137 thoughts on “February Games”

    1. Morning, Pat! Same here! 0 this morning, with at least a couple more inches of snow overnight but at least it’s not as windy. I don’t get these puzzles – what am I missing?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        the first one is SPLIT LEVEL–does that help?

        i emailed Marica–Valerie is today, jam’s is somewhere between the middle and end of Feb (she wouldn’t say exactly) and yours. plus Rodney and Kimi and Marica’s hubby.
        our power is flickering–may loose me today…smh

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Troublemaker10

    February 17, 2025 3:10 am

    Reply to  Troublemaker10

    🚨MISLEADING MUCH, 60 MINUTES?

    60 Minutes claimed Kristina Drye “was fired this month in the chaotic shutdown of USAID.”

    What they didn’t tell you? Kristina wasn’t a USAID employee – she worked for XLA and Jefferson Partners, providing speechwriting services for USAID… pic.twitter.com/bzxawR4Rxm

    — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 17, 2025

    60 Mins is just fully a scam https://t.co/WxfjsBPYz6

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2025

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Project Constitution

    @ProjectConstitu

    SHOCKER: China Lied About the Spy Balloon Remember when China claimed the mysterious white balloon that Biden let float over the entire U.S., including our sensitive military sites, was just a weather balloon? Turns out, we were right all along!The Trump administration just declassified the contents, which included a satellite communication module, sensors, and highly sophisticated surveillance equipment, some of which was held in a foam cooler. Supposedly this information gathered was not transmitted back to China, but I find that hard to believe since it linked up to a satellite, meaning the information could be transferred in real-time back to China. And get this, tech from 5 American companies was on board. . #ChinaSpyBalloon #TruthUncovered #NationalSecurity

    Liked by 1 person

  14. looking for more sauce

    Mila Joy
    @MilaLovesJoe
    BREAKING NEWS: 9th Circuit Court Drops Legal Bombshell on Biden’s Pardons!

    Preemptive Pardons are OUT.

    In a shocking ruling, the notoriously LIBERAL 9th Circuit Court has declared that 84 of President Biden’s last-minute pardons are UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

    Judge Joe Barron, in a scathing opinion, stated:

    “There is absolutely NO PRECEDENT for pardoning someone who hasn’t even been charged with a crime. President Biden’s pre-emptive pardons are, therefore, WAY OUTSIDE the bounds of constitutional law.”

    Here are the 84 people no longer have pardons:

    • His immediate family members: This included his brothers James and Frank Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses Sara Jones Biden and John Owens.
    • High-profile critics of Donald Trump: Among those pardoned were:
    • Anthony Fauci, who served as the chief medical advisor during the COVID-19 response.
    • Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
    • Members of the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, including Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson, Adam Schiff, Adam Kinzinger, Pete Aguilar, Zoe Lofgren, Jamie Raskin, Elaine Luria, Stephanie Murphy, and their staff.
    • Capitol and Washington Metropolitan Police officers who testified before the January 6 committee. The fallout? The Solicitor General is poised to hand over these cases to the Department of Justice for prosecution.

    This decision could rock the foundations of presidential pardon powers and stir up a political storm. Stay tuned for more updates as this historic legal drama unfolds!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reuters, as well as 5 other fact checkers:

      “Posts saying that a Judge Joseph Barron on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled pardons granted by former U.S. President Joe Biden on the last day of his presidency to be unconstitutional stem from a satirical Facebook page.

      There is no judge by that name on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and a review of the court’s website, opens new tab shows that no such decision was issued as of Feb. 4.

      On Jan. 20, Biden issued preemptive pardons to several of his immediate family members and others whom President Donald Trump has named as targets for retaliation.

      A graphic shared on Facebook, opens new tab within days said: “BIDEN PARDONS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL! 7th Circuit Judge Joseph Barron ruled that there is no provision to pardon someone who hasn’t been formally charged, laying the foundation to have the pardons expunged.”

