UTL COMMENT:- They are trying to destroy farmers and food production in the West

A bold omission. The post The song Prince retired for the 21st century first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

If President Donald Trump needed more reason to pursue his “take over” Gaza pipedream, Hamas pulled through again over the weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 8, Israeli hostages Eli Sharabi (52), Or Levy (34), and Ohad Ben Ami (56) were released as part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel showing visible signs of physical and mental abuse and evidence of starvation in clear violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners. Their empty stares and frail bodies looked as if they were straight from the 1945 Nazi concentration camp liberations. Following the same publicity stunt from the hostage release on Jan. 25, Sharabi, Levy, and Ben Ami — the first males released in “phase one” of the current agreement — were handed over to the Red Cross after publicly exhibited on a curated stage in the central Gazan city Deir al-Balah. But whereas the last hostages released exuded confidence and poise, shaming Hamas and turning what should have been their humiliation into a victory, the three men on Saturday were hard to watch. They looked grossly malnourished with haggard faces, crushed spirits, and visibly unstable on their feet, shuffling their steps and needing help getting in and out of the SUVs. (RELATED: Israeli Hostages Turn Humiliation into Victory) Sharabi and Ben Ami mounted the stage dressed in brown prison uniforms that seemed to swallow their skeletal frames. Levy, barely recognizable, and while not serving in the IDF, was dressed in military olive drab as Hamas considers any Israeli under the age of 50 a soldier. They were made to speak into microphones before the crowd about how well they were treated in captivity and stressed the urgent need for more hostage-prisoner exchanges. Many Israeli news outlets refused to air the speeches, knowing full well it was scripted propaganda. The depressing scene sparked immediate outrage across Israel. “He looks terrible,” Ben Ami’s mother said. “He is 57, but he looks ten years older …. he looked like a skeleton.” “The shocking images we saw today will not pass without response,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released in a statement on Saturday. “Due to the harsh condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations of the Hamas terror groups, the prime minister has ordered that Israel not gloss over this and will take action as needed.” After examining the three repatriated men, Israeli medical officials stated on Sunday that they all suffered from severe physical and mental deterioration, malnutrition, decreased muscle mass, heart disorders, and prolonged infection. It was also reported that the priority of Levy’s release was due to a “humanitarian concern,” although the details of the concern are not clear. Casting a darker shadow on an already somber day, Sharabi and Levy returned home to Israel only to find out that while they were being taken captive 16 months ago, their abductors had murdered their families. Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters, dual U.K.–Israeli citizens, were murdered by Hamas in the safe room of their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023. Sharabi’s brother was also taken hostage but later murdered in captivity. Hamas is holding his body, which is worth the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners. Likewise, Levy’s wife had been killed on Oct. 7 at the Nova Music Festival. The condition of the released hostages quickly galvanized new public support to pressure Netanyahu’s government to advance the next stages of the ceasefire agreement. “Today more than ever, the hostages need to come back … we must see this deal through,” Or Levy’s brother Tal told Channel 12 news. If this is what they look like now, we can’t wait any longer, was the overall sentiment at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv over the weekend. Over the past 16 months, mass gatherings and vigils have taken place at this city square every weekend in support of the hostages alongside antigovernment protests over Netanyahu’s perceived handling of the war. “What did he [Netanyahu] expect?” one political pendant questioned on Channel 12 news. “The prime minister is familiar with the intelligence material and the medical opinions [on the hostages]. The more time that passes, the more the releases are going to become difficult in terms of the hostages’ appearances.” The prime minister’s office, however, pushed back, saying they were not aware that the hostages had succumbed to this level of starvation. Amidst the international shock and outcry at the hostages’ appearance as concentration camp survivors, CNN ran a story early Sunday morning juxtaposing their condition against those of released Palestinian prisoners. In exchange for Sharabi, Levy, and Ben Ami, 183 Palestinian prisoners were freed on Saturday, 18 of whom were serving life sentences for murdering Israeli citizens in terrorist attacks. