TWIT: Making Donald Great Again

credit: Bramhall, New York Daily News
BC Idonwanna sez: Bearded One unfit for democracy!

More: Superior Court Judge Arthur Engoron finally had enough of Trumpilini's mob antics after he posted a picture of the judge's clerk on-line. He suggested the clerk is dating Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and is running the trial against him; this is called "doxxing in tech jargon.  Engoron, who Don 'Legit' labeled a "far left Democrat", entered a limited order prohibiting the defendant from posting about court personnel.  Legal observers, including US Person,applaud his move, which should have happened before now.  Engoron is a middle-class Ivy League graduate who drove a cab during his college days.

Update: Contrary to predictions in the media, Trumpilini appeared at his fraud trial in New York and promptly conducted a "campaign event" before the gathered cameras. He called Attorney General Letitia James a "corrupt racist" and attacked the presiding judge as "rogue" and "out to get him". At lunch he said, "he [Engoron] should be disbarred".  The media may be finally catching up to his expert manipulation; CNN cutaway from his rant. Nevertheless he was enabled this week to threaten retiring Chief of Staff Mark Milley with execution, and brandish a Glock pistol in North Carolina. Once again he deftly used the media's 'election coverage' to mount an incendiary public relations campaign against his criminal prosecutions.  Is he is playing a game of "chicken" to provoke legal authorities into covering his mouth, so he can scream "free speech" into the cameras?  

Special Counsel Smith has reiterated his request for a gag order; in their motion the prosecutors wrote, “All it [an order limiting his speech] would limit is the defendant’s use of his candidacy as a cover for making prejudicial public statements about this case and there is no legitimate need for the defendant, in the course of his campaign, to attack known witnesses regarding the substance of their anticipated testimony or otherwise engage in materially prejudicial commentary in violation of the proposed order.” US Person thinks Judge Chutkin should issue her order now, not later. Every day of delay further enables Don 'Legit's' PR campaign to discredit and undermine the US justice system.  Or better yet, move up his trial date currently set for March 4th to give him less time to agitate before the cameras.

{28/09/2023}The most significant development this week is in a New York civil case.  Superior Court Judge Engoron ruled a partial summary judgement for Attorney General James, finding that Trumpillini routinely overvalued his assets by billions of dollars on financial statements to defraud banks, insurers, and others for the purposes of securing loans and making real estate deals.  Judge Engoron also ruled that he should loose some New York licenses making impossible to conduct business in New York and that a independent monitor of Trump Org would continue. If the decision is upheld on appeal, it would constitute a serious, if not fatal blow, to his family business that brought him fame.  Trump called the decision, "un-American".

A bench trial on other undecided issues in the case filed a year ago will go ahead on Monday after the appellate court ruled against the defendant's request for more delay.  AG James expressed satisfaction with the partial summary judgment and said she looked forward to presenting the remainder of her case. She is asking for $250 million in damages.  Judge Engoron also expressed his displeasure with Trump attorneys for presenting "repetitive and frivolous' arguments.  He fined each Trump lawyer $7500.  

“He drove these companies into bankruptcy by his mismanagement,
the debt and his pillaging.”--Trump Casino Investor

Down in Georgia, state Judge McAfee imposed a gag order on the defendant prohibiting him from making statements that could intimidate witnesses or potential jurors.  The federal judge presiding over his criminal case for obstructing an official function on January 6th has yet to make a ruling on the Special Counsel's request for a similar order.  She has, however, rejected a motion to recuse herself from the trial based on allegedly biased statements she made in sentencing an insurrectionist. Don 'Legit' waited until the last day of thirty to notify Georgia state court that he would not seek removal of his case to federal court.  Apparently he did not want to testify in support of his motion as Mark Meadows had to do.  Perhaps influencing his decision more is the potential opportunity for the 'king of reality TV' to make a media spectacle of his state trial before the courtroom camera. Cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms.  Also, his state trial will take place after a 4-6 month trial of his co-conspirators Chesebro and Powell who involved their right to a speedy trial. Reports are that both will be offered a plea deal in court. How un-American!

credit: Bramhall, New York Daily News
Wackydoodle sez: Look, it's the stairway to prison!

Caribbean Island Transforms into Nature Reserve

Eighty per cent of Earths islands are infested with rats, a legacy of global trade. The Caribbean nation of Antiqua and Barbuda began eradicating rats and goats on the small island of Redonda, then a dusty, debris strewn volcanic landscape, in 2016. The invasive species were left behind by guano miners who stopped mining before WWI. Over the decades the island was denuded.  Rocks and soil slid into the ocean damaging sea grass and corals. Redonda was a not a nice place to visit, in fact it was dangerous. Even the hardy goats were slowly starving to death due to the lack of vegetation.

