@realmajordan @gheliason @RichHiggins_DC @tobeycakes @1GigiSims1 Wanna bet the UK govt wants to use the "Base" to smear the Pro Brexit populists in their country? Let's see if they use them as an excuse to persecute them once Boris thorough destroys their economy.

On the death of #SheldonAdelson - a brief thread.

Sheldon Adelson - the megadonor to the GOP who received the genuflection of virtually all hopefuls on the Republican national stage - is dead. 1/

Adelson pumped money into the very GOP machinery that has enabled Trumpism, facilitated policies that have torn children from their parents, cultivated racism, antisemitism, and white supremacy, and that has now led to the deaths of 350,000+ Americans from COVID. 2/

Some people who appreciated the money he threw at Israeli groups and initiatives are going to be angry if I celebrate the demise of this merchant of corruption and death. "Jews don't celebrate death", right? Wrong. 3/

The "Song of the Sea" (Exodus 15:1-18) is the oldest text in the Hebrew Bible, the foundation of Israelite religious belief, and it is nothing but a celebration of a mass death of Egyptians at the Red Sea during the Exodus. 4/

1 Samuel 18 preserves an old song that tells us that both David and Saul were celebrated for slaughtering "thousands" and "myriads". 5/

Yesterday, @MassAGO Maura Healey and her team issued a groundbreaking report finding that the Bristol County Sheriff's Office violated the civil rights of immigration detainees.

Let's take look at some key findings (thread

First, some background.

The BCSO is administered by Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. @GlobeAbraham has reported on his close relationship with Trump's White House. He corresponds with Stephen Miller, the notorious architect of Trump's anti-immigrant

Although the BCSO is a state facility, it has also contracted with ICE to hold people detained for federal civil immigration proceedings.

ICE essentially pays a per diem rate for each detainee.

In 2019, the Mass. State Auditor found that BCSO improperly failed to remit more than $300,000 in ICE payments to the

BCSO also has a 287(g) agreement with ICE. It allows BCSO personnel to be deputized to do some of ICE's work. ICE does not pay for their hours. It is essentially a donation of state employee time to federal immigration

Finally got around to listening to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's Monday news conference, and *** I AM SO CONFUSED!!! *** 1/

On one hand, Lee told reporters that he did not impose a mask mandate because statewide mandates don't work, that people will only listen to their local elected officials. 2/

"A trusted voice in their community is their local official, the people that they elected to be their leaders," Lee argued. 3/

But, in Nashville where the local officials HAVE imposed a mask mandate, Lee said: "We know that people don't wear masks even when there's a mandate." 4/

So even local mask mandates don't work? 5/

There are still plots across the US to attack state capitols as well as the capitol in DC. These are credible threats against America and American democracy. And they are enabled by Republicans like Hawley, Cruz, Kennedy, Rubio et al, the flag bearers of Trump fascism 1/

Each and every individual who played a part, any part, in the attempted coup on Wednesday must be exposed, arrested, charged & tried. No ifs, no buts. Otherwise they will melt away into alt-web cells & networks, continuing their attacks in support of Trump’s fascistic cult 2/

Rounding up the ringleaders on the ground on the day is one thing. But they were activated by senior Republican lawmakers, emboldened by 139 House Republicans and 8 Senators who voted to overturn a free & fair democratic election. These truths are self-evident 3/

They were also assisted by members of the Capitol and DC police. They included members of fire departments and other forces, elected representatives from across different states. This was not an amorphous mob. This was an alliance of anti-American forces intent on revolution 4/

This runs deeper & wider than saying it was a “mob” event. This was planned & equipped, armed to support the Trump lie. It was mobilised in a clear & present effort to overthrow the legitimate outcome of the 2020 election. It wasn’t a one-off chaotic event. There will be more 5/

The one "Insurrection" video you MUST see.

@NewYorker reporter @LukeMogelson
followed Trump supporters as they forced their way into the Senate chamber.

Some quick thoughts... #Thread

1. Except for race, the crowd is incredibly diverse -- age, education, far-right subculture, region, even gender (although less so those inside the Capitol).

