[AmericanThinker] There was a lot to digest online this week. There’s a brutal, merciless slaughter of civilians in Nigeria and Sudan.
The silence is deafening. Civilian men, women, and children are being slaughtered in Sudan. Estimates of over 150,000 killed & 14 million displaced since April 2023. Considered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. No mass protests. No daily political statements/demands. No college campus encampments
More is unraveling about Arctic Frost, in which the fanatical prosecutor Jack Smith, with the aid of a fiercely partisan Judge James Boasberg, surveilled 20% of the Republican senators, their donors, media companies, including Fox News, Fox Business, Newsmax, OANN, and Sinclair, and conservatives while blocking disclosure to them of the dragnet.
But this week I want to concentrate on the drama at Heritage. I see it as a turning point for American conservatives, illustrating the cowardice of Kevin Roberts, head of one of the most prestigious conservative domestic organizations.
Let me begin with a bit of psychological background. Tucker Carlson has clearly gone off the rails. Curiously, he has said that he dislikes Christian Zionists more than he hates anyone else on the planet. I say "curiously" because he wrote a loving obituary for his father, Ambassador Richard Carlson, who died this March and was a well-known Christian Zionist, a vice chair of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy which supports Israel and the Jewish people.
Carlson has specifically targeted “Christian Zionists” Senator Ted Cruz, former president George W. Bush, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. You might think Heritage would want to distance itself from Carlson, but when the issue was met after Carlson’s powderpuff interview and nodding agreement with his guest Nick Fuentes, Heritage dropped the ball, disagreeing with Fuentes but protecting Carlson, even as it stripped Carlson from its list of donor recommendations.
Analyzing Roberts’ initial statement (which he was under no compulsion to issue that I can see), he magnified his errors in an equally botched effort at damage control. What hold does Carlson have on Roberts and how long will it take for the organization’s board of directors to ask for his resignation? Fuentes is not the issue, Carlson is.
I am quite satisfied only to be the second category that Mr. Carlson hates, and the edge of the shoal on which Mr. Roberts has chosen to run aground, having suddenly been made aware that it is not safe to assume that all one’s circle have followed into the moment’s fashionable new ideas.
[Daily Skeptic] I once worked in communities supported mainly through a form of Universal Basic Income (UBI). Most money was received from the government for no (or token) work, or from mining royalties where others worked digging on the communities’ lands. There were walls black and heaving with cockroaches while children slept with dogs on stained mattresses below, and babies covered head to toe in pustular scabies while the mother complained about a sore back. This was not universal, but not uncommon. Other communities that stood out as strong and healthy had people working hard for a living — particularly in roles that reflected their culture — a very different economy.
Men who once worked hard to support families lose the reason to do so when it makes no real difference, when basics of life and leisure are equally available to those who work for them and those who do nothing. It is not a political issue, just a human behavioural and psychological one. Removing the need to work and the dignity that striving and succeeding brings, especially for one’s family, leads to inaction, loss of interest in the world, a loss of role, loss of dignity and depression. This is dampened by alcohol or drugs. Wives and children suffer by being beaten up by drunk, frustrated and drug-addled men. Having two frequently drunk , absent or unknown
parents ensures children are malnourished and aimless.
This is not theoretical — it is seen all over the world where people of one culture are overrun by those of another and confined to subservience, economic and societal irrelevance, and handouts. Some people and communities break out of it, usually by finding ways to grow their local economy and achieve some form of self-governance and self-reliance. Breaking out is not common and requires an opportunity, the possibility, to do so. Emphasis added.
#1
"You'll own nothing and you'll be happy" (alternatively "You'll own nothing and be happy") is a phrase published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).[1] The phrase is based on a 2016 essay by Ida Auken of Denmark, published by the WEF, about a future in which a hypothetical person relies on the sharing economy for many of their needs.[2] The phrase from the article, Welcome to 2030 and the philosophies expressed within it, has been used by critics who accuse the WEF of desiring restrictions on ownership of personal property. Wiki
This only works so long as systems are undisrupted, so that whatever it is can be easily borrowed from an endless, nearby stock, and as easily returned. And of course, so long as others return whatever it is in good time instead of hoarding it. Even so little as books via Kindle Unlimited or music from iTunes depend on electrical power, the internet, and the various clouds wherein information is stored to be constantly available and unbreached by the malign.