      Liked by 1 person

  18. not sure what earns him the “racist” tag

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/racist-judge-jack-mcconnell-who-halted-president-trumps/

    The Gipper Lives

    February 17, 2025 7:38 am

    Racist Judge Jack McConnell, Who Halted President Trump’s Temporary Spending Freeze,
    Received Over $100 Million in Government Funding for His NGO | The Gateway Pundit

    Judge McConnell’s organization has received $117.6 million in government funding in total (ending in 2023). The Gateway Pundit previously reported on this radical far-left judge who called President Trump a “tyrant” and decries racism as a “white people problem.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. “The Gateway Pundit previously reported on this radical far-left judge who called President Trump a “tyrant” and decries racism as a “white people problem.”

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, that’s right! It’s a holiday! I need to get a new flag but I think I’ll wait until spring. I noticed yesterday when I ran downtown that my neighbor to the west has a Trump flag flying directly underneath the US flag on their flag pole! Good people!

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Sassafrass84
    @Sassafrass_84
    So.. should DOGE audit her? 👀

    Chelsea Clinton receives annually-recurring funding from USAID, allocated by Obama for her Foundation, which provides afternoon meals to children in Africa, India, and Bangladesh.

    However, as of today, the reported number of meals served stands at 11,886, implying an astonishing cost of $1,410 per meal.

    Net Worth $70 Million
    Husband Net Worth $45 Million
    Inheritance $52 million
    USAID Earnings $3.9 Million per year
    Real Estate Assets $25 million
    Monthly Spends $100,000
    Car Collection Eight

    Has accomplished nothing.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Just The News: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recommended his ministers not approve a proposal that would have allowed the U.S. to use Kyiv’s rare earth minerals “as compensation” in exchange for security assistance, according to a report from the Associated Press.

    The proposal, which was part of the discussions between Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not provide specific security guarantees for Ukraine, according to unnamed current and former senior Ukrainian officials. 

    “I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy said on Saturday in Munich.

    A senior White House official called Zelenskyy’s decision “short-sighted,” the AP reported.”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Well, duh! “Potentially?” This is an absolute no-brainer!!!

    Just The News: “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters at the White House that she looks forward to working with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, including potentially banning benefits from being used on junk foods.

    “I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, do we have the healthiest choices?” she said. “So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they okay with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?”

    She suggested that Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency examine the SNAP program for waste.

    “Oftentimes, these government programs are started with the idea that you’re going to help people — it’s not a handout, it’s a hand up — and then years later, the programs are even bigger, and you’ve got more people on them,” she said. “And are we really giving people a hand up, or is it instead a handout?”

    Liked by 1 person

  24. IMO, the Federal Government and the States are shooting themselves in the foot when they ban e-cigs. It is a healthier alternative to cigs and is often used to help people quit smoking. That was my intent, to use them to stop smoking after 50+ years – and then NE banned my favorite flavored e-cig (Blu – peach, of course!) “because of the children/teens.” Blu is very simple and easy to use – no mess, no fuss – just replace the pod and recharge when needed. No more flavored ones! They also have them with varying strength levels so you can step your way down to no nicotine at all. SMDH – it’s up to the parents to regulate their young teen’s behavior, NOT the government!!! I’ll need to take a drive to Yankton, SD to get them, once spring arrives.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. EXCERPT: “The sky is falling for the nation’s wealthiest medical research institutions and their allies in government-subsidized media in the wake of the National Institutes of Health ratcheting back the extra money they receive for “indirect costs” as a percentage of research grants.

    The Association of American Medical Colleges portrayed the cut on “facilities and administrative” cost reimbursement as an attack on research grants themselves that will harm “every American” with “slower scientific progress, longer waits for cures, fewer jobs.”

    “Say goodbye to the greatest engine of biomedical research ever created,” intoned the New England Skeptical Society’s publication Science-Based Medicine, whose managing editor, David Gorski, called the Great Barrington Declaration’s authors – one nominated for NIH director – “COVID-19 deniers” for opposing lockdowns in 2020.