🧵 So today we’ve got the Government’s vision for online harms legislation. It’s a landmark day for all of us who’ve worked for this for years. Some quick early (personal!) thoughts:

This is a systemic Duty of Care, with a requirement to risk assess - regularly - for reasonable foreseeable harms and to act on them. Supported by Codes but that serve as guardrails, not a prescriptive checklist

There’s a broad requirement on all services to tackle illegal content and to take measures to protect children. Worried that age assurance may be expected to do a lot of heavy lifting instead of proper moderation for legal but harmful, but we’ll see

The biggest weakness: enforcement measures. Criminal sanctions & named persons have deference value - that’s why industry pushed back strongly. But not for at least 2 years and even then only covering failure to comply with the regulator. If Govt thinks this is really enough...

Investigatory powers are OK (particularly pleased to see the inclusion of skilled persons reviews 😉). But the balance between investigatory powers and duties isn’t where it needs to be to drive culture change

An update on my Green Homes Grant odyssey...

**WARNING** contains many hoops...

1/16

Knowing the scheme was coming I used the government website links and started my research in September.

I reckoned solar hot water was the best next step to reduce my carbon footprint.

2/16

I have basic double-glazing that needs upgrading before a new heating system but double glazing was out of scope unless you have single glazing.

I'm adding even more insulation to my loft at my own cost.

3/16

So, anyway, researching 'local' providers for solar water heating installation that are on the website list as allowed to do it under GHG: Three potentials.

First didn't respond and suspect was the wrong contact information was on the website.

4/16

Second couldn't do a quote without a visit and the next time they could would be weeks and weeks after the scheme was meant to open for applications.

5/16

Pence just shut the gentleman from Alabama’s request for parliamentary inquiry down— KERSPLAT!

This is probably the first and last time in my life that anyone of these is going to be interesting, so what the hell. I rinsed off some blackberries and made the fancy coffee

The gentleman from Arizona says how dare you count. How dare any of us count! This is not proper! This is incorrect

well, I know someone who would beg to differ

The Senate now has two hours to go back to its chambers and debate for up to two hours.

This process is going to repeat itself in for at least two more times, as I understand it, because Republicans are trying to make it go as long as possible. But they will lose.

The reality of demagoguery is you cannot control the hate & division you unleash.

You seeing America? Pls notice the distinct absence of the National Guard though the president set the agenda for this rally.

This is his legacy. This is #MAGA. This is America

There AREN'T "good people on both sides", Trump.

He told them to stand back & stand by. Here they are.

Guilliani said at today's rally "trial by combat"

The ugly truth is they've weaponised fear & hate BUT they didn't create it. They weaponised what was already there.

A collosal failure of so many institutions. His entire presidency was leading to this moment and law enforcement weren't ready?

That's the reality that a lot of people are unwilling to confront. It's not just Trump. He is a distilled manifestation of what has never been exorcised. All of it was just waiting there for decency to be replaced with blind ambition & greed.

The levers of white supremacy & racism are as present as they ever were. All it took was for someone to say fuck being decent, tap into the primal. It happened in the UK first and then, having resorted to the same playbook, lightning struck again Nov. 16

There's a R1000 maintenance tweet doing the rounds. It's not it per se I want to talk about but the conversation on it does trigger a lot of things in me& life in SA generally. The issue of low or nonexistent incomes in many households tends to escape us.

We tend to view life only with our lenses of privilege or bias depending on our station in life. The reality for many rural &township households is extremely brutal in this country. There are still people who earn R1000 or less as a month's wage. They often do heavy manual labour

It took time for my grandparents to be convinced to go over R1000 in paying their live-in helper. That was some years ago. My grandfather had pension from eThekwini municipality &my grandmother is on SASSA.They were lucky to accumulate some savings, they run their household fully

But we are a very lucky few to have grandparents in their late 80s who are still this financially independent. Sure we do things at home but not the basics, including not having to build a house for them etc. This is almost out of the norm experience.

A lot of people in our country have salaries below R10 000 pm. They have to divide this between their needs (food&transport), some dependents and sending remittances back home so that their parents and other loved ones can put some bread on the table &complement some grants.

Trump acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, allowed the National Guard deployment to be delayed by more than 4 hours, despite desperate please from the head of the Capitol Police and the Gov of Maryland

By the time the NG arrived, four people lay dead. Why did Miller and Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, director of the Army Staff, block the deployment?

Piatt said “I don’t like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background." But officials were pleading. The Capitol mob was inside, attacking...