#5
a lot of Indians on tribal lands basically exist on UBI; various free (e.g., health care) or subsidized (e.g., housing)
it keeps people from moving to take opportunities elsewhere, keeps people resentful, keeps people from becoming professional or starting businesses, etc.
bad system
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
11/02/2025 17:17 Comments ||
Top||
#6
another story about Indian Tribal Lands
once upon a time I was doing some work with one of these, meeting with a focus group chosen by tribal leaders - all the focus group were men
they wanted to establish Federal/State subsidized nursing homes at the border of the tribal lands to be staffed by their women
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
11/02/2025 17:39 Comments ||
Top||
#7
it keeps people from moving to take opportunities elsewhere, keeps people resentful, keeps people from becoming professional or starting businesses, etc.
I live near a reservation, and it's worse than that. The economics of the situation cause perverse incentives. The more intelligent and motivated tribal members move away when they get old enough, leaving their less capable cousins behind. Best case scenario the tribe slowly dwindles into something like a club or a badly run old folks home with federal status. Worse case, it's as rough as any urban ghetto or bad trailer park.
For example, the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada has 200 registered members; but they don't actually live on their reservation. It's too far from services. They live in Reno, and manage their land as a sort of federally funded wilderness preserve.
I understand the history behind the current situation for Native Americans, and don't hold it against them. In fact, if we introduce UBI I think we will mostly do worse than they have. It's not a system you want to scale up.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Kolovangin
[REGNUM] The life of Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is one of the most astonishing examples of the fall of a high-ranking official in modern history.
The prince 's links to financier Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of child sex crimes, have not only damaged his reputation but have had a profoundly negative impact on the royal family as a whole.
Once Queen Elizabeth II's favourite son, who graced the royal family with his military career and public activities, Andrew has become a symbol of the crisis of confidence in the British monarchy over the past fifteen years.
That is why in October King Charles III made the unprecedented decision to strip his brother of all royal titles.
DANGEROUS LIAISONS
Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein began in 1999, when the financier was introduced to British royalty by his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein soon became part of Andrew's social circle, and in April 2000, he was among those invited to a party at Windsor Castle held in honor of the prince's 40th birthday.
That's when Virginia Giuffre entered Andrew's life. According to her, in the summer of 2000, when she was just 16, she began working for Epstein's company. Soon, the financier and his associates began systematically exploiting her for sexual purposes.
According to Giuffre's testimony, Andrew had sexual relations with her three times in 2001. She said that during the last episode, there were about eight other young men on the island, all of whom appeared to be under 18.
Andrew claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein in December 2010. However, emails from February 2011 were later discovered in which the prince wrote to him, "We're in this together." The letter dealt a serious blow to the royal's testimony.
After Epstein's arrest in July 2019 and his death in prison a month later, the scandal seemed to be dying down. But in November of that year, Andrew gave a disastrous interview to the BBC, in which he attempted to explain his friendship with the convicted criminal.
Instead of expressing sympathy for the victims, the prince focused on defending his own reputation, claiming he didn't even remember meeting Giuffre. When shown a photograph of himself embracing a young Virginia, Andrew suggested the image might be faked.
The interview sparked a wave of ridicule and condemnation in the British and international media.
FAMILY ON GUARD
The royal palace's response to the allegations has evolved over the years, reflecting growing public and media pressure.
In 2015, when Andrew's name first appeared in court documents, the palace issued a categorical denial, saying there was "no suggestion of misconduct with minors."
Following Epstein's arrest in 2019, the family attempted to distance itself from the prince. Following his infamous interview, it was announced that Andrew was withdrawing from public life "indefinitely." However, this decision appeared to be merely cosmetic—the prince remained in his palace, retained his titles and privileges, and merely formally stepped back from his duties.
In 2022, the pressure on the prince increased significantly, and Andrew was forced to pay Giuffre a multi-million pound settlement. The exact amount was not disclosed, but various experts put it at 12 million pounds.
Although Andrew did not admit guilt, the admission of the claim under public pressure showed that the royal family could no longer effectively cover for him.
The critical moment came with the publication of Giuffre's memoir last October. A series of new allegations, including the revelation that Andrew allegedly asked his security team to collect personal data about her, sparked widespread outrage.
The King also got his share of criticism: during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral, an outraged subject shouted, "How long did you know about Andrew and Epstein? Did you ask the police to suppress information about Andrew?"
This public humiliation of the monarch was the final straw. Conservative politicians, law enforcement officials, and members of Parliament began to actively demand immediate action. The pressure was so great that Charles III was forced to act.
WHAT WILL ANDREW HAVE LEFT?