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club (yes, there is such a thing) stated on Saturday that seven of the 183 were admitted to hospitals in need of “medical care, treatment, and examinations as a result of the brutality they were subjected to during the past months.” Treading the middle ground, U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan stated that “images of emaciated Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have been deeply distressing.” CNN argued that Israeli prison conditions for Palestinians had deteriorated ever since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir proclaimed in the Knesset last year that he does “not care about” Palestinian terrorists and that they should be given “minimal food” in prison. Although there is no proof that Ben Gvir’s statement — as unpopular as he is — had any direction on prison policy, Jerusalem has consistently been transparent about the condition of Palestinian prisoners and the government’s strict implementation of international law. The unsettling events over the weekend have magnified the hidden cracks in the fragile ceasefire agreement. Returning from Washington after hearing Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza, Netanyahu appears reluctant to rush into “phase two” of the current ceasefire despite overwhelming public opinion. In reaction to Trump’s threat to deport Gazans and allegations that Israel has violated the ceasefire stipulations, Hamas announced on Monday, Feb. 10, that they would delay the next hostage release scheduled for Saturday. Hours after Hamas’s statement, the IDF canceled authorized leave for soldiers stationed in Gaza for fear of possible escalation. READ MORE from Bennett Tucker: Israeli Hostages Turn Humiliation into Victory Israeli-Hamas Ceasefire Commences Is the Next Middle East War in Yemen? The post Mistreatment of Hostages and Prisoners Fracture the Ceasefire appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Long trumpeted as a “moderate” force and a necessity to bring peace to the Palestinian conflict with Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has paid over $140 million to the 734 terrorists that have been or will be released under the hostage negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Over 50 percent of those terrorists have been paid over $200,000 each, and these amounts do not include additional amounts that the PA paid to the terrorists’ families. Some examples include: Muhammad Tus was jailed in Israel in 1985 and was serving a life sentence. In 1984-1985, he was part of a Fatah terrorist cell from south Hebron that orchestrated five bus attacks that killed five people, and also “directed” the murder of three others and “helped” murder two more. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $631,176. Muhammad Falana was serving a life sentence for orchestrating a bombing that killed one and injured six in 1996. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $504,336. Wael Qassem was serving 35 life sentences for orchestrating two homicide bombing attacks that murdered 35 people total in 2002. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $354,144. Fahmi Mashahreh was serving 20 life sentences for assisting a homicide bomber who murdered 19 and wounded 74 in a 2002 Jerusalem bus terror attack. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $354,144. Salim Hijja was serving 16 life sentences for his role in a 2001 homicide bombing of a bus in Haifa that killed 15 and injured 40. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $337,344. Ahmed Barghouti, the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Ramallah, was serving 13 life sentences for orchestrating terrorist attacks that killed at least 12 people. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $337,344. Majdi Za’atri, a Hamas terrorist, was serving 23 life sentences for driving a homicide bomber to a Jerusalem bus stop which killed 23, including babies and children, in 2003. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $335,216. Mansour Shreim was serving 14 life sentences. He was involved in the murder of an Israeli soldier in 2001 and orchestrated multiple terror attacks, including one that killed 6 and injured 30 in 2002, and another that killed three teenagers in that same year. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $328,608. Muhammad Naifeh ‘Abu Rabia’ of the Tanzim terrorist group was serving 13 life sentences for the murder of 5 Israelis in one attack in 2002, another three in another attack that same year, and 5 others in 2001. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $328,608. Sami Jaradat, who was the commander of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, was serving 21 life sentences for orchestrating several terror attacks. One of these attacks was a homicide bombing in a Haifa restaurant in 2003 that killed 21 and injured over 50. Total salary received from the Palestinian Authority since his arrest: $309,652. While continuing to be praised as a moderate force, the Palestinian Authority’s golden parachutes plainly show that it is bankrolling terrorism against Israel. Due to its material support of terrorism, the Trump administration should not support the PA having any role in the reconstruction of Gaza, nor be given any additional power in Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the “West Bank.” READ MORE from Steve Postal: To Rescue Its Own, Israel Pays Very Steep Price New Syria Embracing Education of Hate In the Final Stretch, Biden–Harris Administration Continues to Undermine Israel The post Palestinian Authority Gives $140M Golden Parachutes to Terrorists Exchanged for Hostages appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

