[LawEnforcementToday] So, Washington state is considering putting firearms into the hands of ILLEGALS. A Person living here in CRIMINAL ILLEGAL STATUS, to enforce US LAWS and arrest US Citizens?
I wonder what the VOTERS & ATF have to say about that?
Seen on Somalia’s Shabelle Media website. Posted here without commentary or Fred’s translation:
To make America safe, strong, and prosperous, President Trump is ensuring that U.S. immigration laws are followed. If you try to enter the United States illegally, lie to get a visa, work without legal permission, or stay in the United States after your visa or visa waiver period expires, you will face serious penalties. These include jail time, deportation, and a permanent ban on obtaining a U.S. visa in the future. If you have family or friends who are in the United States illegally, now is the time to tell them to come home.
TRYING TO ENTER OR REMAIN ILLEGALLY WILL GET YOU CAUGHT
Some people believe they can sneak into the United States and avoid being caught. This is not true. The Trump Administration has strengthened border security and greatly increased the number of illegal aliens being arrested and deported. In February 2025, illegal border crossings dropped 94% compared to February 2024, while arrests of illegal border crossers inside the United States increased by 627%. If you try to cross a U.S. border or remain in the United States illegally, you will be caught, detained, and sent back. You may also be banned from ever returning or face fines and criminal charges.
U.S. VISA FRAUD HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
The U.S. visa process is the most secure in the world. Yet, some people unwisely still try to cheat the system by using fake documents, lying on applications, or staying after their visa expires. These are examples of visa fraud, and it is a serious crime. If you break the law in this way, you will be punished, and you may never be allowed to enter the United States again.
THE JOURNEY TO THE U.S. BORDER IS DANGEROUS
For those considering making the dangerous journey to illegally cross into the United States, understand that your safety – and even your life – are at risk. Criminal groups, cartels, and human traffickers target illegal migrants, subjecting them to violence, extortion, and assault. Many who attempt the journey never make it to their destination.
The United States is working with other countries in the Western Hemisphere to stop and return people trying to enter illegally before they even reach the U.S. border. By securing our borders, we are not only protecting American citizens but also preventing the suffering caused by illegal immigration.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS HOLDING EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE
The United States government is also taking action against those who help others enter the country illegally. This includes smugglers, human traffickers and even foreign government officials who allow illegal immigration to continue.
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy for foreign officials – including immigration, customs, and port authority staff – who fail to help stop illegal immigration. This builds on similar existing restrictions for those in the transportation and tourism industries. Those who threaten U.S. security by facilitating illegal immigration are not welcome in our country.
THE CHOICE IS CLEAR – FOLLOW THE LAW
The risks of trying to illegally immigrate to the United States far outweigh any potential benefits. You could lose your life, become a victim of criminals, or end up with a record that damages your future and your family’s future. Illegal entry not only breaks U.S. laws, it is also puts your safety and well-being in jeopardy. The penalties are serious: jail time, separation from your family, and permanent bans from re-entering the United States.
If you know someone who is in the United States illegally, the best thing you can do for them is encourage them to leave now before they are caught. For everyone, the message is simple: Make the right choice, follow the law, and do not risk your safety, your family, or your future.
And just like that, Turkey’s investment of time, money, and training is pushed to the back burner. Interesting — contrast with Iraq’s push to get America out as quickly as possible.
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia is prepared to offer the United States exclusive control of strategic air bases and ports, its president said in a letter to President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... seen by Rooters on Friday.
In the March 16 letter, authenticated by a regional diplomat with knowledge of the matter, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the assets included air bases in Balidogle and Berbera as well as the ports of Berbera and Bosaso.
Somalia’s foreign affairs and information ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
The offer could give the United States a firmer military presence in the Horn of Africa region as it looks to counter the threat from Islamist Death Eaters in Somalia and across the region.
"These strategically positioned assets provide an opportunity to bolster American engagement in the region, ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor," the letter said.
Berbera is in the breakaway Somaliland ...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells.... region, meaning the offer for the port and air base there would put the government there and Somalia on a collision course.
"What cooperation? The USA gave up this corrupted regime called Somalia. The USA is now ready to deal with Somaliland, who has shown the world to be a peaceful, stable, and democratic nation," Abdirahman Dahir Aden, Somaliland’s foreign minister, told Rooters.
"The USA is not stupid. They know who they need to deal with when it comes to Berbera port," he added.
Somalia opposes any move for Somaliland to be recognized as an independent nation.
Balidogle is about 90 km (55 miles) northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, while Bosaso is in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... .
Doing what they must to keep her out of power, by fair means or foul?
[IsraelTimes] Accused of embezzling European Parliament funds with other members of her party, Le Pen fears that if found guilty, court will declare her ineligible to run for office
Her "political death." That’s how French far-right leader Marine Le Pen described what’s at stake in a verdict expected Monday that could derail her plans to run in the next presidential election scheduled for 2027.
A judge is set to rule on whether Le Pen and her National Rally party embezzled European Parliament funds. She and 24 other party officials are accused of having used money intended for European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... parliamentary aides to instead pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, violating the 27-nation bloc’s regulations.
Le Pen, 56, and other co-defendants denied wrongdoing during the nine-week trial that took place in late 2024.
Le Pen’s greatest concern is that she could be declared ineligible to seek public office, if found guilty.
Should she be convicted, the court could impose a period where she is ineligible to run for office "with immediate effect" — even if she files an appeal. The court would also decide whether to give her a prison sentence — which would be suspended during any appeal.
But filing an appeal could prompt another possible headache for the far-right leader, since the new trial automatically granted to her would likely take place in 2026, just months before the presidential election.
Le Pen appeared to be anticipating a guilty verdict, and told the panel of three judges: "I feel we didn’t succeed in convincing you."
During the trial, prosecutors requested a two-year prison sentence for Le Pen and a five-year period of ineligibility. They "want my political death," Le Pen remarked.
In a key decision on Friday, the Constitutional Council — La Belle France’s highest constitutional authority — ruled that a period of ineligibility with immediate effect is in line with the French Constitution.
But it also stressed that it’s up to the judges to assess the consequences of imposing such a ban right away and make sure the ruling is "proportionate" and takes into consideration "the preservation of voters’ freedom."