    But some researchers see the new 15% cap on “negotiated indirect cost rate agreements” – paused Monday by a President Biden-nominated judge in 22 states that sued to block it – as welfare reform for colleges and a shot across the bow to administrators to stop pilfering from their researchers, who can get bigger grants with lower NICRAs.

    “Cutting indirects might even mean more science,” epidemiologist Vinay Prasad, who runs an eponymous research lab at the University of California San Francisco, wrote on his website among a slew of recent posts on NICRA in theory and in practice.

    “Less money spent on the administration is more money to give out to actual scientists,” the self-described liberal Democrat said. “I am shocked to see researchers crying about how much money the university gets – it means more grants can be given per cycle.”

    He specifically called out the president and medical dean at Johns Hopkins University, which is private, for suing NIH while earning $4 million together on the backs of taxpayers…..”

    https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/welfare-colleges-nih-slush-fund-allegedly-stiffs-research-fund

    Liked by 1 person

  26. EXCERPT: “A pro-immigration group suing the Trump administration to unfreeze federal grants for immigration programs says its aim is to provide constitutionally protected due process rights for illegal aliens facing deportation. But the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights’ rhetoric—including in ads it runs on Facebook—suggests it has far more radical goals in mind.

    The Washington, D.C., nonprofit, is running advertisements on Facebook soliciting donations to “disrupt Trump’s deportation machine” and to “stop Trump’s deportation dystopia.” Another ad says “See you in court, Trump,” a reference to a lawsuit that the Amica Center has filed to block President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which paused funding for several Justice Department programs that provide legal services for illegal aliens.

    Since the last fiscal year, the Amica Center has received nearly $9 million as a subcontractor to provide legal services through the Department of Justice’s Legal Orientation Program (LOP), which informs illegal aliens about immigration court proceedings, according to federal spending records. It is a subcontractor through the Acacia Center for Justice, a federally funded pro-immigration group that claims the immigration system is “intentionally designed” to exploit “Black and brown people.”

    In a lawsuit filed on Jan. 31, the Amica Center and several other pro-immigration groups say that Trump’s spending freeze “will have immediate, devastating, and irreparable effects” on their operations. According to the lawsuit, the Justice Department’s LOP accounts for 20 percent of the Amica Center’s budget for a program to represent adult illegal aliens.

    “Amica Center has already had to divert funding for one of its LOP employees to another program and predicts it will have to make other diversions going forward, leading to potential layoffs if funding is not restored in the short-term,” the lawsuit says.

    That could raise concerns in Washington that taxpayer funds are going to an organization that is calling to defy the administration’s immigration policies. The Amica Center began running its Facebook ads calling to “disrupt” the deportation system on Jan. 23, shortly after Trump took office, according to Facebook’s advertisement database. The ads direct readers to a donation page on the Amica Center’s website that solicits money for its “Immigrant Defense Fund.” The hyperlink for the webpage references Trump’s executive order…..”

    https://freebeacon.com/trump-administration/taxpayer-funded-immigration-group-works-to-disrupt-trumps-deportation-machine/

    Liked by 1 person

  27. “President Trump Demonstrates How the Art of the Deal Works Wonders, Even in the Middle East: The “Riviera of the Middle East” probably isn’t going to happen. It was never really intended to happen.”

    JD Rucker, Feb 17, 2025

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    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Every Democrat, most world leaders, and good chunk of Republican lawmakers were aghast earlier this month when President Donald Trump told the world he was going to take over Gaza and turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood at a podium to his right and smirked as President Trump shocked the world. Are we now seeing why he was so giddy about the announcement?

    Arab countries have scoffed at the notion of helping the people of Gaza for years. They’ve made demands of Israel but have not wanted to lift a finger, spend a penny, or do anything themselves to help Palestinians. Now, it seems that they’re ready to take action.