After removing the invasive animals, plants sprung back to life enticing seabirds and other wildlife to re-colonize the island. Biologists working to restore Redonda were surprised by how quickly life reestablished itself once the rodents were exterminated. Brown boobies (Sula leucogaster) and red billed tropic birds (Phaethon aethereus) were able to raise their young again once the egg-eaters were gone. Redonda ground dragon, a critically endangered and endemic lizard also returned; it's population has tripled since 2017.

Once the island was restored to a healthier condition in a relatively short period of time, the government declared Redondo a 74,000 acre nature reserve in 2023 that includes the sea grass meadows and coral reefs surrounding the island.  This restoration is a good example for other Caribbean nations whose small, uninhabited islands are also overrun by invasive species. A 2022 study found that removing invasive species such as cats, rabbits, pigs and rats is 88% effective in restoring biodiversity on affected islands. Restorations have taken place in French Polynesia, Tonga, and South Africa. One small island at a time to heal our battered Earth.[photo credits: E. Marshall]. Green Kudos! to Antiqua and Barbudo.

Right Turn at Verbove

Ukrainian ground forces have been making slow progress in their counteroffensive since June of this year. Breaching the extensive Russian fortifications has taken longer than expected since western tactics using massed armor and air power have proven ill-adapted to the situation on the ground. Ukraine's Air Force is not up to the task of consistent close air support and western provided armor is susceptible to artillery strikes and pervasive land mines. Ukraine has chosen to advance in small infantry assault groups aided by drones, which allows them to clear obstacles with less loss of men and material. In one frontal assault in Zaporizhia Ukraine lost 31 vehicles. For comparison, the Allies took almost 90 days to bust through the fortified hedgerows of Normandy, and they had air superiority.

Reports are that Ukraine has beached the outer defensive lines between Robotinye and Verbove which puts them behind Russian defensive positions intended to counter frontal attacks. [map below]That means their armor can move through this breach and maneuver more successfully, if the Russians are not given time to fall back and reconstruct barriers. Ukrainian troops are now in a position to out-flank on the their left and move southwest downhill towards Tokmak, a key road and rail hub about 12 miles away. Tokmak is heavily defended and ringed by fortified positions, but the town does not necessarily have to be taken if it is enveloped and shelled. Tokmak is strategically key, so that if Ukraine takes the town or puts it under fire control, their offensive can be considered a partial success. One close observer has called Tokmak, "the single most strategic position in all of southern Ukraine." It connects via five main roads and the all important northeast-southwest rail line, which Russia uses to move most of its supplies.

On the northern front, Ukraine is moving to encircle the battered town of Bakmut. It has never been as strategically important as Tokmak, but has become a symbol of Ukraine's resistance since the Ukrainians were forced out of the town by Russian invaders in May. This cauldron is consuming a great number of Russia's best troops, paratroopers and Spetnaz, at a rate of around 1,000 per week. Advances have been made to the south of Bakmut with the significant recapture of the villages of Andriivka and Klishchiivka. Ukrainian forces now control the heights around the town giving their effective artillery a clear line of fire into its shattered remains. It will be a hard winter for the Russian occupiers.

More good news comes from another front in the war recently opened up by Kyiv--aerial bombardment of Crimea. This offensive is being conducted using long-range missiles and drones against Russian military installations in the peninsula. The highly prized naval port of Sebastopol has been hit resulting in the destruction of a large landing ship and a Kilo class submarine using British/French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. The dry dock in which the vessels were berthed is out of service. Additionally, the Black Sea Fleet headquarters was struck resulting in the deaths of senior Russian military officers.  Reports are that the strike occurred during a senior officer briefing, indicating the quality of Ukrainian intelligence.

United States has finally agreed to provide a limited number of ATACMS, a ground to ground, ballistic missile with a range of 190 miles and a circular error probability of< 50m <50m .="" span=""> [photo]<50m .="" span="" style="font-size: x-small;">. This munition should make life much more difficult for Russian occupiers of Crimea. Ukraine is also looking to supplement its longer-range firepower with the German TARUS stealth cruise missile, which has a range of 250 miles. It is specifically designed to penetrate reinforced concrete structures. The German government has not yet approved supplying TARUS and will ask for modifications to limit the missile's range to prevent their use against targets inside Russia. Ukraine definitely has the initiative at this point in Russia's unprovoked 19 month invasion. Will it attempt to maintain momentum during the coming winter season? Stayed tuned.