Buckingham Palace announced the formal process of stripping Andrew of all his titles and privileges. Furthermore, the prince was ordered to vacate the 30-room palace on the grounds of Windsor Castle, Royal Lodge, where he had lived for over 20 years.
He will now reside in a more modest home, the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, with the King personally covering the expenses.
Despite the unprecedented punishment, Andrew retained two privileges that were critical to him.
Firstly, he retains a place in line to the throne. Andrew remains eighth in the line of succession, behind Prince William and his three children, and Prince Harry and his two children.
Removing the prince from the list of incumbents to the throne would require legislation from the British Parliament and the consent of the 14 other countries where Charles is still king. Such a process is extremely complex and politically disadvantageous for the monarchy.
Secondly, Andrew remains a Counsellor of State. This status entitles him to perform certain royal functions, including attending meetings of the Privy Council.
However, he will be unable to fulfill this role in practice: in 2022, a law was passed requiring Counsellors of State to be active members of the royal family, which automatically excludes the possibility of both Andrew himself and his nephew, Prince Harry, fulfilling these duties.
WHERE IS THE COURT?
One of the main aspects for which the public harshly criticizes the royal family is the lack of a trial for the prince, despite the gravity of the charges brought against him.
The compelling testimony of Giuffre and other victims failed to prompt the British judiciary to initiate criminal proceedings against Andrew. Unlike Epstein, who was formally charged, Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Weinstein, who was convicted in New York, Andrew avoided a formal trial.
This has raised pressing questions about whether the principle of equality before the law truly exists in Britain. Why are ordinary citizens accused of such crimes brought to justice, while the prince is not?
GOT INTO FOCUS
Charles III's decision to strip Andrew of all his titles can be seen as an attempt to save the monarchy by effectively making members of the royal family accountable to the public.
This approach is unprecedented: in the modern history of Britain, something like this has never happened.
The last time a royal title was revoked was in 1919, when Prince Charles Edward was stripped of his title of Duke of Albany for siding with Germany in World War I. However, this was not done as publicly as it is now.
Andrew had the misfortune of being caught in the age of social media, 24-hour news coverage and growing public demand for transparency.
The scandal and its aftermath undoubtedly marked a critical moment in the history of the British monarchy.
On the one hand, Charles III's decision to strip his brother of all titles and privileges can be seen as a sign of the monarchy's ability to adapt and correct mistakes in response to the demands of society.
On the other hand, the very fact that a member of the royal family committed serious misconduct and covered up the situation for fifteen years undermined the British people's trust in the monarchy as an institution.
In an era when younger subjects of the crown increasingly oppose its retention, and social inequality sharpens criticism of the privileged classes, monarchs can no longer afford to shield members of their families from public condemnation and evade legal responsibility.
And while other family members, Prince William and Princess Kate, remain popular, and public support for the monarchy remains formally above 50 percent, the trend is undeniable: the institution is losing supporters among the younger generation, and serious scandals are accelerating the erosion of trust.
It used to be reported that various Al Qaeda branches and affiliates were heavily involved in transnational and even intercontinental drug transport and trafficking. Is that still so? Not an answer, but certainly take note of the names involved, dear Reader.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] At 21, Zakaria El Kasmioui was already the boss of a young criminal gang that generated an estimated £25 million by importing tonnes of cocaine through the port of Antwerp - the drugs gateway of Europe.
At 29, the kingpin appears on Belgium's 'Most Wanted' list and has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he is believed to have evaded capture by relocating to a luxury skyscraper in Dubai where he continues to expand his collection of Rolex watches and Louboutin trainers.
Kasmioui, who goes by the deceptive nickname 'Piwi' (meaning 'idiot'), is but one part of Belgium's spiralling cocaine problem, where drug lords preside over mafia-like gangs and rival the police and judiciary for control of the country.
The situation is so alarming that a senior investigative judge broke her silence, warning that her nation was rapidly evolving into a 'narco-state' because of the 'billion-dollar' black market industry.
'We are facing an organised threat that is undermining our institutions,' wrote the terrified judge in her 1,000-word anonymous open letter, pleading for 'a government that takes responsibility for protecting its own foundations'.
The whistleblower paints a grim picture of state corruption, revealing how drug cartels have infiltrated every fibre of Belgium society - from customs personnel to police forces and employees of the justice system in prisons and courts.
Not only that, but senior officials have been forced to live under permanent police protection because of threats from gangsters, who are using Snapchat to order home bomb attacks and kidnappings for a few hundred euros apiece.
Without immediate action, more innocent civilians - who have nothing to do with the criminal underworld - risk getting wrapped up in the violence, with Brussels alone recording 92 shootings last year, killing nine and injuring 48.