The Constitutional Council rendered its ruling in a separate case that has no direct link with Le Pen’s, yet its conclusions have been scrutinized, as they provide legal guidance that judges are likely to take into consideration.
The body also underlined that the court can decide to not impose any period of ineligibility immediately. In that case, the ban would be suspended pending appeal.
For over a decade, Le Pen has worked at making her party more mainstream, dulling its hard boy edge to broaden its appeal to voters.
She led the National Rally from 2011 to 2021. She changed its name from the National Front, as part of her efforts to distance it from the period when her father ran the party, which then carried a heavy stigma of racism and antisemitism.
Now a politician in the National Assembly, the French parliament’s powerful lower house, she has already positioned herself as a candidate to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, having twice finished as runner-up to him.
In 2022, Macron won with 58.5% of the vote to Le Pen’s 41.5% — significantly closer than when they first faced off in 2017 and the best score ever of the French far right in a presidential bid.
Ineligibility "would have the effect of depriving me of being a presidential candidate," she pleaded during the trial. "Behind that, there are 11 million people who voted for the movement I represent. So tomorrow, potentially, millions and millions of French people would see themselves deprived of their candidate in the election."
Many speculate that Jordan Bardella, 29, would take over for Le Pen if she were barred from running. He succeeded Le Pen in 2021 at the helm of the party, and he would likely be her prime minister if she were to become president.
Yet observers say there’s no guarantee he would be able to convince as many voters as she does. In recent months, some inside the party have criticized his management as too focused on his personal career.
Since joining the party at age 17, Bardella has risen quickly through the ranks, serving as spokesperson and president of its youth wing, before being appointed vice president and becoming the second-youngest member of the European Parliament in history in 2019.
#1
In this moment, found guilty as charged (and ineligible)
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 5:59 Comments ||
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#2
The nine MEPs and twelve assistants found guilty had signed 'fictitious contracts' and there was indeed a 'system' within the party, said the president of the court, Bénédicte de Perthuis. “It has been established that all these people were in fact working for the party, that their MP had not given them any tasks”, that they ‘passed from one MP to another’, she explained.
“It was not a question of pooling the work of the assistants but rather of pooling the MPs' budgets,” she continued. ‘Let's be clear: no one is on trial for having been involved in politics, that's not the issue. The question was whether or not the contracts were fulfilled,’ said the magistrate.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 6:02 Comments ||
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#3
Just in: She is banned from standing for election with immediate effect.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 6:11 Comments ||
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#4
The next presidential elections in France are in April 2027. So if the ban is longer than 2 years (not yet pronounced), she can't run.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 6:15 Comments ||
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#5
The experts weigh in:
The Kremlin reacts to the verdict, deploring a “violation of democratic standards”.
LOL
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 6:34 Comments ||
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#6
The ban is 5 years. Adieu les élections.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 6:58 Comments ||
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#7
Can't beat her at the ballot box, so take her out in the courts. Where have we heard this before? Before you know it Germans will ban AfD.
#9
The embezzlement cases seem very clear-cut.
She made EU Parliament (i.e. taxpayers) pay for EU Parliament assistants who actually worked for the party. That's illegal.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 9:07 Comments ||
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#10
EC, I suggest you broaden the horizon of your reading material. Try this...
#13
I followed this case closely, also from French sources.
The ban on Le Pen from holding office is based on a law passed in 2016 in the wake of a corruption scandal (not concerning Le Pen's party). According to this law, any elected representative convicted of embezzling public funds is generally banned from the next elections.
Le Pen didn't vote against this law btw. She clearly broke it.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 9:40 Comments ||
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#14
They’ve been going after the LePens for years — anything to keep them out of power. The old man had some ugly beliefs, but the younger generation is different, as far as I can tell. Ditto for Geert Wilders in the Netherlands And Bibi, of course.
America was behind the curve on using lawfare to try to box out the hated populist outsider, but they caught up quickly.
#15
"Give me the man and I will give you the case against him"[1] (Polish: Dajcie mi człowieka, a paragraf się znajdzie; translated to English more literally as "give me the man; there'll be a paragraph[a] for him",[2] Russian: Был бы человек, а статья найдется ("If there is a person, there will be an article [in the criminal code]"), also interpreted as "give me the man, and I will find the crime",[3] or "show me the man and I'll show you the crime"[4]) is a saying that was popularized in the Soviet Union and in Poland in the period of the People's Republic of Poland, attributed to the Stalinist-era Soviet jurist Andrey Vyshinsky,[2][5]: 200 [6] or the Soviet secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria.[3][4] It refers to the miscarriage of justice in the form of the abuse of power by the jurists, who could find any defendant guilty of "something", if they so desired. Wiki
#16
It wasn't about beliefs but about laws that were broken. She used taxpayer money of the EU parliament by setting up fake contracts in order to pay people who worked for her and the party.
That's simply illegal and she and the other party members knew that.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 9:51 Comments ||
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#17
It wasn't about beliefs but about laws that were broken
Uh huh. Pull the other one.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/31/2025 9:59 Comments ||
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#18
No. You can't hire a person with public funds and then make him work for your personal gain.
I thought that was clear enough.
I've been a member of the regional Parliament, and I knew that I couldn't do that. The law - also in Germany - is very clear on that.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 10:06 Comments ||
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#19
Marine Le Pen and her 20 accomplices are not victims, they are guilty of having provided fictitious jobs paid for by the European taxpayers to Marine Le Pen's sister, sister-in-law, driver and companion.
I'm surprised that with all that DOGE stuff you'll suddenly find this ok.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 10:09 Comments ||
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#20
I'm surprised that with all that DOGE stuff you'll suddenly find this ok.
#21
Just don't break the law. In this case, this is quite easy to do. Of course politicians will always complain about "persecution" when they're held accountable. It's almost too funny that Putin and Orban would come to defend her. Those guys know a thing or two about persecution.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 10:40 Comments ||
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“Then, last but not least, there is the case of (François) Bayrou, the current prime minister, who has been prosecuted for exactly the same thing, i.e., for abuses of party funding declared as parliamentary assistants in Europe, at the EU parliament. Bayrou emerged from this affair without being in the least concerned. In fact, the public prosecutor’s office has once again referred the matter to the courts, but even so, we’re dealing with a double standard here. It’s a bit surprising.”