    According to Algemeiner:

    Arab countries will unveil their plan for the reconstruction of Gaza on February 27 in Cairo. This initiative, developed by the Palestinians and handed over to the Egyptians for implementation, will be presented to the leaders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The plan provides for reconstruction over three to five years, without the displacement of the Palestinian population and without Hamas control. The funding, estimated at several hundred million dollars, will come from Gulf countries. The work will be carried out by Egyptian companies, representing a significant source of income for Egypt, which is strongly opposed to any migration of Palestinians out of Gaza. The workforce will consist mainly of local Palestinians.

    “The goal is to marginalize Hamas so that it understands that it has lost control of Gaza, and to completely eliminate the terrorist organization’s grip on the population and the territory within 5 years from the start of reconstruction,” a source involved in the plan said.

    An independent “Palestinian administration,” separate from the Palestinian Authority but relying on it, will oversee the reconstruction. This power structure is designed to get the approval of Israel and the United States, who refuse direct management by the Palestinian Authority.

    It’s important to note that part of President Trump’s plan was to move the people currently living in Gaza to Egypt and Jordan. That really got their attention. Now, they’re suddenly willing to not only help out but to lead the rebuilding efforts while eliminating Hamas.

    This is the Art of the Deal.”

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Rock, Flag, Eagle: Team USA Went Out and Bullied Canada in the Best Hockey Game in 30 Years

    That game was absolutely everything you could have ever hoped it would be, and then some more. Obviously you knew tensions were going to be high heading into this game. From the jump, you have the best rivalry in hockey with USA and Canada. This is the first best-on-best international tournament in over a decade, so you have a bunch of guys on both teams who are as fired up as ever to play for their country.

    Guys like Brady Tkachuk considered tonight to be the biggest game that he’s ever played in his life, so you knew right away that this was way more than just some exhibition all-star game. You throw in all the outside political factors into this game, the fact that Canadian fans boo’d the everliving shit out of the American National Anthem, and right off the bat we got the best 9 seconds in hockey history.

    The Americans may have gotten the barn rocking with those 3 fights to start off the game. But Connor McDavid ripped the roof off the Bell Centre by opening the scoring in this one with this ridiculous backhander… McDavid might be the best hockey player in the world, but once Charlie McAvoy obliterated him along the boards I think the Americans realized they had nothing to worry about. They were flying around out there putting any and every Canadian player on their ass. – Barstool Sports

    Our Take: Canada. We gave you this chance to aid us willingly. But you have elected the way of … pain. We have altered the terms of the deal. We will now be taking the one thing you hold more dear than your nation state. Than your very lives.

    Hockey.

    Pray we do not alter it further. – Burning Bright

    ***

    Another Take: Now I know some of you may be groaning and rolling your eyes, thinking this sporting event is nothing more than “bread and circus.” As a fellow American, I ask that you briefly indulge me. Allow me to set the stage:

    The USA Hockey team is currently playing in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, which is a week-long tournament organized by the National Hockey League, and includes the US, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. It is a round-robin format, meaning all teams each play one another one time, and the two top-placed teams play a final game to crown a winner.

    The US played Canada on Saturday night in Montreal. While the United States dominates most sports at every Olympics, hockey is the unique exception. For context, here is the medal breakdown from various world championship events:

    As you can see, the US is quite the underdog in this sport against other nations, most of all Canada. On Saturday night, when the US National Anthem began, the Canadian crowd began to boo, and continued to boo throughout the anthem.

    This provoked US player Matthew Tkachuk to fight Canada’s Brandon Hagel the second the match began. Tkachuk’s brother, Brady, then started a fight two seconds after play resumed. And JT Miller – another US player – started yet another fight with the Canadians six seconds later, meaning in the first nine seconds of official play, there were three fights.

    That set the tone for America’s upset victory against the Canadians.