TWIT: When Speech is not Free

People forget sometimes conveniently that Don 'Legit' is out on bail as a criminal defendant in four cases,two state (GA, NY) and two federal (FL, DC). He and his supporters have been using the press to intimidate court personnel, potential jurors, and witnesses. It has become so blatant that the Special Prosecutor has moved for a gag order in DC federal court prohibiting him from making these kind of statements. Of course the Orange Menace is screaming bloody hell about being restrained, claiming at every opportunity that his First Amendment right to free speech is curtailed. In other words, his political campaign cover is giving jurists second thoughts about sanctions. He may be a front-running political candidate, but that status does not entitle him to shout "fire" in a crowed theater, or attempt to intimidate prospective jurors and witnesses.  Criminal defendants have their civil rights restricted all the time. Trump should be no different especially if he is attempting to try his crimes in the court of public opinion.  

It is becoming increasingly likely that the 2024 election will be a rematch between Ole Joe and the man who would be king.   Trump supporters are at work in the states to alter delegate rules in favor of Trump's candidacy.  His nearest competitor, Ron DeSantis, continues to plummet in opinion polls.  Trumpillini is so comfortable with his lead that he can skip party debate events and organize his own showcases like the upcoming speech to autoworkers in Detroit.  Spoiler alert: his record on unions and workers is pitiful.  Despite the facts,  (his so-called rescue of workers in Indiana ended up with 1400 being laid off by Carrier Global Corp.) Democrats are freaked out by the pseudo-populist showing up in Detroit because he captured a large share of labor votes last time around.  Uncle Joe Brandon is on his way to show solidarity with striking auto workers on the picket line. Way to go Joe!

And one last item:  Cassidy Hutchinson, star witness of the January 6th Select Committee, claims Rudy 'Coludie' groped her on January 6th in her tell-all book, "Enough". Seems Rudy was just trying to match his boss, the department store rapist. 

credit: M. Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wacydoodle sez: Another perfect call!

Rhino Numbers Rise

Rhino numbers in Africa rose to 27,000, a modest increase compared to their former estimated population of half a million.  Conservationists are encouraged that their efforts are being rewarded by the ancient herbavores.  Southern white rhino populations have increased for the first time since 2012 rising from 15,942 at the end of 2021 to 16,803.  Black rhinos have increased 5% However Javan and Sumatran remain close to extinction in the wild.

All African populations have been decimated by poaching for their horn and loss of habitat.  551 rhinos were killed in Africa in 2022 a slight rise since 2020, but smaller than the catastrophic peak of 1,349 in 2015. In Nepal the greater one horned or Indian rhino population is stable at 4,000.  While encouraged, conservationist say vigilance and cooperative action is  still necessary in the face of huge pressures on the animals.  

only Javan footprints are often seen

The plight of the Sumatran and Javan rhinos is extreme.  Scientist estimate only 34 Sumatran rhinos live in the wild in small fragments of forest that make it difficult for them to breed successfuly.  In March of last year a female was born in captivity after several miscarriages.  The Javan rhino population is about 76 all of them located in Ujung Kulon National Park.  Historically, Javanese love water and often strolled along the beaches to take in salt.  Illegal fishing activities by humans disturb the shy animals, and they are endanger of drowning in a severe storm causing flooding.  In December 2018 the nearby volcano Anak Karkatua erupted causing a tsunami with waves 5 meters high.  Fortunately no rhinos were known to be loss because of the eruption.  They might not escape harm next time.  Rhino protection units including a marine patrol along the coast have been established to protect them

Iconic Banyan Tree Still Lives in Lahaina

Update: Lahaina's iconic banyan tree sprouts new growth: [credit: BBC]

It has become a symbol of rebirth for the residents of historic, now devastated Lahaina, Maui. According to an expert arborist the tree planted in 1873 still has a living cambrium layer beneath the charred bark. The tree is definitely traumatize by the flames and will require years to recover, but it should revive. The banyan is on a schedule of daily watering from a truck carrying four thousand gallons.[photo credit: Goodfellow Bros.] The ground beneath the landmark will be covered in a layer of compost to provide added nutrients, and it will be aerated to enhance drainage when the tree is watered.

The Indian banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) is one of the oldest in Hawaii. Planted by a former sheriff to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the first Protestant mission in Lahaina, requested by Queen Keopuolani, widow of the great King Kamehameha. The tree grew to 60ft high and spread its multiple trunks (46) over a quarter mile area making it the largest banyan in the US. The tree is sacred in India, where it is native. Holy men achieved enlightenment beneath its canopy. A member of the fig family, it does have one less admirable characteristic: when young it supports itself on a neighboring tree, which it eventually engulfs and kills, hence the name strangler fig.

