When Institutions Fail, Consequences are Deadly

Posted on November 6, 2020November 6, 2020 by Denise Simon

We know this to be the case in the United States as a result of sanctuary city policy. Politicians have sovereign immunity, meaning they are not accountable for their policy or legislative action when there are victims including death.

Intelligence agencies in the United States cooperate with each other with intelligence and detentions except when they don’t in hundreds of cities across America. U.S. intelligence agencies also collaborate with foreign services on warnings and cases of criminals and the associated backgrounds including judicial decisions.

While the United States was in the whirlwind of the election, very little was reporting was done on the terror attacks in Europe. Terror and militants are still out there, the war is not over. But for some additional details, read on.

AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SIGNALED on Thursday the beginning of a major overhaul of the country’s intelligence community, in response to this week’s terrorist attack in Vienna, which killed four people. Another 20 people were wounded by a lone gunman, who used an automatic weapon to spread panic in the Austrian capital before he was shot dead by Austrian police.

Armed with an assault rifle, a pistol and a machete, he injured 22 people on Monday night before being shot dead by police. He was named as Kujtim Fejzulai, 20, who had previously been jailed for attempting to join Islamic State in Syria.

Before his early release in December he had taken part in a deradicalisation course but “deceived” his handlers about his true intentions, Karl Nehammer, the interior minister, said.

The gunman was later identified as Kujtim Fejzulai, an Austrian citizen of Albanian extraction, who was born in North Macedonia and held citizenship there too. The shooter was known to Austrian authorities, as he had been previously convicted of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. He had been imprisoned as an Islamic radical, but had been released after allegedly duping Austrian judges, who believed he had reformed.

In the days following the attack, it emerged that Slovakian authorities had notified Austrian security agencies in July that Fejzulai had tried to purchase ammunition in Slovakia. On Wednesday, Austria’s Director General for Public Security, Franz Ruf, said that Austrian intelligence authorities “sent questions back to Bratislava”, but then there had been a “breakdown” in the system. Austrian Minister of the Interior Karl Nehammer added that “something apparently went wrong with the communication in the next steps”.

Nehammer and others, including Austrian Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler, called for the establishment of an independent commission to examine the Fejzulai case and “clarify whether the process went optimally and in line with the law”. The Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said on Thursday that the country did not have “all the legal means necessary to monitor and sanction extremists”, adding that he would initiate the creation of a panel that would supervise a “realignment” of the intelligence agencies. He was referring to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism, known by the initials BVT. He did not provide details.

From DeRay McKesson to Obama, to Kamala to Minneapolis

Posted on August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 by Denise Simon

Must we remind the media about Ferguson or Baltimore? Yes.

Let’s travel back in time to 2016, when a few of the early founders/advocates for Black Lives Matter were invited to the Obama White House. Remember?

I am thinking RICO charges about now too….anyway….read on.

Barack Obama praised young Black Lives Matter activists in the White House on Thursday, taking special notice of prominent Ferguson protesters and describing the meeting as a moment to bridge differences in a younger, changing civil rights movement.

“They are much better organizers than I was when I was their age, and I am confident that they are going to take America to new heights,” Obama said of Brittany Packnett, DeRay Mckesson and other young protest leaders.

“The degree of focus and seriousness and constructiveness” they show reminded him of older, existing civil rights organizations, he added.

According to the White House, the meeting to bring young Black Lives Matter protesters together with long-time leaders from the civil rights movement was the “first of its kind”.

The panel, which included the Rev Al Sharpton and congressman John Lewis, was convened to discuss the administration’s efforts to reform the criminal justice system, as well as the process of building trust between law enforcement and communities.

Brittany Packnett of Black Lives Matter listens as Barak Obama addresses the media during the meeting at the White House. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

To placate the visitors to the White House, in July, the president commuted the sentences of 46 prisoners, and became the first sitting president to visit a federal correctional facility. The visit accompanied a major criminal justice policy speech delivered to the NAACP national convention where Obama declared that “mass incarceration makes our entire country worse off, and we need to do something about it”. Then a few months later, Obama commuted another 95 sentences. Read in full context here.