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/31/2025 10:58 Comments ||
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#23
Judge de Perthuis set the tone immediately when she stated that there was no doubt as to the systemic nature of the embezzlement. All the defendants were guilty of embezzling public funds. The court had only examined the question of whether the employment contracts of the parliamentary staff had been in line with the work performed for the European Parliament. This was not the case. Rather, Le Pen had expanded a system of cross-financing of the party through sham employment contracts that had been introduced by her father. The Front National and later the Rassemblement National had enriched itself at the expense of the EU Parliament and had also undermined the rules of democracy. The RN was thus financially favored over other parties.
The court found it particularly serious that Le Pen and her co-defendants showed no remorse. During the criminal proceedings in the fall, the right-wing populist had repeatedly claimed that her actions were legitimate and that she could not see any wrongdoing. On Monday, Judge de Perthuis read from an exchange of correspondence between the party's treasurer, Wallerand de Saint-Just, and MEP Jean-Luc Schaffhauser. “Marine is asking us to sign fictitious employment contracts. The MEPs are criminally liable for this,” Schaffhauser warned. He expects the party's financial conduct to be scrutinized and wants to sound the alarm. The treasurer replied, ”I think Marine knows all about it.”
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 10:59 Comments ||
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#24
In the case of Bayrou (who was acquitted) the Paris court found that nothing in the case file proved that the president of MoDem had given instructions to MEPs to hire parliamentary assistants or that he was aware of the non-execution of the contracts of the parliamentary assistants in question.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 11:08 Comments ||
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#27
Article 17. If the French president so desired, they could issue a pardon allowing her to run. I'm not gonna hold my breath but it'd potentially provide an alternative to civil disruption. They could pardon her, let her run, then adjust the vote so she 'almost' makes it again . . .
#28
She can appeal. And if the appellate court reverses the verdict she can still run.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 11:49 Comments ||
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#29
In western liberal democracies jailing or shooting the opposition candidate is quickly becoming the preferred election strategy
8:15 AM · Mar 31, 2025
Auron MacIntyre
Marine Le Pen in France, Bolsonaro in Brazil, Imran Khan in Pakistan, Matteo Salvini in Italy, Donald Trump in America, Calin Georgescu in Romania
The criminal prosecution of every populist challenger is a dagger in the heart of the credibility of democracy.
Mike Benz
#30
EC: 15 out of 28 29 Comments are by you. Do you have an emotional attachment or feel overly defensive?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/31/2025 12:01 Comments ||
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#31
I thought you would appreciate breaking reports. And this is a European topic.
But ok, I'll disappear for a while.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 12:17 Comments ||
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#32
I personally find it useful to have an in-country perspective on events. More data points!
From a 1,000 foot view, this looks like yet another lawfare operation on a political opponent. First, the rising populist candidate is branded as "far-right" and someone to be shunned by all good people. When that does not work, a crime is found or created. Said crime is then inflated to remove the target from the playing field. It is all nice and legal. And if that does not work, there is an "accident" As mentioned in #29, this is not the first time we have seen this play. It is not a good look.
tl;dr: You want more Trump? Keep this up and you will get a Trump of your own.
#33
The Soviet had laws, lots of laws. And the Soviets had courts too. Just because a law is a law does not make the law sacrosanct. And the problem with these societies when everything is illegal and prohibited is the unequal application of law.
#34
It’s called gaslighting…. provocation to create a stronger reaction!
The filthy chosen cult of covert, malignant narcissists already used that technique 100 years ago, the excesses of their Bolsheviks created Fascism and Nazism in reaction, then Europe was divided, and WWII followed…
It seems obvious that’s their plan all over again.
Posted by: Paul Mantise ||
03/31/2025 14:11 Comments ||
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#35
European Conservative: I appreciate your input. I think the resistance you are seeing is that based on how we perceive the US system using lawfare to manipulate elections, we suspect the same in France. That is, we are not confident that LePen actually committed the crimes - they may not have occurred or they may have been manufactured by opposition.
#39
@Mercutio
No, of course not. Presumption of innocence ("présomption d'innocence"), and the judge must be convinced of guilt beyond any reasonable doubt ("hors de tout doute raisonnable").
Prosecution must prove the defendant is guilty. One exception: Defendants who live with prostitutes, or with drug traffickers, are presumed to be living off the proceeds of illegal activity unless they can prove the contrary.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 16:32 Comments ||
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#40
@Glenmore
"they may not have occurred or they may have been manufactured by opposition."
They did occur. This has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt. Btw I'm not really happy about the ban. The RN will use it to play the victim card, and they have two years to build up a successor.
I would have preferred a verdict without the immediate ban.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 16:50 Comments ||
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#41
EC: - as a Euro-Ignorant Gringo, I had to ask why this was so important to defend. I suspect you obviously know how badly this correlates in our eyes to the Democrats lawfare against Trump. It appears that this is not equally enforced across the EU Elites
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/31/2025 17:57 Comments ||
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#42
FrankG
These practices have been going on for a long time and that's why the French parliament passed a law against it. It was Marine Le Pen who attacked politicians of other parties for this very reason, saying that her party was the only one that didn't do such dirty things. "Heads up, clean hands" was the slogan, and she voted for this law.
I say: Where there is a trough, pigs will find it.
Now that she (and 20 other party members) have been caught, she is crying foul.
By the way, this is completely different from NY lawfare. I found the 34 felony counts for a (maybe) bookkeeping error completely bogus.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/31/2025 18:32 Comments ||
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#43
Thank you
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/31/2025 18:57 Comments ||
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#44
Rantburg University for the win! :-) Thank you all for this edifying discussion.
My question: did LePen, et al do what too many French politicians do, or is their behavior uniquely illegal? Because if everybody does it (meaning many rather than most), then the prosecution is persecution. If uniquely illegal, then they deserve what they got, beyond petard-hoisting.
Either way, though, this kind of thing does tend to galvanize those on the fence to get involved, and those who were only watching to get out and vote. Look what happened to the Republicans since 2020.