The tree has yet to wake up from its coma-like state, but hope and love for the tree is abundant on the island.  A local kumu,or rabbi, has blessed it to aid the banyan's recovery.

NASA Says "No Evidence of ETs"

In a much anticipated report, NASA states that after its investigation of UAPs (formerly known as UFOs) it found no evidence of extraterrestrial origins for UAPs.  This conclusion is diametrically opposed to the testimony of former intelligence official David Grush before a House committee earlier this summer.  He claimed the government is hiding crashed UFOs and is in possession of biological specimens.  The Pentagon has denied this claims.  At the same time as Grush's sensational testimony, the Mexican government was presented with what were alleged to be two alien corpses.  Scientists have debunked the claim, concluding that the specimens are amalgams of looted body parts from Nazca, Peru.

Of more than 800 unclassified sightings reported at NASA public meeting in May, "only a handful" cannot be explained as known man-made or natural phenomena.  UAP data coming from military sources is hampered by poor sensor data, lack of multiple electromagnetic measurements, and lack of baseline data said the space agency.  NASA team members did not have necessary classification clearance to examine classified data.   The military now has an office devoted to investigating claims of UAPs since it considers their existence to be of national security concern.  NASA resorted to quoting Thomas Jefferson in its report, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"; that evidence does not yet exist.  Perhaps, along with football, UFOs have become a new American religion?

Dealing With the Devil

When Jerry 'Moonbeam' Brown was governor of California he signed a deal with Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's hugely influential mega-utility to shut down its Diablo Canyon nuclear power station when its federal permits to operate expired in 2024 and 2025.  Gavin Newsom was then Lt. Governor at the time.  Their power was to be replaced by renewable energy from wind and solar.

Forward to today.  Newsom is now Governor.  He forced the legislature and the California Public Utilities Commission to approve operating the plants for another five years.  His flip has infuriated environmentalists who see the plant as an accident waiting to happen. The two reactors at Diablo Canyon were largely built in the 1960s and 70s.  Unit One was built using copper amalgams that are today considered unsafe because extreme radiation in the reactor core embrittles key components, such as the reactor vessel itself.  If hit with water used to quench a possible meltdown incident, the components will shatter, releasing a radioactive cloud of steam, radiation and hydrogen in a cataclysmic explosion.  Activist groups,  San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace and Friends of the Earth sued to shut down Unit One on September 14th.  The NRC has long been biased towards the industry, allowing reactors without current permits to continue operating. (Indian Point 2 and 3).  It is apparently willing to allow an extension of Diablo's operating permits.  PG&E is seeking a twenty year extension, but the California legislature passed a bill only allowing operation until 2030 [photo credit: Reuters]

Diablo One is scheduled to shut down for about 50 days while refueling.  A petition is circulating demanding that the reactor be throughly inspected for unsafe conditions before being allowed to restart operations.  Gov. Newsom has favored the nuclear industry, allowing a company twice convicted of crimes at San Bruno (gas explosion) and Paradise (wildfire) to skirt maintenance, safety upgrades and environmental regulations on the assumption that the facility will soon close.  He has worked to hamstring California's burgeoning solar industry by reducing homeowner payouts, crippling economics of multi-tenant installations, and taxing micro-grids that would allow neighborhoods independence from monopoly utilities like PG&E.  Why?  Because the sun's energy is free, some might say God-given, and not controlled by a criminal corporation.

In 1991 Yankee Rowe, Massachusetts nuclear plant was hit by lightening causing it to shut down.  At 30 years old Yankee Rowe was among the oldest in the nation. Experts testified at a House hearing that the plant should not be restarted until a test for embrittlement was conducted.  The owners never the conducted a test.  Yankee Rowe stayed shut down.  Diablo Canyon One is a similar circumstance.  Unless PGE is will to abide the public results of a full inspection for embrittlement, it should remain closed and eventually decommissioned.  The lawsuit has major national implications.  More than ninety nuclear facilities operate with with an average age of forty.  Certainly one or more operate with key components made brittle by intense radiation used to boil water.