***

This brings us to today, recent weeks.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have a problem. They know it, the media knows it, everyone knows it.

For three months they have ignored the deadly rioting that spread across the nation’s cities on both coasts and in between. They insisted that what we were seeing was “mostly peaceful” protests and that Donald Trump and his evil allies were defaming decent Americans who just want social justice. Now they want to denounce these riots, but there is a problem: Harris is a financial supporter of the rioters she now claims to denounce.

Yes, that’s right, the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate was a huckster for a bail fund that sought to free violent criminals who were rioting on the streets of Minneapolis, and she was very effective at it. In the wake of deadly fires and looting, Harris asked her five million plus Twitter followers to donate money to bail out the “protesters” arrested in the riots. Let’s meet a few of the beneficiaries of her largesse, shall we?

Fox 9 News in Minneapolis did the research for us. Here are a few of the criminals they found Harris did a solid for.

Among those bailed out by the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) is a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend, and a twice convicted sex offender, according to court records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.

According to attempted murder charges, Jaleel Stallings shot at members of a SWAT Team during the riots in May. Police recovered a modified pistol that looks like an AK-47. MFF paid $75,000 in cash to get Stallings out of jail.

Darnika Floyd is charged with second degree murder, for stabbing a friend to death. MFF paid $100,000 cash for her release.

Christopher Boswell, a twice convicted rapist, is currently charged with kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault in two separate cases. MFF paid $350,00 [sic] in cash for his release.

Kamala Harris and her friends in the corporate media, otherwise known as the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party, will pretend this never happened and they are counting on voters to be too ignorant to know that it did. Harris was so eager to be on the rioters’ team that she literally raised money for them in the hopes that they could be released and foster further mayhem.

That on its own would be bad enough. But the fact that she is now attempting to pretend she was against all of this violence, and looting, and arson, and destruction from the get go is an insulting joke. Did Harris really think that peaceful protesters obeying the rules were the ones arrested in Minneapolis? Of course she didn’t. She just assumed that justifying the unrest would help Democrats’ political chances. Now that this has been shown to be false, she is trying to change her position. It’s way too late for that.

The American people aren’t stupid, they know exactly where Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party stood on the riots. They stood side by side with the rioters. That they have now cynically come to regret that position is, I suppose, a good thing. But it does not erase the harm done in lives, property, and opportunity that their approval of rioting did. We know whose side they were on, and it wasn’t the police. The American people will not forget that. Hat tip to the Federalist.

Portland, Arrest Them? Okay, 74 Face Federal Charges

Posted on August 28, 2020August 28, 2020 by Denise Simon

This is significant as these are Federal charges and not under the authority of liberal District Attorneys. However, there is movement by the Portland Police.

Portland police are cracking down on nightly demonstrations and ramping up enforcement since federal forces scaled back their presence in downtown.

City officers have made 217 arrests at protests since Aug. 1, nearly three times the 77 they made in all of July, according figures released by the Portland Police Bureau and reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

About half of those occurred in the last week, when police declared riots five out of seven nights. Officers arrested more than 20 people on each of three of those nights. More here.

Read on and give a hat tip to The FBI, the US Marshall Service, ATF and HSI.

Portland protests: Police detain 2 suspects after shooting source

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 27, 2020

74 People Facing Federal Charges for Crimes Committed During Portland Demonstrations

Charges include assaulting federal officers, arson, failing to obey lawful orders, and damaging federal property

U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that 74 people are facing federal charges for crimes committed adjacent to or under the guise of peaceful demonstrations in Portland since at least May 29, 2020.

For more than 90 consecutive nights, Portland has been home to large demonstrations and protests against police use of force and anti-Black racism. On many nights, after peaceful demonstrations end, various public and private buildings have been the target of vandalism and destruction. Local, state, and federal law enforcement working to protect these buildings and ensure the safety of peaceful demonstrators have been subjected to threats and assaults from violent agitators while performing their duties.