America must create the law that will govern the colonization of space. In his inaugural address, President Donald J. Trump said: The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag into new beautiful horizons. And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet of Mars. President Trump says we are going to Mars, and his friend Elon Musk has demonstrated a capacity to make it happen. Trump and Musk are two once-in-a-lifetime leaders. Trump, at seventy-eight, pulled off the most incredible political comeback in American history this past fall, and his leadership has already led to Americans being safer at home and substantial progress toward peace in the Middle East. Musk, for his part, has built two incredible companies in Tesla and SpaceX, at a rate that few thought possible. In 2004, he successfully sued NASA and won when it awarded Kistler, a failing company, a no-bid contract to keep it afloat. With Musk’s legal victory, he changed the way NASA awarded space contracts. He subsequently secured fixed-price contracts from NASA, under which SpaceX would bear the initial cost of its projects, and would not be paid until it hit certain benchmarks as defined by the contract. This was a better deal for the American taxpayers than the usual “cost-plus” contracts that NASA and the Department of Defense had usually awarded to slower and more stagnant companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Under the “cost-plus” contracts, the companies would have all of their costs paid for by the government plus a guaranteed profit, regardless of performance. Musk blew that system up and advanced science because of it.  (RELATED: Elon Musk, Enemy of the Managers) Musk has achieved incredible feats: SpaceX became the first entity in history to land a rocket during an orbital launch in December 2015, and more recently, it caught the booster of its Starship rocket using long mechanical arms, a process that will make using reusable rockets cheaper, easier, and more common. This is necessary in order to push humanity forward toward commercial space flight and, consequently, space colonization. (RELATED: Three’s the Charm for Elon Musk’s Starship Launch) Like most other technological advances — including Tesla’s electric cars — commercial space flight would be funded by the rich and eventually trickle down to middle-class Americans. With all of this underway, the next obvious goal would be to settle on Mars. This would be a great human achievement and would fulfill Musk’s lifetime goal of making humans a multi-planet species. The appeal is obvious: the threat of nuclear war is real, the earth is set to be consumed by the Sun anyway, countries’ electric grids are subject to solar flares, natural resources are limited, etc. With technology developing at a faster pace than ever, a once-in-a-lifetime entrepreneur like Musk — and other billionaires like Jeff Bezos who are competing with him — pushing the frontiers, and a historic president determined to leave America more prosperous than it ever has been before, substantial progress toward the colonization of space seems inevitable, so long as we aim at it (and avoid nuclear catastrophe here on earth). Trump is hell-bent on expanding America’s power on the world stage. While critics try to make a mockery of Trump’s ambition to take control of the Panama Canal and acquire Greenland, for example, informed observers know that both those locations are crucial to U.S. security and primacy. (RELATED: China Poses a Severe Threat in Panama and Leaves the US With No Choice.) Trump has shown a capacity to effectuate policy that is out of the box, and that most politicians wouldn’t dare try to achieve. His use of the bully pulpit, for example, led to Panama pulling out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. After surviving multiple assassination attempts and politically motivated prosecutions, Trump is emboldened to take extraordinary steps to make America great again. One way to do that is through encouraging investment in space and creating the legal framework that will govern investment its real estate. (RELATED: To Secure the Panama Canal, Reinstitute the Monroe Doctrine) “Why would people invest in the colonization of space?” you might ask. Because it will push humanity forward, and because with the proper leadership, it can be a great investment opportunity. Look at the things people spend money on: crypto, NFTs, real estate in the Metaverse, etc. None of these things are actually useful or offer much benefit to society. Crypto, for example, is very expensive to make: its mining constitutes 0.6 percent to 2.3 percent of the U.S.’s electricity consumption. It also costs a lot: one Bitcoin as of this writing is selling for $96,830.95. It has no intrinsic value, is not an asset that generates income