[FoxNews] TikTok user belal_donq said 'You might as well shoot them [ICE agents] on sight and have your day in court'
The Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration, something the president promised throughout his campaign.
A TikTok user posted a disturbing video on the popular social media website, calling on people to "shoot at ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents on sight."
"Shoot at ICE agents on sight. That's right. If ICE agents are trying to take you or a loved one, shoot them on sight," TikTok user belal_donq
…Belal is an Arabic boy’s name, also popular in the Indian subcontinent…
said in his video.
The user claimed agents had been showing up in masks, unmarked vehicles, and without their badges, claiming that the agents "could be anybody."
"The way they're pulling up with masks on, with unmarked vehicles, no badge, no nothing. It could be anybody. It can be gang members. You have every right to shoot at them," he continued. "This would be the best self-defense case. You're just in fear for your life. You don't know who's behind that unmarked vehicle or who's behind that mask."
He then says the way agents have been allegedly showing up "is ridiculous."
"What is our country coming to? Why would you want to be an ICE agent anyway? Do you like separating kids from their parents? Do you like deporting students that are studying? I can understand deporting a gang member or criminals. But innocent people. It's ridiculous."
"They're pulling up like the Mafia. You might as well shoot them on sight and have your day in court."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared a thread of the video and vowed that actions would be taken against the person who posted the video.
"If you threaten or attempt to harm a law enforcement officer we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," Noem wrote in a post on X.
User belal_donq appeared to take down the video Sunday evening after Fox News Digital reached out to him on TikTok.
National Border Patrol Council Vice President Hector Garza told Fox News Digital that this type of message is not only dangerous, but that it also "incites real-world violence."
"This kind of rhetoric is not only dangerous, it incites real-world violence and undermines the rule of law. Our agents risk their lives every day to protect this country, and they deserve to do their jobs without fear of being targeted simply for wearing the uniform," Garza said.
"The National Border Patrol Council unequivocally condemns any form of violence or threats directed at federal law enforcement officers, including our colleagues at ICE," he continued.
Garza added that he "urges all social media platforms to take swift and decisive action against content that promotes violence."
"Free speech does not extend to inciting criminal acts, and allowing such content to remain online puts lives at risk," Garza said.
This incident comes less than a week after TikTok removed the hashtag, "#CartelTok," from its search engine after cartel members were caught using it to highlight their crimes and recruit human smugglers.
A TikTok spokesperson told Fox News Digital that in addition to removing "#CartelTok," from its search engine, the platform also removed "known leaders of cartels or gangs" that violated the organization's policy.
Many of the videos in question showed cartels flashing piles of money, jewelry and luxury items that were used to entice teens in America and Mexico to smuggle illegal immigrants across the U.S. border.
Representatives for Snapchat, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, previously told Fox News Digital that they have policies in place to crack down on such content and remove such content when it does appear on their platforms.
Fox News Digital reached out to TikTok and ICE for comment on the video, but did not receive a response.
This is just another example of the stupidity of this Smartphone, Social Media brainwashed and educated generation.
I grew up in the South in the 60's. I have seen the Democrat ran and sponsored KKK in action on the streets.
Furthermore, I saw, the separate this and that rooms, food counters, bus rear seating, schools, and movie seating (crows nest as they were called) in theaters and auditoriums.
ICE is not burning crosses, conducting public or private lynchings. It is enforcing the Law. A LAW, might I remind the LEFT, the Democrats originally pushed hard to get passed many years ago. A law that is quickly removing the most violent section of that 10.5 MILLION, that Illegally entered our Country.
Persons so violent, that in too many cases their own country dumped them out of their prisons to get rid of.
Persons that should have been arrested given the Illegal manner they came in, and the violent (murders, drugs, rapes) crimes they committed OPENLY. All during the Democrat Party 2020 DEFUND THE POLICE Coup. That, for some Federal and (D) State level official political agenda reason, was overlooked and allowed to continue.
[News9] A new report is raising concerns about Oklahoma’s marijuana industry. The study focuses on a range of areas affected by the legalization of medical marijuana.
“This is one of those challenging moments where they say ‘Okay, Oklahomans voted to be able to allow medical marijuana,' but I don’t think a lot of Oklahomans realized when that vote actually occurred, what the consequences of that would be," said U.S. Senator James Lankford.
Five times more dispensaries
The state has more than five times as many licensed dispensaries as Colorado and nearly twice as many combined dispensaries.
Twelve times more licensed growers
Oklahoma has 12 times more licensed growers than Colorado and over three times as many combined medical/recreational growers.
"Colorado has 2 million more people than we have," said Senator Lankford.
32 times the amount needed
The industry produces more than 32 times the supply needed.
“The significant oversupply is obviously created based on trying to be able to traffic marijuana all over the country,” said Senator Lankford.
That sounds like capitalism at work — a thousand flowers bloom, and the strongest survive while the rest go under. Unless they’re selling their product to the narco gangs, which would definitely be a problem.
#1
The "medical marijuana" angle of this is so completely stupid. To get a "medical" card, one doesn't even have to meet with a Doctor. All one has to do is say "I sometimes feel stress, and it interferes with my sleep".
#2
Oklahoma's climate is far kinder to (cheaper!) outdoor cultivation of marijuana than Colorado. Additionally, the eastern part of Oklahoma, the forested area leased by big timber corporations is notorious for clandestine plots. "Better bring a local when deer hunting and develop some selective vision in the woods 'cuz never know who you'll run into!" -- a friend told me decades ago and I doubt anything as changed since.
#5
As I've said, a few years back I went through OKC and every other billboard was a dispensary ad. Last time, every other billboard was about help for substance abuse and how to use narcon.
And that I've heard it said best by a classical libertarian - "I personally think that making MJ illegal for responsible adults is a good thing...that said, it sure seems like every time it happens, neighborhoods with dispensaries sure seem to have turned into shitholes."
Something which may have changed, is that it seems a lot of these grow lots are financed by 'foreign investors'.
Hush, now. Whatever you do, don’t let the Russians know!
[Regnum] The issues of containing China from seizing Taiwan are the main priorities for the American army. This was stated by Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth in a secret document on national defense for the US military .