TWIT: Pounding Sand

Judge McAfee in Georgia ruled this week that Defendants Chesebro and Powell will go to trial beginning October 23rd with jury selection.  The remaining seventeen will go to trial at a later date, to be determined after motions and appeals are completed.  He suggested that a further division of defendants may be required.  The Eleventh Circuit has set an expedited schedule for hearing Defendant Meadows' appeal of the denial of his removal motion. It is unlikely if he does not prevail on appeal the other five defendants seeking removal will succeed, but those appeals will take more time.  Judge McAfee noted that the Fulton County courthouse does not have a courtroom big enough to accommodate nineteen defendants and their defense teams as desired by Fanni Willis.  However, the possibility of creating constitutional defenses for some defendants forced to go to trial early probably weighed more heavily in his decision making.

Meanwhile™ in the Southern District of Florida, MAGA Judge Cannon took her sweet time deciding that Defendant Trump and his lawyers must view classified discovery in a SCIF and not at Mar-a-Lago as requested. It took her an entire month to make this relatively straight forward decision.  Her willingness to suffer defendant Trump's continued delaying tactics becomes more apparent as time goes by.  Given that one of his employees flipped on him and the level of documentary proof provided by the Special Prosecutor his only hope of evading conviction for obstruction and unlawful retention of national security information is either to delay until he wins the election in November or finding a holdout juror in Ft. Pierce, a MAGA paradise.  He continues to erroneously claim on TV that "he had every right to do what he wanted" with the classified documents since "the Presidential Records Act is a civil statute".  Of course this ridiculous, deceitful mis-statement of the law and facts is strictly for the consumption of his deluded supporters.

credit: R. Bolling

Der Leader's Folly Caused Significant Environmental Damage

another gap in the wall, credit AFP

A GAO report says that Der Leader's folly, 450 miles of steel and concrete barrier on the southern boarder,  diverted water sources, interfered with the movement of protected species, and destroyed a sacred burial site in the Sonoran Desert.  The anti-environment former president and current criminal defendant and rapist made construction possible by waiving or disregarding environmental laws. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) called the barrier a "racist political stunt" that cost taxpayers billions of dollars.  The Biden Administration paused the project when it entered office.

Remote crossings were changed from vehicle barriers to pedestrian barriers making passage for pronghorn antelope, wolves, and ocelots more difficult.  High intensity lights were also installed that interfere with wildlife's normal activities.  Contractors drained scarce groundwater in San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuse that threatened endangered fish.  Explosives were used to clear a path for a patrol road on Monument Hill in Arizona, a site traditionally used by native peoples for religious ceremonies.  Construction also exacerbated flooding during heavy rain events.  Transplanted saguaro cactus died after watering and caretaking ceased.

Remediation has begun under by the Customs and Boarder Patrol, but so far has extended only to correcting safety hazards such as removing exposed re-bar.  The agency has agreed to implement GAO recommendations. However, it said that coordination with the Interior Department and tribes is needed for environmental mitigation.

Legendary "White City" of Honduras Is Biological Hot Spot

A biological assessment team was sent by Conservation International into Houdurans' Mosquitia rainforest [map] to assess biological diversity in the legendary White City of the Mayas in 2017.  The ruins were found to be the home a dizzying army of wild creatures including two new to science and several thought to be extinct.

Ciudad Blanca, the White City, was not located until 2012, deep within pristine lowland rainforest comprising the largest area of protected forest in Honduras. It is largely unexplored, which accounts for the amazing amount of wildlife encountered in the recently completed assessment. Almost all taxonomic groups were represented in abundance indicating a healthy, intact forest biome. A total of 183 plant species were identified including the critically endangered palm Reinhardtia gracilis [photo below]. Fifty-eight have important human uses; plants indicating the presence of early Mezoamerican settlement, like cacao, were also found.

Two hundred forty-six moths and butterfly species inhabit the forest and fifteen were new recordings for Honduras. Once thought to be extinct in Honduras, the tiger beetle, Odontochila nicaraguense, was recorded by researchers, while the longhorn beetle,Ischnocnemis caerulescens was documented for the first time in Honduras. Another insect recorded for the first time north of Nicaraugua was the tarantula, Sricopelma melanotarsum.

Forty small mammal species were found, representing thirty bat species and ten rodent species. Fourteen of these are considered indicator species of habitat health. Of the bats, one has not been reported in Honduras for seventy-five years, the pale face bat Phylloderma stenops [photo]. Twenty-two amphibians and thirty-five reptile species were also observed including a false coral snake not see in the region since 1965.