and is not widely held (or cheap enough) to be used as a common currency. The average cost to mine a single Bitcoin is $86,354, and the electricity used to do so could power 61 homes for an entire year or drive a Tesla Model 3 around the Earth over 86 times. This is an abject waste of societal resources, and the only reason people benefit financially is because other people are willing to buy Bitcoin. If people are willing to invest in Bitcoin, why wouldn’t they invest in real estate on Mars? If the pioneers in that endeavor were successful, the world would be way better off. And in the meantime, they will be investing in plots of land on Mars, in the same way they invest in Bitcoin or real estate in the Metaverse (only this would be far more intrinsically valuable). (RELATED: Mars is Earth’s Destiny) Throughout history, the rich have financed new products in their early stages by purchasing them at higher prices than the rest of us could afford, and in turn, eventually, those products trickled down to the middle and working class. That happened with cars, planes, and even television. Now, the rich are funding and selling spaceflight. But spaceflight isn’t enough. Congress needs to pass laws governing the investment of real estate in space. This will democratize the space colonization process and open up the frontier to new investors, including working and middle-class Americans. This is not without precedent, as laws governing the settlement of new land are as old as governments. Even here, the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which established a plan for governing the Northwest Territory and adding new states from that region to the union, predated the ratification of the Constitution itself. Throughout our history, we have passed laws recognizing the need for expansion. In 1862, the Homestead Act was passed to encourage westward expansion. It provided 160 acres of land to any U.S. citizen who was willing to work the land and improve it for five years. Obviously, we are not in a position to send people to work the land on Mars right now. However, we have things that Americans didn’t have in 1862. We have technology that empowers engineers and architects to build entire buildings in computer models. We have reusable rockets that can carry people and cargo into space. We have already landed spacecraft on Mars — the first time was in 1975 — and we have an accomplished visionary in Musk aiming to land five unmanned rockets on Mars in 2026. We have artificial intelligence, which has already reshaped engineering, law, and industries. Who knows how helpful it can be in this endeavor, despite the other risks and challenges it presents? It’s here anyway, we might as well use it. (RELATED: AI Snake Oil: Separating Hype From Reality in Artificial Intelligence) The benefits of early investment in Mars are obvious: work will need to be done to study how our understanding of physics and chemistry apply to a new planet. An entire field of study will have to be created to learn about Mars’s surface and environment. Questions will have to be asked about how to create an inhabitable planet, or more likely in the short-term, a portion of the planet. Is it possible to create a dome under which humans can live and crops can grow? Is it possible to create a breathing device that converts the air on Mars into oxygen? Is it possible to bring oxygen into Mars in a large capacity and reproduce it? We already capture oxygen for steel production and other purposes using a process called fractional distillation. Why not just put it on a rocket ship and send it to Mars? Surely, there will be failures, as there have been with SpaceX’s own past rocket launches, but that is part of the process. Success lies in the lessons a company takes from its failures and in the adjustments it makes when it tries again. Money will be needed to finance these endeavors, and the government must create laws to govern this investment. Why wait? There are scientific advancements we can make now. I am under no illusions that the skyscrapers are going to go up on Mars tomorrow. However, in order to settle people there, early-stage investment and experimentation have to commence. Why not do it now? This is a historic opportunity where we have two extraordinary political and business leaders who have a personal relationship with each other and want to make this happen. We have the most advanced technology we’ve ever had at our fingertips. This is the time for relentless action in this field. Mars will be colonized whether the government acts swiftly or not. But its action or lack of action can be the difference between accomplishing space colonization 30 years (or more) earlier than we otherwise would have. To be clear, I am not calling for massive government spending in this area. Instead, I am calling on Congress to pass a new body of laws that will govern private investment in the frontier and empower Americans to invest in it. Currently, there is no way for someone to buy a plot of land on Mars. There should be. Otherwise, investment in this area will be left exclusively to the already established companies and high-net-worth individuals when the time comes. Americans investing in land on Mars should