    Now watch this recap video, and keep in mind that this same segment of “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd was played in the arena every time the US scored a goal. – GhostofBasedPatrickHenry

    ***I can’t bring the video link but it’s the same one we saw yesterday.***

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Let It Fire Ethics Official

    The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Sunday to allow the firing of a top ethics official after lower courts blocked the move, the Associated Press reports—marking the first case of the second Trump administration to make it to the nation’s highest court, amid a slew of legal actions as Democrats and others fight Trump and cost-cutting czar Elon Musk.[…]

    Courts granted plaintiffs’ efforts to block Musk and his DOGE team from accessing records at the Treasury Department—at least temporarily. Still, DOGE staffers have been able to access other agencies. Musk and his DOGE associates can keep accessing information at the Department of Labor, as District Judge Bates declined to pause their access in response to a lawsuit from labor unions, saying the plaintiffs hadn’t established standing to sue, even as the judge expressed concerns. […]

    Multiple lawsuits are still pending arguing Trump should not have been able to create Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” in the first place by renaming the already-existing U.S. Digital Service. – Forbes

    Our Take: The Deep State’s current DOGE-inspired Death Spiral is eerily similar to the Death Loop pattern that sometimes plays out in Army Ant colonies.

    Stay with me …

    For any who aren’t aware, ants basically make all decisions based on signals put out by their fellows. They’re as close a thing to perfect AI automatons as we have in nature, and I’ve always been quite fascinated by them.

    One of the key ways ants set and follow signal is in the emitting and receiving of pheromone trails. This allows one node in the network to alternatively warn or attract its fellows, and is the reason a single ant finding a cache of food will soon result in a swarm wherein half the colony empties out to gather it.

    The thing is, the first node NEEDS to return to the hive and close the loop in order for the rest of the colony to pick up the trail and make the connection. Sometimes, that lead ant screws up, and switches from signal emitting to receiving mid stream. This can result in that ant following its own pheromone trail before the loop has been closed.

    What follows is as fascinating as it is disturbing. (Watch the phenomenon)

    As seen in the above demonstration, if no other ant picks up the trail, the lead ant will simply continue on in an open loop until it dies, or the trail fades. But if another ant picks up the trail, and then another, they add their own faulty signals to the mix, with each ant acting as a force multiplier to the destruction of the very colony it seeks to preserve and expand.

    This creates a death spiral pattern wherein each respective node in the network is following the trail left by the one in front of it … and since we know the lead node never closed the loop in the first place, this creates a self perpetuating feedback loop that can and often does result in thousands of ants quite literally spinning themselves into a void of oblivion, following a path to nothing that grows increasingly frenzied the closer the whole swarm draws in to the center, which is to say, death.

    Why apply this seemingly stretched analogy to the current position of the Establishment? They have no signal setter at present, no centralized command and control structure, and they have no Actual solution—no actual pathway through which to deal with Trump’s assault.

    In other words, they have an open loop they’re desperately trying to close.

    What results is a sporadic panic pattern wherein various nodes in the network begin to lay trails of fear and decision making, premature counter deployments and even attacks on Trump’s agenda that the others follow, not understanding they’re following pheromone trails to nothing until they’re already set along the path.

    This is why I have long argued that the very interconnectedness of the Deep State will ultimately prove to be its undoing. – Burning Bright

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Trump Suggests He’s Above the Law With Ominous Napoleon Quote

    Donald Trump appeared to quote Napoleon Bonaparte by way of Rod Steiger on Saturday afternoon after his blitzkrieg of executive actions and threats to federal agencies under Elon Musk were challenged in courts across the country, raising alarms that his administration is preparing to shred court orders and ignite a constitutional crisis.

    “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” the president wrote on Truth Social and X. The official White House account on X also shared the message, endorsing his apparent belief that the president of the United States is incapable of breaking any law.

    The president — whose efforts to gut federal funding, fire thousands of aid workers and unilaterally redefine the 14th Amendment were blocked in federal courts across the country in recent days — invoked a quote often attributed to Napoleon, who justified his despotic regime as the will of the people of France. – The Independent

    Our Take:

    A President exercising wartime powers also does not violate any law…

    Decision in Campbell v. Clinton (2000, Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit)

    “Importantly, the Court made clear that it would not dispute the President on measures necessary to repel foreign aggression. The President alone must determine what degree of force the crisis demands.” – Jon Herold

    Liked by 1 person

  31. seriously disgusting! we have to be able to claw back those funds and throw people in jail!