"China is the only permanent threat to the [US Defense Department]. Preventing China from taking Taiwan over and making it a fait accompli while protecting the United States is the only scenario for the department," Hegseth said.
From this I infer that we aren’t worried about jihadis anymore…
According to The Washington Post, the Secretary signed and distributed the “interim strategic guidance for national defense” within the department in mid-March.
The document views a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan as an exceptional scenario that should be prioritized over other possible threats.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 21, the head of the White House, Donald Trump, said that the United States is not interested in a war with China, but is well prepared for it. The American president added that he would not like to demonstrate this to anyone.
In late January, the Financial Times reported, citing satellite images and intelligence sources, that the Chinese military had begun construction of what would be the world's largest military command center, 10 times the size of the U.S. Pentagon. Experts believe it would house large, hardened bunkers to protect China's military leaders in any conflict, including a potential nuclear war.
In 2024, the People's Republic of China increased its defense spending by 7.2 percent, the largest increase in five years.
#1
From this I infer that we aren’t worried about jihadis anymore
Once you decide to let "liberals" go whistle up a tree (these who don't follow western rules of war, are not entitled to protection of these rules) - jihadis are not a problem.
#2
Americans would do well to remember the CCP manufactures and produces much of what we buy and use.
From BBQ grills, IC chips, to something like 3 of 10 key medications and 91% of all generic med's.
We (USA) needs to focus on manufacturing and producing what we need on this side of the ocean. Like putting NAFTA to use like it was originally intended to be used.
BTW; one of the benefits NAFTA was sold to voters on was.
It would drastically reduce the Illegal numbers we were seeing, by putting them to work in their own countries.
[IsraelTimes] Netanyahu insists that increased pressure is the only way to free hostages, says Israel is willing to negotiate ‘final stage’ of deal, would allow Hamas leaders to leave the Strip
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said ministers voted overnight to increase military pressure on Hamas, asserting that the methods were "working" to bring about a deal to free hostages held in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip.
"It works because it acts simultaneously," he said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "On the one hand, it crushes Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities, and on the other hand, it creates the conditions for the release of our hostages."
The security cabinet last night voted to increase pressure on Hamas, the premier said. The vote was held as massive nationwide protests continued against his government’s policies on the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Elaborating on what he said were three Hamas "false claims" about Israel’s negotiating posture, Netanyahu said, first, that in contrast to Hamas assertions, Israel is continuing to negotiate, but that it this being done "under fire," which he claimed makes it more effective. "We see that there are suddenly cracks," he said, though Hamas has yet to agree to Israel’s demands for a new, extended ceasefire.
Media reports on Saturday said Hamas had agreed to an Egyptian proposal to release five living hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire in Gaza. According to multiple media reports, this does not meet the demands of Israel, which is insisting on the return of 10 or 11 living hostages to resume the truce, based on a previous proposal by US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
Israel on Saturday confirmed it had received the proposal from mediating countries and sent a counterproposal "in full coordination with the US."
Israel is also willing to talk about "the final stage" of a hostage release-ceasefire deal with Hamas, Netanyahu insisted, countering what he called the second Hamas lie about the negotiations.
The prime minister had previously refused to enter talks on the second phase of a ceasefire deal reached in January, which would involve discussing the end to the war. Instead, he pushed for an extension of the first phase of the deal. Hamas refused, and Israel renewed intensive military operations throughout Gaza on March 18.
"We are ready," Netanyahu said Sunday. "Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave [Gaza]. We will take care of general security in the Gaza Strip, and enable the implementation of the Trump plan, the voluntary immigration plan."
"That’s the plan. We’re not hiding it," he went on.
Israel "is ready to discuss it at any time," he said, referring to the US president’s contentious plan, which triggered global outrage after Trump suggested the US "take over" Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," while forcing its Paleostinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt, Jordan or other countries.
The third Hamas lie, according to Netanyahu, was that he doesn’t care about the hostages: "This is what Hamas puts in its propaganda films in order to create division within us," he argued.
He said that Israel is "committed to bringing back the hostages," and claimed that the combination of military and diplomatic pressure is the only thing that has worked, and "not all the empty claims and slogans that I hear in the [TV] studios from the experts."
The renewal of military operations in Gaza has sparked fears among hostage families that their loved ones’ lives will be in increased danger, as some captives were killed in captivity by strikes, or by their captors when troops appeared to be approaching their location.
Addressing stepped-up attacks in Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... , Netanyahu said that Israel "respects" Lebanon and its armed forces, "therefore, we demand from them things that you demand from someone you respect."
"Lebanon is responsible for what comes out of its territory, and it must ensure that... no attacks against Israel come out of its territory," Netanyahu said, apparently referring to recent rocket fire over the past week.
He also thanked the US for carrying out strikes against the Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... , calling it "a big change."
The US on March 15 launched a new campaign of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s against the rebel group after it threatened to resume attacks on "any Israeli vessel" in nearby maritime routes as a response to Israel stifling the flow of aid into Gaza.
Though former US president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run.... also carried out strikes against the Houthis during his term, the campaign was more limited and targeted mostly at launch sites. Under Trump, American fighter jets and drones began bombing high-ranking Houthi personnel and denser city neighborhoods.
"We always value alliances," Netanyahu said. "We have an alliance with the greatest power in the world, and it stands behind us there and in other arenas without reservation, and with the full appreciation of the citizens and the government of Israel."
[IsraelTimes] In ruling written before latest halt on aid, court says Israel has not violated legal prohibitions on collective punishment; human rights group slams ‘green light to continue war crimes’
The High Court of Justice ruled unanimously on Thursday that Israel has taken a variety of steps to provide for the humanitarian needs of Gaza’s civilian population during the current war with Hamas, and that there was no cause for the court to order the government and the army to take any additional action.
Critically, the court stated that the human rights groups which petitioned the court over the humanitarian situation in Gaza had “not even come close” to showing that Israel had violated legal prohibitions on starving a civilian population as a tool of war or as a form of collective punishment.
The court also ruled against the petitioners’ claim that Gaza is now under what is known as a “belligerent occupation” by Israel, which would apply heightened responsibilities for Israel to Gazan civilians.