We don't know what conversations they might have had with Trump et al. But let's look at SecDef Miller's background for a bit

Miller, who took office just a few weeks ago, after the Nov. election, served as a Green Beret in Iraq and Afghanistan. There's no indication that he served with anything other than distinction. But since helming the Pentagon, he gives signs of bring a devoted Trumpist

Read slowly and carefully.
Knowledge is power.
https://t.co/sb5HWwD8HQ📁
>Irregular warfare is far more varied than conventional conflict: hence the importance of an intellectual framework that is coherent enough to provide guidance, and flexible enough to adapt to circumstances.

1/ Secretary of Defense nominee Lloyd Austin at Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing:

"Globally I understand that Asia must be the focus of our effort and I see China in particular as a pacing challenge for the Department"

2/ SecDef nominee Lloyd Austin on advance policy Qs

"Globally...most significant challenge I will face will be to ensure DOD's contd efforts to prepare & strengthen the US military for a dynamic, future security landscape driven by accelerating competitions w China & w Russia.."

3/ SecDef nominee Austin in written answers says strategic competition w/ China & Russia primary challenges but "because of its ascent and the scope and scale of its military modernization, China is the top priority"

4/ SecDef nominee Austin in written answers on his assessment of the military threat posed by China...

5/ SecDef nominee Austin on whether the NDS needs to be revised notes: "For example, the pace of China’s military modernization, its increasingly aggressive actions in the INDO-PACIFIC and its ability to threaten the US Homeland are concerning and must be continually reexamined"

As the confirmation hearing for retired Gen. #LloydAustin gets underway, here's a roundup of what should be covered and what he will face as defense secretary.

"Does Austin still see himself as an apolitical actor removed from the politics of policymaking, or does he believe that accepting a Cabinet nomination places him squarely in the political realm?" -- @jblankshain

"At Austin’s hearing it will not be enough to accept the tired statements of ‘this is not who we are’ or that ‘the military has zero tolerance’ on issues of gender discrimination, but to pinpoint exactly how he proposes to bring real change to the military." -- @Jason_K_Dempsey

"What is your view on whether the power to decide who is prosecuted for what under the Uniform Code of Military Justice should be transferred from nonlawyer commanders to uniformed lawyers independent of the chain of command?" -- @globalmjreform

"The new SecDef will have to meaningfully re-center character as a requirement for military service: the need for all service members to work respectfully and effectively with their teammates regardless of race, gender, or religion." -- @suefulton

The new Skills White Paper (Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth) has been released.
https://t.co/zYgAMVte2G
Here are some of the things regarding the evolving technical education system in England we'll be looking at:
#SkillsWhitePaper #FEWhitePaper

1. Employers will be put at the heart of helping to shape additional technical training options alongside apprenticeships.
#SkillsWhitePaper #FEWhitePaper

2. Local Skills Improvement Plans will be introduced, bringing education and industry closer together to set the course for the technical training offer in an area to ensure if can respond to local employer need.
#SkillsWhitePaper #FEWhitePaper

3. New higher technical training options to be developed with a view to creating parity of esteem with academic options at the same level.
#SkillsWhitePaper #FEWhitePaper

4. Modular approaches to be introduced for technical training options to support lifelong learning, an important option for career changers
#SkillsWhitePaper #FEWhitePaper

WHAT IF... Q was designed by bad actors to whip up support for 3 years, for the sole purpose of developing a mass "cult following" of people who loyally follow the themes, catch phrases and direction of Q? Why would they do that?

With increasing domestic pressure and indisputable evidence provided by internationally accredited experts, the Government has now appointed a new 11 member expert committee on 24.12.2020 comprised of reputed virologists and qualified experts. (1)

The stated position which has been disclosed repeatedly by the President, PM & Health Minister since the beginning of COVID-19 regarding permitting burials is to “go with the recommendations of the experts”. (2)

Similarly, the stance of the Muslim community since the very beginning has been that IF science proves that burial is harmful, THEN we will cease our claims immediately, as we do not wish to cause harm to anyone.

This has been conveyed to to all officials and the public. (3)

Over the last 10 months, science has proven overwhelmingly that in 194 countries and at least 1.5 million COVID-19 burials worldwide, there is no tangible evidence that burial is harmful. (4)

The formation of this new expert committee is due to the fact that it has now been proven overwhelmingly that the previous committee’s recommendations are disputed and were based largely on “unknowns”, with lack of substantial evidence to prove or disprove its recommendations.(5)