, but there are a few small problems that developer Nexon Games is angling to fix as soon as possible. These include some progression blockers and an unclear unlock requirement for the new dungeon. There’s also compensation for players after discounts were not properly applied to some of the new store bundles. Continue reading The First Descendant hands out compensation as it targets key Season 2 issues MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The First Descendant system requirements, The First Descendant characters, The First Descendant crossplay

There's another way to argue over who's stronger between Spider-Man and Wolverine, and it's already off to a flying start. Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play PvP game featuring all your favorite heroes and villains, spiked on Steam as soon as it launched, generating numbers that should make some peers sweat. Continue reading Overwatch has a serious contender as Marvel Rivals joins Steam’s biggest games MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Marvel Rivals codes, Marvel Rivals characters, Marvel Rivals tier list