“Violent agitators have hijacked any semblance of First Amendment protected activity, engaging in violent criminal acts and destruction of public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners are expeditiously working with local and state law enforcement to identify, arrest, and prosecute these individuals that are disrupting the rule of law in our communities and physically attacking our law enforcement officers and destroying property. Violent agitators not only delay real reform, but make our community less safe by keeping law enforcement from responding to other critical calls for service.”

“While the FBI supports and safeguards Constitutionally-protected activity and civil rights, there is no permit for assault, arson or property damage and these are not victimless crimes,” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “Among the victims of violent crime are business owners, residents and individuals exercising their First Amendment rights through protests or other legitimate forms of expression.”

“The nightly violence has to stop,” said Russel Burger, U.S. Marshal for the District of Oregon. “It is drowning out the voices of the many who are calling for change, and pulling police resources away from their primary mission of keeping this community safe. We must all come together to find a productive way to move forward.”

“As the nation’s primary source for fire investigative knowledge, ATF remains committed to investigating those responsible for committing arsons in our communities and holding them responsible for their illegal actions,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Jonathan McPherson. “As a reminder, there is a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for arson. ATF takes these violent actions seriously and will work diligently to bring justice to the victims.”

“It is vitally important that all Americans have the ability to exercise their first amendment rights to freedom of speech,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Seattle Eben Roberts. “Unfortunately, much of what we’re seeing in Portland is the antithesis of that. Instead tragic events are being used as excuses for individuals with ill intent disguising themselves as activists to commit violent crimes against their communities and law enforcement officers. Progress can only be made if community leaders, law enforcement and the public come together in the name of social change, justice and peace.”

Since May 26, 2020, federal law enforcement authorities have arrested 100 people for crimes committed during local demonstrations. Seventy-four face federal charges, including felonies, misdemeanors, and citation violations. Crimes include assaults on federal officers, some resulting in serious injuries; arson and attempted arson; damaging federal government property; failing to obey lawful orders; and unlawful use of a drone; among others.

Charged defendants include:

Edward Carubis, 24, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 1, 2020;
Rowan Olsen, 19, is charged (photos available) with creating a hazard on federal property, disorderly conduct, and failing to obey a lawful order on July 2, 2020;
Shant Singh Ahuja, 28, of Oceanside, California, is charged with destruction of federal property on July 4, 2020;
Gretchen Blank, 29, of Seattle, Washington, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Andrew Faulkner, 24, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Christopher Fellini, 31, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Theodore Matthee-O’Brien, 21, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Cody Porter, 28, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Taimane Teo, 24, of Eugene, Oregon, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Benjamin Wood-Pavich, 21, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
Jacob Gaines, 23, a Texas resident, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 11, 2020;
Lillith Grin, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 12, 2020;
Benjamin Bolen, 36, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 13, 2020;
Kevin Weier, 36, is charged with attempted arson on July 13, 2020;
Wyatt Ash-Milby, 18, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
Jerusalem Callahan, 24, is charged with damaging government property on July 21, 2020;
Zachary Duffly, 45, is charged with creating a disturbance on July 21, 2020;
Caleb Ehlers, 23, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
Paul Furst, 22, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
Jennifer Kristiansen, 38, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 21, 2020;
Ella Miller, 26, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
Marie Sager, 27, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
Giovanni Bondurant, 19, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 22, 2020;
Bailey Dreibelbis, 22, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
Gabriel Huston, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 22, 2020;
Joseph Lagalo, 37, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 22, 2020;
Taylor Lemons, 32, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 22, 2020;
Joseph Ybarra, 21, is charged with arson on July 22, 2020;
David Hazan, 24, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 23, 2020;
Nicholas Kloiber, 26, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 23, 2020;
Cameron Knutson, 28, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 23, 2020;
Carly Ballard, 34, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 24, 2020;
David Bouchard, 36, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 24, 2020;
Dakota Eastman, 30, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
Josslynn Kreutz, 28, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
Ezra Meyers, 18, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
Mark Rolycanov, 28, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
Pablo Avvocato, 26, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Douglas Dean, 34, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Rebecca Mota Gonzales, 37, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Thomas Johnson, 33, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Richard Lindstedt, 33, is charged with violating national defense airspace on July 25, 2020;
Nathan Onderdonk-Snow, 21, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Stephen O’Donnell, 65, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Joshua Webb, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
Jeffree Cary, 30, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
John Tyler Gabriel, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
Noelle Mandolfo, 30, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
Patrick Stafford, 35, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
Travis Williams, 27, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
Caleb Wills, 29, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
Brodie Storey, 28, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 27, 2020;
Edward Schinzing, 32, is charged (photos available) with arson on July 28, 2020;
James Hickerson, 54, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 28, 2020;
Ian Wolf, 26, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order and creating a hazard on federal property on July 28, 2020;
Sabastian Dubar, 23, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
Jordan Johnson, 32, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
Evan Kriechbaum, 31, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
Christine Margaux, 28, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
Gabriel Agard-Berryhill, 18, is charged (video available) with arson on July 30, 2020;
Isaiah Maza, 18, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 31, 2020;
Dakotah Horton, 24, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on August 17, 2020; and
Dakota Means, 20, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on August 24, 2020.