The court found that at least two out of the three conditions for establishing a belligerent occupation have not been met by Israel, in particular that the IDF still does not have effective control of the territory and is unable to exercise governing authority.
Additionally, the court asserted that Hamas and other terror groups have deliberately hidden among the civilian population during the war; carried out terror activity from the Israel-designated humanitarian zone including from inside civilian facilities such as hospitals and schools; and seized humanitarian aid destined for civilians for its own use, to the detriment of the civilian population.
It also stated that the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza were responsible for civilian suffering in the war-torn territory, although the court added that Israel was not permitted to ignore that suffering.
Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, a liberal, wrote the primary opinion for the court, while conservatives Noam Sohlberg and David Mintz backed his decision.
Amit noted that the ruling was written before the government’s decision on March 2, 2025, to halt the transfer of all aid to Gaza, and said that the ruling could not address the new circumstances. It relates only to the petitions filed back in 2024 and the hearings that had been held for them.
The ruling is significant coming against the background of the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on charges of crimes against humanity for using starvation as a means of warfare against the Gazan civilian population.
The International Court of Justice is also considering a suit filed by South Africa against Israel on charges of genocide, relating in large part to accusations that Israel’s policies regarding the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza have been deliberately designed to create conditions to bring about civilian deaths in the territory.
The Gisha human rights group, the primary petitioner in the case, denounced the decision, saying it gave Israel “a green light to continue committing war crimes” in Gaza.
In March 2024, Gisha, together with HaMoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Adalah, petitioned the court to order the government to allow unimpeded access of all necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza and to “significantly increase the volume of aid to Gaza,” including by opening land crossings and to provide for all the needs of the civilian population.
The court held five hearings on the petitions, the last of which was in November last year, requesting several updates and additional information from the state and its relevant agencies.
In his written opinion, Amit asserted that the IDF had taken steps during the war to reduce the harm done to Gaza’s civilian population, but acknowledged that the “fierce and protracted fighting” had exacted a heavy price from the civilian population in the strip.
“There is no dispute, and there can be no dispute, that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is not easy, to put it mildly,” wrote Amit.
He added, however, that “the suffering of the civilian population does not in itself indicate a breach of [its] obligation by the State of Israel,” he added.
Amit said that the transfer of humanitarian aid in all its forms had been allowed into Gaza for the majority of the war, and that Israel and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit of the Defense Ministry, had conducted numerous activities to facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza and to help coordinate its distribution.
This included opening new goods crossings into Gaza, upgrading the roads leading to the crossings and inside Gaza itself, as well as coordinating collection and distribution operations of the aid inside Gaza by humanitarian organizations operating in the territory to the civilian population.
Amit wrote that during the course of the war and the courts’ hearings on the petitions, COGAT was in constant contact with the humanitarian organizations on the ground to understand the needs of the population and to improve its response to those needs.
“Throughout the hearing of the petition, we were presented with a variety of steps that the respondents were taking to help humanitarian aid reach the uninvolved civilian population in the Gaza Strip,” wrote Amit.
These steps were taken “while balancing the State of Israel’s humanitarian obligations with operational security considerations,” including the fear that aid would be diverted by terror groups.
“In doing so, the respondents showed attentiveness to the changing reality and the needs anticipated by the aid organizations, and a willingness to become more efficient in the manner of their activities,” he added.
As a result, Amit wrote, he did not see a need for court intervention.
“Taking into account the totality of the actions taken by the respondents with the aim of improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip throughout the period of time examined in the petition, as detailed above, I do not believe that the petitioners were able to establish – not even close – a violation of the prohibitions on starvation of a population as a method of warfare and on collective punishment,” he added.
“It is the terrorist organizations that bear responsibility for the suffering of the uninvolved population,” concluded Amit, adding, however, that “this human suffering is not something that the State of Israel is entitled to ignore.”
Regarding the claims of Gisha and the other petitioners that Gaza is under belligerent occupation, Amit wrote that three conditions must be fulfilled for such a finding, including a physical presence of the foreign force in the territory in question; the ability of that force to function as a governing authority there; and the loss of the previous rulers of their ability to exercise government authority.
Amit ruled that neither the second nor the third conditions have been met, and that therefore Israel cannot be said to be in a belligerent occupation of Gaza, with the accompanying legal obligations to its civilian population.
Gisha and the other human rights organizations which petitioned the court said the ruling “reads like a hymn of praise to the State of Israel and its army during the darkest period in their history,” and “conveniently” determined the time period for the petition to stop at the beginning of this March when Israel halted the transfer of aid to Gaza.
“The ruling thus gives the State of Israel a green light to continue committing war crimes and harming civilians in Gaza,” Gisha stated.
Maybe ! IF ! HAMAS, other rouge Islamic terrorists, and the looters would quit hi-jacking it and hiding it for their private use. Then more would actually get into the civilian's hands.
[IsraelTimes] Critics decry planned north-south route as a ‘fatal blow’ to local Palestinian communities, as cabinet moves to expand settlement construction between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim
The security cabinet Saturday night approved the construction of a Paleostinian-only bypass road in the Jerusalem area in a bid to separate Israeli and Paleostinian traffic and entrench Israel’s presence beyond the Green Line.
Removing the temptation for West Bank Arabs to attack any Israelis driving by.
Hailing the move, the Prime Minister’s Office said that it will reduce congestion between the capital and Ma’ale Adumim and boost Israeli construction in the highly contentious E1 area in the West Bank, located between the two cities.
Plans for the so-called "Fabric of Life" road were initially approved in 2020, after several years of intense lobbying by former Ma’ale Adumim mayor Benny Kashriel. After five years, the government is now moving forward with construction and earmarked some NIS 335 million ($91 million) for the project.
"We continue to strengthen the security of Israel’s citizens and to develop our settlements," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement on Sunday. He further claimed that the road stands to ease traffic flow and enhance security by providing a "strategic transportation corridor connecting Jerusalem, Ma’ale Adumim and the Jordan Valley."