All of these species are needed to support large mammals including carinovres such as the four feline species of the region: jaguars, ocelot, margay, and puma. Presence of these predators are the best indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Game species sensitive to hunting were found in the forest: brocket deer, white-tailed deer, Baird’s tapir, paca and both peccary species. The white-lipped peccary, relative of the domestic pig, was found to be common in the study site, but now is confined to only 13% of its former range in Central America. These findings of a rich, diverse ecosystem that still harbors rare and threatened species makes Ciudad Blanca a top priority conservation site, protected from encroaching human use for agriculture and mining.

More Dead Wolves in Oregon

Two more wolves were killed in Oregon by the Federal Wildlife Service.  A deceptive misnomer, the agency is dedicated to removing wild predators at the request of private landowners.  A two year old male and a male yearling were killed in Wallowa County, members of the Wildcat Pack.  Two livestock owners complained of predation on their private land to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.  The agency issued a culling permit for two wolves.  One of the owners claimed non-lethal deterrents were employed including a ranger; no attractants were found on the properties impacted.  A state investigation of the complaints found one dead cow and a six month old calf.  US Person asks, is that really worth the persecution of a species trying to survive in an altered landscape?

TWIT: Moving Motions

Update: A federal judge in the Northern District of Georgia denied Mark Meadow's motion to remove his criminal case to federal court.  Meadows was widely considered to have the strongest case for removal.  Prosecutors argued that Meadows violated the Hatch Act by becoming involved in his boss' campaign for president. The Georgia Secretary of State was called to testify at the hearing of the motion.  When asked what he thought of the call from Meadows and Trump in which Trump asked him to find 11,780 more votes, he answered, "I thought it was a campaign call."  The judge found that Meadows activities in Georgia were outside the scope of his duties as the president's chief of staff.

More: The report of the special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia was released today.  Jurors wanted to indict twenty more people than the 19  DA Fani Willis eventually charged.  These included Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Georgia senators Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue, and former national security advisor Michael Flynn.  As it turns out, Ms. Willis made a concerted effort to par the case down to a more manageable size of nineteen.  The special grand jury agrees with US Person that the attempted coup was the result of a nationwide conspiracy among MAGAists that extended into all three branches of the national government. The jury spent seven months hearing 75 witnesses. Their report was submitted in December but was sealed until a regular grand jury indicted 19 on RICO charges on August 28th.  

The possibility of a hung jury in the criminal case against Don 'Legit' is becoming more real. In the special grand jury there was always one vote against charging him with various crimes, and several abstentions in several instances.  Only 12 out of 21 jurors were needed to indict.  A criminal conviction requires a unanimous jury.  This possibility is part of the difficulties involved in prosecuting a national political figure, and why Trumpillini has strenuously acted to remain in the public view.  

{06.09.23}The judge in the Georgia RICO case against 19 defendants is running into a logistical and scheduling problem.  The DA wants to try all nineteen defendants at the same time, but the judge is skeptical of that arrangement.  First of all trying nineteen defendants at the same time runs the risk of turning a televised proceeding into a free-for-all circus,  No witness in their right mind wants to undergo cross-examination by nineteen defense lawyers.  Second, several of the defendants have filed motions making the all at once strategy--admittedly advantageous to the prosecution team--impossible.  Two defendants--Chesebro and Powell--have filed motions for a speedy trial under Georgia law.  Judge McAfee, appointed by Repugnant Gov. Kemp, has set October 23rd for their trial date.  That leaves 17 defendants.  

Six defendants have filed or will file motions for removal to federal court including the conspirator in chief.  A ruling on those motions will take several months counting time for appeals from initial adverse rulings. This group, call it Group C, includes defendants Meadows, Clark, three fake electors, and defendant Trump. They will have to show that they were acting under the color of federal law in the performance of their duties as federal officials, and that they have a plausible federal defense.  It is unlikely that the three fake electors would qualify for removal under these requirements, but Meadows and Clark might since they were both federal officials at the time of their alleged criminal acts.  Criminal acts are not considered to be part of official duty, so that let's Trump out.  Besides, what plausible federal defense he may have to interfering in a state election is anybody's guess.  "Doing what ever he wants as President", is also not a defense.  Just ask Dick Nixon.  These defendants make a logical group to be tried in state court at a later time if and when their removal motions fail on federal appeal.

So that leaves 11 defendants remaining to be tried in Georgia's courts.  These folks could be split in half with the most culpable and related by the evidence being Group A, and the remaining five minor players being Group B.  Group A should be tried first.  It is an arrangement that is repetitive, requiring four trials, but logistically more easily handled by the court and a jury.  Assuming the boss looses his federal removal appeal, he could be tried with Meadows and Clark, if they also loose in federal court.  Or he could be tried alone or with the three fake electors in state court.  In this way the federal removal process would not delay state trials agains the other defendants.  US Person assumes the federal removal motions would be expedited by the federal judiciary.  It is possible that the entire case could be moved to  the Northern District of Georgia if one of the movants is successful. Defense attorneys consider federal court to be advantageous since the jury pool there is less heavily Democratic than Fulton County. Defendant Trump could still be tried next year, before the next presidential election in November 2024.  How is that for a socko campaign ad?