In 2023, cocaine seizures in Europe hit a record for the seventh consecutive year, with 419 metric tonnes confiscated by authorities.
Belgium led the way with 123 tonnes - 116 tonnes in Antwerp alone - followed by Spain (118 tonnes) and the Netherlands (59 tonnes), as the three countries with major ports accounted for 72 percent of the total amount grabbed by agents.
However, seizures likely represent only 10-20 percent of the total amount of the drug in circulation, and gangs fully anticipate that a proportion of their deliveries will be discovered.
Still, the profits are huge, with demand for the substance showing no signs of faltering - its street price has held steady at around €50 per gram for the past decade.
And as rival gangs compete to cash in on the £11 billion trade, their bloody turf wars are spilling out on to the streets.
On Thursday, the dismembered body of Tijn, a 25-year-old man who had gone missing from Alkmaar in September, was discovered at a holiday home in Belgium.
Reports in local media suggest his death was linked to a drugs dispute - the latest incident in a string of gruesome cases which have been plaguing the western European country for years.
In 2022, 46-year-old Yacine El M’Rabet was tortured to death in Brussels for reportedly stealing cocaine from his bosses Michaël Pindeville and Ahmed El Battouti.
He was discovered on the side of the street after reportedly having been burned on his genitals with an iron and with a homemade blowtorch, doused with ammonia, and beaten with a gas canister and a metal bar, which was also used to rape him.
That same year, Dutch media reported that a 17-year-old had his earlobe cut off, tendons in his hand severed, and a piece of one of his toes removed after he was suspected of having tipped off another gang about the location of 300kg of cocaine in East Flanders.
In a particularly hideous case, an 11-year-old girl was shot dead in Antwerp in 2023 after being caught up in the crossfire of warring drug traffickers.
The child, who was from the Merksem district, was having dinner with her family when the house they live in was shot at.
'We have entered a new phase of narcoterrorism in our country,' warned former justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne that year, who, along with his pregnant wife and two children, has spent time in hiding after evidence surfaced that drug gangs were plotting to kidnap him.
'I think it will get worse, and I’m afraid that more tragedies will follow.' He was right: with 57 shootings since the start of 2025, Brussels is on the verge of another record year for gun violence, with most of them linked to drug wars.
In February, civilians were terrified after gunshots were heard outside a metro station in the centre of Brussels, where CCTV showed two masked gunmen believed to be linked to the drugs world.
Antwerp has long been the preferred point of entry for gangs smuggling cocaine into Europe, with its steady flow of fresh fruit crates offering the perfect concealment for contraband.
Most of the drugs originate in Colombia, as well as Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay and Brazil, from where they are imported - often by Albanian cartels - to Europe's second largest seaport.
Officials in Belgium have seized so much cocaine that they are struggling to dispose of it before gangs steal it back: incinerators can only process 1,000 to 1,500kg per session before the white powder damages the filters.
However, as the anonymous judge revealed in her plea for action, key personnel tasked with combating the drug trade - including port workers, ticket office staff, and even police officers - have been found to be complicit.
In January 2024, Belgian police arrested 22 people - three of whom were cops - in a major drug case, during which they raided 45 private homes and businesses where money, luxury vehicles and a handgun were seized.
Some of the suspects plotted to smuggle cocaine to the United Kingdom using helicopters, the police uncovered.
Meanwhile, state officials who dedicate their lives to fighting corruption have an immediate target on their backs.
'An attack with a bomb or weapons of war, a home invasion, or a kidnapping are all easily ordered online,' warned the anonymous judge, who has herself spent four months living in a safe house guarded by an elite armed police unit after receiving threats from drug traffickers.
'You don’t even have to go to the dark web; a Snapchat account is all it takes.'
And no one is immune, not even the political elite: Bart De Wever, the prime minister of Belgium, was placed under 24-hour police protection in 2021, as was Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, over fears cocaine gangs were trying to target them.
Law enforcement has seen some success in busting cartels in recent years, however.
In December 2023, one of the largest criminal trials in Belgium's history kicked off, with 120 defendants in the dock charged with drug and arms trafficking, extortion, acts of torture and attempted murder.
The 'mega trial' followed a revolutionary government hack of two encrypted communications platforms - Sky ECC and EncroChat - used by drug kingpins, port workers, crime families and all their lawyers.
By October 2024, 119 people were sentenced to prison terms ranging between 14 months and 17 years.