    (i know we covered this already)

    T. Turtle

    February 17, 2025 10:38 am

    “The 9 most dangerous words are we’re here from the government and we’re here to help”
    ~ President Ronald Reagan

    Whoever is collecting these checks must be jailed immediately.

    “Elon Musk’s DOGE Team Uncovers Over 25 Million People Ages 100+ in Social Security Database, Some Older Than the Constitution: “There are a Lot of Vampires Collecting Social Security””

    Excerpts:

    Elon Musk’s DOGE team has unearthed jaw-dropping irregularity from the U.S. Social Security database.

    The numbers are truly mind-boggling: over 25 million Americans registered aged 100 and older, with some purportedly older than the U.S. Constitution itself.

    Late Sunday night, Musk tweeted a staggering claim accompanied by a table of ages, suggesting that the Social Security Administration might be paying out benefits to “vampires.”

    The Social Security Administration (SSA), riddled with inefficiencies, appears to have an entire army of ghost beneficiaries cashing in taxpayer-funded benefits.

    While hardworking Americans are forced to retire later due to economic strain, the government is apparently still paying out checks to people who are over 114 years old and above.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/elon-musks-doge-team-uncovers-25-million-people/

    Liked by 1 person

  32. OK then….Rich was just here and yes, I will have to start saving $$$ – looking at a new furnace & AC in the fall since mine is, indeed, 24 years old. He noticed a couple of other parts that will be going out soon – he could hear that a bearing was going. He also told me that the 3M filter I was using (at the advice of a BHE service guy) was terrible (not to mention expensive – over $8 each) & the cheaper ones I was using were the correct filters in the first place! According to him, NEVER use 3M products – they suck!

    He assured me that he would be able to provide service in less than the 24 hrs promised by BHE but suggested I keep the maintenance plan w/them for the moment since he has to have back surgery next month – call them but also call him and if he can get here, fine. If not, they will already be scheduled.

    Oh, and his Dad did love to dance! I knew he would have been great fun!

    Liked by 1 person

  33. EXCERPT: “The Department of Defense funded a “large scale social deception” program, according to public spending disclosures. The Federalist has uncovered documents showing how the federal government used “social engineering” programs to develop networks of fraudulent social media accounts capable of violating Americans’ rights to speech and privacy online — and, potentially, psychological warfare.

    The DOD awarded more than $9.1 million for Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS) for “ACTIVE SOCIAL ENGINEERING DEFENSE… LARGE SCALE SOCIAL DECEPTION” starting in 2018, according to government funding disclosures. Of the total amount promised, the federal government reportedly paid — or “outlayed” — more than $268,000 for the project. 

    TRSS is a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters, which owns the leftist media outlet Reuters. According to the company’s website, it offers “scalable solutions to governments and global institutions,” and its leadership “leverages real-world experience in the US Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, law enforcement and the private sector.” The Air Force awarded the contract, and the DOD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — the military’s shady research branch — funded the work in “large scale social deception.” 

    A DARPA funding document shows the Air Force’s 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Division, enabled this project in 2018 — initially promising just $1 million before increasing the obligated amount to more than $9.1 million. The division, according to its website, is “composed of a diverse group of scientists and engineers studying developing technologies specific to the human element of warfighting.”

    Many other contracts were part of the same project, dedicated to building a network of phony online accounts, which the government would supposedly use to defend against “social engineering” attacks. While this may seem harmless, the mechanics of the system leave it open for potential use against Americans.Funding ‘Social Engineering Defense’

    The $9.1 million contract was for “Active Social Engineering Defense” — a DARPA program that is “now complete,” according to its webpage. It aimed to “develop the core technology to enable the capability to automatically identify, disrupt, and investigate social engineering attacks.” It professed to target mainly scam and phishing attempts.