Vertically bisecting the West Bank, the hotly contested E1 area is considered strategically important for the territorial contiguity of a prospective Paleostinian state. Though Israel has long sought to step up construction in the region, its efforts were partly stifled by immense international pressure, including from the US.
The planned bypass road will allow for Israel to expand construction in the settlement bloc, which critics decried as a "fatal blow" to Paleostinian communities in the area.
"These communities [in E1] will be cut off from the rest of the West Bank, and will have virtually no access by car," anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now warned in a blurb on Sunday. "This could mean the de facto expulsion of all Paleostinian communities from the area."
The new north-south route will directly connect the villages of az-Za’ayyem and al-Eizariya, diverting Paleostinian traffic away from Route 1 and effectively barring Paleostinians access to areas within the E1 bloc.
The group also called the road a potential first step towards the annexation of Ma’ale Adumim, a charge with which many supporting the road’s construction agree. While serving in 2020 as defense minister under Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett touted the route as a way to "apply illusory sovereignty" to the area "in deeds, not words."
The Prime Minister’s Office said the plan will bolster security amid concerns over terrorist attacks along the current route. Just over a year ago, three Paleostinian faceless myrmidons carried out a shooting attack near the az-Za’ayyem checkpoint, killing an Israeli man and wounding 11 others, including a pregnant woman.
The construction will not draw from Israel’s state budget funds, but will rather be financed with money collected from Paleostinians by the Civil Administration, the Defense Ministry body that manages civilian affairs in the West Bank.
The cabinet also approved plans for another bypass road — "Route 80" — which will connect al-Eizariya to the Good Samaritan Interchange, creating a more direct route between Bethlehem and Jericho. The project, still in its initial planning phase, was allocated some NIS 10 million.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, who spearheaded the initiative, lauded the "historic decision," which he says will "reinforce the settlements, boost security, enhance the welfare of all residents in the area, and strengthen our hold on Judea and Samaria."
[TWZ] Tablets are an increasingly popular way of fast-tracking the integration of new capabilities on a variety of aerial platforms.
Turkey has begun using tablet computers in the cockpits of its F-16 fighters to help with the rapid integration of new locally-developed weapons. This has interesting parallels with Ukraine’s use of such devices to allow its Soviet-era jets to employ Western air-to-ground weapons — something you can read more about here.
The tablet can be seen in the cockpit of an F-16 in a recent video showing a test launch of the domestically developed SOM-J standoff missile. The tablet is mounted on the Input Control Panel (ICP), which is located on the center console beneath the head-up display. The ICP is used to select weapons, navigation settings, and radio communications, among other functions. At the same time, the pilot has another tablet on their knee, something that has become increasingly common, augmenting the information available via the aircraft’s mission systems and helping eliminate cumbersome paper books in the cockpit.
In this context, the tablet is part of the UBAS, also known in English as the Aircraft Independent Firing System. Using Turkish-designed software, the UBAS provides a weapons interface for the use of Turkish-made stores, like the SOM-J. Reportedly, UBAS is installed in Turkey’s upgraded F-16C/D Block 40 aircraft but is not compatible with older Vipers. Exactly how many aircraft are outfitted with the device is unclear, and it remains possible that it’s primarily intended for test work, before the stores are added to Turkish-made aircraft and drones. On the other hand, with such a capability readily available, it would be surprising if it were not introduced more widely on Turkish F-16s.
As for the SOM-J, this weapon was developed by Turkey’s Roketsan, on the basis of the same company’s Stand-Off Missile (SOM), as used by the F-4E and F-16, but was planned for integration on the F-35, which would have carried it internally. Although Turkey was ejected from the Joint Strike Fighter program, developmental work on the SOM-J continued. The missile reportedly has a range of at least 170 miles and uses GPS/inertial navigation system (INS) for guidance, with an imaging infrared seeker for the terminal phase. The SOM-J is around 12.8 feet long and weighs approximately 1,190 pounds.
Tablet-based workarounds to integrate new weapons on existing aircraft platforms are now something of a growth area.
In the case of Ukraine, which we have explored in depth in the past, its Soviet-era fighters lack the kinds of data bus interfaces that would ensure seamless compatibility with Western-made weapons.
Last year, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William LaPlante explained:
“There’s also a series of … we call it ‘air-to-ground,’ it’s what we call it euphemistically … think about the aircraft that the Ukrainians have, and not even the F-16, but they have a lot of the Russian and Soviet-era aircraft. Working with the Ukrainians, we’ve been able to take many Western weapons and get them to work on their aircraft, where it’s basically controlled by an iPad by the pilot. And they’re flying it in conflict like a week after we get it to him.”
As well as tablets in the cockpit, Ukrainian aircraft are also using specialized pylons on which the Western-made weapons are carried. You can read more about those here.
For Turkey, the situation is essentially reversed, with the problem being how to integrate new Turkish-made weapons onto older U.S.-made F-16s.
Turkey has a fairly unusual position regarding the kind of upgrades it can make to its F-16 fleet, a result of the sometimes-strained relations between Ankara and Washington.
Turkey’s F-16 fleet is the third largest in the world, and the country’s Vipers have seen extensive action in combat operations. With any replacement for them some way off, Turkey has undertaken various F-16 upgrades, including a service-life extension, performed by the domestic firm Turkish Aerospace, formerly known as Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
While Turkey operates Block 30, 40, and 50 aircraft, it seems that the UBAS, currently at least, is restricted to the Block 40/50 jets that were modernized with the Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) upgrade, which was completed in 2015.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/31/2025 02:15 ||
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[TWZ] The Airbus Low-Cost Air Defense or LOAD concept takes an existing target drone and adds small air-to-air missiles to bring down enemy UAVs.
Airbus has unveiled LOAD, a new anti-drone drone concept — an adapted target drone that will be armed with small air-to-air missiles, expressly designed to shoot down other uncrewed aerial vehicles. In recent years, we’ve seen a proliferation of single-use drones with explosive warheads that are designed to bring down other uncrewed aerial vehicles. However, a reusable anti-drone drone, armed with its own tiny missiles, appears to be something of a novelty.
Airbus revealed LOAD — which stands for Low-Cost Air Defense — at the DWT Unbemannte Systeme X uncrewed systems trade show in Bonn, Germany, today. The company says it wants to test fly an armed prototype by the end of the year, with a series-production ready by 2027.