In any event,  Judge Scott McAfee will rule next week on a tentative schedule. Stayed tuned.  US Person should mention that Enrico Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys militia that acted as Trump's ground forces in the Capitol riot got twenty-two years in prison for seditious conspiracy this week.  Tarrio was not at the Capitol himself, but prosecutors convinced Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, to apply a sentence enhancement for domestic terrorism.   It is the harshest sentence related to January 6th handed out so far by four years.  This sentence set a foreboding precedent for Tarrio's commander in chief, Don 'Legit', who is charged with related federal felonies in the same courthouse.  Judge Kelly said a stiff sentence was necessary to deter future political violence.  Five people died in the riot.

credit: Ann Telnaes, Washington Post
BC Idonwanna sez: He sliced his shot!

Biden Protects Alaska's North Slope

In a unexpected move, Joe Biden barred oil and gas exploration in almost half of the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska's North Slope and cancel all leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.  The dramatic shift in policy covers 13 million acres of pristine arctic wilderness that is home to Alaska's most iconic species, caribou and polar bears. [photo credit: Getty Images] The ban does not affect the $8 billion Willow Project that his administration allowed to go forward earlier this year.

Since that action, which was derided by environmentalists as contrary to expressed policy goals of reducing combustion of fossil fuels, the administration is taking significant steps to fulfill its campaign promise of no new drilling on federal lands.  Biden said in a statement that, “We have a responsibility to protect this treasured region for all ages.”  Pundits surmise that Biden was surprised by the angry response of environmental groups to his approval of Chevron's massive Willow Project in the NPR, which had been in the political works for an extended period. Industry spokespersons have said it will challenge the drilling ban in federal court, as will the state of Alaska. Predictably, gas prices are rising again. This punishing of consumers for energy policies it does not like has become the favorite industry means of affecting public sentiment. 

Defendant Trump's regime opened the National Wildlife Reserve to drilling, reversing six decades of protection for the largest piece of untouched wilderness in the United States. However it sits atop an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil. Industry and the state have been eager to exploit this huge resource. When the regime held a lease sale, only three bidders including the state of Alaska submitted bids. Anticipating further government action, private companies did not participate. On his first day in office Biden signed an executive order suspending the leases while environmental impacts were studied further. Further review found multiple legal deficiencies in the original environmental assessment.  Two leaseholders canceled their leases and requested refunds. The state of Alaska's lease of 365,000 acres was cancelled this Wednesday. Interior Secretary Haaland said this action was taken because, "There are some places where oil and gas drilling and industrial development simply do not belong,”

Temperatures in the Arctic region are climbing four times faster that the rest of the globe, thawing ancient permafrost and melting glaciers. Native people through the Gwich’in Steering Committee have expressed their desire to end drilling on the North Slope. Given the lack of interest expressed by the industry in more leasing beyond the already developed Prudhoe Bay Area, only the state remains recalcitrant.

Elephant Retirement Home

Where do captive working elephants go when they are retired? In Cambodia, one place dedicated to their welfare and safety is Elephant Valley Project (EVP) near the village of Pu Trom in eastern Cambodia. Made redundant by mechanization or suffering debilitating health conditions, these elephants live out their last years in the solace of the forested hills adjoining a nature reserve. Twelve elephants are in residence now. Before the pandemic Elephant Valley was self sustaining from the revenue generated by tourists who came to visit them. The reserve has struggled since to remain econoically viable. It has had to cut services to the local community of Bunong people such as scholarships and health care for villagers. Elephant Valley has received grants from Wildlife Conservation Society and private donations. Visitors are just starting to return. [photo credit: J. Cannon]

Founded in 2006 by a British archeological student Jack Highwood and Chaeul Plouk, a local Bunong whose family has kept elephants for generations, the Project protects 3700 acres of high quality rain forest adjacent to the Keo Seima Wildlife Reserve. The area is under increasing pressure of development as Cambodians leave cities like Phnom Penh for less expensive living space. Ethnic groups in Southeast Asia have a long tradition of forming lasting bonds with working elephants. Mahout skills are passed down the generations and individual elephants become part of the human family. For the Buong, the elephant is a spiritual link to the disappearing forest.

