Orange County Register: “Marines and sailors who choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of November will be released from the service, in a general but honorable discharge, officials with those services have said, making them ineligible for some benefits from the GI Bill. An administrative order recently issued by Marine Corp leadership requires all Marines to receive the vaccine or they will be considered to have disobeyed an order. Active-duty personnel must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 28, and reservists must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 28.

“The message sent to the troops said ‘Marines refusing to take the vaccine absent medical exemptions, religious accommodations or pending appeal,’ will be processed for discharge and additional disciplinary action or even a court martial is not out of the question. The Navy has issued a similar message. In addition, the order says Marines who refuse the vaccine will not be promoted or deployed, and those in command will be removed. And, those who are not fully vaccinated won’t be deployed, but instead will be reassigned locally.

“‘The Marine Corps recognizes COVID-19 as a readiness issue,’ Capt. Andrew Wood, a Marine spokesman, said in a statement. ‘The rise of the highly transmissible Delta variant and the speed with which it transmits among individuals have increased risk to our Marines and the Marine Corps mission. We are confident the vaccine protects our Marines, our communities and our nation.’ Wood said no information is available at this time on how many exemption requests have been filed. A report on those numbers will be provided after the deadline has passed, he said.  To be eligible for the full benefits of the GI Bill, as it was updated after Sept. 11, 2001, a service member must have an honorable discharge. Marines and sailors who are discharged for not being vaccinated will lose tuition and housing allowances for pursuing education and possibly other benefits, according to the Veterans Administration.”

CNN:   “At a time when legalized marijuana sales are rising nationally, state police in Oregon last week seized 500,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in a bust outside Medford, Oregon, that they estimated had a street value of $500 million, police said.  The Oregon State Police Southwest Region (OSP) Drug Enforcement Section team served a search warrant Thursday at five industrial-sized warehouses in White City, Oregon, police said.

“Under Oregon state law, adults 21 and over may use cannabis within specified limits, but it is illegal to manufacture marijuana without a license. Oregon legalized recreational marijuana in 2015.  In last week’s bust, police said that OSP, Drug Enforcement Administration and officers from local law enforcement agencies seized the large cache of marijuana and a gun over two days.
‘This is a very involved investigation and will be ongoing for several weeks,’ OSP said in a news release.

“OSP said investigators found that several of the individuals at the warehouses — who were initially detained, identified, interviewed and released — were migrant workers living on site.  Police called the living conditions ‘subpar’ and noted they lacked running water.  The seizure comes at a time when legalized marijuana is flourishing.  Sales hit $20 billion in 2020, are on pace to top $26 billion this year, and are projected to leapfrog to $45.9 billion in 2025, according to data from Marijuana Business Daily that were shared at the MJBizCon, the industry’s annual trade show.”

CBS News:  “NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial was a ‘warning shot’ for Black communities that ‘vigilante justice’ can be allowed in this country or ‘in particular communities.’ Rittenhouse was found not guilty on Friday on all charges in the August 2020 shootings of three men, including two who were killed, amid protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“‘It’s hard for African-Americans to reconcile what we witnessed in that trial. We have far too many individuals sitting in jail for crimes they didn’t commit or overcharged for crimes that were committed,’ Johnson said during an interview with ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday.

Johnson said the ‘current political environment’ and former President Trump’s administration ‘opened the door’ for the case to become politicized. Johnson said the only resolution is to have ‘mature politicians willing to stand up, regardless of political affiliations, and address the question of mob violence, vigilantism, but more importantly, the underlying issue of race in this country.’  The NAACP, along with several members of Congress, have brought a lawsuit against Mr. Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani alleging that they violated the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act by conspiring with extremist groups and inciting violence to disrupt Congress on January 6.

“The fraud of testing,” anti-vax doctor Sherri Tenpenny declares at the American Faith conference.  “People have got to start saying to their bosses who are require them [sic] to get tested if they don’t get a shot, you need to start saying to them, ‘Torture is illegal in the United States of America, and you repeatedly testing me for being noncompliant and disobedient is torture.”

Associated Press:  “Queen Elizabeth II attended a double christening on Sunday for two of her great-grandchildren.  The 95-year-old British monarch, who has canceled several recent public appearances on her doctors’ advice, watched the baptisms of August, son of Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, and Lucas Philip, son of Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall.