    The contract’s “program manager” was DARPA scientist Joshua Elliott, the documents show. He was a DARPA program manager from 2017 to 2023, according to his LinkedIn. Beforehand, he studied things like “socio-technical change,” and worked in academia for 10 years on things like “computational climate economics.” At DARPA, he was allowed to “program” $600 million in federal research and development funding, according to the Federation of American Scientists. Afterward, Elliott worked for the radical group Quadrature Climate Foundation, and more recently, Renaissance Philanthropy — started by a former staffer for Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/17/dod-social-engineering-program-developed-bots-capable-of-psychological-warfare/

    Liked by 1 person

  45. “Zuckerberg’s Foundation Lists 5k+ Grants to Far-Left NGOs — After his rebrand, damning news emerges about Zuckerberg’s philanthropic endeavors”

    Ryan DeLarme, Feb 17, 2025

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    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), established by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, has been noted for its significant grants to various organizations, including those often described as left-leaning or progressive.

    You can view the grants paid out by CZI HERE

    Critics argue that what should be apolitical philanthropy has instead become a vehicle for advancing a particular political ideology, specifically in the areas of:

    • Election Influence: Perhaps the most contentious aspect of CZI’s philanthropy was the massive infusion of funds into the 2020 election cycle. Under the guise of supporting election integrity, CZI donated hundreds of millions to organizations like the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). These funds, while ostensibly for nonpartisan purposes like increasing voter turnout, were disproportionately allocated to areas with Democratic leanings. This has led to accusations of “buying” elections, with critics dubbing the money “Zuckerbucks.” The lack of transparency in how these funds were utilized at the local level further fuels skepticism about the true intentions behind such philanthropy.
    • Social Engineering through Education: CZI’s focus on education reform, particularly in K-12, is laudable on the surface. However, the organizations it chooses to fund often push for curricula and educational policies that critics argue are more about ideological indoctrination than educational merit. There’s a concern that CZI is using its financial clout to shape young minds in a specific political direction, under the banner of “equity” and “inclusion.”
    • Racial and Social Justice Grants: While the commitment to racial equity is something many can support, the manner in which CZI allocates these funds often bypasses the need for balanced discourse. By supporting groups that advocate for specific, sometimes controversial, social justice reforms without engaging with opposing viewpoints, CZI risks polarizing society further rather than fostering true dialogue and understanding.

    There are transparency and accountability issues as well. CZI operates as an LLC rather than a traditional foundation, allowing for more flexible funding but also less transparency. This structure means that while CZI can innovate in its approach to philanthropy, it also escapes some of the rigorous reporting required of nonprofit foundations. Critics argue this opacity could veil the true impact and motivation behind its grants.

    There’s also the question of influence. CZI’s choice of grantees raises questions about the extent to which one can use philanthropy to sway public policy or political outcomes. There’s a thin line between charitable giving and political manipulation, and many believe CZI has crossed it. By focusing predominantly on progressive causes, CZI may inadvertently or intentionally contribute to economic policies that favor one side of the political spectrum over another, potentially skewing market dynamics or legislative priorities.

    This all came after Mark Zuckerberg’s recent public image makeover, which includes his announcement for Meta to break with Fact-Checkers, putting UFC-owner Dana White on the company’s board of directors, kissing the ring down at Mar-a-Lago and of course his hot new look.

    Gone are the days of the quiet coder; in his place now stands a man who’s taken to the wilds, grappling with jiu-jitsu, tasting the sweet, primal rush of adrenaline, and speaking in tongues about the metaverse like some digital prophet in the desert. His face, where once shown the earnestness of youth, now bears the scars of combat sports and the weight of a digital empire’s sins.

    He’s become a hybrid, part tech wizard, part wanna-be zoomer f-ck-boy, navigating through a landscape where privacy battles rage like thunderstorms, and every social media post is a bullet in the endless war for our attention. This isn’t just evolution; it’s a freak show of adaptation, where the only constant is change, and the only truth is that in this new world, Zuck has become the strangest creature in the digital zoo.