a memorial to elephant and Bunong

A new study in Malaysia found that elephants impact the forest and biodiversity in "profound" ways through their very selective feeding habits. They clean the forest understory by keeping certain plants in check. Malaysian elephants particularly like liana vines that can choke off tree growth and show a fondness for ginger roots. In mature forests they eat palms, while in young forests where palms are less present they choose saplings. They use a variety of destructive foraging techniques that open the forest up to sunlight, which encourages the growth of plants favored by other forest herbivores. Elephpants tend to avoid plants that are high in toxins. As a result they tend to gravitate toward canopy gaps and modified edge zones. Half of the 180 pounds of plant material they usually consume in a day is redistributed in the forest through their dung. Large seeds are especially benefited from this long distance transportation service. It allows young plants to develope away from the parent tree. Their activity increases the overall genetic health of the forest they inhabit. They also enhance carbon storage by suppressing pioneer plants, allowing slower growing trees to thrive. The study shows that elephants need intact forest reserves to survive.

Back in Elephant Valley, mahouts accompany the residents during the day as they walk through the forest to graze, socialize, or take a dip in the river.   EVP sits on the edge of the most biodivers rainforest in eastern Cambodia. But development is creeping closer to the remaining forest everyday. A paved road from the capitol runs along the reserve boarder. Poachers are loggers pose an increasing threat; policing a 740,000 acre reserve is not easy. EVP with its elephants and human caretakers serves as a buffer zone for the reserve. Bunong have traditonally managed land communally. That type of land management is disappearing as land is purchased by outsiders and cleared for development such as rubber plantations. Elephants cannot survive in such radically altered environment. Bunong taditionally made easy demands on their workiing partners such as carrying rice bags or providing transportation to fields under cultivation. As those circumstances changed, keeping elephants became uneconomic. Elephants were foreced to work longer in harsh environments as tourist attractions in cities were their health deteriorated. None of this happens in EVP where elephants are allowed to lead normal lives in contact with caring humans.

  

elephant in Vietnam forest

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are classified as endangered by IUCN with 40,000 to 50,000 remaining in the wild. These populations are being squeezed by human encroachment and forced into ever smaller forest remnants that may have lost the resources to support megafauna, and where the animals run into conflicts with humans. EVP elephants are frightened by wild elephants and because they are elderly, are unable to resist aggressive advances. One wild bull made advances toward a Park resident, a thirty year old female in esterous. He succeeded in pulling up Perls nighttime restraint and chased her into the forest. Pearl eventually escaped the male and returned to the Park's herd. A year later she gave birth to Diamond, delighting Park staff and visitors alike. Another mouth to feed for perhaps seven decades. About half of the elepants in the Park are privately owned. Owners make payments to the Park to support their elephants retirement. Local villagers are aware of the impacts of forest loss around them. They complain of the rivers not flowing as they used to and higher temperatures. But other endangered species have been spotted in the wildlife reserve such as crested gibbons and giant squirrels, an indication that conservation is working.

Iceland Resumes Whaling

The Icelandic government to the consternation of conservationists and the public, allowed the resumption of whaling. It is only one of three countries that engage in commercial whaling.  The practice was suspended in June after an official government report found that whales die a painful, prolonged and inhuman death at the hands of whalers.  Hunted whales are killed with explosive tipped harpoons fired from a cannon. The primary target of hunters is the fin whale, considered vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN.

The minister of food and agriculture said that stricter regulation will be applied to the hunt, but whale advocates said such regulation is "pointless" because killing sentient whales is inhumane. Conservationists called the lifting of the temporary ban, a "massive step backward". The current licensing is valid to the end of 2023.According to the minister no decision on licensing renewal in 2024 has been made. Havalur is the only remaining whaling company in Iceland. Some see the resumption as a step forward, thinking that Havalur will be unable to meet the new requirements leading to termination of the hunt at the end of the year. Minister Savarsdottir said last year the Government planned to end whaling in 2024 due to dwindling demand for the product; she is a member of the Green Party in power. Currently Iceland exports whale meat to Japan. Japan has its own active whaling industry.

credit: Getty Images

Whaling in traditional in Iceland, but there is minority public support for continuing the dying industry at the expense of whales in Icelandic waters. Under the new rules, hunting must take place in daylight and within 80 feet of a targeted whale. No mothers with a calf can be hunted. No electricity can be used, rising the specter of electrocution as a method used to finish a dying whale on board. Kristjan Loftsson owner of Hvalar [photo] may continue his operations to the end of September when it become too cold and dark to hunt.