Eleven others have been issued citation violations. All defendants, unless noted, are presumed to be local residents.

Several of the charges being used to prosecute violent agitators carry significant maximum prison sentences. For example, felony assault of a federal officer with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Arson is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.

It is important to note that while some federal charges require crimes be committed on federal property, others do not. Violent acts committed throughout the city of Portland under the guise of peaceful protest are being evaluated by local federal prosecutors for prosecution.

These cases are being investigated by the FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and Federal Protective Service. They are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

Indictments, complaints, and informations are only accusations of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

To help identify actors who are actively instigating violence in the city of Portland, the FBI is accepting tips and digital media depicting violent encounters during demonstrations. If you have witnessed unlawful violent actions, we urge you to submit any information, photos, or videos that could be relevant to investigations at fbi.gov/PDViolence.

Specifically, the FBI is assisting partner agencies by asking for the public’s help in identifying individuals who participated in or may have been a witness to criminal activity at the following locations:

Near or inside the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland on the night of May 29, 2020 or into the morning of May 30, 2020. Details here: Justice Center
Near the Chase Bank branch located at 811 SW 6th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, shortly before 1 a.m. on May 30, 2020. Details here: Chase Bank

Tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or (503) 224-4181. They can also be submitted online by visiting: tips.fbi.gov.

AG Barr’s Testimony Before House Judiciary Cmte

Posted on July 27, 2020July 27, 2020 by Denise Simon

Written Statement of AG Bar… by Fox News on Scribd

Primer: This is going to be a contentious session slated to last up to 4 or more hours. Why?

Some Democrats have suggested trying to impeach Barr over accusations he’s politicized the Justice Department. Nadler said his committee “may very well” initiate impeachment proceedings.

“I think the weight of the evidence and of what’s happened leads to that conclusion,” Nadler said.

Two other Democrats, Reps. Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, have called for Barr’s impeachment.

Items to be covered will be RussiaGate, the militant demonstrations around the country, criminal statistics, Roger Stone and more.

JUST IN: AG Barr Warns House Dems He May Not Appear at ...

Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Jordan, Members of the Committee, I am pleased to be here this morning. I accepted an invitation to testify before this Committee in late March, but it was postponed as a result of the pandemic that continues to pose challenges to us all. I know some other hearings this week have been postponed to honor your late colleague, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. On behalf of the Department of Justice, I want to pay my respects to Congressman Lewis, an indomitable champion of civil rights and the rule of law. I think it is especially important to remember today that he pursued his cause passionately and successfully with an unwavering commitment to nonviolence. We are in a time when the political discourse in Washington often reflects the politically divided nation in which we live, and too often drives that divide even deeper. Political rhetoric is inherent in our democratic system, and politics is to be expected by politicians, especially in an election year. While that may be appropriate here on Capitol Hill or on cable news, it is not acceptable at the Department of Justice. At the Department, decisions must be made with no regard to political pressure—pressure from either end of Pennsylvania Avenue, or from the media or mobs. Ever since I made it clear that I was going to do everything I could to get to the bottom of the grave abuses involved in the bogus “Russiagate” scandal, many of the Democrats on this Committee have attempted to discredit me by conjuring up a narrative that I am simply the President’s factotum who disposes of criminal cases according to his instructions. Judging from the letter inviting me to this hearing, that appears to be your agenda today. So let me turn to that first. As I said in my confirmation hearing, the Attorney General has a unique obligation. He holds in trust the fair and impartial administration of justice. He must ensure that there is one standard of justice that applies to everyone equally and that criminal cases are handled even-handedly, based on the law and the facts, and without regard to political or personal considerations. I can tell you that I have handled criminal matters that have come to me for decision in this way.

The President has not attempted to interfere in these decisions. On the contrary, he has told me from the start that he expects me to exercise my independent judgment to make whatever call I think is right. That is precisely what I have done. From my experience, the President has played a role properly and traditionally played by Presidents. Like his predecessors, President Trump and his National Security Council have appropriately weighed in on law-enforcement decisions that directly implicate national security or foreign policy, because those decisions necessarily involve considerations that transcend typical prosecutorial factors. Moreover, when some noteworthy event occurs that potentially has legal ramifications – such as leaks of classified information, potential civil rights abuses by police, or illegal price fixing or gouging – the President has occasionally, and appropriately, confirmed that the Department is aware of the matter. But the handling of the matter and my decisions on criminal matters have been left to my independent judgment, based on the law and fact, without any direction or interference from the White House or anyone outside the Department. Indeed, it is precisely because I feel complete freedom to do what I think is right that induced me serve once again as Attorney General. As you know, I served as Attorney General under President George H. W. Bush. After that, I spent many years in the corporate world. I was almost 70 years old, slipping happily into retirement as I enjoyed my grandchildren. I had nothing to prove and had no desire to return to government. I had no prior relationship with President Trump. But as an outsider I became deeply troubled by what I perceived as the increasing use of the criminal justice process as a political weapon and the emergence of two separate standards of justice. The Department had been drawn into the political maelstrom and was being buffeted on all sides. When asked to consider returning, I did so because I revere the Department and believed my independence would allow me to help steer her back to her core mission of applying one standard of justice for everyone and enforcing the law even-handedly, without partisan considerations. Since returning to the Department, I have done precisely that. My decisions on criminal matters before the Department have been my own, and they have been made because I believed they were right under the law and principles of justice. Let me turn briefly to several pressing issues of the day. (…) Read on here.

Obama Admin Ok’d China Huge Investments in US, Security Threats

Posted on July 22, 2020July 22, 2020 by Denise Simon

In recent months, perhaps years, we have witnessed how China is a major threat to our national security. What we don’t know is the depth and width of that threat matrix but the Trump administration is for sure addressing the issues as fast as they can.

China says US orders it to close its consulate in Houston ... source

The theft by the Chinese Communist Party of intellectual property appears to have no limit and hence the cost cannot be determined either. Below are just a few items of interest that prove the points above.