    Metaphorically, the boy-lizard is grappling with a distrusting public at a weird crossroads, where Silicon Valley bleeds into the swamp of politics; and this story about the enigmatic tech baron who’s taken to playing god with other people’s money is a large obstacle to his desire to be liked.

    Natalie Winter’s recent scathing assessment of the CZI grants on Steve Bannon’s War Room this morning could be a fatal blow to Zuckerberg’s quest to reinvent himself, but it could also be drowned out by the cacophony of habbenings that is the political and cultural reality of Trump 2.0’s first month in office.

    These grants aren’t just gifts; they’re strategic moves on a chessboard where every piece is a social cause, every move a step closer to reshaping the narrative. Most people are still dangerously unaware of the fact that we live in a world where—especially after the recent USAID shake-up—every act of philanthropy could be a covert operation, we’re left to ponder the true nature of power in the 21st century.”

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  46. “Von Trapp Family Crosses The Alps Into Switzerland To Escape Free Speech”

    World · Feb 17, 2025 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    SALZBURG, AUSTRIA — The well-respected Von Trapp family has reportedly fled across the alps to Switzerland to escape the ever growing threat of free speech.

    Before their departure, former naval officer Georg von Trapp warned that free speech had been weaponized in Germany and was spreading into Austria. In response, he took his family, comprised of the Trapp Family Singers, and fled over the mountains to neutral Switzerland where they could be safe from people sharing their opinions.

    “We can’t stay here. The Nazis are using free speech to round up Jews,” Von Trapp reportedly said. “And that’s horrifying.”

    Though not Jewish, the Von Trapp family fled after expressing concern their children would be indoctrinated into a life of free speech and self expression.

    According to local rumors, Maria von Trapp, the family governess turned wife, is to blame for affecting Georg’s loyalties. Residents of Salzburg claim he was all for free speech before she came along and started singing all the time.

    “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himler asked. “Throw them in free speech camps, of course.”

    At publishing time, the eldest daughter of Georg von Trapp, Liesel, heartbroken by her first love Rolf becoming a free speech advocate, fell in love with a lonely goat herd she met while crossing the alps.

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  49. Wow! 11 people killed in KY due to the flooding; catastrophic flooding after the TN levee fails.

    KENTUCKY (WKYT) – UPDATE: During a press conference on Monday, Governor Beshear announced that at least 11 people have died from the weekend’s flooding. Beshear announced that two more people have been added to the death toll since Sunday night: an adult male in Hardin County and another in Floyd County. The Governor stated they are still in the search and rescue phase, and multiple search missions are still underway.

    UPDATE: Just before 9 p.m. Sunday, Governor Andy Beshear announced that the death toll has reached at least nine, including seven adults and one child. He did not specify how old the ninth victim was.

    Two adults and one child were killed in Hart County, one adult was killed in Washington, Clay, and Nelson Counties, and three people have been killed in Pike County. We know two of the people killed in Pike County were adults.

    I am sad to share some more tough news tonight, Kentucky. We just confirmed another weather-related death out of Pike…Posted by Governor Andy Beshear on Sunday, February 16, 2025

    Governor Andy Beshear provided an update on severe weather Sunday afternoon. People across the Commonwealth are continuing to feel the effects of intense flooding caused by Saturday’s torrential rains. Governor Beshear called this “one of the most serious weather events in at least a decade…..”

    “….Governor Beshear credited and thanked President Donald Trump for what he called the quickest approval of a request for emergency disaster funding by a president the Commonwealth has seen…..”

    https://www.fox19.com/2025/02/17/flooding-death-toll-rises-11-beshear-says/

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  50. we have to file 2 state income taxes–on in PA and one in NY. NY makes theirs so freaking complicated and then they don’t provide the tax tables. you have to jump thru hoops and search on line to find them and then printing out the section you need is near impossible. i think i had enough fun for today!

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