As part of Belgium's war on drugs, Nordin El Hajjioui, nicknamed 'Dikke Nordin', was extradited from Dubai to Belgium in March last year after he was accused of not only cocaine smuggling but involvement in a series of grenade attacks.
This summer, Othman El Ballouti - dubbed the 'Cocaine King' - was also finally extradited to Belgium by Dubai authorities, after he was sentenced in absentia in September 2024 to seven years in prison for importing 840kg of cocaine from Ecuador.
He is considered a key figure of the second generation of the 'Mocro-Mafia' - a criminal network of cocaine traffickers of Moroccan-Dutch origin.
Last year saw the conclusion of the Marengo trial in Amsterdam: a case that saw one of the Netherland's most-wanted fugitives, Ridouan Taghi, sentenced to life behind bars for ordering a series of gangland killings.
In the mammoth trial, after 142 hearing days spread over almost six years, Taghi and 16 other men were accused of six murders, four attempts at murder and the preparation of several other attacks.
Taghi, who was extradited from Dubai in 2019, is seen as the mastermind of what is thought to be one of the Netherlands' largest drug cartels.
'He decided who would be killed and spared no one,' the judge said, describing him as the 'undisputed leader' of the 'murder organisation' which killed rivals ruthlessly - sometimes in front of their young children.
'The amount of suffering Taghi caused to the victims and their loved ones is barely imaginable,' the judge said.
Three murders were also committed during the course of the trial, including celebrity Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, who was shot dead on a busy Amsterdam street in 2021.
De Vries was acting as an adviser to a suspect-turned-state witness in the trial, whose lawyer, Derk Wiersum, was killed in front of his own home in 2019.
But several kingpins - such as Kasmioui or 'Piwi' - are still on the run abroad in countries like Dubai, where authorities have historically been reluctant to arrest and extradite Belgian suspects.
When police searched his property in Edegem, they found €60,000 worth of Rolex watches and that his wardrobe was stacked full of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana designer clothes.
And in a tapped phone call between his girlfriend and her friend, the woman boasted of feeling like Kim Kardashian because of all the luxury gifts she had received from her drug lord lover, Het Laatste Nieuws reported.
But by the time police arrived to arrest Piwi following his sentencing in absentia, he had already fled - reportedly to an opulent apartment in Dubai’s Burj Vista, complete with multiple infinity pools and designer boutiques on the ground floor.
Jos Leijdekkers, 33, is another one of Europe's most-wanted fugitives who has escaped the grip of the authorities.
He was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison in June last year by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine, but is believed to be living in Sierra Leone - a transshipment point for large volumes of Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.
A $210,000 (£168,000) reward is being offered for tip-offs that lead to the arrest of the kingpin, also known by the nickname Bolle Jos.
But it may be a while before Leijdekkers is brought to justice, for it appears he has successfully insinuated himself into the lives and businesses of the country’s elite.
Videos and photos verified by Reuters of a church Mass in Sierra Leone on January 1 show the convict sitting two rows behind Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, next to his daughter - Agnes.
Unverified reports suggest that the two could be married, and multiple sources said Leijdekkers was benefiting from high-level protection, allowing him to evade capture.
Donald Trump’s military airstrikes targeting boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking off the coast of Venezuela have stirred controversy, with Republican Senator Rand Paul describing them as 'extrajudicial killings'.
In recent weeks, his administration has carried out at least eight strikes against boats in the Caribbean sea, killing about 40 people.
But Prime Minister De Wever has applauded the efforts of Trump, and called for stepped-up collaboration and information between the EU and United States, 'because the drug criminals know no borders', he said.
Belgium no-doubt faces unique bureaucratic difficulties when it comes to battling cocaine smuggling, one being the fact that it is administrated by 19 different mayors.
'Nineteen authorities, 19 mayors, makes it complicated to have coordination,' Belgium’s Drug Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch told Politico.
And in the digital age with advanced technology, busting criminal gangs is more difficult than ever.
'It’s not like you can follow the Italian chain, or the Serbian or the Moroccan chain,' Van Wymersch said.
'They are all working for each other and in a much more anonymous way.
'Today they all have nicknames, they use encrypted communication. They don’t know a lot about the organisation where they are involved in. They know their counterpart, but they don’t have to see each other anymore.
'It’s very diverse. That’s what we see in the street, that a lot of vulnerable people are recruited to do the dirty jobs.'
Now more than ever, state officials must come together to dismantle the increasingly sophisticated mafia-like networks threatening to overwhelm Belgium's civil society - before more blood is shed.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