[TWZ] The sensor-packed ME-11Bs will fly faster, farther, and higher than the Army's current turboprop intel aircraft and could also launch drones.
The U.S. Army has formally given the designation ME-11B to its forthcoming High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) intelligence-gathering aircraft. The modified Bombardier Global 6500 business jets will have extensive sensors suites that include the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System-2B (ASARS-2B) and could have the ability to launch drones.
Last August, the Army awarded the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) a contract valued at just under $1 billion to modify Global 6500s into the HADES configuration, as well as provide other support and services. Work under that contract was suspended until January of this year due to an ultimately unsuccessful protest by L3Harris, which had competed for the HADES deal as part of a team with Leidos and MAG Aerospace. Bombardier separately delivered the first Global 6500 for conversion in November 2024.
“The military mission design series designation of ME-11B was assigned to the Army’s future aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, which will be based on the Bombardier Global 6500 platform,” a spokesperson for the Army’s Program Executive Office for Aviation (PEO Aviation) confirmed to TWZ earlier this week.
The designation here reflects that there is another militarized Global 6500 already in service with the U.S. armed forces, the U.S. Air Force’s E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft. It’s also worth noting here that the aircraft in the Air Force’s initial fleet of E-11As were based on older Bombardier BD-700 and Global 6000 business jets. The BACN jets provide highly specialized communications capabilities that allow for the rapid transfer of data between various aerial platforms, as well as forces on land and at sea, which you can read more about here.
[IsraelTimes] Lebanese authorities say several suspects have been arrested after rockets were fired at neighboring Israel earlier this month, testing a fragile November ceasefire.
Lebanon’s General Security agency says it has “arrested several suspects, and the relevant authorities have begun investigations with them to determine responsibility and take the appropriate legal measures.”
The Hezbollah terror group has denied involvement in the rocket fire that took place on March 22 and 28.
It nevertheless prompted an Israeli strike on Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold on Friday for the first time since the truce went into effect in November.
Were they Hamas, boys messing about, or was it Hezbollah taqqiya?
[IsraelTimes] US president also says he could apply secondary tariffs on Islamic Republic, in first remarks after Tehran rejects his offer for direct talks on nuclear program
Going through all the steps of the dance before the bombs must be dropped – Iran should know them well.
[Jpost] Iran expert Dr. Sharona Mazalian Levi says prolonged water outages, empty reservoirs, and crop failures may be a recipe for social unrest.
"Iran is drying up," Dr. Sharona Mazalian Levi from The Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University affirmed, painting a grim picture of what she described as one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the Islamic Republic today.
"Iran is facing an unprecedented water crisis that threatens the nation’s stability," Mazalian Levi said. She explained that multiple factors have converged to create this critical situation, with several major provinces now reaching what she deemed "a tipping point."
According to Mazalian Levi, the Iranian Energy Ministry declared last week that the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, and Yazd are facing a severe water crisis. She highlighted the alarming state of the Karaj Dam, which supplies water to millions in Tehran and the surrounding areas.
"The Karaj Dam is now at only 6% of its capacity," she noted, referencing reports from Tasnim news agency that 94% of the reservoir is empty. "This isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a potential catalyst for civil unrest and disorder that could lead to national instability."
Two of the main catalysts for the crisis are what Mazalian Levi named "poor management of the water sector," as well as a population growth of more than 250% in only 50 years. "This includes over-extraction from natural water sources and aquifers to the point of depletion," she added.
However, Mazalian Levi traced the origins of the crisis further back in history. According to the researcher, following the 1979 revolution, Iran found itself internationally isolated and was forced to develop an autarkic economic system. Religious leaders, including then-supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, encouraged citizens to embrace farming and agriculture as a way of life, drawing from texts regarding the Prophet Muhammad himself.
"This agricultural push significantly increased water usage at a time when the country was still relying on outdated and inefficient irrigation technologies," she explained. "Simultaneously, Iran experienced tremendous population growth, from approximately 37 million on the eve of the revolution to around 90 million today."
Mazalian Levi also pointed out that the influx of millions of undocumented Afghani migrants has further strained resources, creating an exponential rise in demand for water. Urban migration has compounded the problem, with rural residents moving to major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj, placing even greater pressure on urban water supplies.
"The most important river in Afghanistan, the Helmand, flows into Iran," Mazalian Levi explained.
"According to a 1973 agreement, the Afghans pledged to transfer around 820 million cubic meters of water to neighboring Iran yearly (with an option to lower the quantities in case of water scarcity). However, recently, the Afghan government violated the agreement and blocked the flow to the Islamic Republic, which intensified the already tense relations between the Shi’ite and Sunni neighbors," the Iran expert added.
No doubt the Talibs considered that agreement a kind of hudna, or else it was something the previous government agreed to, to which the Talibs could not possibly consider themselves bound… at any rate, as the clearly superior variety of the Master Religion, they necessarily do whatever they think to get away with.
...The consequences of these developments are being felt across Iranian society. Mazalian Levi described a dire situation where authorities deliberately cut off water supply lines, often for extended periods and without prior notice.
"People are left with murky water and even mud coming out of their taps," she said, citing video evidence from the city of Ahvaz. "Water tankers are being dispatched across the country, medical teams find themselves preparing for surgery without water, and household activities are disrupted without warning."
...The agricultural sector has been hit particularly hard. Farmers are being forced to abandon water-intensive crops like wheat and rice in favor of varieties more suited to drought conditions. Many are giving up farming altogether and migrating to cities in search of alternative employment.
"Crop variety is shrinking, and the country’s food security is being undermined," Mazalian Levi warned. "There are real shortages of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and oils, leading to rising food prices and increased dependence on imported food."
This dependence is especially problematic given the hyperinflation Iran has experienced in recent years, making imported food prices increasingly volatile and unaffordable for many Iranians. In short. Iran's rulers are desperate - which makes them very dangerous.
Posted by: Grom the Affective ||
03/31/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
I would bet that there are a few aquifers in Iran with huge amounts of good quality water. Probably a few hundred feet below the surface.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
03/31/2025 9:43 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells....
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