“The private service at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, west of London, was attended by members of the royal family and close friends.  August was born in February and Lucas in March. Both boys’ mothers are granddaughters of the queen.  The queen has 12 great-grandchildren, the youngest of them 2-month-old Sienna Elizabeth, daughter of Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

“Concerns about the monarch’s health were raised last month, when she spent a night in a London hospital after being admitted for medical tests. In late October, palace officials said the monarch had been told by doctors to rest for two weeks and only take on light duties.  She had planned to attend the annual Remembrance Sunday service on Nov. 14 but pulled out at the last minute after spraining her back.”

“I absolutely condemn acts of violence,” Senator Rafael Cruz (R-Quintana Roo) begins, “BUT, but, but what I, what I did was lead a group of Senators–”

“And the inspiration for that?” Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asks.

“–in a Constitution, in a Constitutional option which I think would’ve been much better for our democracy because we right now have a substantial chunk of our country that has real doubts about the integrity of the election and if we had a credible electoral commission do an emergency audit it would have enhanced faith in democracy.  But instead, Democrats and a lot of the press decided to just engage in incendiary rhetoric, rather than acknowledge that voter fraud is real.  It is a problem, –”

“Do you want– ? Do you have–?  I want to ask–” Brennan attempts to ask.

“…and, and, and, the allegations of voter fraud needed to be examined on the merits,” Cruz continues.

“Okay.  Senator,” Brennan says.  “There is no evidence of fraud that would have drawn out the results of the election into doubt.  You know that.”

“A protest of tens of thousands against coronavirus measures in Brussels turned violent Sunday, as protesters threw objects at police, and officers used water cannons and tear gas to push back the demonstration. According to police estimates, around 35,000 people gathered in front of the Gare du Nord train station for the protest called ‘Together for freedom’ after the Belgian government last week announced stricter measures to combat rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.”

“The new rules, which went into effect over the weekend, include compulsory mask-wearing for anyone aged 10 and above for indoor and certain outdoor activities, as well as making home-working mandatory four days a week and limiting the number of people present at gatherings. ‘We denounce the measures restricting freedom, that haven’t constituted a structural solution for health services,’ protest organizers said in a statement.”

“A group of protesters veered off the authorized path for the demonstration and were pushed back by police with water cannons and tear gas. By around 5 p.m. local time, police said the demonstration had been dispersed and officers would proceed to make arrests. The crowd of attendees at the protest was diverse, including pensioners, families and children” – Politico.

“Judge has denied Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio’s request for transfer to home detention. Tarrio will remain in DC Jail to serve his 5-month sentence for burning Black Lives Matter flag from DC church. Tarrio alleged subpar condition in jail. Judge said Tarrio was no different than other inmates” reports NBC Washington’s Scott MacFarlane.

Reuters: “Russian President Vladimir Putin has been revaccinated against COVID-19, Russian news agencies quoted him as saying on Sunday. Putin said in June 2021 that he had been vaccinated with Sputnik V vaccine.

“‘Today, on your recommendation and that of your colleagues, I got another vaccination, Sputnik Light. This is called revaccination,’ Putin said at a meeting with the deputy director of the Gamaleya Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, which developed both vaccines.”

“In early November, Los Angeles City Council members voted unanimously to create the city’s first chief heat officer position. It’s an indication that in a city familiar with natural disasters, heat is emerging as a major threat. ‘We need to at least have planning at the level of our response to earthquakes,’ said Councilmember Paul Koretz, who helped lead efforts to create the city’s first Climate Emergency Mobilization Office and supported the creation of the heat officer position.

“Los Angeles becomes the third local government to carve out a role to deal specifically with heat. Miami-Dade County in Florida and Phoenix filled similar positions earlier this year. These jobs are designed to put the risks of heat — hidden, underestimated and intensifying with climate change — at the center as local governments prepare for a fast-warming world. Cities can be at particular risk of heat waves as their infrastructure absorbs more heat, and it is a particular concern in rapidly urbanizing areas. ‘We know extreme heat days are happening more and more. We now have the occasional day where invariably somebody or multiple people will die from the heat,’ Koretz added.

“The position is one of several new initiatives designed to mitigate the worsening effects of climate change and to protect the city’s most vulnerable residents — often people of color and lower-income people. The heat officer will work with city departments and community organizations to increase public awareness of heat danger and set goals toward tackling those threats. The vote came just two days before California officials announced, on the last day of the COP26 climate talks in Scotland, a statewide new ranking system for heat waves similar to what is already used for hurricanes and air quality.”