(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday indicted two Chinese nationals over their role in what the agency called a decade-long cyber espionage campaign that targeted defense contractors, COVID researchers and hundreds of other victims worldwide. U.S. authorities said Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi stole terabytes of weapons designs, drug information, software source code, and personal data from targets that included dissidents and Chinese opposition figures. They were contractors for the Chinese government, rather than full-fledged spies, U.S. officials said. An unnamed “UK artificial intelligence and cancer research firm” was on the list of 25 victims released by the US Department of Justice
The United States ordered the Chinese government and diplomatic staff to shutter the Chinese consulate located in Houston and to leave the country in 72 hours. In a Tweet by Senator Marco Rubio:“# The Chinese Consulate in Houston is a massive spy center, forcing it to close is long overdue,” he said, describing it as a “central node” of the Chinese Communist Party’s spy operations. .“It had to happen,” he tweeted. (locals called the fire department to report a fire at that location, but upon arrival found they could not enter sovereign land and it was merely Chinese personnel burning documents) source
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a news conference Wednesday that “the unilateral closure of China’s consulate general in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China.”

He warned of firm countermeasures if the U.S. does not reverse itself. Besides its embassy in Beijing, the U.S. has five consulates in mainland China, according to its website. They are in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan and Shenyang.
In 2015, Chinese company acquired a Texas oil fields in $1.3 billion deal where Yantai Xinchao acquire oil assets in the western Texas Permian Basin that are currently owned by Tall City Exploration and Plymouth Petroleum. The deal is part of a larger transaction between Yantai Xinchao and a second Chinese firm. The purchase, which includes oil fields in the state’s Howard and Borden counties, has already been approved by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, the filing said.
China (CNOOC) has increasingly been looking to the Americas for raw materials it needs to sustain the boom. As private investment dwindled with the global financial crisis, the cash-flush Chinese went on a regional shopping spree. Noted in 2018: — Goldman Sachs (GS) said it would create a $5 billion fund with China Investment Corporation, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, to invest in US companies.
— Qualcomm (QCOM) signed $12 billion in non-binding deals to supply semiconductors to Chinese smartphone brands Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.
—Sinopec (SHI), China’s state-owned oil and gas company, said it would explore an investment of up to $43 billion in Alaska’s energy sector.
— China Energy Investment Corp., which is also state-owned, signed a non-binding agreement with the state of West Virginia to invest nearly $84 billion in shale gas and chemical manufacturing projects.
— Boeing (BA) announced that it would sell about $37 billion worth of planes to a government holding company that buys jets for state-owned carriers such as Air China and China Southern Airlines.
Perhaps worst of all is Nike and Apple. Why? Slave labor known as Uighars. Per the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in part:The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority¹ citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.This report estimates that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps.² The estimated figure is conservative and the actual figure is likely to be far higher. In factories far away from home, they typically live in segregated dormitories,³ undergo organised Mandarin and ideological training outside working hours,⁴ are subject to constant surveillance, and are forbidden from participating in religious observances.⁵ Numerous sources, including government documents, show that transferred workers are assigned minders and have limited freedom of movement.⁶

(gotta wonder where former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is now right?) –>Since 2017, more than a million Uyghurs and members of other Turkic Muslim minorities have disappeared into a vast network of ‘re-education camps’ in the far west region of Xinjiang,¹¹ in what some experts call a systematic, government-led program of cultural genocide.¹² Inside the camps, detainees are subjected to political indoctrination, forced to renounce their religion and culture and, in some instances, reportedly subjected to torture.¹³ In the name of combating ‘religious extremism’,¹⁴ Chinese authorities have been actively remoulding the Muslim population in the image of China’s Han ethnic majority.

The ‘re-education’ campaign appears to be entering a new phase, as government officials now claim that all ‘trainees’ have ‘graduated’.¹⁵ There is mounting evidence that many Uyghurs are now being forced to work in factories within Xinjiang.¹⁶ This report reveals that Chinese factories outside Xinjiang are also sourcing Uyghur workers under a revived, exploitative government-led labour transfer scheme.¹⁷ Some factories appear to be using Uyghur workers sent directly from ‘re-education camps’.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has identified 27 factories in nine Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labour transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. Those factories claim to be part of the supply chain of 83 well-known global brands.¹⁸ Between 2017 and 2019, we estimate that at least 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang and assigned to factories through labour transfer programs under a central government policy known as ‘Xinjiang Aid’ (援疆).¹⁹