be notified via mandatory disclaimers that their investment is speculative, similar to how they would be for other investment products, and similar to how companies in the stock market are required to disclose risks on their annual 10-K forms. Safeguards must be in place so members of the public who choose to invest in this know what they are buying. Important questions will have to be asked about what the best way to do this is. Does the government want to sell plots of land on Mars directly? If so, what is the market value of a given plot of land on Mars? To what extent can investment in plots of land on Mars be accomplished within existing security laws? It is likely better to empower people to buy land on Mars directly rather than invest in a company that promises to build developments on Mars. This seems more equitable and cuts out the middleman. However, even within that paradigm, a private company could emerge that would, as a service, construct property in space for the people who already bought the empty plots of land. Is the current legal framework in place sufficient to empower a company to do that? Are there any current SEC laws in place that would prevent a company from raising money for that purpose? To what extent does the colonization of space have to be governed through laws passed by Congress rather than executive agency rulemaking? These are all questions that policymakers will have to consider as they contemplate this emerging field. Americans have an enormous opportunity to be at the forefront of humanity’s next great achievement. The extent to which we capitalize on it will be determined by whether our elected leaders meet the moment. READ MORE: Mars is Earth’s Destiny Three’s the Charm for Elon Musk’s Starship Launch ‘Martians Wanted’ for NASA Simulation: White Males Need Not Apply The post Mars Colonization Is Worth It, and America Needs to Pioneer the Laws Governing Space Investment appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

from Mark Dice: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Martin Armstrong, Armstrong Economics: USAID awarded $260 million in grants to various organizations linked to George Soros who openly uses his organizations to alter global democracies. It has already been revealed that the alleged nonpartisan agency gave the Democrats 97% of political funding during the last election. It appears that USAID has deeper political […]

And, there it is: Fort Bragg is back! Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has just signed a memorandum to officially change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. Joe Biden had previously changed the name of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty in an effort to erase our nation’s history — and wasted around $40 million on the initiative to do it. Check it out: Bragg is back! I just signed a memorandum reversing the naming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. pic.twitter.com/EGgZNHK72x — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) February 11, 2025 NEWS: @SecDef signs a memorandum reversing the naming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. pic.twitter.com/ChATiPwTO3 — Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) February 11, 2025 BREAKING: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just signed a memo renaming Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg pic.twitter.com/UQspTmcHG9 — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 11, 2025 However, there’s a twist on the name… You see, Fort Bragg was originally named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. That’s why the Biden regime changed it, as part of an agenda to get rid of military bases named after Confederate leaders. Instead, the newly re-vamped Fort Bragg’s name honors a WWII hero, Roland L. Bragg. From the Defense Department’s website: While flying aboard a C-17 from Joint Base Andrews to Stuttgart on February 10, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum renaming Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Roland L. Bragg. The new name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge. This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation. President Trump had previously promised to restore Fort Bragg’s name while on the campaign trail. WRAL added: President Donald Trump said he would change the name back, while campaigning in Fayetteville in fall of 2024. The location was renamed in June 2023 after having been named Fort Bragg since 1922. “I walked in, the first question that I asked – ‘should we change the name from Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg,” Trump said on Oct. 4. “So here’s what we do: We get elected, I’m doing it,” he told the crowd at Crown Arena. Fort Bragg was a reference to confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg from Warrenton. The name change came as part of an initiative by the Department of Defense to rename nine military installations bearing the names of confederate soldiers. The Army referred questions to the office of the secretary of defense. A spokesperson for the office did not respond to a request for comment. According to a commission report, the changes in 2023 cost about $6.37 million.