Associated Press: “A man was critically hurt when his wife drove over him twice as he tried to dislodge a bowling ball that had been thrown in front of their car on Saturday. The couple ran over the bowling ball around 3 p.m. Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, and the ball became lodged under their car, Kansas City Police spokeswoman Donna Drake said. Later in the day, a suspect went to a police station and admitted to throwing a bowling ball in front of a moving car.

“After they stopped, the 25-year-old man crawled under the vehicle to try to remove the ball. Then a suspect approached the vehicle and tried to grab the 25-year-old woman’s purse while the man was trying to reach the bowling ball, according to the Kansas City Star. During a struggle over the purse, the woman pressed her foot on the gas pedal and heard a yell from under the car, which had rolled over her husband.

“Police said the woman then put the car in reverse and rolled over her husband a second time. As the man cried out, the suspect fled without the purse. The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but he was in stable condition Saturday night. His name has not been released.”

The Daily Beast:  “MyPillow CEO and 2020 dead-ender Mike Lindell has announced plans to organize a protest outside Fox News’ New York City headquarters. ‘We are going to do something out in front of Fox News, I think we should have—you know, if people want to go down there, maybe we should give out Frank Speech signs,’ Lindell stated on his Friday evening broadcast. ‘They [Fox News] are a big part of our country being taken from us,’ he continued, before calling the network he built his pillow empire by advertising on ‘controlled opposition,’ which he said is the ‘worst’ he has ‘ever seen in history.’

“As The Daily Beast has reported, the pillow tycoon—after cutting ties with the network over not airing one of his conspiracy theory-laced ads—has attempted to get back into the good graces of Fox News, but has had little success. Late on Saturday night, Lindell’s sidekick, Douglas Frank, took to Telegram to claim that Fox News is ‘not a credible source of news’ while calling their top primetime hosts ‘traitors to our country.’ Neither Lindell nor a Fox News spokesperson immediately returned a Daily Beast request for comment.”

Philly.com:  “Machines that dispense the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone are coming to Philadelphia amid the city’s opioid crisis. The city will install two machines that dispense the drug, more widely known as Narcan, in West and South Philadelphia. They’re expected to be open to the public by the end of the year, said James Garrow, spokesperson for the city’s health department. The two machines will serve as a test run, with plans to install more if they are useful and the city finds additional funding, he said.

“The city’s program, dubbed Narcan Near Me, is geared toward combatting the opioid epidemic and the high number of overdose deaths in the city. The machines were targeted for areas in need of resources dedicated to fighting the epidemic. ‘Recognizing the financial barriers and stigma individuals face when trying to access Narcan from the pharmacy, we wanted a way to get this medication into the community with as few barriers as possible,’ Garrow said. ‘We also wanted to focus on areas outside of Kensington, where there is more direct outreach, to other areas of the city like West and South Philly that are seeing high numbers of overdoses and racial disparities in overdose rates.’

“The machines will have two levels of accessibility. People can either take a five-second survey that asks a person’s age, race, and zip code, or skip that and press a button that will immediately open a cubby with a Narcan kit inside, said Garrow. He said the optional survey was meant to allow the health department to learn who was using the machines, and better target future ones.”

Associated Press:  “A grand jury in Georgia has indicted five law enforcement officers in the 2019 death of a naked man who was pressed on the ground outside of a music festival, a prosecutor says.  The Henry County Grand Jury issued the indictment involving multiple charges, including malice murder, on Friday after hearing two days of testimony from witnesses, Henry County Assistant District Attorney Megan Matteucci said.

“Warrants for the officers’ arrests will be issued next week, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. It was not known if the officers had lawyers who could speak on their behalf.  The indictments stem from an incident in September 2019 outside of Atlanta Motor Speedway as it hosted the Imagine Music Festival, Matteucci said in a news release.

“Fernando Rodriguez, 24, died of asphyxiation after he was handcuffed and pressed to the ground while the officers waited for an ambulance, according to Matteucci’s statement.  Henry County police officers Robert Butera and Quinton Phillips, along with Hampton police officers Mason Lewis, Marcus Stroud and Gregory Bowlden have each been charged with one count of malice murder, two counts of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault, Matteucci said. In addition, each officer has been charged with violating their oath of office.”

Study information warfare long enough and certain things start to jump out at you. Earlier this evening this author had one of those “I’m pretty sure I know what that is” moments while reading an article over at that other website. The user “Obamabinbiden”, who used to frequent this site and is widely suspected of being some variety of GOP/GRU troll, repeatedly made this statement:

Politico:  “Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a trailblazing Black Democrat in Texas who has served in Congress for nearly 30 years, announced Saturday that she will not seek reelection next year. Johnson, 85, is a political fixture in her hometown of Dallas, where early in her career she became the first Black woman to serve the city in the state Senate since Reconstruction.

“She grew up in the segregated South and was elected in 1992 to Congress, where she became the first Black woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. ‘There is a good reason I should stay: I am a personal friend to the president, I have gained some respect and influence,’ Johnson said during her announcement. But she said plans to keep a promise she made after winning the Democratic primary in March that her current term would be her last. ‘As of January (2022) I will step down. I will retire,’ Johnson said.

“Although Democrats are in danger of losing their House majority next year, Johnson would have been able to keep winning her district under new congressional maps signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in October.”

CNN:  “The US Coast Guard said it is investigating reports of an oil sheen, about 30-by-70 feet in size, which was spotted Saturday in roughly the same area where about 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast in October. The sheen was ‘reported in vicinity of damaged pipeline,’ USCG Southern California wrote in a tweet Saturday afternoon. In a later update, the coast guard said no oil sheen was ‘currently observed by on-water and aerial assets.’

“‘Previous syntho-glass wrap was removed from pipeline, new wrap was installed. Crews will monitor the line overnight ensuring effectiveness,’ it said, adding there is an ongoing investigation to determine if the reported sheen was associated with the pipeline or a separate source. Syntho glass is a pipeline repair product, which, according to its maker, is designed to match or exceed the burst strength of the original pipe.

“October’s spill was caused by a leak in a pipeline operated by Houston-based Amplify Energy which is connected to an oil rig. Investigators believed the 13-inch linear crack in the pipeline, likely caused by a ship’s anchor dragging along the ocean floor, could have occurred as much as a year earlier. A California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson told CNN in a statement crews scheduled to work on the pipeline observed the sheen Saturday as they approached the area.”

WOFL Fox 35 Orlando:  “Walt Disney World is putting its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on pause, a cast member tells FOX 35 News. Nick Caturano, who runs the website GoofyVaccine.com confirmed that an internal memo was sent out to employees, notifying them of the pause.

“According to Nick’s website, he’s been a cast member at Disney World for 16 years. Caturano talked to Good Day Orlando on Saturday describing the memo that he says he and fellow cast members received. ‘We all want to go back to a sense of normalcy. We all hoped the vaccine would do the trick. And it seemed like it was starting to work but people are getting the COVID…to separate them it doesn’t make sense.’

“FOX 35 obtained a copy of the internal memo sent to Disney cast members. It says in part: ‘The pause will remain in effect as it assesses the new state laws protecting workers from vaccine mandates.’ Disney says more than 90% of Florida cast members have verified they are fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing.”

“Tucker Carlson, your suggestion that Kamala Harris isn’t quite American because she spent part of her childhood in Canada put you over the top,” CNN’s Jim Acosta declares.  “We once honored you with the distinction of Bullshit Factory Employee of the Month, but now that 2021 is coming to an end, we decided to recognize you as our first ever Bullshit Factory Employee of the Year. That’s right Tucker, you’ve earned it. You spent the past year peddling vaccine conspiracy theories about Bill Gates. You served as a mouthpiece for White Supremacists who believe the racial replacement theory.”

After the ridiculous farce that was the Kenosha Lynchings trial, where it was established that a white nationalist can provoke a confrontation through the provocative display of a firearm, murder and seriously injure others and then escape criminal penalties by claiming “self-defense”, it is likely that highly educated individuals, and especially those who hold liberal political views will actively avoid moving to states that have “stand your ground” laws, and Republican dominated state legislatures that are constantly pushing to make it easier for white nationalists to obtain all the firearms they want.

Rational people want to live in a place where they will be safe. No one wants to live in a place where at any time, they can be seriously injured by an accidental discharge from a firearm, or be confronted and gunned down by a white nationalist, and have the negligent gun owner or provocative extremist let off without legal penalty. Highly educated people also want good schools for their children, and will refuse to live in areas where white-nationalists have terrorized the local school board and driven away all of the credentialed educators to replace them with right-wing lunatics who want to burn any book that so much as mentions homosexuality, nad who insist that any teaching about the Civil Rights movement is “critical race theory indoctrination”. Conservatives are going to suffer consequences for their radicalization, through a loss of access to professional services, and they have only themselves to blame.